A/N: Yes, yes, I know, I haven't updated in forever and you wanted me too right? Well I guess the time has come! Lol… but don't get too excited because this chapter isn't going to bring any kind of dramatic change… but it's getting there… (evil laugh mwhahaha!) I'm serious though… Chapter 9 is going to be eye popping! I promise! But for now… enjoy!
Chapter 8

Katara smiled to herself as she felt the warm sunlight on her face. The bed she was sleeping in was extremely comfortable, so much that she didn't want to get up. Her thoughts carried her away to the strong embrace that she was cradled in last night. Suddenly her eyes jerked open, and her gaze darted everywhere through out the hut. She pulled the covers back sharply and stood up, fixing her clothes as she did. Her smile vanished; Zuko wasn't there. He must have left before she woke up. Katara sighed sadly, there was a yearning inside of her to kiss his lips again. Unfortunately that wasn't possible at the moment. There was nothing to do in the hut, and then she thought of her own habitat she called home. Biting her lips slightly, she stepped out into the forest and made her way reluctantly away from Zuko's hut.

..:-:..

Zuko had kissed her soft chocolate hair and took one last look at her peaceful sleeping form. He smiled to himself for a second, and then a frown took its place. Next to the bed was a table, on which his mask rested. He sighed deeply and then put the mask on. As he left the hut, he could hear her shuffling about inside. Without looking back, he left for Tochigi; he had some unfinished business to attend to.

Once there, Zuko hid among the shadows and climbed up onto the roofs which dotted the landscape. He had found himself inside of an aristocrat's hideaway, from where one could see all of Tochigi. There were mounds of gold pieces scattered everywhere, most likely taken away from the common village people. Zuko's world had been turned upside down however, and he no longer thought of taking it all for himself. Instead, he scooped up as much as he could and then jumped down swiftly onto the bustling streets. He made his way carefully, watching out for anyone that could spot him, and finally Zuko was in the poorest part of Tochigi. Darting through the shadows like a ghost, he left the villagers stunned as they turned their backs, to find a small pile of gold at their feet. Little kids eyes widened with joy and mothers thanked the unknown being for the pure kindness of heart.

After about a half hour, Zuko's bag was empty, and he was in a good enough mood, so he decided to risk going back for some more. Unfortunately as he approached the door leading to the room, he heard loud arguing.

"What do you mean, missing?"

"The Pirates have left. There is no sight or trace of them sir."

"Those bastards! They took half of my money and fled!"

Zuko smiled to himself. The pirates had left, naturally, but the stolen money was blamed on them, and not him. He listened on intently while the sun began to decrease his shadow filled hiding spot.

"I thought I could trust them! How else am I supposed to acquire that jewel? All of this money could easily pay for it!"

"Sir, if it is any consolation to you, I might like to say that I have a piece of good news for you."

Zuko heard a chair being thrown across the room.

"Good news? I'm not in the mood for some good news! I have lost the Azure Jewel, unless you know of a way to get another jewel…"

"Actually Sir, that is exactly what I was going to say."

There was a spreading silence in the room, and when it reached him, Zuko's hairs stood on their ends. Suddenly he realized that he would no longer be covered in shadows, and he would be exposed, because it was nearing noon, and there was nowhere he could hide to get away. But this was such vital information that he needed to know about, and so he decided to risk it.

"Well then? Spit it out."

"Have you heard who is in town? It's none other than the Princess of the Fire Nation."

Zuko didn't get to hear anymore, because at that moment he saw a figure immerge from the house across the street. The woman stared at Zuko in fear and was about to shout out, when he disappeared from her view. She rubbed her eyes and then he wasn't there anymore.

He ran making a bare minimum of contact with the ground. The foul odors of the alleyways were causing Zuko a discomforting feeling in his stomach. Soon enough, he was out of breath and he was starting to become dizzy. Everything inside of him was shutting down and the knowledge of his sister's whereabouts were no comfort at all. Suddenly he tripped and landed face down in the dirt. His mask went flying into one of the garbage disposals, and his world blacked out. At that moment, Miaka stepped out into the alley behind her humble home and she gasped when she saw the man lying in it covered with scratches and dirt. Right after she took out the trash, she pulled the man in with all of her strength. Little did she know what kind of situation she was getting herself into.

..:-:..

Katara found her hut after almost two hours of searching. She had no idea where Zuko's hut had been located, but after risking tracking the forest while in view Tochigi, she found her way. Nothing had changed in her hut, and for that she was utterly grateful. With the pirates wonderful welcome, she had worried they would have found her hut and raided it of all her necessities, but everything was right where it should have been. Even Katara's second disguise was fixed and ready to go. Her logical thinking always came in handy, and now she put it on, feeling renewed and ready to go ahead with her challenge. She was going to go to Tochigi and win back her name. The Red Spirit was no criminal and she intended for the situation to remain like that. If she would find the other spirit, her anger would not hold her back.

But when she found her way into Tochigi, she realized how unprepared she had been. After a few days away from the village, many things had changed. For one, a couple people had seen her, and instead of attacking her, they praised her and thanked her for "the kindness given to them". Katara had no clue what had happened, but she didn't let her guard down just yet. The afternoon was closing in and then she figured out who to go to, her friend and confidant, Miaka.

She was in her house just as usual. Katara made her way inside, cautiously like always. However the house smelled of strange herbs and medications that she wasn't used to. Katara made her way past the colorful vases and flowers in the main hallway, and found herself in the sitting room, which had been redecorated to fit the changing season. Summer was on its way to an end, not quite, but Miaka was always one step ahead of everyone. The room was decorated with bare branches extending along the top of the walls. The bamboo rug wasn't covered in drawings of leaves, but that too was bare. The light hazel, orange, and yellow colors dotted the table with cups and plates. Finally after a few minutes, Miaka appeared in the room, and she clapped her hands together with a sigh.

"Oh my dear Katara! How wonderful it is to see you!"

She stood up and bowed.

"It is wonderful to see you as well."

They sat down at the table like the numerous times before, and surprisingly Miaka was the one to start out.

"Oh, can you believe the horrid smell in this place?"

"Why actually, I thought that it was different than before… what happened?"

"Could you imagine? I was just taking out the trash, when suddenly, I spotted a young man lying in the alley!"

Katara thought vaguely and only for a second that it could have been Zuko, but the chances must have been unimaginably slim.

"So he was just lying there?"

"Yes. I, being the wonderfully kind person that I am, took him in, and by no means was it an easy task!"

Miaka sipped on her tea and then continued.

"Well, when I got him into the spare room, I figured out what was wrong with him… I haven't seen the case in a long time, but apparently the man had been taken down with a severe shock in his nerves. That, combined with lack of nutrition and a swollen bruise on his head, I don't know how he managed to get as far as the back of my house!"

As she described the man more and more, Katara couldn't help but think that it was Zuko she had nursed back to health.

"…I'm sorry to interrupt Miaka, but what did the man look like?"

"Oh, he had long scruffy black hair, and a pair of piercing golden eyes. But the thing that got me most about him was his scar! You should have seen it… it covered half of his face, it was so horrid!"

Katara dropped her empty cup and her eyes widened with fright.

"Darling, are you all right?"

"Miaka, is he still here?"

"Oh no… once he woke up and was all better, he immediately got up and left. At least he thanked me for my services… but it was still rude of him to just take off like that!"

Katara's mind was running wild now and her heart was racing. Zuko couldn't find out that she was here in Tochigi as the Red Spirit. He might think that she had betrayed his trust, but that was not going to happen.

"Thank you so much Miaka for your hospitality, but I must be going now."

"Oh, leaving so soon? Well I guess you can't stay here all day long, now can you? But before you leave, I think I should warn you! Princess Azula of the Fire Nation is in town, and I don't think it would be wise for you to run into her."

"…really? Then I should leave now…"

With that, Katara was out of the house, and hiding in between shadows once again.

..:-:..

Once Zuko was out of that lady's house, he found his mask and decided to go pay the aristocrat another visit. Thankfully this time, there was no one in the room. Quickly, Zuko grabbed a bunch of gold pieces, this time for himself. If Azula was in town, he needed to be prepared for anything. Not a single sound was heard when Zuko dropped down from the roof, but that didn't matter. To his misfortune, he was staring into the face of the other Red Spirit, which he knew to be Katara. Again, Zuko mentally cursed at himself for not being more careful.

Katara was in a state of shock. She had just merely gotten past most of the houses in Tochigi without running into anyone, and here she was standing right in front of her enemy. That's what he was to her now, even more so because in his hand was another bag of gold pieces. She found a pair of long bamboo sticks lying in a pile outside one of the houses, and now she used them in an attack stance. Zuko quickly tied the bag to his waist, and automatically decided what he was going to do. Right as Katara was going to take a lunge at him, he got a hold of the stick and pulled her towards him. Katara spun around right as Zuko ran past her. She saw the black figure fading into the distance, and her anger propelled itself so that she threw the sticks into the ground, breaking them in half. He had gotten away, but she had more important things to worry about. She needed to get to Zuko as fast as she could.

..:-:..

Zuko had enough time to get some food and bring it back to the hut. Once there, he tidied it up a bit just in case Katara would feel like returning. Suddenly, he felt completely exhausted, from everything. The knowledge of Azula's presence was overwhelming at that moment, and the burden of keeping his secret from Katara was becoming heavier each second that he had to keep it hidden. Zuko fell onto his bed, and he felt the warm summer air flow through every inch of the hut. Soon enough, he fell asleep.

Katara had made her way back to her hut without running into anyone else. She put away her disguise, and stopped by a pond to make sure she looked all right for Zuko. Now that she was so close with him, she began to feel butterflies in her stomach as she neared his hut. There was always the chance that he wasn't even there, and she would get her hopes up for no reason, but when she stood in the doorway, her heart melted on the spot. She saw him spread out on his bed, and he looked completely worn out. Katara tipped toed over towards him, and gently caressed his face. Her heart was torn however, because now she had a secret that she had to keep from him. She had been fighting the thoughts in her mind the whole way there; she couldn't tell Zuko that she knew what had happened to him at Miaka's house, because that way she would have to explain how she knew Miaka, and how she led a double life as the Red Spirit.

Zuko woke up by the touch of someone's hand on his cheek. He smiled slightly and then he felt her lips on his. Katara lifted her head up after the brief kiss, and then Zuko opened his eyes to see her beautiful face smiling down at him.

"I didn't know that you were going to leave this morning… but I see that you still manage to get your sleep Zuko."

He chuckled lightly, and then sat up with her help, he rubbed his head, but then winced in pain as he took a sharp breath. Katara was at his side immediately and she put her hand on his head delicately.

"Where does it hurt?"

Her magnificent eyes mesmerized him, and for a second Zuko didn't respond. Only after a minute did he point to the spot on right side of his head. Katara tilted his head and then with a small wave of her hand, water came to her. She placed it on the bruise and Zuko found the pain shrinking away. After only a moment, the bruise was gone, and Katara's job was done.

"There you go. It's all better. How do you feel?"

They were both sitting on the bed and she was right next to him. Zuko suddenly pulled her in close to him, and kissed her passionately. Katara couldn't think about anything at the moment except for how wonderful it felt to be with Zuko again. Her morning wish came true, and then she hugged him fiercely. Zuko rested his head on hers, and then rubbed his hand on her arm lovingly.

"I feel much better now…"

Katara smiled and then got up. Zuko followed her and they found a spot outside to set up a picnic. Katara laughed and shrugged off her embarrassment when her stomach growled loudly. Zuko didn't seem to care and she was glad of that. They ate in peace, with occasional conversation, but the one thing that couldn't be put aside was what the day's events included.

"So how was your day?"

Zuko squirmed uncomfortably while he thought of a lie.

"Oh, nothing much… I just went into town and found some food… how about you?"

Katara looked around panicking. She had never tried lying before.

"I just went back to my hut and tidied up around there."

Both of them nodded and averted the others gaze; each had their own secret and it wasn't about to be revealed then and there.

"So… would you want to show me your hut… or is that not going to happen?"

He chuckled to himself and she smiled.

"Nope. I'm not sure if I can really trust you at this point Zuko."

He made an exasperated face of shock, and then he brought her face close to his.

"Really? Because if you didn't trust me… oh I don't know… you wouldn't be here… but I guess if that's how it is… saving a life isn't significant enough then…"

She laughed playfully as she hugged him.

"You know I'm joking… but it's just that I don't think there is a point for me to go back to my hut, now is there?"

Zuko eyed her curiously and pulled away.

"What do you mean there is no point?"

"Well, why don't I just move in with you? It would be so much easier… right?"

He couldn't resist her gorgeous smile, and he fell for it.

"I suppose you are right. But you will have to work hard to support the hut."

"Oh? And how would I do that?"

Zuko pulled her in close to him, and then the two of them laid back on the grass, propping their heads on a large rock.

"You have to sit back, and relax for once."

She smiled to herself, and closed her eyes, while the last rays of sunlight made their way through the rustling canopy of leaves. Everything was quiet, and she cuddled up to him. Katara felt the even control in his breathing by the rise and fall of his chest. Without opening her eyes, she imagined her mother playing with her when she was young.

"Zuko… do you remember your mother?"

His eyelids fell and memories of his amazing mother came flooding back. Suddenly Katara's head was lifted higher than usual as Zuko took a deep intake of air.

"Yes… she was beautiful and she had a big heart… sometimes I think that's what killed her off… her weakness for loving people."

Katara sat up and Zuko opened his eyes.

"What do you mean her weakness? Loving people does not make a person weak!"

She was upset by the remark, but Zuko quickly corrected it.

"But I've learned how wrong that is… you helped me see that Katara."

A light cherry blush spread across her cheeks and she looked away.

"How about yours?"

"My mother was wonderful too… it's on days like these that I remember her the most. She always radiated a warmth that soothed my worries."

There was a silence as the two remembered their departed mothers. Then a thought occurred to Katara.

"I was wondering though… how come Azula is so different than you? Wasn't your mother alive long enough for her to raise Azula as well as you?"

"She was… but Azula never accepted my mother because she couldn't fire bend. She thought of my mother as a weak person she shouldn't associate herself with…"

"Even at that young of an age?"

"Yes… you could say that she inherited every gene from my father… except for her looks… she resembles my mother quite remarkably…"

Katara could see the pain in his eyes as he looked off into the distance. She crept up close to him and gave him a soft kiss. Zuko wrapped his arms around her, around the girl that he was beginning to fall for fast. He breathed in the scent of her hair and sighed.

"You don't have to worry about it though Katara… even though she's here, she won't be able to hurt us… not if we stay far away from Tochigi, hidden in this forest."

Katara looked at his confident face and she could see the maturity he had undergone in the past year. Neither of them wanted to talk about the past anymore, so they stood up and walked back into the hut.

..:-:..

Azula found herself in the tavern once again, and she was sitting in a corner of the room. Across the table was a middle aged man, an aristocrat who governed the village.

"So to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"I have heard rumors that you know of the Carmine Jewel…"

"Why would you like to confirm those rumors?"

"You see Princess Azula, I am a collector of historic artifacts, and I would love to have it in my possession, of course I know it will have a heavy price, but I am willing to pay."

Azula drummed her fingers on the table and pretended to take the offer up.

"All right, I am in a good mood and am willing to make some arrangements… but you must do something for me first."

"Of course! Anything you need me to do, I'll do it!"

She smiled with a hidden plan behind her eyes.

"I believe you've heard of the Red Spirit?"

"Yes I have…"

"Have you heard that there are two of them?"

The man's eyes widened with shock.

"But how is that possible?"

"The kind gentlemen in this tavern have told me much about this duo. Supposedly, one is a man, and the other is a woman; their figures give it away. Now, I think these two should be stopped at once, so I need your assistance with this task."

He nodded and closed his eyes.

"I see… what would you like me to do?"

"Get a young man of yours who is willing to do the job… make sure he's charming and… persuasive."

They both stood up and shook hands. Azula watched him walk out of the tavern and then she looked around at everyone else there. 'Stupid fools…' Azula walked out of the tavern and breathed in the electrifying evening air.

"There's a hint of friction in the air tonight… that's just the way I like it."

She put her fingers together and then sent a spark of lightening up into the sky, laughing as she did it.

Katara had gone to the edge of the forest to look for some herbs, and suddenly her jaw dropped when she saw a bolt of lightening erupt from the horizon of Tochigi. In an instant it was gone, and so she didn't think anything of it. She shrugged off the feeling, but something didn't feel right. Katara began to walk through the forest, the last bits of sunlight only a shimmer in between the trees.


A/N: Yeah, I know, not much happened here… except we are now on the brink of Azula's evil plan mwahahaha! And as most of us saw, she is capable of anything, right? so who knows what will happen next! Oh wait, I do teehee! I hope you liked this chapter! I needed some more zutara fluff for my own liking :)

Oh and if someone is going to think that Zuko is OOC, then you haven't read this story thoroughly. He's a changed man now, yes he is… nothing like in Bitter Work… emo Zuko, now that's something to laugh about! XD