Disclaimer: If you accuse me of owning Avatar, I will first be flattered, then sick Tsune (whom I actually do own) on you. And trust me--angry Spirits can be pretty nasty.

AN: Yes, I'm sorry it's taking me so long. I've got two and a half weeks left of school, so all my teachers are panicking and loading me with homework. I'm working as fast as I can, I swear!


IX

Appa was fine, draped haphazardly across the clearing not far from the house. She patted the bison and continued walking, trying hard to settle her shaken nerves.

"Katara?"

She jumped, twisting around and reaching for the waterskin that she had forgotten to bring into the warm night.

"Katara, are you all right?" the voice repeated, soft with concern. She felt a wave of relief course through her veins.

"Kuzon," she allowed herself to sigh. He stepped from the shadows.

"Are you all right?" he continued. She offered a brief nod, though it was cast aside by his skeptical stare.

"I'm fine," she insisted.

"What are you doing out here alone?"

"Nothing." Another piercing gaze made her reconsider. "It's nothing. Just a bad dream...so I wanted to get some fresh air. That's all, really. And besides," she added defiantly, "I can take care of myself. There's nobody for miles, right?" He glanced into the shadows over her shoulders, and for the first time, she thought she could see vague shapes flitting just out of her line of sight.

"No people," he confirmed quietly. "But there are enough wild animals in these parts to make up for their absence." Just out of sight, another patch of darkness raged silently, making Katara jerk. She cursed herself silently.

"I'm not usually this jumpy," she muttered, a soft apology to Kuzon. He offered her an understanding smile.

"I know," he said. "It must have been some nightmare to worry you like that." He stepped closer, reassuring her with his presence. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head, the darkness barely concealing her reddening cheeks. "I'm fine. It wasn't anything important."

"All right, then." He paused, letting the wind stir the treetops overhead. "We're out here anyway. Do you want to keep walking?" Seeing her uneasy glance into the shadows, he put a hand on her shoulder. " You don't have to worry. I'm used to these animals; I'll keep you safe. Just don't go wandering off alone, all right?"

The light of a full moon illuminated patches of ground through gaps in the leafy ceiling, and the two of them deftly picked their path between the islands of light. The stoic near-silence of the forest was subtly interrupted by their own quiet conversation, a light exchange that swayed between subjects without direction. A slender twist of dialog pulled their exchange to the North Pole, to the battle, to the once sexist Master, to a fight against a silver-clad Prince, to the young woman who had given her life in exchange for hope.

And here, she fell silent.

"Katara?"

"I could have stopped it," she admitted.

"What?"

"If I'd been able to keep Zuko away for a little longer, then Aang's spirit would have gotten back to his body, and we wouldn't have been gone when Zhao came, and he wouldn't have been able to kill the Moon Spirit, and..."

"It wasn't your fault," Kuzon said gently, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "You did everything you could."

"But Yue was my friend, and Sokka...he really cared about her, and..." she protested. "I shouldn't have just let her die like that. I should have--"

He touched her cheek with his free hand, steadying her.

"You didn't know," he said, his voice low and soothing. "You did your best." He began to draw her closer, into the safety of his embrace...

Unbidden, a nearby branch whipped in terror, driven onward without wind. Not far away, a twig snapped, and Katara straightened, suddenly alert to the forbidding night.

"Listen, Kuzon," she said, squirming slightly. "It is the middle of the night, and Aang and Sokka are probably wondering where I am, and we probably shouldn't be talking like this, and..."

Kuzon took a step closer. "You're right," he said quietly.

And then he kissed her.

For a fraction of an instant she was stiff, slightly resisting his touch. But that instant passed quickly enough. She seemed to melt into his arms, her hands rising to rest on his shoulders, pouring herself into the kiss as she returned it to him tenfold. She wanted it, he realized, perhaps more than she had ever wanted anything else in her short life. She wanted to be held, to be loved and kissed and praised and cherished. She wanted a life devoid of motherly responsibilities and ancient worries. Zuko felt that need etched in her kiss, and through it read her every desire as easily as he would a scroll.

And through that desire, Zuko found his own triumph. He had succeeded. He had won. The Avatar would be conquered and his father would take him back and restore his honor and Katara was in his arms and kissing him and he felt so good. Everything was right. More than right. It was perfect.

Of all people, Zuko should have realized that perfection was fleeting.

Katara ended the kiss abruptly, and went suddenly rigid in his arms. His eyes opened sluggishly to see what the problem was: all the color had drained from her dark skin, her breath was shallow, and her eyes were wide enough that Zuko could see his reflection illuminated in them.

Not Kuzon's elegant reflection. His own mutilated face. The surprise that washed over his features was twisted by that scar into a horrible scowl, focused with cruel intensity at Katara. She paled even further, her hand pulled away from him and reached behind her back- Zuko realized that she was looking for her water skin.

He felt betrayed- outraged! One moment she had been kissing him, and now she expected a fight? What was wrong with this girl?

What was wrong with him?

"Katara-" he started, but cut off quickly. Had his voice always sounded like that? So angry? She pushed away from him, her crystalline eyes wider than ever, and fled into the trees.

"Tsune!" Zuko roared. "Tsune! Show yourself, you forsaken little-"

"You know, you're going to blow our cover if you keep shouting like that, dear." Zuko whirled to face the Spirit, his face dark with rage.

"What cover?" he snapped. "You've already given us away!"

"Not really," the Spirit drawled calmly.

"She ran away from me! She saw me, and she ran away from me! I had her, Tsune! I did it! And then you-"

"No, you didn't," Tsune said stonily. "You're forgetting the big picture, dear. You don't kiss her. It's your job to make her fall in love with you, and then she has to kiss you. While the Avatar is watching. Until that happens-"

"It doesn't matter anymore," he said wearily. "Don't you understand, Tsune? It's over. She knows who I am now."

"Do you really believe that, dear? Or do you just feel like giving up?" Zuko looked up, suspicion narrowing his golden eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

"Katara believes that she's just finished a rather peculiar dream," Tsune mused. "Involving a rather steamy kiss-" she shot Zuko a smirk. "A few ghoulish visitors, and her 'brother' reciting some bad Earth Kingdom poetry. Shortly after, the 'Avatar' helped convince her that she was, in fact, asleep, and she laid down in her own sleeping bag like a good little girl. If anything has been gained from this venture, it is the 'dream' of kissing 'Kuzon,' dear. It will never leave her mind. Soon casual curiosity will become interest, and interest will become obsession. Thought will become action." The Spirit's face darkened and she shifted forms again, her eyes ablaze. "She will break the Avatar's heart, and I will break his body. And then you will take him to your beloved father and regain his love, and your throne, and your honor. It's simple, dear."

"It isn't going to work," Zuko grumbled, turning away from Tsune. Her words were riddled with temptation...which he didn't want. He had been feeding himself false hope for far too long.

"Odd. That's not what you said the last time we discussed this. Or the time before that..." The Spirit shifted, her features darkening until she was an exact reflection of Katara. But not the real thing, Zuko couldn't help thinking. Just an imitation. "Tell me, dear. What's changed your mind?"

"Nothing," he grumbled, still avoiding Tsune's now ice blue gaze.

"You're still a horrible liar," she whispered into his ear. Instinctively he shied away. "Now don't be afraid, dear. You can tell me. I won't laugh." Now he turned to meet her, a vicious glare fixed on his own face.

"I'm not afraid of anything," he snarled. "Least of all you."

But did he speak to the Spirit...or to the girl she impersonated? He was no longer sure.

Katara-Tsune grinned. "Then you'll have no problem going on with this," she said. "Because my plans don't fail."