Okay peeps, about that last chapter, my bad! It's so hard to remember Toph's blind sometimes… Let's just say she… Well, she sees with earthbending, right…? Anyway, here's the disclaimer:

Disclaimer: How many times must it be said? I DON'T OWN AVATAR! (Oh, but if I did…)

Katara woke with a start in the night. She was sure she had heard something…A slam. It had to have been. From downstairs. It, of course, could've been Sokka or Toph. Yes, just one of them closing their door.

Only wanting to be sure, Katara quietly tip-toed down the creaky stairs. She walked past the kitchen and paused beside Sokka's doorway- his open doorway. Okay, so it wasn't him.

She quietly continued to Toph's room. Toph was sound asleep- and her door also was open. Hm… That's odd…Katara thought. She walked down the hallway to check other doors. But then, she noticed something. When they had walked into the old place at first, there was no door hinged in the front doorway.

There was a door now, and it was closed. Closed and locked.

Locked with a padlock.

Zuko thought he heard someone walking outside his room. Very light footsteps made their way downstairs. Then, they stopped. He sat upright and cocked his head in surprise. He had noticed that other people were there, but he hadn't taken the time to find out who.

That feeling of being watched still lingered in the air.

He wanted to go downstairs to see who it was, but any unnecessary encounters really weren't needed.

This time, curiosity got the best of him.

Katara was on the verge of panic. She tried to stay calm. She tried to remain level-headed. It wasn't working.

Her breath became quick. She could feel adrenaline pulsing through her blood.

"It's okay," she whispered to herself. "All I have to do is find whoever has the key."

Zuko softly rushed downstairs, turned a corner, and dashed down the hallway. He tried to remain hidden in the shadows. What he saw told him exactly why the footsteps had come to a halt.

Standing rigid, trembling, was the water-tribe girl who traveled with the avatar.

Then, he saw why she was trembling.

A door was there that wasn't there before.

A padlocked door.

Zuko muffled a gasp.

Katara heard someone behind her.

Shit! she cursed in her mind. She slowly turned, her eyes wide with fear.

There, standing behind her, was none other than Zuko. He honestly seemed just as frightened as she was- about the door, anyway.

Purely on instinct, she ran up the stairs. She barely knew what was going on, but she had to get to Aang. She had to guard him. Not only from Zuko, but from whatever was going on in this place. She tripped at least twice while running up the stairs, but just as quickly pulled herself up. "Keep going!" she told herself aloud. "Don't stop, Katara, just keep going!"

It took a moment for Zuko to realize what was happening, but he was soon dashing after the waterbender. No doubt, she was headed towards the avatar's room.

A/N: I'm trying to make the chapters deeper, so PLEASE gimme some reviews! I want to know what's good, bad, and/or ugly about this story!

--Serenitae