A/N. So, Katara's POV ! I rather enjoyed writing this one to be honest! I don't know yet whose POV next one will be, I have two options I want to explore.

The girl, On Ji, if Katara remembered correctly, was looking over her shoulder, into the square. More people were entering it now, and the waterbender could hear the soft worried whispers. She didn't need to be a genius to figure out what they were talking about. The announcement made everyone's life more complicated. If this curfew was strengthened even further, what would that mean? To Katara, it seemed already strict enough.

At least, the announcement had given her one thing. It had said that Ozai was defeated, and had not mentioned the Avatar, so that would mean that Aang was still alive. But otherwise, it was worrying. The note had announced Azula as Fire Lord… But that was not possible! Surely Zuko would not have let her out of his sight! He wasn't that stupid.

But if this was already known… That could mean two things. Or some of the soldiers of the air fleet had come back with one of the airships and had told what happened… Or Aang, Sokka, Toph and Suki were alive and had come to the Fire Nation by their own means. If that was the case, she could kick herself. The waterbender knew she was impulsive, but her reasoning had been sound! Her friends would need transportation… But knowing her brother, now that she was thinking about… he probably had managed to salvage one of the airships.

As On Ji pulled her through the street, towards the richer part of town, away from the walls, Katara watched the two Fire Nationals in whose company she had found herself. The girl had not changed much but didn't wear her school uniform anymore. Instead, the black clothes and cloak were simple, adorned with bright red thread. The other person, a young man not much older than the girl, wore similar clothes, but seemed much more anxious than On Ji. The man had a long, thin face, long legs and arms, and seemed much too tall for his own body.

"Where are you taking me?" She had hoped that the girl would show her some unguarded gates, through which she could reach Appa, but they were walking away from the walls…

"Home. My parents are not there at the moment, the governor called a meeting of all leading citizens in the black of the night." On Ji responded, "The walls have ears in the inner town."

That sounded familiar… Like Ba Sing Se.

"On Ji, perhaps she is working with them." The young man whispered as softly as possible.

"She was with Kuzon, I doubt very much that she is working for the people they disobeyed Shoji." The girl rolled her eyes as they turned a corner, into another street. Suddenly, Katara realized that the young man probably had been in the group of students in the cave.

"But still, you don't know! We need to ask her!"

"Even if I was, do you think I would tell you if you asked?" Katara spoke up. The young man seemed to realize how naïve his words had sounded, because he looked at her, frowning.

"I only mean that we can't be too careful." He huffed, and the waterbender could only agree. Even if these people were probably inclined to help Sapphire, the girl that travelled with Kuzon… Would they help Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe? Although they had seemed nice and were still trying to at least make civilized conversation with her, they were still the products of the Fire Nation's school system. They probably hated the Water Tribes for some reason or another and feared the Avatar.

They stopped in front of a wall with a gate inside of it. The girl On Ji knocked on it and it was opened by an old woman, all smiles and soft murmurs. As they stepped through the gates, Katara found herself inside a walled courtyard. One side was the wall and gate they had just passed, while the three others were occupied by buildings. One was clearly the home of this On Ji, while one of the other buildings seemed to be servants' quarters. To finish it all off, there were stables.

"My father has a business in trading animals, notably mongoose lizards. They are not as quick as the eelhounds from the Earth colonies, but they are good animals." On Ji explained as they crossed the yard towards the house. Katara only nodded, trying to say as little as possible. She didn't want to be here… But perhaps a mongoose lizard could scale the walls? If these things were quick… She would be outside the range of fire in the matter of moments…

They entered the home, walking into a long wide corridor. On Ji and the young man took off their cloaks and threw them on a small wooden table next to the door. Katara followed, looking around. This was the first time she was in an actual normal Fire National house, one that had not profited as much from the war as others like the Fire Lord… And it seemed nearly normal. Except the portrait of Ozai hanging in the corridor.

"I guess we'll need to take that one down." On Ji had apparently followed her eyes, and nodded with her chin to the portrait.

"Yeah… I think so?" Katara answered, not quite sure what to say.

"It will pay for the funeral. Like always." Shoji spoke with an irritated undertone, "They know not everyone can afford a new one. But rules are rules!" The last part of the sentence seemed to be something like a joke, because he spoke it in a gruff old man's voice.

"Shoji's parents will not be able to provide the new portrait." On Ji explained quietly to her, as the young man walked away through the corridor.

"You need to buy the new portraits yourself?" Katara couldn't help but feel a slight pang of pity. Portraits were not cheap… And if the rule was that there needed to be one in each home of the nation… That explained why this Shoji sounded bitter.

"Of course, you don't?" the girl asked, confused.

"The colonies are somewhat laxer about all this." Katara spoke in a neutral voice. She wasn't exactly sure if that was the case, but she had not seen such portraits in the occupied zones of the Earth Kingdom…

"Lucky… But come, I asked the maid for some breakfast." On Ji walked towards the door on the left, opened it and walked in. Katara followed, seeing that they stood inside a room with a long table, surrounded by a dozen or so chairs. The Fire Nation girl sat down on one and gestured to the one in front of her. Katara also sat down, looking through the window. The sky was still slightly gray, but it couldn't be more than two hours after sunrise. Appa would probably be looking for her by now, trying to avoid to town. The bison knew that he shouldn't show himself to large groups of people, as most would see him as a threat.

"So, what are you doing back here? I didn't think you would come back after what happened." On Ji asked, but before Katara could even consider her answer, the old maid that had opened the gates entered, carrying a tray of several bowls filled with fruit, a loaf of bread and a ceramic bottle.

"Miss On Ji, your parents send a message. The Lord Governor is still in a conference with the burghers, so they expect to come home only around lunch." With that, the old woman nodded politely to her, and left. Well… It sounded like the governor was trying to convince the leading citizens to follow his example and announce Azula as Fire Lord. But if it took this long… Maybe the citizens were not accepting it?

"Sapphire?"

"Oh, yes! Sorry. Ehm… I was separated from the others, and this place seemed like a logical place to start my search for them." That sounded plausible, right? There was nothing weird about being an organized, though stranded, person.

"Oh… How did you enter the city?" The girl asked, rather innocently, as she tore a piece of the bread off the load. Katara realized that even though Shoji's idea had seemed rather naïve, On Ji was still implementing it, by trying to sound nice and offering her food. Was the girl even realizing how transparent this was?

"I was knocked out by some guards because they thought I broke curfew. I woke up an hour or so ago in jail, but they let me go with just a warning." The waterbender answered, deciding that staying as close to the truth was the best option. Just not the whole truth.

"Ah… And… ehm… what now?"

"What do you mean, what now? I want to get out of this place and find… the others." The announcement had made her anxious. It had said that curfew was going to be tightened… So she had to get out of this town before anything worse happened…

"I'm afraid that isn't possible…" On Ji sighed, sounding genuinely sad now. Looking at the girl, Katara thought he saw some bitterness in the pulled down corners of her mouth.

"Why not? Walls are not that difficult to climb, and guards can be knocked out." She protested.

"Knocked out? Are you out of your mind? This place is as much built to keep people out as it is built to keep people in. Have you been living under a rock or something?"

Well… To be honest, yes. Since the invasion they had limited their interactions with the outside world to a bare minimum, and they had spent most of their time in the Air Temple or on Ember Island… So yes, they had no information whatsoever what had happened in the rest of the Fire Nation…

"Surely you can get out of here!" Even the Fire Nation wasn't that cruel to their own citizens…

"No." A male voice spoke up, and Katara saw that Shoji was back, sitting down at the table. And, to her amusement, the waterbender saw the slight awkwardness. The young man had clearly wanted to sit next to On Ji, but had not dared, so had opted to keep a chair between the two.

"Well, I'm going to get out." Katara grabbed a moonpeach from one of the bowls, and tore it in two, removing the pit from its core, "I have some experience with beating Fire Nation soldiers."

"This isn't just knocking them out Sapphire. They move in groups of three or four, and are on constant watch for deserters and people trying to flee the town."

Katara didn't say that that wasn't what she had meant. No, she had experience killing Fire Nation soldiers. And if they were keeping her from getting out of this place, she was gladly going to do it again. And again. Until she was back where she belonged. Whatever that voice had said, she didn't believe it.

Watching the girl, the waterbender thought to see a slight disappointment in those big ember eyes. The longer she looked, the more she was certain. On Ji had not wanted to help her. She had hoped for help…

"What has happened here?" She changed the subject. There was clearly not a way to get out of this place in the matter of moments, so, better to learn what had happened and assess the situation from there.

"Happened? You happened." Shoji bit back, but fell silent when On Ji waved a hand towards him in protest.

"It isn't her fault! She tried to help, like Kuzon. It was only because of the governor's brother that we got here. When you left, the headmaster called for the governor to close down the school and transform it in a military training ground. All those who were close to military service age were called up… While the others were forced to work for the town. That what you saw us do. We have the job to announce the news, or put up the rules on every street corner…"

That sounded… horrific.

"Of course, there are some who are better off than others… The music group, for their role in your little party, have been sent to the mines… So, I would say we are the lucky ones." The young man grumbled, and Katara felt a slight pang of pity and regret… That had not been Aang's goal. He had just seen a group of people, loving their music and talent, and had wanted to help them… As he always did…

But it was something else… The horrible feeling of dread. The Fire Nation had done all this because of an "illegal" party… They had probably sent people to their death, just because they had wanted one evening of fun and happiness…

"After that, they put up the fortification around the town. They brought in prisoners to do the job… The walls have been finished for less than a week. Since then, no one has even managed to get out of the town. Food is brought in for the market, but no one is allowed out. The soldiers say that we must ask the governor's permission, but… Well, I doubt he will give it." On Ji finished lamely, looking even more bitter when she spoke that last sentence. Glancing towards Shoji, Katara thought to see irritation at the mention of the governor.

"Let me guess… An old man, so indoctrinated into thinking this country is wonderful and has no faults whatsoever. Probably thinks Sozin was a good guy." Katara couldn't help it, but her thought came out of her mouth.

"Well, old, no… But he does have some sort of hero worship of Lord Sozin, yes." The girl in front of her now looked wary. The waterbender inhaled deeply before speaking again, because she knew that speaking ill about Sozin was not something you should do if you wanted to stay hidden. And if she kept criticizing that man, they would start to ask questions. More than they already were that is.

"Speaking about that, I heard what you said about Lord Ozai. What was all that about?" Shoji looked suspioucously at her, as if she had said something horribly offensive about their sovereign... She had just said that all the news in the announcement had been lies.

"I meant only that I doubted the Avatar would kill the Fire Lord." She spoke as evenly as possible, "I heard somewhere else that Prince Zuko had defeated his sister. He is Fire Lord."

"Where did you hear that? The traitor Zuko can't become Fire Lord, as he was removed from the succession. And why wouldn't the Avatar kill Lord Ozai? He has sworn to do so they say!" Shoji began to speak louder, in an irritated tone. Katara looked at On Ji, but the girl didn't seem to be concentrated on their discussion, looking into the empty space beside her with a pensive look on her face.

"Who else? Who else can be a normal Fire Lord? You said it yourself, under Ozai your friends were sent to the front or to the mines. You think Azula will be any different?" Katara answered, as calmly as humanly possible.

"And Zuko will be nice and give us plenty? Don't make me laugh, a few months ago they said he killed the Avatar, and now he is apparently with the Air Degenerate. How does that make sense?" The young man slammed his fist on the table, making the bowls dance over the wooden surface.

"Don't call him that." The waterbender spoke lowly, hearing the threat in her own voice, "The Avatar is a good man… Whatever they told you about him is wrong. As I said in the square, he wouldn't have killed Ozai. You'll see." Katara knew that this was dangerous, to speak loudly in her support for Aang… but she could not accept that someone who had liked the airbender when he was Kuzon would speak about him like this, purely because of his origins…

"Yeah. I will see. But don't come crying to me when the Avatar flattens this town." With that, Shoji stood up, scraping the chair over the wooden floor of the room, and walked out. A few seconds later, Katara heard a door slam shut and footsteps crunching over the beaten earth of the courtyard.

"Don't pay him too much attention… he is just worried." On Ji spoke up, quietly, still looking in the empty space.

"Is there really no way out?" The waterbender ignored her words.

"Depends on the news that my parents will bring. But if Prince Zuko and Princess Azula are both claiming to be Fire Lord, and Lord Ozai is gone… The governors and clan leaders will declare for one or the other." The girls sighed.

Civil war. That was what On Ji was suggesting… And, seeing the announcement in the square, this town would take Azula's side… And hearing the way people spoke about Zuko, and his association with Aang… She doubted that there would be much support for her friends…

She needed to get back as fast as possible.

"So… how is Kuzon?" On Ji smiled, still that sad expression on her face.

"Sorry?" Katara had to refrain herself from shaking her head in confusion at the sudden change of subject.

"And the others! Wang… And… Actually, the other girl never told us her name. But how are your friends?"

"Oh… Well… They are alright. I hope." Thinking about what had happened the night before, Katara suddenly felt a heavy weight on her heart. Sokka would never have cared about the dangers… He would have thrown himself in front of anything in protection of his friends. Toph would never have said anything about it, but it had been a stupid plan to put her on a mission in the fucking air. While Suki would not shy away from danger…

Zuko had survived his wounds, with more luck than wisdom… But she had left him alone within the caldera, where apparently, most people hated him…

And Aang… Tui and La, Aang! The beam of light, and the announcement had made her fairly certain he was alive… But he would not have found her. And if there was something she knew… Was that Shoji idea of flattening this town would sound fairly good to Aang if he thought she was in danger. If Aang was truly alive and well after his fight with that bastard Ozai… Spirits, they had a chance. A chance at a normal life.

If they could stop this thing that was brewing from happening that was…

"Shoji is worried about his family. His older brother was called up last month, and was apparently sent to the Earth colonies with the fifth army a few days ago. He didn't say much about it, as he said that the orders were to keep quiet about it… That is why he is so rude. He is afraid something will happen to his brother, and you are the first outsider with more information than we are given." On Ji explained. Ah… yes, that, Katara could understand. The young man was probably afraid that his brother had gone to fight, and with the stories they had heard about the Avatar… Of course he was fearing for his family.

"I can only say what I know to be true…" Katara sighed, trying to find a way to explain what happened, "Ozai went to the Earth Kingdom with a fleet of airships, to burn out resistance to the Fire Nation. He wanted to use the comet, like Sozin did with the Air Nomads… But apparently, the Avatar stopped him. And Zuko beat Azula. That is all I know."

The girl's eyes went wide, and the waterbender realized that she had spoken too much. No normal citizen would know all this… And certainly not without using the titles of each of the people she spoke of…

"How do you know? Lord Sozin used the comet to stop the Air… Nomads." She spoke the last word hesitantly, as if she decided at the last moment not to use the term Air Degenerates. Katara took a small piece of bread, put it in her mouth and began to chew. She couldn't say the first thing that passed through her mind, otherwise On Ji would become very suspicious… And perhaps it was better to keep the girl in the dark, as much as possible at least.

"History has always been written by the victors. In the colonies, we hear… other versions." She spoke at last, swallowing the bread.

"Ah… yes, Kuzon said something similar when we had our history lesson about the war between the Air Nation and the Fire Nation."

"Air Nomads. They weren't a nation." Katara spoke softly.

"Yeah, he said that too." On Ji laughed quietly, back to staring into the empty space.

"I am really sorry if his party led to all this… He only did it to give you all some sense of freedom and happiness. He would hate himself if he saw what his actions have led to." And in her mind, Katara swore that, when she would be reunited with Aang… She would come back, with him, and set everything right. They couldn't bring back the people that had died, or that were perhaps dead… But they could do their best… And at least help some of these people…

"Don't! Don't be sorry for that!" On Ji suddenly said with a passion burning in her ember eyes, as she fixed them on her, "That was the only good moment... At least we had that. Most people would have been called up anyway, and you couldn't have known… I… Well, I'm happy I had that at least before… Well… before…"

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the courtyard, and On Ji stood up, walking to the window. As she looked through it, Katara saw a frown appear on her face. Also making her way to the window, the waterbender saw three people step out of a small carriage. One was an older man, with a full beard and grey-streaked hair made into a topknot, and on his arm was a small, plump woman looking several years younger. Her face looked a lot like that of On Ji, only a little worn out by the years. Katara supposed these were the girls' parents…

The third person was a young man, perhaps one or two years older than Katara, a hard square face with eyes that looked too small for the big head. His hair was pulled back in a tight topknot and he looked… well, mean. It sounded silly, but the waterbender had no other words for it. His expression… it made her think of Hahn, Yue's betrothed.

"Oh… yay." On Ji sighed.

And suddenly, Katara remembered the conversation she and the girl had in the cave during the party. Aang had told her about On Ji's boyfriend, but the girl herself had been rather less enthusiastic. She had said that the guy, her parents and his parents were all keen on the match…

She supposed that this was the guy in question.

"On Ji?" A voice called from the corridor, sounding rather alarmed. The girl sighed and walked to the door. Katara couldn't help it but followed. She would have to go now… Apparently, the meeting at the governor's home was done, otherwise these people wouldn't be here, and she would be able to get the permission to leave the town. And if not, she would find another way out of this shithole.

"Yes Father?" The girl said as they emerged from the dining room. Katara saw the man raise an eyebrow at her, but shook his head, as if he decided she wasn't important.

"There is some news… Bad news." The man sighed, "Last night, a hawk arrived at the governor's house. Apparently, the princess was attacked during her coronation. One of the Fire Sages of the Caldara Temple got her out of there, but the… traitor… Zuko has claimed the throne. The Fire Sage is rallying support for the princess." The man explained, as the other two people, the woman and the young man also entered the house. The woman smiled encouragingly at her daughter, while Katara could feel the man's eyes on her. She didn't look, keeping her eyes on On Ji's father, while biting her tongue to keep herself quiet.

"And Lord Ozai was defeated by the Avatar. Some of the… some of the casualties were from here. I tried to argue restraint, to see what actually happened, instead of just trusting the first message we got. But I was overruled by the other burghers. Most think their own sons are among the casualties. But it is too early to know. I don't have definitive names."

Katara closed her eyes, feeling her heart crack. Spirits, Aang would hate that… He would hate that whatever happened at Wulong had cost the lives of people he had liked… But at the same time, she couldn't help but smile. Aang was alive… This was definitive proof of it! He was alive, and had done what he had promised… As he always did…

"Rightly so Orsu. The governor is right, we can't accept a Fire Lord whose allies killed our citizens! It has to be Princess Azula!" The young man spoke up, sounding very confident about calling this man by his name. Katara looked at him, seeing a sly smile on his face which made her shudder. It had not escaped her that the guy didn't seem particularly sad about losing friends and acquaintances.

"You hung up the announcement?" The father asked, to which On Ji nodded, with tears in her eyes, "Good. The governor has decreed no one is to leave the town, under pain of death. Until we know more." The man put a hand on his daughter's shoulder, smiling reassuringly. But Katara saw through it. This man, Orsu… He was afraid. Afraid of what was going to happen.

"Who is your friend?" The woman, probably the mother, asked while she smiled at her. Katara tried to lift her own lips, but it felt wrong to grin at a woman who had just heard that friends of her daughter had been killed.

"Oh… yes. This is Sapphire. She was outside the town last night, and the guards assumed she had broken curfew. She needs to get back to her friends… Do you think the governor would allow that?" On Ji turned to the young man, who just scoffed.

"On Ji, don't be daft. Governor Kantuno has better things to do than waste time with some travelling… person." The last word was said with a horrible sweet smile. Katara balled her fists, raising her eyebrows. She thought to know what this man had meant to say.

"Sorry miss, but the governor won't allow people to leave the town. He has reinforced the guards around the walls. No one is to even approach the gates. Orders…" The man smiled apologetically at her, "But our guest rooms are all yours until we figured out what is happening. It is all talk now… We won't know for certain before we have more reports…" The man began to mumble in his beard, as he and his wife walked away.

What!

No! She was not going to stay here! No way! She would take those damned walls down, stone by stone, if needed! She was not staying in this La forsaken shithole a minute longer!

"I'll make sure you don't have any problems with the guards… If you try to get through." The young man smiled that sly, oily smile, "On Ji, your parents have asked me to dinner tonight, I see if I can make it… You know, the commander of the north gate can't be seen slacking his duties… Even if it was to visit his future wife and her family. Bad for morale." With that, the young man walked away, through the door, marching over the courtyard.

Katara watched the man walk away, and turned back to the girl, who seemed on the verge of tears.

"That… man… Is…."

"Yes." On Ji suddenly straightened her back, wiped her hands over her eyes, and smiled bravely, "Come, I'll show you the guest room. And then, we'll see if we can't find a way out of here for us."

It didn't escape Katara that On Ji had said us.

Tui and La…

Answers:

Lenoravampire1: To be honest, I have no clue how long this one is going to be. I originally planned Flowers of Summer to be like 60 chapters, but it became double lol!

Jjsmith103: Yeah, I really want to show the human side of the "bad guys" because there are always good and bad people, on either side. On Ji sees Katara as a chance to get out of her own situation, but is still a product of the school system of the Fire Nation… So Katara will have to look out. And of course Aang was going to say "to hell with it all, I have better things to do. I did what you asked of me."