A/N: This chapter was definitely a joint effort between ML8991 and I. It is also the longest written yet, so I hope you enjoy it. A thanks to all those who followed, faved and a special thanks to KnightOwl247 who faithfully reviewed every chapter so far. It is highly appreciated by both me and also ML8991. So yeah, I suppose I've talked enough. on with readingYeh, sorry for the chapter delay, but with all the rollercoasters of this chapter, it has been quite a ride, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we have. A fair bit of development in this chapter, so all the more exciting from that, hope you can enjoy-ML8991

Glossary:
Ao-Dai = the blue dress Katara wears, it's actually vietnamese and translates to shirt-long

yídòng = chinese for to move, to shift

Jook = a chinese rice dish, in between porridge and rice pudding in appearance


Chapter 6 Beneath the Surface

The camp was quiet when the first rays of sun struck the rocks above them. Zuko gasped awake, feeling cold… his clothes were still damp from the day before and had done a poor job in providing any warmth through the cool night. Suppressing a pained groan, he crawled out of his makeshift shelter. He felt stiff and still quite sore, his back not prepared for the cold, hard, ground below. Sleeping next to Appa was a lot warmer and more comfortable. Looking around, he realized that he was the only one awake. Shivering in the light dawn breeze, he decided to get a fire going, to warm up, first and foremost.

Coming back to the ashy fire pit, he checked on the wood supply. It might just be enough to get the fire going, but they'd need more soon, he absently noted. Still shaking with cold slightly, he started to pile up the wood, then, he tried to draw upon his inner flame. He felt it respond slightly, but nowhere like it used to, like it had gone dormant from lack of use, banked like an ember, but unable to spark. He tried to focus, tried to remember how he'd done it the day before, but the fire wouldn't come, instead he felt empty, and cold. He tried again. It wasn't as if he wanted anything big, just a steady small flame to get the wood burning on its own. So why? Why couldn't he do it? The sparks just weren't enough, he mentally despaired.

Sighing tiredly, he started looking around for the camp's spark rocks, now really glad Uncle had made him learn how to use the demeaning tool. He was freezing, he realised with another, stronger shiver. The sun may have risen up on the valley roof above, but it hadn't yet managed to reach the bottom of their valley, and therefore the camp was still cast in twilight's shadows.

It took Zuko several tries, but in the end he had the reward for his efforts, he got the fire lit. The flames felt comforting in his mind. He sat down closely in an attempt to warm up. Really, going to sleep with wet clothes was never a good idea, he retroactively sulked. It had felt good though. Soothing his barely healed skin, calming his still painful sunburns. The constant flow of the stream had distracted him, had helped him to focus, to forget.

He let what must have been at least fifteen minutes pass before he managed to convince himself that getting more firewood would be necessary. Unwillingly he left the fire's side to go search for more.

Since they had gleaned what material they could from nearby before, he had to go farther out now. At least movement helped him not feel cold. However, it also showed him once more that he was far from recovered from his ordeal though. He felt himself reach the limit of what he'd manage to carry back far too quickly for his tastes. He even had to stop twice to take a break, taking in deep gulps of air.

Returning slowly back to camp, he was careful to keep the noise down, seeing that everyone was still asleep, before he headed out to get some more. After the second trip of gathering to ensure they had a decent supply, he exhaustedly sat down beside the fire. He needed to meditate, he needed to get stronger. He focused on the fire before him, calmly breathing in and out. It would be a while until the others would bother him, he hoped, and he intended to make use of his time alone.

Just as the sun reached into their alcove, Zuko finally heard someone move. Grudgingly, he released the fire from his grasp and settled for just sensing it instead. He felt the warmth of the sun on his back, feeling it cover his surroundings like a blanket. He heard someone approach and tried to figure out if he could feel their presence, not yet ready for another confrontation.

It was something he had started to notice after having been forced to stand on that market square for days on no end… He'd been in pain, and bored out of his mind, never knowing when someone would step up to torment him next. He had had no fire to meditate. That hadn't stopped him from reaching out to feel any though. It was sometime then, when he had started to realize that he could feel other sources of - he didnt know how to name it, he mentally ground out, before...

"Oh hey Zuko!" Aang said, yawning. "Morning!"

"Good morning." Zuko's voice was quiet, hesitant. The younger bender didn't comment on it, only walked past to find his own spot to meditate.

Zuko got up. Feeling the need to do something, he decided to ease Katara's work load with setting up the water to boil. He needed to use his muscles to get stronger. Therefore he quietly took the pot, walking to the stream with it. The way back wasn't as easy. The weight, even though he considered it pathetic compared to what he had lifted in the past, still proved too much for him to carry over longer distances. And to say he hadn't spilt any would be a lie. The satisfaction at having managed to bring it over was still there, though.

Katara rose a few minutes later. Zuko saw her leave the campsite, returning a few minutes later, seemingly more awake. Katara finally noticed him.

"Oh, Zuko…" She took in the scene before her, the boy awkwardly glanced into her direction, looking at her feet rather than her face. The fire was going and the filled pot on it. "You're up early. Did Toph let you out?"

"Huh?" He looked up to her, clearly not understanding what she was talking about. Katara watched as his eyes widened as he took her in, then quickly averted his gaze, refusing to look at her. The awkward silence stretched.

"Ehm, Zuko, I asked: Did Toph let you out?"

"Uh, you're…" Zuko swallowed nervously and stopped, trying to look anywhere but Katara, whilst also gesturing at what he hoped was her direction.

Katara looked down on herself, just now realizing that she only wore her sarashi and her under trousers. "Oh" She hadn't thought about him being there. Quickly she went over to get her Ao-Dai, hiding her flushed face.

She was so used to only having Sokka and Aang, who both were quite used to see her like this, around. Sokka, since he was her brother, and Aang, because she taught him waterbending like this lately. It was warm enough and this way she didn't constantly have to drag water out of her soggy clothes. And besides that, usually she was used to being alone in the mornings…

Zuko stared into the fire, ignoring Katara for the moment, trying to push back those mental images that had so unexpectedly been pushed upon him. Instead, he recalled her question: 'Did Toph let you out?'

What had she meant by that. Out of where? Why? … Oh,... the implication dawned upon him. He hadn't been locked up though, not like they, and perhaps he, had expected. The only thing Toph had done was make him a shelter instead of sending him over to Appa. Had she been supposed to? He didn't know.

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After getting dressed, Katara had collected all items for cooking breakfast. She had kept an eye on Zuko, who had gone back to staring into the fire. She wondered if he was bending it right now, it didn't look like it. He seemed pensive, reserved, closed off. Thinking about it, he appeared that way most of the time, ever since Toph had brought him into their midst.

The nondescript Fire Nation captive had turned out to be one of their most well known enemies. The thought was scary. Had they known it was Zuko, would they have left him there?

It surely would have made them think twice about it. After all, they hadn't even recognized him, he had looked that different. His body so battered, so thin; Caked in dirt and blood. Short choppy hair where there used to be a ponytail; it was hard to believe that the boy that stood before them now was also the proud prince who fought them on multiple occasions in the past.

He'd worn a blindfold when she'd seen him at the market square, and his voice contorted by hoarseness, how had she been supposed to recognize him? Thinking back, now she realized he must have recognized their voices, though. That must have been how he'd figured it out. He'd tried to get them to leave, not once had he tried to get them to recognize him. Why? Yes, maybe they would have decided against rescuing him, but it was almost like he hadn't expected them to even consider it, it was as if he hadn't wanted to. Why?

She thought back to when she had spoken to him on that square. His reactions, the blatant refusal when she had offered help. His repetitive plea to be left alone, to not be touched. Had he expected to be hit? By her?

Remembering how he'd finally mocked her, throwing her offer right back into her face, clearly not believing it, not wanting it, even stating that they were enemies. Well, that part did make sense, now that she knew his identity.

She'd been serious with her parting words, too, that he could rot for all that she cared. That she'd rather help someone who was grateful, someone who actually wanted help. She wondered if she would have said and acted the same, had she known, or if she'd acted even worse. Weird as it sounded, an unknown enemy was easier to kill than a known one, so to speak. She had been able to walk away with little trouble, when he'd been successful in infuriating her, obviously intentionally so. Would she've been able to do the same had she known it was him?

Oh well, they were stuck with him now anyway... and he with them.

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Zuko had known that the moment his identity was revealed that they wouldn't trust him. He, therefore, wouldn't have been surprised if they had restrained him from the very moment they'd found out, bound, if not locked up. Still, the thought of being locked up had somehow caught him by surprise now, even though it shouldn't have. Especially not after what had happened the day before. Still, it somehow didn't add up. Yesterday, Katara had sent him on a walk, alone. That was quite the opposite to being locked up. Maybe that's why he'd been surprised. He was pretty sure she hadn't meant it as a chance to go separate ways, and he hadn't taken it as such, but he couldn't be certain.

Deciding to ignore the confusing and conflicting thoughts, he turned his focus back to the flames in front of him. He didn't dare to try and influence them in front of her right now, not after what had transpired yesterday. It sounded stupid to his ears, but he didn't want to provoke a spoken ban. At least, this way, as long as they didn't say anything, he could still claim it was his decision to not firebend. And he still could try to slip it past their notice without openly opposing them.

So, instead of bending, he settled for just feeling the fire. Expanding his senses again, much like he'd done on the square, and just before, before Aang had woken up and gone to meditate. It was weird, not tapping into what he felt before, not trying to manipulate it. He could feel the sun rays reflecting from all around. He could somehow feel them soaking into the stone. The fire before him was still the most immediate source. But he could also faintly feel something out of Katara's direction. It was nearly covered up, now that the sun was out, but he was pretty sure it was there. It was somehow hard to hold back, and made him feel insignificant within.

The smell of food started to permeate the air. He was still rather unfamiliar with the plain cooking style Katara seemed to have. Considering the lack of spices from where she had come from, it wasn't that surprising and to be honest with himself, he found that he didn't care. He was just glad to know that they would give him something they'd eat themselves… therefore something edible… not like at the market square, or with Uncle's trials with possibly poisonous plants. Uncle… a pang of longing shot through him. As soon as it was there, it was gone again. He couldn't face that feeling yet.

Zuko only looked up when Katara finally went to wake the others.

"Sokka, Toph, food is ready…" she called. Soon afterwards, Toph crawled out from her earth tent, hair a frazzled mess, but Sokka, much like the day before, didn't really move.

"Sokka, there is leftover meat from yesterday." He just grumbled, snuggling deeper into his sleeping bag.

"Fine, go ahead and sleep, just don't come complaining if there is no meat left later!" She returned to the fire and started filling bowls. Sokka joined them a few minutes into the meal, obviously still not fully awake, his eyes not fully focused. Toph and Aang were talking about bending, Zuko quietly eating next to them.

"So,..." Katara then said. "... Toph, did you do as we asked yesterday, did you lock him in?"

Any conversations that had started ceased.

"Did I ever say I would?" Toph asked innocently.

"You didn't?..." Sokka exclaimed. "But that was a group decision!"

"I never agreed. Did something happen? No!... He even helped Katara this morning. Just proves my point, he is no threat." Toph puffed out with a pout, her point proven.

"You can't just ignore…"

"You wouldn't even give him a chance. It's unfair…"

"You don't know what he put us through. And he's got a temper, fire is dangerous, what if it gets out of control?" Sokka exclaimed in a loud voice.

"He's had it under control yesterday…. as well as all the times before. And I'd say he's got better control over his temper than Sugar Queen over there..."

"What!?" Katara looked less than pleased.

"...Besides, you goaded him into doing what he did, yesterday."

"I did not!" squawked Sokka, before his expression became sheepish under the glares of both Toph and Katara.

"How would you know if he's in control anyway, Toph?" Katara now asked sceptically.

"Heart beat, remember?"

"How would that tell you anything about controlling his bending?"

"Because he didn't bend until that point, even though I could feel him become agitated, he held back. And when he finally did, it only caused the fire to go upwards, not everywhere. He deliberately reined it in so as to not hurt anyone. A guy with a burn scar, as you call it, must know what fire can do to a person. Geesh, and they say I am the blind one!"

They were all quiet for a moment.

"Hmm, well she kinda has a point." Aang said hesitatingly.

"I don't care. Like he'd allow us anything if he was in our position! We're making it far too easy for him to backstab us if he ever finds reason to. You're naïve if you don't realize that. Plus, we have known him way longer… I'm not fooled by the 'I'm-still-recovering' act he's got right now."

"And you'd really think he'd act all weird and panicky, just for you to gain a false sense of security? Doesn't really match with the proud guy you described before, does it?" said Toph matter-of-factly.

"Toph, thing is… it's making me nervous, too, not just Sokka. I know you're right about him being sick still. I also know he isn't faking it, but we have history with him. It doesn't have to be all the time… but I think we'd all sleep better if we knew he can't do anything in the dark of night." Katara looked over to Zuko, who was just sitting there, next to them, saying nothing. He seemed calm, but if one looked closer, his eyes shifted hastily from one to the other depending on who was speaking, and he was gripping the fabric of his trousers tightly, like he was holding himself back from bolting, much like a startled animal.

"It can't hurt. And it's not like it brings Zuko any harm if we lock him up, right?… Should something come up, you're more than capable of releasing him in a moment's notice, Toph. But I think for the group it would be best if we do this for now." Aang said, looking concerned. This discussion was far from comfortable and he just hoped this would calm the atmosphere somewhat.

"Alright, I'll do it… For now." Toph finally gave in. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad for him. It would be a place he could retire in. A place no one could reach him… she'd make sure of it, she reasoned internally.

Aang sighed, considering the issue resolved. However, the discussion itself was sadly far from over, as Katara continued:

"I think we should put up some rules." Out of the corner of the eye, she saw Zuko's head snap up, though he quickly hid the reaction by pointedly looking away.

"Darn right we should." Sokka agreed. "I say no firebending!"

"Sokka, not helpful."

"But it is-"

Katara cut him off, hand raised, not willing to go into another 'bending' argument with her brother right now. "I meant things like leaving the camping site or chores, first and foremost."

Aang replied after some thought. "How about this: He needs to tell us where he goes, and how long he'll be gone."

"Yeah no more just leaving the site… got that jerkface?."

"Sokka, keep it down." Sokka huffed, annoyed at being admonished. "I recommended that he went for a walk, and Toph knew where he was. There was no damage done."

"What kind of chores were you thinking about?" Toph butted in.

"Well, help around the camp, you know light, physical, things to get his strength back as well."

"Like collecting firewood? Do we want him roaming the woods?" Sokka said.

"I don't see the problem. We can still check up on him, or tell him to return on a regular basis."

"What else? He can't collect firewood all day Twinkletoes."

"He could help with cooking? Can you cook Zuko?" Aang's voice was curious. Zuko looked up.

The reply was hesitant. "Some." Zuko said shortly, his face belying his increasingly uncomfortable feeling.

"Hmm, there really isn't so much to do right now. I mean. We already unpacked and are all set here. And we cleaned Appa just days ago…"

"He could do our laundry." Sokka's grin was pleased, having a mean glint in it.

"We'll figure it out. Maybe instead of specific tasks, we could have him with one of us at all times… that way we will have control and he can just help whomever he's with at that moment."

"Sounds good, so who's gonna be first?" Toph asked.

"You're going to start Aang on earthbending this morning, right? I thought of coming along, maybe train a bit on the sideline." Katara said.

"Well, I'm going hunting!" Sokka said in a dismissive tone.

"So why don't you take him along?"

"What?!... Are you crazy? He'll scare off all the animals, he'll be too loud. He'll be..."

"He's very light on his feet, he won't be a bother." Toph said, returning Sokka's former grin with a predatory one of her own.

"It's decided then. You take him hunting later.." Katara smiled, standing up, not noticing the tense mood. Aang also jumped up, already pestering Toph about the upcoming lesson. Zuko just sat there, watching them.

"Hey Jerkface, go wash the dishes." Sokka said, with all the airs of an arrogant prince.

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The others weren't that far off to where Zuko had settled with the pile of dirty dishes. Sokka was lounging on a rock nearby, watching the earthbending show. Zuko hadn't fought the order, he'd complied quietly, gently scrubbing the limited pieces of crockery the Gaang had acquired over their journey. He could hear the others talking, quietly listening along, but not truly paying attention either.

He looked up, though, when there was a loud shout. It just so happened that Aang had crashed into Appa, leaving a large cloud of dust in his wake.

"Rock beats Airbender!" He heard Sokka say, ending his quip with a chuckle as he lazed about.

00000

Zuko quietly trailed after Sokka, careful not to make any noise. He let Sokka have the lead, keeping his distance, uncomfortable to be alone with the other. So far, their search had been fruitless. Finally, Sokka settled for a tree to climb up, scout, and wait in for any potential food. As he looked down on the firebender, Zuko tried to climb even though he knew he wouldn't manage.

"If you can't keep up, then at least make sure you don't get in the way!" Sokka hissed under his breath before turning around, getting in position to lie in wait. Suppressing a sigh, Zuko turned away, backtracking a few meters, then crouching down, waiting. He'd figured that he would meditate for a bit. He'd try to open up his senses again, just as he'd tried to do this morning. After all, he was curious to try it again and he wanted to use Sokka's distraction. Not that the other would have paid enough attention to notice in the first place. Still, he wanted to do this in peace.

The trees provided a lot of shade, pockmarking the forest floor with sunlight. He could feel the sun rays above, blocked by the leaves, but making their presence known nonetheless. Moving his attention to below the roof of leaves, he slowly grew calm while trying to feel for anything in vicinity. It took a while to take it all in and now that his body was recovering, he felt this work much better. Still, it took him some time to get into the right mindset. He had hated those hours of boredom, but they had helped a lot; the exhaustion too, if he thought about it. Now his focus was different. In a way, everything was.

Some things were hard to distinguish, he could only make out the bigger 'blobs' somewhat, the rest drowned in a pool of sensation. He might have felt a few birds, and he was pretty sure that he could also make out Sokka. The other was still close enough to hear him shift occasionally, too, though.

They must have waited for at least half an hour until Zuko thought he could feel an animal come anywhere close to them. It was a small thing, but reaching further, he also felt another, bigger presence hover at the edge of his sensory range. He had no idea what either one was. By now, he was acutely aware of his blind spots. The tree stems were blocking out whatever he felt. He realized that he couldn't feel past them, he wasn't even sure if he could feel them.

He knew however, that the animal was about to move behind the very tree that Sokka was stationed on. Yes, it was walking out of his field of perception. He heard the other boy murmur, clearly having seen it as well. Zuko waited, unmoving. He couldn't do anything anyway, he was too far away.

Time passed, and all of a sudden there was a crashing sound and Zuko realized that Sokka had jumped out of the tree. There was no cry of victory, even though the firebender had expected one. Instead he heard more mumbling, an angry groan, then nothing. Zuko waited. And he waited some more. He heard Sokka mumbling again, and it sounded less than happy. He had no idea what had happened and he certainly didn't want to get into Sokka's hair for interrupting when he shouldn't have. The tree, however, was blocking out his senses and the only thing he knew was that both the animal and Sokka were behind it. He quietly got up. To be honest, his legs were somewhat numb from staying still, so he didn't mind the movement. He'd only check up on Sokka, he would just throw a glance, see if everything was okay.

He certainly hadn't expected this: Sokka, stuck up to his shoulders in a crack in the ground, hands awkwardly pressed against his chest. Next to him was a little, cute cub of whatever, happily going about. Sokka's boomerang lay just out of reach for him and Zuko couldn't help it. His lips were twitching into a grin. This situation was just a little too surreal. It looked as though the hunting had been momentarily put on hold and Sokka clearly needed help. Zuko stepped out of hiding.

"And there he comes… Just great." Sokka greeted him sarcastically.

"How did you get stuck in there?" Zuko squatted down before Sokka, searching out his face.

"Oh, don't mind me. Foofoocuddlypoops and I were just getting to know each other, face to face. Man to man, you know?"

"Really" Zuko kept inflections out of his tone. He was careful, despite the other's incapacitated state. Hesitatingly, he reached out to grab Sokka's hands, trying to pull him out. The effort of course was futile, and Sokka complained about having his fingers feeling like they were about to be pulled off. Zuko, going for the second option of ways to sort out the whole stupid situation, took the boomerang, which was still innocently laying on the ground.

"Hey, what are you going to do with that?" Sokka's voice was distrustful, the tiniest touch of alarm and protectiveness creeping in. Foofoo was still hovering about, watching the two rather curiously.

"I'm going to try to dig you out."

"What? No no, oh no you won't, don't you harm Boomie."

"Bumi, the king of Omashu?" Zuko confusedly mumbled.

"NO! Don't touch the boomerang!" Sokka exclaimed loudly.

"Fine, then I'll go get help." Zuko put the boomerang back where he'd gleaned it, standing up.

"You're staying right here. Our hunt is not done yet! I know Foofoo is cute, but we can't help it, it's eat or be eaten…"

"I won't touch the cub." Zuko looked at Sokka in earnest.

"Oh, don't tell me you're afraid of killing!?" Sokka lamented.

"I'm afraid that I won't be able to defend you if I anger it's mother." Zuko stepped away. "I'll go get Toph. Take care Sokka."

Zuko's voice had been determined, then thoughtful, especially towards the end. It sounded so unlike the Angry Jerk that had hunted them across the world, or even the withdrawn tone he had when talking with the Gaang over the past few days. Sokka watched Zuko retreat and disappear behind the trees. He realized only after the other was gone that he had been too startled to protest, he'd been left alone in the wild, with no food, no water. Just Foofoocuddlypoops.

He had a strange hunch that Zuko wouldn't have listened to any of his pleas anyway. This did not make it any less irksome to Sokka though, as he waited for something, anything to happen. As it turned out, Foofoo liked to use his head as a playground. Sokka groaned.

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Zuko found little joy in the solitude, even though putting up with Sokka the whole day had been troublesome and exhausting. Instead he quickly backtracked the way they had come by. As he had followed Sokka in a daze before, he initially took a few wrong turns, but he managed to keep the way back within a reasonable amount of time. After all, it was late afternoon, and he could already feel sunset approaching. He spotted Katara at the riverbank, she didn't seem to notice him. The camp itself was deserted, so he went on looking.

Going around the boulders that had appeared on the makeshift training ground they had been using, he called out to Toph. She obviously wasn't here, because she didn't answer even after he called multiple times, and his still sore throat protested the strain. He returned to approach the Waterbender, who was busy practicing her own bending.

"Uhm, Katara? Do you know where... " Katara whipped round like a lightning bolt.

"You're here… Where's Sokka?" Her voice sounded a tad distressed, and with the hair in a mess and a worried gaze in her eyes, so did she. "You both should have been back an hour ago!"

Zuko carefully regarded her, this was precisely why he had wanted to try and avoid her. The siblings seemed close, unlike his own relationship with his sister, and he had no idea how she'd react if he delivered a message that Sokka was harmed in any way. He only knew that he didn't want to be on the receiving end of her wrath, especially not when he was unable to defend himself in any way.

"We need Toph's help. Do you know where she is?"

"She stomped off. She and Aang had an argument. And I've already sent Aang to go looking for you two."

"Can you tell me which way she took?"

"Where is Sokka? Why didn't he come, too?"

"He's uhm… stuck, in a crack, so Toph could get him out, can you send her our way? It's about a half an hour walk into that direction." He pointed to where he'd come from, avoiding Katara's eyes.

"What? Where are you going? I'll come with you!"

"Someone should watch the camp, in case Toph comes back. And Sokka is expecting my return, please don't." Zuko, not knowing how to deal with this, simply turned around to go, not wavering even as she shouted after him. He had done what he could.

The way back was easier. Though moving made trying to sense something difficult, it was a good distraction to keep the creeping worry at bay. He'd have to practice this sensing more, if he could do it on the move, it could prove very useful. The amount of walking he'd done, certainly did wear him out, but even so, he pushed on through the pain. He couldn't keep up the focus on the sensing with his growing exhaustion, which just reminded him of how weak he still was. Under no circumstances could he forget the importance of getting back into shape, but for now he had to keep an eye out for the marks they'd left to find their way. He barely noticed the presence at his side before Toph's hand closed around his wrist, only a few meters from where he thought Sokka's whereabouts. He flinched and she quickly raised a finger to her mouth, signalling him to be quiet.

"Look!" She said in a hushed but stern voice, pointing to where Sokka was supposed to be, her other arm holding Zuko back. "I'm teaching Twinkletoes, so don't interfere." Zuko had to take a few steps around to see the opening where Sokka was stuck. He however saw a back next to the head he knew to be Sokka's. So the Avatar and the tribesman had apparently found one another. It appeared that Aang was animatedly talking to Sokka, the other unhappily listening along, as he couldn't leave, in both senses. Zuko didn't know what the point was, Toph surely didn't want Aang to try to earthbend him out, did she?… for a beginner that was way too dangerous, he thought, alarmed.

Just in that moment he saw Foofoo return. This time he could actually hear the words being carried over to them. Apparently Aang recognized the animal. He lifted it up, asking if it had lost its mom, hearing the roar of an adult saber-tooth moose lion just a moment later. Toph was immediately at Zuko's side again, holding him back letting things play out passively. She whispered:

"Don't worry, I've got it under control."

As soon as the action with the mother moose was over, she let go of him and stepped out, clapping slowly. The others spotted her as soon as the dust had settled.

"What are you doing here?" Sokka's voice was accusing.

"Just enjoying the show."

"What? You were there the whole time?" Aang now asked, incredulous.

"Pretty much."

Zuko kept in the background, watching from afar as the argument continued.

"Why didn't you do something? Sokka was in trouble! I was in trouble! You could've gotten him out and helped us get away!"

"I guess it just didn't occur to me." Toph tossed a nut, then moved what now Zuko recognized as Aang's staff, to crack it. It was intercepted by no other than the airbender, who held fast. Toph didn't let go, though.

"Enough! I want my staff back!"

"Do it now!"

"What?"

"Earthbend, Twinkletoes. You just stood your ground against a crazy mamma beast, and even more impressive, you stood your ground against me. You've got the stuff."

"But…"

"DO IT!"

Aang hesitated for a moment, then decidedly stomped into motion. The rock loudly crashed into a ridge nearby and Toph happily congratulated Aang. Zuko detached himself from the tree he had leaned on, slowly walking over. Sokka was already complaining and Toph stopped Aang just in time so that he didn't try to earthbend Sokka out next.

"And where have you been?" Sokka asked curtly upon noticing Zuko. Toph had just begun trying to get him out, the strain apparently proving quite a challenge, going slow.

"I went back to camp to get Toph." said Zuko sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head bashfully.

"Well, you got her. Great job, Your Highness, so impressed." Sokka flippantly said as he made an effort to patronisingly clap his hands to no avail. His elbows were still pinned in place.

Toph stopped bending. Crossing her arms clearly annoyed. "You know what? I think you want to stay there, till you realise that the reason you are getting free is because Zuko had the foresight to go ask for help."

"Actually Toph,.." started Aang.

"Shut it Twinkles, lesson number two about earth, you gotta wait till the right moment to strike, the goal is not to go all free flowing and breezy like with air." snapped Toph, before she turned her blind gaze back to Sokka.

"So, what you got to say to old Sparky here then, Snoozles?"

"Nothing. He left me, you saw that th-gaaah" Sokka was cut off as Toph pushed him further down, back to where he was before.

"I am hearing a lot of chat Snoozles, but not a lot of apologising, so you were saying?" jeered Toph, with both Aang and Zuko looking on with varying expressions of worry, respectively curiosity.

"You can't be serious, after what he did AAAH, TOPH" shouted Sokka, arms now pushed beneath the crack, and the only part of him now visible being his head.

"Alright, alright, I am sorry. Jerkface, I didn't mean to hurt you like I did. Family means a lot in the tribe, and your family hurt mine, that's bad blood right there. As well as you chasing us for the past year. But yeh, I guess, sorry for imposing my hate to you." Sokka squeaked out.

Zuko didn't for one moment buy Sokka's apologies, but it seemed enough for Toph. With an all mighty earth-shove from her, Sokka flew out of the crack like a cork from a champagne bottle. He landed unceremoniously, sprawled out on the ground with a thud. Groaning, he pushed himself up.

"Ugh, thanks Toph"

He got to his feet, stretching his limbs before turning towards Zuko, eyes hardening, and temper rising. And there came the retaliation Zuko had dared to hope of being skipped.

"Where did you head off to, you saw that thing right? If Aang hadn't been here, I could've been killed!" shouted Sokka. "and anyway, don't think for one sec that I've forgiven you for what you've done." Still high on adrenaline from his stay in the ground, all the things Sokka had kept back, now tumbling out in a fit of anger. "Threatening to burn my sis's necklace… after binding her to a tree. Or threatening Gran Gran, seriously, grabbing an old woman by the scruff of the neck. And anyway, hunting down a twelve year old… I don't care how desperate you were, who does that?!"

Forced apologies were never worth much anyway, Zuko knew that. There was truth, too, in what Sokka was saying now. His shoulders slumped.

Toph stomped her ground, stopping Sokka from edging ever closer to Zuko and pinning him in place. Sokka had already said his piece, he felt in the right. Toph and her stone encasing was annoying, but he trusted her not to hurt him too badly, so the adrenaline didn't kick in quite as much, instead the beginnings of exhaustion started to set in.

"Sokka, Stop for a second and look at him. I am blind, and even I can see he is no threat. Just stop and look at him, does he look like he got away unscathed? You always tell me he has a scar, surely that shows you very clearly something happened to him." Toph growled out.

Toph's brash words and Sokka's physical immobility finally made him look. What Sokka saw in his imagination -once a Prince, proud and in gleaming armour- seemed to melt before his eyes. The intimidating spiked helmet gave way to thin and stubbled hair. Piercing gold turned to shallow yellow. A strong frame turned to skin and bone. That ready stance looked ready to collapse now. The visage was broken, like the boy before him. And said boy was avoiding his gaze. Sokka was surprised to note that he looked guilty.

"Eh, uh… Zuko…?" he hesitantly called out.

"No, I'm sorry." Zuko's voice was raspy, he swallowed repeatedly, still avoiding to look at Sokka, as if hiding. "I didn't mean to harm anyone… I only wanted to go home… I know I have made some bad choices, people always say I act rashly. I'd never have actually hurt that old woman. That's not honourable. I only did what I thought would… would…"

He groaned, grabbing at his short hair in frustration.

"I… I… Do you think I enjoyed hunting a twelve year old? I am banished, I can't go home. The only chance I had to return was if I brought the Avatar… I expected an old man, not a boy… I suddenly had a chance, though… a chance to go home…. Imagine that: Three years without seeing your homeland… and no chance to ever return unless you find… well.. him." Zuko finished, his voice breaking, vaguely pointing to Aang, as he quickly turned away to lean against the tree, hiding tears of desperation and longing that threatened to fall.

Sokka was taken aback, not having expected anything like this. Under the ill-fitting clothing, clearly made for when he was far healthier than he was now, he could see the other shiver in a non-existent breeze. The firebender, pushed away from the tree weakly, stumbling a few steps to reach out for another trunk for support, eyes holding a bone deep tiredness. "Can we go now?"

No one replied, they simply set out moving in silence. Toph could feel the taut tension in the air. Sokka, now released, was frozen, thinking about what had been said. He was staring at Zuko's back, the boy had already fallen in line behind Toph and Aang, head hanging low.

"Zuko, wait…" Sokka took some hurried steps to close the distance. Zuko stilled, and turned around slowly, the wary look still in his eyes. "Zuko, I… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have… hit you. With the Fire Nation taking so much from me and Katara, finally having that opportunity, I guess… it overwhelmed me. You've just been the 'Angry Jerk' following us for the past year, and it seemed for no reason, but a repeat of what happened back home. I couldn't let that happen. You saw us, I was the only one who could protect them. I guess it makes sense, you attacking Gran Gran now, but we barely knew Aang either, let alone think he was the Avatar. So, sorry, I guess both of us are on the wrong side of this war. Let's head back." Sokka concluded, sullen, but a weight lifted off his chest. Yet, there was this part within him that couldn't forgive quite that easily. However, the need to protect his family had been pacified for now, though simple words, no matter how earnest, could never make up for what Zuko, the Fire Nation had done. So, Zuko had had it rough, the whole world suffered under the boot of the Fire Nation. Just because one of them suffered, even the 'Prince' didn't make past actions undone. Being around Zuko wasn't easy, Sokka internally justified himself.

The way back was quiet, and the silence drew out the short while it took to return back to camp. It was getting dark by the time they approached camp, and the Gaang could just about make out a fretting blue body in the dwindling light of day.

Katara approached them hurriedly as soon as she saw them, worry and concern etched deeply on her face. "Sokka, are you alright?" She murmured into her brother's shoulders, the worry seeping out of her, as she hugged her brother. Finally, she held him on his shoulders, looking at him critically. "So tell me, what happened, Zuko came back to camp saying something about you getting stuck, are you okay? Are you hurt? Are y…"

"Katara, I am fine. Calm down." Sokka said, a small smile on his face. "I got stuck in a crack in the ground while hunting with Zuko. Toph got me out, everyone is okay." He led her back to the fire and set her down, gently disengaging her hold on him.

"So sis, is the food ready? I feel like I'm dying of hunger."

Her brother was back unharmed.

00000

They had all settled somewhat comfortably around the fire in a circle. Sokka dug into his food without restraint, the rest followed his example, but at a steadier pace. Aang was just telling Katara about the saber-tooth moose lion and how cute the cub had been when Sokka turned to Toph.

"Hey Toph, how will you arrange Zuko's 'shelter'?" he asked quietly. He knew how Toph felt and that Toph's patience with him was still wearing thin.

"Why do you ask, you think I'll do a bad job on it?" sniped Toph.

"No, I was actually just wondering, how do you plan on him getting in and out…"Sokka inquired further. If he just presented it right, he might not step on her toes too much. This was a matter of safety. Precautions made sense with Zuko's past, he didn't want to be lulled while Zuko grew stronger.

"Oh that. You tell me Snoozles, you had a change of heart about him being some prisoner of yours." Toph quipped back, her blind eyes making a vague attempt at an eye roll.

"Urghh, I was just wondering if you're planning on making it only accessible with earthbending? You know, like an actual prisoner. We decide as and when he comes and goes."

"No offense Snoozles, but do you really think with your track record with him, I'd let you decide when he comes and goes. No, we can keep him locked up, if only to protect him, but he should have the last say." Toph drawled.

"I think Sokka's right. We all should be able to get him out if we need to. I mean, what if he needs the loo and you're out teaching Aang?" Katara pointed out, the pair's conversation having drifted across the whole group, as she walked towards the pair, having finished cleaning up the pots and pans from dinner.

"I just don't want anyone being able to just go and bother him. You can't just treat him like some circus animal, caged up until you need him." said Toph, stomping her feet to affirm her point.

"Toph's right, the elders always told me that like air, the human spirit isn't something that should be contained, so he should have that freedom," interjected Aang.

"Sorry to break it for you both, but captivity isn't supposed to be recreational, a break from it all. Any freedom is a privilege, and it's not like we are telling him what to think and not to think."

"Now that would be creepy" shuddered Aang.

"So what do we do?" Sokka sighed, groaning into his hands.

"Toph could make a door." a raspy voice cut across the group. They turned to see a wary pair of golden eyes looking at them nervously.

"But that still means that she needs to earthbend you out, stone is heavy," pointed out Katara.

"I could...try getting my strength back" Zuko weakly shrugged before breaking into a coughing fit.

"Yeh, real convincing Sparky." Toph mumbled.

"She meant too heavy for us to shift, you're too weak to do much right now,." Sokka insensitively clarified, ignoring the weak glare Zuko sent his way through the dying coughs. "and anyway, wasn't this about how to keep you contained, not for you to go and do as you please!?"

"I think I can make it light enough to push, the thing I'm more worried about is that I have no way to anchor the door, you know keep it in place. So it doesn't land on top of Sparks or one of you guys, should you push it the wrong way."

"How about a slide door?" Aang now said. "I've seen them before, basically there are two walls that sandwich the door completely when it is open and hold it at the end when closed…"

"That could work." Toph affirmed, already imagining how such a door would work.

"But if it is light enough for us to use, it will soon be for him. I still opt for some kind of lock… let me think… If the door is slid shut, then the room between the two walls sandwiching the door is empty, right? We could place a bolt there to prevent the door from being slid open, just make a hole on the outer wall so we can put a bolt into the empty space behind the door-sandwich." Sokka beamed, pleased at his thought process.

"What about him though. I mean, Sparky may not want anyone being able to just barge in. He may want some alone time." Toph started, and Zuko stilled, as if a thought had struck him, in the background, before returning his attention to the fire, prodding it with another stick. "If we're gonna have a bolt at our side, then Zuko should have one on his side to lock the door as well. It allows him privacy, and with you guys on the other side, it allows you to have peace of mind, Snoozles and Sugar Queen."

They all were quiet for a moment, contemplating this, until Katara finally spoke up.

"What do you think of this as an idea, Zuko?"

Zuko cautiously rose his gaze, not quite meeting hers.

"I'd… like that." he said, with one of those weird soft smiles he seemed to reserve for Katara.

00000

Soon after, darkness closed in, the Gaang set to work on re-setting up camp for the night. After having eaten, Katara soon took Aang aside to practice waterbending in the light the moon provided, asking him to reach out, feeling the push and pull. Zuko passively listened in on Katara's explanation, noticing with surprise that her technique had some similarities to how Uncle had explained meditation with fire. Reaching out and taking hold of the element, feeling it and the influence one had on it.

A sudden movement to his right brought him back from his musings. Sokka had stood up from his wistfully gazing, and was examining the 'Room', as Zuko had dubbed it.

Sokka had gone inside to check, so Zuko didn't go in just yet, not quite ready for another encounter with the fellow teenager. He never knew whether the next time would be met with fists or tears, since such emotions had been their only relations thus far.

Sokka re-emerged, halting on the doorstep. "It looks alright. Go on in Jerkface!" He stepped away to let the other in, stooped in a mock bow.

Zuko carefully peered in, ignoring the other. "It's dark." he stated flatly.

"So what? Don't you have fire?" Sokka sneered.

Zuko wordlessly regarded him, his expression deadpan, then raised his hand into a stance, trying to will the fire to do his bidding against the wall. After a noticeable pause, there was a pathetic display of sparks that looked more like a firework trail than an actual flame.

Sokka, at first shocked at the lack of flame, turned his head away, struggling to contain a gawf, as he murmured some form of derogatory slur about the Prince's new found lack of bending ability.

Toph kicked Sokka as he passed her, annoyed at his behavior. "Stuff it Snoozles, this isn't funny." They still had to wait another minute for Sokka to be restrained enough to talk.

Once Sokka had quieted down enough, Zuko continued, surprisingly calmly on reflection "Still, would be good to breathe. Once that door shuts, there is just stale air." he further intoned, keeping his voice even and calm, hiding the nervousness that was rising within with memories of being locked up.

"ugh… alright fine!" Sokka ground out, moving his arms flippantly, almost as if to show Toph what to do. "Just make sure he can't get out!"

Toph ignored him and moved into a stance, then slowly started to bend a hole into the roof, careful to make it the right size.

The hole completed, Zuko grabbed the cut out piece, and rolled it out the doorway, thankful the piece wasn't too heavy. Coming back, he looked up, and paused to appreciate Toph's work, amazed at how precise she could get her bending, even without sight. Perhaps he could ask her on how she did it, how she could be so precise, and seemed to gain a vision of the world without seeing.

"Thanks Toph" he said with genuine feeling. He went back out, and grabbed his meagre possessions and arranged them in his new accomodations. As he did so, Toph gathered up a crude lump of earth.

Given he lacked many items, he was soon done, and noticed Toph's work. His respect of her further increased as he enquired as to what she was making.

"The bolt, to stop Snoozles and Twinkles from barging on in, as they so like to do." Toph grit out, focusing on her crafting.

"Uh, thanks…. I… appreciate it." he repeated, somewhat surprised at his readiness to be grateful. Perhaps his time in chains had changed him more than he thought.

He went to the door, Sokka and Toph were waiting outside, he knew Sokka had expected him to stay in, so he tried to pull the door closed, Toph had carved a handle into the stone. It wasn't easy for his body, still weak and worn out from the days trials, and his overall lack of physical training in recent months, but slowly and surely the stone wall ground closed, sealing shut with a ringing finality. Sokka hadn't lifted a finger to help him. Sokka however immediately moved to lock the door once it had slid into place, as Zuko noted, since the bolt from outside was moved into place, effectively preventing the door from being able to be slid back, shutting it from the outside at least.

Zuko sank down the wall, exhausted and eager to sleep. Staring up, through the hole in the roof. Toph had placed it in one edge. so he'd still have plenty of covered space, to ensure he slept in peace, protected from weather and sunlight, he figured. She mustn't realise firebenders rise with the sun, then. His eyes were drawn to the opening, the only source of escape and they trailed the fragile moonlight within all the choking darkness that was his chamber.

For a long time he simply sat there, staring… unwilling to even move a muscle, but not able to sleep quite yet either. Eventually though the cold seeping through his breathing hole, told him to move. He was lethargic and it took another eternity for him to gather up the will to even place his bolt to block the door. He then moved to where he'd left the flimsy blanket, sinking down again as soon as his fingers touched its edge. Pulling it over his shoulders tightly, he rolled into himself. He faintly heard murmuring from over the fireplace… only able to hear the voices… not the words and as he slowly drifted away, it crossed his mind that it somehow felt calming.

00000

As soon as they closed the door, Toph and Sokka returned to the fireside, where Aang and Katara were patiently waiting for them.

"So, how is he?" Katara pressed, a note of concern filtering through.

"Eh, he'll be fine, I think that the space will do Sparky some good, give him a place to meditate or whatever he does." shrugged Toph.

"I think so, too. He seems awfully twitchy." Aang said thoughtfully, causing the group to fall into an awkward silence.

"I wonder why." Katara finally spoke, tone subdued "I mean, I know he was a prisoner, but some of his reactions are pretty extreme. He's really different now. Rather than attacking us,..." Sokka tried to butt in, but she hushed him with a glare "... all he wants is to retreat away from us. The fact that we decided to make a room, instead of a simple propped tent shows that."

"I was going to ask about that." Aang said, looking somewhat dejected at Katara's reminder of Zuko's state.

"Sparks needs some time to be, well Sparks, Twinkles, what better space than his own room, and it stops certain loud mouths from causing more harm than good." Another glare headed towards Sokka, though with less precision, this time from Toph.

"Hey, Hey, cut it out guys. Given 'Prince Ponytail that doesn't have a ponytail no more's record, we need him put away, what if he's just faking the bending? We need to make sure we are safe." affirmed Sokka, still worried about Zuko lulling them all.

"Fair's fair Sokka, but it goes both ways, you treat him good, he treat you good, Sparky's got honour like that." Toph shrugged out.

"I think Toph's right, you don't need to worry Sokka… that brings me to another subject, who's gonna be with him tomorrow?"

"I had my share today, have someone else do it."

The others frowned upon Sokka's tone of voice.

"I'll do it." jumped in Aang.

"Not a chance! He hunted you across the world for the best part of last year, left with you alone, he'd take you away, back to the Fire Nation" frailed Sokka.

"He's too weak right now, and I daresay he knows it. But that's beside the point. Aang, you need to focus on improving your Earthbending, let us worry about the rest for now."

"Why don't you take him, Sugar Queen? He seems to be calm enough around you." smirked Toph.

"What? My baby sister can't defend herself! What if he goes all firebendy on her?!" Sokka protested.

"Sokka, he has barely made a spark without reason around me as of yet, and if he does, Master Waterbender, remember." Katara eye-rolled, water twinkling in the palm of her hand by way of demonstration.

Sokka groaned in response. "Whatever, keep your magic sparkly water to yourself."

"Alright then, that means Aang is with Toph tomorrow. Sokka, can you go off to get some nuts and berries then, also, I think Momo is eating them all."

"Woooop, you ready twinkles. Tomorrow I'll show you how to take on Earth, Bandit style." Toph grinned manically.

"Why does it sound like she wants to seriously hurt the kid?" Sokka conspiratorially whispered to his sister.

"Oh hush you. That being settled, let's get some rest, we've all got long days tomorrow." Katara concluded, stifling a yawn as she headed off to her bedroll.

As she did, something odd caught her eye. At first she couldn't pick up what it was. Then she saw it. There was strangely no breeze that night, and yet the fire was flickering like it was caught in a stiff wind.

"Uhhh…. Toph, how's Zuko?" warily asked Katara.

Toph's grin quickly quelled at that as she furrowed her forehead in concentration, before going somewhat pale in worry or concern that was no matter to Katara, just simply the fact that she didn't look good.

"Sparky feels all flighty, like Twinkles does when he is super nervous, his heartbeat is all over the shop. Wanna check up on him?" she finished, her voice betraying no small amount of worry.

"Eeh, I am sure he is fine, he's a man, he'll fight whatever it is off." Sokka scoffed, as he walked to his bedroll, apathetic to any further interactions that night, with Aang shifting his eyes back and forth between Sokka's retreating form, and Katara who was still frozen in place, before he, too, decided to head to bed.

"Sugar Queen. you coming?" Katara shook her head to clear her head, getting up.

"Alright, let's check up on him." Toph could feel Katara's heart beating faster than normal, betraying her calm facade. They stopped in front of the door and Katara hesitatingly raised a hand to knock.

"Zuko, are you okay?" There was no answer, no noise, nothing. She hit the door again, harder this time, but it was to no avail. "I'm coming in." Katara reached the bolt blocking the door and pulled. When she tried to pull open the door, it wouldn't budge though.

"Toph? I'm not getting it open, is it stuck? Ugh, that'd be bad, how'd we get him out? He'd ..." Toph put a calming hand on her Arm.

"Here, let me feel." Reaching through the stone she felt the bolt on Zuko's side soon enough, just as well as Zuko's erratic heartbeat. The memory of making it so he'd have privacy now turning bittersweet as she realized that she wouldn't be able to reach out to help calm him down, either.

"He's locked the door." She morosely said, "I gave him a bolt so he could have some privacy. How ironic is it that for his sake, we need to invade that privacy," she bitterly laughed.

"No, we can't do that. If you would, you'd break all the trust he's got in you right now."

"But Katara, he sounds frantic, something isn't right, and with him reaching out to the fire in this state, we don't want someone else to get hurt."

"Bending in one's sleep usually isn't dangerous, I doubt you've ever dropped boulders on anyone while asleep, have you? Neither did I freeze anyone. And Appa can't bend at all when asleep. He isn't focussing on it, so it's only acting up a bit more than usual. if anything, he'll only burn out the fire a bit faster, but it won't go anywhere."

"But we really should check up on him, what if he is panicking in that room?"

"Toph, really, we can't, we shouldn't. Please don't try. You wanted to give him a place to withdraw, don't take it away, did you see how relieved he was at the suggestion of being able to lock it on the inside? He wanted this, now he's got to deal with it. I think he's having a night terror, I've got them, too, sometimes. He needs to learn how to deal with them, though, you can't protect him from his own mind."

Katara had sometimes during her speech reached for Toph's shoulder and now held it steadily. "Come on, let's go to sleep."

Reluctantly Toph followed Katara, parting ways when she reached her earth tent. Laying down, she could still feel Zuko's body reactions. The heartbeat fluctuating, his breathing pattern shifting. It took her a long time to fall asleep that night.

00000

When Katara woke the next morning, the fire had transformed into a blackened pit, devoid of any life, and Zuko was nowhere to be seen. She was surprised to realize that she had somehow expected him to be there like the days before, then at once realised it was impossible for him to leave the room on his own and that all the others were still asleep. She decided to go freshen up first, but as she passed the door, she heard a faint tapping, insistent, but feeble.

She halted, listening for the sound and surely enough it was there, and it indeed came from inside the room.

"Zuko? Are you alright?" she called out to the door.

The knocking paused, and increased its pace in earnest. Katara, sensing something was up, quickly unlatched the door, groaning at the bolt that had somehow gotten wedged slightly, and began to slide the door to the side as soon as she had managed to get it out.

As soon as the gap was wide enough, Zuko slid his body out, all energy spent. If she'd thought he was looking better yesterday, today it looked like they had returned to square one, as if they had just picked him out of the market place again. His somewhat greasy hair, from lack of washing, was slack against his forehead, his skin had turned an unnatural shade of white, marking his scar like an angry comet on his face. His eyes were bloodshot and drooping, but the worst part must have been his hands. Previously dirty nails were now flecked with blood and torn to the quick. He wasn't even trying to get up once outside, simply leaning against the now open door, taking unnaturally deep breaths.

"Zuko?" She leaned forward to grab his shoulder, trying to get his attention, the firebender however shed away, clearly not wanting to be touched. "Can you hear me?" Katara tried anew.

Something akin to recognition flared in his eyes, breathing some life into the dull yellow, before he returned his droopy stare to the ground, clearly not in any mindset to try to communicate. Katara quickly realized it was pointless to try getting him to respond, staring at his hands she decided that she should probably do something about them, she wondered if she could get him to follow her to the stream or if she'd just leave him here.

Given his state, and the fact he barely responded to her so far, she decided to go fetch her water pouch, hoping that there was enough to try and mend some of the damage the night must have brought him. Faintly, she wondered if Toph had just ignored him after she told her to, or if Toph had slept through this.

Returning, she squatted down before Zuko, slowly reaching out to lift his hand. The boy's hand twitched upon contact, but he didn't retract it like she'd expected. She called upon the water in her pouch and started healing the scraped skin. It didn't take all that long, but when she was done, she saw his gaze had cleared up a bit.

"Let's go." She got up and stepped away, looking back, hoping he'd moved. He hadn't, but just as she was about to turn back around he leaned forward, finally scrambling to his knees, struggling to get onto his feet. She waited until he stood on wobbly legs, then went ahead, urging him to follow. Reaching the shore, he knelt down, keeping a safe distance of three meters to her. She reached for water to wash her face.

"Hey Zuko, I'll be right back, just wait here, alright?" Zuko had barely looked up, only halted his movements for a moment, before going back to what he'd been doing. Getting up, she searched for a spot to do her business, returning to the shore a short while later to find that Zuko had discarded his shirt and was scrubbing his skin. She stared at his back, the various layers of scars, peeling skin and fading bruises now starkly visible in the morning sun. It took her a moment to realize that what he was doing couldn't really be called cleaning. It seemed as if he was determined to scrub his skin raw.

"Zuko, stop, that spot is clean." He paused, seeming to come back from far away. He sat back down, just staring at the water for a moment. He was shivering slightly despite the relatively mild temperatures of the early morning. Slowly, she approached him, carefully looking for any signal of him, in case he was about to take off. When she finally reached him, she sat down beside him, and began to rub what she hoped was a soothing circle on his back. As she had expected, he flinched by way of response, but he didn't run away as she had feared. He just stared at the water, he didn't fight her, nor did he encourage it, he seemed apathetic. Eventually, Katara felt him relax slowly, his shoulders unwinding. But the haunted, dead look in his eyes remained. Something was wrong. It wasn't just the knots and divots of scratches or traces of former muscle, his eyes had the look that Sokka had whenever he talked about Yue. She sighed.

"Umm… Zuko, you ok? I can't change things, but umm... I might be able to help you… if you let me." He showed no reaction, his eyes still sullenly staring southwards. "Want to try… uh.. to talk about it? Sometimes it helps." she finished lamely.

Zuko shuffled away at that, wincing as he did so, he was clearly in no mood to talk as of yet.

"uh… would you like to… should we go back?"

Finally there was a reaction, a slight shake of his head. "Then… could you go get some firewood?" This wasn't what the agreement they'd made the day before said, but Katara felt that he really needed the time alone and no one else was awake, anyway.

Indeed, the tormented young man got up without a word, grabbing his shirt, then stepping away. Katara watched after him until he had disappeared behind the tree line.

She decided to return to the camping site to start some training. Aang had said mediation would be good for her, but she found that moving in preliminary yídòng could be just as beneficial. So engrossed she became that she got quite a shock when she saw Zuko had returned, awkwardly carrying a bundle of sticks, enough to, at the very least, begin to cook some breakfast with. The walk had appeared to do him good, she also noted. There was some life to be found in his previously bleak stare. She realised he had just said something.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"Should I get more?" He repeated in his still sore voice, a touch of red blushing his cheeks.

"No, no, this is enough. Thank you Zuko, can you put them in the firepit?" she asked, flashing a grateful smile his way. It was amazing how far their relations had come over the past few days, she absently noted, as he put the sticks down before returning to his usual perch on the boulder by the fire. Who would have imagined that the angry and brash Fire Prince who had chased her, Sokka, and Aang, across the world, could be so introspective and quiet.

Having quickly gotten the fire started, she made fast work of preparing breakfast. Today it was berries and some jook. Looks like they'd need to get moving soon, she thought, as the bag of grains they had was getting concerningly light. Soon, the jook was made, and she called out to Aang, who she figured must have woken up and started meditating sometime when she was with Zuko, and to the sleepy Toph and Sokka.

Given the smell of food, Sokka, for once, was quicker to rise, and Toph, in all her messy glory, was up just after. Soon they were all sitting around the fire, all in their respective seats. Katara had the bowls laying ready next to her and was handing out food. The group expressed varying levels of appreciation, from a chirpy "Thank you" from Aang, to a grunt of what could be called gratefulness from Toph.

"Oh, Zuko, I don't think I've told you yet, you're with me today." She said, filling his bowl. "Here you go." He raised his head at that. Their eyes met, and she could see that the old spark had returned to them, it looked like the firewood-walk really had done him some good, she smiled.

"Thank you Katara" Zuko returned the smile in that weird soft way he seemed to do, as he respectfully bowed his head, before turning his attention towards his food.

Like the sun rising in the east, Katara felt the warmth of his sincerity. 'Perhaps this new day will be a good one,' she thought with a happy heart as she started on her portion of breakfast, smiling into her bowl as she did so.


A/N Edit 12.04.21:

Ystävä: Long chapter, huh...there were a couple of things we wanted to fix from the old version, precisely, how we portrayed Sokka. I mostly added descriptions to show how the sliding back into the same behavioral patterns repeatedly relates back to his mindset and the context of their situation overall. I feel like it smoothed the chapter out a lot and hope it makes a positive difference.

ML8991: So yeh, we have heard you, and we did agree that Sokka is a tad flip-floppy in earlier versions of what comes after, so we wanted to try and round out his character more. Sokka has growth to do, but he is coming from a place of well-meaning, protect his family and honour his fathers wishes. It is precisely this last point to why I am enjoying writing Sokka once more, as it has allowed me at least, and I am sure Ystävä also, a chance to show two sides of the same coin. More than Azula, does Sokka show what Zuko could be, both in the show (as the weaker/non-bending son that was intended to rule, but weighted down by the expectations of their fathers) and in our work. Sorry if it feels we are cutting his witty chops, he is trying, but growth needs time and care, and that will come, eventually.