A/N. I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.

The third day after Sokka and Zuko had gone fishing, Katara began to worry. No fishing trip should take that long! Aang had said that there had been good spots a little further up the canyon… So why was it taking so long? The airbender had also been gone for a few hours now, taking Appa and the body of the nun with him.

Katara had asked if he wanted her to come with him, but he had gently, yet firmly, said that this was something he had to do alone. Air Nomads burials… Well, Katara knew some of the rituals the airbenders had used to do, like meditation, the candle burning through the night, and now, the beginnings of a burial ceremony… But she rather suspected that the rest of the ritual was something very private, or something that would seem so foreign to her that Aang was afraid it would scare her.

Toph, Teo, Haru and The Duke were sitting next to her, as they ate dinner in silence. It had been quite boring in the temple, with Aang training and her brother gone. She had grown so used to their constant companionship that now, she couldn't imagine a time without the two. Sure, her brother, she had been used to her whole life, but the airbender, she had known for less than a year… But so much had happened…

They had not finished their… activity… From a few days ago. The discovery of Mother Kaashi and the training Aang had to endure had probably made him quite exhausted for each time they went to their room, he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the bundle of clothes they were using as pillows. She herself, however, had been having trouble sleeping.

Three weeks and two days.

Just over twenty-three days until the Comet would come. Twenty-three days for Aang to master firebending and the Avatar State. Less, if they were going to have any hope at all at defeating Ozai. Or he couldn't fight the Fire Lord during the natural phenomena! Everything but that!

"Where is Twinkletoes actually?" Toph's voice broke off her thinking. Katara put down the spoon and bowl where the meager dinner had grown cold a few minutes ago.

"Gone to bury the nun we found." She answered. They had not told the others whom it had been, or even much about the ritual. Only that Aang would take care of it.

"Ah… Think he'll be alright?" The blind girl asked as the others also looked up from their dinners.

"I think so, he was actually quite calm about it. But we'll see when he comes back." The waterbender sighed.

Just then, the soft bellow that could only be Appa could be heard in the evening mist of the canyon. Katara turned around, and saw the shadow of the bison appear from the fog. The orange and saffron clothes of the airbender were so easily reconzigable that she didn't even need to stand up to check if Aang was there.

The bison hit the tiled floor of the Terrasse, and he jumped off Appa's head, but as she watched him walk towards them, in a hurried pace, she knew it. There was something terribly wrong, those eyes were fixed on her, and there was something in his gaze that made her worry.

Anger.

"What happened?" She asked as the airbender walked past her and towards their campfire. He didn't answer, only moved his hand towards the flames. In the matter of seconds, the campfire went out and darkness enveloped the little group.

"An Air Ship. Royal insignia. It is coming straight towards the temple. I saw it from the top of a mountain to the south. It is possible it is only flying over, but it can also be coming here. The Fire Lord will never leave the Caldara, only to lead the army in case of war, or to visit foreign capitals. It has to be Azula." He whispered, and Katara suddenly understood the angry look.

He was afraid that the princess was coming here to make her threats a reality.

Or, a little voice in the back of her mind spoke up, Zuko could have betrayed them and was coming here with soldiers. That was also a possibility. It would make sense, a day to fly back to the Caldara, then a day to outfit and equip a squadron of firebenders, and then a day to fly back.

It was fitting to well.

But… What had happened to Sokka in that case?

"What were you doing in the south, on the top of a mountain?" The Duke asked quietly, but with an urgent tone.

"Laying to rest a good person." Aang answered, still with the iron tone in his voice.

Laying to rest… Had the airbender just put the body on a mountain top? It would make a lot of sense, for an Air Nomad… But the idea of just leaving a corpse in the middle of nowhere, that seemed wrong to Katara. In the Water Tribes, a deceased person would always be put to the sea, or, in case of an important person, the body would be buried close to the mountains more inland. But she wouldn't judge. It was just different, but that didn't mean it was wrong.

Then, she heard the soft roar of engines. It was indeed coming closer… with a little bit of luck, Aang would be right, and it was only flying over… For they were too few to fight off a whole regiment of soldiers. It would maybe be possible, but that meant that a long, drawn-out battle would take place in the Air Temple, damaging it even further… Tui and La, that would be bad.

The sound of the engines grew closer, and Katara felt fingers touch her hand. Looking to her left, she saw the crouched form of the airbender close to her, his face turned to her.

"If it is her…" He whispered, just loud enough for her to hear.

"We will fight her off. Like always." The waterbender answered. She knew it wasn't the answer Aang had been hoping for, he would have wanted her to flee, hide or whatever was necessary to stay safe. But no. She wouldn't do that. Her friends needed her if there was going to be a fight.

The airbender's dark shadow nodded. That was something she loved about him. In the Water Tribes, men often had the last word, or took the decisions, and she had hated it. With Aang, he always accepted her decisions. Even if he didn't agree with it.

The engines roared overhead, just above the canyon.

Please, fly away. Don't stop.

Her silent plea was not answered, for the dark silhouette of an Air Ship began to appear above, slowly descending. As it drew nearer and nearer, the fingers of the airbender closed around her hand, slightly too hard. She knew why. He was afraid.

The sound of the engines grew fainter, as the propellers began to turn slower. It was indeed stopping at the Terrasse. Uncorking her water skin, Katara prepared.

A plank slid out if it, connecting the door of the air ship with the floor of the Terrasse. The wooden plank hit the tiled floor so hard that the waterbender heard the crack. Gritting her teeth, she knew that there was no other way, they needed to wait. To wait and see what was coming at them.

The door was pulled open from the interior, but no one appeared. For a few moments, there was utter silence. Then, a hand holding a small flame appeared at the door.

"Anyone there?" A voice called out, and it sounded… a lot like… Zuko.

Of course! Of course he had betrayed them! And now, he was baiting them out of their hiding spot.

"Where are they?" She heard another voice, and relief flooded through her. Sokka… Sokka was alive.

"How am I supposed to know you idiot? It is not like I can see a thing in this darkness!"

That sounded… Way too friendly.

"Aang? Katara?" Her brother's voice called out, and the hand of the airbender released her own, as he straightened up.

"What, in the spirits name, are you two doing with an airship?" Aang called out, and Katara saw the flame turn towards the place they had all been sitting.

"Why is it so dark here?" Zuko's voice asked, and at the same moment, the campfire in front of her roared up. Closing her eyes at the sudden flash of light, the waterbender opened them slowly to see the whole terrasse being lit up once more by the fire.

Zuko and Sokka were standing a few steps from the plank, looking at them. Her brother was wearing… Something that looked a lot like a uniform, but not one like those he had used on the ship all those months ago. No, this one was less elaborate.

But Zuko was a whole other story. Where her brother was still looking alright, the firebender was wearing rags. His feet were bare, dirty dark trousers bagged around him and he wore a shapeless red tunic. Rather a downgrade from the silken travel clothes he had worn before. Katara could have laughed if it didn't worry her.

That had not been a fishing trip.

"Where did you go?" She could feel her eyes narrow. Three days away, and they nearly crashed into the temple with an airship, which had the royal symbol on it, just like Aang had said. They had been doing something. Something dangerous.

"Well…" Sokka smiled hesitantly towards her, but she saw the slight amused twinkle in his eyes. He probably thought that whatever they had done would make her happy. Well, that would depend.

"I had an idea… and Zuko was kind enough to help me…" Her brother tried to explain, but then, Katara saw a movement once more at the door of the airship. Drawing her water to her right hand, she kept her eyes on the door.

The man on the plank smiled hesitantly at her, with the same half grin that her brother always sported when he had done something stupid, but tried to make light of it. His hair was dirty, his lack of armour and fur made him look smaller… But it was her father. Of that, there was no doubt whatsoever.

Biting her lip, Katara felt her feet move on their own accord. Behind her, Aang laughed suddenly, as if a weight was falling off his shoulders and he felt relief for the first time in forever. Yes… That was exactly what she was feeling…

Her father moved at the same time, and in a matter of seconds, she felt her arms around her. It was still a bit weird, but she didn't care at that moment. Her father was safe, out of the clutches of the Fire Nation… She didn't care about the rest. He had done much to make up for his faults… And at that moment, with him hugging her fiercely, as he had always done when she was little… That was all that mattered.

"H-how…" She heard herself mutter, and tears made their way to her eyes.

"Sweetie…" Her father whispered, using the pet name her parents had always called her when she had been little. Through the tears, Katara felt herself smile at that. Even if their situation was really bad… Now, at least, her family was as safe as they could be… The people she loved without any conditions were all safe… Her heart felt ten times lighter just knowing that…

"Oh, and we have some other people too." Sokka interrupted them, by pulling her arm. Her father released her, chuckling at the enthusiasm her brother was suddenly showing. Katara just shook her head at Sokka, rolling her eyes.

"Tada!" her brother grinned from ear to ear as a girl came out of the airship. Katara had to look twice before recognizing Suki. The Kyoshi Warrior's hair had grown out unevenly, as if a part had been cut or ripped, she was way thinner than she used to be… and from the short sleeves of her tunic, Katara observed pale arms, as if she hadn't seen much sunlight in several weeks… And long, lighter lines all over her arms.

Scars.

The waterbender looked the girl in the eyes, and saw the wide smile of the pale face. It was as clear as day that she shouldn't ask about everything, not now… Now it was a time for happiness. She quickly walked to Suki, hugging her as gently as she could, but she still heard the slight wince. Creating a bit of space, Katara saw the purplish spot all over the girl's shoulder. It seemed that it had been dislocated by something… or someone… And it had been put back, but not treated any further

"Hey… Want me to take a look at that?" She whispered, smiling at her.

"It's good to see you too Katara." Suki laughed, "But yeah, if you have something that helps… I wouldn't say no to that. Hakoda managed to pull it back into place on the way here, but it hurts."

As Katara led the girl towards the fire, another man appeared from the ship, one that she didn't know. He looked brutish and just as dumb as possible. She would need to ask her brother where he had found that one… But for the moment she needed to occupy herself with Suki's shoulder, and if she saw correctly, Sokka's sleeve was burned away, so he would also need to be checked.

As she passed her father, the waterbender saw him greet Aang with a smile, while Haru and Toph stood behind the airbender, waiting their turn to greet him. As she and Suki arrived at the fire, she made the girl sit down at her own place. Teo rolled towards them, a concerned look on his face.

"Is there anything I can do?" The young man asked as he came to sit beside them.

"Yeah, hold her arm straight out, so I can check the damage." Katara suggested. It would maybe be better if someone was holding Suki, in case she would use her reflexes to bend her arm. And that way, the waterbender could discreetly check on her scars without too many people noticing.

As Teo took the girl's arm, straightening it across the arm rests of his wheelchair, Katara pulled water to her hands, inhaling deeply. Suki's eyes widened, and the waterbender realized that she probably had never seen her doing this. Smiling at the Kyoshi Warrior, she nodded reassuringly.

Passing her hands over the shoulder, Katara felt the stretched muscles and began to pull it back together as gently as possible, but still Suki's arm trembled under the strain. From the corner of her eye, she saw Sokka and Aang join them, sitting down next to them, without saying a word.

Frowning at the point of impact of whatever had hit Suki, Katara soon realized it was the size of a small fist. Spirits, whoever had done this was strong…

Ty Lee.

Katara had had the exact same purple sore spot in her back during her captivity in Ba Sing Se.

"What happened?" She asked her brother, without looking away from Suki's shoulder.

"Well…" Sokka began, before speaking up, so that the others could also hear it, "Zuko and I went to the Boiling Rock… it's a prison, sitting in the middle of a lake of lava. We disguised ourselves as guards, in the hope that some people of the Invasion would be held there."

Katara tried not to hit her brother. How reckless! The prisoners of the battle could be held somewhere else! But… She also admired his bravery.

"After a few hours, we found out that Suki was held there. We got help from Chit Sang, who had realized we were trying to escape. Our first plan failed…" The hesitation in his voice made Katara think that it had not only failed, but had been a complete fiasco.

The muscles in Suki's shoulder were as healed as possible in just one session, but she knew that there would probably be one or two other healing sessions needed. Hoping the Kyoshi Warrior wouldn't notice, Katara let her water covered hands slide slowly over the arm of the girl.

"Then, another batch of prisoners arrived. Dad was with those! With his help, we managed to get a plan together. The only way into the prisoner was a gondola over the lava, so we guessed that the only way out was the same thing. By that time, Zuko had been discovered and thrown in prison. We think… We think that the warden warned the authorities, because Azula came the following day, meaning yesterday late in the afternoon…"

Azula!

Anger bubbled into her mind, but Katara pushed it down as fast as possible. The scars on Suki's arm were clean cuts, as if a person had passed a knife slowly over the skin. They weren't deep, but it would probably have been painful and dangerous, by accounts of the bleeding.

"She discovered us, and we had to fight her on the gondola. We had kidnapped the warden to make sure we would be let through, but she didn't seem to care… At one moment, the cable of the gondola was being cut by the guards. Ty Lee and Azula fled on another, so that they would fall into the lave… But before that happened, the other girl began to fight the guards. We escaped on Azula's airship." Sokka gestured to the big cumbersome ship hanging against the terrasse.

"Mai?" Suddenly, Aang's voice sounded. He sounded… concerned. Why?

"Yes, her!" Sokka nodded.

Katara turned to the airbender, letting the water back into the skin at her hip. Aang wasn't looking at her but was gazing to Zuko with a concerned frown on his forehead.

"Is she going to be alright?" Her brother asked her, and, turning back around, Katara smiled.

"Yeah, I'll want to check up tomorrow, but otherwise, everything will be fine." She chose not to talk to Sokka about the scars. There was no need, if Suki wanted to tell him or someone else, she would do that on her own accord.

"Thanks, Katara." The Kyoshi Warrior smiled at her, pulling a piece of bread out of the pocket of her trousers and taking a bite.

Of course! Azula's airship was probably filled with supplies and other such things! Their problems were solved! And that was all the better, seen that there were now three more mouths to feed. This Chit Sang fellow would probably stay with them…

Her father was walking towards them, the biggest grin on his face. Katara didn't know why, but that seemed rather fake to her. Her dad never smiled that widely. When he did, most of the time, he had something to hide and tried to act aloof. Just like Sokka did.

"How are you?" He asked as he drew closer. Katara could see Suki and Sokka shuffle away, towards the campfire, where the others were all sitting, listening to whatever Zuko was telling them. She really didn't like how the firebender seemed to become more and more at ease around most of them.

"Good. It has been a rather eventful week." She sighed, smiling. Sokka had seriously broken into a heavily guarded prison, picked their father out of it, and Suki too. Crazy, but so, so Sokka like.

"I heard…" her father nodded, falling down to sit next to her. On her other side, Aang was still looking intensely towards Zuko, seemingly not hearing a word of what was happening beside him.

"Did he tell you tall tales?" She pointed her chin to her brother, shaking her head knowingly.

"No, he only told me that apparently Aang and that prince went to see some ruins. And that the temple was creepily empty of traces of the battle." The last part was whispered, but Aang didn't seem to have heard him either way.

"Well, not empty exactly… But that doesn't matter now. How are you? Has your wound been bothering you?" She had only healed the wound he had taken during the battle as much as had been possible.

"It stings from time to time, but on the ship that brought me to the prison, a doctor looked me over to check it. He asked how it had healed so far so soon. I didn't really answer him, just so you know." Her father answered, patting her on the arm. That was good. She could take a look at it the following day, not tonight.

"And… how has he been?" Her father nodded to Aang as he whispered his question.

"As good as could be expected…" She didn't feel like going into detail. Telling her father wouldn't help a bit. She was not going to tell him about the airbender's problems. Finding the nun, living in a place where each corner made him think of people he had lost. About Jinora, or about the rather… Well, about the necklace Aang had tried to give her.

As much as she loved her father, she didn't feel ready to trust him with all of that.

Suddenly, Aang stood up, moving towards Zuko. The airbender crouched next to the prince, and whispered something in his ear. Katara frowned as she watched the interaction. Zuko turned his ember eyes to Aang, and nodded, an angry snarl on his face.

The airbender whispered something else, and the firebender's shoulders slumped down, in defeat. He nodded once more, now with a defeated look on his face. With that, Aang straightened and walked back to where she and her father were sitting.

"Zuko is going to bed. With what Sokka told us… Well, Mai has probably been… executed. And we should give him space." The airbender sighed as he sat down, down to her once more. From the corner of her eyes, she saw the firebender stand up and walk towards his room, without giving an explanation or even a good night.

"I think that's for the best. It is a horrible thing…" Her father nodded, surprising her. She had thought that he, of all people, would also distrust Zuko.

"Yeah… I don't know what I would do in his place." With that, she saw the grey eyes cast a look towards her.

Ah… Mai had been Zuko's girlfriend, probably… And to be honest, she could see the attraction. Both seemed to be brooding and rather lonely… And for the first time, Katara felt a slight pang of pity. Even the evillest people in the world had people they loved… And to lose them would hurt as much as it did to her, for example…

No. She couldn't let that into her heart. There was no room for anything else than distrust. Even if that feeling was pity. But then again… Feeling just a bit of pity wasn't so bad. So, she decided, she would leave Zuko alone, for the moment. As much as she didn't want to trust him, she could also understand he needed space to process… Whatever he was feeling. If he had feelings.

"He is still going to train you tomorrow?" She asked, instead of anything she could have about Mai and Zuko.

"Yes, business as usual from tomorrow on." Aang nodded.

"Wait, he is training you in firebending?" Her father seemed startled. Ah! So, he didn't trust him completely.

"He does, and I think that he is a good teacher. Even more demanding than Toph… And not as fun as Katara." At that he grinned at her. She smiled back. Their waterbending training had been rather… Well, it hadn't been about training anymore. No, now, it was just to spend time together. As she was staring back into those silver eyes, Katara could feel her smile widen. Aang seemed to be in a much better state of mind than the last few days. This news seemed to have really lifted him up. And that was good! She had missed the happy Aang, because as much as the brooding airbender was… Well, attractive… She loved him like he was. Goofy and energetic.

"I think this is my cue to leave!" Her father laughed aloud, standing up. Katara quickly looked away. Yeah… Maybe that had been little too obvious on their part. But seriously, who could blame them! She hated hiding her feelings… And maybe, just maybe… She would talk to Aang about it. Maybe it would be alright to tell Haru, Teo and The Duke… Not Zuko however. Never.

"This is great!" The airbender laughed, sounding so happy, "Hakoda back, Suki back… And that other guy seems… nice?"

"Nice was not the word I was looking for." Katara shook her head, smiling, "We'll have to check if he isn't a murderer or something like that… But yeah, this is great."

"We may even have a shot at doing everything… Zuko told before he left that I was a great student… Maybe… Just maybe, everything will be alright!" The hope in his voice was so infectious that the same feeling came to sit in her heart.

Maybe… Just maybe… Maybe there was a chance that everything would be alright.

"Aang! Katara! Come on, we have something to celebrate! Finally!" Sokka called from the campfire waving a bottle that she had not seen before. Probably something that they had found on the airship. The waterbender had to hide a smile, seeing that Suki was pulling her brother's arm, rolling her eyes.

"Should we join them?" Aang smiled

"Last time you drank something, you were rather… open about your feelings…" She laughed, standing up and offering her hand to the airbender.

"Oh dear… That would really be bad." He answered, with a grin forming on his lips.

"So bad…" She grinned back.

"But who knows… Maybe, drunk Katara has some things to say about me…" The airbender stood up, butting a finger thoughtfully against her cheek.

"In your dreams Air Head. Come on."

Answers :

Guest: Exactly, they don't seem to realize that their plan would be very dangerous for them. Not only would Aang be a real menace to deal with if they even hurt her, but Katara is way more dangerous when she is really angry. But we'll have to see what happens. I have already outlined the end of this story, which will lead into a sequel that won't follow the comics at all!