Hello! Here is another chapter! This is another long one (I had a lot to squeeze in!)

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed thus far! You guys are my heroes.

As per a request by amethystfirechik, I wrote a little section from Iroh's perspective! Hope you enjoy!

This chapter was inspired by the song 'Make Up Your Mind' by Florence + The Machine from their 2015 album 'How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful'.

Chapter 12: Make Up Your Mind

…

Every time I try to bring it down

You always turn my head around

…

Make up your mind

Let me leave or let me love you

While you've been saving your neck

I've been breaking mine for you

…

My back's to the wall, go on, let it fall

Make up your mind

Before I make it up for you

…

Zuko woke up to a dull pain in his shoulder and a dampness seeping into his clothes. He was lying against something hard and the ache in his neck indicated that he would be regretting falling asleep in this position later. If not for the warmth in his veins and from the heat pressed against his torso, he would be shivering. Frowning, he forced his eyes open; dawn was upon them, casting a golden light over the swamp's dense canopy. As if by instinct, he pressed his pelvis into the warm body curled up against him, the ache in his groin palpable. Only when a moan escaped the girl sleeping next to him did he fully wake up.

Realizing what he had just done, he scooted his lower body away, inch my inch. Katara groaned at the sudden loss of heat but didn't wake. He looked down at her sleeping form; she was the most beautiful thing in the world and he wanted her. Despite his erection, though, he wanted more than just a physical connection. He wanted all of her; her body, her heart, her soul, and her mind. He wanted her to be fully his. Ignoring the nagging voice in his head that whispered things about destiny, his honor, and the Avatar, he pressed his face into her hair and kissed her head. She smelled like the swamp and Zuko figured they could afford to stop when they got to the fishing village of Daiyu to get an inn for the night.

As he kissed her head again, his hand came up to stroke her hair, pulling it back from her face. Katara moaned and shifted.

"Zuko…" Her voice was husky with sleep as she turned to him, smiling, "Good morning."

He couldn't deny the smirk that teased his lips; a week ago, she would have punched him and fled if they had woken up like this. But now, she rubbed up against him in her sleep, occasionally moaned his name in her dreams, and woke up to him smiling.

"Morning," He replied, resting his face back into her hair. At length, he groaned, "We should probably get up, Uncle will be making tea by now."

Katara nuzzled into his chest, "Do we really have to?"

"Yes," He replied, the corner of his mouth curling upwards again; Though, he wanted to say, no, let's stay right here like this.

…

Iroh watched as his nephew sat down next to the girl from the Southern Water Tribe, closer than necessary to accommodate all the bodies around the cookfire. Iroh watched as she looked up at him with a sparkle in her eyes, one that seemed to be present every time her gaze landed on Zuko in recent days; she touched his shoulder, his arm. Iroh watched as his nephew passed her a cup of the tea he had just brewed and smiled at something she said. It was the sight of that smile that wrenched at something in the old General's chest; he hadn't seen Prince Zuko smile like that since he was a child. In fact, he hadn't seen his nephew smile at all since he had left the palace to lay siege on Ba Sing Se all those years ago.

Prince Zuko was like a son to him. Despite all of the turmoil inside the young Prince, Iroh knew his heart; he knew that his nephew, above all else, longed for acceptance, for love. Since the loss of his mother, Prince Zuko had assumed the only way to gain that love and acceptance he so desperately sought was to follow in his father's footsteps – to prove himself to the man that would never give him the opportunity. It wasn't until two years into his exile that Zuko had started to see the world differently, had started to stray from the path that Ozai took. Prince Zuko was not his father, and, for that, Iroh was extremely grateful.

Nevertheless, the young Prince held fast onto his traumatic upbringing; he was stubborn, proud, and agonizingly self-critical. It had taken guiding him through every obliterated air temple and the decimated lands of the northern Earth Kingdom, for him to understand the reality of the war – the horror of the war. Prince Zuko had seen the look in the eyes of the hungry, the children who lost their parents and homes, the maimed villagers with burn scars like his own; he had decided for himself the war was wrong, but he had to see it to believe it.

That, above all else, was what worried the old General on that hot, sticky morning deep in the Shi-Fen swamp. Prince Zuko was unyielding, not like to change his mind without what he perceived was an adequate reason to do so. While that quality could be beneficial to the leader – holding tightly onto his values and the duties of his station – it could be detrimental to the man himself. The old General settled into his spot, gazing across the cookfire through the steam that rose from his morning tea, and considered, for perhaps the thousandth time, what it would take to make his nephew see.

…

Katara finished her tea and stretched her legs out before her. She hadn't slept much the night before, aside from what she was able to get under the great banyan-grove tree with Zuko. Though that sleep had been shorter than she would have liked, it was replenishing. Her dreams still whirled around the boundary between her conscious and subconscious mind; Zuko kissing down her neck, licking her collarbone, undoing the sarashi wraps that bound her chest. A faint blush was surely visible on her face and she averted her gaze from Zuko and the others around the fire to hide it.

When she had finished checking on Zuko's shoulder, she set out to the great banyan-grove tree once more to find Huu. While Zuko was resting the previous night, she had spoken to Huu between healing sessions. After a long conversation about utilizing the water all around, he told her to meet him under the great tree before leaving the next day.

"You see," He was now saying as they sat opposite each other under the giant tree, "If you listen hard enough, you can hear every living thing breathing together. You can feel everything growing with the flow of the water that moves through every particle of every living thing. When you can feel that flow, you can do incredible things, you can manipulate the life around you. But wielding such power requires a peace of mind and an understanding of the delicate balance, it must not be misused."

Katara nodded, listening intently to every word.

"Now, I will ask you a question and I want you to close your eyes and listen for the answer – don't think, just feel," He closed his eyes by way of explanation, "Why do you want to become a waterbending master, Katara from the Southern Water Tribe?"

"I want to protect people- not just my people, but all people – all life – from the imbalance in the world. I want to make a difference, follow a path that is my own… I don't want to marry a Water Tribe warrior and birth more warriors that will go off to die in a never ending conflict – I want to end the conflict."

"And what do you see as this imbalance in the world?"

"It's an imbalance of power between peoples... an imbalance in the relationship between us and nature, and... an imbalance between the desire to move forwards and the desire to cling to what is known."

"You have the makings of a great master, young waterbender," Huu smiled at her as she opened her eyes, "But you must never forget yourself. Stay modest and remember your motivations – it will keep you whole during the most difficult of times. Listen to the world around you, feel the balance, and understand how to restore it. Nature is the first teacher, the ultimate master, you must not ignore her wisdom. If you pay attention, the world around you has a great many lessons to teach."

"Thank you, for this lesson" She replied, bowing in appreciation for his teachings and turning to go.

"You are a fighter, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, and the world needs someone to fight for it now more than ever."

…

They rode alongside the swamp skiffs for a majority of the day, until they finally stepped out of the stagnant water and neared the edge of the wetlands.

"Daiyu Village is an hour or so journey due south from here," One of the waterbenders named Tho, informed them.

"And, uh, if anyone from the Fire Nation asks… Shi-Fen Swamp is haunted by murderous spirits," Due, another tribesman, grinned at them sheepishly.

His Uncle Iroh matched the man's grin, "Thank you for your escort, my friends. I wish you luck in your noble endeavor of protecting this land."

Zuko groaned as the tribesmen waved them off; he could never figure out how his Uncle managed to make friends with everyone, even those who had attacked him. Though, as he looked over at Katara, waving merrily back, he wondered if it was just a problem that he struggled with.

When they reached Daiyu Village, it was nearing sunset. Despite the small size of the fishing village, it was bustling with people; based on the number of boats in the dock, it would seem that multiple fishing vessels had just returned around the same time, freeing stir-crazy sailors and fishermen into the town. It didn't take them long to find an inn – there were only two in the village – and they were lucky enough to procure the last two rooms available for the night.

Katara had been pleased to find that there was a large basin in the washroom and immediately went about bathing, not taking notice of the lone bed in the room. Zuko, however, eyed the single bed and sighed, deciding he would have to go get their bags and one of the bedrolls from the packs on the rhino saddles. When he returned, sounds of splashing water traveled through the closed door to the washroom and he tried not to smirk, imagining the waterbender naked in her element. Banishing the images from his mind, he set about unpacking their things to distract himself.

While he was unfurling the bedroll on the floor, the door opened quietly behind him as steam rolled through the threshold. Not thinking, he turned at the noise and his gaze met Katara's before involuntarily traveling downwards over her body. Her hair was loose and wet, clinging to her shoulders and the towel she had wrapped around herself to conceal her modesty was exposing just enough to transfix him; the towel fell just below the junction of her thighs and his gaze followed the length of her lean legs down to the floor and back up. As he felt the heat rising to his face, he swallowed audibly. Katara's cheeks were red too and she flinched under his regard.

"Oh, I- um, I thought I heard you leave," She started, taking a step back towards the washroom.

"I did," Zuko replied, still in a trance, "I… uh, went to get our things."

"I'm just going to…"

Suddenly aware he was staring, he tore his eyes away from her, "I-I'm sorry, I'll uh, leave." Then he was rushing out the door, fighting the flush in his cheeks.

When he reached the front desk of the inn, he was cursing himself again, unable to rid the image from his mind of her standing before him in only a towel. He wanted her, so much that it ached; he wanted to make her his. If he was smoother, maybe he would have gone to her, held her chin in his hands and pressed his lips to hers, he would have broken their kiss to tell her she wasn't just his captive. But her sudden appearance and state of undress had caught him off guard and, in that moment, all he could do was run away.

He left the inn and strode down the street, trying to wrangle his nerves and hormones into submission. Vendors lined the streets, selling a variety of goods, and he eyed their wares, trying to calm down. One, a man selling maps and scrolls, caught his interest; a more detailed map of the Earth Kingdom could prove useful, he thought, focusing back on his task. She was his captive, he reminded himself, nothing more. He couldn't give her that kind of power over him, he couldn't let his emotions get in the way of his destiny. But when he opened one of the scrolls to find images of waterbending forms, he couldn't resist the urge to purchase it.

"You have a good eye," The vendor grinned, "That's a rare scroll that was taken from the Southern Water Tribe decades ago, back when there were still waterbenders down there. Four gold pieces."

Zuko restrained himself from replying, from snapping at the man that there was still a waterbender from the Southern Tribe – his waterbender. Instead, he bit his tongue and handed the man four gold pieces and a silver piece for both the scroll and a map of the Earth Kingdom territories, then continued walking. He was nearing the docks when he heard two men at a fish stand talking in hushed tones.

"You really think it's him? That he's returned?"

"Who else could it be? No one has seen an airbender in a hundred years."

Zuko's ears perked up at the mention of an airbender and he slowed his pace to catch more of the conversation.

"But how is he only a kid? Are you sure of what you saw?"

"Would I lie to you, Yufei? He had one of those sky bison that the airbenders used to ride. I had only ever seen depictions of them, but I recognized it immediately. That animal was huge!"

"So perhaps he has returned… Just in time, too, I heard the Fire Nation conquered Omashu just the other week."

"I heard that too. Who would have thought that a city such as Omashu, with all its defenses, would fall so quickly?"

The conversation shifted and Zuko continued onward, lost in his thoughts. The Avatar must be close by. He clenched his fists, wondering if Katara's companions had been able to track them; he had taken so many precautions – traveling through forests and remote areas, setting up the rendezvous location in a different direction than their path back to the ship. What led the Avatar so far south? He realized they would have to leave under the cover of darkness in the morning – the fewer people in this town that saw them traveling, the better. He couldn't allow Aang to try stage a rescue attempt before he reached his ship.

He growled to himself, angered at trajectory this journey had taken. It had never crossed his mind he would be so unable to control his emotions around Katara – the waterbender, he reminded himself – and his thoughts drifted to the night he had first captured her; how she had looked at him when he was feeding her, how she had pushed out her chest and moaned. A sickening feeling formed in the pit of his stomach as he wondered if she had been planning this from the start. Had she been deceiving him all along?

…

Katara bent the water out of her hair and tried to calm herself, tried to ignore the heat in her face at the thought of Zuko – of how he had been looking at her. The dreams she had the previous night returned and she flushed again. Truthfully, she had known that he had returned to the room, though, she didn't want to name the inclination that made her decide to walk out of the washroom in only her towel. Admittedly, she felt a pang of disappointment that he left so abruptly and felt silly for thinking he would have any other reaction. Even if he was attracted to her – as his heated gaze suggested – something was still holding him back, had been holding him back.

What had she been thinking? He hadn't released her – she was still his captive. While he had been progressively nicer the last few days, he showed no intention of ceasing his search for Aang, of letting her go without collecting the Avatar as his prize. Remembering the words of Huu from that morning, she reminded herself that she had a mission – to help Aang, to protect the weak, to maintain the balance – and, as much as she had tried to ignore it, Prince Zuko was still on the opposite side. Even if he wanted to end the war when he eventually became Fire Lord, how long would that take? Twenty years? The Fire Nation may have finished conquering the entire world by that point. She couldn't wait twenty years for him to finally do something about it – she couldn't wait a single year.

Pulling Zuko's shirt over her head – as she hadn't yet had the chance to finish repairing her own – she grumbled. Why did this have to be so difficult? Why did she have these feelings for him? When had she started to abandon everything she had believed in?

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts and, for a moment, her heart leapt – had Zuko returned already? Katara immediately kicked herself for being so fickle – as much as she tried to talk herself out of it, she couldn't stop the feelings; he was her weakness, the thing that made her question her everything she thought she knew. She was almost relieved when she heard Iroh's voice on the other side of the door.

"Come in," She called, trying to sound pleasant and not like the emotional wreck that she was inside.

"Ah, Miss Katara," Iroh nodded to her, "Is Zuko here?"

"No, he left a while ago… I don't know where to."

"I see," He rubbed his chin then turned to her with a wide smile, as if a grand idea had just come to him, "Well, I was just going to head out for some dinner. I heard that there is a fantastic noodle house around the corner… would you care to join?"

Katara smiled, "That sounds lovely, I would be happy to."

The noodle house was fantastic, albeit small and a little cramped; they sat across from each other in the corner, sipping on tea after they had finished their meal.

"I have to admit, Miss Katara," Iroh started, gazing at her over his teacup with amber eyes so like Zuko's, "It seems you have brought out a side of Prince Zuko I haven't seen in many years."

"I didn't do anything," Katara stared into her own teacup, not wanting to have this conversation, "He's probably just pleased he's about to finally 'capture the Avatar'," She mocked his raspy tone.

To her surprise, Iroh chuckled at her impersonation. At length, he continued, "I don't know how much my nephew has told you about his upbringing, but the relationship between he and his father, my brother, Fire Lord Ozai, has been… strained to say the least."

"He told me about the Agni Kai," She blurted out, glancing up to him before returning her eyes to the swirling steam coming off her tea, "And about his mother."

Iroh sighed, "The abuse Prince Zuko suffered at the hands of Ozai started long before the Agni Kai. When his mother… disappeared, he had no one to protect him from Ozai's wrath. That trauma… it haunts him to this day. And still, Prince Zuko seeks his father's acceptance."

"But, why?" Katara asked, setting down her teacup with more force than she had anticipated, and winced when some of the hot liquid sloshed over the edge of the cup onto her fingers.

"He has been conditioned since… well, since he was born. He believes the only way to regain his honor and fulfill his destiny is to gain his father's approval. Prince Zuko has always been very self-critical. He thinks that he deserved the abuse from his father because he wasn't good enough, because he wasn't living up to his expectations, and because he was constantly compared to his sister, who is quite frankly Ozai reincarnate."

She bit her lip. Katara had already gathered some of this, but Iroh's words cemented her fear; Zuko was fiercely stubborn and stuck in his ways. She knew what trauma was like. Dreams of her mother's death, of the raids on her village, still haunted her; certain events, smells, sounds, still triggered vivid memories that brought her to her knees at times. She herself didn't know how to curb those side effects. But Zuko had been abused and was still very much in the throes of that abuse. As much as she hoped that she could change his mind, she was beginning to realize just how naïve that was.

Sighing, Katara sipped her tea again, uncertain how to respond. It was then, through the babble of the many customers jammed within the confines of the noodle house, that she heard the word airbender. Her ears perked up and she scanned the room, trying to pinpoint where it had come from and who had said it. Paying close attention, she picked out the voice again: a man and a woman sitting two tables over. She strained to listen, to catch bits and pieces of their conversation.

"I can't believe… airbender… truly him? Here… Kingdom?"

"It must be… close by… heard it from… early this morning… incredible… bison."

Katara's heart was in her throat; they were talking about Aang, they must be. Piecing together the conversation, she tried to gather what they had been saying. By the cadence of the woman's voice, it sounded like this was recent news and he might be close – someone had only just told the man this morning? Iroh didn't seem to notice the conversation as he finished another cup of tea.

Could this be her chance, the moment she had been waiting for? She scanned the packed noodle house, noting the door to a small restroom around the side of the counter. There must be a back entrance through the kitchen.

Her heart was racing as words poured out her mouth, as Iroh was pouring himself another cup of tea. "I'll be right back, I'm going to the restroom."

He nodded pleasantly, "Take your time. I think I might order another pot. The tea here is surprisingly good."

Katara stood, keeping her pace casual as she weaved in and out of other customers and tables towards the back of the seating area, her plan running through her mind. Once she escaped, she would have to find out some more information; perhaps at the docks. She could also potentially find transportation there, if need be – though, she frowned, she didn't have any money. Perhaps her friends were heading into town, or already were in town. Hoping that was the case, and she wouldn't have to go searching for them, she knocked on the bathroom door. No one replied from the other side, but she figured pretending to wait by the door would give her a little more time in case Iroh turned to look at her. She peaked into the kitchen and, as she expected, saw a door that led out to an alleyway, propped open to let in some fresh air.

Checking that Iroh was still not looking – he was ordering more tea – she sidestepped towards into the entrance to the kitchen. Her heart was pounding in her ears now, drowning out the clatter and chatter of the busy noodle house. Slipping around the corner, she was in the kitchen, staring down her freedom – the dark alley just outside the open door. She took at step towards the threshold and something stopped her.

You aren't going anywhere, Little Rabbit-… I won't hurt you-… Come with me-… Katara… She squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to think of him, but all she saw were golden eyes, glistening in the dark recesses of her mind. His words were in her ears, accompanying the deafening sound of her rapidly beating heart.

No one… has ever touched my scar-… Do you trust me? Yes-… Katara… She was frozen, staring out the door, unable to move her feet. Could she really leave like this? Yes, she told herself, she could; she owed him nothing. Feelings be damned, she had planned this from the start; she couldn't pass up this opportunity.

Just stay close to me-… Don't worry, I'll find you-… You're safe-… Katara… But would this be her only opportunity? Maybe there was a better one around the corner – maybe she could gather more information about Aang first? No, she countered, she couldn't risk it. Why was she having such a hard time leaving?

Katara… Please… She saw the hurt in his eyes, felt his hands on her face, in her hair, his arms wrapped around her – in those moments, when she had forgotten everything, she had never felt more content. He had trusted her to stay by his side, to touch his scar. He had jumped in front of her in their fight against Huu as the swamp monster, with no regard for his own safety.

"Ugh!" She growled aloud.

"Ma'am?" The sudden reply made her jump and she spun around. The cook was staring at her, a large pot of broth in his hands, "Is there… something I can help you with?"

"No!" She startled, "I- um…" She turned towards the door again, then back at the cook, "I was just… trying to find a restroom."

Katara cursed herself as a little voice in her head whispered, 'hopefully you don't regret this later'.

…

When Zuko finally returned to the inn, both Katara and his uncle were gone. He decided to enjoy the momentary reprieve and take advantage of this time to bathe and collect himself. As he sunk into the steaming water, enjoying the heat, he thought of that morning – of the feel of her in his arms. It had felt so right, more so than anything in his life as of late. Could it really all have been a deception or was that just his paranoid mind trying to justify the decision he had to make?

The look in her eyes that morning – all of those nights – had been so genuine. He wasn't imagining that – was he? Katara had saved him from the swamp monster; if she was only biding her time to escape, she could have simply left him there to die in the stagnant water. Zuko sighed, he couldn't fool himself into thinking she didn't care for him. And he could no longer deny that he cared of her. But those feelings were dangerous – they threatened to unhinge him, to throw him off course, disrupt his destiny. She was dangerous. He could have died in the swamp when he risked himself for her, without even a thought. He had opened up to her, more than he ever had with another person. She knew him; she knew his past, his fears, his trauma. Katara knew his weakness… she was his weakness.

Part of him didn't want to let her go, even when he finally had the Avatar. His weakness was best kept at his side than out in the world - able to expose his shortcomings, the cracks in his defenses - right? But if he did keep her, could he stay on course? Could he do what he needed to? You must never forget who you are... his mother had told him in the swamp – could the waterbender make him forget who he was? Perhaps he was already starting to forget.

Reminding himself that he was the Prince of the Fire Nation, he focused on his destiny, on the path laid out before him that he had been following for time immemorial. The waterbender was trying to make him stray from his path; perhaps this was what his mother was warning him of. All he had left was his destiny, he could not forsake it.

After bathing, he stood in the room, holding the scroll he had bought for her and considering what to do with it. Somehow, he decided he couldn't give it to her; he didn't want to see the light in her eyes, her smile at such a thoughtful gesture. Instead, he tucked it into her things and crossed the room to his clothes. He toweled himself off and had just pulled on his pants when the door opened.

…

Katara had seen Zuko without a shirt before – many times actually, every time they trained, every night when they went to sleep – but for some reason, she found herself staring at him now. Droplets of water dripped from his hair onto his shoulders, running down his chest.

"Oh- I-… sorry, I can give you time to finish changing," She stuttered, preparing to step back into the hallway.

"It's fine," Zuko grumbled, "It's getting late, anyways."

"You missed dinner," She offered, as she stepped in and closed the door, "Iroh and I went to a noodle house-"

"I ate already," He cut her off.

She frowned slightly. Why was he being so cold? She had just shunned her chance of escape to see him again. That morning they had been so- everything had been so different. Sighing, she averted her gaze and headed into the washroom. When she returned, he was getting into a bedroll on the floor.

"What are you doing?" She asked, eyebrows raised.

"Going to sleep. We're leaving early in the morning."

"You… you don't have to sleep on the floor, you know."

"There's only one bed."

"I know, but… it's big enough for two."

He watched her warily, then shrugged and got up to lay down on one side of the bed, his face to the ceiling.

Katara blew out the candles burning in the corner and shed her outer layers, tentatively lying down beside him, not daring to speak or get any closer. Something had changed and she didn't know why; he couldn't possibly have known about her attempted – and abandoned – escape earlier. She turned to him frowning in the darkness, eager to understand what was going on.

"Are you… ok?" She whispered.

"I'm fine," His tone was emotionless.

She let out a long sigh and turned over, "Ok, well… goodnight."

Silence ensued. Katara fought off the urge to turn back to him, to ask him what was going on, to cuddle up against him like she had been doing recently. After what felt like an hour, she finally drifted off.

Her slumber was fitful and plagued with weird dreams; visions of the little boy in the swamp, Zuko holding her, turning to leave. A terrible ache in her chest and a weight on her torso woke her up; she had no idea what time it was or how long she had slept. The sounds of his breathing filled the room and she realized that she was wrapped in his arms again, his warm body was molded against her back and his arm was draped over her waist. She shifted to look back at him. His expression was peaceful, his eyebrow raised. Deciding to enjoy the moment while it lasted, she turned back around and laced her fingers through his.

When he woke her up, it was still dark out. She groaned at the lack of sleep and turned over to watch him pack their things.

"We're leaving already?" Katara asked.

"Yeah," Was his blunt response.

She pulled herself from the warmth of the bed, grumbling about it being too early.

They were on the road again in no time and the horizon lightened slightly with the impending dawn. She yawned and stretched her back and arms atop her mount. They were traveling through the forest again, following the coast, having met up with the rest of the procession outside of the village. Katara idly wondered if she had forsaken her best chance of escaping the previous night. If Aang did get caught, it would be her fault. Stupid, she chided herself.

…

They had been on the road for about an hour when he heard rustling in the forest around them. Zuko held up his hand to halt the cavalcade when an object came flying out from the trees ahead of them, hitting the soldier to his left in the neck. Caught off guard, the man gasped, coughed, and started slipping from the saddle.

"We're being attacked! Get in position!" Zuko commanded, as a man came running out of the forest straight at Katara.

"Katara, watch out!" Jumping from his saddle, he landed on the ground with a spinning kick that hurled fire towards the man, but a stream of water met the flames, blocking his attack.

He turned to Katara to see her frown, her gritted teeth, the fire in her sapphire eyes as she pulled the water up again, poised to attack. What was going on? Who was this man? Why was she protecting him?

He could only watch in shock as a Kyoshi warrior sprung out of the bushes and knocked one of his soldiers bodily from his saddle. He looked back to Katara as she water whipped another one of his soldiers who moved towards her. Zuko cursed himself. This was a rescue attempt.

…

Katara was half asleep, lazily guiding the water to move in a ring around her, when the fan came darting from the forest to hit one of the soldiers behind her. Then, as she was still coming to, a man jumped from the bushes, running in her direction. Her initial reaction was to call the water to her defense, to strike preemptively to prevent him from getting any closer, but something stopped her. She recognized him.

It came back to her suddenly, all those days ago in the dungeons under Omashu. When she had been fumbling with the first lock, he had come up to bars, calming her nerves with his smooth voice, a promise; "Listen, girlie. You can do this."

"Katara, watch out!"

Realization slapped her across the face as Zuko leapt from his saddle, sending flames towards the approaching man – they had come to rescue her. She threw her water out between the flames and the man from the dungeons, effectively blocking Zuko's attack. When their eyes met, his expression nearly broke her heart – he looked like a kicked puppy, like she had just slapped him out of the blue – his mouth hung open, his eyebrow raised, a questioning sadness and hurt in his amber eyes.

"Katara!" It was Aang's voice, "Let's go!"

A sudden wind blew through the trees and he appeared before her, "C'mon, this way!"

Grabbing her pack from the saddle and slinging it over her shoulder, she followed him into the woods with Zuko on their heels, while Suki and the man from the dungeons held off the soldiers.

"You came for me!" She exclaimed to Aang ahead, still in shock from the sudden change of pace.

"Of course we did!" He yelled back, "Appa is just up ahead on the beach with Sokka."

A blast of fire caught the tree next to them.

Aang turned to fight off Zuko, but Katara grabbed the shoulder of his tunic, pulling him along "Keep going! He's still trying to capture you! I'll be right behind you!"

"I'm not leaving you again, Ka-"

"Go, Aang!" Katara cut him off. His expression mirrored the one she had seen on Zuko's face moments before, "I'll back Suki up. Don't worry!"

She turned, bending the water around her to send a cracking whip into the woods, breaking a tree branch next to Zuko. He stopped.

"Katara," Then, in an instant the pain in his eyes turned to anger, as he snarled, "I should have kept you tied up."

The sudden change in his tone irked her. "Your mistake," She spat, sending another whip his way. This was the best chance she was going to get.

Zuko sent a series of fiery blasts towards her that she blocked and avoided, just as she had done in training. To try gauge how Suki and their other companion were doing behind, she changed course, turning to the right. Zuko followed, grunting with every burst of fire he sent her way. She could hear the shouts of the soldiers, the blaze of their attacks, and Suki's verbalization as she knocked them down. However, when she turned back to her opponent, he was shooting flames at her again and her only option was to dodge and run. She could see the beach in front of her, knowing that Sokka, Aang and Appa would be off to her left.

The heat of another attack tingled against the back of her arms and she brought water up to block it. Her stance wasn't grounded, though, and when Zuko's fire connected with her watery defense, she was thrown back, colliding against a tree. Before she could pull the water up and return an attack, Zuko was on her.

He grabbed her upper arms and pushed her back, holding her against the tree trunk. His swirling pools of liquid gold held a mixture of emotions that she couldn't decipher in the moment, but it brought tears to her eyes nonetheless. Before he could say anything, she filled the silence.

"I'm such a fool," She ground through her teeth, "I'm an idiot for falling for you. I thought you had changed… but I was wrong." Bending the remaining water from the skin at her waist, she formed a dagger of ice in her hand.

"Then do it," He snarled, leaning into her, grasping her wrist and bringing the ice to his throat.

She bared her teeth at him, furrowed her brow, and pressed the blade to the skin of his neck.

"You… you know I can't," She bit out through tears as the ice melted in her hands. "What do you want from me, Zuko?" Katara shouted.

For an instant, the anger melted away from his face, "I'm… not sure I know anymore."

"Well… you need to figure it out!" She yelled at him, struggling against his grip. He only pressed her back into the tree, bringing his face next to hers.

"What do you want, Katara?" His voice was almost calm in her ear.

"I want you to let me leave or… or…"

"Or what?" He murmured against her cheek, a threat in his tone.

"Or… let me love you, damn it!" She cried, beating her fists against his chest.

Zuko looked up at her then, a pained expression on his face that indicated he hadn't anticipated that. He stumbled back from her, releasing her arms from his grasp. Regarding her for a moment, he averted his gaze and clenched his hands into fists at his sides. The muscles in his jaw flexed, considering, before he muttered, "I-… I can't."

That was all she needed to hear. Tears were flowing freely now; he had made his decision. Now it was time to make hers and this time she wasn't going to miss her chance. She could hear footsteps approaching to her left.

"Katara, let's go!" Suki and their other companion emerged from the forest, followed by two of Zuko's soldiers.

"Katara…" Zuko's voice was low, strained.

"Goodbye, Zuko." And with that, she turned to follow Suki. As she approached the beach, she glanced back one last time at him. All he could do was watch her go.

So, their time together got cut a little short... what do you guys think?

Sorry to anyone who was hoping the cuteness would continue for longer! Don't worry, this story is far from over (;

Truthfully, I'm a sucker for the emotional struggle - it's so much more interesting to write about! And, given that this fanfic is largely inspired by Florence + The Machine songs, this quote: "It's hard to write about being happy, because the older I get, I find that happiness is an extremely uneventful subject..." (from the song No Choir) That is not to say that there will not be a happy ending... you will just have to continue reading to find out :p

But how do you feel about the ending for this chapter? I guess it technically wasn't a betrayal (I mean, Katara's just doing what she has to, right?)... Zuko's reaction? Thoughts?

Please please please let me know! (Yes, I am begging for reviews!)

...

With love,

A Storm