Hello! Sorry this got a bit delayed! I had to take a short break from writing to finish my finals.

It was really difficult for a bit there, switching gears to get writing this chapter! It was the lovely reviews that I received that motivated me to sit down and get writing again! So, thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story thus far! Your words warm my heart (:

Waterpologirl42: You are awesome, thank you for sticking with this story and giving so much feedback!

FictionallyFun: Oh gosh, perhaps I should start putting warnings in for citrusy things! Hope it doesn't put you off this story! I'm just starting to delve into citrusy things and I wanted to give it a try in this fic... thank you as always for the reviews and I'm excited to see where your canon re-write will go! With regards to Metamorphose, I am definitely going to continue it! I've just been so caught up with this story because I have more freedom with the storyline. I'm planning on finishing the next chapter for Metamorphose when they release A:TLA on Netflix so I can rewatch the series without giving my computer a virus ;D

libbylucomcast: So true about Suki being mostly understanding haha I tried to keep her decently consistent with the show and she doesn't really hold the burning of her village against Zuko when he joins the gaang later on :P

Guest: There will be lemons. ;)

Plum: Thank you so much! I really try to keep the characters consistent, but it's so hard sometimes! I've gotten into Meyers-Briggs personaility typing and I think it really helps to type the characters to make sure what I write is in accordance with their personality! I've typed Katara as ESFJ and Zuko as a turbulent(!) ISFP

~j~: I'm so glad you came back! (: It's probably going to be a while until I finish this story (based on some things I have written for future chapters, I'm not even close to being done yet haha) Thank you so much for the review!

Now, without further ado, this chapter was inspired by the song 'Fallingwater' by Maggie Rogers from her 2019 album 'Heard It In A Past Life'!

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 15: Falling Water

…

Go on and tell me just what I'm supposed to say

As if it could be any other way

Oh, it's getting louder

Go on and tell me just how I could allow

All that's light to end up somehow

Where it's getting darker

…

I never gave you everything, I wish I could

I should've seen it coming from where you stood

But now I'm in the creek

And it's getting harder

I am like falling water

…

It was a misty morning. A blanket of low gray clouds covered the sky, threatening rain. The sun was obscured, casting the world in a cool diffuse light. Katara was collecting the dishes and cookware from breakfast to rinse in the sea when Zuko approached her with his empty bowl in hand. She sighed.

During breakfast, Katara had stayed silent, pondering what to do about the situation she was in. She was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed her brother eyeing her over the cookfire. The revelation of that morning – that she had been saying Zuko's name in her sleep – was not a comforting one and she dreaded the possibility of Aang or, worse, Sokka learning of this new development. He could have been lying, she thought. Since when could she trust Zuko's word as fact? Regardless, she had the feeling that being close to him only amplified the problem.

Zuko made her feel crazy. She simultaneously wanted to be close to him and as far away from his as possible. One moment she was mad at him, trying to hate him as she reminded herself of the trouble he had caused them, and the next she was falling asleep on his shoulder and longing for him in her dreams. She had to put an end to the torment, one way or another.

"Do you… need any help?" Zuko asked, reaching for one of the bowls on the ground.

"Sure," She breathed, "I, um, if you want to come with me to the water, I need to talk to you about something."

His eyebrow raised as he gave her a look of bemusement, but he nodded, gathering the remaining bowls and following her to the shore.

Katara clumsily unloaded her armful of dishes into the shallows and bent down to scrub the bits of food out in the waves as Zuko stood behind her, waiting.

"Look, Zuko…" She started, "I feel like I'm… confused. I don't understand is going on."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you let me go the other day, but then you showed up and tried to capture Aang again. But when I got burned, you saved me...? I don't understand what you want anymore… what you're trying to do."

Zuko stiffened, apparently not certain how to respond.

"This whole situation is just confusing me." She paused, considering how to go on. "I like you… I don't know why or… in what way, but it has to stop.

"You-… What?"

"Whatever this is, you were right the other day. We can't." She met his gaze then, trying to harden her expression

"Katara, I didn't-… When I said that-…"

"We're enemies, Zuko. I can't just keep trying to forget that you're hunting Aang."

"It's not like I'm going to kill him," Was Zuko's best response.

"I wish this could be different, but it can't… not while you're intent on bringing my friend back to the Fire Nation. I can't keep making excuses to myself. If you really wanted to end this war like you say you do, you would join the fight… you would stop trying to capture Aang," She dared him with a sidelong glance.

"Katara, you know I can't…" Zuko was scowling now.

"Why not? What's stopping you?" She asked, angrily scrubbing away at a dish.

"If I join the fight against my own country… I'll be labeled a traitor. If I don't capture the Avatar-"

"Aang," Katara interrupted, "He has a name and it's Aang. He's not just the Avatar."

"If I don't capture Aang, then I'll never get my honor or my crown back. It's my birthright. It's all I've been able to think about since I was banished. I have to regain my honor," Zuko hissed. His grasp on the bowls he was holding loosened and they clattered on top of each other as they landed in the sand at his feet.

"This whole thing with you and honor doesn't make any sense to me," She huffed, eyeing the pile of sandy dishes.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand." Was his scathing response.

"Why? Because I'm not from the Fire Nation? Because-" Katara stood, discarding the bowl she had been scrubbing at, getting increasingly annoyed with the direction of their conversation.

"Yes. Your people don't worry about honor."

"My people? We do worry about honor. But, to us, honor isn't something that someone else can take away," She prodded his chest, starting to lose her patience, "It's in here. It's a part of you… it's determined by morals and actions, not by capturing a thirteen-year-old boy."

His expression poorly masked incredulity. "I knew you wouldn't understand. The customs in your peasant village are-"

"Are what? Savage? Barbaric?" Her temper flared when he referred to her home as a 'peasant village'; was he really going to start insulting her people now? "Why? Because we don't burn children and set the world on fire?" She saw his face twitch at the mention of burning children and knew that she had struck a chord. Normally, she would feel a tinge of guilt for such a heartless attack, but the implication that his people were better than hers – that he was superior to all because he was royalty – infuriated her. It was that kind of thinking that had started the war to begin with.

Zuko seethed, his inner flame feeding on hers, "I was going to say different, but yeah, your people are peasants and savages," He lashed out, snarling at her, "You couldn't possibly understand what's expected of me as part of the Fire Nation royal family."

Katara got in his face, baring her teeth at him, prepared to throw back some even harsher words but thought better of it. Enough had been said and she was quite certain of her decision now. Instead, she let out a scornful laugh and turned abruptly to gather the half-cleaned dishes in her arms. Her tone was as cold as the ice caps of the South Pole. "Thanks for making this easy for me. I was worried it was going to be hard letting go and forgetting about you, but you just reminded me of all the reasons I hated you to begin with," She hissed at him, "Don't expect a friendly welcome next time you try to capture Aang."

"I won't!" Zuko growled back at her as she stomped off, balancing the bowls in her arms.

What an ass, she thought as she stormed back to what was left of the campsite. After all that she had done for him – healing him, comforting him, trying to forgive him for everything he had done in the past – he insulted her and her people, just like the royal bastard that he was. Clearly, he looked down on the people of the world and was more worried about his precious honor than freedom from tyranny. He is part of the tyranny, she reminded herself, he's more worried about impressing his despotic father than about the state of the world.

And, for all the times he acted like he cared about her, all the times he promised he wouldn't hurt her, he still hadn't properly acknowledged his part in her getting burnt and gave no apology for trying to capture Aang again. But, why would he apologize? Apparently, he never intended to cease his hunt. Despite her lingering feelings, there was no future for them; if he wasn't going to give up on capturing Aang and she wasn't going to allow him to take her friend, there were no compromises to be made.

It would be good to get away from him. The banished prince had no way of catching up with them now that his ship was gone and it was just him and his uncle. The reprieve would be an opportunity to forget about him, to quell those feelings and expel any thoughts or dreams of him from her mind. Distance would be her friend.

In spite of herself, she felt like an ignorant child for expecting him to apologize, to change; Katara knew he was stubborn and unyielding. While she had found these qualities rather attractive at times, she had refused to properly consider their involvement in his decision making. For a moment, when she was in his arms, when she saw the tear slide down his cheek, she had believed that it was a tipping point, that he had finally realized the consequences of his actions. She had been painfully ignorant in thinking that anything would change.

Aggressively stuffing the cookware and dishes into a bag as the rain began, she steeled herself for the reality that the feelings she had for him, and whatever feelings he might be harboring for her, were things of the past. The next time he showed up for Aang, she wasn't going to fall back into his arms.

…

Zuko had watched, his fists clenched, as the flying bison disappeared against the backdrop of the looming gray clouds that were spitting water on the world below. He knew Katara was right; his affections for her had been getting in the way, making him question his purpose. But he couldn't deny that her words had hurt and, as Zuko wasn't particularly good with words and emotions himself, his defense mechanism had been to denigrate her people. It was a regrettable reaction, leaning back on the prejudice that his father and his nation had tried to ingrain in him, but what was done was done.

As he marched through the woods, his uncle at his heels, he hoped that he could forget. He had more pressing things to worry about than a common waterbender's feelings; like tracking down his ship and his crew, punishing the soldiers who had abandoned them, and figuring out a way to bring the Avatar to his father.

His mood progressively soured the longer they spent in the rain. They were soaked from the drizzle that had persisted for the entirety of their journey thus far. The squelching sound their feet made as they trudged through the mud annoyed Zuko nearly as much as his drenched fine silk clothes clinging to his limbs and chest.

"Zuko, I was thinking," Iroh murmured from behind, stopping under a tree to look over the map Zuko had purchased in Daiyu. They were lucky enough to have brought the map, Zuko's dao swords, his dagger, and some coin from their luggage that they had left on the fishing vessel. "It seems like there are some villages up ahead, perhaps a two-day's journey from here. We should head that way and try to purchase some Earth Kingdom attire."

"You think we need disguises?" Zuko scowled, glancing over his shoulder.

"I don't think it would hurt. Without the soldiers for back-up, it's just you and me… I'm an old, frail man and wouldn't be much help in a fight if we were to run into anyone with a grudge against the Fire Nation," His uncle sighed, "And in these parts, I imagine that is most people. Disguises would probably also make it easier for us to gather information on the potential whereabouts of the ship."

"Ok," Zuko stopped and turned to look over the map with his uncle, "We must be somewhere around here, right?" He indicated to an area east of the peninsula where they had found the Avatar and company.

"I would assume so," the old general rubbed his chin, eyeing their surroundings before pointing to the map, "Based on the shoreline, it appears we're somewhere along this stretch. The closest village appears to be this one here that we could perhaps make it to by the day after tomorrow."

Zuko nodded and continued on through the woods, staying close to the beach on their left for navigational purposes. It was the afternoon now and they had neither food nor water with them. Conserving energy, not getting lost, and making it to the village ahead in one piece were his top priorities for the time being and, for the first time that day, he stopped thinking about the waterbender.

…

It was late afternoon when Sokka pointed out that they were ahead of schedule; the rendezvous point where he and Suki had agreed to meet the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors was only three days away on Appa but the warriors weren't due to arrive for another six or seven days. They had finally escaped the rain clouds and Katara went about coaxing the water from everyone's clothes.

"What I'm saying is that we can find a place to stop for a night or so," Sokka suggested, rolling up the map.

"Are you sure that's not just your stomach talking?" Suki poked his abdomen, giggling.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hungry," He rubbed his chin, no doubt imagining all the things he could be eating.

"Sokka, how can you already be hungry?" Katara laughed, "You ate twice as much as the rest of us at breakfast!"

"There wasn't any meat though!"

"Why does that matter?"

"Katara, I'm a growing man. I need meat. How am I going to maintain my muscular physique without the juicy, protein-rich flesh of animals to sustain me?"

Suki nearly fell over laughing, "Oh, we wouldn't want you to lose your muscular physique, Sokka. Who would protect us then?"

Katara snickered at Suki's joke, "We'd have to turn to Momo for protection. We're only two girls and an Avatar, after all."

As if in response, a chittering Momo jumped up onto Sokka's shoulder, scrambling up onto his head and pulling his wolftail loose.

"Very funny, you two," Sokka crossed his arms, trying not to smile along with them, "But seriously, Aang, we should find somewhere to set up camp. Then tomorrow I can hunt for some game," His mouth visibly watered and his eyes went glossy at the thought. "We're going to need more food if we have to feed the Kyoshi Warriors when they arrive."

Aang glanced back over his shoulder at his friends, "Uh… sorry, what? I wasn't paying attention."

"Let's find somewhere to camp!"

"Right, ok," Aang nodded as he guided Appa downwards.

Katara crawled up behind the airbender, slightly concerned. He had been quiet for most of the day, an unusual circumstance considering Aang was often the one responsible for filling the silence on long journeys with stories of his adventures a hundred years in the past.

"Hey, Aang," She said as she leaned over the edge of Appa's saddle, "Are you doing ok? You've been awfully quiet today."

Aang let out a long exhale before responding, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just… thinking about stuff."

"Is something bothering you? Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nope."

"Well, if you do want to talk about… stuff, just let me know," Katara sighed, returning to her spot in the saddle.

When they had finished unpacking Appa's saddle and setting up the campsite, it was evening and the sun crept lazily towards the horizon. Aang was sitting on the beach, absentmindedly playing with the marbles he kept in his pocket, when Katara approached him, the waterbending scroll in hand.

"Want to come practice with me?" She asked him, grinning, "I'm going to try learn this other intermediate form called the water cloak."

Aang didn't look up at her when he sighed and mumbled, "I'm ok, I'll just watch you."

Katara frowned at this, Aang was always excited to practice waterbending and he had been wanting to learn this form. "Ok, what's up with you?"

"Nothing is up," He replied, still watching the marbles whirl around his hands.

"Something is definitely up, Aang. I thought you loved waterbending practice? You know you can talk to me, right?"

"I do love waterbending practice but…" The airbender finally met her gaze; the look in his eyes was one of trepidation. "I don't know if I can concentrate right now."

"What's bothering you? And don't say 'nothing' this time," She plopped down next to him.

"I guess… I just feel like I don't know what I'm doing… or what I'm supposed to do- who I'm supposed to be."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know, Katara… I feel like I don't know how I'm supposed to be the Avatar. The monks always taught us that violence was wrong. But as the Avatar, everyone expects me to join this war, to fight the Fire Lord. Every time Zuko shows up, I feel like I can't do anything to stop him. I want to protect my friends, I want to help the world and end the war... but I don't want to hurt anyone."

Katara paused and pondered this for a minute, "Nonviolence is a great virtue, Aang… but I don't know if it's realistic. This is a war and the Fire Nation has been slaughtering people for a hundred years now. We have to take down the Fire Lord or it will continue. The world is a violent place…"

"Monk Gyatso always said that nonviolence is a universal principle and its operation is not limited by a hostile environment."

Katara sighed. Aang had told her many stories about Monk Gyatso and how he planned to continue his teachings. But she really couldn't see how nonviolent protest could stop the unabashed cruelty of the Fire Nation.

"But you aren't just a monk, Aang… you're the Avatar."

"That's the problem. I don't know who I am supposed to be because I am still a monk and I do believe in nonviolence. I even feel bad sometimes about defending myself!"

"I know… but the Avatar has a responsibility to keep the balance in the world… I just don't think I can give you the answer that you're looking for."

Aang let out a long exhale, resting his head in his palms, "It just seems like you and Sokka and Suki are all so sure of yourselves… like you know yourself and your place in the world. And I can't even seem to figure out how to be the Avatar without betraying the way of my people... It's like I'm constantly doubting myself."

"I don't know if I would say that…" Katara's mind conjured thoughts of Zuko and she fought to repress them. Lately, she had felt less sure of herself than ever; her worldview was being challenged and it wasn't quite as impervious to the trials as she had hoped. "I still don't know my place in the world. Sometimes I don't even know how I feel… Sure, I have ambitions and goals, but it's not like I always know what to do. I often regret decisions I've made in the past…"

"Really?" Aang turned to look at her, "You just seem so… confident in yourself."

"I try to be," Katara smiled, "But I think this is just all part of growing up. We're bound to make mistakes and to be unsure of who we are… Gran Gran always told Sokka and I whenever we got in trouble for something that as long as we learn from our mistakes and grow, we're on the right path. You come to know who you are by learning from your mistakes and following your heart. And with regards to the whole nonviolence thing, you have to learn waterbending, earthbending, and firebending before anyone will expect you to fight the Fire Lord… there's still plenty of time to figure it out."

Aang leaned his head on her shoulder, "Thanks, Katara. Talking to you about this stuff makes me feel a little better."

"That's what friends are for, silly," She patted his back, "So, what do you say? Let's get started learning the water cloak!"

Katara jumped up from her spot in the sand and pulled a wave in towards Aang, streaming the water around her. The water swirled and flowed as she spun and swayed her arms.

"I never really noticed before how much waterbending looks like dancing," the airbender grinned up at her.

"Do you like dancing?" Katara giggled, still spinning.

"I do."

"Then let's dance!"

…

The rain had stopped and started multiple times throughout the night and the tree they sat under didn't provide much shelter from the falling water. However, it wasn't the cool dampness or the start of another bout of rain that woke Zuko, but the tickle of something crawling up his leg. He jumped up from his perch against the trunk of the tree and yelled expletives as he thrashed about, trying to shake off the colony of ants that had taken residence in his clothes.

The commotion woke Iroh, who, too, realized he was covered in ants. He tore off his shirt and took off running to the beach, "The water, Zuko!"

Seeing the old man launch himself into the tide, Zuko ripped off his own shirt and did the same. When they had both fully submerged themselves and resurfaced, gasping for air, his uncle started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Zuko hissed, having been in a sour mood since the morning of the day before.

Iroh's response was interspersed with fits of chuckles, "What a way… to wake up! I had been having a dream… I was in a bubbling hotspring…" The old general caught his breath, trying to suppress the laughter, "At least they weren't fire ants! Would've made the journey a lot harder with burning bites... where those things were crawling…"

Zuko sunk deeper into the water with a scowl, trying to hide his disgust. He found no humor in this situation; he was achy, tired, hungry, thirsty, and now he was itchy. Zuko had never been opposed to camping, occasionally he enjoyed being out in the woods, on the road, but he had always been prepared with tents, bedrolls, food, and water. This was not camping, though, this was struggling to survive in the wilderness and he was neither prepared nor enjoying it in the least. How his uncle could always make light of a grim situation, he would never understand.

Grumbling, Zuko swam back towards the shore and flopped onto the sand, clenching his fists, "I can't live like this, Uncle! I wasn't meant to be a peasant! This is impossible!"

"Don't worry, Zuko," Iroh came out of the water behind him, "We'll make it to that village soon." He patted his shoulder, "We should get going."

They followed the shoreline north again, slower than the previous day due to exhaustion and dehydration. At around noon, the clouds parted and the sun finally came out but it did not have the same rousing effect on Zuko as it normally did. The moisture from the previous day of rain was evaporating from the sands and the puddles in the forest, creating a misty blur that lingered above the ground in their path. His eyes were tired and, occasionally, he thought he saw people ahead in the distance or something that resembled a Fire Nation Navy ship on the horizon, but whenever he blinked and focused, it was just a piece of driftwood or a wave.

The sun was beginning its descent towards the horizon, when Zuko saw splashes of green fluttering in the breeze on the beach up ahead. He frowned and blinked, hoping it wasn't another mirage. It wasn't.

"Uncle, are you seeing this?" He turned to see Iroh shielding his eyes as a grin spread across his face.

"I am," The old general breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is this the village?"

"I don't think so… according to the map, the village should be farther north, another day away."

As they approached, Zuko realized that the green fluttering objects were articles of clothing, hung up on clotheslines to dry in the wind.

"Looks like we won't have to buy Earth Kingdom clothes after all," He breathed.

"I hope someone is home… and they have tea," Iroh sighed dreamily.

"We're not stopping for tea, Uncle. Hopefully no one is there so we can take what we need and leave."

…

The waves rocked the ship back and forth and she reveled in the feeling, watching the churning ocean glide by. Her heart leapt into her throat when she felt his hands on her waist, his muscular form pressing into her back. His arms snaked around her, pulling her against him as he leaned down, planting a soft kiss on the junction between her neck and shoulder.

Zuko…

His breath was hot on her skin and she closed her eyes, tilting her head back to rest against him. She was so occupied with him, savoring the feeling of his lips on her, that she nearly didn't notice the airbender sitting close by. Struggling free from Zuko's grasp, she turned to her friend.

Aang, what are you doing here?!

I'm done fighting, Katara. He sat, cross-legged on the deck of the ship, his arms and legs in chains. The way of the monks is nonviolence. It's the only way.

What? No, Aang, you can't do this! He's going to take you to the Fire Nation!

I won't fight, Katara.

Then Zuko was behind him, dragging him away by the collar of his shirt.

Zuko, stop! You can't take him away! He's all the hope the world has left! Let him go! Please!

She moved to follow them, but something tugged on her limbs, holding her back. When she looked down at herself, she realized that she, too, was in chains.

The banished prince met her gaze. The expression on his face gave no hint of emotion and his tone was cold when he spoke.

I can't.

His voice echoed in her ears, even after she woke, and her mind lingered on his gaze, the molten gold of his eyes. The waxing gibbous moon stirred her and she could feel it's presence above, the surge of power that progressively grew every night as it approached fullness. Trying to forget the dream, to forget Zuko, she pulled her legs from her sleeping bag and decided to go on a walk.

The moon was bright, casting a soft white light on the earth below. Details of the trees around their campsite, the forms of her sleeping friends, were almost as clearly visible as during the day. Katara sighed as she carefully stepped around a snoring Appa, intent on making her way to the water. If she couldn't sleep, she would take advantage of the near-full moon to practice her bending.

When she reached the shore, she instinctively waded into the shallows, enjoying the feeling of the ebb and flow of the water around her, the pull of the moon. The pull of the celestial body had grown in strength since the last full moon, along with her waterbending prowess, like she was more in tune now with the shifting phases.

Slowing her breathing, she got into position and began to execute the form she and Aang had been learning earlier. She pulled the sea water up around her and exhaled as it cloaked her torso and arms, extending beyond the length of her limbs, flowing outwards. Katara focused on the water cloak, on feeling it like it was part of her own body. Gathering more water to flow to her limbs, her watery arms stretched outwards as she lifted one and then brought it crashing down. This time, the water didn't break around her arms like it had when she practiced with Aang, but kept form. Again, she struck the sea surface with a loud slap as the water connected. Spinning, she sent another swipe out in a low arc, skimming across the surface of the sandy beach.

The feeling of being enveloped in her element was unlike any other and she thought of her conversation with Aang. This was her place in the world; when she was bending the water around her, it was the only time she felt like she truly knew herself. She could focus entirely on her element while the world and its many problems melted away around her.

…

The house had been abandoned, much to both Zuko and Iroh's dismay. The windows had been shattered and the doors hung loosely by their hinges having been apparently kicked in, creaking as they swayed in the wind. Blackened burn marks crept up the front of the house and one of the walls inside; a clear indication that Fire Nation soldiers had been there.

It was a small building, more akin to a three roomed shack than a home, and largely bare. Aside from the garments still clinging to the clotheslines on the beach, the house was empty but for some furniture and cookware that had been left behind; A few pieces of furniture remained, some chairs with missing legs and a cracked table, which Zuko broke down for firewood.

After changing into some sun-bleached Earth Kingdom clothes, he gathered the broken furniture and piled it up on the beach to light a fire, while Iroh collected the cookware from the kitchen. When he got the fire going, he wandered into the woods nearby in search of anything to eat. With the pots and pans that had been left in the kitchen, they could boil some seawater to drink, but they still had no sustenance and Zuko's stomach complained about it audibly.

He eyed bushes and trees for fruits or nuts, examined leafy plants that spurted from the ground. After he found nothing, he stomped back to the abandoned house, in no better mood. Iroh had set up a couple pots over the fire, boiling water.

"I didn't find anything to eat!" Zuko growled as he untangled himself from a bush.

"Zuko, you'd never believe our luck!"

"You found food?"

"No, but I did find this!" His uncle opened his hands to reveal a pile of leaves and a red and white flower with a bright yellow pistil, "You are looking at the rare white dragon bush. It's leaves and flowers make a tea so delicious it's heart-breaking!"

"We need food, not tea!" Zuko shouted. He pinched the bridge of his nose to stifle the dull ache in his head from expending the effort to yell. "I'm going fishing."

He left Iroh stirring the pots of water as he waded into the sea, brandishing his dao swords. At every shimmer of scales under the surface, he slashed and stabbed, trying to spear a fish, but to no avail. His thoughts drifted to Katara and wondered if she could fish. All she would have to do was bend the water around a fish and toss it onto the shore. He scowled at the thought, annoyed that firebending granted no such perks.

The sun was nearly gone when Zuko successfully speared a fish with the tip of his sword, though, he nearly lost it to the tide as he pulled it up. It was by no means a large fish, a silvery-scaled creature about the size of his hand, but it was something. He breathed a sigh of relief as he delicately removed the scales with his dagger, careful not to waste any of the meat.

Iroh was pouring tea into cracked clay cups he found in the house, wafting the steam towards his nose as he inhaled, "Well, this isn't so bad," He said, "Some fish for dinner and a delectable tea…"

"This isn't so bad?!" Zuko stood so quickly, he nearly dropped the fish into the fire as he waved it around angrily. "This could hardly get any worse! If we hadn't come across this place, we probably would have died like common peasants in the woods! We haven't had any water for nearly two days, Uncle!"

"But we did find this place," Iroh pointed out calmly, "And now we have water and food."

"Urgh!" Zuko grumbled as he sat back down, not in the mood to debate the semantics with his infuriatingly optimistic uncle.

Iroh drank the tea he made while Zuko skewered the fish and held it over the flames. They sat in silence until his uncle passed him a cup and urged him to try it. Zuko sipped the tea and, he had to admit, it was very good; the fragrance of the flower filled his nose and the taste was an earthy floral flavor that calmed the rage boiling in him.

As they ate, he noticed his uncle scratching himself a lot and a red mark appeared on his neck, darkening in the firelight.

"Uncle, what are you doing?" Zuko asked, spitting out a fish bone.

"I just got very itchy all of a sudden," Iroh responded, grabbing the stick that the fish had been cooked on and using it to scratch his back. Frowning, he pulled up the sleeve of the Earth Kingdom clothing they had salvaged and inhaled sharply.

"What?" Zuko asked.

"So, remember how I said that plant was the rare white dragon bush?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, it wasn't."

"What are you saying?"

"I think it was actually the white jade bush… which is poisonous."

Zuko's mouth dropped open, disbelieving. "You're joking, right?"

"Unfortunately, no," Iroh continued scratching himself, as he lifted his sleeve again, "When the rash spreads to my throat, I will stop breathing."

Zuko brought his hands up to his face and groaned into them.

"You should check yourself for rashes," Iroh suggested.

"No, we have to leave… now." Zuko grumbled, trying to stay calm, "If we travel through the night along the shore, we can make it to the village faster."

"I'm sorry, Zuko," The old general sighed.

Zuko ignored him and gathered his dao swords, the map, and the pot of water, before starting off into the darkness.

I had to include the scene with Iroh poisoning himself (and Zuko too, this time) hahah so classic.

I know this chapter wasn't particularly action-packed, but I thought that the time spent surviving the wilderness and living in poverty was really important for Zuko's character and I wanted to write more scenes with him and Iroh. Plus, the whole thing with Aang trying to stick to the monk's way just had to be said.

And I promise, the next chapter has more action and some pretty exciting developments...

What do you think?! Please let me know! (Review?)

...

With love,

A Storm