Chapter 20

Katara

Grumbling as she stood watching him, Zuko left her side and went to his closet, pushing the door all the way open, walked forward and crouched down, looking in the chest of drawers closest to him. Zuko's closet was opposite his bed, and she had a clear view of him throwing various clothes across the tiny, enclosed space. There were scrolls and papers strewn across the room, from the desk in the far-right corner, to the bed against the wall. His closet doors were ajar, articles of clothing were on the floor, hanging out of drawers and just...everywhere.

Katara looked around at the destruction of what probably was a neatly organized bedroom at one point, and exclaimed, "Spirits, Zuko, I thought Sokka had a messy room but yours is unbelievable."

Zuko shrugged, giving her a smirk. "Hey, it's not like this all of the time."

"Right..." Katara pushed some of Zuko's papers and clothes over to the side of the bed as she called out to him, "Okay, so now that we're here, change your clothes." She thought for a moment, eyeing him. "Your pants are okay, but that shirt needs to go."

"I tried telling you on the way over here, " Zuko said, his voice muffled by the fact that he was digging through a large selection of clothes at the current moment, looking through various chests and drawers for something that Katara would find acceptable. "I don't own anything simpler than what I'm wearing right now."

"You have to, or our plan will never work." Katara said simply, walking over to where he was. She leaned on the doorframe, folding her arms across her chest.

"Our plan? You mean your plan." Zuko snapped at her half-heartedly in frustration.

Katara fingered one of the papers on Zuko's bed. It read, 'Treasury Deficit'. She scanned the page, noting nothing of interest, except for an expensive hairpin belonging to Lady Tiang went missing a few weeks ago, but she just chalked that up to Longshot taking everyone's possessions. Tossing the paper aside, she replied, "Yours…mine…ours… same difference."

Zuko paused the rummaging in a drawer to poke is head around the corner of his closet door. He raised an eyebrow. She smiled prettily at him. Zuko rolled his eyes and resumed searching. "Are all Water Tribe girls as strange as you?"

"I'm one of a kind, Zuko…obviously." She said smiling, entering his small closet.

Zuko raised his head again and looked at her then, slight amusement on his face.

Katara didn't respond, but her smile grew. This was what she loved about when she was with Zuko. She found that he was a lot more open with her than he ordinarily was, and as much as she disliked the Fire Nation and all of its rules and policies, Zuko was a major reason why she wanted to stay. She had to help him, for not only his sake, but to fulfill her promise to Iroh.

Turning her attention away from him, in the corner, she noticed a small-unopened chest. A square wooden chest that had no carvings or markings on it of any kind. She opened the small chest that Zuko had not yet touched. Inside were shirts and pants that looked worn and tattered. Katara picked one up in her hand; it looked expensive, and made of high-quality material. It was a dark red sleeveless tunic that had obvious wear and tear near the seams. If Zuko wore this, he might be mistaken from a merchant's son. Perfect.

"This is perfect, Zuko!" Katara exclaimed, holding it up for him to see like an excited child.

His eyes focused in on the garment. Rising, he walked over to where she was. Taking the shirt, Zuko turned it repeatedly in his hands, examining it. "Katara I can't wear this." He said, looking at her in disbelief. He pointed to a large hole near the lower part of the tunic. Placing 4 fingers through the hole, he illustrated just how big it was. "This is one of my old training shirts. See the hole? Lu Ten hit me with a sword there."

"He stabbed you?" Katara gasped, covering her mouth in shock.

Zuko laughed and shook his head. "Not on purpose. We were training. And the scar faded away eventually."

"Right. Sure." She turned her attention to the short tunic again. "Anyway, Zuko, this is perfect. Normal people wear things like this, especially if they don't have money for a tailor."

"Everyday?" Zuko asked incredulously.

Katara bent down and closed the lid of the open chest. She sat on the top, crossing her legs and looking at Zuko expectantly. "You wouldn't look like you lived on the street or anything, but you do look very…middle class. In any event, it's better than what you have on, now hurry up and put this on."

"Oh, all right," Zuko sighed dramatically, stepping away from her.

Stepping away from her, he pulled off the shirt he wore. Working with Yugoda on hunting raids gone bad, she'd seen many a bare chest, but this? This was Zuko's closet, a small space that lent itself to very intimate situations. She let out a little gasp as her eyes raked over his upper body without realizing it. Where Sokka was skinny, younger than Zuko, and probably hadn't pushed himself so hard in training, Zuko was bulkier. He was lean and lithe, where Hahn had been broad and bulky, but Zuko was no less defined, the smooth expanse of skin hiding a hidden strength.

As he reached up to pull the shirt off his head, his arms flexed, and she could see the cords of muscle of his arms hidden under his shirt. There were a few scars that decorated his frame, their lines faint and barely detectable in the paleness of his skin. It was embarrassing if he caught her like this, but the appearance of Zuko's tight and taut muscles proved too tempting for her to look away.

He was just the like the Zuko in her dream, but he was smaller, lankier, more raw than that older, matured Zuko. The collar of the shirt was tight, Zuko had to wrestle with the cloth to get it off, and her eyes traveled down to the stomach muscles that moved and flexed as he worked the material over his chin.

When Zuko finally wrenched the expensive shirt over his head, he gave out a large sigh of relief, the noise coming from deep within his chest. The sound of his voice combined with the naked skin caused Katara to let out a noise she didn't know she could make.

Katara covered her mouth in surprise. Spirits What's happening to me? Whatever it is, it's all Zuko's fault.

Zuko stared at her curiously, eyebrow raise, lip upturned in a little bit of a smirk, like he knew exactly what she was thinking. She hoped that Zuko hadn't that noise. Or caught her staring. Who was she kidding, he probably did! He's still shirtless and she was still staring!

Zuko let out an awkward cough. "Katara, you're...um...staring at me..."

The sound of his voice broke her stare. "Huh? What?" She asked, tearing her eyes away from his frame. She forced herself to focus but found that she couldn't meet his eyes in the slightest, so she looked a bit lower, where his cheeks were tinged a light pink.

"Um..." Zuko held out his hand, cheeks reddening even more. "My shirt?"

Shirt? Oh!

Katara looked down at the ripped and torn cloth in her hands. She practically shoved it into Zuko's hands. She looked away from him, and hugged her knees to her chest, leaning against the wall. Zuko eyed her strangely for a minute before putting the shirt on his head quickly, covering up the revealed skin.

While he was putting it on, Katara said, "Uh Zuko, do you have money?"

Zuko pulled the shirt over his head and put his arms through the sleeves. "Money? I don't need it, I'm a prince, remember?"

Katara could focus now that there was no unnecessary skin showing. She shook her head as if he was missing the most obvious thing in the world. "No, you're not. At least to for today." She thought for a moment. "Your name will be…Lee. And Lee doesn't just get things by asking for them."

"Katara, you can't be serious." He looked at her incredulously. He walked back into the main room and sat at the foot of his bed. He yanked the golden diadem out of his hair, causing jet-black locks to fall in front of his eyes to his shoulders. "Lee? That's the best name you can come up with

As Zuko brushed the hair away from his face with his hands, Katara put her hands on her hips, "Lee is such a common name, there's a million of them."

"Really now?" Zuko asked skeptically.

She nodded. "There's 3 boys named Lee in my village alone." Getting a sudden idea, she made her way back into the closet and over to the chest filled with all the ripped clothing.

Zuko sighed, seemingly willing to let her do as she pleased. "if you're sure I won't get laughed out of the Fire Nation."

"Of course, I'm." She called out to him. Rummaging in the chest, she found a shredded piece of cloth to use as a topknot for Zuko's hair. "We still need money though. I don't have any Fire Nation money."

"I do, don't worry about it." He said to her from the other room. She heard him get up and open a drawer. He walked back into the closet where she was. When she turned to look at him, he held up a hefty coin purse filled with what must have been hundreds of gold and silver pieces of money. "Is four hundred gold pieces enough? I have more if-,"

She stood and walked over to him, feeling the weight of the bag in her palm. "Zuko this is a fortune! We don't need this much! "

Zuko looked from the bag to her shocked face, very innocently. His eyes were wide, and she got the feeling he really didn't know how much to bring. His response confirmed her suspicions. "But what if we want to buy something?"

She opened the bag and reached in, pulling out a small handful of gold coins. "Trust me Zuko, this is enough." Zuko looked at her curiously, not understanding. She sighed. "Trust me; ordinary people don't carry around this much money anyway. Put the money back."

He raised an eyebrow but did as she asked anyway.

Today will definitely be interesting.

Zuko

They made their way out of the palace gates to the Capital city. It was a miracle that they managed to sneak out at all. The hallways were empty, and Zuko figured that all the servants and guards were busy helping most of the girls pack up their stuff and leave. They were currently walking through the servant's access tunnels, they crisscrossed over underneath the entirety of the Fire Nation palace, ensuring that servants were hardly ever seen above ground until absolutely necessary. He tried to keep his eyes away from Katara's face. She hadn't looked him in the eyes once since that…incident in the closet.

He'd noticed her staring, and as much as it made him uncomfortable to have a pair of eyes roam over him like that, he couldn't help but feel a perverse sense of pride that it was him she was staring at. Compared to Lu Ten, he was sorely lacking in experience with girls, the only exception was Mai, of course. Even with Mai, he found that he was awkward, stumbling, and wanting to please her. But Katara was so different, so unique…the idea that she could find someone as undeserving as him, attractive…

"Zuko?" Katara asked, breaking his thoughts. She was trailing behind him. He looked back at her to find that she used the sleeve of her tunic to cover her nose. "How much farther is it? this place is starting to smell bad."

"I know." He replied, as they passed the servant's entrance to the prison. "These tunnels are carved out of the mountainside. Some of them are more well-maintained than others. Every now and then a guard patrols this area to make sure no one is hiding in here."

"I'm breathing in 60-year-old air?" She exclaimed. "Gross!"

"Shh." Zuko held up a finger to his lips. He pointed upward to a metal grate in the ceiling of the tunnel, through which he could see daylight streaming in through the small holes. dusty grate. Zuko could hear footsteps of patrolling guards above them as their boots clanked on the metal. "Do you want to get caught?" He hissed at her. "These tunnels echo. So, we need to be—,"

"Quiet." Katara said, nodding at him. Zuko gave her a look. "Oh, right…sorry." She whispered sheepishly.

Zuko turned down another tunnel that was larger than the others were. They'd reached the servant's access tunnel for the kitchen. Its size was due in part to the frequent feasts held in the palace, so several servants could walk parallel and not collide with each other.

Walking along the path, Zuko wondered why they were being so secretive at all. His mother knew that they were leaving together, he'd told her yesterday. But why did it feel like they were doing something wrong?

Technically, Longshot was a criminal. He had been stealing items from the Palace to sell for money…which was a crime. However, helping Longshot was a good deed that Katara seemed oddly invested in, though honestly, he'd never pictured himself as someone who helped others with their problems.

Katara helped others, so he was doing this mostly for her. He looked back at her and found that she was studying the walls of the tunnels, feeling the cool stone beneath her fingertips.

"Zuko, how far do these tunnels go?" She asked him.

He shrugged. "I'm not really sure myself, but I used to explore these when I was younger. I've found one connecting nearly every building of the palace, except for the throne room. "

Before long, they came to a metal door at the end of the tunnel. The door led directly into the kitchen. The bolts holding it together were rusted, but with some effort and a lot of grunting on Zuko's part, he got the door open. When it opened slowly, it echoed the screeching sound of metal on metal. Zuko's breath hitched. That noise would alert anyone down here that there were people inside the tunnels. He and Katara held their breath as they waited for the sound of voices, an alarm, or any inkling that someone was alerted to their presence.

When they didn't hear anyone, Zuko pushed the metal door the rest of the way open. He revealed the kitchen, a large room with a very long table in the center. Several wicker baskets were lined across the table with bread and various vegetables inside. A fire was burning in the hearth, and a cast-iron cooking pot was suspended above the flames with water boiling inside. The tables and countertops were wiped clean. In the far-left corner near the fireplace, a wooden door led to the supply room. The supply room had a door inside that would lead them straight to the harbor.

Zuko went first, crouching down and sneaking behind the long end of the table closer to him. Zuko turned to Katara and motioned for her to hurry up. When he reached him, he explained, "Servants will be coming in to prepare breakfast soon…they've got the fire started already." Zuko whispered to her. "We're going to leave through the supply room."

"Won't there be guards, Zuko?" Katara asked him. "Won't we get caught down here?"

He shook his head. He was going to respond when the door opened. Someone walked in, and Zuko held his breath as the steps grew closer. Hopefully this person was mercifully obtuse. Whoever it was came close to the table and put a basket down. Something was whispered, and for a second, Zuko thought they'd been seen, but then the person cleared their throat gruffly, and the footsteps faded away. Once the door closed again, Zuko let out the breath he'd been holding. When they were sure that no one else was coming, they both ran to the supply room door. Zuko quickly turned the knob, and he and Katara raced inside and close the door.

The supply room was dark, the only light coming from a small window above the door at the opposite end of the room. The other two walls of the room had shelves that rose up to the ceiling. Pots, bowls, jugs of wine and water lined them, along with miscellaneous other things. They breathed a sigh of relief once Zuko closed the door behind him.

"I thought we wouldn't get caught?" Katara hissed at him.

"We didn't get caught." Zuko shrugged.

"We were going to!"

"But we didn't."

"That's beside the point." Katara groaned in frustration, giving him a mock glare. "How do you know someone won't come in here and catch us?"

Zuko just chuckled, and said, "We're fine. Katara. Let's go."

Katara walked in front of him, to the other side of the large supply room to the door at the other end. When she tried to turn the knob, she found that it was locked. "So, genius, what do we do now?"

"Will you relax?" Zuko said, reaching in his sleeve. He pulled out a small metal key and held it up to the girl. "This door is never guarded, because it only has three keys. One of which I have here."

Zuko pushed the key into the hole and turned it in the lock. He heard a soft click as the tumblers turned. Pushing it open, he revealed the light blue summer sky, and the ocean that reflected the summer sun's light. The cliff stood high above the harbor, and from the doorway, a dirt path wound its way down the mountain to the main street of the Capital City. From the view on top of the hill, Zuko could see the city coming alive and people beginning their work for the day. He had an excellent view of the morning sunrise, coming over the waters of the harbor. Soft grasses lined the path as Katara and Zuko walked next to each other. Katara walked relatively close to him, their hands almost touching. They followed the path as it wound down the side of the palace, as they left towards the city undetected.

"How did you get the key?" She asked suspiciously. "You didn't steal it, did you?"

"Borrowed it." He told her simply. She didn't look like she believed him. He insisted. "It's true! I borrowed it from Gu Zhi."

"Oh."

They were silent for a while, as they entered the City Gates, a large wall of stone with a stone gate that had been left open. Two guards were posted outside the doors of the palace, and another two at the City Gates. Zuko held his breath as they passed, certain that he would be recognized. Only…he wasn't recognized, and Katara wasn't either…despite her obviously darker skin and blue eyes. He wasn't sure if the guards didn't care, or if it was because they looked like two normal people, the guards hardly gave them a second glance.

When they crossed the gate, they were in the heart of the marketplace. Stalls selling various goods lined the main road to the harbor with various alleyways branching off into residential neighborhoods and tiny stores with apartments over them. Columns attached to the balconies of apartments above them separated each store from the others next to it. Because it was so early, the marketplace was only just coming alive, a few vendors were opening their stalls, getting ready for the day ahead. Of the stalls that were already open, several people were milling about, going from stall to stall talking quietly with the sellers.

Katara yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. "How can these people be awake so early? If this were the South Pole, I'd still be sleeping."

Zuko turned his head to her, chuckling as she yawned for the second time in a row. "The Fire Nation rises with the sun." They passed a young couple with a baby in the woman's arms. They were a poor couple, dressed in rags…but for some reason, they seemed happy. The baby cooed and pulled a lock of his mother's hair. She winced, but her smile didn't lessen.

"Well, considering that it's dark at the South Pole for most of the year…we don't do that." Katara said, eyeing a vendor that sold fresh fruit. Zuko wondered if she was hungry, but knowing Katara, if she were hungry, she would have said something. She cleared her throat. "I mean, I have a hard time waking up in the morning in general. Gu Zhi practically yanks me out of bed."

Zuko laughed as the image of Gu Zhi grabbing Katara by the ankle and pulling her out of bed filled his mind. His stern nanny was very punctual, and if someone wasn't on time, or didn't wake up early enough, she would get very upset, very quickly.

"The hospital's this way." Zuko wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pointing down a small alleyway to her right. She flinched almost imperceptibly at his touch before relaxing.

They continued down the street, the dirt path changed to paved stone as they came closer to the harbor and hospital. The closer they got, the more the neighborhood deteriorated, the more Zuko could see that not all of his people lived in material splendor. The cobblestones that filled the path were dingy with filth and dirt. A woman was breastfeeding her baby in the shadow of an alleyway. Several leery men stared at the two of them as they passed by several shady looking shops. The two men held knives in their hands, and Zuko read the sign over the building they stood by, Flaming Desire. He stiffened; the name was familiar to him.

Through the large window, Zuko could see brightly dressed women sitting on Fire Nation Officer's laps, kissing, giggling, and serving fire-whiskey all around. His attention was drawn to the enforcers standing outside the door, when they gripped their swords tighter, and he realized that they were not staring at him…but at Katara. He moved closer to her, glaring at the men who ogled at the pretty girl next to him.

"Are you all right, Zuko?" Katara whispered to him. She walked in front of him, seemingly undisturbed by the part of the market they had wandered into on their way to the hospital.

He eyed the building warily. He gestured to the Flaming Desire. "That building over there, the Flaming Desire? That's the brothel my father found Tiang in."

"Really?" Katara turned to him. Now she too looked at the building more closely, and she saw the enforcers, eyes roaming shamelessly over Katara. She looked back at Zuko, her eyes full of mild concern. "Zuko?"

"I know." He said, he wished he brought his swords with him, but he didn't think that he would need them.

"We need to hurry…" She whispered.

He placed an arm on the small of Katara's back subconsciously to hurry her along. If Katara minded, she didn't show it. They hurried along the path, and Zuko soon her could hear the sound of the waves and bells clanging of the harbor a few streets down. Zuko could see out of the corner of his eye, the two men from the Flaming Desire move behind them at a distance. His mind raced. if it came to a fight, what could he do? He didn't have his swords, he couldn't firebend. He'd seen her enough times to know that she could handle herself against one opponent, but four? That was a risk he'd rather not take. They walked quickly through the streets, trying to avoid passerby. People were begging for coins. A woman held her baby in her arms, begging for even one copper coin so her child could eat. The sight of so many destitute people was almost too much for him.

And then, almost like a beacon of dismal hope…he saw the hospital in front of them, off on a side street, though the hospital was more dismal than hopeful. The run-down building was unlike anything he'd ever seen, the shingles were falling off the roof, the bricks were cracked and brittle, waterlogged wooden boards were half covering the windows. The area surrounding the building was definitely a health issue; everything was covered with a thin film of filth, nothing even remotely sanitary. If the outside looked this disgusting, he couldn't imagine the inside. A line formed around the building, as sick people collapsed against the molding walls. They looked exhausted, pale, and pasty.

The sight shocked him. He'd never seen the kind of desperation that this hospital presented him with. He'd ignored the cries of pain and groans that he'd heard when they passed the hospital when they'd left the Fire Nation, and when they returned from traveling the world. He, his father, and Lu Ten rode in a carriage with dark curtains drawn. They refused to look out of the window, and in following their example, Zuko pretended as if these people didn't exist.

The thought shamed him.

Is this how we take care of our own people?

They walked up the front steps of the hospital, past the people—men, and women alike, all in various stages of disease, some retching, other's simply looking like they couldn't stand, when a man with black spots over his face and arms grabbed Zuko's leg. "Don't go in there…" the man said, his voice hollow, hauntingly eerie and foreboding. "You'll die too if you go in there."

His gaunt face seemed stretched over his bones, and his thin fingers were almost too easy to pry from his boot. Hoping to get away from the seriously ill man as quickly as possible, Zuko pushed Katara along faster.

A man in a Healer's uniform rushed past them. Almost immediately, the diseased and dying man let go of Zuko and tried to grab the healer's clothing to stop him. The Healer shocked Zuko when instead of helping the man, he kicked him away with his boot. The Healer scoffed as the elder man let go and rolled down the steps onto the dirt and cobblestone street. Scrambling, the sick man looked up and tried to stand, but didn't have the strength to do so. His bloodshot eyes and raspy voice crying out for help echoed in Zuko's ears, and they would echo in his ears for the rest of his life.

How could this happen?

"Please, Sir!" the diseased man begged. "I'll get the money, I promise, please just let me inside!"

The Healer, if you could even call him that, looked down on the poor man like he was nothing. He spat at him, motioning to the wall where the other sick people lay, also not having the energy to stand. "Go join the rest of the filth over there."

Tears were streaming down the dying man's face. His bloodshot eyes were full of desperation. "I-I have two children—they need me! Please don't let me die like this…" He sobbed, his head falling to the pavement. By the end of his sentence, the man's voice grew weaker and weaker until it was just a faint call for help.

The Healer's eyes were hard and cold. His voice steely, "When you have money, then you can come inside." With one last sparing look at the man lying defenseless on the ground, the Healer went inside.

"How can they just ignore that? It's inhumane!" Katara exclaimed, shell-shocked.

"It's what the upper-class does, Katara." He bit out, furious at the way Zhao ran his hospital.

Unacceptable.

His mind was racing, his emotions on high as he glared at the place where the Healer had last been. How dare a Healer, someone sworn to make the lives of others better, ignore a cry for help. He moved forward towards the door to Shibai hospital, intent on saying something to that healer, to use his power as Prince of the Fire Nation to order that the man be given some help. He turned to Katara, wondering if she would have his back when he went in there, but she was just as shocked as he was. He reached for the door.

"Zuko no!" Katara said, grabbing his arm. He turned around to face her, giving her a prying look. She dropped his arm. There was anger in her eyes, but also concern. Concern for him. "You go in there, raving about how you're the Prince and you'll completely blow our cover."

"Why do we need to be so secretive, anyway?" Zuko asked her.

"Because, people will start asking questions about what we're doing together, and you don't want that, do you?"

"No, that's what you want. You don't want to be seen in public with me." He glared at her. "You're just like Mai!"

"Don't compare me to Mai, Zuko." She said, her voice was unexpectedly harsh. She poked him in his chest. While it didn't hurt, he felt the sharpness from her nail. Her stormy eyes were fierce as she glared at him, they chilled him to his bones. "I could go home right now if I wanted to. Nearly every girl is leaving except for me."

What? He didn't know that. "Katara I—,"

"But do you know why I'm staying?" She continued determinedly, and there was an indescribable emotion in her eyes that almost made Zuko nervous. "Because of you. I made a promise, and if there's one thing about me that you should know, it's that I don't break my promises."

She glared at him spitefully, her eyes icy. But even though she mentioned his name first, he couldn't help the sinking feeling that she wasn't staying for his sake. She was staying for Longshot's. The thought that she could leave any time that she wanted to, bothered him more than he wanted to let on.

He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I just…I don't understand how Zhao says that the hospital is profitable, yet there are dying people in the street."

"He only takes those that are healthy enough to be cured, boosting the represent." She said somberly. She looked at the man who laid curled up into a fetal position, crying softly into the pavement. "Maybe I can help him." She started down the steps, uncapping the waterskin at her side.

"Katara." He said softly. She turned around to face him, from the step below him, her eyes surprisingly tender. Zuko shook his head and she closed the waterskin. "I know how you feel. I feel the exact same way. But if you waterbend, our cover is definitely blown."

"Why?" Katara moved to the same step as Zuko, looking at him in the eyes. He could see the frustration behind them, her anger at being denied the cause to help.

He placed his hands on her shoulders; she looked down at her feet as he explained his reasoning. "Suppose that he talks? Suppose he tells someone that he was healed by a waterbender? The only waterbender in the Fire Nation is you. Then people would ask, 'What was a princess doing with a commoner' and that wouldn't be good."

Katara looked from the man lying in the street, back to Zuko, and sighed. "I guess…you're right."

He smiled, but it didn't touch his eyes. "I wish I was wrong, Katara. Believe me." He walked up to the mahogany door, swollen on its hinges from the humidity and placed his hand on the knob. "Come on, let's go."

He led Katara inside, and if the outside of the walls looked disturbing, then the inside was the complete opposite. Katara walked in front of him down a long hallway with a door at the end. The plush carpeting at their feet muffled their footsteps. Several large vases, all with beautiful plants lined the hallway, and a few large portraits hung overhead. The portraits were all of Zhao, and he had a very commandeering and authoritative expression on his face. In the picture closest to him, Zhao was posing by a window, leaning on a stone column with a messenger hawk perched on his finger. A confident smirk graced his otherwise unremarkable features, and the furrowing of the bushy brows struck Zuko more as him having stomach pains than actually trying to be intimidating. Zuko thought he looked ridiculous.

"Zuko…I don't like the look of this place. It's creepy." Katara said to hm. She walked behind him, and he couldn't tell if it was subconscious or not, but she looped his arm around hers, pulling herself closer to him.

"Of course, it's creepy." Zuko said. "It's Zhao."

She nodded, but didn't say anything, her eyes were distant and far away. Zuko believed that her thoughts were still lingering on the man from outside. And he had to admit, his own thoughts lingered on the man's plight as well. He resolved to have a talk with his uncle about Shibai hospital.

They reached the door, and Katara placed her hand on the doorknob, and pushed it open, giving way to a large room with windows all around letting in beautiful natural light and a large desk in the middle of it. Several plush couches lined the walls of the room. Four corridors branched off from the sides and corners of the room, and the red walls and wooden floor were somewhat beautiful. A woman with dark black hair and small eyes sat behind the desk. Behind her there was a large cabinet with scrolls sticking out of it, and written names on slips hanging from those scrolls. The woman had a nail polish on that smelled of elderberries and permeated the entire room. She looked down, painting her fingernails. The sign hanging over her desk read: RECEPTION. A smaller sign on the desk itself read, Receptionist: Miyuki

Zuko approached the woman, almost unsure of what to say. "Hello?"

Miyuki looked up, focusing her beady eyes in on the two teenagers. Katara gripped his arm tighter. Her voice was high-pitched, common. She looked like she was a few years older than Lu Ten. "Uh…yeah? What'dya want?" She put down the bottle of polish. "Kids the school is that way." She pointed to the door that they had just entered.

"Uh…" Zuko and Katara shared a look. Zuko cleared his throat. "We're here to see a patient?"

"Really?" Miyuki looked surprised. She stood, walking over to the cabinet. "We don't get very many visitors, here. Who're you lookin' for?"

"His name is Jet." Katara said, speaking for the first time. The woman nodded and pulled out a scroll from the cabinet before pausing.

"Jet?" The receptionist asked, confused. Then realization dawned on her features. "Oh. Him. He's in room 239, right down that way and up the stairs." She turned and pointed down the hallway directly behind her. "I can't blame you fer wan'tin to see 'im. Prob'ly not gonna last much longer, that one."

"What? Why?" Katara gasped, as Miyuki pulled out a form from the drawer under the desk. She dipped the brush into the inkwell that sat next to the paper. Zuko and Katara shared a look. She apparently didn't hear Katara.

"Names?" Miyuki asked expectantly, holding the inkbrush out over the form while it steadily dripped ink onto the paper.

"Uh…"Zuko stammered, he looked at Katara, and she motioned for him to go ahead. "My name is Lee…"

"And I'm…" Katara stammered. It appeared that she hadn't thought of a name for herself. "Sapphire. Sapphire Fire."

"Lee and Sapphire Fire?" Miyuki raised an eyebrow. "What, you two are married or somethin'?

"Um…" There was no way that they looked like siblings, so Zuko wrapped an arm around Katara's waist. She jumped a little bit and looked up at him. "Yes! We're married…we're crazy kids in love and all that."

"We're friends of Jet's." Katara added in for good measure, eyeing Zuko nervously.

Spirits, she's beautiful.

"Alright," The receptionist said quietly, blowing on the form to help the ink dry. When she was confident that it had dried, she placed it in the basket to her side. Turning back to them, she held out her hand. "Now all I need is your Visitor's payment."

"Visitor's payment?" Zuko asked. "What are you talking about?"

"C'mon, your visitor payment." She said, urging him on. But seeing that their faces were still blank, "Director Zhao's policy?"

"We have no idea what you're talking about." Katara insisted.

Miyuki stared at them with an expression of disbelief. "You can't be serious. How could you not know about this? Director Zhao's had it in place for nearly three years now!" But they didn't respond, so she sighed and started explaining. "Anybody that wants to see someone in Shibai hospital has to pay the Hospital Visitors payment. Prob'ly why we don't get many visitors!" She laughed like she thought this was hilarious.

Zuko didn't see anything funny in the slightest.

"That's outrageous, who authorized this hospital to do that kind of thing?" The faults that Zuko kept finding in Shibai hospital grew more and more with each second, he spent inside of this place.

Miyuki shrugged. "The palace, I guess." Zuko wanted to tell her that no, the palace had no idea that this kind of thing was going on. No wonder Zhao was turning up a profit, and this hospital didn't get any visitors. No one came to see the awful state inside. Miyuki stared at them hard, her eyes seeming buggier with each minute that she looked at them. "Still can't believe you guys didn't know about it."

"How much is the payment?" Katara asked.

"30 gold coins. Or 300 silver. Whichever one's you guys have."

"30 gold coins?!" Both Katara and Zuko said together.

We didn't bring that much money with us. What are we going to do?

Miyuki nodded. "Look, if you guys didn't bring enough money, then you can't see your friend. Sorry." She didn't sound apologetic at all. She moved the basked with their form in it as far away from her as possible. She lifted her feet, placed them on the desk, leaned forward, starting to paint her toenails.

Katara looked at Zuko, unsure of what to do. They backed up and turned around, moving away from Miyuki, so that she couldn't hear. "I told you we would need more money." Zuko pointed out. She scowled, but he could feel that she wasn't really upset with him, just the situation that they were in.

"What do you want to do?" Katara asked, her voice searching for a solution.

"We could go back to the palace," Zuko offered. "Go to my room and get more money?"

"Didn't you hear her? There isn't enough time." Katara said. "She said Jet won't last very long."

"So, then what?" Zuko asked, feeling oddly sarcastic. "You want to sneak up on her when she isn't looking and knock her out?

"Very funny Zuko." Katara frowned at him. "We just have to—."

"Well who do we have here?" A deep voice said from behind them. Katara and Zuko turned to see Zhao, leaning relaxed on the receptionist desk, Miyuki behind him, her eyes downcast, and the nail paint bottle spilled on the floor next to his feet, dousing the floor with the pink dye. Zhao's eyes narrowed with excitement and a smirk formed on his face. "If it isn't my old friends…"

"You know Sapphire and Lee, Director Zhao?" Miyuki asked, raising her head for a moment. Zhao glared at her, hissing at her to shut up, and her eyes immediately went down again.

"Lee?" Zhao said, snickering. He looked from Zuko to Katara, laughing quietly to himself. "And Sapphire?"

"That's right." Katara said in all seriousness, "Lee and I are here to visit our friend, Jet."

"Ah, Jet…" Zhao said smoothly, stepping closer to them. He weaved around the spilt polish expertly. "You two have come at an excellent time. Dare I say that Jet's condition might not be getting better?"

Miyuki cleared her throat. "I um…they didn't pay their Visitor's payment, Director Zhao." She stammered nervously, staring at the two of them. "So I didn't let them inside…"

If she was expecting a positive response to what she said, she didn't get it. Zhao turned around and spat at the young woman. Did I ask for you to speak?" Miyuki whimpered and sputtered, shaking her head. "No. I don't think so. The next time I want your input, I'll tell you what to say. Understand?"

Miyuki nodded as her face turned pale, and Zuko wondered if he would have to reveal himself.

"Now…" Zhao said, turning back to them. His voice was sinisterly amused. Zuko fought the urge to scowl. "What to do about the both of you? I can hardly let the two of you in to see your friend, you haven't made the payment…but dear, sweet, Miyuki already filled out the forms. Maybe I should have you arrested?"

"Zhao…" Zuko grit his teeth and stepped forward. He felt Katara's grip on his arm tighten.

"Lee…" Zhao spat the name like a curse. "Wouldn't want to draw attention to yourself, now would you?" Zuko just glared at him wordlessly. "But…" Zhao continued, as though the exchange never happened, "Considering that I'm such a wonderful and forgiving person…I will allow you to visit your…friend…Jet."

"Uh…" Katara said, nervously. "Thank you."

"Yeah. Thanks." Zuko forced out.

They moved toward the hallway, which Miyuki had pointed out to them before, Katara leaning into Zuko heavily, their arms still entwined. Zhao turned around and leaned over the reception table. As Zuko passed, he could see Miyuki, still on the floor, tears running down her face. She sobbed quietly, while Zhao's expression was as calm as a spring day.

"Miyuki dear…" His tone was sweet, and he spoke lowly, perhaps thinking that he and Katara were out of earshot. He'd never heard Zhao speak to anyone this way. "Cancel all of my other meetings. Don't let anyone on the second floor. I have a very important guest coming by the hospital soon. When they ask for me, let them through immediately."

"Y-Yes sir…" Miyuki looked up, transfixed by Zhao's stare. She stood, and immediately blushed. Zhao's face had come very close to her own.

What the heck? Zuko thought to himself. Katara's face mirrored his.

"Excellent, my dear." Zhao placed a finder under Miyuki's chin and pulled her in for a chaste kiss. Zuko's face twisted and he felt like gagging. Bug-eyed Miyuki was going gaga over Zhao. Zuko and Katara turned around, wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible. They started to walk away from Zhao at a more rapid pace.

"Oh, did I forget to mention that it's one visitor at a time?"

They turned around, separating. Zuko asked, "What?"

"Oh yes…" Zhao flipped a paper up on Miyuki's desk, holding it up. The words read: ONE VISITOR AT A TIME. "So, you'll have to pick just one of you to go and see your friend."

That wasn't part of the plan. Zuko turned to Katara wondering what she wanted to do. They faced each other, and as much as Zuko didn't want her to go alone, he knew that she had to if she was to keep her promise. He placed his hands on her upper arms, bringing her close, trying to read her big, beautiful, blue eyes. He leaned closer, lips almost touching her ear so that Zhao couldn't hear. "Katara, you have to go and see Jet. It's the only way to heal him and keep our promise to Longshot."

"I know." She said solemnly, looking down for a moment before looking up again. She eyed Zhao warily, now sneering at them. She shook her head, looking at him with worry-filled eyes. "I don't want to leave you alone with him. He'll only goad you."

He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, gaining a bit of satisfaction from her surprised face. "Don't worry. I'll be fine." He looked at Zhao. The older man's smarmy grin was enough to make an Air Nomad punch him. "Trust me."

Katara nodded and left him then, her cheeks stained with a pretty blush. She turned back once with worried eyes, before continuing down the path that Miyuki showed her.

Zuko stared at her retreating form until he could see her no more.

Katara

When she got to the second floor, Katara immediately noticed an obvious change. The first, was how busy the hospital suddenly became. There were Healers of all different ranks moving throughout the corridors, going in and out of rooms. Some carried trays; others carried bottles of elixirs and potions or grinding up herbs on various table.

Each door that she passed was painted white and had a number on it, starting from 200. Underneath the number was a piece of paper stuck inside of it with a pin, listing the occupant's name and rank in the Fire Nation. The first name she passed, in room 200 belonged to General Yuxin of Canwa Bay. She didn't know who General YuXin was but could guess that he wasn't exactly a pauper. In fact, all the names she passed had some kind of title.

Finding Jet should be easy.

She walked down the hallway, grateful that no one stopped her. Along the way, she passed the supply room that a Healer had just come out of. A little further down there was a mahogany wooden door with the words OFFICE embossed in gold letters. She assumed that to be Zhao's office. When she got to room 239, she wondered if she should knock or open the door. She stood in front of the door with the numbers on it, and under those numbers was a simple "Jet". No name, title. Before she was able to make a choice, the door opened, and a kind old face stared back at her.

"Oh!" Katara said, stepping backwards. "Excuse me."

"Quite alright dear," The woman said, her gray hair contrasting with her golden eyes. "…Are you here to visit Jet?" The old woman closed the door behind her.

She nodded. "Y-Yes…I'm…"

She looked at the name on the door, the simple "Jet" before turning back to Katara. There was a black dot to the right of his name.

"What's the point of the dot?" She asked.

The Healer sighed. "We put a black dot with paint whenever we don't know someone's origin." She touched the name. "16 years old...the same age as my grandson. Poor boy, such a shame what's going to happen to him. Horrible way to die."

"If you don't mind me asking, what's going to happen to him?" Katara asked her, and the old woman's face turned dismal. The wrinkles lining the corners of her mouth seemed deeper than they probably would have.

She sighed, looking at Katara with pitiful eyes. "Well…he stopped paying his bill…so Director Zhao is stopping all treatment for him. I suspect it won't be pretty when it ends."

"What happened to him?" Katara asked. "How did he end up here?"

The old Healer shrugged. "I don't know…you'll have to ask him."

Katara nodded. The old Healer stepped aside and let her open the door. The walls were painted white, and a white birch wood flooring covered the entire hospital room. A small tray was on a table near the door, holding the remnants of what must have been lunch. The tray held an empty bowl, with left over bits of rice and the crust of a slice of bread lingering on the plate beside it.

A large window was in the center of the rear wall. The white shutters were closed, with sunlight just barely coming in through the cracks. Pushed against the wall all the way to the left was a bed with white sheets and covers and a very injured boy in them. He was making loud groaning sounds and writhing in his bed, trying to be comfortable.

She walked over to him, wondering where he was hurt. His dark brown hair matted against his forehead, beads of sweat running across his tan skin and he was groaning in pain, clutching his side with his right hand. When Katara shut the door behind her with a soft 'click', he stopped wiggling and eyed her skeptically.

"Do you healers get a kick out of watching me die?" He bit out in a rough voice. He gasped and clutched his side again.

"What are you talking about?" Katara stopped walking towards him.

"Like you don't...argh...already know." Jet glared at her, groaning in pain. When she didn't respond, he sighed, giving her a steely look. "You're the fourth fucking Healer to come in here and tell me that I'm gonna die in a few days. Am I just some joke?"

"You won't die if I can help it." She took a step closer. "Where does it hurt?" Katara asked him.

To her surprise, instead of answering her, Jet rolled his eyes and glared at her, gesturing to his stomach, where bandages covered the wound. "Well shit, I don't know, where do you think?"

"There's no need to be rude." Katara narrowed her eyes at him, hands on her hips. "I'm trying to help you out. If you want to sit there and be in pain, fine by me." Truthfully, it wasn't fine with her, not in the slightest, and even if Jet didn't want her help, she would find some way to do it anyway.

He stared at her inquisitively, analyzing her, and perhaps her intentions. He sighed, and then groaned in pain. "Nnhh...Alright, alright… I'm sorry."

"Better." Katara mused with a smile, uncapping her waterskin. "Now what happened to you? Where do you hurt?"

Jet shifted, turning to face her, grunting loudly and hissing in pain as he settled on his side. He pointed to the dirty gauze, and the wound under it that was probably infected and festering. "Right there. Stab wound, but shouldn't you know this already? Or don't you healers talk to each other?"

Katara ignored his last question but nodded confidently. This would be no problem. Stab wounds and other wounds of a similar nature, like a burn, were easy enough to heal because they were on the surface of the skin. Things like poisons were more difficult because she was essentially healing blind—she couldn't see where the poison was; only get a general feeling or idea of where the poison infected the body. She smiled at him, trying to ease his nerves. "You'll be fine. Trust me."

Jet raised a disbelieving brow. "How can you be sure? The Healer that was just in here said that I'm only going to live a few more days." He hissed in pain again, crying out as talking hurt him further. "Besides, you don't look like any Healer that I've ever seen."

"Well I'm not your typical Healer." She gave him a no-nonsense look. "Now move your hand out of the way."

At first it looked like Jet was going to struggle a bit, but eventually, he sighed and took his hand off his side. He revealed a larger bandage than she'd originally thought, stretching across his right oblique from his hip all of the way to his ribs. His right hand had been lying on very filthy bandages stained with dried blood. She touched at a corner of the bandage. Jet's face twisted in an anticipation of pain, and just for a moment, fear flashed across his face. Katara attempted to placate him. "I won't lie to you, this is going to hurt."

He scoffed. "No shit." He bit out. "Just do it already."

Katara raised an eyebrow at his attitude but pulled the bandages off, piece by piece. They fell away, revealing inflamed swollen skin and an angry red gash oozing blood. The whole area was a swollen red, from his navel to the small of his back. The gash was narrow, and looked to be rather shallow, but the continuous flow of blood was puzzling. Why hadn't it scabbed over?

Katara touched a bit of Jet's skin near his navel, away from the initial cut. "Does this hurt?"

Jet let out a howl, crunching his stomach. He glowered at her. "What the fuck was that for?"

Katara ignored him. "So…you're infected then. This is going to be more difficult than I expected."

She pulled water from the waterskin at her side, enveloping in both hands.

"You're a healer?" Jet looked nervous, watching her hands warily. "W-What are you going to do?"

"Don't be such a baby." She rolled her eyes. "Just trust me, okay?"

Thankfully he remained silent.

She breathed deeply, leaning over Jet's body, and lowered the cool water onto the angry wound. He hissed as it contacted his skin, cooling the heated wound. She exhaled, concentrating on her breath, and the water turned blue. Jet stared at her in wonder, his eyes going back and forth between her face and the water on his side.

"That feels really weird." Jet sighed, the pain in his face gradually replaced by calm and ease.

Katara chuckled, happy he was feeling better. "What did you expect it to feel like?"

"I don't know…I thought it would be cooler. You hear legends about Water Tribe healers…" Jet thought for a moment, trying to come up with an answer. When he couldn't come up with one, he laughed, and Katara laughed again with him. They were silent for a moment before Jet said to her with a smile on his face, "Distract me. Keep my mind off the tingling."

Well…um…" Katara thought for a moment. "Why don't you tell me how you ended up here?"

Jet sighed uncomfortably, looking up at her with dark brown eyes. He didn't want to tell this story, and she felt guilty for asking him to. "I really don't like to talk about it."

"You can trust me," Katara offered. "I'm not going to tell the world, I promise."

"Fine… but only because I feel like I can trust you." he said before letting out a large breath and then he began. "I lived in a small fishing village, just outside of Omashu. Because we were a small village, they had us kids do all kinds of stuff for people. Longshot…Smellerbee…Pipsqueak, they were all in on it too. We'd rather be playing and stuff, but we were orphans, so all the adults made that impossible. Called ourselves the Freedom Fighters. I was the oldest, the rest were all kids, so I was in charge of checking the reservoir that surrounded our village for cracks and stuff, 'specially after a rainstorm so we could evacuate everyone." He paused.

"Right." Katara said, shifting her hands to a different spot. "So, what happened?"

Jet closed his eyes. "It's complicated… I couldn't work my shift… I asked Pipsqueak to cover for me." He said his eyes were focused on the ceiling, trying to gather his thoughts. He was being purposefully evasive, but she didn't say anything. "He was just a kid…I should have asked Longshot, but Pipsqueak was the only one I could find."

"Did Pipsqueak forget?" Katara asked. She lifted her hands up away from his skin, and looking around the room, deposited the infected and dirty water in a bucket near the bed. Pulling more water from the skin at her side, she began the healing process again, encouraging him to continue.

Jet hissed again as the clean water made its way into his system, but the grimace wasn't as severe this time. "Nnh…no he didn't…I just um…he…he's a kid you know?" He looked at her as if asking for agreement. She nodded in understanding. "He fell asleep after working the double shift. I couldn't blame him…he was tired…" His face turned grim. "But I should have done it. I should have fucking stayed with him…because that night…the reservoir broke. Whole fucking town was wiped out. Most of the adults, nearly all of the kids…everyone…Pipsqueak too. I was only 13. My sister was 7. And Pipsqueak was only 10."

"Oh no…" Katara gasped. She didn't want to think of all those people…the town decimated… "It wasn't your fault, Jet."

Jet gave her a bitter smile, his eyes flashing cruelly at her. "It was my fault. They blamed because I was alive. Out of 300 people, only a handful of us lived. S'pose I can't blame 'em, for arrestin' me. I would've locked me up too." He sighed, eyes roaming.

"In the end I was sent to Lake fucking Laogai. As if that place was anything more than a fucking hole in the ground." A single tear leaked from his eye before he wiped it angrily away. His voice cracked, betraying the stone-like persona that he tried to keep up. He finished the last part in a rush. "I escaped. Ran away. Stole some weapons from the armory. Met up with Longshot and my sister and left the Earth Kingdom. Traveling anywhere we could find work and a warm bed."

"Then how do you explain the wound?" Katara asked him. "You don't have to tell me—I just—,"

He sighed. "Sometimes…I just…we didn't always have the best jobs, you know?" He said to her, and she nodded. "Sometimes…we would get into…arguments…with our employers over little things…"

"Little things like?"

He smiled a bit and pointed to the wound that Katara had almost healed. "I got this when I tried to 'borrow' some food on the ship we took to get to the Fire Nation."

"M-hm," She raised an eyebrow. "Borrow?"

"Borrow…steal…same difference." Jet smiled at her, winking. "The captain had a guard, a guy named Shin and he gave me this."

Katara blushed, Jet was cute and charismatic, she'd give him that. She looked down at his wound, which was almost done healing "I um…I think you're done…for now."

He looked down in surprise at his stomach. "That's it? Really?"

he nodded. "Yes. For now." She deposited the last of her water in the bowl by the door. Her waterskin was empty; Making a mental not to refill it later, she turned to Jet. "It's enough to get you up and moving anyway. You'll feel tired for a few days, so try not to move around so much."

He grinned at her. "That's incredible."

She turned away, hiding a smile. "I'd um…like to wrap that wound in gauze before I go. It'll prevent it from getting infected again."

She left without a word, hiding her blush. Outside of the door, she found the same old healer, stocking a medical cart with various supplies. When Katara opened the door, the Healer from before looked up and smiled at her.

"Anything you need dear?" She asked.

"Would it be possible to have some gauze?" Katara asked her. "Some clean gauze?"

The old woman nodded and handed her a stack of the folded cloth. "Just remember to put it back in the supply closet when you're done."

Katara nodded that she would, and the old woman smiled at her before returning to her work. Katara reentered Jet's room where he was now standing, looking much more comfortable. Katara put the gauze on the bed before taking a section and ripping it. Jet stared at her with interest.

"Now," She said. "I don't want you to move around too much…you still have a wound, it's not sealed, and I don't want it to open up further."

"Yes ma'am." Jet smirked at her and Katara blushed again. He stared at her questioningly. She picked up a section of the gauze and motioned Jet to lift his shirt. She tried not to look at the toned muscles, but she couldn't help it. Now that she wasn't in a medical mindset, her teenage brain started acting up again. Jet cleared his throat. "There's something that I don't understand though. They were giving me stuff to help with the infection…and the pain…but suddenly, they just stopped. Why?"

She avoided looking at his face. "That's kind of my fault. I had Longshot stop making payments…" She started to wrap the gauze around his waist.

"You know Longshot? How?" Jet asked her, surprise on his face.

She nodded. "Longshot and Smellerbee got jobs working in the Palace." She left out how exactly she knew that. "I…saw them there…and Longshot told me what happened."

Jet nodded, understanding. "All of that green goo they use here is expensive…and those jobs don't pay much. How'd he make up the extra?"

"He stole." Katara looked down. "He took jewelry, clothes, anything else he could carry and sold them to the Hospital."

"He did that…for me?" Jet's mouth formed an 'o' as he took in what Katara was telling him.

Katara swallowed, her throat was becoming very tight. "Look Jet, I don't know you very well, but I'll just say this. Longshot risked his life for you. Stealing from the palace is an offense punishable by death."

"How do you know that?"

"Doesn't everyone?" She finished wrapping the gauze around his waist. After she tied the end of the gauze in a knot, Jet sat down on the bed.

"What do I do now?" Jet asked her.

Katara sighed. "Here's what I'm thinking." She paused, trying to organize the plan in her head. Jet waited for her to continue. "You're mostly healed now, they have no reason to keep you here. Rest for the night, and when you get out…come find me. I'll help you get in touch with Longshot and Smellerbee."

"You would do that for me?" Jet looked at her with kind eyes. Despite herself, Katara could feel her heart race. "You barely even know me."

"You need my help." She said simply, shrugging. "I don't turn my back on someone who needs me."

Jet didn't say anything, merely stared at her in wonderment. Feeling a little bit self-conscious, and more than a little bit insecure, Katara blushed and tried to leave the room. "Now, don't strain yourself. Leave here after a few days and come to the Palace through the harbor servants' entrance. Ask for Katara."

"Katara. Got it." He nodded. They shared a look one more time before she started to leave the room, her cheeks stained pink.

"Goodbye Jet." She said, her hand on the door handle.

"Oh, Katara wait!" He called after her. She turned around, and he held up the gauze. "Don't forget about this."

"Thanks, Jet." Katara walked over to him to get the stack of gauze. As she was turning to leave, he grabbed her arm.

"No, thank you Katara." His eyes were dark, and she couldn't tell what he was thinking. A pulse shot up her arm from her wrist and she looked down, wondering if Jet could feel it. "I owe you my life."

Breaking the long awkward state between them, Katara made her way to the supply room. She remembered seeing it before but didn't really remember where it was. There was no one in the halls now; Katara suspected that the healers were all on break or something like that. The only door that was open was the one marked OFFICE. Zhao's office.

She was certain that the Supply Room was nearest the stairs where she came up to the second floor, but that would mean walking past Zhao's office. She crept along the wall once she got closer, because the door was open and there was light pouring from a window inside into the hall. She was about to run past the door but stopped because she heard a familiar voice. One of them was Zhao's voice, obviously…and the other…the other belonged to a woman. She had a high-pitched voice that reminded Katara of the sound that leaves make in the fall when you step on them. It was strangely familiar…it sounded like…Tiang! Katara gasped, covering her mouth in shock. The voices stopped and then resumed conversing with each other and Katara had to strain to hear what they were saying.

"Do you ever think that they'll put the pieces together?" Tiang was saying.

"Of course not, my love." Zhao said, his deep voice chuckling. "We've thought of every detail."

"I'm just pleased it worked so well."

"We've been testing this poison for the better part of the three years, darling. If it didn't work…" He trailed off, not finishing.

They're talking about me! "First on Kyoshi…now here." Tiang spat. "Then Lu Ten and Zuko…after that, Ozai would be on the throne."

"But then we would have gotten rid of Ozai, right?" Zhao asked her, sounding unsure. "T-Then you and I would have been together? So that we could rule the Fire Nation together, right?"

"O-Of course, my love!" Tiang said, stammering slightly. "Everything I do is for us."

If Zhao noticed Tiang's hiccup, then he didn't say anything about it. "But there is the matter of that Water Tribe girl. She'll have to die, I suppose."

"Exactly. Her parents have an heir, her brother. She will hardly be missed."

Katara gasped audibly. Her heart was racing. How could the two of them discuss getting rid of her so easily? She heard Zhao's chair push away from a desk. "What was that?"

"Look at you, jumping at every noise." Tiang remarked casually. "I don't know why you insist on leaving the door open. It's probably one of the Healers. Come back, darling."

"The better to hear when someone's snooping." Zhao answered her, his voice getting closer to the doorway. "I told all of the Healers to stay away from this area as soon as you arrived. Someone's outside."

Swallowing, Katara burst past the open door, running down the hallway. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, and she was breathing heavily. She went inside the first open door that she found which just happened to be the Supply Room. When she shut the door behind her, she felt relieved. The Supply Room was a large closet that had towels, gauze, blankets, sheets and even scrolls with a kind of medical writing on it. She would stay in here until Tiang left and it was safe to come out. Still clutching the gauze pads in her hand, she used one to wipe the sweat that had formed on her brow.

Tiang and Zhao were behind everything. They were behind the poisoning on Kyoshi, the servant's death, Jin getting locked up…everything. And she had put a stop to it all. Now they were coming after her. She had to get back to the palace, back to Zuko. She had to tell someone before she wound up dead. Fingering the gauze, she wanted to place it back on the shelf, but she had to tiptoe to do it. The shelf with the rest of the gauze on it was high above her head. She reached up to put the gauze away.

She didn't hear Zhao come in.

She felt hands wrap around her waist, and she screamed, but Zhao covered her mouth. He shoved her against the shelf she was facing, and she hit her head, falling to the ground. He pulled her up and smacked her, sending Katara's head reeling. She fell backwards, ending up against the wall. Her breath was heavy, and she stared into the cold and dark yellow eyes of her attacker.

Zhao spat, leaning over her. "How much did you hear?"

Katara didn't answer. Her head was fuzzy, Zhao's voice echoed in the small space. He shook her, tears came to her eyes as her head smacked against the wall, but she didn't want to give Zhao the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

"You heard everything, you little liar!" Zhao shouted, pulling her up again, only to smack her back down. She would have a bruise on her right cheek tomorrow, for sure.

She scratched his face with her nails, leaving red streaks and he groaned in pain, releasing her and holding his cheek, blood escaping past his clenched fingers. Her first thought was to draw water from her waterskin, but she realized that she had not refilled it. Katara backed away, searching the shelves in the supply room for something to grab. She turned back to Zhao, after scanning the walls and finding nothing.

Zuko… Please…

"Come here you little bitch!" Zhao said, pulling her closer. Katara screamed. "Tiang said to kill you the minute that she saw you, but Ozai convinced her otherwise. Ozai is a fool."

"Let go of me!" She out, writhing in his arms.

"Stop moving!" Zhao was quiet for a moment, thinking. "I wonder what Prince Zuko will do when he finds your mangled, broken body lying here on the floor…charred to a crisp." She felt the heat of the flame near her ear now…a centimeter over and she would be burned.

"No! You can't do this to Zuko! He'll go mad!" Katara struggled more, trying to free herself. But Zhao held on firmly with one hand, pressing his chest against hers.

"That's exactly what I'm counting on."

She steeled her resolve and tried to push Zhao away from her, only this time he moved. She couldn't be stronger than he could be, could she? He flew across the room, slamming his head against a shelf and collapsed to the floor motionless.

Zuko

The minute that she walked back into the room, Zuko was on his feet. She looked terrible and before he realized it, Katara threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest, crying her eyes out. Loud sobs wracked her entire body, and she shook in his arms. He placed his hands on her waist, wrapping her in a hug.

"Katara, what happened?" His voice was rough. Seeing her in this much pain bothered him immensely. "Was it Jet? Did he do something to hurt you?"

She sniffed and shook her head, trying to stop crying to no success. "It was Zhao. I-I think I k-killed him."

2020 LM here… in light of current world events, and recent ongoing discussions around agency and recognizing victims of assault, I hope you'll understand why I removed the attempted sexual assault from this chapter. Thanks.