The water shone with the moon and stars, reflecting their flickering light like a giant mirror. Zuko shivered in the cool wind. It was time to wake Katara, but finally she seemed to be sleeping peacefully and he didn't want to disturb her dream or risk again pissing her off.

Their campfire was only embers, so he went to look for more firewood. As he reached the end of the cove, he noticed a light in the distance that didn't look like starlight. It was brighter, and it was moving. Zuko stood motionless, watching, listening, until he could hear the fragments of boisterous laughter carried by the water. It was definitely a ship, and it seemed like it was heading towards their island. He was about to draw their attention with a large bonfire, but then stopped himself. Uncle always scolded him for not thinking things through. Given that he was a traitor prince now, probably with a considerable reward on his head, it was too risky, not just for him, but also Katara to attract the wrong kind of attention. He had to gather more information about the mystery ship, so he crept closer, silent like a shadow.

It was not a Fire Nation navy ship - Zuko had spent enough time on one to be able to recognize them from their silhouettes, the noise the waves made as they crashed against the metal hull and even the humming of their engines. It was the background music of the last three years of his life. From the hollow squeaks of this ship, it sounded like it was made of wood, yet the black mass appeared to be much bigger than a fishing boat. That left only few options, none of them too promising.

As the moon appeared from behind the clouds, it cast its light on the flag. Pirates! Zuko inhaled sharply and started running back to their cave - this was their chance.

-0-

Katara jolted awake in terror as a hand covered her mouth. She instinctively struggled against it.

"Katara, wake up! Don't freak out," a smoky, scratchy voice that had become so familiar in the last few days whispered reassuringly. Katara nodded slightly that she understood. Zuko pulled back his hand.

"What do you think you are doing?" she whispered back angrily.

Instead of replying, he waved her to follow. They snuck down towards the beach.

"Look!" Zuko pointed towards the sea.

Katara saw a dark shadow. "What is it?"

"Pirates," he said on a low voice. "We take their ship."

"Oh, stealing from the pirates - I like that," Katara smiled with excitement. This was their best chance to get out of here and find the others. The spirits sent them a gift to take.

They watched the ship moor and some of the pirates coming to shore on a small boat. Whether they came to hide treasures or refill the water tanks, it didn't matter much. On Zuko's signal, Katara bent an iceboard and with a powerful wave, they landed on the deck. Zuko hit one of the sentries in the head. The man went down silently, and Zuko caught the twin blades falling out of his hands with owlcat-like reflexes before they could hit the deck with a clang. He wrapped his hands around the hilts with obvious satisfaction, like someone meeting long-lost friends. Katara raised a powerful wave, washing the helmsman and two other crew-members into the ocean.

So far, so good.

Now they just had to go under the deck, find the rest of the pirates while the element of surprise was on their side. Katara followed Zuko towards the hatch. Suddenly, there was a sharp cry.

"Attack!" They looked back noticing an iguana-parrot perched on the helm. So much for the element of surprise, Katara thought with annoyance. Zuko narrowed his eyes and sent a fireblast in the direction of the pesky bird. It flapped its wings and flew into the darkness.

The remaining crew, alerted by the screech, came running up to the deck, weapons in hand.

"I can't use fire, we'll burn the ship," Zuko gave Katara an alarmed look and spun around with his swords, blocking the attacks of the pirates. They completely surrounded the prince, who parried their swords, leaping and turning gracefully in the middle of the ring. It looked like an elaborate dance. As entertaining as it was to watch his nimble movements, it was not exactly the most efficient way to deal with the situation. But how was Katara supposed to bend around him when he threw himself in the middle of the fight like that?

She summoned another huge wave. "Duck!" she yelled. Zuko turned, and seeing her bending stance, figured out her plan immediately. At least all that fighting against each other made it so they understood each other without words. Stabbing his knife into the wood plank, he threw himself flat on on the deck, holding on while the water rushed over him, sweeping the ship clean of the attackers.

Katara ran to his side. He was soaked and looked kind of adorable as the water from his spiky hair dripped down his face. He muttered somewhat petulantly, "Hey - I was handling them."

"You're welcome. I just wanted to save you from the pirates," she said with a smug grin, surprised that the bitterness was mostly gone, she could almost joke about the memory now. "After all, I was owing you one."

He bit his lips and looked away in shame, "I was really such a jerk."

"Yes, you were," Katara agreed readily. She reached out her hand to help him up and added with a smile. "But you are not so bad now."

"I'm not?" Zuko asked hopefully, his hand wrapping around hers. Even soaked as he was with the cold water, his touch was radiating heat.

"Actually, you are pretty decent," Katara squeezed his hand. He inhaled sharply and his eyes turned liquid gold, hot and molten. Katara felt like she was drowning in their warmth. It was difficult to see it clearly in the dark, but a blush seemed to darken his good cheek. Katara didn't need a mirror to know that her own face was getting hot too.

She broke contact, wet her lips and said in her best pirate-imitation. "Now let's hoist the sail, matey, and get out of here."

"Aye-aye, Captain," Zuko gave her a mock salute with a relieved grin.

Their moment of lack of concentration cost them dearly, because suddenly they found themselves encased in ice to the neck, unable to move. Katara glared at the two pirates who appeared on the deck. One of them had to be a waterbender. She struggled against the ice, but with her arms restrained, she was unable to bend.

"Look, Cheng, what a pretty pair of lovebirds we caught!" the pirate in a large-brimmed hat grinned at his short, stocky mate. He stepped closer to Zuko, taunting him. "I'll bet your girlfriend will catch a high price with gentlemen of refined tastes."

Zuko's eyes narrowed with anger. "She's not my girlfriend," he growled at the pirate. Katara felt a flicker of annoyance. Not that she wanted to be his girlfriend - but really would it be such a repugnant thought?

"Well, you two sure looked close," Cheng replied mockingly.

"Bring the viper-lizard. That will stop them from causing anymore trouble.

Katara didn't know much about viper-lizards, but it did not sound promising.

"Aye, Captain Sao," replied Cheng with an evil grin, disappearing under the deck.

Sao stayed alone with Katara and Zuko. "You two picked on the wrong pirate captain to steal from. I'm the king of the seas and I will teach you respect."

There was a sharp gasp and Zuko's golden eyes started to sparkle with pure rage, as if the power of a volcano were unleashed within him. It should have looked scary, but Katara knew that he was perfectly in control. After all, even back when they were constantly fighting, when he was an angry jerk with a hideous ponytail, he never burnt any of them, no matter how enraged he seemed.

He glanced over at Katara. "Ready?" he whispered, his breath burning hot against her ears. Katara nodded slightly. Zuko inhaled deeply and let out a long controlled breath, flames blooming at his lips, steam coming out of his nostrils, melting the ice around them with precision. His lips curled into a slight smirk. Now that he didn't use this technique against her, it looked ridiculously attractive and distracting, but Katara had no time for such self-indulgent thoughts. Before Sao realized what was happening, she got her arms free sending all the melted water at the pirate captain, trapping him in ice.

Cheng returned on the deck, but before he could do anything, Katara washed both him and the frozen captain, big hats and viper-lizards included off the deck with a powerful wave.

Katara couldn't help but smile widely at Zuko, who grinned back. They made an excellent team indeed and they finally had a proper ship. The wind filled their sail taking them back to the others. Katara couldn't wait to see their faces when she told them about this particular adventure.

-0-

The pirates kept a sloppy log, Zuko studied the maps and navigation charts trying to figure out exactly where they were and plot their best course towards the Western Air Temple. It was a painstaking process. Katara had watched him frown and mumble for a while, but eventually got bored of it and went in search for food, leaving Zuko alone with the maps. If his calculations were right, they were about a day and a half away from the temple. It was a good thing that amid all his sulking and grumping, he still had paid attention to poor Lieutenant Jee who did his best to teach him the ropes.

The door opened and closed. "Oh, good you're here," Zuko said without looking up. "I think I know now where we are."

"I'll raise you. I found the pantry of the ship," Katara placed a plate full of cold, salted meat and fruit in front of him. She also brought a cup. Zuko's stomach growled at the sight, reminding him how hungry he was.

"It's called a galley," Zuko corrected her instinctively, taking a bite of the meat. If they were going to sail together, it was important to use the correct terminology. He could show her all the ins and outs of the ship, after all that was something he was good at. They could start with...the thought immediately flew out of his head when he raised his gaze to look at her. He stopped chewing and breathing altogether.

She was wearing a low-cut red dress, made of sheer silk that enveloped her just in the right places, and revealing her smooth, dusky skin. Jewel-studded pins sparkled in her hair. She also wore a gold armband and several rings. The sight reminded him of the girls who used to appear in his feverish adolescent dreams that sometimes ended with setting his bed on fire.

"Is my dress pretty?" She twirled around playfully. "It's a well-equipped pirate ship."

"I can see that," Zuko managed to get the words out. It was strange. Something was definitely odd about her.

She wet her lips. "That's because you have pretty eyes, Zuko. Gold like the sun. I like the sun."

Zuko blushed. And frowned. And gaped. Katara smiled at him. Katara was dressed in a twirly dress. Katara thought he had pretty eyes. There was definitely something off about her. His throat felt dry like sandpaper, so he reached out for his cup. As soon as he wet his lips, he realized what was happening. The liquid in the cup was sticky sweet palm-wine.

Zuko still remembered that long-ago night on his ship when his crew got him drinking the stuff. The night ended up with him playing sappy love-songs on the tsungi horn and doing backflips to the clapping of the sailors, as well as signing an irrevocable order of instituting monthly music nights. He also vividly remembered the vicious hangover and the embarrassment the following day.

"How much of this stuff did you drink, Katara?" he asked suspiciously.

"Three or four cups. Ship-stealing is thirsty work. It's nice and sweet."

Yep, it all certainly made sense now. Her flushed cheeks, her dangerously glimmering eyes, the reckless flirting, the dress. His gaze wandered towards the revealing cleavage of the dress, but he reminded himself that good people did not stare at very drunk and very pretty girls. Actually, he was not sure if there was such a rule on goodness. In any case, his mother taught him that being royalty started with manners. He was still a prince. Or an ex-prince, at least.

"It's palm-wine," Zuko clarified. "And it will get you very drunk if you are not careful."

"We, warriors of the Southern Water Tribe can hold our drink and even your drink if you don't want it," Katara took Zuko's cup. She downed it in one long gulp before Zuko could do anything about it and twirled around in her dress some more. "Stealing a pirate ship is really good fun. And that flame thing you do with your mouth is really hot. Because it's fire, so it's hot. But also hot-hot. You have to show me how to do that, Zuko." She leaned close to him, her lips dangerously close to his, smelling of sticky palm-wine.

Zuko's head was spinning. What was he supposed to do with a very drunk Katara who was bombarding him with embarrassing confessions? She would definitely hate him once she sobered up.

"I'm not sure it works with waterbending" he said taking a step back, desperately trying to put distance between them.

"You are no good," she pouted. Wait. Did she just bat her eyelashes at him?

"I think it's time to go to bed, Katara." He scooped her up in his arms.

"But I'm not sleepy," she protested. Still, she rested her head against his shoulder, her hair tickling his neck. She smelled of palm wine and ocean breeze; a heady combination.

Zuko carried her inside the captain's cabin and placed her on the bed as carefully as he could.

"Sleep now. I'll take first watch," he said as he tucked her in, pulling a light cover over her.

"I told you, I'm not taking orders from you." She poked her tongue at him.

"Be my guest then," Zuko gestured towards the door.

Katara tried to sit up, but predictably fell back on the bed in a graceless heap. "Why don't you take the first watch?" she slurred.

"Aye, Captain," Zuko replied mockingly, but she was already out cold.

He closed the door and stepped onto the deck. The breeze felt pleasantly cool against his body that was about to spontaneously combust. And it wasn't just the first rays of the morning sun humming through his veins and making his heart leap in wild summersaults.

-0-

Katara groaned as she woke up to a pounding headache. She looked around in the unfamiliar cabin, filled with extravagant trinkets and the memories started to come back. They were on the pirate ship they stole. That was good .

Than her gaze fell on the red silk dress she was wearing. Oh, that was bad. So making a total fool out of herself was not a dream after all. She would never look Zuko in the eye again. Wait! Did she really tell him that he had pretty eyes? She was mortified. Humiliated. She could never ever face him again. Except they were on a ship and she had no choice.

Her blue outfit was neatly folded next to the bed, and a pitcher filled with water was next to the wash-basin, no doubt courtesy of the firebender. He was really thoughtful sometimes. Katara pulled on her regular clothes, brushed her hair with a jewel-studded gold comb, splashed her face with cold water and emerged from the cabin ready to face her doom.

She found him at the front of the ship, waving his hands around like he was talking to someone, even though there appeared to be nobody there. Katara snuck closer to listen. His voice was nervous and he kept fidgeting as he spoke.

"Hello, Zuko here. But I guess you kind of know me. You know from before? When I was attacking you. I'm sorry about that by the way. But anyways, I'm good now. And I think it's time I joined your group and taught the Avatar firebending."

Katara couldn't help but snort. He was so awkward and that was the worst speech ever, including the one Sokka gave high on cactus juice. Zuko turned around startled and scowled at her.

"Are you talking to a sea-raven?" Katara pointed at the bird.

Zuko shook his head. "Me? No. No. Not at all. That's not what I'm doing." He was also terrible at lying.

"I heard you," Katara arched her eyebrows, determined to keep the conversation focused on his awkward bird-monologue, rather than on her drunken behaviour.

Zuko conceded, letting out a frustrated breath. "Well, fine. What if I can't convince them that I'm good now?" He looked desperate like a lost polar-puppy.

"Zuko…" Katara smiled and stepped closer, stopping herself from ruffling his silky hair. He probably wouldn't have liked that. "They are good people. I saw that you changed - they'll see it too. Just give it time."

"You think?" He asked hopefully.

Katara shrugged. "Well, Toph can be rude sometimes and she might sink you into the ground. And Sokka will probably try to hit you with boomerang." Zuko did not seem to find the prospect of being buried alive or getting whacked with a boomerang reassuring, if the alarm on his face was anything to go by. "But Aang is forgiving. Usually," she added with an evil smile.

"Oh." Zuko looked a bit scared.

"Maybe don't start with Hello Zuko here!" Katara advised magnanimously.

"What should I start with?" He frowned with concern.

"Something positive."

"Like what?" Zuko chewed his lips, his features still frozen in a scowl.

"Well, you must have done some good things, right?" she arched her eyebrows questioningly. Zuko scratched his head at length.

"I did free the Avatar's bison in Ba Sing Se. I guess that counts," it was almost a question.

"Wait, it was you who freed Appa that day? Why haven't you told me?" Katara asked surprised. They often wondered how Appa got free, but they never in their dreams suspected Zuko. That would definitely go a long way with Aang, but Zuko clearly had no idea of Appa's status in the group.

"You haven't asked."

"Why did you do it?" Katara felt confused. He was bad back then - why would he do such a decent thing?

Zuko scratched his head. "I wanted to steal it, really. But Uncle asked me to do the right thing. He was so happy to get his own teashop and I wanted him to be happy too. I thought I could try to be just that - what he wanted me to be."

He must have been really nervous, because this was the most information that he had volunteered about himself, about the way he felt since Katara had known him.

"You would have really stayed working in a tea-shop to please your uncle?" It was hard to believe that the honour-obsessed jerk would voluntarily choose a life of hard work. And just to please his uncle. That was actually rather sweet. The picture of him serving tea in an apron surfaced again. At the time, she thought it was an elaborate trap.

He stared into the distance. "I thought I hated it at the time, but I realize now that it was more of a home than I've ever had, after my mother disappeared."

Something tugged at Katara's heart, imagining Zuko and his uncle for once having a chance at a normal life. She was the one who took that away from them, she realized and the thought made her sad. She bit her lips.

"What's wrong?" Zuko asked with worry in his voice.

"Just my head," she moaned. It was not a total lie, more like an evasion - she still had a blinding headache from the cursed palm-wine.

Zuko suppressed a grin and restrained from commenting on her drunken shenanigans, for which Katara was grateful. "Come, I'll make you poached eggs. My crew swore that it was the best cure for hangover."

Katara's stomach was revolting at the thought of food, but she followed Zuko to the galley. He made her sit at the table, while he moved around the kitchen whipping up the egg and brewing tea. His movements were graceful and precise. He put the plate in front of her - it actually smelled really good - and returned with two cups and a tea-pot. He knelt by the table and poured her some tea, like the practiced tea-server he was. There was something attractive about a guy who knew his way around the kitchen.

"Uncle swears by ginseng," he smiled ruefully as always whenever the topic came to Iroh. It was apparent how much he loved and respected the old man.

Katara took a sip of the hot drink. It was delicious and soothing.

"You have surprising depths, Zuko," she told him appreciatively.

"Try the egg before it gets cold," he pointed at the plate.

Katara took a careful bite. Nmmm… It was pretty good. A bit salty, just the way she liked it. The memory washed over her unbidden, and the salt tasted suddenly like uncried tears.

"Is it that bad?" Zuko looked at her worried, sensing the shift in her mood.

Katara shook her head. "No. It is delicious. It just reminds me of the puffin eggs my mother used to make. She poached them just like this. The last time I had it was the day we lost her." She touched her necklace.

Zuko's eyes shone with concern. "What happened?"

It was a conversation they started in Ba Sing Se, but never got to finish, before they got interrupted. Katara took a deep breath - maybe it was time to finish it. "It started with the black snow…" She told him everything. How terrified she was when the soldiers showed up, the confusion of the fighting, her mother's last words.

Zuko listened silently, his body rigid with tension.

"She died to protect me," she never told this last part to Sokka or their father. She knew that they wouldn't blame her, but she didn't want it to become a shadow between them. Instead, she tried hard to step up and fill the hole her mother left behind.

It was good to finally tell it to someone, having carried this secret alone for too long. Why that someone had to be a firebender who was her enemy barely three days ago? She had no idea . The streams and rivers of the souls sometimes connected people in unexpected ways, Gran-Gran used to say.

"She was a brave woman," his voice was warm and scratchy.

"I know," she replied quietly, fingering again the smooth pendant of her choker. "And she's gone because of me. Do you know how that feels?"

"I do," To her surprise, he simply nodded. It's something we have in common , he told her in Ba Sing Se. Maybe it was more true than she ever imagined. "Before my mother disappeared, she had told me that she was trying to protect me. I haven't seen her since, I don't know what happened to her. But I do know one thing; it wasn't your fault, Katara. It was a choice she made, because that's what mothers do."

"Then why do I feel this way?" Her voice was bitter.

Zuko paused for a moment before speaking. "I don't know. But if you want, I'll help you find the man who did this to her."

Katara looked at him surprised. "Would you really do that?"

"I promise," he nodded solemnly. "That is if the Avatar doesn't kick my butt out of the Western Air Temple tomorrow," he added in half-hearted jest, but Katara heard the worry and desperation in his voice.

"It'll be fine, Zuko. Aang would never hurt anyone." Katara shook her head. "Not even his worst enemy."

"That's technically me," Zuko grimaced. He did have a point there.

Katara continued. "And you are truly sorry for what you did. They will forgive you."

"How do you know it?" he looked cautiously hopeful.

Katara stood up and he immediately leapt to his feet too.

"Because I have," she smiled and gave him a brief hug, watching the storm of emotions on his face; shock, surprise, relief. After a moment of hesitation, he put his arms around her waist. His touch was light. The moment was short, barely three heartbeats. But it was long enough to register his warmth, or the way their bodies fit together perfectly.

She stepped back and put her hand on his shoulder for a brief moment. His golden eyes locked into hers, shining like the sun - that was not a drunken hallucination - melting away the ice of bitterness, anger and hatred inside her.

As she walked away, her steps felt lighter, and her heart was beating faster.