DISCLAIMER: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor am I in any way affiliated with Michael Dante DiMartino or Bryan Konietzko. This story is purely fan-made.

Shutting the door to what he had called his room for a night, Zuko felt an overwhelming amount of panic wash over him. From what passing guards had told him, it was now just before dinner. That gave him approximately three hours to think of a plan, one hour to convince Katara that he really had changed, to fill her, Uncle Iroh and the Earthbender in on his plan, and then another hour to run over the plan in his mind for any flaws, no matter how small. Then he would need to be in his room for when Azula called. He was obviously going to decline her invitation at capturing the Avatar and insist on having some rest. She would leave and the plan would be ready to execute.

Great, a voice that Zuko had not missed spoke, but what's the plan?

Shutting his eyes and groaning, Zuko fell onto his bed. If he was lucky the voice inside his head would do more than criticise and make snide comments this time.

Okay, Zuko told the voice firmly, you said it's your job to keep me happy. Well, what would really make me happy is coming up with a plan to help the ones I care about out of Ba Sing Se.

There was no reply for a long time, and Zuko began to appreciate just how much he had missed sleeping on a proper bed. The sheets were fresh even though he had last slept in them over a week ago, and they seemed to be beckoning him to fall asleep on them. At first, Zuko refused the tempting sheets, but soon found his eyes beginning to shut.

Maybe taking a bath would help? Improve your concentration and all that, the voice suggested, jerking Zuko from what would have been his slumber. Agreeing with the voice, Zuko heaved himself off the bed, albeit reluctantly. Walking out of his room and shutting the door behind him, he began to wonder where the nearest bathroom was. Sure, he had used it previously, but that had been over a week ago. Besides, he had since had…other things to occupy his mind.

After wandering around aimlessly for about five minutes, he decided to swallow his pride (he had been doing this a lot lately) and ask a nearby guard. The guard was very helpful, not something Zuko had expected, and immediately pointed Zuko in the right direction. With barely a nod in acknowledgement, Zuko walked away, his mind already preoccupied with something else.

Reaching the bathroom, Zuko cautiously knocked in case some idiot had forgot to lock the door, and, when no one answered, flung the door open himself. This bathroom was bigger than the cell he and Katara had shared, something which both bemused and infuriated Zuko. The tiles of the bathroom walls were a shade of green, only slightly darker than the tiles on the floor. The bath, sink and toilet were made of the same material also; what seemed to be flawless white stone. On closer inspection of the bath, the material turned out to be just that. Briefly wondering where unblemished white stone of such quality could be found, Zuko turned the tap to the bath. The taps themselves were silver, and Zuko could only assume they were real silver. After all, this was the ruler of Ba Sing Se's bathroom. Or ex ruler of Ba Sing Se. Or whatever he currently was.

Clear water began gushing out of the tap and Zuko stared at it, transfixed, guilt rising inside of him like the steam now rising off the water's surface. Zuko knew that there was something wrong if only looking at water reminded him of her. Nonetheless, Zuko quickly turned the tap off, cutting the supply of water off. He turned away, sighing. How was he supposed to concentrate when she filled his head? He couldn't escape the haunting way she had looked at him as he turned to leave the cell. Her eyes had sparkled with tears as she had turned her back. He deserved it though. The more he thought about it the more he knew he should have told her of the plan before he executed it himself.

Reaching a decision, Zuko stood up and left the bathroom abruptly. His feet carried him automatically to the dungeons, and as he descended the stone steps he realized he had no idea what he was supposed to say.

I'll just make it up as I go along, he silently determined. I'll tell her why I did what I did, and how I feel. How hard can it be?

Walking along the grim corridors made Zuko appreciate how bright it was on the main corridor of the palace. The only light source here was flaming torches every so often, and it made Zuko a little uneasy to be walking here alone.

As if on cue, a Dai Li agent stepped out from an inlet that Zuko had previously not noticed. Stepping back in alarm, Zuko quickly regained his composure. Much to his annoyance, he saw it was the Dai Li agent that was supposed to be helping them escape.

"Oh, it's you." Zuko said, distaste apparent in his voice. The Dai Li agent raised his eyebrows.

Why did I never ask his name? Zuko cursed himself. Damn.

"It's Cai." The agent said, matching dislike in his voice. "What are you doing down here? After what you did I hope you're not planning on seeing Katara."

"So what if I am?" Zuko asked before he could stop himself. He could see that Cai had a brotherly affection for Katara, and didn't want to say or do anything that may seem threatening to her. Instead, he sighed and looked around in case there were more Dai Li agents. "I told Azula the wrong information. She'll go off for the Avatar tonight leaving us free to escape."

Even in the dim light, Zuko could Cai's eyebrows rise in blatant disbelief.

"Uh huh." He said slowly. "And say I believed you. Say for one moment of insanity I actually trusted in what you're saying. Why didn't you tell me or, Gods forbid, Katara, what you were planning?"

"I don't have time for this. I need to talk to Katara." Zuko muttered, pushing past Cai. Cai however held his own and blocked the way past. Not wanting to get into a fight (and proud of himself for that fact) Zuko stepped back.

"Just let me talk to her. Let her make her mind up about me, and if she knows I'm telling the truth then let us use your escape plan." He told Cai, hating the note of pleading that had come into his voice. Since when had Zuko ever begged to talk to someone? Regardless, he looked at Cai, waiting for an answer.

"You hurt her again and I'll kill you." Cai told Zuko, before standing aside and letting him pass. Cai outstretched his hand, and Zuko gratefully took the keys that were inside it then began to walk away.

"I'll be here if you need me." Cai murmured, before stepping back into the shadows.

He's creepy, Zuko decided, before walking further on. After ten more minutes of following the same corridor and looking at the same set of surroundings, Zuko realized he had no idea where he was going. What was the point in making all the damn doors look the same?

"Is there a problem?" A timid voice asked. Zuko whipped around to once more come face to face with another Dai Li agent. This one he had not come across before, but he was younger than most of the other agents and looked more nervous. Dressed in the traditional Dai Li uniform, it looked about two sizes too big for him, making his appearance comical.

"Where is the Waterbender's cell?" Zuko asked briskly. It was probably better to act like he was supposed to be down here, and that meant being arrogant. Luckily, Zuko didn't have a problem with this particular emotion.

"It's the thirtieth door on the next corridor." The agent answered, glancing around nervously. "But Princess Azula said-"

Zuko did not wait for the man to finish. Seeing him to be a threat if he told Azula that Zuko had been down here, Zuko threw a punch and knocked the agent out.

Psh, rookie, Zuko thought disparagingly. However, now he knew where he was going there was urgency in his footsteps as he hurried to find the next corridor. Zuko passed torch after torch after torch, and yet still no opening to another corridor. Praying he wouldn't have to knock out any more Dai Li agents, Zuko tried to make his footsteps quieter. Although he knew he wasn't making much noise, everything seemed louder in these endless stone corridors.

The architects here could have saved a lot of money by not building cells and simply letting the prisoners roam about the corridors, Zuko thought in aggravation as he came to yet another set of doors. The prisoners would soon go mad.

Finally, after more minutes than Zuko cared to count, he found an opening leading to another corridor. True, this corridor looked exactly the same as the corridor he had just persevered along, but it gave him hope nonetheless. Counting carefully so as not to make a mistake, Zuko started slowly along the corridor. It took awhile, but eventually:

…twenty eight…twenty nine…thirty.

Reaching the door that Katara was behind, Zuko took a deep breath and reached for the keys. The first relief was that the key that Cai had produced for him actually fit in the lock. As Zuko turned it, making that horribly familiar scraping noise, he wondered how upset Katara would be with him.

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Sitting against the wall between the two mattresses, Katara had barely moved since Zuko had left. Her attempts to get to sleep had been futile; every time she had shut her eyes she saw him. Standing there. Kissing her. Mocking her. She couldn't take it any longer, so had got up and moved to her current position instead. There was a hollow emptiness inside her, and there was nothing she could do. She didn't know what the hell was going on with Zuko, and what he had told Azula, and that angered her. Convinced Zuko was playing another cruel game on her, Katara had felt her stomach drop another few inches. Despite the day's events, Katara couldn't cry anymore. She was emotionally exhausted, and couldn't bring herself to feel anything anymore. How long had it been since Zuko had left? An hour? More? Time had lost meaning.

A scraping in the lock made Katara look up wearily. She didn't know if she wanted it to be Zuko or not. It turned out not to matter, seeing as it was Mai, wearing the biggest self-satisfied smirk Katara had ever seen her wear.

"I'm here to take you to the bathroom." She said, her normally flat voice alive with maliciousness. Katara mumbled something about not needing the bathroom, but Mai rolled her eyes.

"It's the last time you'll be going out in a few days according to Azula. You might as well make the most of it."

Knowing what Mai was saying was probably true, Katara tried to push herself up but struggled. Her legs occasionally collapsed underneath her and she had to cling onto the wall for support. Mai watched with some sort of twisted pleasure, enjoying seeing the girl struggle.

Walking slowly over to Mai, Katara allowed herself to be pushed out of the door and along the corridor. She remained silent for the duration of the walk, but Mai would speak regularly.

"So, bet you're feeling really stupid now, huh?" Was her first question. "I wonder what the Avatar will do when he finds out what you told Zuko?" Was her next.

Katara knew that Mai was attempting to get a rise out of her, but wouldn't give her the pleasure. Mai was only saying these things because she had a crush on Zuko. Not that that mattered now anyway.

Soon they stopped outside of a door, which Mai opened and roughly pushed Katara in. Katara noticed with mild…well, happiness was too strong of a word, but it was certainly not dismay, that it was the bathroom Mai had brought her to previously, which meant running water.

Following the same process as last time, Katara relieved herself then splashed the water over her face. It seemed to heal her, even though there was nothing physical to heal. The water's cool, calming kiss washed over her and for a moment all of her troubles vanished. Then the water left and harsh reality came rushing back. Taking a few sips of the liquid, Katara wondered when the next time she would taste pure water would be. Deciding better safe than sorry, she manipulated the water still running from the tap into her water pouch that remained at her side. Taking a deep breath for composure, Katara turned off the tap and opened the door. Mai was leaning against a wall, examining her fingernails. They had been painted black, which suited the depressive teenager.

"Come on." Mai said as soon as she noticed Katara, as though Katara was the one holding back. Beginning to walk once more, Katara wondered mildly if Mai would make any more jibes. Or maybe she would just poke her with a knife…either way it would be annoying and uncomfortable.

Luckily Mai remained silent on the walk back. She opened the door once more for Katara and shoved her in. It appeared she couldn't resist one last parting shot however.

"Azula says she'll tell the Avatar "hi" from you."

Standing there in the cell, Katara allowed this comment to wash over her. After what Zuko and Azula had said to her previously, words didn't hurt Katara anymore. Hearing the door shut and the lock click once more, Katara turned around as was about to sit down when she perceived the jug beside the door. It was a miracle that neither Azula nor Mai had noticed it. Counting her small blessings, Katara opened her water pouch and poured the water into the jug, making it almost full again. As the water rippled with each drop, Katara tried to make out her reflection, and who it would show. Would it show the Katara as everyone else saw her, as the caring friend, or as the Fire Nation apparently saw her, as a gullible fool?

But the water just showed Katara…cerulean eyes, tanned skin and dark hair. Her eyes were still red slightly from the tears she had shed earlier, but the marks were fading now. She wondered how the world would see her now. A love-sick teenager perhaps? A young woman who was having trouble seeing the good in people after what had just transpired? Or maybe they just saw a girl. A helpless girl who had to depend on others to save her. A month ago the world would have been wrong. But now Katara feared that it couldn't be more right.

Unsatisfied with what her reflection told her either way, Katara walked slowly back to her space and sat down once more. Barely ten minutes had passed before there was another scraping in the door. This time Katara didn't even bother looking up. That was, until, she heard his voice.

"Katara." Zuko said. That was it. Just her name. Nothing else, no apology, no begging for forgiveness, just her name. So why did it make Katara want to break down all over again? Promising herself she would be strong this time, Katara didn't even look up.

"I know you're mad at me." Zuko continued, walking closer to her.

"Don't come near me." Katara spat at the floor, and she hoped that Zuko would obey her wishes. For once, it seemed he did. However, he didn't stop talking.

"I know you're mad at me." He repeated, standing uncomfortably. "But if you'd just let me explain-"

"Explain?" Katara hissed, still at the floor. "Explain what? You betrayed me Zuko. I gave you a second chance, and you used it. You used me."

"That isn't true." Zuko answered, his voice rising ever so slightly.

"Isn't it?" Katara asked. She wanted so much to look at him, to show her how much he had hurt her, but she stood her ground.

Zuko sighed impatiently. "This is ridiculous." He complained, before striding forward and holding out his hand to Katara. Knowing either she stood up willingly or he would make her, Katara chose the option that would at least leave her with some dignity. Heaving herself up, she stood a metre or so away from the wall and finally looked at Zuko.

Looking into her eyes properly for the first time, Zuko was shocked to see what lay there. He had expected anger and sadness, and was not disappointed. But amongst those emotions was also one Zuko couldn't place. But whatever it was, it took the brightness and life out of her eyes. It unnerved him to see Katara like this. Her emotions were normally plain to see and easy to read, but right now Zuko was mystified.

Katara saw how intently he was looking at her, trying to figure her out, and she couldn't take it. She looked away again, as though she found the floor beneath her interesting.

All the things that Zuko had wanted to say had gone from his mind, and he became uncomfortably aware that he would have to talk sometime. Katara wasn't looking at him, which also wasn't a good sign. Suddenly, something inside of Zuko snapped, and he said the exact thing that he had been wondering himself.

"I don't understand why you're so angry with me." He said, and the moment he had spoken those words knew they were the wrong thing to say. Yes, Katara looked up. But the anger in her eyes burned intensely and she shook her head in bitter disbelief.

"You've got to be kidding me." She spat at him.

"I didn't tell Azula where the Avatar was!" Zuko shouted defensively. "I don't see the problem!"

"You lied!" Katara practically screamed. "From the moment I woke up in this cell you were playing a game with me!"

Zuko had fell silent, watching the girl vent her anger out. Half of him wanted to slap her, the other half of him wanted to kiss her. Guessing it was probably better to do neither, Zuko merely waited until the girl had finished. It seemed he would be waiting awhile.

"And I don't know how much you told me was a lie, and how much of it you actually meant!" Katara continued, her pitch remaining the same but her volume going ever higher. "For all I know you could have made everything up!"

"I didn't make everything up!" Zuko shouted back. At least, not some of it, he silently added. "After a while I stopped lying!"

Katara took a deep, steadying breath, but it did nothing to calm her temper. "How do I know you're not lying right now?" She asked. Not shouted, not screamed. Just calmly asked. Zuko had started to get frustrated, but it didn't give Katara any pleasure. She wanted him to answer her questions truthfully, but knew that she could no longer trust him to do so.

"You're just going to have to trust me." Zuko replied, his tone matching hers.

"I can't do that anymore." Katara murmured, looking away. This got Zuko's temper flaring once more.

"Why not?" He raged. "I know I lied at first, but the only time I recently lied was to Azula. Which, by the way, I expect thanks for anytime soon."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this!" Katara shouted, her temper also blazing again. "You expect me to thank you for making me believe…" Katara cut herself off and took another breath. "I don't know that this isn't just another trick. What if Azula sent you down here for some twisted reason?"

"She didn't." Zuko replied through gritted teeth. "Yes, Azula told me to say those things. But after awhile I stopped listening to what I was supposed to be hearing, and stopped doing what I was supposed to be doing."

Katara was silent for a moment, digesting this. For a flash, Zuko thought he had been triumphant. But he saw the girl's expression and knew that he was a long way off yet.

"Then why didn't you tell me about Azula's plan?" She asked quietly. "Or why didn't you fill me in on what you were about to tell Azula?"

"I…" Zuko started, but realized he didn't have an answer. He should have expected these questions, of course, but he genuinely hadn't expected Katara to be this difficult. "I don't know." He finished lamely. "I know I should have, and I regret it. And I didn't tell you about what I was about to tell Azula because I needed you to think that I'd betrayed you."

"You doubt my credibility as an actress?" Katara asked dryly. "I'm hurt."

"Azula can see straight through people when they lie. Why do you think she's so good at lying herself? No matter how good at acting you are, Azula would have known that you weren't telling the truth."

Katara remained silent for a long time and looked away. When she finally looked back to Zuko, her expression was perplexed.

"I just don't know if you're telling me the truth." She whispered.

"I wouldn't lie to you." Zuko told her. "At least, not anymore." He added hastily before she could say anything. "I need you to trust me, so we can get the Earthbender-"

"Toph." Katara interrupted quietly.

"-and my Uncle," Zuko finished, ignoring the interruption, "and use Cai's plan to escape Ba Sing Se. Azula's distracted for the night…why do you think I told her the false information?"

Katara knew that the things he was telling her made sense, but she just couldn't bring herself to believe them. She shook her head and turned away once more.

"Katara." Zuko said, with obviously forced patience. "I'm not lying to you. I hated seeing you like that before with Azula. You have no idea how much I wanted to say something. That's why I'm not going to hurt you again. But, please, I don't know how much time we've got left. You need to come with me now."

"How do I know you're not going to hurt me again?" Katara asked, her back still turned to him. Despite what Zuko might think, he was not fooling her. Every word that was coming out of his mouth could be lies for all she knew. All he had had to do was inform her of his intentions, instead of making her believe he didn't care for her.

Zuko rolled his eyes impatiently. They needed to get going and find Toph and Uncle Iroh. Agni knew how long that was going to take. So he decided to tell her what he truly felt, what was really in his heart. Surely she must know that it wouldn't be a lie.

"I wouldn't hurt you," Zuko started, and hoped there was some way he could say this without sounding pathetic, "because I like you. I like you a lot."

Katara inwardly winced, sensing what was coming next.

"You've shown me so much about yourself this past week, Katara. You're brave, you're strong, you're funny and you're beautiful." Zuko's voice dropped as he said this last part, having never called a girl "beautiful" before. He hoped she believed him, because there was no way he was going through this again.

"Katara…I lo-"

"Don't!" Katara snapped, whipping around and cutting him off abruptly. "Don't say it."

"-ve you." Zuko finished. She would never know how much courage that had taken to say, even though he meant it more than he had ever meant anything. Feelings weren't Zuko's forte, especially his own. But he knew that Katara had to know how he felt. He just prayed she knew he was telling the truth. The way her face was flushing and her eyes had turned to slits, Zuko had to assume not.

"For all I know everything you could have just said was false." She seethed. "Azula might have told you to say it. But don't think you can play on my feelings like that just because your sister told you to! I don't believe anything you just said to me, and I'm definitely not going anywhere with you!"

Well that did it. Zuko snapped. Roughly pushing Katara against the stone wall, Zuko held her in place by placing his hands either side of her shoulders, preventing any escape attempts.

"Fine." He hissed, leaning in close so she would get the message. "I want more than anything for you to trust me again. But right now, we really need to go. And believe me, we are going to go, with your consent or not."

Katara seemed to shrink at his words, and her eyes shone with fear. It took Zuko all of his determination not to pull away.

"I hate to do this." He continued, his tone only a trace softer. "But I have no choice. Right now my priority is your safety, and you're not going to be safe in here."

"I'll take my chances." Katara said, and though her body language showed she was still afraid, her voice did not shake and she looked Zuko in the eye. "You've just demonstrated exactly why I shouldn't trust you."

Sighing angrily, Zuko removed his hands and instead placed them on Katara's shoulders, gripping them to show her he was serious.

This has gone on long enough, Katara decided as soon as Zuko gripped her shoulders painfully. To his credit, he probably didn't know that his grip was painful, because Katara was making no sign that it was. That was because she was concentrating on the jug of water, a few feet behind where Zuko stood. Knowing that at any moment Zuko would force her to move, Katara manoeuvred her arms sideways, so she had more or less clear access of the jug. Separating her arms as violently as she could, the water followed suit, tearing the jug apart. Debris flew into the stone walls either side, and Zuko whipped around, just in time to see the jug's contents hovering above him. Drawing the water closer to her, Katara stopped it so it suspended in the gap between her and Zuko.

"Right now, you really need to go." Katara told him, concentrating half on the water, and half on her words. "And believe me, you are going to go, with or without your consent."

Not waiting for a response, Katara brought the water down quickly, so it formed a window between her and Zuko. With only a moment's hesitation, Katara pushed as hard as she could, and the force of the water pushed Zuko further and further away. Each time the water had reached its limit, Katara pulled it back and started again, moving closer and closer. Zuko stumbled but didn't fall completely, managing to keep his balance. Luckily for him, the door remained half open, so he had a chance to fully open it before being forcibly removed into the corridor. The water became hotter and hotter as Katara got more and more enraged, and soon the water was bubbling ferociously. Zuko put up a mild wall of fire to try and defend himself, but the force of the bubbling water colliding with the wall sent him reeling back even more. Soon he crashed into the stone wall in the corridor, opposite the door and only then did Katara stop.

Zuko looked at her, regaining his breath. She looked back, half-defiantly, half-fearful of what he would do now.

"I'm sorry." Zuko said simply.

"Don't lie to me." Katara whispered, before shutting the metal door to her cell.

Zuko looked down himself and he had never felt more emotions at one time than he did right now. He supposed he had deserved what Katara had (literally) thrown at him, but it still stung his pride. Still, Prince Zuko had not gotten his reputation by giving up easily. And for once it seemed luck may be on his side, as another rookie Dai Li agent passed by.

"Where is the Earthbender's room?" He asked sharply. He was in no mood for pleasantries.

"Uh, fifteen doors down to the left." The rookie replied nervously.

"And General Iroh's?"

"Twenty five doors down to the right." The young man was now glancing around, anxious to leave.

"Thanks." Zuko said sincerely, before knocking him out. Partly because the agent may tell Azula that Zuko was here, and partly because Zuko was really pissed off and needed someone to take it out on. Watching the young man go down so easily, Zuko rolled his eyes.

Psh, rookie, he thought, stepping over the unconscious man.

A/N:

Well, gotta say I enjoyed writing this chapter. I mean, I love writing all the chapters…but this one was just plain fun :P
But gasp will Katara ever trust Zuko again? I think we all know the answer to that lol.

I hoped I did it justice, and that you enjoyed it. Thanks to my reviewers, all your reviews make me really happy, it's a great feeling. Please leave a review on your way out, thanks :D