A/N: Hello again everybody, it's good to be back! I really can't tell you how much your reviews keep me going. Anyway, this chapter was an interesting venture, but I think it came out relatively fine.

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar!

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Ch.5- Frozen Stiff

The next month went by in a blur for the members of the resistance.

Between running into a psychotic waterbender (who had almost singlehandedly killed them all before Katara had bested her using the older bender's patented technique), Sokka coming to a tentative acceptance of Katara and Zuko's relationship, the continued successful growth of said relationship, and the Fire Nation's acquisition of Ba Sing Se and the subsequent decree to eradicate the Water Tribes, plans had been changing rapidly and often amongst the small resistance force.

This last one was what had brought about the current argument between Katara, Sokka, and their father.

"NO!" Katara shouted, her eyes blazing as she met her father's matching orbs unblinkingly, "You can't leave us again! We've already lost so much, and now you want to split up? Just because you think we'll be safer?"

Hakoda sighed in exasperation, fingers working through his messy brown locks, "Katara, you have to see reason here: the Fire Nation has eliminated what they think was the only legitimate threat in their campaign to rule the world. And they're right! The Avatar was the last ray of hope that this world and its people had and he was the only thing keeping them from falling apart."

Pain flashed through the eyes of the occupants in the tent, but Hakoda pressed on, "I know it's hard to hear, but it's the truth. The only thing keeping the Fire Nation from destroying everything that we hold dear are those of us willing to fight. Therefore it is our responsibility to stay hidden, at least until we can mount a proper counter-attack. And to do that, we need all the allies we can get."

Katara growled angrily, refusing to accept her father's explanation, "How can you just keep running away from us? You have a responsibility to us," she cried gesturing at herself and Sokka, "as our father! You can't just keep putting this stupid war before you family! I…we need you too!"

With a frustrated scream, the livid bender stormed out of the tent and made her way out toward the shore, a concerned Zuko following swiftly after her from his place by the fire.

"Katara?" he queried when he caught up to her, his hand going around her waist and turning her toward him, "Katara what's the matter?" When he saw the trail of tears running down her face he frowned, desperately trying to wipe them all away, "What happened?"

She shook her head and dove into his chest in response, her arms going around him and holding on like her life depended on it. Her quaking shoulders and the wetness on his shirt made him all the more desperate to figure out what had his girlfriend in such a fright.

"Katara, baby, you want to tell me what's up?" His question was gentle and whispered as he placed a kiss atop her head, tightening his hold around her in an attempt to calm the waterbender.

With a deep, shuddering sigh Katara finally pulled her face away from his chest and looked him in the eye, "My…my father wants to split everyone up. He wants to leave again!"

She gripped his shirt tightly, her hands clenched into fists and her knuckles white, "How? How can the man who is supposed to always be there for me, for his children, just up and leave so many times? It's like he doesn't even care about us anymore!"

Zuko stared into her frantic eyes, the desperation he saw there causing his heart to constrict in agony.

"He says that we'll have a better chance if we…if we don't stay together. And I…I can't handle that right now Zuko, I need my father!" She turned her tear stained face toward him, "is that wrong of me? To want my father to myself for once? Especially now when everything we've ever known is falling apart around us?"

Zuko was at a loss for what to say. How could he tell her that, personally, he agreed with Hakoda? What the man was suggesting was in fact the best course of action: it happened all the time in situations like this. When you were outnumbered and on the retreat, you needed to blend in and disappear. And the fewer people you had together, the less likely you were to be caught.

With a sigh, Zuko decided the best approach would be to tell her the truth, "Katara…I know you're going to hate me for this but…but I think your father is right." Before she could rip his head off, Zuko put a calming finger to her lips begging her indulgence, "Hear me out before you kill me Sweetness."

She glared at him for a few more seconds before letting out a resigned huff and nodding.

"In a war when your enemy is bearing down on you and you are forced to retreat, a smaller group is harder to track and less likely to be captured. And in our situation…Katara, the Fire Nation is killing anyone and everyone associated with the Water Tribes. Your father isn't leaving you because he wants to…he's leaving because he has to.

"As the chief of the Southern Water Tribe he's in a better position than we are to travel and gather allies while also giving us a kind of buffer from Azula and my father. If they catch wind of anything, it'll be your father's group they go after and not ours—not his children."

By now fresh tears were running down Katara's cheeks and Zuko quickly gathered her into his arms, "Katara your father is only doing this because he wants to keep you safe. He doesn't want either you or Sokka, or anyone else for that matter, to get hurt."

Here he heard her muffled argument, "B-but we're not kids anymore! We've been on our own for almost a year now and none of us are exactly pushovers!"

Zuko tenderly smoothed her chocolate locks, "Katara your father is doing this because he wants to spare the two of you from anymore hardship than is absolutely necessary. He loves you guys and he's willing to do anything to keep you out of harm's way."

Silence met his statement as the waterbender in his arms tightened her hold on him almost as if she was afraid she was going to lose him too.

"I love you Katara and I'll be by your side wherever you go, ok? So long as I live I swear to you that you'll never find yourself alone, I promise." When she finally pulled away from his chest, her eyes still held tears, but they were no longer falling.

"Ok. And I love you too Zuko." She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for an urgent kiss, pouring her whole being into this one brief moment.

A throat cleared behind them and the pair broke apart to see Hakoda and Sokka standing with arms crossed and, in the younger warrior's case, shifting around awkwardly.

The water tribe chieftain started forward, "Katara—"

Whatever he was going to say was cut off as the waterbender flung herself onto him, hugging him with all her might. "I'm sorry dad, I'm not trying to be difficult I just…I just don't want to lose you!"

Hakoda was taken aback at his daughter's complete turn around. He shot a grateful smile over her shoulder at Zuko before he squeezed his daughter back and then pulled his son into a group hug.

Zuko watched the scene with a feeling of longing; sometimes he really wished his father had been one of the kind and loving parents that he had met on his travels or that his Uncle was here right now. He swallowed thickly and turned away giving the family their privacy.

He made it a few dunes over when he felt a pair of small arms wrap around his neck and two feet wind their way over his waist.

Dirty feet.

"Don't worry Sparky, you know Sugar Queen loves you. Besides, who needs their group hugs when you've got one from the greatest earthbender in the world?" Toph's chipper attitude was contagious and in seconds Zuko's gloomy face had a genuine smile on it.

"Come here Short Round," Zuko laughed as he pulled the small girl into his arms, "I can't hug you properly if you're hanging off my back now can I?"

"Nope, I guess not Higness!"

In a flash, Zuko had her by her sides and began tickling her mercilessly.

"AAHH! NO! Z-Zuko stop! I—haha…I don't, I don't like…haha…being TICKLED!"

The firebender paid no heed and continued his onslaught on the small earth kingdom noble eliciting shrieks of laughter, all the while wearing a devilish smirk on his face.

"Z-Zuko s-stop! I c-c-can't breathe!" Toph managed to squeak out in between fits of laughter, tears of mirth streaming out of her milky eyes and a bright grin on her face.

The prince chuckled loudly as he paused momentarily, "Not until you admit defeat Small Fry! Who's the master?"

"N-never! I'll never say it Princess! I'll never give in!" Toph wheezed out, desperately trying to fight her way out of Zuko's grasp.

"Hmm…your powers are great and you won't submit easily. I can fix that!" And once again Zuko's fingers flew all over Toph's sides and belly, easily garnering more squeals from the girl.

"Okay, okay I…I give! You win!" Toph managed, her breathing ragged and face flushed from all the laughing she had been doing, "You beat me today Sparky, but I swear I will have my vengeance upon you!"

Zuko let out another laugh at Toph's expense, "Yeah yeah Shorty whatever. I know you're all bark and no bite!"

The earth bender scowled, "All bark huh? I'll show you all bark Sparkles!" Before the prince could stop her she flicked the ground beneath her and a small column of earth shot up and caught Zuko right in the groin immediately bringing the warrior to the floor, "How's that for bite?"

"That…that's good." Zuko squeaked out, his voice not quite up to its usual gruff standards, "Remind me to…to n-never misjudge you again, ok? For my sake and the sake of any future children I might have."

"You got it Princy," Toph assured, before offering him a hand up, a satisfied smirk on her face, "besides, I think Sugar Queen'd be pretty upset if I killed off the father of her unborn child."

Zuko, who had been cleaning the dust off himself, froze.

"W-what did you say?"

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A/N: So we had some more sibling!bonding going on here with a bit of Water Tribe drama and some more Zutara sprinkles on top! Oh yeah...and Toph's revelation at the end of the chapter.

As always, I am open to your opinions and completely encourage any and all reviews! You guys rock and I really hope you enjoyed this one! Until next time!

-HakushoRurouni