Avatar the Last Airbender: Wherever You May Be

A/N: Hello again!

Right off the bat I have the answer to question a few of my lovely readers asked about.

Q: Why wasn't Zuko recognized by the soldiers?

A: Its long, sorry!

My decision to have Zuko still rather un-recognized by Fire Nation nationals has stemmed from a few perceived thoughts from the show as well as my own interpretation in what it means to run a nation.

The first thought came from during the time of Zuko's banishment. As most watchers saw, he didn't have the greatest of attitudes during the three years he was at sea. He was driven to find the Avatar and return his honor, so I'm figuring most of that time was spent out on the waters searching. With that conclusion, I could image that when they did dock the ship Zuko didn't want to spend a lot of time immobile. I basically image him standing on the ship impatiently waiting for his crew to return, meaning he would not be generally seen by Earth Nationals. I also believe that he would not spend a lot of time at Fire Nation ports (as seen with the confrontation with Zhao in Season 1 – did he look happy to be there?). I figure any minor damages his ship received were taken care of by the crew at any port they got into and not by the Fire Nation, meaning most of the naval personnel wouldn't have seen him either.

After the loss of his ship, he was in hiding for the majority of Season 2 and I don't think his wanted posters spread as far as Ba Sing Se. This comes from the fact that their wanted posters were never seen, in part by the Dai Lee hiding the war, and the Dai Lee and city garrison didn't recognize Zuko after the fight with Jet, which they would have if they had seen the posters (bad hair or no).

In Season 3, he was presented to the Fire Nation, but these soldiers had already been stationed in the Daiyu Mts so they would have missed it. Also, despite the large assembly size, only a small fraction would have clearly seen Zuko clearly. They deserted almost immediately after Ozai's defeat, so again, never got to see Zuko. Following the end of the war, it is written such that Zuko rarely left the palace while working on reconstructing the Fire Nation (every author gets their opinion!) and I highly doubt he would let any posters with his appearance on it get made (a reverse of what Ozai did, and most likely Azulon and Sozin). Therefore, when he confronted the soldiers, most of them probably didn't recognize him and so many didn't get to see him that if anyone could they didn't get the chance!

Okay, so it's a long answer, but I was hoping to explain the reasoning better than "He never gets seen by anyone but ministers and servants" and blah blah blah. I am trying to learn from my errors so as I re-proof my chapters I am trying to ask myself if it makes sense from the readers perspective. Sometimes though, you just have to wait later in the story for the answer (if I remember it…).

Also, question: I realize I didn't make Zuko as Sokka-worthy as I wanted, but was the scene where he acted like Sokka okay? I want to make sure I'm getting some of the characters personalities right. Would have worked in a meat joke, but that would have been too random, even for Sokka.

I don't care how cute and cuddly the buffalo yaks looked in the show! If you combine the two animals, it's going to be a freaking big animal large enough to carry two adults through a snow storm! Also, I guess this is going to be rather dull chapter for the first half so I kinda apologize beforehand.

Onwards!

Wherever You May Be

Chapter 4

sSSs

He decided the Spirits just hated him for some reason.

It was probably some type of cosmic payback for the actions of his ancestors during the past 100 years, but sometimes it really just went too far. Less than an hour after they had escaped the group of ex-Fire Nation soldiers from the fortress hidden within the mountains it had started to snow. At first it was fine: the snowflakes were large and fell slowly to the ground. However, it continued to snow harder and soon they were in the middle of a blizzard.

He had a map, but he had lost sight of the mountains through all the snow a while ago and could only hope that they were still headed towards Chengdu. If they got stuck out here they didn't have enough supplies to stay warm or to eat, let alone find a place to get out of the snow. He was able to stay warm enough due to his Breath of Fire, but it was hard to use with someone else and Katara hadn't stopped shivering since he had found her, still prone from where she rested in his arms.

Feeling the buffalo-yak stumble before groaning, Zuko allowed the animal to stop and stiffly got off its back, sinking a foot into the snow. He was sore both from sitting on the animal and the beating he had taken from the soldiers and combined with the cold weather he had felt better physically after being nearly blown up. He laid Katara along its back and walked to the front of the animal, rubbing its chilled nose as he murmured soft words to it. Letting the animal rest for a second since they had been walking for a few good hours since escaping Zuko glanced around, sighing when he only saw white surrounding him.

Reluctantly he started the buffalo-yak forward, knowing they couldn't stay still for long. Helping lead the animal over the ground, Zuko paused when he noticed that the ground suddenly started to head down rather than up. It was the first time it had done so in a while so Zuko urged them forward, hoping Chengdu would be at the bottom when the land flattened out.

He kept his head down to stop the snow from hitting his eyes so he was nearly tossed to the ground when the buffalo-yak suddenly changed directions, his shoulder popping at the sudden shift in direction. Straightening, Zuko glanced at the animal to see it trying to head to their right rather than continue along their original path, nose tipped up as it smelled something. Knowing animals had better instincts Zuko let the buffalo-yak lead them forward for a few minutes before spotting something dark in the distance and Zuko sighed in relief when he could make tell that the object was actually a small building, most likely a small house or hut.

"Thank you, Spirits," he said, looking up at the sky before rushing forward. It turned out to be a small house, but there was a decent size barn behind it as well, the destination of the buffalo-yak who snorted happily as it came to stop in front of the doors. Pushing the doors open, it was a relief to step inside and escape the harsh conditions of the storm. He quickly warmed up his hands before creating a flame, holding it up to glance around. The barn was small, only housing two stalls that were empty, but the loft was loaded with dry hay and Zuko figured the buffalo-yak had smelled it, which in itself was impressive at the distance they had been at and the snowstorm.

Lighting one of the lanterns hanging from a wall hook, Zuko went and removed the bridle from the buffalo-yak before picking up Katara. He would get her help then come back and feed the buffalo-yak, who was already shuffling along the ground eating some of the hay that littered the ground. Closing the door behind him Zuko swore as the cold nearly took his breath away before ducking his head and moving to the house. Going to the front of the hut, Zuko pounded on the door, waiting to hear movement or for the door to open. When he didn't hear anything he stepped back before kicking the door in with a crash, the fragile lock not strong enough to resist the force of the blow.

It was just as miserably cold inside the house as outside and Zuko closed the door behind him before more snow could blow in, his breath visible for an instant before he was plunged into darkness. The few windows to the building had been sealed for the winter so as Zuko headed towards where he had spotted a door that he hoped led to a bedroom he swore as something hit him on his hip, sending him stumbling backwards. Shuffling, he took a few more steps only to growl as he came in contact with a wall rather than the doorway.

"Really?" he asked the universe before shuddering; he was starting to sound like Sokka.

Bracing Katara to free up a hand, Zuko quickly lit the small space, finding the door a good five paces to his left. The object he had hit looked to be a cupboard of some type and he glared at it before actually looking around the room. Across from him a fireplace was set up to be lit and with a flick he sent a small fireball to it, letting the wood catch on fire without blowing it up. In less than a minute the room was visible and Zuko picked Katara up again, walking into the bedroom.

Light from the front room gave him enough visibility to spot the bed and Zuko quickly laid Katara on it. Pulling back her hood, Zuko gently touched her face again, frowning to feel she was still clammy though thankfully the blue tint on her lips had disappeared. Tucking away a loose piece of hair resting on her cheek, Zuko quickly stood up and glanced around the room. There was another fireplace and he quickly lit it as well, soon followed by some candles conveniently placed on a small rough-sawed table next to the bed.

The room only supported the bed, the table, and a small chest which Zuko opened, not having the time to feel guilty about going through someone's possessions. He found a few more blankets there and pulled them out before placing them on the bed next to Katara. He needed to get her warmed up fast to help her fight whatever illness she had, but knew the clothing she was wearing were dirty and now soaked from the hours outside.

Closing his eyes and sending a quick apology to Sokka and Hakoda, Zuko quickly removed the coat from Katara before pausing. Her shivering intensified almost immediately so Zuko sighed and pulled off the rest of her clothing until she was only in her underclothes. Rage raced through him as he saw how thin she had gotten, especially for someone like her who was naturally lean, her ribs clearly visible. Shedding his coat, Zuko quickly pulled off the shirts he was wearing and slipped Katara into the bottom layer, knowing it was the thickest and warmest one.

Tucking her under the blankets already set out on the bed, Zuko warmed up the extra ones with the fire before pilling them on top of Katara. Shivering as goosebumps broke out over his skin, Zuko hastily pulled his remaining shirts back on before shrugging on his coat. He had to feed the buffalo-yak and when he came back he would see what else was in the house.

sSs

"I hate the snow," Zuko muttered as he tried to warm himself up a while later. His pants were soaked through because of the now knee-high snow levels and his teeth wouldn't stop chattering. Warming his hands up with his Breath of Fire, Zuko finally pulled himself away from the fire to browse through the small living area.

Surprisingly he found it well-stocked with root vegetables and preserved fruits and even a large container of tea leaves. Digging deeper he found a small amount of salted meat and sighed. He was too tired to eat, but at least they had food. It looked like they were about to get snowed in with the rate of snowfall and they needed the food. He would try to figure out how to replenish what they ate later.

Running a hand through his hair, Zuko pulled off his coat as he entered the bedroom. Katara hadn't moved since he had left, but from the frown on her face she was far from peaceful. Sighing, Zuko sat on the bed next to her before reaching out and running his hand along her hairline. It was matted due to dirt and sweat and Zuko exhaled before looking at her.

"I'm sorry," he said softly before standing up. Grabbing his bag he pulled out his spare pair of pants before going into the living area to change. Standing in front of the fireplace, Zuko held up his hands and exhaled slowly before inhaling as he stared at the flames. The fire jumped to his hands before disappearing and Zuko shook his hand as he found himself surrounded by darkness. His body raced from the energy from absorbing the fire rather than expending it and he felt his body temperature rise a few degrees higher as a result. It would be a few more minutes until it dipped again, but it was nice to be able to walk around without shivering anymore.

Back in the bedroom Zuko fed that fire a little more before turning to the bed and pausing. There was no way he was going to sleep on an ice-cold floor so before he could think about what he was doing he slipped in next to Katara. The bed was large enough to share between two adults but left little room for extra space and since Zuko knew Katara needed all the warmth she could get right then there was almost no space between them. Snuffing out the candles with a flick of his wrist, Zuko laid down and pulled Katara to him, an arm wrapped around her to give her as much heat as possible since he would be better than the blankets during the night. Slowly her shivers subsided and relieved that he finally had her and had her safe, Zuko quickly fell asleep.

sSs

Lying still, Katara blinked as she tried to figure out where she was. Her arms didn't want to respond to her orders to move and neither did her legs. In fact, everything felt horribly weighed down and her head pounded in time with her heartbeat, causing her eyes to be unable to focus on anything. She was cold and shivering uncontrollably, unable to remember the last time she felt this way after living for years surrounded by snow. Combined with the fact she could feel the thin layer of sweat covering her body even as she shivered, she tried to remember the last time she had been awake to judge how long she had been ill.

Closing her eyes tightly, she opened them to be greeted with the sight of a wood ceiling above her and part of a wooden wall as her eyes finally adjusted to the dim light. Frowning because it wasn't the stone she was use to seeing, Katara tried to sit up only to collapse panting on the bed, her arms unable to support her weight and shaking in bone-deep exhaustion. Hearing something to her right, she tilted her head to stare at the body sleeping next to hers in surprise, her breath catching in her throat.

Zuko, unmistakable with his scar visible even in the poor light, shifted before his eyes opened and he rolled onto his side to look at her. His eyes glowed in the barely lit room and Katara met his gaze before her vision blurred again. A sob shook her entire body and Zuko grabbed her instantly and pulled her into his embrace, murmuring soft words she couldn't hear until she drifted back off to sleep.

sSs

The next time she woke up her vision was clear and her body didn't have the same feeling of lethargic heaviness that it had last time. It still took her a few minutes to remember what happened before shifting to look at the empty bed. Closing her eyes, she buried deeper into the bed, relishing the weight of the blankets before opening her eyes when she heard movement across the room. Looking up, she watched as Zuko walked in to throw some more logs on the fire before turning to find her watching him.

"Hey," he said before moving to sit on the bed. Katara blinked as he reached over and covered her forehead briefly before smiling briefly down at her. "Your temperature is still high, but its dropping, which is good."

Katara just blinked up at him and he frowned at her in confusion.

"Katara?"

"Please say you're real," she whispered hoarsely to him, feeling tears form in her eyes again. She didn't think she could handle it if this was all a hallucination caused by the drug.

"I'm real," Zuko reassured her softly before he glanced behind him. "Do you want something to drink? I have water or tea."

"Water, please," she whispered and Zuko stood up and walked away. Katara closed her eyes again as the tears continued to fall, not even trying to wipe them away as relief swept through her. She jumped when a hand softly touched her shoulder and opened to her eyes, realizing she had started to drift off to sleep again. Zuko helped her sit up before helping her drink the cup of water he held. It would have been sad, she realized, except she didn't think she had the strength to even lift the cup to her lips.

"Are you hungry at all?" Zuko asked once she finished drinking the water. She shook her head and relaxed against him, welcoming the feeling of being safe and protected after having been alone for so long. She protested half-heartedly when Zuko shifted behind her but was asleep by the time she was placed back onto the bed and covered by the blankets.

sSs

She drifted in and out for a few more days before finally opening her eyes and feeling clear headed for the first time in a long time. The fog that had clouded her mind for so long was gone and she realized what had woken her was the smell of food. Her stomach cramped at the smells floating in the air and she sat up, surprised by how easy it was to finally move. Her body still felt heavy and a little weak, but no longer shaky so she happily pushed the comforters away only to freeze and grab them again, pulling them up to her neck. Her face heated up in embarrassment before she peeked under the covers again to confirm what she had just seen.

"Um…Katara?"

Jumping in surprise, Katara removed her head to see Zuko staring at her from the entryway to the bedroom. He was frowning and Katara would have smiled if she wasn't just a little distressed by the situation.

"Zuko, where are my clothes?" she asked, her voice hoarse after not speaking for so long. She tucked the blankets around her tighter knowing all she was wearing were her undergarments under the blanket, ignoring the heat in her cheeks. Across from her Zuko flushed a brilliant shade of red before turning and leaving the room, Katara staring after him confused. She could hear him doing something in the other room before returning and handing her a couple pieces of clothing before leaving again, closing the door after him without a word.

Staring down at the clothing, she only hesitated for a second before quickly pulling them on. She was panting by the time she was finished and she sat on the bed, eyes closed to stop the room from swimming around her. She didn't know if it was an after effect of the drug or being ill, but she was happy to take dizziness over the inability to think coherently.

"Are you okay?" Her eyes snapped open as a warm hand touched her cheek and she found Zuko kneeling in front of her, frowning again. "You didn't hear me knock and you're pale."

"Just a little dizzy," Katara confessed and Zuko nodded before standing and stepping back. Her stomach cramped again and she glanced past him towards the other room. "Is there food? I'm starving."

"Yeah," Zuko told her and Katara stood up, shivering as her bare feet came in contact with the cold floor. Shifting the clothing around her, she stared down at the oversized garments as she tried to secure them. They were black but distinctly Fire Nation in design and combined with their size she figured they belonged to Zuko. The pants were loose and went a good three inches past her feet after rolling the waist up as much as she could and she could easily wrap the long sleeved shirt that fell mid-thigh around her twice. "You're clothing was ruined so I threw them out. Sorry."

Katara nodded without commenting, not able to meet Zuko's eyes. She knew that if he threw her clothes out he was the one that removed them in the first place and she didn't want to even think about that right now. Rubbing one of her feet against the opposite calf to warm it up, she stiffened as she was suddenly lifted off the ground and placed against a warm chest. Heat rushed to her face and she kept her head tilted down as Zuko carried her out of the bedroom and to the living area.

A small table had been set up near the fireplace and Zuko sat Katara down there before going and grabbing a blanket from the room. She wrapped it around her gratefully as the Fire Nation clothing was thin and easily letting in the cold air. Zuko was silent as he quickly dished up two bowls of soup before sitting across from her.

"I have no idea if this tastes good," he told her honestly as he stared down at the bowl. "I haven't cooked food in…years, I think."

"I don't think at this point I care," Katara told him as she took a taste of it. It was a little bland and thin, but she was honest when she said she didn't care. "Oh, Tui, is that meat? I can't remember the last time I had meat."

She nearly cried when she filled up halfway through the soup but knew better than to push it. She had seen from past experiences that people who hadn't had a lot of food for a long period time throw up after eating a lot. Pushing the bowl away from her, she pulled the blanket tighter around her as she finally looked around.

"Where are we?" she asked Zuko before covering a yawn that threatened to escape. Glancing at Zuko she smiled when she saw he had taken her bowl and was eating the rest of her soup as he shrugged.

"I'm not sure," he told her. "We got caught in a snowstorm and just came across this place. It hasn't stopped snowing since we got here over a week ago, so I don't know what's around us."

"Oh," Katara said before yawning again. She felt exhausted and wasn't surprised when Zuko picked her up a few minutes later and brought her back to the bedroom. "I'm getting tired of sleeping all the time."

"It'll stop once you get better," Zuko reminded her as he covered her with blankets again before leaving her alone again. She stared after him before curling up on her side and falling asleep, hugging the pillow that smelled faintly like smoke.

sSs

Moving across the common room sometime later that night, Katara muffled a cry as she stubbed her toes on some unseen object on the floor, covering her mouth as she hissed around the flash of pain. Bending down she grabbed the abused the foot and rubbed the toes until the sting went away, balanced precariously on the uninured foot as she did so all the while muttering softly under her voice. As she straightened a shiver ran through her so she pulled the blanket she carried tighter around her, wishing she was back in the bed. However, she had woken up again to a hungry stomach and hadn't been able to fall back asleep due to it. It was the middle of the night too and since Zuko was sleeping she was trying to be quiet as she went on a search for food, knowing Zuko was a light sleeper.

Finding the soup-pot still hanging in the fireplace, she grinned when she saw it was still full and quickly dished herself up a bowl before going back to the bedroom where the fire would be easier to rekindle to reheat the cold stew. Building up the fire, Katara wrapped the blanket around her as she warmed herself back up as well, the entire hut nearly ice-cold this time of night. She tucked the corners around her bare feet and relished the heat coming from the rekindled fire before sighing happily and watching the fire dance for a few minutes before finally looking at the bed behind her and the bender in it.

Zuko was sleeping on his back with one arm thrown over his head and the other on his chest, his breath steady in sleep. She figured the fire and blankets made it too warm for him because he was sleeping without a shirt and the blankets were pushed down to his waist. His hair was down and was only a few inches longer than when he had been crowned Fire Lord six years ago and tended to fall into his eyes. Combined with the over six-foot frame and sculpted face carrying a few days growth of facial hair, it was rather daunting to see him sleeping in such a confined space.

Turning away as she felt her face heat up she checked the soup to see that it was warm enough to eat and she lightly cupped the bowl that was a little hot. Sipping the broth she smiled when she realized the soup had gained some more flavor from last time and quickly ate the whole bowl to satisfy her stomach. Putting the bowl down she stayed next to the fire, not yet ready to fall asleep and enjoying the near burning warmth it offered.

The rest of her illness seemed to have finally passed with the last sleep session, she decided, reaching up to rub her chest unconsciously. Her body still felt a little weak, but it was to be expected and she knew she would be able to regain her strength easily enough now that she wouldn't be sleeping all the time.

Pulling her knees up to her chest, she rested her head against them as she continued to watch Zuko sleep. Her heart was beating loudly and she was relieved Toph wasn't here because she could just hear the earthbender making all types of comments about it, had heard her make comments about it before. She knew what she felt for the Fire Lord, had known for a long time, and was more than happy to keep it to herself.

Zuko shifted on the bed and Katara blinked as he suddenly sat up, wide awake. She hadn't made a sound so she wondered what had woken him so soundly before noticing him staring down at the empty space where she usually slept. He quickly threw off the covers and stood up, glancing around in what appeared to be worry.

"Zuko?" she asked, straightening from her position. He traced her voice back to her and Katara watched the pinched look on his face disappear as he saw her. His breathing was ragged as he stared down at her and Katara saw him fist up his hands quickly before releasing them as he exhaled loudly. The fire flared briefly next to her and Katara realized he was upset if the fire was reacting to him like that. "What's wrong?"

"You okay?" he asked back and Katara nodded.

"I was just hungry, so I got some soup," she told him, standing up. She shuffled over to him and frowned when she saw him flexing and relaxing his left hand. He was also radiating heat and wouldn't look at her even once she stopped in front of him, a sure sign something was bothering him. "Zuko, what's wrong?"

"Nightmare," Zuko finally said, reaching up to push his hair from his eyes as he stared over her right shoulder. He finally looked at her and Katara met his gaze, feeling her breath catch like it did every time since they had first met. Despite how dark the room was his eyes were bright as they looked at her and Katara blinked before looking away. "I take it you're feeling better?"

"A lot better, thanks Zuko," Katara said before yawning. She huffed, annoyed at the thought that she was tired already before glancing at the bed. The same bed she just realized that they had been sleeping in together since Zuko had rescued her. The only difference was that she was usually asleep or unconscious whenever they actually shared the bed and this time they were both awake. She thanked the fire at her back for hiding the blush rising to her cheek before glancing at Zuko to see him frowning at the bed.

"Um…I'm thirsty," Zuko blurted out and Katara blinked before watching him nearly bolt from the room, leaving her alone. Glancing at the bed then the door way she shrugged, dismissing Zuko's rather odd behavior, before climbing in the bed and arranging the blankets around her. She looked up in surprise when she heard a loud thump followed by Zuko swearing vehemently.

"You alive?" she called and winced when she heard another loud thump followed by more cursing.

"Fine," Zuko muttered once he reappeared in the doorway, rubbing his hip. He looked up to see Katara giggling as she looked at him and he crossed his arms as he leaned against the doorway. "What are you laughing at?"

"How clumsy you are," she told him with a smile. "I forgot how comical it was with you."

"Thanks," he muttered sarcastically before walking over and grabbing the candle Katara had left lit on top of the fireplace. She full out laughed as he scowled at it before blowing it out and banking the fire. She was still laughing as Zuko lay down next to her, all the discomfort that was there a few minutes ago gone. "Go to sleep."

"Fine, ruin my amusement," Katara grumbled as she shifted on the mattress. Even though she knew she was tired she couldn't fall asleep quickly and shifted until Zuko sighed next to her. She gave a small squeak as he suddenly grabbed her and Katara found herself laid alongside Zuko with her head resting on his shoulder, his arm wrapped loosely around her waist. Stiffening in surprise, Katara felt her whole body flush before peaking a glance up at Zuko as her heart pounded in her chest.

"Better?" he murmured, not even looking at her. His breath was slow and regulated and Katara found herself relaxing enough to fall asleep a few minutes later.

sSs

"I need a bath."

Really, it was a simple statement, she reflected a few minutes later as she tried to dry the tea from her clothing in front of the fire. Glancing over at Zuko Katara sighed to see that he was still unable to look at her as he tried to clean up the tea he had spilt everywhere when she had mentioned, casually, that she needed to bathe. Now that she was actually up at regular hours she had realized just how awful she smelled.

And that was with a slightly plugged up nose.

"You are such a dork," she muttered as she wrung out a few more drops of tea.

"Yeah, uh...sorry," Zuko muttered behind her and Katara remembered their time back at the Western Air Temple where all Zuko usually said was 'I'm sorry'. She had enjoyed it more then, too, probably because she had been dry at that point.

"Its fine," she sighed, turning to face him as she pulled the wet clothing away from her body. "But, really Zuko, I smell horrible. I can't believe you slept next to me smelling like this."

"My nose's been plugged up since the snow storm. I can barely smell anything," Zuko told her honestly as he threw out the now cold tea and Katara blinked in surprise. It was a good thing, she decided as she turned back to the fire, leaving it at that. "There isn't a bath tub or anything."

"A few warm buckets of water will be fine," she told him. Her hair bugged her the most: it had gotten so matted that she couldn't even run her hand through it anymore. She watched as Zuko grabbed everything she needed and ten minutes later she closed to the bedroom behind her as Zuko mumbled something about feeding a buffalo-yak.

Knowing Zuko would give her the privacy she would need Katara quickly stripped out of all her clothes and washed herself off. Thank the spirits for firebending, Katara thought, shivering at the thought of washing with cold water. Zuko had provided two buckets of water, both steaming hot, so after she had finished scrubbing she quickly washed her undergarments in the used water, hanging them in front of the fire to dry. It took her several attempts before her hair finally felt clean using the last of the clean water and she wished she still had her shampoo with her to fight the tangles. Braiding the length would help, but she lacked the proper pieces to do it so she would have to find some other way to restrain the cumbersome hair.

Ringing as much water out her hair as she could, she pulled back on her clothing and grabbed a blanket before sitting in front of the fire as she waited for her undergarments to dry. Using the comb Zuko had found Katara slowly worked on removing all the knots from her hair, wincing as she pulled out large strands. It took her nearly an hour until her hair was finally combed through and Katara sighed as she was able to run a hand through her hair without it getting stuck.

By then her undergarments were dry and she quickly pulled them on before pulling back on her clothing. Sitting on the bed, she rolled up the pant legs enough that they wouldn't trip her and secured the shirt as best she could. She would love nothing more than her own clothing to slip back into but was thankful enough that Zuko had given her his, despite their differences in size.

Shivering as the cold slowly crept up her feet, Katara left the bedroom in time to hear Zuko sneeze several times. Frowning, Katara quickly went to stand in front of him, hearing him muttering under his breath as he wiped his nose. His pants were soaked and he was shivering despite how hot the fire was going, something she had never seen the firebender do before.

"You're sick, aren't you." It was a statement, not a question, but Zuko glanced at her before nodding shortly. Katara sighed as she reached up and touched his forehead, trying to figure how bad it was. Firebenders were naturally warm, but Zuko was abnormally hot under her hand and Katara removed her hand after a few seconds. "You need to get out of those wet pants."

"I would, but you're wearing my only other pair," Zuko told her before sneezing again. Nodding, Katara went back to the bedroom and quickly removed her pants. The shirt went down to her thighs at least and she quickly wrapped one of the thinner blankets around her as a make-shift dress before leaving the bedroom.

"Go change," she ordered him, holding up a hand when Zuko started to protest. "Now, Zuko, then get into bed. I'll make tea."

"Do I get a say anyways?"

"No," Katara told him with a smile before pointing to the bedroom before turning to start the tea, dismissing Zuko and any other more protests he might have. While waiting for the tea to seep she could hear Zuko sneeze from the bedroom and she shook her head as she grabbed the two cups in one hand and the small pot with the other. "Men."

Pausing at the door, she thought for a second before softly knocking. She had given Zuko plenty of time to change, but she would rather be safe than sorry.

Opening the door after hearing Zuko reply, she saw him lying on the bed on top of the blankets. At her raised eyebrow, Zuko gave a short shrug before leaning against the pillows tucked behind him. Setting down the tea and cups she quickly poured the warm liquid before going and handing Zuko a cup before climbing over him to sit on the bed next to him with her back resting against the wall.

"Your tea making is better," Zuko commented with a smirk after taking a small sip.

"So is yours," Katara replied in kind, smiling when Zuko frowned at her.

"Uncle never complained about my tea," Zuko told her and Katara snorted.

"Uncle loves you too much to tell you your tea was horrible. You made it for us once, right after the war," Katara reminded him. "Trust me, we didn't drink it. We gave it to the plants when you weren't looking."

"They died shortly after that," Zuko said frowning. "The palace gardener couldn't figure out what happened to them."

Hearing that Katara laughed, wrapping an arm around her stomach. Zuko just frowned at her before turning away to take a sip of tea again though Katara could see him smirk around the cup. Staring at him, she blinked when he suddenly looked over at her, his good eye hidden by the shadows so only his scarred eye was visible. Leaning forward, she reached up and paused when Zuko grabbed her hand before lowering it.

"It's weird to see you with facial hair," Katara commented lightly, trying to calm her beating heart. Zuko's hand was warm around hers and she glanced down at it before looking up, smiling softly as she leaned back, her hand slowly slipping out of his grasp. "Sokka made me promise not to tease him when he started growing out his beard out a few years ago."

"I haven't exactly had the time to shave," Zuko reminded her, reaching up to rub along his jaw. It was short, nothing more than a few days growth, but nowhere near the length that most Fire Nation men generally kept theirs.

"Why haven't you grown it out yet?" Katara asked curiously. In both the Water and Fire Nation it was common for men to grow their hair long and grow beards, so it was odd of Zuko to stay shaven. "You even kept your hair short."

"I have more important things to do than worry about my hair."

"Long hair is a hassle," Katara agreed, sipping her tea again. "I was just thinking about cutting mine."

"Don't," Zuko said quickly and Katara looked at him in surprise. He seemed rather surprised by the comment and looked at the fire rather than meet her gaze, but even in the poor light she could see the sudden flush to his pale skin. "I mean, your hair's nice. You shouldn't cut it."

"Thanks," Katara said before finishing her cup of tea. The two sat in comfortable silence for several minutes until Katara realized Zuko's breathing had evened out. Looking over at the Fire Lord she saw he was sleeping and she smiled before reaching out and taking the cup resting on his lap. Slowly making her way off the bed she grabbed the tea pot before leaving the room, glancing back at Zuko before closing the door.

Going back to the fireplace she settled down at the table, rubbing her cold feet as she poured herself another cup of tea. The fire was strong and as one of the logs suddenly split she looked over her shoulder to sigh softly before closing her eyes.

'I see a powerful bender...'

sSSs

Ending A/N: Again, sorry for the startling dullness of this chapter, but it's a filler chapter and filler chapters are rather lacking in just about everything. I realize I wrote Zuko as being fine, then awkward, then fine, then back to awkward, but it actually fits since neither one of them really knows how to act around each other at this point after the "kiss"; he tempers out, I promise! Just give me a few chapters!

I also just realized how sad it is when you have to use the Google search bar as a spell-checker... very, very sad. And everyone should love me: I could have been drinking after getting up at 5, going to school, then driving for ten hours on my way to Denver for Spring Break but instead I finally finished doing the last read-through on this chapter before posting it. I really wanted that whiskey...

So, enjoy and see you at the end of March for the next chapter, which is Katara's 'flashback'!

Oh, review?

Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon and its creators. I just play in their world.