A/N: Finally!!!!!

"Zuko, you can't all sleep in my tea room." Iroh whispered as he and his nephew slipped into said room carrying blankets, "The council will think it highly inappropriate."

"The council will never know." Zuko laid a blanket over Toph before moving to Aang's sleeping form and gently prying the boys glider from his hands, "Besides the guards all think they are stationed outside of occupied bedrooms. It's better if no one knows where we really are in case there is another attack. I mean, what if we were attacked because they recognized the Avatar? What if it wasn't me they were after but them?" Zuko gestured towards the sleeping siblings.

It had been bothering him greatly to think that as soon as they were far enough away from the Water Tribe siblings the people they had been after simply disappeared. They had gone without so much as a fight and yet Katara and Sokka had been in a very real fight.

"Perhaps you are right." Iroh brushed hair away from Katara's face, "But whoever was after them got quite a surprise I'm sure."

Zuko couldn't help the smile he felt pull at his lips. Katara had come a long way in her bending since the first time he met her and in such a short time. She truly was a Master Water Bender and one of the kindest people he had ever known.

Zuko watched Katara sleep as he thought. No one knew that his friends weren't in their rooms aside from him and his uncle. If anything happened that night he hoped they would be safe. He knew Toph would notice anything out of the ordinary and be the first one ready to fight and it made it easier for him to rest.

He caught his uncle looking at him out of the corner of his eye and he blushed, realizing he'd been staring at the sleeping water bender.

"Stop smiling." he snapped, his face hot, "I was thinking and not about her." not this time, he corrected silently.

"Of course not." Iroh's smile grew, "Next you are going to tell me that your relaxed attitude has nothing to do with the amount of time you've been spending with her."

"It's late, Uncle." Zuko turned and looked out the only window at the moon in the sky, "You should get some rest."

In the back of his mind he was once again happy that he had chosen this room for them to stay in. With one small window and two exits this room was meant to be private and used only by the royals. Scones lined the walls and with a thought he was able to keep the light low. No one would look at this room twice.

Zuko had trouble keeping his eyes open as he walked with Toph and Katara to the healing rooms. Aang and Sokka had gone with Iroh to check on the farms they never made it to the day before. They needed to know that the people there were alive and whether or not their attackers had left any signs of their existence behind.

None of them believed they would find anything on the strange archers but as far as sticking together and feeling useful went, Aang and Sokka both felt the need to return to where the water tribe siblings had been injured.

Zuko himself had sent out a letter. He needed help and he knew where he needed it from. He was Fire Lord after all and expected to do everything to keep his people safe. So that's what he was planning on doing. Now all he had to do was survive the next few days with females who walked a head of him.

Katara, though still tired and bit pale was determined to at least check in with the fire nation healers and speak with those who had seen the archers. Zuko had already spoken to the three men who had tried to fight. Their information was no better than his own. He'd told Katara as much but she still wanted to see the men and the one small wound that had been inflicted on one of them.

He stood by the doors and watched everything that went on around him. He saw how the healers tended to look to Katara when they weren't sure about certain wounds or their treatment. At first he was worried that his healers had no idea what they were doing but then he saw that Katara handled things differently then the others. Where his nation took to cleaning wounds with harsh herbs and salts Katara used warmed waters mixed with small bits of honey and soothing herbs.

Where fire burned water soothed. There was nothing harsh about Katara's actions and even the ugliest of wounds were healed with as little pain as possible.

He continued to watch from a distance. He noticed everything she did differently and how the people around her worked with her without question even when Toph got bored and started to wonder out loud if she should change Katara's nickname.

"I really like Sugar Queen." the blind girl plopped down in an empty seat and propped her feet up on a table, "Sweetness is a good one too. Maybe I should call you something more fitting............" Zuko saw Katara raise en eye brow at her friend before continuing with the sprained knee she was looking over.

"I got it!" Toph said loudly enough to disturb the patients resting in the next room, "I'm gonna call you Queenie!"

"Cause that's so different from Sugar Queen." Katara snorted, wrapping the knee in salve before smiling up at it's owner, "Just rest it for a few days. It will heal well on it's own as long as you don't push it."

"Are you done yet?" Toph sighed.

"We're suppose to stay together." Katara rinsed the bowls she'd been using to hold salves and rags.

"Yeah but the others just got back and I want to teach Aang a move I was thinking about last night."

"Are you sure they're back already?" Zuko asked, speaking for the frist time in over an hour.

"Of course we're back." Sokka said from right behind him, "We've been back for a few minutes. We were looking for you guys."

"Well here we are." Katara gave them a small wave just as Toph took Aang by the arm and led him out before he'd really even set foot in the room.

"What was that about?" Iroh asked, watching them go.

"Toph thought up a new move." Zuko answered and wondered if he should also inform them that Katara had been renamed.

"There was nothing to see." Sokka said when Zuko looked his way, "Just my blood stains in the dirt and a part of Katara's shirt."

"I didn't think there'd be anything." Zuko stepped out by Iroh and into the bright sunlight, "What about the farms?"

"Aang went ahead on his glider and spoke to the farmers. They saw nothing out of the ordinary yesterday." Iroh folded his arms across his stomach and looked up at the sky, "I think a storm is coming."

"The sky is clear." Sokka pointed out like no one else had seen it.

Katara just shook her head and asked about lunch knowing Sokka would focus on that in a heart beat.

"OH! we should have the flaky puff things with the fruit in them!" Sokka sounded far more excited than normal for food. Their walk must have made him hungry. Either that or he just didn't want to talk about storms and strange attackers anymore.

No one was surprised when Sokka followed Iroh to the kitchens.

"So spill it!" Katara turned on Zuko as soon the other two were out of sight.

"What?" Zuko took a step back from her looking startled.

"You were watching my every move! So say it. What did I do wrong?" she poked him in the chest, avoiding the scar.

"Um, nothing?" Zuko took another step back and another but she followed him until he bumped into the wall.

"Then why were you staring?"

"I was just watching you." he admitted, "I've never seen you heal you anyone outside of the group. Besides I was making sure you were ok." he pointed at her belly and she smiled.

"Look." she tugged her shirt up to show him the smooth skin just above her belly button. There was no sign there had ever been a wound there at all, "I finished healing it this morning. See? I'm fine."

"You didn't look so fine yesterday. I was worried." he smoothed his thumb over the place where he knew the cut had been, his eyes turning up towards her to ask her if she wanted to wait to heal him later but he words stopped short when he saw how red her cheeks had become.

"Lunch is ready-" Zuko froze, his hand on Katara's stomach as Sokka's jaw hit the floor.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY SISTER!"

"It's not what you think." Zuko backed into the wall again as he tried to put distance between him and Katara.

His face felt very warm and it had nothing to do with the sun.

"Zuko was worried about me." Katara turned to face her brother with her hands on her hips. She wasn't backing down even if her cheeks were still burning, "I was showing him that I had healed my stomach."

"Oh, sure it's healed so now he has to touch it?!" Sokka all but yelled, pushing his way to stand in front of his sister, "Don't you ever touch her again!"

"Sokka!" Katara punched her brother's arm, "You are not my protector! You can't just go around telling every male friend I ever make not to touch me."

"I can and I will!" Sokka turned back to Zuko, "That was your plan along, wasn't it? Get me to go with Iroh to get food so you could be alone with my sister."

"Sokka, I was the one that asked about lunch. Not Zuko." Katara rolled her eyes, "You're being an idiot."

"So it was your idea to be alone with him?"

"Sokka!" Katara fumed for a moment before turning and stomping away, "You are such an idiot! I can't believe I'm related to you!"

Zuko held up a hand to cut Sokka off before he could say anything, "I agree with her. How are you two even related?"

Lunch was uncomfortable to say the least.

Sokka sat glaring at Zuko while Zuko glared down at his food. Katara stared at the ground while Aang looked around at each of them before looking at Iroh who would just shrug.

After awhile Aang noticed that Sokka was the one who was to watch. The older boy kept muttering to himself in between glares and his face grew steadily redder.

"I should kill you or challenge you in a duel or something." Sokka said out loud at last, "It's the least I can do to protect my sisters dignity."

"What?!" Toph shouted.

Aang was speechless but it seemed both Iroh and Toph had quickly come to the same disturbing conclusion that he had.

"Zuko what have you done?" Iroh was asking, looking pale, "There is protocol for these types of things."

"Please tell me I'm not the only one who isn't entirely surprised by this." Toph laughed.

Aang felt as though he was sinking.

"Sokka!" Katara pinched her brother hard, "All he did was touch me!"

Iroh's face went red and Zuko hurried to add, "I was just worried about the wound. It's not like it was a big deal. I mean, she's even hugged me before and you didn't seem to care."

"But she hugs everyone!" Sokka pointed at Zuko dangerously, "You are the one who isn't all touchy. So why touch when you could plainly see there was no scar?"

Katara snorted and Aang felt himself relax as Toph laughed next to him.

"Sokka you're blowing this up into something it isn't." the blind girl smiled up at the sky, "It's not like you caught them kissing."

Katara and Zuko met each others gaze and blushed. Both had thought of the night he had kissed her forehead. It wasn't what Toph had been talking about but it had been a kiss, right?

"Why did you both just turn red?!" Sokka was on his feet and growling, "If you've touched her in any way!"

"You're being ridiculous." Zuko stood quickly, more than half his lunch was still on his plate "I've papers I need to get to."

He turned and walked away, leaving a sputtering Sokka behind.

"Katara did he really kiss you?" Aang forced himself to ask. He hated the fact that his voice broke when she looked at him.

"The other night when I was sick he kissed my forehead." she shrugged, trying to act cool even as her cheek grew warmer, "Just a friend taking care of a friend, right?"

"Just don't let it happen again!" Sokka was now pointing at Katara.

"Excuse me?" she glared up at him before grabbing his finger and pulling him down to her level, "But I don't remember ever having made you my boss. You can't tell me what to do Sokka."

"But this is Zuko we're talking about!" Sokka didn't look as fierce as before. It may have had something to do with the fact the he was now kneeing in the dessert.

"So what if it is Zuko. It's none of your business."

Everyone was staring at her when she realized what she'd said.

"I'm not saying I like him or anything. I just don't like other people controling my life." red faced and feeling a bit stupid, she ran out of the garden and to her room.

What had she been thinking. If someone had over heard her they would have thought she was confessing to liking the Fire Lord. That would just be complete insanity. Her and Zuko?! That would never happen. It would never work.

So why was she still blushing?

Sokka was on the verge of going after his sister. She had to have lost her mind if she thought he was ok with the fact that she was getting way too comfortable around their ex enemy.

But Toph stop him dead with a quiet question that wasn't even directed at him.

"Aang? You ok, Twinkle Toes?" Aang nodded and the realizing what he'd done said he was fine.

"It's not like there's anything there anyways." Sokka sat down, trying to give off a confident vibe as he elbowed his friend, "She's just being silly." he tried to discreetly wipe away the cake stuck to his knee.

"No, she's not." Aang looked down at his hands and then back at Sokka, his large eyes were clear and serious, "I'm ok. I mean, if she does like him then there's nothing we can do about it. It could be worse. She could like Haru."

Sokka's disgusted face made Aang grin for a second. His chest was hurting too much to actually smile.

He'd been told once that he would have to let go of his feelings of love to become what he was meant to be. He had saved the world once already and he was only twelve. He had thought that from there on out things would bbe easier and his work less.

He was seeing now that that was probably wrong. Maybe it would be good if Katara was elsewhere and with someone he knew would protect her. Not that she really needed it but he was allowed to worry.

Sokka let out a surprised shriek as the young avatar jumped straight up into the air and took off on his glider.

"I guess he's not as ok as he said." Toph tipped her head back as if she was trying to watch Aang fly away, "But he'll be back."

It was hours later and nearly sunset when Zuko found himself standing below the balcony that would lead to Katara's room. He'd been avoiding his uncle and all the annoying remarks the old man had started making about treaties and world peace found through love. It had taken all of his will power not to throw at ball of fire at the old man's head.

Everyone was assuming things when he himself had no idea what he was thinking or feeling. It wasn't fair. His love life was the talk of the palace and yet, in reality it didn't even exist.

Yet.

Zuko shook his head before gracefully hoisting himself up and onto the balcony rail. He tapped on the glass twice as he looked around to be the sure the old fool was nowhere in sight. Zuko would never hear the end of it if he was caught sneaking into Katara's room.

Wait, who said he was sneaking? Just because he was trying to not be seen by half the palace staff and his own guests did not mean he was sneaking.

The door opened and Zuko quickly slid in past Katara and shut the door as gently and quickly as he could.

Ok, maybe he was sneaking but only a little bit.

"What are you doing?" she had her arms crossed and an eye brow raised.

"Avoiding Uncle." he said truthfully, "I've been changing my location every so often to stay ahead of him. He's driving me crazy."

That was a little more truth than he had meant to share.

"I kicked Sokka out of my room about an hour ago. He said Aang ran off and it was my fault. He didn't like me much when I pointed out the fact that he was the one who couldn't keep his mouth shut." she walked across the room, seating herself on the edge of her bed, "He gets so annoying when he thinks he right about something."

"You may be even more annoyed with him by the time the sun rises in the morning." Zuko sighed, he might as well tell her they were the hot topic of gossip in the palace and probably the city by now. He hated having guards around all the time. Those men were worse than old ladies when it cam to gossiping.

"What?" Katara was standing suddenly, looking very faint, "They think we're a couple?"

"From what I heard when I walked down to the kitchens I somehow stole you away from the Avatar and we've been hiding our love for months from those around us." he wanted to make light of it by smiling but his face was hot and he had forgotten how to work his facial muscles into a smile.

"I need to sit down." She missed the bed and ended up flopping down on the floor looking very surprised, "What does all this mean for you? I mean, I'm a nobody to most of the people but you're their leader. Won't someone try to make this into something bad?"

"O, I'm sure someone already thought of that." Zuko debated for moment on what he should do. He felt silly standing while she sat on the floor looking lost, "But Uncle already thought of everything. He's going to talk to the council tomorrow and tell them it is only gossip." Zuko sat next to her on the floor, his back against her bed, "Now we just hope they believe that."

They were silent and later Zuko wondered what would have happened if they hadn't heard the sound of running feet before the room went black around them.

On reflex Zuko grabbed Katara and rolled them both under the bed seconds before the glass doors exploded inward, showering the room in sharp shiny rain.

The lamps had gone out before the attack and in the silence that followed the shattering glass only one thing went through the Fire Lord's mind.

Fire Benders.

"Stay here." Zuko whispered close to Katara's ear, hoping she was the only on who heard him. He slid her water skin closer to her and pointed at his eyes before pointing to her and then back out into the floor. They could barely see anything past the bed skirts but he was telling her to be watchful.

He crawled backwards, slipping out on the other side of the bed and made his way stealthily towards the shattered doors. He saw shapes on the roofs and in the gardens but he also saw an orange blur taking out the ones foolish enough to run at him. Guards were taking on those in the gardens so Zuko turned his attention to the hallways. Katara's door has been locked against Sokka and when he pulled it open he saw the boy running towards him.

"Katara?" Sokka asked, out of breath.

"I'm here." Katara stepped out behind Zuko, keeping an eye on the hole in her room where someone could enter at any moment.

Zuko seemed to realize the same thing as he nodded to Sokka, "We gotta move. Where are the others?"

"Out there." Sokka pointed to the garden, "Toph and Iroh ran most of the them off just after the windows blew on this side."

Katara slipped past them and ran out to join the others. Zuko had the urge to call her back, to keep her away from the fighting but held his tongue. She wouldn't listen to him anyways. So instead he took off after her, determined to have a part in this battle unlike the other one.

But he had missed the fighting once again. The garden walls were coated in thick ice and here and there he could see lumps where their attackers were stuck inside the ice. Only their heads were uncovered. And in the middle of it stood Katara, arms out and hands stretched upward.

Above her in the sky the full moon was just rising.

Katara looked at him over her shoulder and smiled. It was then, while he was smiling back that the first shout went out among the guards. The attackers' heads were slumping forward one by one.

"Their hearts have stopped!" Toph yelled as Katara dropped the ice wall.

Sokka caught his sister by the arm, stopping her from running over to the bodies as they fell the ground. For being held in ice there was suddenly a lot of blood on them.

"Damn it!" Zuko shot Fire in the to sky and turned to his Uncle, "They used Core Fire."

"Fire Benders." Iroh said slowly, looking down at one of the dead men, "Who would have taught them such a thing? To kill one's internal fire....their source of bending, their source of life... They just ripped it out."

"But they couldn't move. I pinned their arms and made sure they couldn't move." Katara felt like she was goingh throw up on the spot.

"It's an old technique." Iroh said calmly, "None of us could have known that they would go this far to keep a secret."

"A secret?" Aang asked, looking the bodies over, "They died for a secret?"

"Killed themselves over it." Zuko left orders for everything to be cleaned up before herding everyone inside, "Someone really doesn't want us to know who they are."

"I would say not." Toph took Iroh's sleeve and asked about their rooms.

Katara, Toph and Sokka had had their rooms on the side of the building where all the windows had been shattered.

"We will have to everyone into Aang's room and my own. I don't feel it's safe for us to be separated." Zuko sighed. If things kept on going on like this they would never again have any privacy. And he knew they couldn't keep using the tea room.

He hated to admit it but at the moment there was nothing he could do to fix the current problem. That didn't mean he hadn't sent trackers out and added guards to the walls.

The letter he had sent out couldn't reach it's destination soon enough in his opinion.

A/N: A little choppy I know but this took me forever to write. Hope it's still suitable. Like I'vce said before I hadn't realy planned on this going very far so you'll just have to bear with me. The late chapters and jumpiness is from the million ideas I have for this story.