It was fortunate for me that Katara was still unconscious by the time I arrived back at the small camp. I quickly ground the leaves and flowers up, then poured them into a teapot of fresh water Aang gave me. Within a minute or two, I had created a soothing tea that would help her sleep for a few hours. I poured a small cup of it for myself, warming my hands around it and trying not to shudder in disgust.

"Is something wrong, Z?" asked Sokka, startling me out of my thoughts. I shook my head slowly, saying nothing. "You seem different. Did something happen to you in the forest?"

"I found Zuko."
"Why is that special? He's probably looking for us. That guy just won't give up-"

"I almost killed him. But I didn't." Sokka smiled.
"That's great! I mean, wait, that's not what I meant," he corrected himself, remembering the consequences of failure.

"I tried. But if I had killed him, I would never forgive myself. Hurting an innocent person is unforgivable enough. But hurting one and killing another warrants death as far as I'm concerned." I took a long, slow sip of the tea, enjoying its fragrant warmth and natural flavor.

"I don't know if you noticed, but Zuko's not exactly innocent." I stared at him emotionlessly. It was better than anger right now. Angry ninjas are dangerous.

"You may think that from what you see, but it is untrue. I have another power only I can use. By looking into someone's eyes, I can read their memories and emotions. Zuko has had a very tortured life for only sixteen years of it. Banished, unwanted, on a desperate search for the Avatar," I said, glancing over at Aang. He was asleep and appeared to be dreaming about food. Katara lay motionless, but I noticed a small silver glow near her injury.

"What is that?" I asked Sokka quietly, trying not to wake them up.

"Oh, that's Katara's healing powers. She's a Waterbender, and she can heal herself. Her powers kind of run rampant when she's asleep, though." I nodded once, closing my eyes.

"As I was saying, Zuko is not the terrible person you might think. Judging by his memories, Iroh is the only person who cares about him. His own father gave him the scar." Sokka's eyes widened.

"I thought it was just some kind of an accident." I took another sip of the tea.

"It was no accident. Zuko spoke out against a military leader and ended up challenging his father to a fire duel, an Agni Kai. He didn't know it at the time. When he refused to fight, his father burned him. His words will haunt me forever… 'You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher.'…How horrible." A single tear slid down my face, something else I didn't expect. This day was full of surprises.

"If I do not kill Zuko, I will die. But I cannot kill an innocent person, or I will also die. Even if the Order does not consider him innocent, I do, and it's difficult living with that kind of guilt."

"Well, if Zuko's not as bad as we thought, then maybe you can just explain it to them and you won't have to make a decision." I shook my head.

"It is not that simple. One does not challenge the authority of the Order. Besides, I have already harmed your sister. That will not aid my reputation."

"Let Aang, Katara and I tell them what happened. We've gotten pretty good at storytelling." He stopped, thinking. "I thought you said we weren't supposed to talk about this because of other ninjas."

"There are none nearby. I am surprised, yet pleased. This makes things much easier." He decided to take my word for it and went back to watching his sister. I stared into the darkness for a long time after the fire had burned low and they were all asleep. I felt the pull of nature and its pure darkness call out to me in its half-whispering voice, trying to bring me back to where I truly belonged. Night has a tranquil allure to me that way. Yet I felt a new, strange force binding me to the ground where I stood: it was friendship.

A silver flash appeared among the trees. It was Cyra, no doubt. That girl's eyes were infamous for their unusual color. Cyra herself was not too unusual as far as ninjas go. She followed the code very strictly, something to be expected of all of us. Some people break more rules than others, though. I could see her. She was sitting in a tree, staring at me with those cold eyes and silently asking me to leave. I shook my head, knowing she saw. She was gone a second later. I crept away and climbed into a nearby tree, lying back against the trunk to sleep. I was human, if only a little.