A/N: Hello! Thanks again for all the support. Laser Lance 720 had a suggestion that I should make the chapters longer. After reading that, I completely agreed. So, this chapter and all future chapters will be longer than the first few. Chapter four will be the longest we have so far. Also, I couldn't find a way for Aang to break up with Katara without him being really OOC, so I just had him piss Katara off before he left. Note: Aang did not mean to take everything with him, he was just absent minded. Which isn't too OOC. Anyway, enjoy :)

Chapter Three

"I can't believe that jerk!" Katara fumed, stomping. "It's one thing to leave me to help my people, but it's another to take all of our stuff with him! What kind of logic is that?"

Zuko had his head in his knees, and leaned against the wall. Katara knew that Zuko was only half-listening; he had a bad habit of disappearing into his own dark little world. Still, it was nice to pretend that he was. But after the last sentence fully sunk in, he lifted his head up and looked at her.

"Wait, did you say he took all of your stuff? As in you have nothing?"

Bitterness was laced in her voice. "Yes. Now I'm stuck at The Talking Dragon Hotel."

It was the only hotel Katara could afford anywhere near the Palace after Aang took what had been"The Community Funds" back when Team Avatar had been off saving the world. The establishment did not have a reputation for being tidy or pleasant. Katara's room was a prime example. Her window was broken, the walls were filthy, and the entire room spelled like old smoke. By the expression on Zuko's face, Katara knew that he also did not find the hotel appealing. His nose was crinkled in disgust at the mention of its name.

"The Talking Dragon? Katara, that's one of the worst hotels in town. You're lucky you weren't impaled on your first night," Zuko told her.

She rolled her eyes. "I know."

"You're staying with me in The Palace."

The way he said it surprised Katara. There was not a moment of hesitation. Judging by his tone, there was also no implied conditions. She eyed her friend curiously. Zuko could be fickle, harsh, and reclusive. Yet sometimes, The Fire Lord could be quite sweet. She wasn't sure how react to his generosity, or whether to accept it.

"I don't know how to thank you," Katara told him. Her eyes shone like a thousand stars.

"Then don't. You would've done the same if the roles were reversed," Zuko responded.

Their chat was touching. They were never going to get anywhere if all they did was talk, though. The room they were in—the royal training room—was suited for sparring, not complaining. In fact, it was designed to be ideal for firebending training. Zuko had designed it himself. It was a spacious room, with an abundance of mirrors. Whatever move you made, you could see from every angle. Or whatever mistake you made. The floor was padded, so if you fell you wouldn't get hurt. Much. Dummies were also present, in case you didn't have a partner. This room was not meant for holding your anger in. It was meant for taking it out. Zuko seemed to know this well. He stood up.

"You said you were angry earlier. Why don't you use your anger as fuel?" Zuko suggested, referring to her complaint about Aang.

"I thought fire wasn't the element of anger," Katara argued, quoting an earlier argument. Zuko was always defending his element, saying it wasn't as destructive as people portrayed it. Sometimes, Katara agreed with him. Others, she refused to see it any other way.

"It's not," Zuko allowed, "it's the element of power and energy. It's also the element of ambition. Or as I like to call it, desire." The way he said the word desire sent shivers down her spine. It was an unfamiliar feeling.

Katara nodded, enthralled, and Zuko continued, "Often, anger can be closely linked to ambition. All you need is a drive."

The Fire Lord smirked, as if he had said the cleverest thing in the world. Katara rolled her eyes. He had probably planned than line out, trying to imitate his Uncle's wisdom. Or perhaps he just wanted to lighten the mood a bit.

"Okay, hothead, where do we begin?"

"Breathing."

Katara raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Breathing?"

"It's the most important thing about firebending."

She snickered at him in disbelief. "I think I know how to breathe, Zuko. How else would I be alive?"

His facial expression darkened. It reminded Katara of the sun retreating into the clouds, leaving the world in darkness. He took a few steps closer, as if he was going to splash water on Katara's face with his new found ability. She flinched; preparing to be dowsed in water. But he never struck. In fact, now that Katara could see his face clearly, he did not look mildly annoyed. Zuko appeared serene. He stood in front of her, as if he was listening to something. Katara blinked.

"You're wrong. Your breathing is shallow, weak, and far too frequent. If you were firebending right now, you'd fail miserably. Also, you lack discipline. "

"We'll see about that," Katara hissed back, clearly insulted.

Putting her pride before logic, Katara challenged Zuko's keen observation. He may have been a master firebender—emphasis on have been—but he had underestimated her. With a determined scowl, she tried to remember what stance Zuko always took. She thrust her left hand forward, sharply. But instead of going forward, the flames launched themselves backwards, heading towards Katara's face. She panicked, tripped, and fell.

Instead of hitting the ground, she found herself in strong, capable arms. "You sure showed me. Why don't you sit down and we'll work on some breathing exercises before you get seriously burned? "

Disgusted, she broke away from him. She was scared, that's all. That's what had thrown off her aim horrendously. She tried again. And again. And again. Zuko watched all of her sincere attempts with curious , calculating eyes. Finally, after all her toils, an ember went in the correct direction. However, it wasn't an impressive sight. The flame was probably tinier than Katara's hand. Still, after so many failed attempts, she would of been content if it was the size of a copper piece.

"Ha!" Katara shouted in wonderful victory. "Who's breathing is terrible now, Zuko? Looks like I caught on after all!"

Without warning, Zuko scooped a wooden bucket from the ground, and thoroughly dowsed the firebending novice with water. Dripping wet, Katara pivoted to look at her attacker. Her eyes narrowed with malice. Indifferent, he shrugged and set the bucket back down.

"Hey!" Katara protested.

"Your hair was on fire. That was cute and all, Katara, but if you want to learn firebending, you're going to have to learn how to breathe correctly. We'll meet tomorrow at the same time to work on some basic breathing exercises." He turned to leave, probably to go back to some paperwork left in his office. But Katara stopped him.

"No. Tomorrow you're learning waterbending."

"Katara, I don't think you understand. I'm the Fire Lord. If anyone knows about the…the fiasco…I don't even want to think about the uproar it'll start. There are already people who want my sister on the throne. This will fan the flames."

"The quickest way for you to get out of this situation is to become a master waterbender. I know of a river in a forest not too far from here. It's completely secluded. We'll go at night," Katara insisted.

"I have a really long meeting tomorrow, so I'll be too tired," Zuko lied.

For a moment, Katara was taken aback by how easily she had called his bluff. Zuko was an excellent liar when need be, a skill she deduced he must've learned from his banishment. The lie was just as sugary as honey, and as smooth as silk. No one else would've been able to tell. The connection, Katara realized, with a sudden panic. At this rate, they'd be able to read each other's minds. Katara did not want to know what was in Zuko's tortured mind. But most importantly, she didn't want him to know what was in hers.

"Then two days from tomorrow," Katara bargained, "or whenever you want. But you're going to have to learn."

At this statement, the blood drained from the Fire Lord's face, leaving him even more pale than usual. Just like Katara, Zuko wasn't quite prepared for the daunting task ahead of the them. Katara almost laughed at the irony of him teasing Katara for her skills in his element, and then backing down from learning her own. The cornered look on the high and mighty ruler of the Fire Nation was almost comical. Keyword: Almost.

It would've been funny if his learning waterbending wasn't absolutely vital to the both of them.

OoOoO

Zuko spent a lot of time on Katara's room. Unlike any other room in the palace, all of the curtains, rugs, and sheets were in various shades of blue. He had hoped that the color would make her feel more at home. Once, in passing, Katara had told Zuko that gazing up at the moon during her slumber always made her feel like she was protected. So he had her bed turned to face a large window so that she could properly moon gaze. He had even placed fire lilies in her room; a well-known fire nation gesture of kindness was to give someone fire lilies. But the final thing that he had done was to place her room on the opposite end of the hall than his own.

"Here's your room," Zuko narrated, after leading Katara to her room.

She gingerly stroked the cyan of her sheets. "Wow, Zuko, this is..."

"Too much?" Zuko asked, a little hurt. Out of all of Team Avatar, it was her opinion that mattered the most to him.

She shook her head. "Perfect. I can't believe you went out of your way to do this for me." Zuko heard her words, and knew that they were true.

"It's nothing."

Katara pursed her lips, as if she was going to give him another lecture about his self-esteem. He could never say anything that she considered "self-devaluing" without her protest. But then, smiling at the fire lilies, she seemed to forget about talking to him about that topic. Which in Zuko's mind, was more than alright. If she made him repeat affirmations again, he might just dive in the pond out back. Being angst-y was who he was; why try to change it?

"Zuko, I want to talk to you about something," she said, and then sat on her bed.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Us."

A feeling of dread washed over Zuko. He looked away, his cheeks flushing red. "I don't know what you mean by that," he fibbed.

"Yes. Yes you do. Whatever connection we have gives us the ability to tell whether the other is lying. It took me a while to notice. I can't lie to you, and you can't lie to me either. We might as well be honest with each other."

Slowly, Zuko nodded. Katara was right, it was best to be truthful. He hung his head in shame. "You're right."

"There may be other...interesting qualities of this connection that may happen over time."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm saying that I am with Aang. And whatever you may feel for me..."

The Fire Lord glared at her. "Though Mai and I are no longer together, I still love her."

Somehow, his statement offended Katara. Her facial expression was both irritated and even a little sad. She crossed her arms, closing herself off to him. Her behavior was a mystery to Zuko. Didn't she want him not to want her? What had he said wrong? Women, Zuko inwardly scoffed. He would never completely understand them. And to think he had thought Mai was difficult.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well luckily for you, Mr. Stud, I don't have feelings for you either," she grumbled.

That's when it hit him. Was...was Katara lying? Zuko began to feel uncomfortable. Her statement had triggered a strong feeling inside of him; there was something amiss with her words. But that couldn't have been true. Katara promised; neither of the were going to lie to one another. He trusted her. Perhaps he had imagined the feeling. It was, after all, getting late. And he was tired from all of his duties as a Fire Lord. Whatever connection they shared was one-sided. At least that's what Zuko hoped.

"That's good, isn't it?" Zuko demanded.

"Of course!" Katara snapped.

"Then why are you yelling at me?"

When Katara spoke again, her voice was much quieter. "I don't know. I guess I'm still frustrated from firebending earlier today."

Zuko ran his fingers through his raven hair. "A lot happened today."

"I'm tired," Katara voiced.

"I'm exhausted myself. I guess I should go."

"Okay. See you two days from now, for waterbending practice?"

Zuko flinched. He still hadn't mentally prepared himself for waterbending practice. "Unfortunately. Hope you have a nice night."

He closed the door, and sighed. There was certainly something wrong between them. The only problem was that Zuko had no idea how to fix it.