I got two reviews already, and since I'm so easily excited, I decided to write another chapter squee….that and I'm bored. And to the anonymous Claria, thank you for being my first reviewer! Here, have a cookie! throws cookie at the computer, bounces back and hits the silly girl in her eye CRAP!! I knew that wouldn't work!

Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA….all I have is this busted cookie!

"Zuko! Are you listening?"

The young man jumped and smacked his head against the bottom of the shelf. He cursed and rubbed his head.

"Yes, uncle, of course I'm listening!"

The older man crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow.

"Oh really? Then what did I just say?"

Zuko kept rubbing the back of his head as he looked for an intelligent response.

"You asked me if I was listening."

"No, the one before that."

Zuko felt his mouth opening and closing, searching his memory. "You mentioned something about a priest and a rabbi walking into a…..,"

His uncle waved his hand in the air as a sign of dismissal as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Never mind my young nephew, never mind."

Iroh looked up as Zuko sighed and he furrowed his brow.

"Is something wrong, Zuko?"

Zuko muttered something.

Iroh leaned forward. "What was that?"

"I said my head hurts."

Iroh chuckled as he stepped around Zuko and pulled a towel from the rack behind him. "Yes, you did jump rather quickly while you were listening to me."

As he wrung the water from the towel, Zuko turned to face him.

"There is something else, that's bothering me, uncle."

His uncle nodded. "The incident two nights ago, you mean?"

"Uncle a man was murdered outside our shop! You call that an incident!?"

The wiser man looked up at him, still wringing the towel. "Well, what would you call it?"

Zuko sputtered for words, then gave up.

"That's not the point! I…I just can't….I….,"

Knowing where this was heading from Zuko's previous descriptions of that night, Iroh tried to slightly goad him.

"You just can't what?"

"I CAN'T GET HER OFF MY MIND!!" He exploded as he grabbed at his thick black and hung his head over the sink. "I don't know why I keep thinking about her! I just can't…..,"

Zuko yelped as he felt the cold towel get thrown over his head. In an effort to cool down, he let it sit there as his uncle spoke.

"Well, there are many reasons as to why you can't stop thinking about her. You could be afraid she's going to come after you, or, you could still be in shock, or, this is some sort of sick fantasy that you've become infatuated with and…..,"

"That is NOT the reason, uncle!" Zuko spat as he yanked the towel from off his head and threw it into the sink.

Iroh raised his hands as a sign of apology. "Okay, okay, maybe that's not the reason!" He leaned forward and touched his nephew's back.

"But if that's not it, Zuko, then what is?"

As his uncle began to walk out of the kitchen, Zuko stopped him with a question.

"Uncle, why aren't you upset?"

His uncle blinked. "Upset? Over what?"

Zuko snorted. "You know what!"

Iroh pursed his lips as he thought about it, then shrugged.

"The police cleaned up the area and have moved on, and hey, we're getting even more business than before!"

He smiled, hoping for one in return, but when all he got was a blank stare, he coughed into his fist and continued.

"Besides, it did not involve us!"

Zuko nodded and returned his sights to the sink.

"You're right. It didn't involve us."

His uncle nodded in agreement and bustled out of the kitchen to close up shop.

Zuko ran his fingers through his wet hair and touched his scarred cheek as he remembered her breathe against it.

"But I kind of wish it did."

xXx

"You almost failed, assassin."

Katara clenched her teeth and fists.

"I never fail."

She could feel the heat from the other woman's eyes bore into her own.

A jolt through her body sent her crashing to the ground. She tried to catch her breathe and stand and was jolted again.

The woman behind the desk leaned forward, making her chair squeak.

"You, almost, failed, assassin," she hissed.

Katara gasped and pushed herself on all fours before steadily climbing to her feet again. She stared the woman in the eyes again, but remained silent. She knew her place.

For now.

"My father does not tolerate failures."

She narrowed her menacing eyes into a glare.

"And neither do I."

Katara tried to keep her eyes on her, though the effects of the jolts had still not worn off.

The woman leaned back into her chair and crossed her fingers.

"So, I'm going to give you another chance."

Katara narrowed her own eyes. "I thought you said that that was the last one?"

The woman chuckled and Katara had to repress a shiver.

"Oh yes, I did say that, didn't I? Well, I need you to do another."

She grinned.

"And I know you can't say no."

Katara sighed and touched her necklace.

"Who is it?"

The woman kept her victorious grin as she picked up a packet and tossed across the table. Katara reached out and caught it. She flipped through the pages and arched a brow.

"Why is this man important to yo…..,"

"You don't ask questions, assassin," the woman hissed. "You do as you are told, understood?"

Katara once again clenched the fist without the packet.

The woman tapped her chin and looked off into space. "And one day, maybe, we'll finish our…..agreement." She looked back knowing that it would do it.

Katara jerked her head away from the woman and her hand involuntarily rose to her necklace again.

She slowly turned her head back and tried to bite through those horrible words.

"Yes, I understand."

The woman smiled, showing all her beautiful teeth.

"Good."

Bitch

As Katara stalked out of the room she heard the woman behind her say, "Remember our agreement, assassin. You can never run away from me."

She slammed the door and marched down the long hallway, lost in her own thoughts.

She was right. She couldn't run away. She could never get far enough away from that…..

She sighed and touched her necklace.

But if she did as she was told, maybe, she could finally be free. Finally be able to have a life all her own. What she would do with it wasn't the issue, it was the simple idea of the fact. She could have a life…..if she did what the woman told her to do…

But then again, Azula always lies.

You probably figured out who it was at some point, but I thought it about time to put in an extra twist!

Just to answer some questions you might have, Iroh and Zuko are talking in the shop and if you're wondering what Iroh had been trying to tell him, make up your own little story, 'cause I don't even know! It was just a way to open up the chapter! Secondly, just a hint, the necklace and the person in the packet play a role in this story, and also, there might be some more profanity in the story, so sensitive eyes be warned!

Anywho, I hope it was good! R&R pleaaaaze! ;)