First off, I'd like to apologize for my absentness. There was an…event that happened about a few weeks ago that put me in the hospital. Needless to say, I didn't have that much time to write. I know I left it at sort of a cliffhanger, and I apologize. If any of you pray, please pray for me. Moving past the sappy stuff, thank you for being so patient with me! Internet/fanfiction cookies for everyone!! Oh! I would just like to mention that Zuko and Katara have made it back to Zuko's house. Now, on with the chapter and I hope you enjoy!!

Disclaimer: (looks around at her shabby surroundings. Shrugs) Nope. Still don't own it.

"My father."

Zuko felt as if his heart had stopped. "You're…you're who?"

The woman let out a slow breathe and bowed her head into her hands. "My father. I…I killed my father."

Zuko blinked and let out a slow breathe of his own. "You mean, that one time, when you, had to leave…?"

"Yes, that time!" She snapped, then quickly turned away. "I…I don't understand," she added quietly. "She…she never sent me after people like him, with his status." She snorted. "Or lack thereof."

Zuko had no idea on how to comfort her. How do you soothe someone who killed their father?

Oh, sorry about the whole 'killing your father' thing. It wasn't your fault…well, actually it was…

Zuko shook his head and tried to think of something better.

"Are you absolutely certain that the person you saw was your father? I mean, it could have been anyone…,"

"NO, IT, WAS, NOT!!" She exploded, her hands tightly clenched over the hearth rug.

Zuko backed away, hands held up in front of him. "Okay, okay! It was him!"

Zuko gave his companion time to cool while he mentally searched for his uncle. Where was he? He was supposed to be back five minutes ago with his dagblasted tea that he just had to serve to our 'guest'. He glanced back at the smoldering woman. You think he would have come running in here to douse that sudden explosion. He couldn't help but internally chuckle. Douse? Explosion? As if she could control fire!

She growled and the fire crackled. Zuko gulped. Or maybe she could.

He cleared his throat to try one more time. He asked gently, "What makes you so sure?"

She sighed once more and adjusted her glasses, more out of distress than any actual displacement. "When…when we touched…,"

Zuko felt the heat rush through his body just remembering, and swore he saw a light tint in her cheeks as well.

She took a deep breathe. "I, saw…things, visions, if you want to get specific. I think…," her eyebrows creased tightly across her forehead. "I think they are memories, from my past."

Zuko was ready to tell her of his own…disturbing dreams, but waited. This was not the time to interrupt.

But when she did not continue, he decided to press her. "Your past?"

"Yes, my past." She began to rub her forehead. "I've…had them for quite some time. Ever since I was little, I would have some little snippet, some 'photograph' of things that have happened. It wasn't until later that they began to get a little more…detailed." She looked up. "Right around the time I met you, in fact."

Zuko made sure to hold her gaze. "That's not a long time."

Surprisingly, she broke it first. "No. No it's not." She leaned back against the fireplace. "But it's long enough, Zuko."

She turned her head to gaze into the fire. "I've seen men…"

Zuko felt a something rise within him. "Men? What sort of men?"

She grinned, still staring at the fire. "My countrymen."

Zuko pulled back his green monster and nodded. "Oh. Go on."

Her grin faded away. "I remember them, laughing, roughhousing, and even drinking, to get away from the labor in the fields. They…used their hands, they didn't have simple lives. They had to work for everything they had."

She shrugged. "At least, I'm pretty sure that's the case.

"My visions after that are what trouble me the most." She swallowed and licked her lips. "A man, a tall man…a man with long brown hair and a single braid…I played with him a lot. He was in almost all of my visions. He made me happy. There was always this…overwhelming joy that came whenever he was in my thoughts. I knew he was my father."

She pulled her legs up to her chin and circled her arms around them. "He knew times were hard, and he didn't have the money to take care of us, that is, my mother, brother, and I. People, people were coming by, they wanted to take everything away from us, separate us. They…they kept saying that he couldn't take care of us, that we needed a family that could. He wasn't going to let that happen."

Though Zuko couldn't see it, he could tell that she had closed her eyes, and tightly from the way her forehead wrinkled. This, was causing her pain. But he couldn't tell her to stop. He had to know. There was something that had to be said. He could feel his anticipation rising. He wanted to rush her, shake her. She was leaving out something. Something that would complete them both. Something…

"He…he did something bad, unforgiveable." Her fingers scratched across her knuckles and her head snapped up. Zuko almost jumped from the intensity of the piercing gaze enhanced by the fiery reflection from the fireplace against her glasses.

"He made a deal with the devil."

A high-pitched whistle permeated the tense air and both turned towards its location. The kitchen.

Zuko sighed. His uncle would be bursting in at any moment, smiling and ready to serve them tea. His partner seemed to realize the same thing and fell silent.

Sure enough, Iroh came bumbling in…but absent a smile. He came between them and laid down the tray. Both of the older teens stared at the tea, uncertain of what to do. Iroh pulled up a pillow, and with some maneuvering and a great amount of grunting, sat down directly in front of the fire, undeterred by its heat.

Iroh calmly took a china cup from the silver tray. He lifted the pot and expertly poured the tea in, not spilling a single drop that might lift the empty silence. He brought the steaming cup of tea to his lips, sipped, nodded his head in appreciation, then placed it back on the tray. All the while, the two teenagers watched him anxiously.

Iroh folded his hands in front of him, eyes closed.

All could hear the clock announce its presence as they waited…for what, none of them knew.

Tick, tock

Tick, tock

Tick, tock

Tick, tock

"What kind of deal, my dear?"

The woman blinked in surprise. "Ex…excuse me?"

Iroh kept his eyes closed. "What sort of deal did your father make?"

Still surprised by his sudden question, she hesitated. "I…I don't know if I should tell yo…,"

Iroh opened his eyes and caught her own. "Believe me, my dear, I am the best person to tell."

She licked her lips nervously and crossed her arms. She jerked her head towards Zuko. "I trust Zuko, and that took awhile. What makes you so certain that I should trust you?"

Iroh gave an unexpected smile. "You, have been hurt, have you not?"

One eyebrow arched high above the other. "Yeah. So?"

"I know why you've been hurt. I know who you hurt you, and most importantly," Iroh leaned forward and gently placed a hand on her knee. She did not pull away. "I know why you are so confused."

Zuko had been quite, but after this revelation, could be quite no longer. He reached out, pleadingly, towards Iroh. "Uncle…?"

Iroh raised his hand to stop him. "I know, Zuko, that I've kept things from you, but I thought it would be best…for the both of us."

He turned back to the girl. "But now," he sighed "I see that I can't hide it any longer."

He gently squeezed her leg before letting go. "You don't need to tell me…for I already know."

Iroh reached for his tea, but Zuko grabbed his wrist. Iroh looked ready to reproach him, but it withered and died from the look in his nephew's eyes.

"Uncle…please…,"

For once in his life, Iroh refrained himself from his beloved tea and instead, clasped his hands across his lap, head bowed.

"I should have told you, Zuko, all the horrendous things your father did. I really should have."

His hands tightened in his lap.

"Especially that one. The one that tore a whole family apart, shredded it, destroyed it."

He looked up, straight ahead where his eyes could catch neither of theirs.

"I had tried to forget all my brother's past sins, but that…," he shook his head, eyes still open "I can NEVER forgive him for."

The tears fell and silently splashed into his tea. He whispered,

"Ozai."

"Can you believe it, Iroh?"

Iroh didn't give a damn what his brother was up to now, but rather indulge him than face his wrath. He sighed. "Believe what, Ozai?"

Ozai grinned that horrible grin that he seemed to have gained from their father. "A peasant, a peasant asked me for money! Can you believe it!?" He laughed uproariously and slapped his hand against the elegant desk.

Iroh waited until he had finished, hands politely clasped underneath his red robes. "So?"

Ozai wiped the tears from his eyes. "So? What do you mean, 'So'? The peasant asked me for 20 thousand dollars! No one can pay that back in five months!!"

Ozai laughed again and leaned back in his ornately decorated chair. He stopped when he realized Iroh was not laughing with him. "Iroh? Is that not funny to you? A mere peasant asking for money he cannot possibly pay back?"

Iroh ignored his question. "I'm guessing you didn't loan it to him."

Ozai's grin returned as he once again reclined in his chair and intertwined his fingers across his chest.

Iroh felt his heart plummet to his stomach. "Ozai…surely you didn't…?"

Ozai chuckled. "Why not? The peasant asked," he opened his arms wide "And I provided." His grin became sinister. "Is that not what we do?"

Iroh felt his anger rise dangerously and fought to control it. "First, Ozai, this is what you do, and so obviously enjoy. Next, why are you loaning money to a person who you know can't afford it? You know you're going to have to…,"

Iroh felt his heart go cold at the realization. He raised a shaky finger to point at his heartless brother. "You…you know that…,"

Ozai shrugged as he swiveled about. "Of course I know. I'll have to send out my boys to make sure they get what I'm owed," he examined his perfectly manicured fingernails "or bring back his dead body if he doesn't."

Iroh shook his head. He was having a hard time swallowing this addition to his brother's already hastening decline into evil…or perhaps, madness.

"Brother," he pleaded "try to see reason. He doesn't know that he won't be able to pay you back. Let him know. Tell…tell him of the repercussions that are bound to…,"

"Oh, he already knows the repercussions," Ozai retorted impatiently, letting his hands fall back to his desk. "Why else do you think he came to me? To us? The bank would not give him to loan, his family CAN'T give him the loan…" Ozai tilted his head and gave a mock sympathetic frown. "Who else was he to turn to?"

Iroh stopped himself from jumping his brother in anger. "Ozai, you are taking this too far. You are not think…,"

"Oh I am thinking perfectly well, brother!" He spat, the last word filled with such bitter distaste it made Iroh shudder.

Ozai pushed out of his chair and walked around his desk so that he was nose to nose with his elder brother. "The problem is…," He leaned closer so that Iroh had to take a step back. His grin widened. "You're not thinking far enough." Then the grin faded. "You never did."

The door burst open and a child came stumbling in, holding his arm. "Father!"

Ozai grimaced and rolled his eyes as he turned to his eldest child. "What!?"

The boy backed away, then approached him once more. "She, she…Azula hurt me!"

Ozai closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "How, boy?"

The boy stood tall, seeing that he was fading in his father's interest. "When we were at the zoo, she threw a snake at me and it bit me!"

Ozai sighed. "The snake hurt you, boy, not Azula."

"That's exactly what I said, father."

All three turned to see a figure slink into the room, hands behind her back, a stray hair dangling in front of her eye. Though young, anyone could sense the danger that the child emitted as she flicked it away with one long nailed finger.

Ozai smiled and opened his arms to his youngest child. "Azula! What interesting things have you done today?"

She sauntered over into his embrace then quickly pulled away. "Well, first I ran into these…vegabonds under the highway. I thought it would be funny to…,"

Iroh cleared his throat to gain his brother's attention. Ozai turned back, clearly perturbed from being taken away from his daughter's tale. Azula didn't look much happier, either.

Iroh motioned towards the boy still holding his arm, glancing from one adult to the other. "Shouldn't you take care of your son?"

He thought the addition of who the boy actually was to him would change his response, but he was sorely mistaken. Ozai shrugged. "He can go to his mother." He looked at his son with something that resembled disgust. "That's that mother's do, right? Kiss and make the boo-boo's better?" Azula laughed a laugh that resembled her father's. "Of course! Run to mom like you always do!" She grinned as she flicked away the stray hair again. "Isn't that right, Zu zu?"

Zuko stood taller and ignored his sister's barb. "No. I'm alright. I…I can handle it."

"Good," Ozai said brusquely as he turned away. "Now you can leave us in peace."

"Hold on, Ozai." Iroh was compelled to interrupt once more. He leaned down to Zuko's level. The boy's eyes were teary and his body was shaking. Iroh frowned and moved his hand. The spot was turning an ugly brown and rising from his skin. "Zuko, was the color of the snake that bit you?"

Zuko tried to stop himself from swaying. "It…it had red and yellow stripes."

Ozai shrugged, clearly uninterested. "See? The boy's fine." He smiled as he looked down at his young prodigy and ushered her out of the room. "Come, Azula. I'll show you how to deal with vagabonds."

Iroh waited until they had left the room, then hurriedly picked up his young nephew and grunted as he carried him out the door and down to the hospital, all the while remembering the rhyme that he, and Ozai had been taught when they were school kids:

Red on black, venom lack

Red on yellow, kill a fellow

"He paid it back."

Iroh looked up to see his brother standing in the doorway, looking defeated. His black hair was strewn about his ahead. His robes fell about him in disarray. It was the messiest that Iroh had seen him since…since…

He immediately rose and went to his brother's side.

"What? Who?"

Ozai grumbled and leaned into his elder brother. "The peasant. The peasant, Iroh. The peasant paid it back!"

Iroh was confused. "Isn't that good news, brother? You are one step farther away from debt and…,"

Ozai was snapped from his sudden lapse of comfort and pulled away from his sibling. "I have never been close to debt! That…incompetent fool wouldn't have scarred my record!"

He muttered incomprehensibly as he strode towards his desk, his fingers pushing anxiously through the thick strands. He suddenly paused. "Wait…,"

Iroh knew his younger brother. Something was amiss. Something that he wouldn't be able to come back from. "Ozai? Don't do anything…,"

"Don't lecture me, Iroh!" Ozai whirled upon him and slammed his fist into his desk, causing it to bleed. He blinked and quickly grabbed a tissue and wiped his hand. From his dancing eyes Iroh could see a plan beginning to form. He licked his lips as he wiped away the blood. "I know what to do…,"

Iroh stepped closer to him. "Ozai…Ozai, don't…,"

"His wife doesn't know about the payment," he chuckled and glanced at Iroh. "You think he would have told her that before he went on his little fishing trip!"

Iroh shook his head and pushed away his brother's insane words. "Ozai? Ozai, listen to me…,"

"I'll send my men to the house…no! This is a personal job…,"

Iroh sneaked closer. "You're not well. You need rest…,"

Ozai laughed and the whole room felt as if it went cold with fear from harboring the wretched soul within. "She won't even see it coming, that poor bitch!"

Iroh tried to reach the little reason that he hoped still remained inside of him. He gently touched his brother's arm. "Ozai, you need to calm down. Think this through." Ozai was panting and his fingers clasped and unclasped the papers on his desk. Iroh shook his head. "Ever since Ursa died, you haven't…,"

"DON'T, YOU, DARE MENTION THAT WOMAN IN MY PRESENCE!!!!" Ozai thundered as he swiped Iroh's hand away.

Iroh reluctantly backed away. "Ozai, don't say that," he whispered. "You loved her. If it weren't for her death, I doubt we would be where we are today." Iroh hesitantly tried for a chuckle. "Perhaps she would have eventually pulled us from this life of crime."

Ozai grew suddenly silent. He righted himself and cleared his throat. He pushed back his hair into its proper place and straightened his tie.

Iroh thought he had reached him, until their eyes caught each others. It was over. His decision had been made.

"I thought you said," Ozai quietly hissed. "This, was something I did." He pulled his tie higher up towards his neck. He grinned mischievously. "And yes, I do enjoy it, very very much."

Iroh bowed his head, defeated. He raised his head when he heard brisk footsteps pass him. Yet, he still had to try, one last time. "Ozai?"

His brother didn't even glance over his shoulder. "Are you coming, Iroh?"

Iroh sighed and pulled his own robes tighter about him as he followed his sibling out the door. He had to follow. He was his…

Iroh shook his head as they climbed into the limo and Ozai ordered the chauffeur where to go.

No. Whenever their eyes had met, it was then that Iroh knew he had lost the most important thing to him since his own son's death in the war.

He had lost his brother.

"Drag that whelp out of my sight," Ozai murmured as he wiped his hands clean from the oil that had spilled on him. He grunted with displeasure as it stained his skin even further.

"He always was a disappointment."

Iroh looked up, disgusted at what his brother had become, all in one night. "He is not dead, you know."

Ozai blinked as he continued to wipe away. Iroh wished was that simple; to just wipe away all the horrid deeds he had committed.

"Oh, well…he won't do anything stupid like that again, I suppose."

Iroh gently hugged the boy against his chest and tried to wipe away the blood that streamed from his face. Still, he tried to fight his rising anger.

"This isn't going to completely heal." He looked up to see if his brother was listening to his next words. "He's going to scar, Ozai."

Ozai paused, then shrugged, his eyes still downcast towards his hands. "We need to get rid of the body." He jerked his head towards the dead woman. "Her, of course, not the boy." He paused again. "Though that is a thought…,"

"Do you realize what you've done!?" Iroh bellowed, his anger finally overcoming him. "You killed a woman, left a child motherless, and scarred your own son!!!"

"No, I know exactly what I did!" Ozai spluttered as he impatiently threw the embroidered kerchief on to the ground. "I spared us some trouble in the future! Peasants won't be flouncing around my business anymore! I taught them a lesson!"

He blinked. "Though you do bring up a good point about the girl…,"

Iroh immediately regretted his earlier statement and his eyes shot towards the figure in the corner. She was curled into a fetal position, arms wrapped protectively about her. Her eyes and nose ran as her blue eyes, full of fear, danced from one man to the other. Her matted brown hair stuck to her sweaty skin and her clothes were not much better.

Ozai snorted. "Not much to look at, is she?"

The girl gasped and pulled even further into herself. Ozai tilted his head. "No, but that dark skin…," he let out a breathe. "Looks limber, too."

Iroh was ready to climb to his feet, then remembered the prone injured boy in his lap and stayed where he was. "Ozai!! Don't you dare harm that girl!!"

Ozai chuckled and clasped his hands behind his back as he turned his head over his shoulder to look at his brother. "Oh, of course not, Iroh! I would never think of such a thing!"

He turned back to her shivering form. Iroh was sure his eyes must have twinkled with mischief. "But she might be useful in the future…"

"Ozai!!" Iroh roared.

Ozai waved his hand dismissively. "Oh come now, Iroh, don't be perverse. I was thinking of some other uses…," He clucked in his cheek. "Hmmm…let's see."

He dashed towards her and grabbed her arm so fast that if he intended to do harm to the girl, there was no way Iroh would have made it over there in time. But, the girl, somehow, had anticipated his move and slid down to the floor to where she was under him. She kicked upwards and hit her target…right between the legs. Ozai exhaled and dropped, holding himself as the girl scrambled to her feet and ran to the door.

When freedom seemed to close at hand, she was quickly apprehended by two of Ozai's men, apparent by their dark suits and sunglasses.

Iroh was helpless as he watched the young girl flail about between the two goons. Though, he was shocked to hear a sudden laughter fill the air. He looked around to try and register around.

It was Ozai.

Why was he laughing?

Ozai, though slowly and cautiously, climbed to his feet and brushed himself off as he continued to laugh.

The girl seemed as shocked as Iroh as she glanced from Iroh, to Ozai, to the two men holding her.

Ozai tried to keep as much dignity as he could maintain as he strolled over to the struggling girl. He stopped about a foot away from her.

He grinned. "She's perfect." He laughed. "She'll make the best female assassin."

He turned over his shoulder to Iroh. "Don't you think so?"

Iroh growled. "Don't do this, to that poor girl, Ozai. She still has a father! A brother, too!"

Ozai turned away and shrugged. "They are useless to me. They're better left out on the ocean to fish…," He turned back around with a sudden gleam in his eye. "Perhaps that is where they should stay…,"

"No, please!!"

The shrill voice came from behind him and Ozai whirled to see who had uttered such words. The girl. He tilted his head and snorted.

"Why?"

The girl bowed her head. "Please! If you…if you spare my father, my brother…," she audibly swallowed. "I will come without further argument."

Ozai frowned. "What would I gain from this agreement? I could bring you along and force you to do as I please? What do you say to that, child?"

She shuddered and kept her eyes averted. "Yes. But…you don't know me. I'll fight you 'till the bitter end without giving you anything that you want, and you just have wasted your precious time. But if I come willingly, I'll do everything you tell me to do…until I'm eighteen."

Ozai's frown deepened. "Why eighteen?"

The girl looked up at him, and then away. " 'Cause…I don't trust you."

There was an awkward silence, then Ozai burst into laughter and slapped his leg.

"Girl, I seemed to have gained an affinity for you! You've got yourself a deal!"

He nodded to his men and they began to drag her away. She did not protest.

Iroh looked from his brother to the forlorn girl being pulled away. Sweat poured from his brow as he tried to salvage what little honor still remained in his brother.

"Ozai, you can't take this girl away from her home, her loved ones, and expect her to cooperate, do you?"

Ozai nodded, back still to him, facing the doorway. "Of course not. She'll need a little persuasion." He suddenly turned towards the corpse on the floor and bended down. He reached towards her lifeless body and ripped something from around her neck. He held it in the little light that remained in the room and studied it. "I think this will do. The boys down in the basement will have a field day advancing this little trinket to a device of…persuasion."

"That's, sick, Ozai," Iroh whispered through lips so dry there was a slight whistle.

"And Azula will be of some help, of course," Ozai continued as if he did not hear him. "She'll help train the little wench until she is suitable for field work." He looked down at Iroh. "Foolproof, right?"

Iroh climbed to his feet, his nephew still in his arms. "Ozai, I won't let you do this…,"

The barrel of a gun was pushed into his face and he froze.

"Oh yes, you will," Ozai whispered. "We may be brothers, but don't think I won't shoot you where you stand." He narrowed his eyes. "You want out of this business, so fine! I'm letting you, and that pathetic excuse for a son go. But the girl stays with me." He shrugged. "Well, at least until eighteen." He paused and his trademark grin returned. "But we'll see about that."

He pressed the gun harder against Iroh's face to prevent a retort. "Take the little punk and leave." He motioned down towards the boy's face with his chin. "Probably a hospital." His face contorted. "Geez! He's getting blood everywhere!"

Iroh opened his mouth to say something, anything, but the sound of a cocking gun stopped him.

Ozai's eyes were cold. "You should leave…now."

Ozai began to back out the room, the gun still trained between Iroh's eyes. Iroh reached forward and grabbed the discarded kerchief and placed it over the boy's face.

"Fine, Ozai. You win." He bowed his head. "You win."

He swiftly scampered out of the room and made his way out the front door. On his way to hail a taxi, he caught sight of the girl. She was standing outside the limo, eyes wide with curiosity. Azula stood not far off, gazing at the house as if it were a disgusting insect. She turned to the two men still holding the girl.

"As soon as father comes out that…shack…,"

She then caught sight of Iroh, and she grinned her father's grin.

"Burn it."

Azula grabbed the girl from them. "Don't worry…," She slammed her head against the roof and the girl cried out. "I'll watch her."

The men nodded and prepared to burn the house to cinders. Azula purposefully turned towards her uncle and threw the girl into the back and gave him one last cold grin before climbing in after her. As the door closed, Iroh could hear the girl's sudden shout of pain. He was sure there would be more to follow.

It tore at him to turn away from the innocent girl and dash away from the horrid life that she was bound for, but he had to look out for his nephew.

He looked down at the figure cradled so gently in his arms. Perhaps his brother had been the second most important thing in his life, but now, he had something else to live for.

The boy whimpered as a taxi pulled up. Iroh climbed in directed the man where to go. Yes. He had something else to live for now. He jumped at the sound of the explosion a few meters away. The taxi driver knew better. He just kept driving.

Iroh held back his tears. "I will protect you, Zuko," he whispered into the young boy's ear.

"From everything…," he thought of his brother, the transformation that he had undergone. That maniacal twinkle in his smoldering golden eyes.

"…And everyone."

Iroh raised his head after telling his tale and was welcomed to utter silence.

Then, it was broken by a most peculiar statement.

"You protected me."

Iroh frowned. He had done no such thing. In fact, perhaps he had made it worse. He looked up and saw that the girl was not looking at him…but at his nephew.

She was smiling. "You're the boy from my vision. I saw you," she shook her head, "but I didn't recognize you!"

Zuko nodded, equally amazed. "Yeah, and you're the girl from my dreams."

There was an almost awkward silence that followed.

"Yes," Iroh hesitantly admitted. "This is all true." He turned to look at her. "Does my story not anger you? I left you in the hands of my…of Ozai!" He turned away. "How can you so easily forget?"

She gently reached forward and touched his shoulder. "I will never forget." She turned him around and pulled her sunglasses from her face. Iroh was met with the bluest most beautiful orbs he had ever seen. "But I have learned to forgive."

Iroh felt tears rising in his eyes. "You…are a most gracious person, my dear."

She forced a smile. "Perhaps."

She flipped her sunglasses through her fingers then exhaled. "Or maybe...," she stopped flipping them. "I've just moved on."

She tossed her sunglasses into the fire.

The fire arched upwards and quickly consumed the plastic that had plagued the young girl for years.

Though without her sunglasses, she still gazed into the fire. "They made me kill my father," she whispered, "To stop me from discovering who I really am, or at least, to break me."

The fire crackled.

She turned back to them with a look of determination. "But they didn't."

"No, they can't break you."

Her and Iroh turned to look at the young man across from them, but he was not looking at them.

"But they almost did me. They've tortured my dreams for years."

The young woman climbed from position and didn't even stretch her numb legs as she moved over to him. She crouched in front of him and made sure his fiery golden eyes caught with her contrasting soothing blue.

"Key word, Zuko…," she leaned forward and kissed his nose. "…Almost."

Both lowered their heads to level each other. She turned her head as he did his and they closed their eyes. Both could feel the heat emitting from their partner as they approached each other. Closer…closer…until…

Iroh coughed and they looked up at him, the girl flustered, Zuko peeved.

Iroh tried to restrain a smile but failed. "Though I'm sure you two lovebirds have some catching up to do…,"

Both blushed.

"There some other matters that need to be resolved."

The girl nodded and sat, closely, down beside Zuko. "You're right. Now that we know what's going on, we have to stop Ozai." She paused. "Though I knew that part from the very beginning."

"Yeah, but now we know just how insane he is," Zuko pointed out. Both the girl and Iroh noted that he refused to call him father. "If he was like that those years ago, imagine how he is now."

Silence followed as those words began to sink in.

Iroh was the first to speak. "Well, a part of our… 'mission', as it were…is already complete."

"How?" The two teenagers asked in unison.

Iroh was ready to tell them, then stopped, and chuckled. "Wait, wait, wait! We are getting ahead of ourselves!"

He turned to Zuko's now close companion.

"We know so much about you, and you us, and yet, no offense, you have yet to properly introduce yourself."

Iroh leaned forward and took her hand into his own. "Please, dear child, tell me the name of the girl my nephew seems so infatuated with."

She gave a rare blush and opened her mouth---

"Her name is Katara."

The group whirled towards the door. There stood Azula red robed and black hair neatly coifed into a bun. Her golden eyes flashed and her long nails tapping her crossed arms. A grin was tugging at the corner of her mouth, then suddenly gave way.

"Long time no see, huh, Zuzu?"

Okay, I'm gonna be honest. I didn't mean to make it this long but it turned out this way. I also know it's a lot of information, but I hope it cleared up all your questions. To make this story a little shorter I decided to combine some things, cut some things, and other…things. Anyway, I hope it's long enough and I still have you interested 'cause I only have TWO MORE CHAPTERS TO GO!! (Crowd goes wild) AND THE NEXT ONE'S A MAJOR BATTLE SCENE!! (Crowd goes even wilder and a random woman passes out). Whoa. Okay…I hope you like this chapter and once again, if you pray…please pray for me 'cause I am in a lot of pain right now. You know what to do! Review…pleaaaaaaze! ;)