Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar

I actually like this chapter, it's really funny, in an ironic and horribly bad way. Seriously, I was laughing while writing this. Well, mostly at the image of you guys' faces when you read this...but it's a good chapter, I like it a lot. Please leave lots of reviews, it only takes a few seconds to tell me about your opinions. And I need your opinions to figure out what you want!!

Katara soon realized that there was more to being a number one dancer than met the eye. Rin had seemed to handle everything casually and effortlessly, but Katara was struggling to stay ahead. She was required to bathe at least four times a day, and she had to have the finest clothes affordable which each took at least thirty minutes to put on. Her feet hurt from the tiny, expensive shoes she had to wear, and she wondered why she was doing this in the first place. It was now much harder to search for her friends. She had never felt more like quitting, but she was afraid to get kicked out of the palace. Faking being terrible wasn't even an option; Madam Ulia would know something was going on. She was insanely paranoid like that.

Possibly the only good thing that came with the position was the ability to waive requests. Since she was the best dancer, her rare dancing appearances made her special. More people would want to come to social events that she attended. Katara felt like a celebrity...in the enemy country. Why couldn't it just be like this in her Water Tribe?

She spent every waking moment searching for her family. Toph's whereabouts were well known, she visited her friend every day. Sokka's location was within a moment of being found, for she had picked up some good tips from some other dancers who were talking about a few weeks ago when a cute Water Nation boy was dragged through their halls. Katara was almost certain that he was somewhere in the NorthEast wing. But Aang...no one had mentioned where the Avatar was. Katara was clueless. But she knew someone who would definitely know where he was...and she dreaded the confrontation that was destined to come.

Practice was quickly becoming torture. Katara knew that she couldn't afford to lose her position because if she had to take request sessions, she would never have any time to find her friends. Katara and Rin were always head-to-head, fighting until they couldn't stand up to dance the best. The new dance was strange and yet enticing, and involved a lot of dancing that made Katara blushing and stubborn for a while. It took a few days to get over her shyness and follow the dance. The dancers would still be picked for the other dances. Katara knew who would choose first...and this time she needed him to choose her.

Katara panted, breathing with immense difficulty. Why wasn't dancing considered a sport? She was more tired that when she had played ice soccer with Sokka. Well...that was partially because it became much easier when she learned to bend, not that bending was hard. Katara glared at Rin as she spun, trying to avoid falling. Unfortunately, she was unsuccessful.

Katara tipped dangerously, gasping and flapping her hands at her sides as she tilted to an impressive angle. Even Yuri and Hana seemed amazed that she could stay upright like that. Katara wiggled and struggled for a few more seconds, her heart beating fast as she prayed that Madam Ulia would remain distracted by that other girl, Cho. With a final, desperate lunge, she yanked herself upright. To her horror, something else was affected by her sudden adjustment. The water in Madam Ulia's drinking cup splashed as she had pulled herself up. To her even greater terror, Rin's eyes traveled from the cup to Katara, her eyes large and her jaw hanging open.

Katara kept dancing and pretended nothing had happened, though her heart felt like it was bouncing out of her chest. Rin continued to stare at her, the stillness affecting the flow of the group. Eyes traveled, uncomfortable, to Rin's face. Madam Ulia finally noticed and rapped Rin hard on the head with her bamboo cane.

"What is wrong with you? Wake up and dance before I throw you out of the dancers!" she shrieked, and Rin immediately started dancing. Her thoughts, thought, were clearly on Katara. She continuously turned and stared.

Katara applied her makeup erratically, if not violently. Splashes of yellow soared across her eyes, her lips a striking gold. Her hair was in a neat bun, with shimmering ribbons flowing dramatically to her elbows. Pale powder covered her darkness, and her veils hung at extreme angles. Tonight, she was fighting to be noticed. She was fighting to be picked. She saw the perfect oppurtunity lying in front of her and grabbed it.

Unfortunately, Rin, too, was fighting to be chosen. Her color of choice was red, and she dashed the liquids, powders, and rolls on equally as haphazardly as Katara. Her servant girl, Yasu, tied her hair in a high ponytail. Rin's beautiful black hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall. Katara was momentarily jealous.

Katara went over the steps in her mind, imagining her feet landing in the right positions, her arms raised in triumph. She needed tonight, she waited with baited breath. Today was the birthday of Zuko's second cousin, Taki. It was a small enough party to require only a few dancers, but important enough to permit the appearance of the number one dancer. Katara closed her eyes, the gold shining through the semi-darkness.

When the heavy scarlet curtains rose, Katara heard the cheers and applause. She opened her eyes slowly, and looked him right in the eyes. Blue met gold.

Sokka waited for the signal. He knew she was coming, and he knew exactly what to do. Suddenly, in the tiny, square window far above his head, a small flame lit. He didn't hesitate for a second, but opened the door which had been prop-locked. Dashing into the hall, he offered little notice to the two unconscious guards and the heavy stench of whiskey. He searched for her face.

When Sokka saw her, he nearly passed out. He knew that Azula would be sending an agent to work him through the mission, but he didn't know it would be...her.

Ty Lee stood tall in a slender, pink dress lined with dark red. Her hair, usually pulled back into an untidy braid, was set into a fashionable bun. Smiling and fluttering her eyelashes, she snapped her fan open. Sokka grinned sheepishly, but yelped when she suddenly yanked him forward by the collar. Her expression turned serious, her beautiful smile gone. Her life depended on the success of this mission. Her fan covered their faces from the right side, the wall on the left.

"Your name is Ta Kai. You are son of Ta, a semi-wealthy overseas merchant. You were born and raised in the outskirts of Gi-chen Ka, and you're an only child," she hissed, and Sokka nodded. Ty Lee whisked him off down the halls, checking corners to make sure that no guards were around. They traveled for half an hour like that. Sokka's feet began to hurt, but he was then suddenly yanked into a room through twin doors that were slammed behind them. Sokka saw Azula standing there, looking quite nervous. He was astounded, and had every right to be. He had never seen Azula look mildly surprised, and here she was, quivering with anxiety.

"We don't have a lot of time. I can't be here. We'll meet at the party, you and Ty Lee are going together. Mai is already there. We four are the only ones who know about this, and I trust you won't spread it around. You, Sokka, may not have anything to lose from this, but I have everything. We can't mess this up," she whispered, and Ty Lee nodded solomnly. Sokka was still dumbfounded.

"I've set the cell to look like you've escaped. The guards will be blamed for sleeping on the job. You will be disguised as a soldier-in-training, Ty Lee's boyfriend. Zuko will interrogate you for your association with her, but we'll have a few days to arrange your story. Got it?" she snapped, and both nodded. Azula stood tall and strode to the door. Her proud posture didn't mask her shaking hands. As she reached the door, she whipped around to glare fiercely at Sokka.

"Don't screw this up."

The door was opened and closed silently, leaving Sokka alone with Ty Lee. She looked worried for a moment, but her expression relaxed into a cheerful smile.

"Well, let's get you ready!"

When the music started, Katara was ready. She threw herself into the dance, as vulgar and suggestive as it was. She needed to be chosen. Aang's life and many others depended on her success. Katara used every trick she knew to catch attention. Beautiful smiles and batted eyelashes snared the attention of everyone in the room. As she leapt and twisted, she knew his attention was all for her. She almost felt proud. Then, halfway through a turn, she saw him...and froze.

There he was. His hair was down and neatly combed, he wore Fire Nation clothes and was hanging onto the arm of a lovely girl...but it was him. She would recognize his face anywhere. But his expression...it drew shame into her heart. How long had he been standing there?

"Sokka," she murmured, her blue eyes large with stunned humiliation. He was there, dignified and tall, while she...Katara didn't want to think about it. Suddenly, she realized that she was standing still. She started to dance again, albeit halfheartedly. She tried not to look like the slut that she felt she was.

When the dance was over, they all stood in a neat row, bowed from the waist. Katara heard his footsteps, and still she felt hope. If she could find Aang's whereabouts before she had to face Sokka...maybe it would all be okay. Maybe he would forgive her, see why she did this. She did this to save them, she didn't enjoy it.

And yet, as she told herself this, she knew it wasn't true. Katara loved dancing, being admired by everyone in the room. She loved feeling beautiful and cherished, something she hadn't felt this strongly in her entire life. She waited patiently, head bowed low. She didn't dare look up.

Her breath grew short when she realized that he was in front of her, examining her carefully. She didn't move, didn't breathe. Then, she almost cried out when he took the hand of the girl bowing next to her; Rin. She was so frustrated that she barely noticed the haughty glance Rin shot back as she was led down the stairs.

Katara didn't notice the other girls being chosen. No one wanted the girl who had stopped halfway through the dance. When someone grabbed her arm, she looked up, not surprised to see Sokka's blue eyes. He looked rather calm and collected, but his eyes burned fire. Katara was a little surprised that he wasn't currently breathing fire.

She placed a hand carefully on his shoulder, his on her waist. They were silent for a moment, dancing slowly. Then, he found the words to match his fury.

"Katara, what the hell were you doing up there?" he hissed, and she flinched at the ferocity of his tone. She couldn't quite remember why anymore, but luckily she caught herself and returned his cold glare with her cool one.

"I was trying to save you guys, what do you think I was doing?"

"Save us? It looked to me like you were shaking your ass for a horde of Fire Nation scum!"

"Well, my plan would have worked if you hadn't shown up!"

"Wait, wasn't the point of this to break us out?"

"I needed Zuko to..."

"You don't need him for anything!"

"Sokka, shut the goddamn hell up and listen! I needed him to pick me so I could find out where Aang was located, because I don't know where he is!"

"Yeah, like he was just going to tell some random girl where he's hiding the Avatar, and..."

"Well, at least I was trying, Sokka!"

"Mind if I cut in?" asked an ice-cold voice. Sokka and Katara froze to see the Fire Lord, standing tall and proud, his eyes filled with a strange expression. Was he...jealous? Sokka looked like he was fighting a sever internal battle, and satisfied himself with shooting a burning glance at Katara, making his intentions clear. 'We'll finish this conversation later.'

"Of course, F-fire Lord Zuko," said Sokka with obvious difficulty. Katara swallowed. This day was getting worse by the second. Zuko took her hand firmly in his and led her away. She placed a hand on his shoulder, not bothering to avoid his golden gaze. His hand found her waist, and they danced to the gentle music.

"So, you know him?" he asked, and she looked away.

"Know who?"

"You know who I'm talking about."

"I'm afraid I don't. I was whisked away before we could talk."

"It seemed you were talking back there."

"Trivial things."

"What's his name?"

"I don't know, we hadn't gotten to names."

"Wouldn't that be the first thing you'd exchange?"

"That's none of your buisness."

"Everything is my buisness. That's what being the Fire Lord means."

"Why do you want to know?"

"That's none of your buisness."

They were silent for a while, and Katara tried to focus on the music, instead her intrest drawn to the hand that held hers. How could he be so warm? She knew, though, that they could change from comfortably cozy to infernal in a matter of seconds. No one knew better than she...mainly because those who had felt the infernal hadn't felt the comfortable and those who felt the comfortable had never faced the infernal. Katara shuddered, and he looked down, obviously worried.

"What's wrong?" he asked, and Katara felt like crying for his compassion. Why couldn't he be a jerk?

"Nothing," she murmured, her blue eyes on the floor. He didn't press her. Katara looked past his shoulder to see Sokka, dancing with Ty Lee. He shot her an irritated look, and Katara remembered why she was dancing with him. She couldn't, though, move bluntly towards the answer. She needed a more stealthy approach.

"So, what happened to Rin?" asked Katara casually. Zuko's expression hardened.

"Her? I left her when I found she was shallow and a little dull. She had the right education...but she had no debating abilities or opinions on important issues. I found that intelligent women can make a colossal difference in the way a Nation is ruled, and Rin, unfortunately, wasn't one of them," he mumbled, and Katara fought back a grin.

"But there haven't been any female rulers in the Fire Nation," said Katara, and Zuko's face changed from frustrated to an odd expression she couldn't place. Was it...greif?

"Sometimes women have a powerful impact on their Lords...others do not," he said softly, and Katara decided not to touch that issue. A servant passed, and he snagged two glasses of fine wine. Passing one to her, they paused in their dance to relax by a massive fireplace roaring furiously, lighting and warming the room. Katara almost fanned her face, but decided against it. She acted like she was used to 80 degree weather.

"What about your family? Where are they?" asked Zuko, downing the glass with surprising grace. Katara sipped delicately.

"They live on the outskirts of the city. My brother Yan is in the war, and my little sister is only two. I'm raising money to pay for her food and basic needs," said Katara, and he nodded sympathetically. He understood the pains of hunger, though his time as a refugee seemed a distant dream. Katara changed the subject.

"But it's a good thing the Avatar is in the Fire Nation's grasp. The war will finally be over," she said quietly, and he nodded again. Katara pushed further.

"But if he escapes..." she said, and he looked slightly sleepy.

"All our hope would be lost," he murmured, and she tried not to look eager, but a greedy undertone slid to her mask of mild interest.

"Good thing he's locked up tight in the dungeon," she said casually, glancing at him from under her eyelashes. He grinned distractedly.

"No, no, he's not in the dungeon, he's-" he started, but then he seemed to snap out of it. Blinking a few times, he looked her straight in the eyes.

"Why are you suddenly so curious about that Avatar?" he asked, his yellwo eyes boring into hers. Katara sputtered, but quickly changed her reaction from surprise to indignation.

"What are you saying?" she snapped, and he started to look doubtful. Maybe he was wrong. But...if she was an enemy, that's what she would want him to think.

"I'm saying that you might be conspiring against your Fire Lord," he said, a little too loudly. People started to stare, but Katara wasn't paying attention. She tried to make herself look furious instead of dead terrified.

"I have never been more insulted in my life," she declared, but he looked unfazed by her outburst.

"Yes, it all makes so much sense now. You said you were against the war, you yelled at me about it, you bring up the Avatar...you're conspiring!" he exclaimed, and Katara's heart dropped sickeningly to her very toes. When did he get so goddamn smart? 'Mother Tui, help me find a way out of this!'

Suddenly, an old, round man appeared on the scene, grabbing Zuko sharply by the upper arm and her gently by the shoulder.

"Nephew, I think you may be overreacting. Let the poor girl go, and you should get some sleep. You haven't been getting enough sleep lately," said his uncle worriedly, his tone holding a firm note.

"Don't lecture me, Uncle," snapped Zuko, but he was already looking less aggressive. His uncle had chosen the right words. A Fire Lord who slept all the time was lazy and bad-tempered, while one who lacked sleep was intelligent, awake to contemplate battles. Status was all about how others viewed you. Zuko bowed politely to Katara, and she curtsied.

"I apologize for my rude behavior, miss, and I hope to see you at another event," he said with such sincerety that Katara melted. Here was a proud, stubborn man, with the position to be unquestionably proud and stubborn, and yet he apologized to her, a lowly woman. She wished Sokka was more like him. Then, she stopped herself. Zuko was also a power-hungry, merciless tyrant.

"I accept your apology," she said, equally as politely, and she turned to leave. He caught her wrist as she moved away.

"But I will see you again...right?" he asked, and she almost smiled.

"Of course," she said, and nearly laughed. She turned once again and spared a moment to toss him an over-the-shoulder glance. He smiled before following his uncle to another section.

Katara found Sokka, who seemed to have forgiven her, probably because he knew how scared she was of the accusations. He bowed graciously and took her hand to dance.

"My name is Ta Kai, but you can call me Kai," he said softly, and Katara laughed. Was this cool, collected man her brother? Suddenly, Sokka snatched five fish snacks from a server, and Katara grinned. Yep, that was definitely Sokka.

"Okay, well, my name is Ara, and I've got a brother in the war and a little baby sister," said Katara, smiling. The irony did not escape her. Sokka took a quick check around to discourage eavesdroppers, and turned back to Katara.

"So, find any info on Aang?" he whispered, and Katara sighed and shook her head.

"I tried...but all I found out was that he's not in the dungeon," she said, and Sokka shrugged.

"Well, it's a start. I saw the dungeon a while ago, and let me tell you, it's a relief that we don't have to search it," said Sokka.

"But I know where Toph is!" exclaimed Katara, deciding to leave out that she found that out on her own. Sokka chuckled.

"Well, one down, one to go," he said quietly, but Katara shook her head.

"No...two down, one to go," she murmured, and leaned into her brother to hug him for the first time in weeks. His sturdy warmth comforted her more than anything else could possibly have. Sokka sighed into her hair, darkened and twisted into a bun. Maybe he should save the topic of Azula for later.

Okay, okay, I swear to God there will be so much more Zutara in the next chapter...I swear!! But you can't rush relationships, you really can't, and he's not going to be all trusting right away. Katara is a very suspicious individual. Seriously, though, so much more Zutara in the next chapter, you wait and see! And meanwhile, push that little review button on the bottom left, it doesn't take much fingerwork.