Finally done and would let me upload the dang file! shakes fist at site

Hope everyone enjoys the chapter, working on the next one already:D

Chapter 7: Promises and Pain

"What hurts the most

Was being so close

And having so much to say

And watching you walk away

And never knowing

What could have been

And not seeing that loving you

Is what I was trying to do"

From the Song "What hurts the most" by Rascal Flatts

"For the last time Aang!" Mari snarled. "I'm not taking airbending lessons from you!"

Aang couldn't help but cringe from the rising volume and Mari towering over him. He'd been trying to convince her for the past two days. "Mari..."

"No!"

"We need..."

"NO!"

"But your the last..."

"I SAID NO!" Mari roared as the wind whipped around the two of them. She was ready to punch the monk to get him to leave her alone and had reached the end of what she thought was considerable patience with him.

"MARI!" Iroh yelled in an reprimanding tone that shouted disproval.

Mari glared at the old general but lowered her tone. "He's been pestering me for two days straight, he's not listening!"

Iroh glared right back. "You are not seeing reason. Who is going to teach the next Avatar airbending if there isn't a master of it around?"

Mari grumbled and look disgruntled. She didn't have a counter for that argument.

"It is your duty not only as an airbender but as a citizen of this world to learn airbending from Aang. You should be honored to be learning it from an Avatar." Iroh told her.

Mari snorted and glared at the current Avatar who was looking smug and smiling at her innocently. "I don't have to like it though," She muttered.

Sokka looked at Katara. He'd covered his ears when Aang had started on Mari to muffle out the yelling he knew would follow. "Is it over yet?" He asked.

Katara nodded to him with a grin. This had become something of a routine the last couple days during dinner when everyone was together and Aang had a free moment.

"No idea when exactly he's going to teach me all this." Mari stated in a smug tone.

Katara grinned a bit. "Well Aang can't learn anything more from me about waterbending so you can have my time slot." She informed the girl.

Mari glared daggers at her which just made Katara grin more.

"I hate you..." Mari stated in a low flat tone as she stared into the fire with a grumpy expression on her face.

Iroh, Toph, and Aang fell to planning out Aang's schedule so he could teach Mari airbending along with learning the other two bending disciplines. Sokka was still stuffing his face with his dinner and Mari continued to brood into the fire.

For the moment, Katara's world was at peace. She picked up a stick and stirred the embers in fire some.

The fact that she had also been staring at the fire was the only reason she saw the slight flare. She started to brush it off as a log splitting but noticed Mari's eyes sharpened and scan the woods. She didn't move her head least she draw attention but Katara could tell something was going on.

When Aang turned to ask Mari something about what she did know about airbending Mari sneered and jumped up.

"I don't know anything alright! Your the stupid teacher here, you figure things out." In a huff she started stomping off towards the woods.

"Mari..." Iroh started.

"I'm just going for a walk before I start planning to kill you all in your sleep!" Mari sneered back without stopping.

"What's her problem?" Sokka asked, mouth still full of food.

"Sokka don't talk with your mouth full." Katara scolded. "I'll go find out what's wrong."

Zuko was glad Mari remembered the old flare trick. It had long ago been one of their ways of communicating whenever they were stuck in their rooms as children. Granted Zuko had never known Mari had done hers by airbending but it hadn't mattered to him then and he didn't care now either.

Mari gave him a smile when she walked into the clearing. "Thank the spirits a person with some sense!"

Zuko shook his head at her. "I just wanted to check on Uncle and you. I saw the bison take that shot to the head. Is it ok?"

"Yeah, he's doing alright and we're all fine. We should be able to fly again soon enough, we keep having him swim us down river for now to keep away from Azula." She gave Zuko a look of concern. "How are you managing to come out and check on us without her knowning anyways?"

Zuko scowled, "Azula's busy organizing reinforcements. It was easy to slip away in the confusion."

Mari frowned. "Reinforcements? Miss I-so-perfect is calling in help?" The thought did not sit well with her and she was sure Zuko didn't like it either.

He nodded. "Azula's no fool. She knows first hand what my uncle can do. She even knows what the rest can do. She's not taking chances, she's gathering mainly light troops that can move fast but it should slow her enough for you all to be safe from her for a good while."

Mari sneered. "I'm hardly capable of the mass destruction the rest can pull."

"Your with the Avatar. Isn't he teaching you airbending?" Zuko asked. Surely the Avatar hadn't denied Mari lessons. Iroh at least would've seen the wisdom in teaching her.

"You uncle and the Avatar are forcing me to learn it."

"Forcing? Don't you want to learn it?"

Mari stared at Zuko. "You of all people should know why I don't." She stated flatly.

At Zuko's puzzeled look she scowled. "It's no different then your scar Zuko. It's a curse, a reminder, it's like pouring salt on an open wound. It's the reason I'm being hunted by my own father..." Mari looked at her feet. Feeling suddenly like the world hated her for being born.

Zuko simply stared at his old friend. Part of him wanted to laugh at the irony of the situation. He'd always thought that if he ran into Mari again she would help him figure out everything. She'd been dealing with being an outcast far longer then him. He found however that life had twisted the situation to where he would save her from the black despair that was ripping her apart piece by piece. He didn't entertain for a moment that if the Avatar and him hadn't come into her life she'd have been dead in a few months. Either from her father's hand, or her own in a moment of rage at her lot in life.

Now that he was in this position though. Zuko had no idea what to say, much less do. He wasn't one for talking, even less was he one for comforting people. Life was obviously trying to teach him some lesson.

"The last thing my mother told me before she disappeared, was to always remember who I am." Zuko said quietly making Mari looked at him again. "Bending, is a part of who we are. Denying your bending would be like..." his mind fished around for a good analogy. How he wished he had his uncle's tongue for wise words. "It would be like putting on a mask and trying to pretend your someone else."

Mari gave him an amused look. "Nice analogy. Look in a mirror when you say this stuff."

"I'm working on it."

The two were quiet for a moment as Mari scowled and mauled a thought.

"You said...you talk about Azula and them like your not going to be with them."

"Because I'm not." Zuko answered.

"Where are you going?"

"Home, I suppose." He replied. His tone sounding unsure.

Mari frowned at him. She at least had picked up on the slight uncertainty. She thanked the spirits she knew him so well. "Zuko..."

"I got a lot to learn. Being away so long I'm probably behind in the times..."

"Zuko come with us."

Zuko blinked at Mari like she was insane. "What are you joking?"

"No I'm not." She answered. "Zuko you told about the fight you and Aang had getting out of that fortress when he was captured. They all told me about fights they had against the Dai Li and getting in to warn the Earth King. If you teamed up with them just think of..."

Zuko held up a hand. "Mari, I've been hunting the Avatar since before he reappeared."

"Right, but you never caught him. Fate kept throwing you two together though and making you help him." Mari sucked in a breath in. Zuko's hard head was starting to make her mad.

Zuko scowled. "I was hunting him to please my father and go home Mari not join up with him."

"That's why your father sent you after him. Maybe the spirits want you after him for a different reason though."

"Mari! I'm not joining up with the Avatar. I'd be a..."

"Traitor? Zuko you were a so called traitor the minute you came to give us information to get Iroh out of prison."

Zuko snorted in anger and smoke curled out. "That's different."

"Not it's not! It's still aiding the enemy!" Mari yelled at him. "Stop pulling the balancing act on the fence!"

"I'm not!" Zuko snapped back. "I made my choice! Why can't anyone just leave me to it?!"

"Because it's the wrong one! Your father doesn't love you Zuko!"

"Shut up you little air bending FREAK!"

Zuko realized what he said about a second after it fell from his mouth. The next second he was on the ground with a split lip and a bleeding nose blinking up at a hurt and enraged Mari.

"Mari...I..." Zuko was horrifided at what he'd said but he couldn't seem to push an apology part the lump in his throat.

Mari glared down at him. "Your mother would be ashamed of you..." She stated in a flat tone before turning and walking off into the woods.

He couldn't help but cringe. Knowing each other well meant they knew where to stab when angry. "Mari..." Zuko said into the dark but she never turned around.

He tried to hold it in, but the pain was too great. He was suddenly very tired. Too tired to yell, bend, or punch his pain out of himself. So when the tears started to sting his good eye and fall, he didn't fight them. There wasn't anyone around to see his weakness anyway. He'd hurt and pushed the last person who cared anything about him away.

He still believed he'd done the right thing though. The Avatar and his friends did not like Zuko for reasons he couldn't argue about really. He doubted Iroh trusted him anymore.

Only Mari would've stood by him. Eventually she would've gone too far and they would all hate her as much as they hated him. He couldn't do that to her, not after all their years as friends. He couldn't curse her to his lonely life.

"I'm sorry Mari, but they would never accept me."

The silence that followed offered him no comfort.

"I would."

Zuko looked up in surprise blinking away the tears.

Katara stood in front of him, looking down at him with sympathetic eyes.

Katara had been on Mari's heels. Hiding in a bush she had heard most of the conversation.

She'd almost gone after Mari when she'd stomped off.

Then she'd seen the tears.

Katara had always thought of Zuko being like steel. Even in Ba Sing Se when he told her of his mother he'd hadn't broken down. Now however he did. Katara had simply watched him for a moment puzzling out the entire episode. When he'd spoken into the night she understood.

He wasn't refusing because he wanted to. He felt he had to, he was still stuggling with the idea of fighting his own father.

Katara knelt in front of him and stared at his face. Almost as if it had a mind of it's own her hand reached out and she ran the lightest touch across his scar.

Zuko sighed and relaxed. He found her touch oddly soothing. He could barely resist the urge to press his face into her hand. Even resisting his head still tilted towards the touch.

"Mari said...that your father gave you that scar." Katara said quietly.

Zuko simply stared at her saying nothing.

"What happened?" She asked.

He closed his eyes before answering her. "I spoke out of turn in the war room. I didn't agree with a tactic that would have lead to the slaughter of a division of new recruits. It wasn't my place to say anything though."

Katara said nothing as he opened his eyes and looked at her again. "I insulted my father by doing that. Then I insulted him again by not fighting him in the resulting duel. He gave me this scar to learn respect."

They sat quiet for a moment before Katara spoke.

"You know...Aang lost his family to the war."

"I thought he was raised by monks?" Zuko asked sounding confused.

"He was. Family isn't just people you happen to be related to by blood Zuko. It's also people who respect and love you. People who are just happy your there."

Zuko frowned. He'd never thought of family quite that way.

Katara let him ponder while she thought about him leaving. She found she didn't like the idea of him just going home and forgetting all about them till they came pounding down the Fire Lord's door.

"So you'll be forgetting all about us and heading home?" She asked. She was suprised she managed not to choke up on the sentence.

"Forget? I doubt I'll be able to forget any of this." He looked into icy blue depths. "Or any of the people I've met."

Katara felt herself blush and looked away from those gold eyes. Was he trying to say he'd never forget her?

Zuko thought back about all the people he'd met. He wondered if any of them remembered him. Song, Jin, Lee...

Giving into the sudden urge Zuko pulled out his pearl dagger.

"Here I..." When Katara looked at him again with those eyes he almost lost his nerve. Just breathe...

Katara blinked at the dagger then looked at him in confusion.

"Just...something to remember me by." He told her.

Katara blinked at him. She wondered if Zuko was worried about her forgetting him as much as she worried about him forgetting her.

Just as he was starting to squirm thinking he'd done something wrong she took the dagger from him. "Thank you." She said.

"Well it'll give you something besides just your water to defend yourself with." Zuko told her with a sneer.

Katara smirked. "I've kicked your butt with just water."

Zuko snorted at her but grinned just the slightest bit.

Katara dug into her pockets. She felt bad not giving him something to remember her by but she didn't have anything...

Something twined around her fingers. Braided fishing line? She thought that had been in her pack.

"Here!" She said suddenly pulling out the necklace Aang had woven for her so long ago. "Something to remember me by."

Zuko blinked down at the necklace. He had noted she was missing hers but hadn't asked her about it. "It's ok, I won't forget you."

Katara oddly felt that she had to give it to him. Something was hanging in the balance here.

"Then, take it as a promise?"

Zuko looked her. "A promise?"

Katara nodded. "A promise. That we'll see each other again. Also that if you find yourself without a friend, you'll remember you have one in me."

Zuko stared at her. His chest was feeling funny. "Alright." He said as he took a hold the necklace.

Katara gave him a smile but felt it fade as their hands touched. He seemed to radiate heat and she wondered if that was a firebending thing.

Zuko stared at their joined hands. He found he didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay.

I can't stay...

Giving in to another impulse he bowed over Katara's hand and bushed his lips across her knuckles in the lightest of touches.

When he straightened and looked down at her, Zuko could see surprise on her face at his actions.

"I promise that I'll never forget you, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe." He told her giving her a rare smile.

He let go then. The necklace in his hands as he stepped back and bowed.

As he walked off heading back the way he came he heard Katara softly speak.

"Goodbye Zuko. I'll never forget you either."