Ch. 5

About two weeks later and the trend of letting Katara practice her water bending during the day and by the moon's light and she was free to roam the decks, no longer confined to her room. Iroh and Zuko both firmly warned her from going below, seeing as how it was unsafe, being filled with ruthless men Zuko used as his soldiers. She heeded their warning and took to roaming the upper decks, watching Zuko spar with his men by the time she was awake, spending meals with Iroh and his nephew and practice her bending in the evenings before retiring to bed. Katara was content with the arrangement and Zuko seemed calmer, her presence made him more relaxed, easing up on his hunt for the Avatar. These developments had pleased Iroh immensely. Zuko was now actually speaking more than short, barking commands and he was taking time to relax. He was getting progressively better every day. His fire bending sessions began at dawn before Katara was awake and sparring seemed more leisurely and more for pleasure rather than strictly rigored practice. Katara was hesitant to fight Zuko just yet and took to watching him go up against his soldiers instead.

So far there had been no incidents to tip Katara off or to really incense the feeling that she was Zuko's prisoner. The guards had mostly stayed below, but when they surfaced, it was without any fire nation insignia. All was going according to plan, that is, until Katara decided to get up early so she could get up the nerve to ask Zuko if he would teach her.

Katara's internal clock woke her up early in the morning, but usually she ignored it and went back to sleep, but not today. She had been thinking it over lately and she wanted to learn some sparing techniques from Zuko. She knew he got up at dawn to start his training and she figured it'd be easier to start at the beginning of the day. She could feel her awareness rouse her to consciousness and instead of fighting it like she usually did, she groggily climbed out of bed. She took a little extra time dressing that morning, wanting to look nice when she went to ask Zuko for his help. Her hair was pulled up in its usual braid and she was wearing one of Zuko's shirts. It smelled of wood smoke and rain which helped her resolve.

It was still strange to travel the boat freely without an escort, but she enjoyed the freedom she'd been granted. It was nice on the nights where she was restless and needed to go out and be soothed with the soft crash of the salt water against the ship. The long dark hallways were lit with candles as they usually were and she followed them to the metal stairway and took the set that led up to the deck. She wanted to surprise Zuko with how early she was up and how she wanted to learn from him so she decided to sneak up on him. She reached the doorway and clung to the shadows where the sun hadn't had a chance to reach yet.

There Zuko was, sparring as usual with one of his soldiers. She didn't recognize the man he was fighting this time. But Zuko had his broad swords in hand and the man held a spear with a wickedly sharp tip on one end and a crescent blade on the other end. She didn't want to ruin his concentration so she hung back and watched from the shadows near the doorway. The other man struck Zuko's arm, his sword skittering across the deck, left with only one to defend himself now. The crescent blade came swinging at him and he flipped himself backwards out of the way, still clutching his remaining weapon. The spear guy charged, swinging it wildly and Zuko caught it on the blade of his sword. Before the man knew what was coming, a fist met his gut firmly and Katara from across the deck could hear him grunt as the air left his lungs. The man rocked back and brought a foot up, disarming Zuko of his other sword and spun his spear in front of him. He planted the spear into the deck and used it to launch himself at Zuko from above. Zuko blocked the kick aimed for his head and flipped him backwards landing on his feet far from him. At this point both men rushed each other empty handed and the other man reached back and suddenly a stream of fire was being whipped right at Zuko!

Katara stumbled back against the wall in surprise. That man was using a fire bending technique to attack Zuko! Unfazed Zuko redirected the fire around him to circle back to the other man, encircling him like a fiery serpent. While the man was busy avoiding the flames, Zuko lunged through them, striking with a flaming fist to the chest, claiming a victory for himself. He straightened his back to her as he stood over the man as he in a slow, pained manner picked himself up. He turned in Katara's direction, his eyes glinting dangerously and a smug grin on his face. Katara froze and his eyes fixed on her. She stared at him, terror reflecting in her wide blue eyes. The smile on his face quickly fell. He reached out to her.

"Katara…"

She let out a terrified squeak and sprinted back down the stairs.

"Agni help me…" He cursed himself as he shot off after her.

Katara was so scared, her need to flee so instinctual and desperate. He's a fire bender! His kind killed my mother! I can't believe I was so stupid! She berated herself as she ran, her legs carrying her, paying no mind as to where she was going, so long as it was away from him! She ended up taking the stairs all the way to the bottom of the ship. She could hear his heavy footsteps thudding above her and she realized it would only be a matter of time before he came down stairs and found her. She needed a place to hide. She tried for the first door in the long dark hall. Locked. Next door. Locked. She started panicking, rattling each knob frantically. Tears were starting to form in her eyes from fear until she found one near the end that opened at her desperate scrabbling. Pulling it open, she threw herself inside and slammed the door, quickly locking it. Panting, she leaned back against the door, letting herself slide to the ground, head resting on her knees are arms wrapped around her legs as she tried to calm her breathing.

There was a sound of springs and a low, ominous chuckle. Katara whipped her head up, squinting into the darkness, barely making out the outlines of a table by the glow of a furnace. She slowly stood, leaning heavily against the door straining her sight to see past the table to the source of the sounds. There was a flicker and a lamp in the far corner was lit, revealing a large man, grinning at her maliciously.

"Look what I found." His gravelly voice seemed to crawl over her, making her shudder. Her mind was still in overload from the day's earlier surprise, so she didn't think to try the door, but focused on keeping the table between her and the hulking man slowly making his way towards her. "Pretty little thing you are. I'm going to enjoy this." With that he lunged for her and she dodged to the side, but tripped over a chair leg in the flickering light.

"Ow…" She muttered as she pulled herself up after splitting her lip when she hit the floor. A rough hand jerked her up off her feet by the collar of her shirt. Katara flailed, kicking at him until a heavy fist brought her motions to an end as it landed in her gut. She crumpled in on herself, gasping for breath. And he dropped her on the table. She curled up and tried inching off the far end of the table away from the horrible man.

"Get back here!" He grabbed her foot, twisting it until she spun on to her back, screaming in pain as he dragged her towards him. "Shut up!" He back handed her so hard her scream cut off and her vision went dark for several minutes. "Now I'll just unwrap my little present here." He snarled, pawing at her shirt. She fought him wearily, kicking at clawing desperately at his face. He grabbed for her chest, groping her and she pushed off his chest with her legs, launching herself back and off the table. As she pushed her shirt tore and she landed in a crumpled heap.

"You little bitch!" The man screamed as he came around the table, clutching where she had kicked off of him. "You're going to regret that!" He rounded on her and jerked her up by her arm and twisted it behind her back and pulled her braid, jerking her head back until she was peering up into his leering face.

"NO! Let me go!" She shrieked as she struggled and he slammed her into a wall, pinning her between himself and the cold metal.

He bent, his foul breath whispering in her ear and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. "I'm going to enjoy this if you'd just cooperate."

"Never!" She shrilled and he twisted her arm even further, causing her to make a pained guttural sound. A sudden pounding erupted and she wasn't sure if that was from the door or if the pain was causing her hearing to ring.

The pounding grew louder and Katara's assailant lessened his grip. She took the opportunity to jerk away and fling herself at the door and the source of the banging. "Help me!" She screamed through the thick metal door.

"Katara!"

"Zuko?" Just at the moment she was flung back, colliding with a resounding crack against the furnace. Her head hit so hard she lost consciousness for a few moments. When she came to, the next thing she saw was the doorknob glowing a bright orange as it melted away and Zuko stood in the doorway, his foot still raised from kicking the door in.

"Ichiru! Where is she?" He hissed venomously, his golden eyes darting around the dark room.

"Sorry sir, but she came to me. And you know that saying, finders keepers… Well she's mine now!"

Zuko straightened to his full height, still a bit smaller than the other man, but intimidating none the less. "Stand down. That's an order!"

"Sorry, but it's been too long and an opportunity like this doesn't come around very often." The man named Ichiru straightened, flexing his bulking muscles.

"You know this is mutiny and I'll have you jailed for it."

"Bring it on." He said, cracking his knuckles. Zuko crouched, preparing to launch himself at the hulking man and they went clattering into the table, upending it. Katara cringed and limpingly dragged herself into a corner out of their way and huddled. She couldn't make out much of what was happening for the lamp had been knocked off the wall and went out but she could hear a serious scuffle going on. There was a lot of thumping and banging, pained grunts came from across the room. She could hear the thuds of flesh meeting flesh with deadly intent and there was the crack of wood splintering. There was a quick flash of fire and then just a bit more scuffling before it was quiet save for some heavy breathing across the room.

"Sir!" Two soldiers stood in the doorway with a lantern, eagerly searching the dark room. A dark shape rose from the floor.

"Over here. Take this traitor," there was a grunt of pain as a foot connected with the man's stomach "to the holding cells."

"Yes sir!" They said, snapping into action, dragging the broken and bloodied man out of the room. Once they were gone, Zuko relit the lamp and crouched before Katara's huddled form.

"Katara…?" He reached out to touch her and she recoiled releasing a broken sob. The sound tore at Zuko's heart and his jaw clenched in a sudden wave of anger. He struggled to keep his voice soft and soothing. "I'm not going to hurt you." He whispered. "Everything's okay now. No one else will hurt you." Her soft crying continued. He hesitantly reached out to her again and he put a hand on her shoulder and she tensed for a moment. Zuko held his breath, waiting for some kind of reaction. She turned to look at him; her vision was blurred through the tears. Blood dribbled from her lip and a cut at her hairline, he could see areas where she was struck starting to raise and her shirt was torn, exposing bare flesh beneath.

"Uh, here…" Zuko pulled off his shirt and held it out to her. "Your shirt kind of ripped… This isn't much better but it'll help cover you. I can, uh, help…" He held out the shirt again and tenderly pulled it over her head and she slipped her arms through. Suddenly she launched herself into his lap. She flung her arms around his neck and shook, crying into his neck. He stroked her back in a soothing fashion after getting over his initial shock.

Zuko shifted under her and he stood, carrying her through the halls. Everything hurt and she was so scared, but she felt better here, in her protector's arms. The slow pace, his scent and the warmth of his bare chest helped lull her. The tears stopped but she was still trembling, clinging to him. He halted and shifted her weight and then she was lying on something soft. Zuko had put her on her bed and was turning to leave. A tanned hand shot out and caught his wrist.

"Stay… please…" She whispered, her blue eyes shone through more tears and she stared beseechingly up at him. He exhaled and nodded. He sat at the head of the bed, his back against the head board and Katara crawled toward him slowly so she could rest her head in his lap. Every motion hurt. The cut on her lip had dried, but she felt sticky with blood other places. She was cataloguing her pains, trying not to focus on any of them too long when a soft hand brushed over her hair. It broke her train of thought; it felt good, soothing and reassuring. Her pain and spent adrenaline were catching up and now that she felt safe, she could feel herself slipping off to sleep.

Zuko examined the battered girl in his lap. Her eye was starting to swell, and there were dark bruises starting to blossom on her soft skin. There was blood on her lip and her hair was wet with more. Her movements had been stiff and he could read the pain on her face. He was infuriated, but felt bound to stay and comfort the poor girl. If she hadn't stopped him with the sad, pleading words to keep her company, he would surely have been down in the holding cells finishing what he had started. Instead, he was here, stroking her hair as she slept on his lap. He was also mentally lecturing himself for having scared her enough to put her in such a dangerous position. She had caught him fire bending. There was no way she was going to trust him now. She had even expressly told him her strong hatred of the fire nation. That was one of the few things she remembered. The wrongs they had committed against her. She would avoid him now for what he was. The only solace he could find is that she didn't remember who he was. What he himself had done to her and the others. He was regretting all the hurt he caused her. She didn't deserve any of this. She was nothing but kind and caring and now that he had seen it, he had pushed her into more torture, misery and fear. As he stroked her hair, he loathed himself. Staying with her had been one of the few things he could do for her in return and he hated how little that was.

The door burst open and Iroh lurched to a halt within the doorway. "Zuko! What happened?" His Uncle was staring frantically at him, taking in Zuko's own injuries. He was angry that his Uncle was worried for him. He was fine in comparison. There was a cut at the hairline that had leaked blood down his face and he was sure his bare chest revealed its own pattern of dark splotches starting to form among the criss-cross patterns of other scratches and cuts he wore.

"Be quiet Uncle." He said insolently and motioned at the still girl on his lap.

Iroh seemed to take in Katara for the first time just then. In a much quieter voice though none the less severe, "What happened Zuko?"

"She caught me… fire bending…"

"Zuko…" he intoned.

"I know Uncle. I scared her. Scared her so bad that she ran straight into Ichiru's room."

"Ichiru? But Zuko!"

His anger was rising. "I know Uncle!" He quickly lowered his voice. "If I had gotten there any later…" His voice choked off with pent up emotion. "Now she's like this and she's going to be scared of me."

"That will make catching the Avatar a bit more difficult." Iroh said slowly, watching his nephew's reaction.

"…yeah…" He slowly turned his attention back to Katara and gingerly brushed some hair off her face.

Iroh nodded to himself. "Can I get you anything nephew?"

"Water… and a wash cloth." He said, unable to tear his gaze from the water bender.

Iroh shuffled out of the room, casting back a last glance before getting what Zuko had asked for. By the time he had retrieved a bowl of water and a wash cloth, Zuko still hadn't moved. He was still sitting against the headboard with Katara in his lap, watching her and he slowly stroked her hair. Iroh placed them on the table beside the bed. "Anything else?"

He shook his head. "No. Can you close the door behind you?" He asked, clearly getting rid of his Uncle. Once the door had closed behind him, Zuko let out a deep sigh. He dipped the wash cloth in the cold water, allowing his fingers to linger until the water was warm. He wrung it out and began to lightly dab away the blood on her heavily sleeping form. He lingered on her lips. The cloth hovered over her mouth as he examined their softness before removing the rest of the blood. By the time he was finished the water had cooled and he gently pressed the wet cool cloth to her swollen eye, gently attempting to bring down the swelling.

He was tired and his body hurt. He adjusted the pillow behind him and leaned against the headboard again. Slowly he drifted off to sleep, Katara still dozing in his lap. Several hours passed and Iroh decided to check up on his nephew and Katara. The door creaked open and the quiet sound brought Zuko around, his attention immediately focused on his Uncle.

"Such a light sleeper, but I'm glad you've been getting some rest. How is she?"

"Still sleeping."

"It's well past lunch. You should eat something."

"I guess."

"I can bring it here. Try to get her to eat something too. She hasn't eaten all day."

Zuko just sighed and nodded, clearly another dismissal. Iroh excused himself to fetch food for both of the battered teens. Zuko ran a hand through his shaggy hair and let it drag down his face. He examined the water bender still soundly asleep in his lap. He shifted very carefully so as not to disturb her. He sighed again closing his eyes as he imagined what he'd have to face when she awoke. Would she be afraid of him again? Blame him for what happened? He didn't even want to imagine the worst of it, but the same sinking feeling wouldn't leave and every time he thought about it, his stomach would twist in knots. She was resting peacefully and he hated to take that from her. But he knew his Uncle would be insistent on getting her to eat something. He was very fatherly about things like that.

As if on cue, Iroh shuffled back in, caring a tray of food and of course, a pot of tea. "Food." He said needlessly. He set it down on the table next to the bed as he slid the bowl and wash cloth down. He stood and watched his nephew fidget uncomfortably under his gaze. "Make sure she eats something. You too." He said in parting, leaving them alone again.

"Here goes nothing." He mumbled to himself, steeling his nerve. He brushed the hair from her face before lightly shaking her shoulder. "Katara." He said softly.

"Ngh…" She shifted slightly.

"Katara." He said again.

Her eyes fluttered open and once she realized her head was cradled in his lap, she jumped back from him on the bed, quickly wincing in pain, holding her ribs.

"Sorry." He whispered, averting his gaze at her sudden distance.

"No, it's okay. I was just surprised is all." An awkward silence passed, both avoiding each other's gaze.

"How do you feel?"

"I… hurt. Everywhere." She admitted.

"Anything I can do?" He offered meekly.

"No. Once I get in a bath, I can heal everything." She finally turned to look at him and gasped. "Zuko! When did … that happen?" She pointed at his bare torso and Zuko looked down at himself. Large bruises blossomed between long red cuts all over his pale skin.

"Oh, it's fine."

"Was this… when you… when you stopped…" Her voice trailed off, wavering ever so slightly.

"Yeah. He's in a cell; he won't be out again unless it's to move him to a real jail cell." He reassured her. She just nodded. "Are you hungry?" She shook her head. "Me neither. Uncle insisted on bringing us food anyway. Tea?"

"Sure." She gave him a wan smile as she accepted a steaming mug that he had reheated after blowing on it. "So, you're a fire bender huh?"

"Well… ya." She just nodded, sipping her tea and thinking it over. Zuko fingered his own mug, turning it around in his hands.

She suddenly stood, halting for a minute to grimace in pain, and then set her mug on the large round table at the center of the room. Eyeing the bowl of water, she faced him, a stern look on her face. Zuko braced himself for what she might say. "I'll heal you." It was a statement, not an offer.

He blinked quickly, that was the last thing he had expected. "What?" He asked blankly.

"I said I'll heal you. It's the very least I can do, after, you know, saving me…"

"Don't feel like you owe me anything." His expression darkened. "It was my fault after all."

Katara's face hardened as she picked up the bowl of water. "Move over." She said swatting at his legs still outstretched on the bed. She gently lowered herself, wincing again as pain racked through her body.

"You don't have to." Zuko started to protest. He felt like this had been his punishment for lying.

"Shut up." She muttered, bending the water around her hand. "I want to." It began to glow an eerie blue and she started to slowly heal the cuts and bruises on his chest. He watched her work with a silent intensity. He was smiling down at her when she looked up. "What?"

"Nothing."

She looked a little perturbed, but she still reached out with her free hand and brushed the hair from his eyes. His golden eyes met her blue ones and they both stopped, gazing into each other's eyes. She witnessed his gaze soften and her hand lowered involuntarily, brushing his cheek as it went. They both leaned forward and Zuko's eyes closed, breaking the spell, Katara pulled back suddenly.

"Sorry." They both said at the same time. Zuko leaned back against the headboard again, letting his shaggy hair hide his eyes. Katara leaned towards him, brushing the hair from his face but he wouldn't look at her until she caught his chin and pulled him towards her.

"I still have to," she cleared her throat to cover up the shaking in her voice, "heal your face. You have a nasty gash and a lot of bruising."

"Right." He let his eyes close and leaned heavily into her hand as she brought her glowing hand up to close the cuts and make the bruising disappear. His eyes slowly opened as the presence of her hand left. She watched as he lightly touched the once sore spots. "Huh, gets me every time. That's a nice trick you've got."

"Yours too." She said, holding her steaming mug once again.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" He offered. "You fixed me up. Can I do anything for you?"

She shook her head. "No. I just need to run a bath so I can heal myself."

"I'll leave then." He stood as if to leave and she caught his sleeve, staring at the ground.

"Actually, would you stay?" She looked at him, a hint of fear still coloring the blue of her eyes.

He sighed with a tired smile. "Sure. I'll run the tub for you. Make it nice and warm while I'm at it."

Katara flashed him a grateful smile. "Thank you Zuko."

He could feel his face warm a bit and he didn't turn as he continuously made his way to the bathroom adjacent to the bedroom. "You're welcome."

Katara sat on the edge of the end of the bed, quietly cataloguing her aches and pains, seeing what needed mending. Zuko reappeared in the doorway. "Your bath is ready. If it's too hot or not hot enough…"

"I'm sure it'll be fine." He gave her a hand up off the bed. "Thanks again Zuko. This is very sweet of you."

"No problem. I'll just, uh, wait over here." He motioned to the table.

"Alright." She grabbed a change of clothes and shut the door behind her. She stopped in front of the mirror and examined herself. She winced at the sight her face alone. Her eye was swollen almost shut and it was surrounded in a deep purple color and a dark line marked where she had cut her lip open. She lightly ran her fingers through her hair and felt a few large lumps. Slowly she lifted one shirt off, examining it in the light. There were singe marks and tears all over. Well that explained Zuko's chest. The remains of the shirt she was wearing was torn down the middle, fortunately she had been wearing her chest wrap underneath or she would have been mortified and unable to show her face around Zuko ever again. She peeled the torn tatters off and gingerly unwrapped the cloth beneath and examined the dark splotches on her ribs. Once the rest of her clothing was removed she slowly sunk into the tub and she was glad it was large enough for her to fully submerse herself. The warm water was a relief and she could feel some of the knots in her muscles loosen. Taking a deep breath, she sunk below the surface.

Thoughts of the large man pinning her down invaded her thoughts and she surfaced gasping, eyes wide. She shrank back down, resting against the rim of the tub. Would she always be haunted by him? Now that she was alone, every time she closed her eyes she relived the same nightmare over and over. She ducked back under, trying to purge her thoughts in her element. His eyes leered at her from above and she was trapped, unable to go anywhere. The water around her couldn't protect her, but a flash of golden irises and a stream of fire banished the tormenting images in her mind's eye. Finally feeling relaxed she called the water's ability to heal and wrapped her entire body in cool, soothing water and her aches and pains slowly vanished.

She sat up again, reveling in the feeling of security. All the cuts and bruises had disappeared and her memory was held at bay by the comfort of her element. She had been in long enough for her fingers to become pruned and the water to turn cold. She felt a little bad for making Zuko wait so long, so she climbed out, bending the water from her and dressing in her own clothes that she had brought in with her. Too tired to bother with her hair she left it down and peeked out the door. Zuko was no longer on the bed and it made her worry that he had left. A nervous, panicking feeling gripped her heart and she burst into the room, looking for him. Zuko looked up startled from the table and the book he had been reading.

"Sorry." She apologized feeling foolish. "I thought you had left and forgot you were going to sit over there." She hung her head, feeling her cheeks heat up and glad her long dark hair hid her embarrassment.

"Are you okay Katara?" He seemed genuinely concerned as he put the book down.

Her head popped back up with a forced cheery bright smile. "Of course!" He eyed her suspiciously and she changed the subject. "You're reading?"

"Oh, yeah. I found this on the table. One of my Uncles. This one's about earth benders. Never bothered to read this kind of stuff before, but it's actually really interesting."

"I thought so too."

"You know, you look nice with your hair down." He said absently.

Katara ran her fingers through it consciously, a slight flush of red coloring her cheeks. "Thanks. I usually keep it up to keep it out of my face when I bend."

"You should wear it down more often." He mused. "Hungry yet?"

At the mention of food her stomach rumbled. "No."

"I heard your stomach growl."

Katara stared down at herself and frowned lightly. "Traitor. Maybe just a little."

Zuko smiled and pulled a bowl to his face and blew on it and the bowl of rice and pork began steaming again. "Eat up."

She eyed the reheated food with an amused smile and gave him a dubious smile. "Aren't you hungry?"

"Maybe just a little." He mimicked and heated his own bowl and they ate in silence. They sat quietly long after the meal until Zuko stood. "It's getting late. We should probably both get some sleep."

Katara wrung her hands nervously. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

"You alright?" His golden eyes examining her thoroughly. It almost felt as if he could see inside her and read her thoughts.

No use hiding it she supposed. "Yeah. I just…" she trailed off finally feeling embarrassed.

Zuko peered at her over his teacup, watching her, examining. She could feel his eyes on her and had to avert her gaze. "Just…" He prompted, still hiding the lower half of his face with his tea.

"Just…" She hesitated, biting her lip. Zuko watched, riveted and hanging off her words. She sighed and rushed into her explanation. "Just I don't want to be left alone." Her blue eyes flashed to his, holding his gaze with the intensity of her next words. "I feel safe when I'm with you."

The teacup started to slip from his grip, but he was relieved that he caught it to help hide his expression. He wasn't used to such open and raw emotion and he was glad for something to hide behind. He had to drag his eyes from hers and compose himself. He was scrambling to come up with some response, but she had totally thrown him for a loop. "Look… Katara… You shouldn't put so much faith in me. I mean it was my fault that… that happened to you. I lied to you about my bending." He looked pained as he said this, letting his bangs swing into his face.

She knew that was a defense mechanism, hiding from her like that and her next sentence came out in a reassuring whisper. "I trust you."

"You shouldn't." He warned her, thinking back to all the times he had hunted her, how he had even used her treasured mother's necklace to track her down just to get to the Avatar.

"Why?" Her eyes wide and confused as she tried to catch his eye.

"It's complicated."

"I don't care. I feel safe around you. I trust you." He sat in stony silence across from her. "You've already protected me once and got hurt doing it. You stayed when I asked you to. I feel like I can really rely on you."

Zuko sat eerily still and rigid until he suddenly spun on her, a harsh, determined light in his eyes. "I'll teach you."

"Huh?"

"You should be able to defend yourself. You should be able to rely on more than your bending for situations like earlier today."

"Oh."

"What?"

"That's why I got up so early. I wanted to talk to you about teaching me how to fight."

"So your game?"

"Yes."

"Tomorrow. Early in the morning."

"Okay." It came out breathy.

"I'll come pick you up."

"Okay." This one came out much more reassured.

Zuko stood. "Well, you should get some sleep. Your training starts tomorrow." He said with a sly smile as he strode to the door.

"Sleep well Zuko."

"You too. Night." He let himself out and was gone, Katara let out a long sigh, steeling herself for a long night alone with her thoughts.

Hey all, it's Sarahplainntall. Intense chapter right? Just wanted to say thanks to my MANY readers who are fantastic and amazing and I feel I owe recognition to. (BTW, your comments and what not keep me motivated to write more and faster). Wolflover235, MidnightGwevin XxX, CreateElements, lilisangin123, are the BEST for comment reviews and for adding me to story alerts/favorite stories/favorite author, a special thanks to: ArrayePL, Kataomoi no Koibito, shianne2121, Roamantic Dreamer13, phoebus1991, Crystal1998, FoxBlood, KiDLatZ, whovian4life, ILoveTheSky101, Ardiente Desco, Luna de Papel, Thisguy720 and Darrencrisslover. Thanks for your support, it keeps me going, especially when school gets this crazy.