The next morning I woke up due to the frenzied chills crawling at my exposed skin. The autumn air of the morning slowly changing to winter air licked at my already goosebumped skin. My hand moved around, grabbing nothing but air as I searched for a blanket or rather an exceedingly warm body. After finding nothing, I sighed with frustration and sat up, feeling my hair swathe about around my neck and back. It had gotten so mangled from the night's sleep. I looked around and saw Zuko sitting by the fire that had already come alive and was rising and falling with his very breath; he must have been meditating I noticed that the only blanket we had was folded neatly beside him.

Cute trick. I thought upon realizing he had stripped it from me in order for me to wake up.

He gazed up from the fire at me. He smiled a little at seeing my bed head and handed me the blanket. "Here," he said.

I gratefully took it, me being a little chilly, but was secretly disappointed that I could not be close by him, soaking in his warmth. I swaddled myself in the blanket nonetheless and my tiny shivers subsided.

He stood up, stretched his arms, and then extinguished the fire in one fluid swipe of his arm. "Alright, let's get going," he ordered. He grabbed his bag and squatted down by my mat, pulling his bag close so that he could strap it on. He did so and then stood up. He looked at me expectantly, telling me with his eyes to get up and get moving as I had been sitting dumbly on the mat and watching him do the work.

"Oh," I said with surprise in my tone. I got up from my rump, letting the blanket fall off my shoulders. I quickly gathered my bag up in my arms and rolled up Zuko's mat, strapping it to my bag. I pulled it onto my back and stood up beside him.

We at breakfast, just an apple for each of us and then quickly set out again for the day. We were supposed to arrive in Omashu later that day, perhaps after lunch. From there we were going to ask around town if anyone had seen the Avatar.

I hoped that we would get to talk to Bumi. He would be of more help than just any merchant that had heard several rumors over the past few days and tried to figure out which one was correct, passing it onto us. But getting into the palace, let alone talking with the king, was going to be hard. I silently prayed that something would happen so that we would be granted an audience with him, something other than the first time we had traveled to Omashu.

"So what's the plan?" I asked Zuko.

"We arrive at Omashu and try to find as much information on the whereabouts of the Avatar," he replied.

"Aang," I corrected. I was going to have to work on getting Zuko used to referring to people with their names rather than what they were or their rank. If he was going to be part of the team, he was going to have to stop calling Aang "the Avatar".

He rolled his eyes.

"So that's it?" I asked, worry creeping into the back of my mind. It wasn't that I didn't trust Zuko; it was just that his plan seemed a bit sketchy. It didn't seem like it was foolproof. We could be told lies or rumors that could send us on a wild goose chase. Then we would have practically no hope of ever finding Aang again. "Don't you think it has flaws in it? I mean, we can't trust every single person we meet."

He nodded once. "Yes, I know, but do you have any better plans?" he asked.

"Well…" I started, "While we were traveling to the North Pole, we came across Omashu, and we met the king. We could…try..." I trailed off, realizing how silly and quite unrealistic my idea was. There was pretty much no way the guards would simply let a waterbending nobody and the Fire Prince waltz into the palace and demand an audience.

"Try and talk to King Bumi?" Zuko finished, but was asking rather than stating.

I bit my lip. "Yeah… But I mean," I shook my head, "there's no way we could talk to him anyways. We only met him in the first place because we were arrested."

His eyes widened and he looked at me with surprise. "You were arrested, Katara?" he exclaimed.

I closed my eyes. They always say that… I grumbled silently. "Yes."

"Why?" he asked, shocked.

"Don't ask."

The time Aang, Sokka, and I went down their mailing chutes wasn't exactly a story I liked to be associated with or to tell. It was a bit embarrassing that I had done something so stupid and irresponsible and that I had also gotten arrested for it. It was also so terrifying that I didn't really like to recall that moment where I was scared for my life. More scared than I had even been while fighting Zuko or fighting in the North Pole.

Zuko nodded thoughtfully; I assumed he was imagining what was so wrong or scandalous that I would do that got me arrested. I blushed as ideas and suggestions popped into my mind. Some of them were quite scandalous indeed.

"So you think we should try and gain an audience with King Bumi?" he asked after a few seconds of silence.

"There's no harm in trying." I shrugged.

"Ok then."

For the rest of the day we walked. We tried to stay on the trail set in front of us as best as we could, but with it curvy around every tree and rock, it was hard to see where exactly it was going. The trail was bumpy and rough, but it was also sometimes concealed by overgrown vegetation. Sometimes we would come across bushes of thistles and thorns.

The excursion took longer and I expected. Time moved by incredibly slowly. I wasn't sure why it did and I expected since we were approaching so many obstacles that the time would go by quickly. I had thought the hours in the day would seem to speed by. But if anything the hours just dragged on.

By the time the sun was at its peak in the sky, my legs felt wobbly and weak in the knees. With each step I took, my legs made me look as if I were a cow camel. I felt like I had so many months ago when Sokka, Aang, and I had been running from Zuko. This rolling ache snaked around my tendons and veins and squeezed. I really wanted to take a rest for lunch, but I didn't want to seem weak in Zuko's eyes.

It was a silly thing to be feeling, but I couldn't shake it. It kept needling up my spine like a centipede. I'm not sure where it came from, but I wanted it gone! I mean, I wasn't inferior to Zuko and I knew that, so what did it matter? I knew he knew I wasn't weaker than him, but still...those encouraging thoughts did not do their job.

I also knew that even though he did not think of me as inferior to him didn't mean that he didn't look at me as someone who wasn't as strong as he was. I was afraid he would see me as what I was on the outside. I was afraid he would only see me as a skinny, little girl.

I didn't want that though! I wanted him to see my strength on the outside, true, but I wanted him to also see my strength on the inside! That I could handle things just as well as he could! Just because I was a girl didn't mean that I wasn't as strong as he was.

Ugh! What frustrating and deceiving thoughts were prowling around in my mind! My bitter pride was always so infuriating. I had to think of something better than what I was thinking of. Something lighter.

Hm...

I wondered what I was going to do once I finally reconciled with Aang Sokka. What was I going to do? I was probably going to run straight into their arms and envelop them in a hug. I mean, I missed them dearly! The months I spent without the two were hard without their comfort so bring me strength, and I thought about them constantly. Finally being with the two would certainly be joyous.

But...what was I going to do about them and Zuko? How could I possibly persuade them to accept Zuko? How could they forgive just as I had done after all that he had done to them? That in itself was certainly a mighty task.

My brow furrowed and my eyes focused, but I wasn't seeing anything. I stared intently at the ground, but I couldn't see where my feet were stepping nor the leaves being billowed around the ground by the wind. I was certain that Zuko could clearly see that I was in deep thought and confliction just by my features.

I knew I had to talk to Zuko about what we were to do about Aang and Sokka, but I couldn't muster up the strength to. I opened my mouth several times, but nothing came out. There were no interruptions that hindered me aside from the ones in my mind. I started to feel tears prick my eyes, but I quickly gulped down the lump in my throat and blinked the threatening tears away in rage at myself for becoming so upset. It was silly of me to cry when there was hardly a reason to.

"Zuko," I finally piped up. I gazed up at him with wide eyes.

"Yes?" he asked, his attention being called.

"What are we going to do about Aang and Sokka? I mean, they aren't going to accept you. You and I both know that they won't without persuasion or you performing some sort of heroic act that will prove you've changed."

He looked at me, thinking as I explained. "I-I don't know, Katara. It's not going to be easy; whatever we choose will not lead us down the easiest path."

"I know that, and I'm not expecting it to be easy. In fact, I'll think something's wrong if it becomes easy," I said.

Zuko nodded. "I think it's just best to explain ourselves. Tell them everything that happened to us."

Everything? No way! There was no way we could tell them everything! For if we did then Zuko would surely be dead at the hands of my brother! If Sokka knew that Zuko and I had shared a room, shared a bed, slept beside each other and in each other's arms, and fallen in love, he would flip off the handle! We couldn't tell them at all. At least, not right away. Sokka and Aang would find out soon enough, and we would tell them at the appropriate moment. Most certainly not as soon as we reunite.

My eyes went wide and I whipped my head at him horrified. "What?" I cried. I studied his features frantically, trying to see if he was messing with me or completely serious about it. Though I didn't like it when people messed with me in that sort of cruel manner, I prayed he was merely being cruel and playful. "We can't tell them everything!"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. He stopped walking, and I followed suit. He turned to face me, staring at me straight in my cerulean eyes. He put his hands on my shoulders, and I felt sharp, electric jolts dancing through my veins and muscles, making me feel as if I was running through a meadow full of flowers and the wild wind, colorful with all the colors of nature.

"I mean, how you helped me change and make me see the light. I don't mean everything everything," he explained.

I breathed a sigh of relief. But...if he didn't mean everything then did that mean he wanted to keep our love a secret? I thought it best if we kept it a secret, but I didn't dare mention it. I didn't want to sound as if I were ashamed of our love.

"So do we just leave our love out..?" I nervously asked. "Do we just keep it a..." I trailed off, not wanting to say that one word.

He nodded once, showing me his determination. "We keep it a secret. Explaining to them how I've changed will be hard enough, but adding our love into the mix could either make it or break it."

"How so?"

"They could see your love for me as a reason to believe me. That if you love me then I have to be telling the truth. Or…" He bit his lip ever so slightly, but I could clearly see the harsh, pounding thoughts in his mind.

"Or?" I pursued.

He spoke again with an unexpected shyness and shame. "They could think I've…done things…to you." A pink blush crept onto his cheeks, making two small circles on his cheekbones.

I softly smiled at his innocent demeanor and honor plainly coming through his stony expression. Seeing him react to merely thinking of that possibility made me truly see what a gentleman he was. He had great honor within him, and I knew it without a shadow of a doubt.

I blinked with thoughtfulness and understood how serious things could get if we told them of our love for each other and Sokka and Aang believed Zuko had forced himself upon me. It wouldn't come as a shock to me if they believed that the Fire Nation thought love wasn't true love. That it was the mere action of love.

But if I had anything to do with it, I was going to make the two let go of their prejudice against the Fire Nation. They had to if Zuko was going to teach Aang firebending.

I wasn't sure how much longer we walked, but it couldn't have been more than two hours. I was sure that if it was any longer, I would have surely collapsed from exhaustion. I could barely even feel my legs, being so jelly-like.

Soon, through the haze of my weariness, I could vaguely hear the shouts of people not far off. I could almost hear the sound of earth rumbling, and the ground vibrated just a smidge. I blinked my eyes in the bright sunlight streaming down through the branches of the trees and I cried out in delight. "There!" I pointed a finger towards what I saw.

Through the leaves and vegetation, I could see the city of Omashu! We had finally made it to Omashu. Relief rushed all through me and I rushed through the lush overgrowth crowding the pathway, feeling quite like an Indian. I leaped over low bushes and swerved around rocks.

Zuko quickly followed after me. "Slow down!" he shouted after me, but I ignored him.

I'm not sure where my burst of energy came from, but I was glad I had it. I wasn't sure if I could make it all the way to the city gates from walking. I finally reached the city gates in a fit of huffs and puffs with the Fire Prince quickly trailing behind me. Once I caught my breath, I gazed up at the towering gates of Omashu, barely seeing the eyeing guards gripping their menacing spears. A smile spread across my face at seeing that we were finally there.

Things were finally going to be sorted out. We were getting one step closer to finding Aang and Sokka!

"Just let us through," I heard Zuko command gruffly, his voice full of authority. I looked back down at the three men before me.

Zuko had already started to negotiate with the guards. It seemed that they weren't letting us pass. Well, that was just convenient, wasn't it?

I stepped forward beside Zuko. I looked at the face of the guards. They were hardened and looked leathery. Their eyes were grey and hardened as well. They seemed to not be likely to budge, to allow us to pass.

"Will you please let us pass?" I asked politely.

The guard on the left looked at me harshly. He bent lower at the waist so that he was closer to eye level with me. He squeezed his eyes at the sight of me, making me feel as if I was a tiny bug. "What's your business?"

I froze. What could I possibly say? Would it be a wise choice to tell them who we actually were? If not Zuko, then me? Would they believe that I was Katara, friend of Avatar Aang?

Zuko put a hand on my shoulder, shushing my worries away. "We're just a couple, trying to start over in Omashu," he said perfectly, seamlessly integrating that lie together.

But his lie did nothing, but make me even more nervous. There was no way the guards would believe that we were simply a couple trying to start over when my "husband" was in Fire Nation clothing and I was in Water Tribe clothing. I took a frantic glance at Zuko and quickly calmed down. I had forgotten he had changed into a green tunic and brown pants, typical Earth Kingdom attire, before we had left the ship.

Perhaps they would buy our charade after all.

The two guards looked us up and down skeptically, trying to find any falsity in our appearance. They gripped their spears tightly in their meaty hands. The one on the right grunted and shrugged while the other continued to study us. He sighed and said, "Alright, you are free to enter the city."

And so we did.

Perhaps it was the way the sun was beating down on us or the way Zuko stood by me that made me feel full of adrenaline and anxious to begin. I was shaking and nervous, but also hungry for action. I was ready to get down to business. I was exceedingly ready to find Aang and Sokka.

Oh, how I missed them dearly!

Omashu was pretty much just as I remembered it to be. There were long, winding chutes for their mailing system that had been bleached from the looming, bright sun. Earthen carts full of scrolls and paperwork were sent sliding and falling down the shafts at high speed every minute. There were people walking about the streets while others had stopped to see what venders had to sell. Shouts came from every direction and there were also cries from young children and babies. Guards had been posted by corners and were walking among the people, trying to keep the peace.

Zuko and I started walking through the streets, passing people and buildings. We weren't sure how to go about our plan now that we had made it to Omashu. We knew we had to talk to Bumi, but doing that would be near impossible unless we so desired to be arrested. But there had to be a better way of doing things than breaking the law.

"We need to talk to King Bumi as soon as possible," the Prince declared lowly, hoping not to bid any passerby's hearing.

"Yes," I confirmed. "But how, Zuko?"

"I don't know," he admitted, "but we need to try either way."

I nodded once and I realized just how long it was going to take for us to find them. True, I didn't expect it to be easy, but at the rate we were going it was going to take at least a week. It was nearly impossible to have an audience with King Bumi; we'd learned that the first time we were here. But…the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was going to take a long time to finally reconcile with them.

"So do we just march up to the palace and demand to speak with Bumi?" I asked with my eyebrows already mashing together with frustration.

Ugh! Why hadn't we thought this through farther?

"I don't know."

"Zuko," I murmured, "we need to think of something. We can't just wing things. You said so yourself. This takes times and preparation."

"I know, I know. I just…" He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I just don't know how to go about this," he explained. "I'm not sure what to do, and I don't want to fail you."

My heart broke at his words. I smiled comfortingly and gripped his hand in mine. I rubbed my thumb against the back of his palm. "Hey," I whispered, "it's alright. We'll do this and we'll do this together. The weight of this isn't all on your shoulders." I reassured. "And if we do fail, it is most certainly not your fault. So don't think that."

He nodded grimly. "Ok."

I pulled his hand up to my mouth and lightly kissed it. I felt tiny waves of electricity flood into my veins. It felt so sensational that I didn't try to keep them out or away. Rather I let them pulse all through my body, feeling the tingling, numb impression that they left behind.

After talking about our next step, night had already started to fall. We decided that it would be best to stop for the night at an inn and proceed with the plan in the morning. We also decided that we would go to the palace and try to work things out so that we could talk to Bumi.

"How many?" the innkeeper asked curtly upon seeing us in front of his counter. He was a short, plump, old man who was balding also. His eyes were sunken in and he appeared to be a drunkard. I could easily smell alcohol on his breath.

"A room for two," Zuko said calmly, not letting the man's rudeness faze him. He slid three coins to the man on the counter.

He eyed the two of us wearily, probably trying to see if we were actually married or just a couple running away from our parents and sleeping together immorally. He concluded his study with a "humph" and swiped the coins up, dropping them into his pocket. He waddled from behind the counter and down the hallway to our left.

We followed him through the halls, passing many rooms. We finally stopped at one with a grimy door that seemed to be barely on its hinges. We were given the key to it, and then the old man padded away.

It took some effort to get the door to move let along swing open. The key had gone in quite easily and it unlocked the door too. After many twists of the knob and a few pushes on the door, it gave way.

The room we had been given was far from luxury. The walls were gross and were covered in dirt. The floor, of course, was tatami, but it had been broken in several places and dust had been scattered across the floor. There were two bed mats rolled up in the corner, but I took no pleasure in the thought of sleeping on them.

I was very glad to know that I had brought my own mat.

"Well, then," Zuko said, taking a look around the room. He bobbed his head up and down at the sight of it. He bent down and began to unlace his shoes.

Knowing it was pretty much pointless to ask for a better room, I followed suit. It was going to be a long night in that place.

A/N: Hey guys! Ok, I feel like I haven't gotten this chapter out in FOREVER! Has it been awhile since a new chapter has been out? I'm not sure lol. I may feel like this because I actually only was able write this chapter since yesterday. That's right. I literally wrote this is two days. It sucks doesn't it?

Ok, the first thing I wanted to get out is the part where it says cow camel. Let me explain if you don't understand. You know how when a camel walks their knees like...wobble almost? Well watch the beginning of Aladdin and you'll understand. Like her legs were too weak to even remain in a straight position. Make sense now? Well, I hope so.

The second thing is...if you don't know what a tatami mat is it's a traditional Japanese floor. It's extremely deliquet and fragile. It's made of bamboo and you aren't allowed to wear shoes on it. And it's very expensive too because if you break it you have to replace the entire square foot of it.

Well, I guess I didn't really work very hard on this one. I hope it doesn't suck. I'm not very thrilled about it, but I didn't want rush into the important things. I wanted to have some room in the middle. Like a filler almost. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.

Please review! Thanks!

-Neon