Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorite and put on an alert. I am honored, and if you enjoy the story, please continue to leave reviews. I'm aiming to get up to one hundred by the time this is over, and I would love for you all to pitch in :P If you want me to, I will review one of your stories in exchange for you reviewing this one. Just let me know in a comment if you have something in particular you want some constructive criticism on.

There are a few musical terms in this chapter you might not be familiar with, so I've listed them below.

Tempo- how fast or slow the beat of a song is.

Crescendo- music becoming gradually louder.

Decrescendo- music becoming gradually softer.

Dissonant- conflicting or unpleasant to hear.

Fermata- a time extension in music, holding a note, chord, or pause longer than first indicated.

That being said, please enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Eight
Delicate Dance

Everyone was silent for a moment. Aang was inhaling, Azula was exhaling, Katara wasn't breathing at all. She felt the energy in the room shift, as if she'd gone from walking on solid ground to travelling on a swinging bridge of ancient rope.

Just one false move, and-

Ashes, ashes, we all fall down.

Katara snapped out of the haunting image, and stood straighter. "We've come to talk to you about some things, Azula." The firebender perched upon her throne, checked her talons. Without a sound she'd set the tempo, and they could only hope that the beat didn't break down any further.

"Proceed."

Aang stepped forward, starting the dance. The melody of his steps echoed in the room, becoming an infinitely more complicated song as the sounds bounced off of each other. "Azula, why are you taxing the people more? I've been in the poor parts of Calerda- I see too many citizens begging on the streets, sleeping on doorsteps. Why aren't you taxing the noblemen just as harshly when they are the ones who can actually afford it?"

"Because, Aang, we're the ones who can't afford it." There was a new dancer joining them with words as sharp as the knives she carried. They slit open the air and let the tension spill out, enveloping them all, making it harder to hear the music.

Katara watched as Mai stepped forward, swinging a blade around her finger and staring deep into her eyes. She had changed from a thin, strong young woman to a haggard-looking wife- she could see the golden ring on her finger. The expression on her face was like dissonant music, her features clashing against each other and revealing nothing but hate.

Mai circled them, a very familiar step that Katara felt her body mirroring. "When dignitaries come from other nations, they need to see the strength of the Fire Nation. How could they do that if the nobles were begging on the streets? Only the Northern Water Tribe has come anywhere close to our hierarchy, especially since the Earth Kingdom was so corrupted. We need our noblemen to stay rich so that they can afford exports and imports, so that we can keep up the front that this is still the strongest nation in the world."

Her voice hit a wrong note- she didn't believe what she was saying. The words weren't hers. Katara approached her, ready to take the lead.

"So this isn't the strongest nation? Not after the war decimated your resources and the morale?" Mai's eyes narrowed, and she looked at her with loathing. The steps were like a lioness stalking prey, Katara was ready to fight back- but Mai turned and slunk to Azula's side.

Time for a faster tempo, maybe a little crescendo.

"Besides," Azula snapped, watching Katara closely, "the nobles have already paid their dues and shown their allegiance to me. The commoners have not, for the most part, and the only way to keep them in line is to be their only source of life."

"Do you truly believe that?" The question was directed at Azula, but Katara sent the harmony part to Mai. After one dirty look, she knew for certain that the weapons master didn't approve of what Azula had just said.

"Of course we do," Azula sang back, and jumped down from her throne, moving proudly, stiffly. Her steps were light. Katara stepped back, letting her onto the floor, waiting for her solo performance.

"Many people, such as yourselves, probably see this method as… barbaric," she began, shooting a venomous look at Katara, which was returned tenfold. "But really, it's quite simple. This way, there is just poverty, and that can be easily dealt with- food is everywhere, you just have to know how to find it."

"Like stealing it from others?" Aang cut in, but Azula eluded him, sidestepping his question, continuing her spotlight dance. She prowled closer with a sultry little smile.

"Trust me, there are other ways of keeping people quiet." The music built to a crescendo, then stopped. Azula held the fermata just long enough for Katara to see through the complicated harmonies, then she brought her to the finale of the piece.

"There are other ways, but they are messy and complicated. I know from experience, little Katara- the easiest way to make yourself heard in this world is to make everyone else silent."

Like Zuko.

"Katara, no!" Aang yelled as she lunged forward, and he sent a whip of water from her own supply to wrap around her waist, keeping her back until he got there. Azula laughed and turned away, ignoring the struggle behind her. She needed to die, needed to follow her brother and just die, and Katara would make it happen.

The beat was frantic, the steps were rough, and before she even got the chance to do her own moves, the dance was over.

Azula had wrong-footed her once again. Aang pulled her back, and she shoved him off of her. She couldn't bear to look him in the eyes, so she did the only thing left to do. She left the throne room, pushing open the doors and turning sharply to go down the hallway, to where she could think in private.

She'd been so caught up in the talk of the people that she hadn't even asked what had happened to Zuko. She'd failed, and this chance would never come up again.

"You know, that was a pretty stupid move." She instantly recognized the raspy, disparaging voice and looked over her shoulder, seeing Mai following her out of the throne room. Her eyes were brooding and heavy, and through her fingers, Katara could just make out the faint glint of needles.

"I don't care," she shot back savagely, "Azula will get what's coming to her one day." She hadn't felt this much hate coursing through her body since she'd gone to find the man who killed her mother- but even then, Zuko had been there to support her. Now, no one was stopping her.

"Yes, you do." Mai's response was quiet and weary, and it took her by surprise. "You care more than you let on, but I know. I've always known."

She was twisting the golden ring around her finger. The little piece of jewelry that she'd accepted from another man, forgetting about Zuko and moving on with her life.

Envy surged through her, accompanied by rage. It had just been so easy for Mai, but she could never move on- she was still trapped in the first moment she'd realized that her love for Zuko wouldn't be enough to keep them together.

"Why did you get married again?" she asked, desiring vindication. Mai grimaced and flicked the needles out of her hands, into the ground at her feet.

"I don't have to answer that!" she snarled, and Katara let out a short bark of laughter.

"Of course not, because you know that there is no excuse for just abandoning Zuko's memory, leaving him behind!" It was the first time she'd said his name out loud in a long time, and she found herself tasting the bittersweet truth on her lips. "You went off and got married without a glance back! You left him!"

"So is that why you stayed, Katara?"

Mai's words echoed around her, and she gasped. She couldn't answer, all she could do was stare into the eyes of her rival and see the hurt, lonely woman beneath her rouged cheeks.

"You think you've had it bad? You haven't been through anything. Every day, I wake up to a man without a scar, and I hate him just a little more. Everywhere I go, people recognize me and pity me, whether I want them to or not. I dream of him sometimes, but I wake up knowing that if the positions had been switched, it wouldn't be me he would be dreaming about.

"Zuko wasn't happy as the Fire Lord. I was with him every damn day, but he barely even acknowledged me. I knew he loved someone else, but I was foolish enough to stick around, thinking that maybe once we were married, things would be just as they should have been. We never got that far."

"How did he die?" Katara asked, knowing it could be her only chance to catch Mai off guard. The older girl laughed derisively.

"I don't know. I've never known, but I found out a long time ago that it was better to act in a fantasy than to hate the truth that is revealed to you." The two women stood facing each other like two sides of a mirror, drawn apart by the same thing that connected them.

"I have to go," Katara said mechanically, and turned away, walking down the main hallway, knowing just how many twists and turns there would be before she was once again outside of this hellhole. She knew Aang would find her somehow- he always did. So she just walked and wondered.

Mai didn't know how Zuko died, and she'd been the most prominent person in his life at the time. How the hell could she not know? They'd been at the funeral, and seen the blazing coffin. They'd gone through hell in the months and years afterwards. But something was missing before all of this, and she needed to know.

Maybe Azula had kept a record of it somewhere- maybe there was a place in the palace that housed the information she needed. She thought back to the records at the library, and her mind followed the natural course of events, ending with Ju Huan's violent end, and the Blue Spirit staring after her.

Suddenly, something clicked, and Katara felt energy rush up her spine and into her head before the world as she knew it morphed before her eyes. All those times she'd seen the Blue Spirit watching her, following her, she hadn't known why. But somehow Azula knew she was the Painted Lady, and there was only a few others she could think of that knew that.

The Blue Spirit wasn't protecting her at all- he was nothing more than Azula's puppet. It all made sense- Ju Huan had been killed by the Blue Spirit because Azula wanted all traces of Zuko's journey to be obliterated. The other crew members were already dead by now, she was certain of that. The Blue Spirit had sometimes kept her from going places- maybe because they held the hints to unlock Zuko's death?

In essence, the one she'd thought of as a savior was nothing more than the hand of her enemy, coming down to trap her as she walked willingly into her grasp.

With an outraged cry, she began to run out of the palace, shooting down corridors and passing stunned guards and servants. She needed to leave the web of lies, to go back to her home and hug Lani, tell her that everything will be fine and then get her out of the poisonous place as soon as possible. She was soon outside of the palace, back in the courtyard. People were still milling about, checking on the wounded and giving her suspicious glances as she passed.

"Katara!" Aang's voice made her jump, and he dropped down in front of her, a burst of air cushioning his landing. He stood up and gazed at her worriedly. "What happened in there?"

"I just lost it- I'm sorry, Aang. I shouldn't have tried to attack her, I ruined everything. Now we'll never find out what happened." Tears began to brim in her eyes, and she turned away, not wanting him to see her cry. His arms wrapped around her from behind, and he leaned his head on her shoulder.

"It's okay," he soothed, but she stepped away, not willing to lose herself in someone else's arms. He looked so hurt, but he had to understand that they couldn't go back down the path they had travelled when they were children. His love was still that of a child's first crush- it couldn't be sustained on who they were now.

"Let's just go home," she amended, and he nodded, leading the way out of the palace yards as she followed silently.

When they got back to the apartment, she could feel the anxiety rolling off of the man next to her. They had left Lani alone, and in an unsafe place- if something had happened to her, it was their fault. But the door was still closed, and Aang knocked three times, pausing after the first two, then pounding the wood, hard. Almost immediately, they heard little feet scurrying inside, and saw Lani's face in the window, her eyes wide and afraid. When she saw it was them, she nodded and held up one finger, telling them to wait.

"Thank the spirits," Katara breathed in relief, knowing the child was safe. She could hear the girl sweeping the broken glass away from the door, and unlocking it from the inside. The door was flung open, and Lani jumped into her arms, burying her head in Katara's neck.

"I missed you!" she cried, and Katara hugged her tightly. How was she going to give the little girl up? She knew it would be best for Lani, but she couldn't bring herself to imagine leaving her with a faceless stranger, letting her travel the world on her own until she reached Ba Sing Se. She carried her into the apartment and let Aang shut and lock the doors behind them. Lani turned her face into Katara's ear, and whispered.

"That strange man came again and stood outside, but he left right before you guys got back. The one in the mask." Katara froze momentarily, then smile tightly and shrugged.

"It's nothing to worry about. Don't tell Aang about him, we don't want to worry him for no reason." Lani nodded, and Katara set her down, spotting the unread letters from her family and friends, knowing that this was what she needed.

"I'm going to take a little break," she announced, gathering the scrolls into her arms. The weight was reassuring, and she backed into her room. "I need some privacy."

One she was situated on her bed, she cracked open the curtains covering the window to give her some light and unrolled the letter from Sokka and Suki.

Suki and I are living in the South Pole at the moment- you wouldn't recognize it, Katara, it's changed so much. Now that the men are all home, more people are getting married and having children- including Suki and I. I know you would have liked to be at the wedding to tell me not to do anything stupid, but it all went fine, thank you very much.

We had our first child about eighteen months ago. She is named Tarani, sort of after you. As is Ka…Tara. Get it? Of course you do. She reminds me a lot of Mom, and of you when she smiles. Also, she loves water, and it seems to react to her- maybe we have another waterbender on our hands. Yippee.

We miss you a lot, and we hope you're safe and happy- the whole tribe is worried about you. We want you to come home, Katara. You belong with your family, and the sooner the better.

I love you, and Suki says she wants Tarani to have an aunt present. Please come back soon.

Sokka

Katara wiped the moisture from her eyes. Tarani had been named after her. She knew the child would have the best family around her, supporting her, and she ached to see them all again. She knew that once this was all over, she had to go back- it was torture, cutting herself off from everyone. She opened Toph's letter next, almost warily- the earthbender never had problems speaking her mind before, and she was sure she'd been treated to a few outspoken opinions.

Hey Sugar Queen. My maid is writing this for me, so don't start thinking the little blind chick has suddenly been healed or anything. I'm still just the same kick-ass Blind Bandit I've always been.

I don't want you to worry, so I'll begin by saying that I'm very safe with what I do. Anyways- I've been commanding a force of earthbenders outside of Ba Sing Se in the Earth Kingdom, and we're liberating the villages that still have a few Fire Nation thugs in them. We're trying to clean up the military a little bit, get rid of the psycho war commanders and bring in some new blood. People keep asking me to be their sensei, but after Aang, I don't think I could handle another student without tearing my hair out.

Speaking of Twinkle Toes- be gentle with him. It's painfully obvious how he feels about you, but judging from the last time I 'saw' you, you're not going to feel the same way. Don't hurt him too badly- the war is over, but the world still needs him- it needs all of us, so don't do anything too risky.

I'm going to go take care of some ex-army troublemakers now- don't hesitate to drop me a letter if you need me. You still have people who love you. Don't give that all up for someone who isn't even alive anymore.

-Toph Bei Fong

Katara sighed, throwing the letter aside and moving on before she had a chance to dwell on its contents. She opened the scroll from her father, greedily taking in his rough scrawl and the words he inscribed. He knew she would come home when she was ready. He wanted her to know that he loved her, and that Kanna was very weak, but was trying to hold on until she came back. Her grandmother was a strong woman, he said, and he knew she'd wait for years if she had to, but was hoping it wouldn't take that long for Katara to return. He missed his daughter.

Iroh's letter was more comforting. He talked about how he missed seeing her, and that he wanted her to think of him as an extension of her family. The tea shop was doing well, she was welcome to visit, and he hoped she was happy.

The closing of his letter caught her off guard.

Some days I wake up feeling like a lonely old man. My son is gone, my nephew is gone, and my wife is gone. It is a comfort to me that someone other than myself may feel the same way, as if a part of them is missing- it gives me the opportunity to ask that we fill each other's empty hearts with memories and fond connections. I remember Zuko mentioning you lovingly and proudly, and even though these eyes are not as sharp as they once were, I could see the friendship between the two of you very clearly. You were one of the greatest influences in his life, and I cherish you as his greatest joy.

Love, Uncle Iroh

She bit her lip and tasted blood, then gently put the scroll down and wiped her eyes. The tears kept flowing, though. Her grandmother was not long for this world, she had never seen her niece, and the loneliness she felt was mirrored by a man who cared for her as deeply as he cared for Zuko.

She was being selfish. She'd almost never had the chance to think of herself, and the one time she did, she hurt those closest to her.

She heard a knock on the door, and Aang stuck his head in. "I heard you crying," he said quietly, and entered the room, sitting down next to her on the bed. She could tell he was nervous, and dreaded what was going to happen next. His pain had always hurt more than her own.

"Katara, I think that you should give this up. It's not healthy, and I'm really worried about you." His words weren't surprising, but she felt herself draw back from him. He looked her steadily in the eyes, not noticing her recoil. "You've always been special to me. I think about you all the time, wondering if you're safe and happy… wondering if you'd found s-someone else to…" He stuttered then trailed off, taking a deep breath and grabbing her hand. She didn't pull away. She was frozen.

"I love you. I always have, I want you to be mine, and to come back with me to the temples. I want to be together." His blunt, caring words sliced her apart, and she closed her eyes for a moment, envisioning the life he'd laid out for her.

She saw herself smiling and laughing, holding his hands. She saw them sleeping in the same bed, waking up to the same morning view. She saw herself aging with Aang's wrinkled hand wrapped around her own, and she knew she could never forgive herself if she let it become a reality.

"I can't." She forced herself to look him in the eye, and watched a cacophony of emotions flit through his features- shock, disbelief, sorrow, confusion, desperation.

"Why not, Katara?" He leaned forward, trying to kiss her, but she stood up, stepping away from him as tears spilled from her eyes.

"Aang, I'm so sorry. I just can't, I don't love you like that. You've always been my best friend, but that's it and-"

"No!" he cried, standing up as well, striding over to her and looking down at her, his eyes glistening. "That's not true, we were together once. You loved me once, Katara, why not now? I did everything right! I protected you and cared about you more than anything! I gave up so much for you, please!"

"Stop," she whimpered, but he kept going, tears falling freely now.

"You did. We kissed, we were together. Please," he repeated, and suddenly his lips were on hers. She didn't move. She turned to ice, begged the blood in her veins to freeze so that he wouldn't feel any heat beneath his kiss. It seemed like an eternity later when he pulled back and turned away, without looking at her. She knew she'd broken him.

She hated herself.

"Aang," she said quietly, "I'm so sorry." The words were inadequate, and her eyes widened when he slumped to the ground. "Aang!" she cried, lunging forward. She went around him, knelt in front of his bowed head. She tilted his chin up, saw tears running down his cheeks, and suddenly saw only the twelve year old boy she had once saved from inside an iceberg.

But how could she protect him when the thing that hurt him so badly was herself? It didn't make sense, and it wasn't fair.

"Your love for me… it's not real," she said, and he shook his head vigorously, opening his mouth to protest. "No, just listen!" she said urgently, and he closed his lips, looking at her doubtfully. "When we were kids, it was real, but we've changed. We grew up when you weren't looking."

He sighed, and she continued. "There is always going to be a part of you that loves me. It never goes away, trust me." Zuko's face fled through her mind, infecting her thoughts with the sweetest poison she'd ever known.

"But you will move on, because we can't let this go on anymore." He would move on, as she couldn't, because she'd given him the only gift she had left- closure.

"Katara… I need to go out for a little while. I'll be back, but I don't know when." She wasn't surprised at that, either- it was the Airbender part of him, to hate conflict. He was too peaceful to carry the pain in his body. She nodded, watched him as he left the room.

As soon as she heard the front door close, and Lani lock up, she curled into a ball on her bed and began to sob openly, not caring who heard her anymore.

Thanks for reading, please review!

Also, to the anonymous reviewer who called themselves 'red'- Thank you for your review, but please look over my author notes again. You will notice that at the beginning of every chapter except the third and the fifth that I thank people for their cooperation, and say 'please' when I ask for reviews.

It is not 'fishing for compliments' as you say, it is asking for constructive criticism. If you are not aware of the polite protocol for this website, please keep your opinions to yourself. I have already apologized for holding this story ransom, but I will not apologize for asking for reviews. Thank you for your time.

Have a good day.