Thanks for everyone who has reviewed so far! I'm very proud to present to you, in addition to this chapter, an AMAZING fan trailer for this story! There is a person, also named Aleina (we bonded over it; that makes only two people I know who have the same name as me) who made a video on YouTube for Endlessly, She Said. Go check it out at http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=hZz4zxUuNnU, just take out the (dot)s and replace them with actual periods.

And remember to review!

Chapter Twelve
Preparations

She could feel his arms around her, warm and comforting like she always imagined. His breath was in her ear, heating her skin and keeping rhythm with the steady beat of his heart against her back. She smiled. It had been so long since she'd felt him, and she needed the sensation to last.

"Katara." The rough voice was quiet, and she didn't answer for fear of losing him. It was better to just stay in the moment for a little while longer if she could. He said her name again, insistently. She felt him slipping away from her and panicked.

"Zuko?" she whispered, holding her breath. She heard him sigh, felt his hand ghosting over her hair.

"I have to go now. I just didn't want you to wake up alone." She bit her lip to stem the flow of longing, and struggled to keep her voice from shaking.

"I'm already awake. You don't need to go just yet." She tried to find his arm slung around her waist, but her fingers grappled uselessly with the fabric of her sheets. The warmth she'd felt there was suddenly gone, and she knew it was only moments before it all ended.

"No, you're not. But you will be soon." She opened her eyes, desperate to see him before he left, but blackness still shrouded her vision. She cried out in blindness, reaching out, wishing she could touch him one last time. "I love you," he whispered, and was gone.

Her eyes opened to a leaking, dimly lit ceiling. The floor under her sleeping mat rocked in tandem with the waves she sensed, and she could see the stairs which led to the deck above the hold. Other passengers slept beside her, but the night made her restless, and she kicked off the blankets, striding up the steps and onto the bow of the boat.

It was pure luck that she'd found transportation to Ember Island so quickly. She'd only been planning for three days when she heard about the tour boat full of Earth Kingdom visitors who were staying at a resort on the island. She'd bought the cheapest ticket available a day later, packed a small bag and locked the door to her apartment, not knowing if or when she would be back.

She went to the railing and leaned against it, taking in the familiar disjointed image of moonlight floating on the water. The skies were clear, and she almost felt as if she could sweep the reflection of the white light into her hands, repair the shattered pieces and put it back in the sky, where it belonged.

Don't go around thinking you can fix the moon when you can't even control your own life, a voice sneered from inside her mind, and she grimaced angrily. She saw a wave rising up in response to her emotion, and took a deep breath, the air hitching on the back of her throat as it always did when she was about to cry. The wave sank back into the water, and she clutched the railing of the ship, hoping that no one saw.

"The view does not please you, miss?" She looked to the left and found a sailor smiling at her. His eyes were a peculiar mixture of green and brown, and his hair was dark, flopping over his forehead and brushing his long eyelashes. The way he was looking at her was unsettling- she hadn't been around a boy her age in forever, not counting Aang.

"No, it's not that. I think the moon is very… beautiful. I just… sorry," she said with a little laugh, "never mind." The young man laughed too, giving her an appreciative glance. It didn't even look like he knew what he was doing, until he heard her little sigh. Then his eyes widened, and snapped back up to her face as he blushed. She lifted an eyebrow, smiling wryly, and he grinned apologetically in response.

"I'm Han," he said, sticking his hand out. She shook it.

"I'm Ka- um, Kalina." She smiled widely as tension curled in her stomach. She shouldn't be on Ember Island, not when she knew that Azula was having her watched, or followed. She had to be careful, avoid little slip ups that might alert someone to the fact that she was there. Han raised his eyebrows, then grinned back and casually sidled closer, again flicking the hair from his eyes and gazing out onto the water.

"Nice to meet you. So where's the name from?" he asked, and she pulled her hair over her shoulders, twining it around her fingers as she thought quickly.

"Gaoling, same as me." She used Toph's hometown, knowing she'd be able to give details if he asked. "My mom was Water Tribe, but my father was Earth Kingdom and he took us to live there when I was born because… I was very sick as a baby," she lied, thinking of Yue's illness. "He didn't want us to be too far from medical help if we needed it."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Are they on the ship with you?" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, and he held his hands up in a placating gesture. "Don't worry, this is just a conversation, not an interrogation. No need to be so mistrustful, I'm half Earth Kingdom myself," he said, his gaze suddenly darker.

"No, my parents died a while ago in a… a fire. We weren't in the village," she amended hastily, "we were on the road." This is harder than it should be- when did I get so out of practice? She knew she shouldn't be giving him so many false details, but she couldn't stop talking. He simply looked at her and listened quietly, waiting for her voice to trail off.

"So you're half Earth Kingdom?" she asked, trying to turn the subject away from herself. Han stopped smiling, his mouth suddenly turned down into a grimace and his eyes became defensive.

"Yeah. On my mom's side."

"And your dad?" she asked, anxiety beginning to coil in her gut. Han's eyes flashed to hers, then out again to the water.

"I'm the bastard child of a Fire Nation soldier and an Earth Kingdom woman." His voice was brittle and sharp, making her gasp and step back. He didn't seem to notice. "Her husband died in the war, and she didn't have anyone to protect her. He raped her, then pillaged the village and left with the rest of the Fire Nation demons."

There was silence for a long time as she struggled to find something to say. She'd heard stories about the invaders taking women and leaving them to raise outsiders, not accepted by either nation. But something about the way Han was gritting his teeth told her to proceed carefully. She laid her hand on his arm. "Not all of the Fire Nation is bad," she said quietly, but he just shook his head and turned to stare steadily and coldly into her eyes.

"I hear you're someone who sees good in everyone, Katara," he said, and her blood ran cold. He studied her face. "Yeah. I know who you are; I have since you got on the boat. Your eyes, hair… everything, actually- it's distinctive."

She couldn't speak, not even when he grinned hopelessly at her. She was suddenly more aware of the bitterness in his gaze, and the calculating way he looked at her. "Don't worry," he said wearily, "I won't tell anyone who you are. I won't even ask why you're going to Ember Island." He peered over his shoulder, to the opposite side of the boat. "Speaking of which, we'll be there in about a half hour or so."

She looked in that direction as a dark shape appeared on the horizon, growing longer and wider as they approached the land. She nodded subconsciously, felt Han move closer. She trusted her instincts and stepped back, turning to look at him again. Surely he wouldn't attack her during night and surrounded by water, right?

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, leaning his weight on the leg furthest from her, dropping his offensive stance. "You should get some sleep, Katara." With that, he turned away and left her, calling over his shoulder, "We'll all get off the boat in the morning, when everyone is awake." As soon as he was out of sight on the other end of the ship, she turned and ran back to the steps, her heart hammering its way through her chest and unveiling an uneasy feeling as it split open her composure.

Maybe it shouldn't have been a big deal that he knew who she was. But something about Han made her very certain that she would have to be more careful than ever before. Katara took a deep, shuddering breath and laid back down on her sleeping mat, knowing she couldn't sleep but trying to keep up the appearance. What if someone was watching her, even now?

She laid still for an hour, listening to the sounds of the sailors docking the ship, calling back and forth to one another. Try as she might, she couldn't pick Han's voice out. As soon as everything was quiet, she bolted up, grabbed her things and went above deck. There were around fifty other passengers sleeping around her- fifty pairs of eyes that could be tracking her movements-

"Ugh," she muttered, slapping herself mentally. "Quit being so paranoid," she grumbled to herself, and then checked over her shoulder again, just to be sure. Nothing moved behind her, and she raced up the stairs with her heart in her throat.

The ship was eerily silent, and empty of all movement. She could see pinpricks of light beyond the port, perhaps lanterns lit by maids and forgotten about by those who readied the house for nighttime. The wind caught at her hair, ruffling it slightly, and she let it carry her towards the edge of the boat. They hadn't set the planks up yet, so there was only one way down.

She pulled water up to meet her as she jumped off the boat, and froze it around her feet as she rode the wave. The cold air raised bumps on her arms, and she pulled a dark cloak from her pack and over her shoulders, trying to warm herself. She swept her arms along her sides, up into the air, and the wave rose, carrying her down the length of the dark island. She didn't want to go ashore yet- her path would be nearly impossible to trace through water, and she knew she needed anonymity for this plan.

It only took about twenty minutes for her to make it to a beach she recognized, and she slid onto the shore as quietly as she could. Her arms ached, and her legs shook from the exertion. "Come on," she told herself sternly, "go find somewhere to sleep and then you'll be fine." Katara stood, brushed the sand from her clothes and hiked her pack higher on her shoulder, once again looking behind her to check if she was followed. She walked up the beach and into the town, keeping to the shadows as she had in Caldera, but searching at the same time for a motel or inn to stay for the night. There was no telling how late it was, but the sky was inky and oppressive above her, with no hint of dawn or dusk.

She finally found an open room at the motel next to a tavern, paying the inn-keeper extra to withhold her name. He gave her a grubby little key and leered at her, then stared blatantly at her chest until she left with her arms crossed tightly, and her shoulders hunched to spite him.

"Bastard," she muttered to herself, then opened the door to her room and locked it behind her. The furniture looked worn and shabby, a rough carpet met her feet when she kicked off her shoes, and she elected to put her clothes back in her bag instead of dropping them on the floor. She collapsed onto the bed and got under the covers, and was asleep within minutes, the scent of the ocean in her nose and the tension of hiding slipping from her muscles.

The next morning dawned early, and she groaned, rolling over. The ache in her muscles was much more pronounced than it had been last night, and her plan was still fuzzy in her mind. "Okay, I'll get up in five minutes," she murmured to herself, then shoved her hand underneath the pillow and snuggled further under the blanket, comforted by the steady summer rain on the window.

The next time Katara opened her eyes, the sun was high in the sky and it was no longer sprinkling. "Damn," she swore, vaulting out of the bed and then steadying herself. She hadn't meant to sleep that long, especially since she needed to get going. She stood up and stretched, feeling her joints pop, and moaned. Every move was harder in the morning, but there was no chance of falling back asleep. She stepped forward and examined her body in the mirror, turning to the side. She used to have a bit of a bulge on her stomach, something that made her feel soft and strong. Now, she could see her hipbones clearly, and could count her ribs. She'd let herself slack off, and vowed to get in better shape after everything was done. Then, she turned and began to get ready.

The inn-keeper looked even creepier in the daylight, his sallow skin contrasting with the greasy stringy hair which went down to his shoulders. He snorted when she handed back her key, and stood up, scratching his pot-belly. "I'll get the door for ya, sweetheart," he crooned, and she shuddered as he passed by- he reeked of soiled clothes, smoke, and liquor.

She was passing through the door when she saw his hand drift closer to her butt, and her temper snapped. Within a second, she'd turned and grabbed his wrist, squeezing it as hard as she could and twisting it. He yelled in shock and pain as she lunged forward, knocking him backwards. "Don't even think about it!" she snarled, then threw his roving hand back at him and shoved him back further. "You think that I would ever let you touch me? You're disgusting, old, smelly, and let me tell you, that creepy little sneer isn't doing anything for your face or your game. Keep your damn hands to yourself!"

He stared, his eyes and mouth wide open, then ducked his head. "Sorry," he muttered grudgingly, and held the door open for her.

"Thanks," she spat, ignoring his ominous mutters as the door slammed behind her. She huffed and glared at the ground as she walked. Suddenly, a laugh rang out behind her, and she whirled around, ready to fight whoever it was, her eyes darting around to find the transgressor.

"So little Katara can take care of herself?" Han stepped out of the shadows to her right, his eyes hooded but his mouth twisted into a sinister half-smile. She stepped back. He stepped forward, and she bit the inside of her cheek, tired of the games and tired of feeling hunted.

"Yeah, I can. What are you doing here?" she shot at him, and he shrugged, calm and collected. Dangerous.

"We were missing a passenger on the tour, and they sent me to go find you and make sure you were okay," he explained easily, looking somewhere to her left and pushing his thumbs into his pockets. She was reminded of Jet's casual stance- and of the half-second it took him to become deadly.

"I think I'll do my own tour of the island, actually," she sneered, and began to walk away, her mind racing. She couldn't draw attention to herself by outright attacking him- maybe she could shadow him for a while, see if he went into any dark alleys? But no, the other sailors would be looking for him. She sighed, frustrated. The only option was to avoid him.

He wasn't making it easy, though. She heard his steps behind her and turned again, surprising him with an aggressive step forward. "What do you want?" she demanded, and for a moment, the hostility left his gaze and he was once more the friendly guy who approached her on the ship.

Then, his mouth hardened into a line, looking oddly pitiful next to the unmasked pleading in his hazel eyes. He reached out to her imploringly, and she hesitated before taking another step back, trying to locate nearby water if she needed more than what was sloshing in the pack on her hip.

"I want you to stay out of trouble on this island, Katara. Don't do anything risky, don't get too comfortable." Her eyes widened; his tone wasn't threatening at all, though the words themselves were a warning. It was almost as if he was begging.

But she couldn't listen to him, not now that she felt so close. She watched as he looked to the left again and took in a sharp breath, the color draining from his cheeks. She wanted to know what made him do that, but she didn't trust him enough to turn her back on him, even for a second. His gaze shifted back to her, jumpy and anxious. "I have to go. Please think about it, Katara." He walked past her, and by the time she was turning to look at him, he'd gone down a side street and vanished. She peered in the direction he'd been staring, but saw nothing out of the ordinary; a woman and a child walking, a couple Fire Nation soldiers milling about a store entrance, the trees swaying in the wind. She brushed her hair out of her face, caught a strand, then thought for a minute. She knew what had to be done, but she had no idea how to go about it.

She looked around and saw a larger woman eyeing her speculatively, though not in an unfriendly way. A maroon silk shawl was draped over her shoulders, and she wore expensive looking robes in a deep crimson color. She approached the woman cautiously, smiling with what she hoped was a naïve expression. "Excuse me, do you know if there is a salon anywhere near?"

"Of course I do, my dear! Go up this road and take a left, then look for a big purple sign," the woman said in a raspy voice. She smiled widely, showing off bright white teeth and a golden incisor. "Tell them Rhonda sent you, dear, they'll get you a fabulous deal on nails, hair and if you want, they'll even give you some make-up and things!" She grasped Katara's wrist and giggled. "They've got quite the cutie for a masseuse, too…"

"Thanks, but I don't have that much money, I just-" she began to refuse, but the woman snorted violently and pulled her closer.

"Nonsense, honey, my husband's given me tons of cash to make up for sleeping with my maid, and I'm feeling generous." She cackled, trying to press a small sack of coins into Katara's hands, who was starting to feel like a caged animal.

"Ma'am, I can't take all this-"

"Ssshhh!" Rhonda put a hand over Katara's mouth, and she caught a whiff of sweet wine. "You look like you haven't taken care of yourself, my dear. You have split ends, baggies under your eyes, and- oh! Those calluses on your hands are denser than my husband's skull!" Katara flinched, then raised her eyebrows questioningly. Rhonda grinned affectionately. "Now, off you go before I change my mind. I've got a date," she finished, and stepped away from her, leaving the coin purse in the waterbender's hands.

"Thank you," she said faintly, still caught up in the strangeness of the woman's demeanor. "I hope you have a nice date with your husband!" she called, and Rhonda turned around, a devious smile etched onto her face and her eyes staring woozily past Katara.

"Silly little thing," she whispered conspiratorially, "I'm not going to meet my husband." And with that, she sauntered down the road, leaving Katara feeling overwhelmed and completely out of step.

"You're calling me a silly thing?" she muttered, but pocketed the money, blushing and avoiding the amused stares of the people around her.

So far, laying low wasn't working out for her. She made her way down the street and turned on the corner, spotting the huge purple sign immediately and pushing open the door. She was greeted by a strong smell of perfume, and the sight of a beautiful woman in a red robe bowing to her politely.

"Hello! My name is Lari and I will be your consultant today. If you have any questions or requests, all you have to do is ask!" Katara gave a startled laugh at the woman's name, then bowed as well.

"I'm On Ji," she lied, then followed Lari back into the shop. "Sorry if I seem a little surprised- your name is very similar to my daughter's name." Even mentioning Lani brought a thread of longing through her chest.

"What a coincidence," she replied with a gentle smile, then sat Katara down next to a screen and pulled the curtain closed behind them. "So I'll give you a list of our services, and then you can choose which ones you would like. Also, we have a magnificent blend of jasmine tea available today, if you would like some." Katara nodded, and Lari bowed again, leaving the little makeshift room. She glanced down at the sheet in her hands, then reached into her pocket for the bag of coins, counting the money and calculating how much she needed to spend.

Think of why you're here. She closed her eyes, her hands stilling over the metal pieces, then rolled her neck, trying to soothe the tired muscles. She needed to disguise herself, she needed to be more beautiful, and she couldn't get carried away. When Lari came back, she smiled. "I want my hair styled and dyed black, my skin lightened if possible, and I need make-up to make me… desirable." She wrinkled her nose at the last word, but it was necessary for what she was planning.

"Will that be all, miss?" She nodded, and Lari hesitated, then grabbed her chin gently, turning her face from side to side. "Hmm," she murmured softly. "Might I suggest a sugar scrub and a milk bath to lighten the skin, and perhaps a pumice treatment for hair removal and softening?"

Katara stared at her blankly. "I don't know what that means," she said, then gestured to the sack of coins. "I was sent here by Rhonda, but I don't actually…"

"Oh, you're one of Rhonda's girls?" she asked, then laughed. "Of course. I'll get everything ready, don't you worry about it." Katara quirked an eyebrow, reaching out to stop the girl.

"Hold on, what does that even mean? Rhonda's girl?" Lari gasped comically and put her hand to her cheek.

"Oh, I've forgotten that you wouldn't know- well, Rhonda is a very rich woman who is an absolute sucker for pretty girls. You have a very natural beauty, On Ji, it's no wonder she chose you. She loves giving us pretty girls and having them come out of our shop looking absolutely stunning," she said with a roll of her eyes, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, Katara giggled.

"Good, because that's why I'm here."

As Lari and a few other women gathered around and began working on her, she felt the knots in her back loosen up, and took deeper, unbridled breaths. She saw girls her own age, only nineteen years old, getting their hair done and gossiping. None of them had a vendetta, and she was willing to bet that only a few of them had ever seen love and misery as she had. She got a good look at herself in the mirror, and could barely recognize the happy expression and the relaxed posture.

It made her sad. When did I get so old and broken? she thought, and bit her lip, her eyebrows knitting together. She could remember the days with Aang, Toph and Sokka, but she no longer felt the rush of excitement when she recalled the battles she'd won, the people she'd saved. Everything that had made her a master and a good human being had been sucked away by Zuko's death. She felt a hole opening in her chest, ragged and sore, and fought to control it.

This needed to end. She couldn't go on like this. Katara closed her eyes and took a deep breath, waiting for the commotion around her to vanish before she looked herself in the eye. What she saw made her smile- there was the old determination, not the hunted, haggard look of a jaded woman. There was the proud angle of her chin, the spark lighting up her skin.

There you are, she mused, the voice in her head sounding more so like her mother than herself. We're going to finish this.

It all happens here and now. No more waiting.

I know that not much happened in this chapter, but I felt like this needed sort of a pacer, something to slow it down a bit. I've been getting kind of intense, and I needed some humor for myself; I hope you like it anyways. Please review, and also remember to check out that fan video on YouTube! Thanks for everything guys.

-Aleina