The nighttime brought an eerie silence to the Royal Palace, as the daily activities of the day slowly drew to a halt. Save for the few torches lining the room walls, darkness blanketed the Firelord's study, leaving the warm lighting of flames to keep Zuko awake. With sleep heavy in his eyes, he gave a deep sigh staring onward at the dismal state of his desk. There were papers everywhere, strewn across the mahogany colored wood of the desk. Letters, decrees, complaints, demands, it was nothing short of a political storm drawing up on the desk.

Even after five years as the leader of the Fire Nation, Zuko still could not fully grasp the intricacies of politics. Politics is just a simple term for teams of ravenous dogs, vying for the upper hand, and Zuko wanted none of it. He slumped back into his seat, drawing a deep breath, his scruffy black hair hiding the golden eyes peering out from the pallid features of his face, which may have gotten even paler because of the recent events.

"What I would give to have Azula's political tact…" he muttered as he rubbed his temples, shutting his eyes trying to forget the task at hand. The recent events concerned her after all, and Zuko needed to assure the other nations that this was simply a domestic problem. The last thing he needed was the flames of war to be sparked again simply because of one escaped political prisoner, even though it was his sister, one of the most dangerous people in the entire world. But so far, despite his best efforts, the old embers were warming up. He was taking more and more flak every day, particularly from the Earth Kingdom, for not being able to fully contain the situation. Even though it's been five years, some wounds have not fully healed, and nothing could please the victims of war more than to watch the person who brought the most pain and suffering to them brought to justice.

Dejectedly, he dropped his papers back on the desk, refusing to trouble himself with these problems any further. I need some sleep… he nodded to himself in agreement sleepily, as he trudged slowly towards the door of his study. He gave one last glance around his study, reveling at the poor condition of his study. Ever since Katara left on that visit back to her home in the South, Zuko's absorption into the current political situation has left his duties within the palace lacking. After all, Katara had a knack for picking up after him anyways. I wonder when she'll be back… he thought as he slowly made his way out his study toward his chambers…

…stumbling right into his advisor.

"Are you alright, Fire lord Zuko?" a sense of concern showing in the older man's features.

"I'm fine… Just need to rest for a bit…" Zuko replied, rubbing his eyes as he slowly walked past Jee, continuing his slow shambling.

"Finally getting some sleep I see? I'm glad you've come to your senses." Jee replied sarcastically, a slight chuckle at Zuko's expense. For the five years, Jee has watched over the young Fire lord, acting as his confidante, second only to Iroh. His sharp wit and sarcasm always balanced out Zuko's air of darkness, keeping his humors in check. But he was too sleepy in this situation to simply the register the sarcastic response, muttering a sleepy good night as he continued toward his quarters. Approaching the doorway, he gave a deep yawn, as he stumbled past the doorway toward the bed. Zuko was so preoccupied with the sweet revelry of sleep that he did not notice that the door had been left conspicuously half-open, in addition to the crisp night air blowing in from the open window in the room, which had previously had not been open.

Ignoring all these signs, Zuko slipped past the doorway, making his way towards his bed, emptying his mind of all things political, when suddenly, two arms wrapped around his waist, tackling him onto his bed. Almost too drowsy to register the attack, Zuko managed to flip himself facing up on the bed, raising his arms up in defense. But the assailant, masked by the cover of darkness, gripped both of Zuko's wrists pinning him to the bed. A rush of adrenaline rushed into his brain, returning his senses back to him. Readying himself to counter-attack, Zuko tensed his muscles…

…until deep kiss silenced his movements.

Caught off his guard, Zuko immediately relaxed as he recognized the familiar forwardness, feeling her tongue prodding against his, allowing her to explore freely. Zuko shut his eyes, wrapping his arms around her, trailing his fingers down the ridge of her back, eliciting a slight twitch in her movements. Returning the favor, Zuko leaned in closer, embracing her tongue with his own, leaving a swirl of lust and emotion in his wake. Resting his hands squarely on her waist, he gingerly pulled out of the kiss, opening his eyes to finally look at his "assailant".

His golden eyes matched blue as her features were accentuated by the pale beams of moonlight emanating from the windows, a sly smile on her face. Zuko, not one to disregard his love, embraced her, returning to him what he had missed so dearly all these weeks. He buried his head in her hair like he always does, taking in Katara's familiar scent. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity to Zuko, he was content, returning Katara's smile with a slight smile of his own.

"Hey you. I missed you." Katara whispered, keeping her shimmering blue eyes fixated onto Zuko's.

"Hey… I missed you too..." he whispered back sleepily, trying his best to stay awake. He reached up slowly, caressing the gentle curves of her face, "It's great to see your back…now… but I just need… to close my eyes for a bit…" Zuko replied, his voices gradually weakening as he let the sleep claim him. It did not take long before silence permeated the room, leaving Katara with her arms wrapped around the sleeping Firelord.

Her motherly instincts kicking in, she gingerly slid her arms out from under Zuko, shifting his torso so that he was positioned comfortably on the bed. Retrieving the dark red linen sheets that were kicked off the bed in the process, Katara gently billowed the sheets back up and laid them on top of Zuko. It was a scene of complete serenity, betraying the turmoil that previously troubled the young Firelord. With one final kiss on the cheek, Katara let Zuko sleep, tip-toeing her way back to the doorway, shutting the door with a silent click.

Exhausted from her journey back to the Palace, Katara made her way back to the room. Slipping out her water tribe traveling garb, she preferred the thin silk pajamas that Zuko that given her when she first moved into the palace. Frankly, she preferred the taste of fire nation clothing, much more comfortable and form fitting, from her traditional water tribe outfit, which was rougher and less comfortable, built more for practicality than comfort. Undoing her hair and letting her locks fall lusciously against her back, she slipped into her bed, reveling at how foreign even her home seemed to be. She gave a slight smirk, remembering her childhood years. Who would've thought that I would end up like this? she wondered, pondering all the feelings and thoughts swirling within her. Letting her thoughts carry her away, she soon found herself drifting deeper and deeper until finally, sleep claimed her as well.

As dawn breaks across the crystalline clear sky, warm light pours in from the windows, signaling the beginning of a new day. The light fills the room, giving a warm greeting to the Avatar's face. Slowly, Aang returns the greeting, opening his sleep-filled eyes to the world. He gives a quick stretch and yawn, pulling himself up from the bed, reaffirming his surroundings. A slight smiles forms on his face as he recalls last night's antics…

I really should be more careful around her, quietly contemplating the current situation as he slipped out of bed. Donning his simple monk robes and grabbing his glider staff, Aang shuffled out of his room, eyeing the doorway leading the room where Azula stayed for the night. If anything, he decided, he should check on her to see is she's doing alright. Pacing towards her room, he reaches the doorway, gingerly peeking into the room…

Only to find the room completely empty.

Troubling thoughts began filling Aang's mind, and as much as he hated to admit it, all of them were possibilities. I hope she didn't decide to leave, with everyone hunting her down and all. To his surprise, a sense of worry began to fill his mind, and for the fire princess no less. Perhaps, having put much work into healing Azula back to health, he would hate to see his handiwork go to waste. Turning back out of the room, Aang made his way towards the temple entrance, hoping to find any evidence of the princess' whereabouts.

"Azula! Where are you?" he cried out, reaching the outside entrance of the temple. He glanced around, seeing absolutely no sign of her.

"Right here."

Recognizing that taunting voice, Aang turned towards the source of the voice only to find two blue fireballs hurtling straight for him. The Avatar barely had enough to time to dodge both hits, one of which barely skimming his robes, setting them on fire. With a single brisk motion, Aang put out the flames clawing at his robes, returning his gaze back towards Azula. Lowering into his stance, he could see the fire princess just up ahead, angry blue flames brimming from her hands, a menacing smile on her face. It was the same expression that Aang always saw on Azula while they were battling during the war and as he stared into her golden eyes, he could see her zeal. She was definitely not holding back.

"Azula! What are you doing?! Stop this at once!" his voice firm and demanding. She may have been compliant the day before, but today was another story.

He barely had enough time to finish his sentence before Azula sprang into action, leaping into a forward somersault, directing a downward kick straight towards Aang. With all those years of training, Aang instinctively raised his staff, deflecting the kick, but in the process, Azula managed to catapult herself off his staff, landing squarely behind the Avatar. Without a moment of hesitation, Azula delivers two quick jabs, creating two blue fireballs towards his back. Aang turns in time to raise a solid earthen wall just in time to absorb both blows. With a single motion, Aang sends the wall flying towards Azula.

Azula, not to be outdone, decided to show the Avatar a new trick that she learned. It was a trick she had developed while still fighting during the war, but never took the time out to use it. It was a faster way to generate lightning, and not only that, to project it, almost like a force field, around her, completely deflecting any attacks. It just wasn't her style, though, to fight defensively. Though, she also found it quite handy to have a few new tricks up her sleeve, just to surprise the Avatar. And to Azula, this seemed like the perfect moment.

In one swift, fluid motion, Azula could feel the sense of power surging through her once more as the lightning crackled to life at her fingertips. But instead of releasing it in a line, straight towards Aang, Azula chose to radiate the lightning outward generate a cracking field shield of energy in front of her. Though it required more concentration to hold the shield, it had its intended effect, completely obliterating the earth wall as it made contact.

Azula could see the registered surprise in the Avatar's eyes, as Aang stared, wide-eyed at the princess. I don't remember her being able to do that… Unsurprisingly, Aang's curiosity overtook his thoughts, causing to drop his guard ever so slightly, leaving the perfect opening for Azula to strike.

Dropping the shield, Azula launched another deadly blue fireball straight towards the Avatar's chest. This time though, the fireball caught Aang off his guard. He barely had enough time to draw water out of his waterskin before the fireball struck him directly, knocking him off his feet. With a solid thud, Aang hit the ground and before he could even react, Azula already stood before him, flames poised at her fingers, holding a triumphant smile on her face.

"Azula…why…" his voice questioning, though a tinge of disappointment was present.

"That's a good question Avatar. Why am I sparing you?" her voice filled with a certain coldness that only she could achieve. But true to her response, she dropped her stance, letting the flames dissipate form her hands. She stepped back, giving Aang a chance to get back to his feet. Breathing heavily, Aang slowly clambered back to his feet, eyeing Azula questioningly. She still maintained that slight playful smirk on her face.

"What was that all about?" Aang said, dusting himself off as he bent to pick up his glider staff.

"Just think of it as a sparring session, Avatar, and I have bested you." She said triumphantly, turning around to head back into the temple, "As for why I spared you, I'm famished, and it's about time for breakfast." she said matter-of-factly, back still turned on the Avatar. There was a certain shift in her demeanor that definitely threw Aang for a loop; she was definitely not that vulnerable person that Aang had seen the day before. The Azula he saw yesterday was another side of her, one that she chooses to hide within a shell of steeliness and regal demeanor. Personally, he preferred her better that way. But, there was something different about Azula this time, something that he saw in her eyes. Although she was just as vicious, Aang could tell that she was not the same Azula he fought five years ago. He couldn't figure out exactly what it was, but no matter what it was a moment of realization for Aang. Maybe Azula can change after all… he whispered to himself. .

"Avatar! Are you coming or not?" Azula's voice came crashing down on Aang's thoughts, as she stood waiting at the doorway.

"Coming, Azula…"

And with that, Aang drew a deep sigh, straightened his robes one more time, and headed in after Azula.

With every roll and dip that ship's bow made, Toph could feel her stomach doing barrel rolls. If it hadn't been for her strong sense of companionship she had for the old man, she would've never agreed to get on this dinky boat. The ship lurched forward against the waves, causing her to lose her balance. Before she had a chance to fall though, strong hands reached out and held her in place. At least she could depend on Iroh to keep her upright.

"Wouldn't want the world's greatest earthbender be seen flat on her face." Iroh jested, wide grin visible on his wrinkled face. Toph, not being the one to feel vulnerable, quickly jerked away.

"Well, if it wasn't for your stupid idea to get on this boat, we wouldn't be having this problem now would we?" she replied huffily. Boats. If it's one thing she hated the most, boats would be it.

She steadily grasped the railing of the ship, securing herself to the only solid piece that she could get her hands on. It wasn't even the rocking that she hated the most, it was the feeling of being isolated without contact with the solid earth. At least with some ships, she could sense enough vibrations to "see" the entire ship, but even then she felt truly blind, trapped within that bubble. She would feel vulnerable, and she did not like that feeling at all.

"What's the big idea of taking this boat to the Fire Nation anyway, Gramps?" she muttered, crossing her arms. If she had to stay on this ship any longer, she would puke.

"Well, given the current situation, it's the fastest way we have of getting there…" she replied earnestly, stroking his beard as if suddenly contemplating the idea again. It was a half-lie on Irohs' part, he wanted to see how the world's greatest earthbender would fare in a boat…

"I can't believe Sparky actually decided he has something important to say to us, after all these years." Toph still had fond memories of their adventures five years ago with Zuko. Between working at her metalbending academy and having tea with Iroh, Toph rarely had time to spend time with the Gaang. Guess it's a good change for once, she thought.

"And judging by the situation, it's a rather urgent problem." Iroh replied, sighing. He knew that those bars wouldn't be able to hold Azula. Someday, somehow, she would get free.

"So Sparky's deranged bitch of a sister is finally broke herself out... guess it's up to us to stop her again huh?" She turned, giving a grin of confidence to the old man. The old man looked back into the milky white eyes of the young girl that stood before him, slightly troubled by the easiness at Toph's response.

"I hope your right, Toph."

Author's Note: Wow, I never thought I would end up updating this story. For those of you who actually still care, I deeply apologize, a lot has been happening in my life recently. For those of you that are new here, welcome aboard!