Kyuri didn't want to spend the day in the house, but it also wasn't quite time for her to go to work. She went home with Katara and Toph, changed into the green clothes Kida favored, and then slipped down to the lower ring, where she wandered about aimlessly.

She looked up as she heard a child sobbing. A young boy stood in the middle of the street, holding a small toy and bawling. His mother knelt before him, trying to calm him down. She cooed and clucked at him, but the boy kept falling.

"Leaves from the vine, falling so slow, like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam."

Kyuri blinked in surprise as she heard the gravelly voice. Iroh stepped forwards from the crowd, holding a pipa and playing the stringed instrument expertly. He knelt before the boy and took a breath to start the next few lines. Kyuri , not sure what inspired her, joined him, walking over and standing by the boy.

"Little soldier boy, come marching home. Brave soldier boy comes marching home."

Iroh looked up at her and smiled as the mother pulled her now-smiling son away. "It's not every day I get to sing a duet with such a pretty girl, Kyu- er, Kida."

"Don't bother to pretend Iroh," Kyuri said calmly. "There's no point in it now. I assume you've told Zuko?"

"No, actually," Iroh said as he stood and returned the pipa to the merchant's cart. "It's up to him to figure it out. Would you like to join me on my walk?"

"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light." Kyuri quoted.

"I agree," Iroh smiled. "So, what brings you out on such a nice day?"

"An inability to sit still."

"Ah. Yes, you seem like one of those people."

"What kind of people?" Kyuri asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The kind that doesn't like being stationary. You prefer to be out doing things. Zuko is much the same. The paperwork of being Fire Lord will kill him!" Iroh laughed.

"Well, he'd best learn to deal with it," Kyuri said sharply. "He'll be Fire Lord soon if we have our way."

Iroh winced slightly. "Let's… not speak of the war today."

Kyuri nodded. "Alright. Have you any destination in mind?"

"Yes, but no particular path to get there."

'Wandering vaguely?"

"In a sense," Iroh chuckled. He turned down an alley. "Come, let's see what's down here!"

Kyuri followed and they found themselves in a small courtyard between several houses where a group of four children were paying some kind of game. The pair paused to watch.

"Duck!" Kyuri called as the children's ball went rogue and came flying towards them. She and Iroh both stooped and the ball whistled over their head, tearing through the rice paper window they had been standing in front of.

"It's usually best to admit to admit to mistakes when they occur, and to seek to restore honor!" Iroh advised the children. The ground shook under their feet and a large, bare torso appeared in the hole in the window. It lowered and a rugged, angry face appeared.

"When I get my hands on you kids the window won't be the only thing broken!" he raged.

"But not in this case," Iroh submitted. "Run!"

He and Kyuri took off sprinting with the children, who scattered down different alleys. Kyuri laughed as she ran beside Iroh, ignoring the strange looks they got as they passed.

"You're fast," Iroh huffed as they ducked into an alley. "Faster than this old man."

"You kept up well," Kyuri disagreed as she leaned against the wall, closing her eyes and smiling slightly.

"Give me all your money!"

Kyuri cracked an eye to see a man in ragged clothes standing in front of them, pointing a crooked knife at them alternately. His feet were twisted awkwardly under him, clearly unstable.

"What are you doing?" Iroh asked, blinking at the man.

"I'm… I'm mugging you!" he responded, but he seemed unsure even as he brandished the knife.

"With that stance?" Kyuri said drily, raising an eyebrow.

"Huh… what?" Clearly he'd never had anyone critique his mugging skills. "Just give me your money old man! And you too, girl, any valuables you have on you!"

"With a poor stance you are unbalanced and can easily be knocked to the ground," Iroh explained, shaking his head Kyuri lunged forwards and demonstrated this. She simply shoved him in the shoulder. Hs staggered back and she snatched his knife, dropping and sweeping his legs. He hit the ground hard and Kyuri examined his knife, shaking her head.

"Dull," she huffed. Iroh extended his hand to the fallen mugger, helping him up. Kyuri pulled from her belt a whet stone. Iroh gave her a curious look and she shrugged, shifting her sleeves back slightly to show her own knives in explanation for why she was carrying it.

"With a solid stance you are a much more serious threat," Iroh instructed, demonstrating. The man mirrored Iroh's stance as Kyuri ran the stone across the blade with a rasping sound. Iroh corrected a few aspects of the man's posture.

"Much better," Kyuri said, nodding in approval and handing him back his knife. The man ran his finger across the blade and hissed as blood welled on his skin.

"To be honest, you don't seem like the criminal type," Iroh mused.

"I know," the man said weakly. "I'm just confused."

"I find tea and conversation can always make my thoughts stop swirling," Iroh advised, plunking himself down on the ground and pulling a teapots and cups from his lunch basket. The mugger blinked as Kyuri sat, obviously surprised he'd been invited to drink with them, but he sat anyway. He explained about his career troubles and Iroh consoled him as the three of them sat and drank jasmine tea.

"You really think I could be a good masseur?" the man smiled. "This is great! No one's ever believed in me before!"

"While it's always best to believe in oneself, a little help from others can go a long way," Iroh advised.

They finished their tea and the ex-mugger went on his way happily.

"Would you mind coming a bit farther with me?" Iroh asked Kyuri as he left. "I'd be glad of some company this afternoon."

"I don't mind," Kyuri said. "We don't have to be at Pao's for another hour."

"Then follow me," Iroh said.

He led her up and onto a hill as the sun hovered at its zenith. A solitary tree stood at the top of the hill. It was there, at the base of the tree, that Iroh crouched and revealed what else was in his basket. He stacked a few stones and placed a cloth over them. On either side he placed offerings of food and a small pouch of coins. He pulled out a tray for holding incense and sat it down. Behind it, he placed a picture of a young man. He brought out two sticks of incense and lit them with quick pinches of his fingers, placing them on the tray.

"A shrine," Kyuri breathed. "I cannot- I shouldn't be here, this is private."

"Grief is never something on should keep to themselves," Iroh said softly, staring at the picture sadly. "That is how it festers."

Kyuri closed her eyes. "That I understand."

"Happy birthday my son," Iroh whispered to the picture. "If only I could have helped you too." Tears streamed down the old man's face as he sang. "Leaves from the vine, falling so slow, like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam. Little soldier boy, come marching home. Brave soldier boy comes marching home."

Iroh looked up to find Kyuri with her head bowed. Her hands were folded in front of her mouth as if in prayer. A single tear ran down her cheek. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"What was his name?" she asked.

"Lu Ten."

"He has a kind face."

"He was the kindest boy I ever knew."

"What happened to him?"

"He died in the attempted invasion of Ba Sing Se, when I was a general," Iroh admitted. He saw her own grief-filled eyes. "Who did you lose?"

"My parents," Kyuri said. Her eyes dulled and her face became stony as she spoke, her own protective measures even as two more tears rolled down her cheeks. "They were killed in the Fire Nation raid on the Southern Tribe. I came home and found my mother decapitated and my father gutted. I was almost killed myself," she admitted.

"But you got away," Iroh said soothingly.

Kyuri gave a savage, disparaging smirk. "Oh no. I didn't have to run."

"Their killer was gone?" Iroh reasoned. "Or he let you go?"

"Oh no. He was set on killing me. But I killed him first," Kyuri said. "The first and last time I've ever killed."

Iroh blinked. Suddenly he understood. He'd seen this girl from afar during battles, a cold and unstoppable force in battle, like the icy tundra she called home. And here was why. Her young life had been dominated by a trauma that many men two and three times her age couldn't deal with. Her heart had been iced over as a measure to protect herself. But he could see that the ice had cracked away in places. This was not the same girl who had first challenged Zuko coldly in the middle of the Southern village, dispassionately dispatching soldiers with a dragon at her back. This girl's heart had thawed enough to allow her to show her tears to him, an almost-stranger, and to admit to murder. No, not murder. This girl had killed, yes, but she was not a murderer.

"We should get to work," Kyuri said calmly. She reached up and swatted her hand in front of her face. Her tears vaporized from her face, leaving a tiny trace of steam behind as they walked away from the hill.

They came into work to find Zuko already there, waiting tables. Iroh got to work organizing the shelves while Kyuri made her way to the kitchen, her head ducked to keep from showing any evidence that she'd been crying. She found her apron hanging on its peg and pulled it on, emerging to find Zuko talking to his uncle.

"That girl at the corner table knows we're Fire Nation," he hissed at his uncle. Kyuri looked at the girl curiously. Her eyes kept drifting towards the pair of Firebenders. Specifically, towards Zuko.

"Don't look!" Zuko snapped as Iroh glanced over his shoulder.

"That's right, I've seen her in here before," Iroh said conspiratorially. "She seems to have quite the little crush on you!"

"What?" Zuko gaped.

"You're a little slow, aren't you?" Kyuri snorted. Zuko looked up at her, and his eyes locked on hers. They got wide suddenly.

"Excuse me," the girl form the corner said, appearing at the register. She held out a handful of coins to Zuko, but he wouldn't look at her. Instead, he kept his eyes on Kyuri. She narrowed her own eyes back and slipped into the kitchen.

"Uncle, take her money," Zuko snapped as he followed 'Kida' into the kitchen, oblivious to the despairing look on the face of the girl from the corner. She was at the counter, chopping tea leaves viciously and with such deftness he was amazed he hadn't noticed it before.

Kyuri heard Zuko come in behind her, but she continued her work, even when he seized her upper arm and spun her around, slamming her against the edge of the counter.

"Lee, what's wrong?" she asked with big eyes. She would play Kida to the end, until it was clear he had figured it out. She thought he had, but it could be something else…

Kyuri stiffened as Zuko's finger pressed gently against her eyelid. Her skin burned as the finger dragged down along her jaw line and out towards her temple. Her breath was short, and she was confused, until he formed the characteristic inverted triangle under her eye. He was smearing the eye shadow she wore into the same design as her face paint.

Kyuri cursed herself. She'd been so careful to avoid blue for precisely this reason, and one relaxing day at the spa was all it took to make her slip. Not to mention her hair was back to the jaw-length, choppy layers it had been in when they first met, fighting in the middle of the Southern village. She was careless today, and it had cost her her disguise.

"You," Zuko breathed, staring at her. He'd thought all along that she was Kyuri, even though rationally he had reasoned there was no cause for her to work in a tea shop, let alone one he and his uncle worked in. It was the light blue powder smeared on her lids that had finally sealed it, the same color as that paint she always wore.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, his voice low.

"Philosophers have pondered on that for millennia and you expect me to have the answer?" she asked, raising her eyebrow and pursing her lips, but her eyes danced tauntingly, the same way 'Kida's' had. It really was her, but still not. This Kyuri… there was something different. She was more approachable now, not bristling with weapons and painted like some primal spirit, but it was also something in the way she moved and her demeanor that was more open than when they had last met.

But she was still being defiant…

"Don't get smart," Zuko growled. "Answer the question."

"Well, you forcefully put me in this position, that's why I'm here."

"Stop!" Zuko snapped.

"You stop," Kyuri retorted. Her knee came up, catching him in the stomach gently. She didn't give it the force to hurt though, just applied enough pressure to make him release her and retreat, and to remind what she could do. "You've not forgotten that you've yet to beat me, have you?"

"You're not armed now," Zuko said viciously. He glared at her. Kyuri... here! His head was spinning. All the small smiles he'd seen from 'Kida,' the teasing and the jokes that he had in all honesty enjoyed were from her? It was so at odds with what he knew of her.

Kyuri abruptly reversed their positions, this time pinning him to the counter, a knife sliding from her sleeve and into her hand. She pressed it threateningly to his throat.

"I'm never unnarmed," she corrected.

"You were once," Zuko said. He knocked her hand aside. Kyuri surrendered, her point made, and let the knife clatter to the ground. Zuko's wrists wrapped around her own. "Remember?"

Kyuri remembered the night the pirates attacked, back when Zuko had command of an entire ship. She'd made to sneak back to the camp upon seeing the landing parties and run directly into him. He'd grabbed her wrists just like this, and his hands had been just as warm then, like fire was barely contained by his skin.

"Firebenders are always so warm," Kyuri mused absently. Her head twitched and water streamed from a teapot, surrounding her hands and icing them. Zuko flinched at the cold and heated his hands in retaliation. Kyuri smiled slightly. It was … exciting, this sensation. The familiar cold of ice, but just on the other side was burning fire. She could feel it licking and swirling against the ice.

"Haven't you learned by now?" she said softly, meeting his eyes. "Your bending can't fight mine, just like mine can't fight yours. There are many reasons why it can't, not the least of which is… I have no desire to fight you," she admitted.

"You had a knife at my throat just a moment ago," Zuko said pointedly. He could feel the comforting heat of fire around his hands, but just beyond the flames was the bite of cold ice. It slipped closer and farther away as the fire swirled, a tantalizing presence that gave him goosebumps.

Kyuri laughed slightly, and Zuko watched her shoulders shake. He couldn't recall ever seeing her laugh at him as Kyuri, and not as 'Kida. Somehow, knowing who she really was gave the action much more meaning. Kyuri, his long-time opponent, was laughing at him. Not, not even really at him. With him was more like it, like two acquaintances sharing a joke.

"I was making a point," Kyuri chuckled. She let the ice vanish and winced slightly as heat licked her wrists. Zuko hastily removed the fire from his palms, looking at her almost apologetically.

"I've had worse, trust me," she said in response to his expression, staring curiously at the slightly pink skin as if she'd never seen anything like it. "Although, I'll admit. You're the only person who's ever burned me."

"What are you doing in the city?" Zuko demanded, taking a step to the side and away from her. They were suddenly entirely too close for his taste and he needed to get away. He felt strangely uncomfortable, feeling the warmth of her so close, like a heavy feeling in his stomach.

"Presently?" Kyuri shrugged. "Waiting for either Appa to turn up or the Dai Li to decide they've had enough of our meddling and try to kill us. I personally welcome the attempt. I'm getting rusty," she said, frowning at the thought. Her frown turned into a small smile. "We haven't had you popping up to keep me on my toes."

Kyuri found she was oddly comfortably conversing with Zuko the same way she had as Kida. Perhaps it came from first being able to experience that behind the safety of a pseudonym that kept Zuko from knowing who she was. Now, even as herself, she was comfortable with the somewhat friendly banter they'd struck up.

"App? The Dai Li?" Zuko asked in confusion. "Why would the cultural ministers kick you out? Why are you even in Ba Sing Se?"

"Lee, Kida, get out on the floor, we're packed!" Pao's voice called through the thin screen door.

"After our shift is over, we'll take a walk," Kyuri said, recalling her walk with Iroh, how that had cleared the air. She felt she understood him a bit better. Maybe the same would work with Zuko. He still remained their mysterious, determined pursuer, but she was curious to see what was under the determination she admired. "I'll answer your questions."

"Okay," Zuko nodded. Kyuri slipped out of the kitchen and walked to a table. At it, sat a lone girl.

"I was hoping you'd be working today!"

Kyuri blinked and looked at the girl. She recognized her as Sayuri, the girl she'd played matchmaker for. "You."

"Me," Sayuri grinned. "I just wanted to say thank you. Chang told me that you kind of beat him into finally telling me he loved me. And guess what? Now we're getting married!" She held up her hand, decorated with a thin bronze band. "It'll be difficult. I want to be a scribe, but one of us will have to stay home with any children we have. Chang wants to become a blacksmith, and you need money to pay for an apprenticeship, and for the wedding of course. But I know we can do it!"

"That's great," Kyuri smiled, and she found she was genuinely happy for the couple. An idea struck her. She did have more scales than she needed… "Come here tomorrow at the same time," Kyuri said on a whim. "I have something for the two of you."

"Oh, you don' have to-"

"I want to," Kyuri insisted. "Trust me, you'll be helping me too, in a way."

"Well, thank you," Sayuri smiled. "I'll come. I'll see you tomorrow, then," she said as she rose.

"Tomorrow," Kyuri agreed and Sayuri left.

The rest of the shift passed in a blur. Kyuri was thinking about techniques and styles, working out the design of her plan in her mind. Simple, but elegant. Well, it would certainly be expensive, made of dragon scales and all…

"Shift's over," Zuko said abruptly, appearing behind her the moment Pao let them off.

"Fine," Kyuri agreed. She hung up her apron next to his. "Then let's go."

BTW: Go to my profile and vote on a title for the story I'm writing after I finish with Kyuri.

Brief Summary: Sozin didn't start the war. Ozai did. A pocket of Airbenders escaped the Eastern Temple and among them is the Avatar, a girl who's been shunned for her invention of an Airbending technique that kills. The Avatar faces down forces from the Fire Nation while separated from all that remains of her people, accompanied by two almost-strangers, a pair of Water Tribe siblings named Sokka and Katara.