Disclaimer: I do not own avatar or the characters; however, I own the plot and ideas.
A/N ::: Please enjoy and review. (Also, I tried my best with the weird accent of the man in the story, so sorry if it's not good)
Moments passed but neither Zuko nor Katara uttered a word. Growing tired of the awkwardness Zuko decided to break the uncomfortable silence.
He said, "So…um… do you want some breakfast or something."
Katara was taken aback by his sudden politeness. Wasn't this the same ruthless fire bender who used to chase them a little less than a year ago? She agreed and he started to walk away saying he would be right back. Minutes later he returned with a variety of fruits in his hand. Katara hesitantly took a mango he had offered her. They sat down to eat, as far away from each other as possible.
Wanting to say something Katara asked him, "So…um how have you been lately?"
He looked away from her and replied, "Um, fine. Everything's been alright."
Katara could tell something was wrong but he obviously did not want her to know about it. He asked her the same thing and she looked away and gave him the same response he had given her.
All of a sudden Katara got up and said, "I should be going." Before Zuko could react she had ran away.
Zuko just looked after her thinking that women were extremely weird. He was about to practice his fire bending skills when something on the floor caught his eyes. She had forgotten his mask. He picked it up and went over what had just happened in his head.
Meanwhile Katara was running back to her hut. When she got there she shut the door, closed all of her blue curtains and sat down on the floor. She suddenly remembered that she had forgotten the mask and mentally cursed at herself. She would need a complete disguise for what she was planning. But now that she had run into Zuko, she had to rethink some details.
After much thinking she concluded that a fire bender with be extremely useful, and would make things a lot less complicated for her and her future mission. But she still doubted asking him for help.
Over the years Katara had developed a large amount of confident. She knew it would be difficult to swallow her pride and ask her former enemy for assistance. Unable to come up with a decision she looked around her hut. The bright blue curtains were about the only things with color in the place.
She had been meaning to take the curtains down, because it stood out way too much, but she always put it off to the fallowing day. She certainly did not want to attract any attention to her self, but the blue curtains were the only thing that reminded her of home.
Concluding that she had spent too much time on the subject she got up and went outside. She had unfinished business to attend too, and mask or no mask, she would get it done.
It was the middle of the day but, as she had grown accustomed to, it already started to get dark. She hurried down the streets, walking in the shadows. She was trying to remember where she had met that man about three weeks earlier. After much searching, and walking around in circles, she found the bar that she had unintentionally wondered inside weeks before.
She halted at the entrance. She hated the disgusting, foul, horrid, place. After a long breath she opened the door and stepped in. As she walked to the corner where she suspected the person she was looking for to be in many men turned their heads to look at her.
This is what she had been dreading, and why she needed Zuko's mask. She rapidly made her way across the room, ignoring the many comments coming from guys who kept falling off their chairs. Finally she got to a man who had his back turned to her. Recognizing him she cleared her throat.
The man turned around and said, "I knew you vould come back, they all do. Now vat do you vant doll face?"
Keeping her temper in check she made sure her face was expressionless and replied, "You know what I want, the key."
He smirked and said, "I don't know. Vy should I give it to you?" Katara sighed. This was going to be a long conversation.
"Why shouldn't you give it to me?" She asked and he told her, "That's the question, isn't it." Thinking Katara said, "Exactly." Not being able to come up with anything else the man dropped the word game.
He lowered his voice and hissed, "I vould give it to you. But you see, there is someone else who vants that same key."
Katara gasped. "What?" She hissed, forgetting to keep her face expressionless. "Who else could possibly know about the key, or what it opens?" She demanded. All of a sudden her eyes widened.
"You didn't tell anyone else about it, right?"
The man looked taken aback. He said, "O' course not. I 'ad nothing to do with it. A man came up to me the exact same day you did and asked me about the magical key. 'E vanted to know if I 'ad it in my possession and I said yes. He vanted it but I told 'im to meet me 'ere again today after dark to discuss the situation 'cause I already had been asked for it."
Katara was furious! She said, "So who are you going to give it to?"
The man stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "It depends, 'ow much are you willing to pay for it."
Katara was ready for this. "It depends, how much do you want?" When the man said '2,000 gold pieces' Katara had to stop herself from gasping. She agreed and then said,
"Well at least tell me the other person's name."
The man said, "'e did not tell me 'is name."
Katara growled and the man added, "Vell, you did not tell me your name either."
She asked him, "What did he look like?" He replied, "He had a mask." Frustrated Katara said, "What kind of mask, many people where masks around here because of the soldiers." Thinking the man responded, "It vas blue and vite and it looked like a demon."
In half a second Katara was already headed to the doors. "Thanks!" She yelled back and kept running.
Unfortunately when she got out she ran into four Fire Nation Soldiers.
One of the said, "Hey, you look too young to be aloud in there." He pointed to the bar then addressed his partners, "Grab her." Suddenly Katara found herself trapped. Two of the soldiers had pinned her arms behind her back and they where very strong. Katara struggled against their strength but she could not break free.
Suddenly out of no where a figure wearing a blue and white mask started to throw fire balls at the people binding Katara. Once Katara was free she opened her water pouch and started to fight along side the man, whom she guessed was Zuko. They had knocked out all of the soldiers but more had arrived at the scene.
As Zuko aimed a fire kick at the closest one Katara proceeded to water whip two of them.
"Nice of you to drop by." Katara whispered to Zuko as she dodged an attack from one of the men.
"No problem and…" He blocked a blow form the nearest one and knocked two unconscious, "What exactly where you doing in there?"
She replied, "I'll answer your question if you answer mine."
"What's your question?" He asked her and she told him, "I can't say it now."
They had knocked all of them out. "So…" Zuko started to say but as he turned around he saw that at least fifty more soldiers were running towards them.
Thinking fast Zuko grabbed Katara's wrist and dragged her into the nearest corner.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
She yelled. "Shhh."
He said. "We have to travel by rooftops; on the ground it's easier for them to attack us."
"Whoa, stop right there. Two things, I can't jump from house to house like you can, and what's all this 'we' stuff."
Zuko was starting to get aggravated. He looked over his shoulder and could see the soldiers approaching.
"Look…" he began, "If we separate it would be easier for them to capture you again, because I could just leave you here, and as I can see you're out of water."
Katara looked away form him. She hated when he was right. She had run out if water and the only person who was willing to help her was standing right in front of her.
Zuko tapped his foot impatiently trying to decide why he was not just leaving her there. Katara on the other hand was immensely confused. She remembered all of Sokka's warnings about fire benders but Zuko was trying to help her. And that brought up a different question; why? Why was he risking his life trying to help her escape?
Katara found it extremely hard to say the next few words but finally, she swallowed her pride and said, "Fine, I need your help."