A/N: I do appologyze for this being so late, but I got really behind in school work so the story had to be put on hold for a little while. It might happen again a few more times until school gets out cause I really need to fix my GPA. Sorry about that, and this one's short, too! What the hell!?

Anyway, you know, the same drill. Read, enjoy, and don't bitch about it.

Chapter 7—The Forest

Zuko thought that the rest of the evening was just perfect. Katara had no complaints about his love for her and if anything, she returned it. Her brother Sokka seemed to be very understanding and just smiled as Zuko took Katara by the hand and led her off to one of the snack venders.

"Two sweet rolls, please," Zuko said, ordering a snack for the both of them. The vender gave a knowing smile to the two before reaching below the counter and removed two rolls from the heated container, placed them in paper napkins and handed the two sweet rolls to Zuko. Thanking the man, he handed one of the rolls to the gypsy girl who smiled and gratefully took it.

"You know," Katara said as they walked away from the vendor to see the performers. "When I first saw you in that house with your commanding officer, I just assumed you were just like the others, cruel and empty." Zuko raised an eyebrow and looked down at her as he took a bite of his sweet roll. "But after you saved me and my brother and helped us find our friends, I knew you never even wanted to do what they ordered you to do. You're just like us, all you want is peace." She blushed before taking another bite of her roll, chewing and then swallowing. "I guess that's what attracted me to you in the first place. Nothing will stop you from doing what is right."

Zuko was at a loss for words. She had described him with only a few sentences, which was something he could not even do with many. He had never known what he wanted out of life, not even after he had met Katara. The only thing he had figured out was that he loved her and that no matter what, he would stay by her side forever. However, he knew what she said was the truth. He still had no idea what he wanted out of life aside from her, but his direction was just that; to do the right thing.

He felt her take his hand in hers and squeeze. He smiled down at her and they both looked up at the dark sky as loud bangs erupted and fireworks lit up the festivities with their many different colors. Zuko closed his eyes and let the flashes of light pass through his eyelids. Tonight was perfect. His life was finally turning for the better.

---

The following morning everyone rose early to pack their belongings and head into the forest. They knew that the day ahead of them would be long and nerve wracking but they all tried not to think about it as they gathered their belongings and headed downstairs to the lobby of the inn.

They were to travel through the forest to reach Auschwitz but it would take them a full day to get through the forest alone. Sokka checked them out and paid for their rooms as Zuko and the others picked up their packs and headed out the door. They rendezvoused with Katara's brother at the edge of the town and began their long trek through a forest as vast as a mountain range.

They walked for hours, trailblazing most of the way and not stopping for any breaks until lunch time. By now, the whole group was used to the excessive walking and no one complained when their lunch break lasted only a few minutes before they continued on. The summer heat beat down on them hard by mid-afternoon, making them all sweat profusely. Just when they were about ready to start looking for a shady area to rest, Aang burst out with excitement.

"Look, everyone!" he cried, pointing off in the direction of a small body of water. "It's a pond; that would be a great place to sit and rest out feet for a while."

Sokka and Zuko, the two who were in charge of the break schedule, exchanged looks before shrugging and taking their packs off. "Very well," Zuko said, sitting down on a boulder next to the water. "A ten minute break, that's it."

Aang punched the air saying a triumphant "yes!" before slipping off his shoes and walking through the water barefoot. Zuko sighed and rubbed his shoulders. Even after years of training in the military with rifles, boots and packs, his shoulders never got used to the straps of the pack digging into the muscles.

"Are you okay?" he heard Katara ask. He looked up to see her worried expression and nodded.

"Yeah, my shoulders ache, that's all." He reached into his bag and pulled out a small piece of dried meat and took a bite as Katara sat down on the rock next to him. "We should reach Auschwitz a little after dark at the rate we're going," he said.

"That's good, isn't it?" she asked. "The only way we can get in is under cover of night, right?"

Zuko nodded and glanced over at the pond as Toph yelled at Aang for splashing her with water. Sokka, who had been rubbing her feet, glared at the teenager for getting him soaking wet. "But we can't keep taking breaks like this. If we want to make good time and get there before midnight, we have to keep moving, we can't stop again."

She sighed, sounding as if she did not like the idea. "I see," she said. "Our feet are going to hurt pretty badly, but that's a sacrifice we must make if we want to have any chance of saving Suki." He nodded again and they sat in silence for a few seconds before Katara spoke again. "Do you want me to rub your shoulders?"

Zuko stared at her, surprised she had asked that question, but nodded his consent before removing his shirt and turning his back to her. He felt her cool hands against his warm skin and shuddered. Her cold fingers sent a chill down his spine but Katara seemed not to notice as she kneaded out the knots in his tight muscles.

"Don't you ever stretch?" she asked when he cringed from her thumb digging into a particularly taut muscle.

Zuko sighed. "Yes, but since I've joined you on this journey, I haven't done it as much as I should."

"You know, I could show you a few exercises that would loosen them up rather quickly, if you want."

He shook his head. "No thanks, maybe after the mission. Right now we need to get going." Standing up, he put his shirt back on and picked his pack up from the grassy forest floor. "Break time's over! It's time to get moving."

"But it's only been five minutes!" Aang complained.

"I've changed my mind, if we want to make it Auschwitz by sundown, we have to move now."

Aang groaned as he dragged himself out of the pond and put his shoes back on. Picking up their packs again, they left the small clearing and continued their trail blazing through the dense forest. They hiked for hours, stepping over fallen trees, giant rocks, and shoving passed low-hanging tree branches. At one point, Sokka had stepped passed a tree branch and did not hold it for the others behind him. He let go too soon and the branch snapped back and smacked Zuko in the face. The ex-Nazi glared at the gypsy who just shrugged and apologized before turning back around and walking off.

By twenty passed eight, the sun was almost passed the horizon and visibility was limited. Half an hour later, the group ended up stopping every few meters and sending one of them out further to scout for the edge of the forest. When it was about a quarter until ten Toph returned with news of a large settlement not far from where they were situated.

"I could hear them talking as if they were only a few meters away," she explained. "Which means that the camp is about a few hundred meters in the same direction we're heading."

Zuko nodded. "Good." He turned to Sokka and Aang. "Get out the uniforms we took off the soldiers on the train," he ordered. They both did as they were told and went to change in the woods. Zuko did the same, leaving the girls but remaining in earshot, he removed his traveling clothes and replaced them with his old uniform. He felt dirty putting the thing back on, but he knew that it was essential to the mission so he put everything on in regulation with the German military before returning to the girls.

"Are Sokka and Aang having trouble with their uniforms," he asked Katara and Toph who had changed into more formal traveling clothes suited for low-ranking public officials.

Katara looked back to where her brother and Aang had disappeared a few minutes earlier. "I'm not sure," she said. "I thought I heard some frustrated grunts coming from their direction, but I can't tell."

"They are," Toph said, staring blankly at the ground. "They're conversing with each other right now trying to figure it out."

Zuko stared at her disbelieving. For as long as he knew of her special way of seeing, he still could not completely grasp how acute her senses were. "I guess I should go help them then." Handing his pack to Katara, he told her to hind it well before trudging through the thicket towards the sound of frustrated growls and small, confused words.

"Hold still," he heard Aang say from his right. "Maybe if I move this here…" He trailed off and Zuko stepped passed a berry bush to the area they stood.

"Need some help?" he asked.

Sokka nearly ripped his hair out in frustration. "Yes, please!" he cried. "I can't figure this damn thing out to save my life! How is it you used to put this thing on every day?"

Zuko smiled and shook his head. Taking the belt from Aang, he buttoned up Sokka's uniform jacket and wrapped the belt around, keeping the buckle square in the middle, aligned with the buttons. He then turned to Aang and once he finished with his uniform, he motioned for them to follow him back to where the girls were waiting.

"Okay, inspection you two." Zuko turned to face the two men who were completely knew to life of the military. "Attention!" he ordered. They both stiffened, their backs straight and staring straight ahead of them. "What is the first thing you do when you walk past an officer?" he asked.

"Render a salute and give the proper greeting of the day," Sokka answered.

"Very good," Zuko complimented. "And what are we going to say if anyone asks what we are doing in the middle of the mission?"

"That we are running our security check." It was Aang who answered first.

"And if we are asked before Katara and Toph get their uniforms?"

"We are escorting two ambassadors from Berlin to inspect the facilities," Aang answered again.

Zuko nodded. "Now what are your ranks and what enlisted serviceman is your superior?"

This question seemed a bit more difficult for them to answer and it was about two minutes before anyone said anything.

"We are both Sergeants," Sokka answered. "The Staff Sergeant, Gunnery Sergeant, Master Sergeant and Sergeant Major, and the Sergeant Majors of the Army are the enlisted above us."

Again, Zuko nodded. "Good, though it seems it would be out of the ordinary if we ran into any Master Sergeants or higher here." He took his weapons out of his pack and holstered them on his person. "It's time to move out."

"Wait," Katara said, making Zuko stop and turn around. "Don't you think we should review the plan one more time before we go out there?" she asked. "Just so we can make sure we know it?"

He nodded and they spent the next fifteen minutes in review before leaving their sanctuary in the trees and out in the open to the death camp that held their friend.

A/N: Okay, first off, I would like to state that I am very well aware that I got the damn ranks fucked up. I had every intention of going to my unit this week to look at the ranks of the Army cause they are different than Marine Corps, but I kept forgetting. So I decided to just leave it, cause I'm very fucking lazy. I also know that Nazi enlisted ranks are different than US Army enlisted ranks, but I'm a lazy mother fucker and don't do any research for small details like that unless I feel like it. So you're all just going to have to suck it up and get over it. I do believe their officer structure is the same as Army and Marine Corps, though. I think I got at least one fucking thing right.

(Sorry for all my cursing but I just smoked a cigar with my friends so I'm a bit crazy right now, plus I just broke up with my boyfriend last night and now I have no idea what I want from life. I'm really fucking confused considering I had a dream where I was making out with another guy that I know. I don't know what I'm doing now.)

See you next chapter and hopefully I won't be spilling out my social problems at you then.

Oh, and have a very Happy Easter! :)