Chapter 7

The world blends fast,

As we move together here,

You and I alone.


"You know, this is nice."

"What is?" Zuko looked to his companion, who was leisurely stretching out on the bench. He sipped his tea and looked to the bustling marketplace around them. Merchants selling their goods and customers bartering loudly with them. But it was so ordinary, what did she mean?

"This," she gestured to the scene, "That life goes on. That people can just go out and do their errands or visit their friends."

A child bumped into Zuko, making him snap in irritation, "Watch it kid!"

He glowered at the trembling child who stammered out, "S-s-sorry mister!" And quickly ran away, blending into the crowd.

"Yes it's very nice," Zuko said sarcastically, "But we have ship to catch, let's go."

Katara complied, getting up and dusting off her dress. The elderly shopkeeper appeared behind them and chuckled,

"Boy, you better check your pockets. I think that little urchin picked it."

Immediately his hands dug through said pockets, finding them empty. He growled in frustration, just his luck!

"I'm sorry, ma'm, I'll pay for the tea," Katara apologized, taking out a few coins.

The old woman waved her away, "No no, it's fine. It's enough of an honor to serve our heroes, but could I ask a favor?"

"What is it?"

She smiled, the wrinkles around her eyes crinkling up, "I want you to find that boy and teach him a lesson. He's been running with a bad crowd these days, and I'm worried about him."

"Is he your grandson?" Zuko asked, imagining a very intimidating and scary lesson with a scowl on his face.

"No, he's just an orphan that works odd jobs around here," the shopkeeper explained, "But lately he hasn't been working, and I've seen him with these strange men who make him do what he did to you young man."

"We'll find him," Katara promised.

"Thank you dear," she took the water bender's hand and squeezed it.

"Ugh! We don't have time for this!" Zuko exclaimed.

Katara looked over to him, "Hey, we can catch a different ship and you can use your little Fire Lord ring to get us on, can't you?"

"Yes, but—"

"That old woman really wanted us to help this boy, and if not us, then who?"

"I know—"

"So it's settled, we're going to help little…what's his name again?"

"Errr…"

"You're no help," Katara rolled her eyes.

"Hey, you didn't know either!" he shot back. He couldn't believe this girl, it was like she wanted to save everyone. Granted, it was pretty sad that the little boy had fallen to a life of crime, but there were bigger things to worry about like the Bao Fu for instance.

Suddenly, he was pulled down behind some crates and before he could complain, she put a finger to her lips. He understood and peered furtively over the barrier to see five muscular men, all sporting identical armbands with a demon's face printed on them, approaching the small boy that had robbed him earlier.

The biggest, and dumbest, looking one grinned at the child, "So Rin, do you have the money?"

Rin nodded, and produced Zuko's money bag from the folds of his robe. He held it out to them, "So I'm in, right?"

The same thug grabbed the bag and looked through it and scowled, "You think this tiny amount is going to get you into the Bao Fu? We're going to be heroes, bigger than the Avatar, you know? You gotta do better than this."

The two listening in secret stiffened at the mention of the Bao Fu. They looked at each other and came to a silent understanding. With a swift movement, Katara bended the water in the rain barrel next to them and froze the group to the wall, including Rin. Zuko leaped above the crates, unsheathing his double swords and bringing them up to the leader's neck,

"Who are you, and what is the Bao Fu?"

In shock and fear the man exclaimed, "I'm Wei, I'm a blacksmith and occasionally I like to dabble in—"

"Okay, enough about you, what about the Bao Fu?" Zuko cut him off.

Wei gulped, "I'm not actually in the Bao Fu…I just heard about them and what they do…"

"What?!" Rin looked indigent, "You lied to me?!"

Ignoring him, Zuko pressed the man to continue.

"Look, all I know is, that the Bao Fu are planning something. They're not small time like us, I'm just doing this because times of peace are hard on a blacksmith. No weapon making, you know?"

Katara pointed to the armband, "And what about this?"

"It's their insignia, it's probably the only thing genuine about us. Now please let us go, I'm freezing," Wei begged pathetically.

She looked at Zuko, who nodded. Lifting her hands, she bended the ice back into liquid, dropping everyone into heap on the ground. She looked pointedly to Rin,

"You mister, go back to working for the tea shop owner. She's very worried about you."

The soaking wet boy looked up at the water bender and pouted. He picked himself up and defiantly declared, "I have to join the Bao Fu. The Fire Nation killed my parents and they have to pay for that!"

"Rin," Katara kneeled so that she was on his eyelevel, "I'm not sure what the Bao Fu is, or what they want to do, but I know that your parents would not have wanted you to be like this."

He sniffled and wiped his nose with the sleeve of his robe. Zuko rolled his eyes and looked to the men still on the ground, "What is their connection to the Water Tribe?"

Wei answered again, "The Bao Fu isn't just Earth Nation, it's Water Nation and Fire Nation as well."

"Fire Nation? But isn't the Bao Fu against the Fire Nation?" Katara stood up and walked next to Zuko.

"The Bao Fu is against the established order. It wants to burn everything down and make a new world."

Zuko's expression darkened and Katara understood. They had heard these words before.

It looked like they were going to pay a trip to the former Fire Lord after all.

"Look," Sokka jerked his head towards a man at a table in the corner

They were sitting around a rough wooden table themselves in a tavern, they had ordered drinks, but had not touched them. Suki, whose back was to the man, did not turn around, but asked,

"Is he there again?"

Toph nodded, "Same guy, tapping the same thing onto the table."

Sokka's eyes scrutinized the man, who otherwise would have been an ordinary Earth Kingdom citizen with his green robes and brown hair. Their suspect drank from his cup, showing a ring with a demon's face upon it. He continued to tap the table in a certain pattern, and Sokka was pretty sure that it was code for something.

"Someone's going over to him, Toph, listen to what their saying," he whispered to his friends.

"Aye aye captain," she responded.

The first man looked solemnly to the other, "A traveler is lost in the woods."

"He must defend himself from the demons that lurk," he responded, sitting down.

Nodding, the man with the ring slipped a small scroll across the table which the other man took into his sleeves. Without another word, the new man stood up and left.

Toph's brow was knitted in concentration, "They're talking code. He asks, 'A traveler is lost in the woods,' and the other person has to answer 'He must defend himself from the demons that lurk.' Then there's a scroll that's passed."

"Suspicious, I'm going to go over there," Sokka stood up.

Suki grabbed his arm, "Wait Sokka, we don't even know if these people are connected to the Bao Fu."

"What's the harm in seeing what's on that scroll? He gives it to everyone, why not me?"

Moments later he returned and nodded. The group stood up and left the tavern into the bright light outside. They agreed to look at it tonight in their camp site, as it was too dangerous to open it at the moment.

Zuko stood at the ship's railing, holding the black armband they had taken from the men in the alley. He held it out, examining the insignia. It was a white paint that he had never seen before, it must have been a special plant to make it. The demon was of the typical style one would see in stone monsters, guarding gates with bulgy eyes and huge fangs. He sighed, leaning his face on his hand. Would his father never change, even fallen, he had the nerve to mastermind something from his prison cell.

'Who helped him?' he seethed inwardly. They would have to perform better background checks on the future guards.

"That is not something to have out in the open, young one," A tall, gaunt man stood next to him.

Stuffing it into his pockets, he looked to the new man and asked, "Excuse me?"

The stranger looked solemnly at Zuko's scar and smiled sympathetically. The Fire Lord felt a twinge of irritation at the man staring at the mark.

"I understand that you have been hurt," he continued, "You are not a bender?"

"Not at the moment," Zuko scowled, fully conscious of the weight of the dual swords strapped to him.

"Ah," the man sighed, "The selfishness of these benders, making a war on their own and dragging us ordinary people into it."

What?

"Well, you have joined the right side, young sir," and with that, the man was gone, leaving Zuko utterly confused.

"He knew what the arm band meant?"

They were in their tiny room, with space only enough for two cots. Katara sat on one, while Zuko on the other, so close that their knees were touching.

"Yea, I tried to follow him, but he's disappeared. We should look for him again when we dock," Zuko replied, bringing out the black cloth again. He thought to what the man had asked, why had he asked if he was a bender?

"That man wanted to know if I was a bender or not," he said absent mindedly, still looking at the demon face on the band.

"Why?"

"He said something about dragging nonbenders into this war," Zuko frowned, "I'm not sure, but I think the Bao Fu are more than a rebel group if it encompasses three nations. They've got something against benders."

"Your father believed in the superiority of benders, maybe he doesn't have anything to do with this," she rocked from side to side.

"Or maybe, my father was just a cog in the machine."

"Either way, we need to talk to him."

"Right."

"I've always loved you, how could you doubt that?" Cherry Blossom's wide brown eyes filled with tears, staining her delicate pink cheeks as they streamed down her face.

Sen grabbed her as she started to turn away, pulling her into his arms, feeling her small frame tremble against him. "I'm sorry," he whispered into her silky black hair.

She pounded her fists against his chest, "Idiot!"

Without warning, he crushed his lips against hers. She was resisted for a moment, but soon melted into—

"Sokka!"

The water boy jumped, stuffing the novel into his bag as Suki gave him a strange look. He coughed, standing up and slinging his bag over his shoulder and asked, "What?"

"Were you reading Love Among a Thousand Blossoms?" she snickered.

He slanted his eyes away. Damn, she was quick. He had picked it up at the marketplace, the man had told him that it was quickly becoming the most popular piece of literature in all the nations. Of course he had to investigate this as it could have been a secretly coded book that sent messages out among the Bao Fu networks. He had opened up the first page and had quickly lost himself in the forbidden love of Cherry Blossom and the peasant boy Sen. It reminded him of his own love between Yue and himself, and he had become so engrossed in it that he hadn't heard Suki approach.

"Hey! There might have been some secret messages sent out, I was researching!" he defended himself, holding his bag to his chest. It was a valid reason, she had no place in grinning at him like that.

"Right. That's why you were squealing like a little girl over it," she said dryly, raising a brow.

"I WAS NOT SQUEALING!" he squealed.

Toph woke up, rubbing her eyes, "Jeez you're loud Captain Boomerang."

He grumbled, shooting a glare at the earth bender. Why was she sleeping at a time like this anyway? Spirits, the girl would probably have slept through the war had they not come and got her. He looked back at his girlfriend who was shaking her head at him.

"It's the high moon, we better get going if we're going to make it," she said, fixing her fans to her belt.

He got up and stretched. She was right, the scroll that they had gotten from the "ordinary Earth Kingdom citizen," had instructed them to gather at a tea house. It had not written what the meeting was for, but there was an insignia of a demon's face at the bottom in lieu of a signature.

"All right, let's get this over with," Toph stood up, cracking her knuckles.

Suki and Sokka looked at each other and then to the tiny girl.

"Err, Toph, we thought that you might like to sit this one out," Suki said sheepishly.

Her face became defensive, "Why?! Is it because I'm blind?!"

Sokka felt like smacking his forehead, but refrained from doing so. He knew that she would immediately jump to that conclusion.

"No Toph, it's because you're pretty recognizable. You know, the amazing Blind Earthbender?" he soothed her. Her angry expression melted into a frown, Sokka relaxed thinking they were in the clear when she suddenly said,

"And what about you two?"

"Well, we really don't have anything eye-catching about us physically. We can blend in better," Suki explained quickly.

Compared to the rest of Team Avatar, Suki and Sokka were the best for undercover work. With the exception of perhaps Katara, each of them had markers of their fame, Zuko with his scar, Aang with his tattoos and Toph with her pearly blind eyes. Though they were all famous for helping the Avatar, their faces were not really known except for the three's physical characteristics.

Toph crossed her arms and pouted, looking at them with suspicion, "This better not be some stupid date. I can tell when you're lying!"

"We promise," they replied simultaneously.

"Zuko do you hear that?" Katara said to her companion.

They were lying their, each on their respective cots, staring into the darkness. Above them, there were shouts and stomps and the faint tinkling of music. Zuko put his hands behind his head, straining to listen to what was going on. Katara shifted and said,

"Let's go up, I think it's a party!"

"I don't want to go to a party."

There was a some shuffling next to him as she looked for her shoes. He glanced over, seeing her faint outline bent over tying the laces. The ship jerked slightly, making her lose her balance and fall to the side. Immediately his hand shot out to steady her, grabbing onto something soft and warm.

She was silent for a moment and he froze, realizing just what he was touching.

"Errr…" she pulled away from him as he stole his hand back, clutching it close to himself.

"Sorry."

"It's okay…it's dark…" she replied slowly, not knowing what else to say.

It was awkward. They sat there, wondering what to do next. Zuko wanted to crawl into a hole and die of embarrassment. He wondered if that was even possible. Probably not, he would have died a long time ago if it was. Maybe they would remember him as the "Awkward Lord."

Sighing, he finally said, "You want to go to that party?"

"Sure."

Trying to lighten the mood, Katara said, "Hey you know what?"

He cursed, bumping his head on her cot. Rubbing the sore spot, he grumbled, "What?"

"Aang is your spiritual great great grandfather," and though he could not see her in the darkness, he could hear the smile in her voice.

He scratched his head for a moment before return an incredulous, "...What?!"

If he was the Lord of Awkward, she was the Queen of Random.

"Well think about it, Roku is your great great grandfather, right?"

"Right."

"So..."

It took him a few moments, but when it finally hit him. His eyes widened before he buried his face in his hands, "Agni, that is weird to think about. Damn Avatar cycle!"

He pulled his shoes on, trying to stop himself from imagining Aang giving him orders as his "elder". Katara opened the door, flooding the room with light. He shielded his eyes before hissing, "You could have warned me."

"It was going to happen sooner or later," she shrugged, "Now let's go!"

She had been right, it was a party that had been going on. The captain had thrown it when he had heard that one of his crew was going to get married. There were no fancy prepartions, only a rag tag group in the corner playing music and people showcasing their dancing skills in the center of the deck. It was fast paced, feet stomping, hands clapping to the beat. The dancers swirled while the audience cheered, the energy was crackling in the air.

"Why Fire Lord Zuko! You've come and joined us!" The captain grinned, clapping a hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"Err, yes, this is quite the celebration," Zuko replied, looking at the dancers.

Katara laughed, her blue eyes aglow in delight. She looked to Zuko and said, "Let's dance Zuko! Aang taught me some Fire Nation dances when we were in hiding."

He frowned, he did not know any fast paced dancing. What ever dances the Avatar had taught to Katara must have been lost over the years. When he was about to decline, the captain exclaimed, "That's a wonderful treat! The Fire Lord and Water Master Katara! Onsui's marriage is sure to be blessed!"

Grinning, Katara grabbed his hand and pulled him to the center of the crowd. The other dancers melted away and a new song began. His expression was horrified, he hissed to her, "I don't know any fast dances!"

"Push and pull," she whispered in his ear, before jumping back and aiming a spinning kick towards his head. His instinct made him back flip through the air, landing on his feet, he yelled at her,

"Are you crazy?!"

"Push and pull Zuko!" she yelled this time, laughing out loud, hands on her hips.

I'll give her push and pull, he growled inwardly.

Seizing her hand he swung her close, she arced her back and lifted her leg around his waist in response. She clutched his shoulder and pushed off against him, opening up her arms before rolling back towards him. Her arms were crossed in front of her, he laced his fingers with her free hand, and together they took a few steps in unison before he released her. The music swelled and their eyes were intensely locked onto each other as she twisted her hips stepping backwards. He followed her, his hand at her waist now, but the other still connected. He lifted her in a swift movement, holding her neck and bringing their heads low when the music came to a sudden end.

They were breathing harshly, but their eyes were locked. The crowd cheered loudly, bring them back to reality. Sheepishly, they gave a short bow and made a quick escape.

In the hallways of the ship, they stopped, leaning against the walls and trying to catch their breath. Katara burst out laughing and Zuko followed.

"I've never danced like that before," he grinned.

She raised a brow at him, "You know, I'm starting to think that the Fire Nation is pretty repressed."

"Hey! It's not our fault that a dictator stripped us of our culture!"

Looking at him, she suddenly got an idea, "You should bring back dancing!"

"Maybe I will."

They started to laugh again, the echoes bouncing off the metal walls. It slowly died away, and he watched her still smiling to herself. Her cheeks were red from their dance, her hair was completely out of place, one of the hair loops actually came loose. Out of impulse, he reached over and tucked it behind her ear. She blushed at the sudden contact and he pulled away in realization.

Silent again, they stared at the wall in front of them. Outside, the party was still going on, the music a different tune. They listened as their breathing quieted.

"Katara, thank you."

Author's Note: Seemed like a good place to stop. I'm just churning out these updates, aren't I? Love this flow of inspiration. Mostly because I want to finish this and start the next one, which is going to be so much steamier. Steeeeeamier. Do you hear me? You all better stay with me, aiight? It was pretty fun writing this chapter, I watched a couple of videos on Youtube because I really don't know anything about dancing. Lol. Thanks for reading!