Chapter 2

Zuko had backtracked to his room to get dressed, only realizing his state of undress when Sokka had pointed out that hunting topless manly as it was, would not be the best idea, and unless he wanted to fight barehanded (though Zuko had his firebending to help) he might want to get a weapon to help also.

The trip up the mountain side was made in silence, as was the walk into the under-growth; even as they began tracking nothing was said. It was not an uncomfortable silence, it was just that Sokka suddenly found he had nothing really to talk about, and as thrilling as it might be to have a jump on the fire nation, there was something holding him back from asking Zuko.

After pinning what appeared to be a wild bearsheep. Sokka coughed loudly to get Zuko's attention. The fire prince just looked up at the warrior, before attending to there prize once again.

"Sooo Sparky, I can call you Sparky right?"

"I don't really care"

"Riiiight, well…did you really work in a tea shop?"

Zuko looked up to him and then looked down smiling

"I did, in Ba Sing Se, We, that is my uncle and I, we worked in the lower ring for a while, and then Uncle was given his own shop to run. I was helping him."

"I can't really picture you as a… tea server"

Zuko grinned and then looked at Sokka again

"Well I can't really picture you as a warrior. But Ty Lee talked about you a lot, though she doesn't actually know your name. She said…"

Zuko straightened and flicked his hair from his face

"His Aura was sooo Green, and I couldn't lay a hit on him the last time we met, he's like a challenge! His head is really hard too! He must have a really thick skull"

Sokka gawped with mouth ajar; there was something disconcerting about the fact that Zuko just did a rather good impression of the cute girl that followed his psychotic sister.

"Is that an insult? And My Aura is not green"

"I don't think it was an insult, she sort of swooned when she said it, I think you have a stalker in her"

"I do not want some crazy Firenation woman stalking me thanks"

"There's nothing wrong with Ty Lee"

"Aside from the fact that she is trying to kill us?"

Zuko froze, mouth half open and then he closed it again. Returning to the bindings on the Bearsheep. After a moment he spoke in a soft tone

"Ty Lee has been friends with my sister for a long time, she looks up to her, she sort of idolizes her. She is a really sweet girl at the heart of it, its sad really… Azula is using her because she is useful, it's the only reason she keeps her around. But that is the way things are back home. I would walk around the palace, servants would attend to me. I would visit Mai. But the only time I would be called for, was times I was useful to someone, other then that… Well… the palace is not really a place you can really be yourself. It took me a while to realize that… I am not saying that what she is doing is right… But I can see it from her side; I don't think she realizes that she is doing wrong… that's all I am saying…"

Sokka jabbed his boomerang mid air and grunted

"Even if you say that, it's not like I can just stand there and let her do her pokey jiggery thing on me, all because she doesn't realize its wrong. I don't really get all this stuff, I mean. Is the Firenation so messed up that it can think this is really right?"

Zuko hauled the beast over his shoulder using the rope and sighed

"My Father is a very convincing leader. As his father before him. Our nation has been brought up to believe that we are sharing our greatness with the other nations. That this war. It is against rebels that seek to break the peace we are trying to create. When you are brought up being told this, not seeing the world with your own eyes… all you can believe is what you are being told."

"I guess I was lucky in hindsight. If I had not been banished, I would not have seen the world through the eyes of others. In hunting the avatar, Aang, I traveled to many places, and witnessed firsthand the brutality of the Firenation. I saw only fear in others as we were spoken of. It was very different to what we had been told. If I had been living in the palace, only knowing the words spoken by my father, I may have ended up as cruel as him."

Sokka collected two birds that they had slain previously and cracked his neck before moving up beside Zuko.

"I dunno. You were pretty ruthless when you fought us before. I mean, you were pretty relentless in hunting us. Though your sister was worse. And you did use any means to get Aang, though that time you were with the pirates, you didn't actually hurt Katara. So I guess you weren't that bad… Actually, you never hurt us that time with paralyzing monster lady either. Well you did take Aang that time in the North Pole, but I guess you didn't really hurt us then either…"

Sokka stopped, trying to recall a time Zuko really did them harm.

"You… lets see… we didn't really see you after the North Pole. Before then, you only really chased after Aang; you never really tried to hurt Katara and me."

Zuko had kept walking, but he could hear well enough.

"I had no reason to hurt you. I was only meant to hunt the Avatar. No one else needed to be hurt. I am not fond of hurting people you know"

"Well you must have done something to hurt Katara, she is pretty mad at you. I have never seen her like this before"

Zuko hefted a sigh and walked on. Sokka was right, he had hurt her, but if wasn't a physical injury. He was going to have to talk to her before this got out of hand.

Katara stood in the creek, Aang faced her with hands ready. She was going to attack him, and he was to use his water bending to deflect the attacks.

"You know what annoys me about Zuko! He thinks that just because he is here! He is forgiven! I mean, how Arrogant and pompous! Like saying your sorry makes everything better! Well you know what! It doesn't!"

She released her first attack, a snake of water whipping up around her body, he froze it in a coil about her, pressing her hands to one side of it, and she sends a spray of daggers towards Aang.

The young Airbender erected a wall of ice in front of him, but the daggers penetrated the wall and he found himself flipping back having to call three arms of water to catch the daggers that had cleared the wall's defenses

"And he just throws his weight around! Like he is some leader!"

She sent a whip Aang's way, which he defected, sending a powerful rush of water back to Katara.

"No he doesn't Katara; I have never once seen him throwing his weight around…"

Katara slammed the water down into the stream

"What! You're taking his side!"

"I never said that. It's just that…"

"Just what Aang! He betrayed us! And now he is just accepted into the group! Well I don't except that! I don't trust him!"

"Katara… Just, hear me out. I don't know what has happened, with Zuko and you I mean, but something isn't right. I mean, it's like its personal to you."

Katara flailed her arms and then swung her back to Aang

"Of course it is! You weren't there Aang! You didn't see how he fooled me; He tricked me into thinking he really had changed! And he is doing it again! He… He will just betray us when the time comes, all to get his honor back"

Aang bit his lip and began walking out of the water, it was clear training wasn't going to be happening, not with her so angry. And it was also clear she needed some time to cool down

"He had his honor back Katara… And he gave it up; to help me… it has to count for something…"

When Katara turned to face Aang again, she found herself looking at an empty space, She knew herself she was being pigheaded about it, and she knew that even she didn't believe what she was saying, but she was not ready to like him yet! She didn't want to just trust him right away. As if everything was fine, as if he did not …. Choose his home and family… over them.

Katara let out a large sigh and then sunk back into the water. Putting herself into his shoes. She would have done the same thing. When she stopped to think about it. And that just made her even more furious at the fact that he had given everything up to go to them. He was meant to be a bad guy. He was meant to only see it from his side of things.

Why did he have to be so… so… understanding all of a sudden? When he had caught her snooping, he should have been angry at her, thrown her out of his room, he should not have let her read his Journal!

She was blaming him on that also. Letting his guard down, he seemed so desperate for her to understand him, forgive him. That it made her want to resist it more. He was first and foremost, the prince that had hunted them down. The one who attacked her village. He stole her mother's necklace. Though in his journal he had claimed to have found it… but that wasn't the point, he used it to track them. He had tied her to a tree and used her as bait. He had fought against her in the North Pole… taken Aang away…

"But he didn't kill me… or Aang… even then, it was like, he was holding back…"

The two had returned to the temple in good time, and Sokka realized he had not quizzed Zuko once about the palace, Zuko who was making short work of skinning their prize was sitting with his back facing the other…

"Soooo Zuko, I hear there is a secret river that goes into the palace…"

"That wont work."

"I don't see why not? We could creep in at night and"

"That river is so secret even school children know about it. It is usually the first place that invaders attack. There are many deadly traps planted in it to protect the fire lord, going by that root would be suicide."

"Oh."

Sokka plucked a few feathers from his beavergoose, before turning to get a good look at Zuko, the prince had not turned around, and was almost finished with his chore, Sokka had to admit he was efficient.

"well, what do you suggest? Your our insider after all."

Zuko wipped his blade and stood up, he turned to look down at Sokka and frowned slightly

" there is no easy way in. After the last attack, security will be tighter, and they probably wont use the same hiding place as the last time. The only use I am to you is that I know my Father, I know he wont run away. When Aang faces him, he will most likely be confronted by not just my Father, but the strength of the Firenation itself, people will throw themselves in his path, just to protect what they believe is right. And there is Azula to worry about. As cunning as my father may be, he is not as ruthless as Azula. I think our main course of action… is perfecting ways to defend ourselves from the barrage of attacks we will most likely receive…"

Zuko turned to walk back to his room, and he was faced with Aang. He did not know how long he was standing there, but the boy looked tired.

"Zuko… I need to talk to you…"

I hope you guys are enjoying this. I love to get feedback, and suggestions if yah have any idea's you think I should add in?