Wow _ Reviews. I only own one hamster, a camcorder, a cell phone, two sisters, a crap ton of DVDs, VHS', CDs, make-up and not ATLA just the Idea. There's a surprise inside this chapter. I won't tell because, it would ruin it, and the best kind of a prize is a SUR-prize

Chapter 6: Looking Through Your Eyes

The next morning Zuko and Katara fixed breakfast and took down their tents down, they made sure to fix breakfast for Aang and Toph. When they finally made it out of the Great Divide it was noon and Katara knew they had a little more to go before they came to where she heard that Bashkim was dropped. Zuko heard something from behind them and he turned to where he heard the noise and called out, "Who's there?"

"Just us." Aang answered

"Why don't you go back home now your parents are probably worried about you." Katara suggested, but was surprised at the response she got, " I don't have any family and Toph never mentions hers at all. We don't have anywhere else to go, is it OK if we tag along?"

"What do you say Zuko they don't have any place to go?" Katara asked him as she didn't want to seem like she was in charge, she and Zuko were a team and she was going to treat him like a partner not a laky.

"I guess but they each pull their own weight or I'll give them something they'd wish I didn't."

Both Toph and Aang nodded their heads as they didn't want to know what Zuko would have them do. They continued on stopping every now and then for Zuko and Aang to go hunting, when the animal was skinned and stored Toph and Katara would start tanning the skin when Zuko asked why it necessary Katara said, " The sword's going to need something to act as a scabbard until we either find the original, or return Bashkim to Haru so he can have a new one made. We don't want it falling into Ozai's hands."

"Good thinking."

Zuko had them stop for the night and to make camp. Katara however was not happy about this, " We have to find Bashkim before Ozai, since we know where it's at we have the advantage, he however is following us we can't let him beat us."

"Katara I know what your saying, but Aang and Toph are only kids and can only do so much. No one travels this area at night anyway, if you can give me one name I'll think about changing this from and overnight stop to a break."

"Alright then my father Sir Sokka of the Dai Lee, and of the Southern Water Tribe."

The look on Zuko's face was nothing compared to what he felt after hearing that name. It was as though ice water was flowing through his veins 'He was her father ! That was why she was familiar, she is like her father.'

"Katara there's something I should tell you, I knew your father." Katara's eyes widened," What how do you know him?" he sighed and looked down before answering, "Yes I did I used to live in Ba Sing Se, I worked at a tea shop with my mother and stepfather, and I was learning how to firebend. One evening there was a robbery my mother and I were the ones out with the last few customers and my stepfather was in the back washing the last of the dirty dishes. I went to defend my mother but the attack was sent back to me, then the next thing I knew I was thrown back and my head collided with the wall. Our fight led to the shop catching on fire. At first everything was blurry, then my vision started to grow weaker and fade until eventually I saw nothing. A few weeks after I'd gone blind I bumped into a man who called himself Sokka, he's the one who had my sword made for me, he also taught me swordsmanship. He asked Iroh to teach me firebending as my stepfather was teaching me, and both he, and my mother were not found in the remains of the shop so I was, and still am left to believe that they perished in the fire.

" It was a little hard for me so Iroh found me a blind earthbender who helped me see through my feet and my other senses. When Sokka went to leave he told me to keep practicing, and to listen to Iroh. He'd taken me on as an apprentice until he deemed me master which was the day Sokka died he also told me to keep practicing. There was only one thing he tried to teach my that I never picked up on and that was lightningbending I did however learn to redirect it instead."

"How did you come across Momo?"

"When I was on my way to Full Moon Bay she just came to me and has never left. He taught me how to live in Thieves Passage. I knew what plants were healing herbs and what were poisonous, because I studied about the area before I left Ba Sing Se. Although it's nice to have a healer on hand for the times you don't have the herbs nearby. I'm sorry if what I'm about to ask is too personal but, tell me about your father."

"Well he found a baby rabbit I named benny, and he was the most kind father I knew. He won me candy at the festival in the town square every year. He bought me this necklace and bracelet the last time he went to Ba Sing Se. He and Mama rarely fought and when they did he left the house for a few minutes but when he came back he'd have two small bouquets. The red roses would be for Mama, and I would get violets. Then he'd say he loved Mama more than anything in the world and that he was sorry.

"After he died my mother never remarried but I have a father figure and he's as close to being as good of a father to me as Papa was. His name is Tahn, I can't think of anything else other than I'm proud to be his daughter, I just wish I knew who killed him then I would bring him to justice for me, Mama, and Papa."

Zuko had never seen this side of Katara before so he got an idea to try something. He held out his hand for her to take which she did, and he guided her to a small area where he picked up a stick about the same size as his Third Eye. When he tossed it to her she was confused until she saw him take a defensive stance then she caught on.

"Willing to take a beating from a girl ?", she asked

"We'll see who's beaten after the fight.", He smiled

At first she was the one who took a blow but that was because she quickly flashed back to when she was learning with Sokka, but she quickly recovered and was soon holding her own against Zuko. What surprised her the most was that he was holding his own against her as well. Soon he was dominating the fight and she lost her balance and would have hit the ground, that is until Zuko grabbed her arm and pulled her upright. He pulled a little too hard as he ended up pulling her close to him and once again only Katara could see his blush and feel her own return. It was at this moment when Toph and Aang asserted their presence by asking if it was time to eat, Katara shook her head slightly to regain her train of thought and went to fix dinner. Tonight's menu was some of the fish Aang and Zuko caught when they were hunting, while Katara seasoned the fish Aang gathered some wood for the fire and Toph made a small pit that way the fire wouldn't get out of control.

Katara was mostly quiet during the meal, Toph and Aang noticed that she looked a little down but didn't say anything in case they crossed a line they shouldn't. After dinner and the dishes were done they went to bed and only Katara had a troubled sleep. The next day they managed to make it to the crater and Momo flew around until she saw something that did not match the terrain so she picked it up and gave it to Katara who said, " It's from Bashkim but where's the sword?"

"Well from the looks of the place someone took it." Aang stated

"Or something, and if we follow these tracks I'll bet they'll lead us to whoever or whatever took the sword." Zuko said while checking out the footprint from what he could gather it was big and the footprint was circular, but it was not as big as the crater, it made a smaller hole within the crater. Katara having gotten over the fact that she still had to camp for the night just said in an irritated voice, "Well this your fault."

"My fault?"

"Yes if you hadn't made us camp we could've found Bashkim and be on our way to Ba Sing Se by now."

"Be quiet."

"My mother is the only family I have left."

"Shhhh I need to hear if anything's-Ack" Zuko was cut off as his side was grazed with an arrow, the force of the arrow knocked Zuko to the ground. Katara saw who it was turned to Aang, and Toph and told them, "Get Zuko out of the crater, I'll hold them off as long as I can." They nodded their heads and each grabbed one of Zuko's arms and moved as fast as they could while Katara used the water to freeze their feet and hands so they couldn't firebend which would slow them down giving Katara and the others a better advantage they needed. Once she caught up with the others she grabbed Zuko and took over carrying him as best she could, they continued on hoping to find shelter as it looked like it could rain.

Meanwhile Suki was fairing very well all things considered, she was doing her best to slow Ozai's gang down but not look like she was doing it. Her group was nearing Full Moon Bay and would take the ferry across and they would continue from there. She had them stop for meals and sleep but she was concerned that she would beat Katara to Ba Sing Se, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could stall. Since she sent Katara to warn the king she had been praying to Sokka to keep her safe, and to keep herself sane, so far it was working. 'Katara I don't know where you are but please be safe.' She thought, she must have also whispered it as one the goons came in and told her, "Nobody can stop Ozai and his plot to take over Ba Sing Se."

"You obviously don't know my daughter."

At a clap of thunder and a flash of lightning she looked over to where Omashu would be. Katara gave a small sigh of relief as she found a cave for them to rest, she didn't know how long, but she did know they would have to rest until Zuko was well enough to travel. She quickly uncorked her waterskin and bended the water around her hand to start healing Zuko, he had passed out somewhere along the trek.

"Please don't give up on me. I can't do this alone, Aang and Toph are only kids. Mama was right I have no business being in the Dai Lee. I can't look out for a friend and take a simple order. I'm only good at household things."

"Says who?"

Katara gasped at the voice, it certainly wasn't Zuko, or Aang it must have been, "Papa?"

"Yea it's me Little Kat, What happened that made you stop thinking the world was your to conquer?"

"Ozai that's what."

"Ah, I see, I wish I'd done something that would've stopped him in the future I'm so sorry you had this thrust on your shoulders. You aren't ready for this kind of danger."

"I know that and so does Mama but someone has to warn Haru of Ozai's plan and Mama made me do it."

"I know, now get some rest he'll be fine for you to check on later."

"Yes Papa."

She stopped long enough to get the camp set up and dinner started, she went for a little walk to find a stream to collect water, and fish to make dinner and broth for Zuko. When she came back Aang and Toph were training and Zuko was still resting, so she began making him some broth to have when he woke up. She went back to healing him, and started talking about her friend Duke and how Zuko reminded her of him.

"He even tried to avoid me like you did when we first met, Mama and Papa thought it was funny, but I took it as he didn't like me. When I first met you for awhile I thought you were going to ditch me."

"That would've been rude and my stepfather taught me to be a gentleman." A tired voice said.

"Zuko, you're ok."

"Why wouldn't I be, you were tagging along so if I got hurt it wouldn't slow me down."

"Well, yea, but I wasn't sure if the arrowhead had been dipped into any dangerous poisons, so I wasn't sure."

"Well I don't feel any different then when I'm tired so it's safe to guess that it wasn't poisoned."

"I made you some broth it's not as good as my mother's recipe but it's something for now."

Zuko took the bowl and slowly ate the broth which was delicious, 'If she says her mother's is better then it must be made from scratch. I wonder if she was courting anyone in Omashu, she must've had at least one boyfriend growing up. Why am I even thinking this she's just a friend I'm helping out.'

"They always say that and the next thing they know they're either courting, married or have a couple kids." A voice told him he thought he was going crazy because the voice sounded like Sokka, and like he was standing next to him.

"Trust me you're not going crazy, I just came to give what help I can. I was talking to Katara last night, and it seems as though she's losing herself to what everyone expects her to be, and feels like she has the world's problems on her shoulders, and in a way she does. She has to warn Haru of Ozai's plan before he gets there or else hell breaks loose. Not only that but she's worried that she may never see her mother again because he's threatened to kill her mother. She doesn't know that her life is on the line as well, or she doesn't care."

"I think she does care it's that she would rather her mother live. She's only worried about her mom and the Earth Kingdom, she's like you in that sense."

"So I see, I watched her grow up but not in the way that I would've liked. If I had it my way Ozai would have died instead of me but these things happen for a reason. Make sure she knows that at the right moment. I have to go now be careful and look after each other."

Without waiting for a reply Sokka's voice just vanished as did the feeling that he was there. Zuko thought he understood Katara a little better than he did before, when they first met he thought she was just looking for glory, but now he saw it as she was saving not only her family but herself and proving to everyone else that she can do the impossible. He admired her for what she was doing, he would've liked to say that he would've done the same if the roles were reversed, but he couldn't as that course of his life changed the night of the raid. He finished the broth and went to sleep again, around noon he woke up feeling better then ever, so they took down the tents and packed up, and tried to look for the tracks, and started to follow them. As the afternoon dragged on Katara noticed the tracks had stopped.

"Uh-oh"

"What?"

"We're at the end of the tracks." Zuko was about to say something when a rumbling caught everyone's attention, "Who's stomach was that?"

"No one's it was Koh."

"Koh?" Aang asked

"Who or what is Koh?" Toph asked

"He's a face stealer so keep a straight face if you see him."

They did as he said but Koh never looked in their direction Katara noticed the scabbard from Bashkim fall from his head. so they decided to follow him but at a pace where he wouldn't be able to notice them. When they came to a lake they had to stop as they knew if they grabbed a hold of a leg then it would be trouble. So they watched him swim to a small island and it was at this point Katara wished Elise were there. As if her wish had been granted Elise appeared, and knelt down waiting for them to get on.

"What are we getting on?" Toph asked, and Aang wondered

"Elise, my father's Eel Hound, she can get us to that island fast. 'Nothing runs faster over land or swims quicker than a giant eel hound', as my father would say."

Once everyone was on and seated Katara flicked the reins and told Elise where to go in about an hour they had reached the island. Katara tethered Elise and they wandered into the cave, as they looked around Aang noticed a lot of animal remain that had no facial features.

"We'll have to wait until Koh falls asleep before we try to get the sword otherwise it's hopeless."

"By 'WE' you mean everyone here right?"

"Yes now keep quiet or we're caught then we lose our faces."

"Nice place, who does the decor."

"Do you see him?"

"Not really."

"He's here alright I can feel it. Tell me when he's asleep.", the ground started shifting as a giant figure started to move, and at this point Katara noticed the sword laying near exit of the cave, and Toph said, " He's sleeping now Sparky."

"I see Bashkim, but there's a ledge just above it. Offhand I'd say it's about a twenty foot drop."

Zuko placed his hand on the Third Eye, then on Aang's head, and Toph's head, "We need to form a human chain in order to reach the sword, what we'll do is Toph will stay on level ground, Aang will hold my ankles and I yours, that should give us the length we need. Consider this a trust test, the person having their ankles held have to trust that the person holding their ankles won't let go."

They nodded in agreement, and went to work, Toph bended the earth around her ankles so that she wouldn't lose her footing, Aang bended the air so that he was hovering above Toph so she could grab his ankles. Zuko had Katara climb on his back so that he could climb down until Aang got a hold of his ankles, Katara then climbed down Zuko grabbed her ankles and slowly lowered her until his arms stretched to there full length.

"Toph can you bend the rock down a bit I'm just a few inches away." Katara whispered

"Aye, aye Madam FussyBritches."

"Katara what did that Ozai guy look like again?"

"Black hair, and a goatee like beard why?"

"Oh no reason other than he's watching you."

"Don't worry about it I got it pull me up."

Once everyone was pulled up they quietly managed to get out of the cave, but some of Ozai's men were not so lucky as they woke Koh up and showed fear. Because they showed emotion he claimed their faces as his own, Ozai was fortunate enough to never show any emotion, but anger, and did not show any emotion, and therefore kept his face. Toph earth bended a small raft, and Katara waterbended so that they started to float. Zuko took over and used his fire bending which increased their speed while Katara fished for food and filled the waterskins. Aang helped Zuko increase their speed even more when he started to airbend the air around them. Toph just made sure the raft stayed the same size and made quick repairs if needed, once they made it to shore they agreed to stop and rest for the night.

OOOOOO it's getting good, now. Sorry it took so long to update but I had a small case of writer's block and I got started on two stories on is new but not yet posted, while the other is the first chapter to my sequel of Everlasting Love. Please read and review.