A/N: Hello, lovelies :) I'm sad to say that I go back to school tomorrow :( Hopefully I won't be drowning in homework from my new classes and will still be able to get chapters out quickly. Anyways, I titled this chapter because the plot basically follows the plot from the episode. But there is a big difference and I've explained why at the end of the chapter so as not to give it away. I would like to point out that I have absolutely no issue with what actually happened in the episode. This is just what I feel is best for this story. :) Also, hi and thankyou to all of my new followers! You guys are awesome.

P.S we're like one chapter away from smut. ;)

"You've got me so wild,

How can I ever deny?

You've got me so high,

So high I cannot feel the fire."

- Nero

After giving it more thought than I care to admit, I came to the conclusion that if Zuko was really planning another sneaky capture Aang attack, that would mean the Fire Lord knowing that I'm alive. And if Ozai knows that I'm alive then he'll know that Zuko lied to him. And I doubt the Fire Lord would be very happy about that. Or atleast, that's how I rationalized it in my head in hopes to get myself to stop worrying and just sleep.

It didn't really work.

Although I will say that Aang can actually firebend now. Maybe he isn't that great yet, but atleast it's something. One less thing to stress over.

I make Toph watch over Aang while he and Zuko are practicing. The first time they did, I was there and Aang asked Zuko for a demonstration. And being the person he is, Zuko made this big dramatic burst of flames. And even after witnessing a battle where fire almost took over an entire city, I wasn't prepared for it. I immediately thought of our duel and the flames that burned nearly every inch of me. Then I remembered my nightmares about Aang and fire and I got all panicky and hyperventilating and Toph had to punch me in the back a few times to get me to calm down. I really just hate fire. It was quite embarrassing. Then Zuko got all apologetic and "what did I do" and I had to punch him in the stomach a lot of times to get him to go away.

Aren't we just the dream team?

I'm fine around Zuko's firebending now, but I still let Toph have watch during the lessons. Because Zuko just annoys me. So I like to stay away.

Aang sleeps right between Toph and I now and the spot has been empty for the last few minutes. Even though it's been over a week with no sign of the Fire Nation, still even the tiniest movement rouses me from sleep. So it wasn't Aang's fault that I woke up when he did. I've been trying to fall back asleep since then, but I doubt that will happen.

I can hear Aang across the courtyard talking in soft coos to Appa while he feeds him hay. I almost don't notice the sharp intake of breath, but the unmistakable sound of Aang's airbending is hard to miss. I immediately leap up onto the balls of my feet with my water skin in my hand. I expect to see Zuko finally making his move to capture Aang after all of these days, but what I actually see is much worse.

First two, then four bombs are whizzing toward us from the valley. Aang is on his feet already, trying to bend them away as best he can. But there are too many and he just can't bend fast enough. When the top of a Fire Nation ship emerges from the valley, Aang pauses for a split second. He turns, sees me, and sprints toward me with Appa right on his tail.

"Toph! Get up!" I grab her arm and yank her out of her sleeping bag.

She swings her fist wildly out of fright, thrashing about. "What's going on? What is it?"

Aang uses his staff to blow the giant metal doors surrounding us closed. They shut with a loud bang, just as the bombs begin colliding with the structure. The entire room shakes and pieces of rocks and debris fall from the ceiling.

"It's Azula." Aang says. I hadn't seen her, but the news doesn't surprise me at all.

I turn to Zuko, whose standing a few feet behind Aang with his face drawn in a hard line. "Wow."

Before I can make a rude comment, Zuko is immediately on the defensive. "I had nothing to do with this! I don't know how she found us!"

"Oh right, just another coincidence! Well I guess-"

"Both of you shut up! We need to get out of here!" Toph interjects. She slams her foot hard against the ground, opening a giant hole in the wall behind us. "We can escape through here."

One of the Fire Nation bombs hits a weak spot above the room and the reverberating rumble is loud enough to scare Appa, who lets out a high-pitched whine.

"Look out!" Zuko shouts. And suddenly his body smashes against mine, tackling me roughly to the ground. I land on my stomach with Zuko on top of me and pinning me down. I glance up just in time to see a piece of the rock ceiling the size of a tree trunk crash into the spot I'd previously stood. The dust clears and I can see Toph's stunned expression.

"Get off of me." I warn Zuko, who is gripping my shoulder painfully.

He pushes himself back onto his knees muttering, "I'll take that as a thankyou."

What if Zuko told Azula to attack the temple, thinking that by helping us escape we'll have completely accepted him into our group? That sounds like it's right up his alley.

I keep a close eye on Zuko as we head into the tunnel Toph has created. A burst of fire appears in his palm just after we've crossed the threshold and I jump backwards into a defensive stance. Zuko grits his teeth. "We need to see where we're going!"

"Guys," Aang calls from a few yards behind us. He's got his feet planted firmly into the ground, tugging on Appa's reigns toward the tunnel with all his might. "Appa won't come! He's afraid of the tunnel!"

"Appa," Toph says soothingly. "Just come in a little ways and I'll clear a path for us through the ceiling. Don't worry, we won't stay in there for long."

I frown. "Um, are you sure about that? There's a lot of fire in that general direction…" Another bomb bursts against a metal door, as if proving my point. The skies probably aren't the safest place to be right now.

"I'll hold her off." says Zuko. Oh isn't that just great, now he's gonna play the hero, making Toph and Aang even more trusting of him. I don't believe in coincidence. This is ridiculous.

"Zuko, no." Aang protests. The bombs are starting to break through the surrounding walls.

"We don't have time! You guys have to get out of here. Open the doors, I can hold her off!" Zuko shouts.

I scoff. "Don't act like our martyr."

Zuko flashes me a brief, angry glance before taking off toward the attack. Another blast breaks down the side of the wall separating us from the intruders. Another Air Temple ruined. Zuko jumps up over the rubble and out into the courtyard, headed straight toward Azula's airship.

"C'mon, let's go!" Toph urges, going up beside Aang to help him wrangle Appa into the tunnel. He follows her reluctantly, keeping his big head low to the ground.

This is bad. What if Zuko went to Azula just to tell her about our plan to leave through the ceiling? I guess we don't have much of a choice either way. And I don't like how paranoid I'm starting to sound.

I clamber up into Appa's saddle and take a seat behind Aang. Toph has one hand pressed against the edge of the cave she created, the rest of her limbs moving in bending patterns to clear out our path.

Aang says, "Yip yip." And Appa makes noises of disapproval, demonstrating his opposition to all of this.

When I look up, I can see thick clouds of smoke in the sky. Whatever is going on between Zuko and Azula is incredibly loud.

Appa takes to the air and Toph plops down hard beside me, gripping tightly to the edge of the saddle.

The war ship in the valley is much larger than I'd originally thought. Azula and Zuko are duking it out on top of it. If this is just for show, then I have to say that they're both really good actors. Azula's blue fire is much more massive and powerful than Zuko's fire. He's barely managing to block and avoid her attacks.

Once Appa is nearly out of the valley, another war ship appears in front of us. The fire balls are coming quickly and Aang keeps steering Appa downward to evade them.

"Aang, what are you doing? If we're going to get out of here, we need to go up!" I protest.

He shakes his head, pulling Appa's reigns in a zigzag formation to avoid the fire attacks. "We have to get Zuko first."

I sigh much louder than I'd intended to and Toph gives me the "stop being a drama queen" look.

A huge explosion sounds behind us, startling an already unhappy Appa. I turn back and see a thick, black cloud of smoke covering nearly the entire center of Azula's war balloon. But no sign of Azula herself. Or Zuko for that matter.

"What was that?" asks Toph.

"I don't know." I say. But then I spot Zuko just below the balloon, free falling in the air. "Aang, down there! Look!"

Appa makes a sharp U-turn, zooming toward Zuko's falling form.

Alright, maybe this means I'll have to rethink things. If Azula really was just trying to kill Zuko…

I spot her in the air as well. Her and Zuko must have knocked eachother backwards and off of the ship.

Appa dips just below Zuko and without thinking, I reach my hand out for him. He looks more than relieved to see us. His hand grasps mine and I can still feel how hot it is from his battle. I pull him down onto Appa's saddle and he lands with his back on Toph's feet.

"Zuko?" she asks.

"Yeah." He answers, swallowing hard. He sits right up and his attention goes to his sister, whose still falling further into the valley. His eyebrows pull together. "She isn't gonna make it."

One quick burst of blue fire from Azula's feet sends her back toward the rock wall of the valley. We watch as she gradually slows to a stop. Probably using a knife or something of the sort. I'm instantly reminded of the time that a bridge collapsed and Zuko and I almost plummeted to our death. We would have if he hadn't thought to use his knife.

Azula is glaring after us, her black hair whipping around her head from the wind. I can't tell for sure, but I imagine that she's smirking. Already she's becoming smaller and smaller as we take off in the opposite direction.

"Of course she did." Zuko says. I can't decide if he's pleased or disappointed.

I can tell that watching the last intact Air Temple being destroyed by the Fire Nation has gotten Aang upset. But that's only because I know him the way that I do. He hides it well. Ever since Zuko joined our group, Aang has regained much of his optimistic demeanor. Learning how to firebend has upped his spirits. I guess Zuko has given him hope.

We landed on a mountainside after our run-in with the Fire Princess. We had to send Toph into town to get supplies because she's the only one of us who wouldn't be recognized. I think we're all too tired for another Fire Nation showdown today.

Zuko suggested that we stay at his family's old beach house on Ember Island until the day of the comet. He assured us that his family hasn't been there in years and that no one would think to look there for us. And seeing as how we don't really have any other options, I agreed. So I wrote a letter to Sokka, telling him and his men to meet us there as soon as they can, and Toph sent it while she was in town. I hope our detour hasn't gotten Sokka too worried. But who am I kidding, of course it has. He thought we would be right behind him when he returned home and we've been missing for over a week. Worse though, we haven't been able to work out any kind of strategy for the day of the comet. I hope he'll get to Ember Island quickly.

Zuko takes a seat in the grass just a few feet to my right. "Are you alright?" He asks.

I want to say something rude back, like "what's it to you?" but I'm just not in the mood to fight right now. I'd thought he was asleep. We all agreed to share one tent because I'm still a little wary of Zuko and I don't want to let him or Aang out of my sight. Toph and Aang fell asleep almost immediately after the sun went down. I've been sitting at the mountain edge that overlooks the town below for the last hour or two. The view is nice. And I'm too awake to even think about trying to sleep.

"Your sister is charming." I say instead.

Zuko laughs once and it's an odd sound. "Yeah, well, she's just like our father. I really had nothing to do with her showing up at the temple, Katara."

I don't respond. I don't know whether I believe that or not. I think I do, but I can't be sure. Everything about Zuko makes me feel confused. Even just standing near him.

"My father thinks Azula is the spirits' gift to the world." He tells me.

"What does your mother think?"

"My mother isn't around."

"Oh."

"Yeah." He sighs to himself and crosses his legs. "You know, I'll always be sorry that you told me about your parents under false pretense."

I groan internally. "We don't need to talk about that."

"Okay. I just… when I was in the palace I looked into some things. I hope that's okay…"

"What things?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at him.

"I looked to see who it was that raided your village when you were younger." A pause. "They're called the Southern Raiders."

I press my fingers to my throat, feeling for my mother's necklace. "Oh." The word is barely a whisper. Sometimes I can remember that day so clearly that it's like I'm there again. I can still feel the heat from the fire everywhere, can still hear the sound of homes being destroyed and children crying. And then I hear my mother telling me that everything will be okay, her voice so clear that it's like she's right beside me. And I remember how I felt when I found out that those were the last words she would ever say to me.

"Well I was thinking," Zuko is talking quickly now. "I never knew what happened to my mom and I only just found out that she was even alive all this time, but I was thinking we could go find the person who took your mother away from you."

"No." I answer almost immediately. "It's been a long time and I've come to terms with my mother's death. Finding the person responsible wouldn't bring her back. It wouldn't change anything. She wouldn't want me to do that."

Zuko glances down. "It was just a thought."

I can understand how it's different for him. I imagine that Zuko learned a lot about revenge growing up, given who his father is. But I can't imagine what it would be like if I'd gone most of my life not knowing what had happened to my mother, not knowing whether she was alive or dead. I would obsess over that. And if I went after her murderer now, I would obsess over him. I don't want that. I don't want him to be a memory I have about my mother. I just want to remember her and the good things about her.

"I appreciate the thought." I say. And I really do. "And um, if you ever…well… I would help you find your mother."

Zuko looks up at me and I have this strange urge to kiss and punch him at the same time. He gives me a small smile. Maybe Zuko is alright, but in that smile I can see all of the reasons why he and I could never be together. And I don't understand why us being together is a thought that ever crosses my mind in the first place.

So I quickly look away.

Here is how I argue why Katara and Zuko wouldn't take the trip to find the man who murdered Katara's mother in this instance: At this point in the story, Katara is already eighteen years old. She has had a lot more time to deal with her mother's death than Katara from the show. She is more mature. The anger she felt over her mother's death is something that she's dealt with and let go of. She wouldn't want to be angry every time she thinks of her mother. What Katara in the show learns on the trip is something that Katara in my story already knows. That finding the man won't bring her mother back and that she wouldn't be able to forgive him for it anyway. Feel free to let me know how you feel on this take. :)