Sorry it took so long for me to get this up! I'm in the middle of moving so WIFI is limited.

Here's the next chapter, I hope you all enjoy it!

Thank you to all those who have taken time to review, you have no idea how much they mean to me!:)

I would like to inform everyone that the chapters will be getting longer now that I'm getting deeper into the story. The first chapters were harder for me to write because I was writing them around the meeting scene trying to set it up so it would make sense.

Thank you for your continued support!

It's beautiful. Zuko had expected it to be dark and filled with twisted trees, gnarled bushes, and smelly marshes, but it wasn't. The sun peaked through the leaves of the tall strong trees, and the ground was clear of dead branches and poisonous plants but instead his shoes sat on top soft soil. A few green bushes grouped together in some areas.

Perfect hiding spots. He decided not to take any risks and notched an arrow, keeping his bow lowered but capable to aim and release at moments notice. He crept forward slowly listening for any sounds that would indicate an ambush. He heard a twig snap behind him and spun around, his arrow immediately finding the sound. A startled bumpy digtoad looked at him before croaking defiantly and hopping away. Zuko sighed and dropped his aim to the ground.

I'm too tense. The city probably is miles into the forest. He looked as far as he could see into the forest, it sloped downward slightly. He reasoned that it would be easy to find a source of water. He slung his bow back over his back and began walking deeper into the forest.

With his focus off the task at hand, his mind began to wander to more personal things. The war had been on his mind a lot lately, his kind weren't suppose to question orders directly or indirectly, but he had seen the masses slaughtered because one person among them was suspected of treachery. Ignis Furiis were trained to kill anyone in their way; but Zuko wasn't like that, and he vowed that he never would be.

He remembered one time when he and a regiment had been sent to a small Fire Nation town with orders that none be left alive. His job was simply to make sure none escaped their so-called punishment. It was wrong, he knew it was wrong. They didn't even have any proof that anyone was guilty. But he didn't question the orders, and he didn't disobey... well not until he found the boy.

He smelled the smoke mixed with the smell of death, but he didn't intervene. He watched as families were slaughtered still holding the hands of their loved ones. Not only men, but women and children. Zuko's eyes narrowed, he didn't like the fact that they were here with orders to leave none alive. For all that they knew, all of these people could be innocents. They'd simply come during the night, dragged these people from their beds, and massacred them in the street. It made him sick.

He spotted a small figure darting away from the village and into the trees. He slipped down from the roof he was hiding on and his eyes zeroed in on the trail the figure had left. He moved through the trees without making a sound and stopped when he heard crying that was blocked by the gurgling of a creek. His eyes adjusted to his surroundings and he saw a small boy hiding in the shadow of a large log. He let the daggers fly and they pinned the boy to the log.

The moon reflected on the boys eyes, they were clouded with fear. He moved forward and started unsheathing his dao swords but stopped, slipping them back into their place.

"What is your name?" Zuko asked the boy quietly. The boy looked at the swords still strapped to his back and started shaking.

"Are you going to kill me too?" He asked. Zuko could hear the brokenness in the child's voice.

He must have witnessed his parents death.

Zuko knelt before the boy so he could see his face. The boy gasped and tilted his chin downward squeezing his eyes shut. Zuko wasn't surprised. The entire Fire Nation had grown to fear his face.

"What is your name?" He asked again, determined to get and answer.

"Kuzon, my lord." he whimpered. Zuko stood again and watched the silent tears fall down the boy's face.

I can't kill him.

He pulled the daggers from Kuzon's clothes and he slid to his knees waiting for death.

"Stay here for as long as you can, Earth Kingdom refuges come through this forest to travel to the Forest of Terrorem. Ask the first one you meet to take you with them." He said to Kuzon, whose head snapped up in surprise, "And tell no one that you met me." He added as he began walking away.

"Why are you helping me?" Zuko stopped when he heard the question, "You are an Ignis Furiis, I thought that they only hurt people."Zuko still had his back to the boy.

"Because I'm not like the others," And with that he disappeared into the shadows.

Zuko hadn't seen Kuzon again after that. But he'd dared to hope that he made it to the Water Tribe's hidden city.

"Maybe I'll see you again, kid." He muttered to himself.

Katara was sitting on her perch in the forest. It was her duty to make sure no-one made it past her to the city unless another guard was escorting them. Her orders were to cuff anyone who came through and take them to her father; and if their eyes were gold, she had permission to kill on sight. She sat sharping a small dagger with a delicate blue gem on the hilt. She had a lot of history with that knife. She killed her first Fire Nation soldier, escaped a high-security prison, and been betrayed by the man she loved.

Katara didn't like to think about Jet. To her, he represented her weakness. She hadn't had feelings for another man since then, in fact she hadn't felt much at all.

Kuzon was her only friend besides Toph; it seemed silly, since he was only a child, a Fire Nation child. But he recognized the evils of his homeland and had vowed to her that he would never call it home. He was such a devoted boy, especially for only being seven. He loved Katara, she knew it. But she couldn't.. wouldn't say that she loved him too. She could never love anyone; and even if she did love the boy as her own, she could tell no one. To all of her fellow guards and assassins, she was cold as ice. Inside and out.

She heard a bird singing and smiled whistling along to the song. The other border-guards would be far enough away and not able to hear or see her. The only people she let she her smile were the orphans, their nursemaids, and Toph. To her inferior guards she was the strong one.

She spotted the bird and watched it hopping around the branch it's movements were filled with life and joy. Katara felt envey for the creature, she had only been filled with that kind of light in the orphanage. With those kids, reliving her childhood adventures, it was as if the war never existed.

But anywhere else the hard states, the hollow eyes, and the endless scars were painful reminders of the truth. When Katara first came to the camp she was determined to drive the life back into these sad souls; but after four years of hopelessness she'd become so much like them. The only difference between them was her drive. When someone she loved was threatened she would stop at nothing to see them safe.

She began glaring at the bird, it's happiness was quickly going from refreshing to unnecessarily annoying. Why should he be happy when so many others were suffering. She took a stream of water from the pouch she kept on her hip, and bended a whip at the bird. She didn't kill it, she simply hit its tail and scared it away.

She sighed deeply and leaned her head against the trunk of the tree.

Aang wouldn't have wanted me to hurt an animal. Her eyes narrowed at the thought, as a frown took residence on her face.

But he wouldn't have wanted me to do a lot of things.

She felt a wave of guilt wash over her. She had willingly done several things that she knew Aang, the Avatar, would have disapproved of. Tears stung the back of her eyes. She hadn't thought about Aang in a while; and whether she would verbally admit it or not, she missed him. He was her best friend, a goofy kid that she could be herself around. Even in hard times he could always make her laugh; and he'd loved her. She knew he had. She hadn't been sure of her feelings toward him; as far as she was concerned they would figure that out when the war was over. When the war was over they could be together.

But they never got the chance. He'd been ripped away from her before they'd had a chance. She still remembered that battle. Afterward he'd lain there; crumpled in her arms while tears streamed down her face, mingling with blood, as sobs wracked her body. She'd sworn to protect him, and she failed.

That was three years ago now. She'd only been fifteen, and Aang had only just turned thirteen. He was only a boy, and yet so many expected him to save the world.

He wasn't ready. He was too young. It wasn't fair.

Anyone who looked at her now wouldn't see anything wrong except for the single tear that slid silently down her cheek as she stared up into the leaves. She realized the wetness on her cheek and wiped it away quickly. She sat silently, glaring at the dampness on her fingertips. She bended it around the tip of her pointer finger and froze it so it was like she had a claw. Then she flung her hand in front of her and the make-shift weapon thudded against a nearby tree. She stared at it for a moment longer before releasing it, and it thawed seeping into the tree.

She stood up on the branch and leaped to the ground gracefully. She was planning on heading back to camp to train and clear her mind. She'd only walked a few paces before she froze in her place, all of her muscles tense. She held her breath, closed her eyes, and listened. She heard the almost undetectable steady breaths behind her. No one in the entire hidden city could sneak up on her. And any travelers seeking refuge would have called out to avoid being attacked. So that could only mean one thing. Intruder.