He ducked behind a tree as yet another squad marched its way down the path. It was the third one that Zuko had hidden from, and when he realized where they were going, he had begun to panic.

Once the squad was out of sight he jumped from behind the tree and began running toward the place that they'd agreed to meet, leaving the path and jumping over logs and ducking under branches as he went. He could only hope that Katara and Toph had already left the house and had made their way to the designated meeting point. As he drew closer, he realized that if Katara hadn't left yet, that it would be because of him. If she hadn't left to meet with the others, it would be because she was waiting for him.

He saw the signs of false dawn in the sky. If she was there, she was going to kill him for being late.

He ducked behind another tree when he saw shadows up ahead. He eased his panting so that he could hear what was being said.

"An execution?!" The harsh whisper of a guard reached him on the gentle breeze.

"Hush up! He won't kill his own son, he's too important for the future of the city. But the girl is no more important then you or me. He means to make an example of her," the other one answered.

Zuko felt a horrific anger growing as a pit in his stomach as he understood what they were talking about. He had half a mind to roast both of them where they stood, but he knew he couldn't risk compromising his position for the sake of the others.

"He's going to kill his own daughter? And you're ok with that?!" Zuko dared to pick around the edges of the bark to see the guard speaking grab the collar of the other one, "How many times has that girl saved your life? How many?! And you're willing to march her to the gallows?!"

"Stand down soldier! It's not our place to question orders, now go meet up with the rest of the troops at the house or face a hanging yourself!" The first guard slowly let his superior go and begrudgingly trudged down the path.

After the higher authority left in the opposite direction, Zuko emerged from his hiding place and continued in the direction of the meeting place. He released his rage as steam, seeping from his mouth and nose like a dragon.

But that's who he was wasn't he? A man, a creature from legend, a man set apart to restore the world to what it should have been, the savior of all four nations.

The second he found out who he was, he knew that it was his destiny to restore balance. But now he knew what would happen, who he would lose, he was less convinced that when it came to it, he would have the will to fight.

He pushed aside those thoughts and focused on what was going on right then. The roof of the wooden building came into view and Zuko jogged up the pathway to the front steps. It had been less than three weeks since he had first walked into that building and officially met Katara, but it seemed to be ages ago. He walked slowly around the back and smiled with relief when he heard her voice.

"Where is he?! He should have been here by now!"

He smirked as they came into view, her back facing him, and he leaned casually against the back of the building.

"Uh, Katar-"

"-What if something happened? What if he was intercepted on his way here?"

"Kata-"

"-What on earth could be taking him this long?! I swear, if he's okay I'm going to make him wish he wasn't and-"

"Katara!"

"What?!"

"I think you might want to turn around!" Toph shouted, crossing her arms in victory.

Katara whirled on him, relief covering her worried face in an instant. She ran up to him and he thought that he'd be tackled in a hug, but instead her hand met his left cheek with a harsh slap. However, immediately afterwards she threw her arms around him and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"Will I ever stop worrying about you?" Was her question, so quiet that he knew it was only meant for him to hear.

"There a worse ways to lose a lover then to death."

"Nope," he answered with a smirk, hugging her back. Then, letting her go, he turned to the others. All three of them stood with solemn faces. Suki, he noted, had red, puffy eyes from crying, Toph looked even more pessimistic than usual, and Sokka stood as a model of calmness. He knew what he had to do, and it was clear by the set of his jaw that there would be no changing his mind.

"They aren't going to kill you," he said to the other man, he felt that he at least owed him that comfort.

He watched his eyes lose some of their tension, "You're sure?"

Zuko nodded, "I overheard a squad of men on their way to our apartment on my way here, they said that you would be spared because of your importance for the future of the city."

"Makes sense," Toph said, nodding, "can't just kill off the future chief."

Sokka's eyes narrowed, "That I would be spared? What about the others?"

Zuko tossed a glance at Katara before turning his attention back to him, "It doesn't matter, we won't be here."

He saw the other man's jaw tighten in understanding before nodding. They all stood silently for a few moments, before Katara grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the others, then pulling them all into a group hug.

"We'll all be okay," she said quietly, "We can do this."

They said their tearful goodbyes and before she knew it, Toph and Suki had run off and Sokka had taken a back trail back to the city.

She knew the value of being long gone before the guards picked up their trail; but instead of her and Zuko leaving right then, she had went into her training center to look at it one more time. Zuko waited for her at the door to keep watch while she looked around, a pit settling in her stomach.

It looked as if no one had stepped foot inside since she'd last been there. There were broken boards and rocks jutting up out of the center of the floor, and leaves and twigs were lying everywhere from being blown through the open door and windows. There were cobwebs hanging from the corners from the lack of cleaning, and one of the jars where she'd stored the water had been tipped over and broken, probably by a rat squirrel.

And then there was that big ugly crack in her beautiful mirror.

She sighed deeply and walked over to it, watching her reflection morph and become some sort of monster before her eyes. She ran her fingers along the top of one of the cracks, and with the feeling of the glass beneath her fingers, came the overwhelming memories of pain and loss. They'd spent so much time together; he'd even helped her build the training house. They sparred almost every day, at first she'd simply wanted to improve so that next time she had to protect someone she cared about, she'd be ready. But, as time went by, she'd simply enjoyed the thrill of them fighting together, almost like an exotic kind of dance.

But that was the past. He'd tried to kill her, and she'd returned the favor. He'd lied to her, he'd claimed to be her friend, and he'd said he loved her. But then, when she'd discovered the truth, she didn't hesitate to protect her people from whatever kind of monster he was.

She backed away from the mirror, determined to forget everything. She was about to go on the most important mission of her life, and she didn't want Jet's memory to follow her.

"Katara, we really should go. We need to make sure that we're far enough away that they won't catch us," she heard Zuko say, keeping his voice low so as not to alert any near-bye soldiers wouldn't detect them.

She nodded silently, before turning around and jogging back to the door and picking up her sack, "Ok, let's get outa' here."

They both walked down the steps, but instead of following the path back to the town, they turned to the thick forest that was behind the training house. Katara knew that no one had ventured that far beyond the city; even she had never found a reason to cross the unofficial border. And even though she'd never admit to it, the shadows of the un-known frightened her. So felt him grab her hand gently, as if he felt her anxiety and she appreciated the small comfort it gave.

She turned her head to look back on her city, and she thought of the loved ones that she might never see again. Her brother, the orphans, Kuzon. At the thought of the young fire bender, Katara felt pain. Pain that he might never be accepted because of his gift, pain that he might never reach his full potential, pain that he might be about to lose his only friend forever.

Goodbye, my friends.

She looked at his face to see the side of the pale surface as calm and collected as ever as he stared at their next obstacle. He looked at her from the corner of his eye,winked at her, gave her a devious look, and said tauntingly, "Race you," before dragging her into the woods.

They'd been running through the woods for what seemed like forever by the time Katara suggested they take a rest. They both had their hands on their knees as they gasped for air, and had sweat dripping from their foreheads. She looked up at him; their eyes met and she smirked playfully at him, "I think I won."

Zuko shook his head and chuckled, "You wish."

Once they had caught their breath they took a few gulps of water and took in their surroundings. The forest was much darker here, even though the sun should have been high in the sky; the trees blocked its light, casting eerie shadows in every direction.

Zuko looked over to see Katara shifting uneasily from one foot to the other as she saw the trees. As he gazed closer, Zuko saw that a kind of black mold was growing on the rocks and trees. The forest here was far different then it was when he first came to the ill-thought-of woodland, there were dead bushes, gooey puddles, and spider webs scattered everywhere. He took a step forward only to look down when he heard a snap and see that he'd stepped on an animal skull and caved in the center. He heard Katara shudder, but bent down and scowled suspiciously at the skull. There weren't any bones around it; it was the only one in sight. If the creature had died there, then at least a few more of its bones would be near it.

Zuko stood and walked a few steps, around a tree, to see another bone a little ways off, "It's a trail. Someone set them here on purpose," he realized outloud.

He felt Katara move to stand next to him, "But why would anyone do that?" She asked, and he could hear the doubt in her voice.

He furrowed his eyebrows as he formed a few theories, but only one made sense to him, "Because they knew we would come."

He glanced at his companion to see her chewing on the corner of her lip, concentrating on the white lump on the ground ahead of them, "Just like the archer," she finally muttered turning to face him.

"Exactly," he replied bitterly. Everything that that women had said to him could have been a trap, leading him further down the path to his ultimate destruction. She had said that she had found the full prophecy; it may have told her and her society everything about him for all that they knew.

"Then this is a trap?" She questioned quietly.

"Most definitely," he answered with a nod

"We're still gonna follow it though. Right?"

"Most definitely."

My goodness it's been a while hasn't it! I do apologize for my long absence. I have many excuses that I COULD use but I won't bore you with my personal life.

Hope you liked that! Hopefully the next chapter will be a bit easier to write and I can have it up sooner!

Thank you to Sun Kissed and Odin for the reviews! It means so much to me that you've taken the time to read my story :) Check out their story guys, it's amazing!

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Love you guyzz!

Kmsitterley