Zuko kept thinking about that damned number 61. Mainly because there were no ceiling tiles to count at the Ember Island hospital. And he was painfully aware of each second that ticked by without any news on his uncle's condition.

Sixty-one seconds ago, Suki gave him that look, the sympathetic one where she thought he might break into sixty-one-thousand pieces any minute now. And he just might if he didn't get an update soon.

Sixty-one minutes ago, Katara had gone into the critical care unit with spirit water in hand. She promised she would do everything she could. She even said that she'd probably seen worse, having cured two lightening wounds before. The nature of Iroh's burns, however, was inconclusive. The account of how he got them was also vague. The only thing they knew for sure is that he'd been at The Eastern Dragon tea shop when it happened.

Sixty-one hours ago, Zuko had apparently been in this very hospital although he didn't remember it. The doctors and nurses were all giving him that same sympathetic look and kept asking about his arm. One nurse retold the story of the snake bite with a great deal of romanticism. Another nurse warned Zuko that Katara had been a much better patient while unconscious and that he was in for it if he ever had to take care of her while sick. He knew this already just like he knew they were trying to lighten the mood, but none of it was helping.

The last sixty-one days had passed as a complete blur, he reflected. His mother had returned, and the reunion had been bittersweet. Their years apart had unexpectedly driven them apart, and the only thing that seemed to bind them now was their mutual pain and suffering at the hands of a man they were both trying to forget. Perhaps they could never forget as long as they had each other.

There was something about sixty-one days that his mother always used to tell him. What was it? It had struck a chord with him when Hakoda had mentioned the 61-Day Siege. He thought maybe his mother even had a song or a nursery rhyme. Zuko leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling, trying to remember.

Sixty-one days to rock the babe
Sixty-one days to say his name
Sixty-one days to say a prayer
Agni, please, his life to spare.

Sixty-one days from life's first breath
Sixty-one days to pass the test
Sixty-one days to speak our praise
Agni, to thee, we give our thanks.

It was more than a song or nursery rhyme. It was the sacred supplication of a mother for her dying child. Zuko remembered now. He wasn't expected to live past day one, much less day sixty-one.

"Fire Lord Zuko?" a doctor's voice startled him from his solemn thoughts. "You can go see your uncle now."

Katara sat by Iroh's bedside. She looked exhausted, but she smiled warmly when Zuko entered. It was genuine and hopeful, and right then, he knew everything would be OK. Iroh's chest had been bandaged, and pink flesh puckered around his neck and chin. He appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Zuko took in the sight with a shuddered breath and then sat next to Katara.

"I had to use the spirit water on the inside," she explained. "I didn't have much energy to fully heal the external burns after that, but I'll do another session when I'm feeling up to it. Probably in the morning."

Zuko wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly as if he never wanted to let go. "I am so—" Indebted to you. So much that I could never… "—grateful for you. Words can't even express—"

"Zuko, there's something you should know," she cut him off. "The burns… were from tea. Like boiling hot tea… and a lot of it."

Zuko's initial reaction was that of all the ways for his uncle to die, that would be the worst. Death by tea? No, not for General Iroh, Dragon of the West. Then, he realized the implication. "Katara, you don't think…"

"Something happened at the tea shop. It's someone from the tea shop. Think about it. We were talking about doing the zipline with Jin—"

"No. Jin wouldn't—"

"Not Jin, but what about her angry boyfriend? Or that other guy who was so mad? We've got to go check it out."

Zuko's fleeting thought was that for all the times his uncle pestered him about not having an armed guard with him constantly, that perhaps his uncle needed one, too.

"I'll go tell Aang and everyone to head back to the beach house to get some rest. You should go with them. And I'll alert the hospital guards to the potential threat. I'm staying here tonight."

"I'll stay with you." Katara saw Zuko open his mouth to protest so she quickly added, "For healing purposes."

Back in the hospital waiting room, Zuko found Aang talking to the tea shop owner, and a surge of anger burned inside him. Before he realized what he was doing, he had grabbed the collar of the man's tunic and pushed him against the wall. He knew his pacifist monk friend would disapprove, but he didn't care.

"Tell me what happened to my uncle," Zuko growled through gritted teeth.

"I d-d-don't know! That's why I'm here. To offer my c-c-condolences." The owner squirmed under his grip.

"Condolences? You must think he's already dead, then?" Zuko snarled.

"Well, I don't know how anyone could survive burns like that," the man managed even though Zuko's tightened grasp made it more difficult for him to speak.

"Zuko, please," Aang interjected. "This won't solve anything. I don't think he knows what happened."

"Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrah!" Zuko released the man and turned away. It was a struggle to contain the fire that burned within him, yet he knew Aang was right.

"Such a temper, young Fire Lord," the tea owner said coolly as he flattened out his tunic. All fear had left his voice, and the sudden shift in his tone was... eerie. "Tell me, how did it make you feel when your uncle forced you into this position? To be Fire Lord at such a young age and having to clean up all the destruction that Ozai left behind? I know you love your uncle dearly, but that doesn't seem like a very loving thing to do to his nephew."

In truth, Zuko had wished more than anything for his uncle to take the throne, but he didn't like hearing this man talk about it, not this way, and not in that tone. He did not turn around, fearing what he might do if he did, but still delivered his words forcefully. "You will NOT speak such things about my uncle. Something happened at your tea shop, and I intend to find out about it!"

"You are welcome at The Eastern Dragon any time, Fire Lord." The owner bowed. "I suspect I will see you tomorrow then."

Zuko didn't answer, and Aang took the cue to escort the man away, trying his best to redirect with bubbly chatter as they walked out the hospital door.

Suki gave Zuko that look again. Sokka stared wide-eyed, opening his mouth a few times, saying random syllables, "Ba…he…da…hum…"

"Just spit it out, Sokka!" Suki elbowed him in the ribs.

"Zuko, that guy knows something about what happened to Iroh," Sokka said finally. "In fact, I bet he did it himself."

Zuko wasn't so sure. Hadn't he been friends with his uncle? Didn't they open up the tea shop in the Caldera together after Iroh came back from the siege in Ba Sing Se?

But if it was true and he had the man in his clutches again, he knew he wouldn't let him go so easily next time. Perhaps not at all.

The next morning, after Katara's healing session, Iroh was deemed as stable. Aang and the gang came back to the hospital to report that they had found evidence of a break-in at the beach house. Nothing appeared to be missing, so they assumed that whoever was behind the attacks must have been involved in this, too. They all agreed that it wasn't safe on Ember Island and perhaps not even in the capital for all they knew. Aang pitched that they take Iroh on Appa to Two Rivers for his recovery. They would make it seem like they were going back to the capital, announce that they were headed there and such, but reroute and fly to the colonial city in secret.

Zuko wholeheartedly supported this idea but informed them that he planned to stay behind and find out who was behind all of this. Of course, his friends protested.

"Zuko, they're bringing in reinforcements from the capital and will do a full investigation. It was unwise for Iroh to go at it alone. We don't even know how many are involved," Sokka retorted.

"MY uncle is the wisest person I know. And he was on to something at that tea shop. I'm going to find out!" Zuko snapped.

"I'll stay with you," Katara said.

"N-n-no, you can't." Zuko turned to face her. "You have to go with Uncle. To heal him."

There was an awkward silence as everyone in the group eyed each other, unsure of what to say or do next. Finally, Suki chimed in, "I have contacts at the North Pole. I'll request a healer to meet us in Two Rivers. If we send a falcon-hawk, the message should get there by nightfall. Then if they travel by eel hound, it would only be a two-day trip. Meanwhile, there are doctors in Two Rivers who can tend to him."

Zuko looked questioningly at Katara. Would it be too risky to wait that long for another healing session? She answered with surprising confidence. "I'll do another healing session before you guys leave. He actually shouldn't need any more after that. But it's good to have a healer available, just in case."

Once the group had left, Zuko pulled Katara into another one of those desperate hugs where he never wanted to let her go. "Agni, thank you, Katara. For everything. For always."

"That sounds like the words to a sappy love song. Now come on. What next?" She tickled him slightly so that he would release her.

"Umm, we go to the tea shop," he said.

"Just walk right in? You're not worried or anything?"

"I don't think anything will happen in broad daylight among a crowd. But maybe we can get a good read on people. See if anyone is acting… you know… suspicious."

"Okay, sounds risky, though."

"Hey." Zuko shrugged. "It's how we roll."

Katara rolled her eyes and tickled him again.

Everyone seemed to be acting fairly normal in the tea shop. The owner gave them a sickeningly sweet greeting at the door. Customers pointed and stared. Jin's hands were shaking when she handed them their tea cups. Wait… what?

"Jin? Are you ok?" Zuko asked.

Jin looked around nervously and shook her head slightly. When they heard the owner's voice barking orders from the back of the shop, she flinched. "I'll be back," she whispered.

She appeared a few minutes later with a biscuit and placed it on a napkin in front of them.

"But we didn't order—" Zuko started.

"Thanks for the biscuit, Jin. Those are my favorite," Katara interrupted.

Zuko was confused. He had known Katara for how long? I never knew that she liked… oh. There's writing on the napkin.

It was a meeting time and place. And a warning. Don't be followed.

The address took them to a part of Ember Island that Katara had never seen before. She had only been in the touristy areas and along the coast with all the beach resorts. This appeared to be where all the workers lived, and it paralleled the state of Ba Sing Se's lower ring. Jin had invited them to her apartment. Katara couldn't help but wonder… if Jin had been working at the Jasmine Dragon, then coming here—to this—had to be disheartening.

But Jin was Jin, all smiles and animated chitchat, as she made them tea and gave them a quick tour of the place.

"Is Than here?" Katara asked when she noticed his things strewn about.

Jin looked worried. "I haven't seen him in a few days. Not since... I don't think he's involved, but I'm afraid that maybe he knew too much."

Zuko lightly touched her arm. "Jin, what's going on?"

"Well, Takeo… he's the tea shop owner… is behind everything. But he doesn't have a very strong following, I don't think. It's all for a personal vengeance, and he can't really get people to see his side. Than was interested at first. Takeo said for him to join his group, and they'd make some Fire Nation nobles pay for the inequities. But Than quit when it became solely an assassination plot."

Zuko and Katara shared a sharp intake of breath. Then Zuko spoke, barely above a whisper, "Whose assassination? Mine or my uncle's?"

"I don't really know what the original plan was supposed to be. Than said that at the first meeting, Takeo kept going on and on about how your uncle came home from the war and blabbered on about the meaning of life and just wanted to start his own tea shop and such. They were business partners at The Western Dragon in the Caldera. Takeo kept trying to convince him to overthrow Ozai and take his rightful place on the throne. But General Iroh would hear nothing of it. Takeo was about to stage a coup himself, but then…"

Zuko knew what had happened, so he finished for her. "The Agni Kai. And then my uncle disappeared, so there was no one to take the throne, then."

"But why kill Zuko?" Katara interjected. "Surely Takeo can see that he's a much better leader than his father, and things are much better now that the war is over."

"I'm telling you. It's all about revenge." Jin's expression turned very grim. "Takeo thought Iroh shirked his duties to not only his family, but to his nation and the world. He blames him singlehandedly for everything that happened under Ozai's rule. Than said that killing Zuko would not only force Iroh to take the throne like he should have in the first place, but would teach him a lesson in loss in the process."

"What does Takeo know of loss?" Zuko roared. "Doesn't he know that Iroh has already lost a son?"

Katara put a hand on Zuko's arm. "I bet he also lost someone, Zuko. In the war. Doesn't this sound… personal?"

"It is personal," Jin confirmed. "But I don't know details. I do know that…" Fear overtook her as she spoke.

Katara wrapped her arms around the Earth Kingdom girl and looked helplessly at Zuko. "What is it, Jin?" she asked.

"It's just that… Than hasn't come home in a few days, and I-I'm scared." Jin let out a sob.

Zuko sat up straighter as if to add weight to what he was about to say. "Reinforcements from the capital are on their way. I will have my own personal guard protect you. You can go wherever you want… where you'll feel safe. Back to the capital, if you want… we have an Earth Kindgom embassy at the palace there. Or back to Ba Sing Se, if you wish."

"That's…very kind. And so comforting." Jin wiped her eyes with the back of her tea-stained sleeve. "But Than…"

"We'll keep an eye out for him," Zuko replied. "Katara and I plan to go back—"

"He tried to kill your uncle," Jin blurted. "I saw it. We have these really large urns full of tea at work… the more popular blends. General Iroh was talking so calmly, I couldn't hear what he was saying, but Takeo just looked more angry by the minute. Then, he just… tipped the urn over on him." She gasped. "We keep it extra hot in there because we're told to add a few leaves and let it seep and then cool for just a bit before serving, to optimize flavor. I mean, it had to be scalding…"

"Oh, it was." Katara shuddered as she remembered the severity of Iroh's injuries.

Zuko felt the same tremor surge through his arm just like before, but this time, his fist glowed in response. His bending was back. Along with an undeniable urge to use it. He shot to his feet.

Katara had sensed his anger and stood up with him. Blue eyes met gold. "Zuko, I know you're mad, but we have to be smart about this. Remember, these are the people who tried to kill us."

"They're having a meeting tonight," Jin whispered. "I overheard Takeo telling one of the other servers. After the shop closes."

"Good," Katara said. "We can get reinforcements and—" She felt Zuko tense beside her. "No, Zuko. We are NOT doing this alone. That's the mistake your uncle made."

"Fine," Zuko said. "But we take them down by force if necessary. Because that's the other mistake my uncle made, trying to reason with these assholes." He then turned to Jin. "Stay here and lay low. I will send someone for you when it's over."

It had been a while since Zuko and Katara had donned their ninja gear and entered full stealth mode together. Normally they exchanged playful gestures, tickles through bunched black fabric and stolen kisses underneath masks, as if testing the other's ability at ultimate sneakiness. Not tonight. No secret mission had been this serious or threatening since their pursuit of Yon Ra.

They watched seven men enter the tea shop after its closing. When no one else arrived after some time, Zuko crept to the window to confirm the count. A dozen men. And he had a dozen in his guard, so this should be an easy takedown. And he knew the responsible thing to do would be to leave it in their capable hands. He and Katara didn't need to fight. Katara confirmed this for him. It wasn't worth the risk, she had said.

It was so very hard to watch the raid from across the street and not participate, though. It went against the very core of his character. No one should have to risk their lives for me. This is my mess and my responsibility. And then a very common thought of Zuko's followed. I'm not worth this.

Katara leaned in and whispered, "I know this is hard for you. To just sit back and do nothing, but… it's what your uncle would want. Do it… for him. This will all be over soon, and then we can go see him. OK?"

Zuko closed his eyes and nodded. She was right. It made sense. But when he looked again, he saw a dark figure running away from the tea shop. Takeo. Before he realized what he was doing and before Katara could stop him, he took off running after him.

When Katara caught up to them in a dark alley a few streets away, Zuko had Takeo pushed up against a wall with one hand around his neck and the other, a flaming fireball of a fist, raised to strike.

"Zuko—" She had almost yelled STOP. But then she remembered something. He needs to deal with this in his own way. And I should support him no matter what. Just like he did when I faced Yon Ra.

At the very least, she figured she could help him. So, she froze the struggling Takeo to the wall. He would be an easier target that way. But when Zuko saw the reflection of his fist in the man's eyes combined with the ice barrier that now separated them, he remembered something, too. That night with Katara, when his nightmare almost became his reality. He was about to take this too far.

He dropped his hands and backed away. This was not justice. This was revenge. And he didn't want to have anything to do with it, he realized. Katara was about to close the gap between them when Takeo snarled, "Coward! Just do it! You know you want to. The blood of Ozai runs in your veins!"

"I won't… I'm not—" Zuko panted.

"Oh, is it your precious honor that stops you? It is only a matter of time before you become a ruthless killer just like the rest of them. Why wait? You've caught me, no one would blame you, at least not this time… get away with it while you still can!"

"It's not—" Zuko felt his fists—and blood—burning again.

"That's right. I knew you had it in you. There is no escaping who you are. Just accept it—"

"I AM NOT MY FATHER!" Zuko blasted a wave of fire into the air out of frustration, but it was not directed at anyone. When the air cleared, he saw that Takeo's head hung limp from his ice enclosure. At first he thought he had killed the man on accident, but he looked at Katara just in time to see her lower her hands from a most unusual position. He had seen her do it before. "Katara, did you just—"

"He's not dead. Just unconscious," she managed before collapsing in his arms.

Katara faded in and out as they watched Zuko's men round up the traitors from the tea shop to escort them to prison. Takeo was still shivering after being released from Katara's ice trap, and he was muttering things like "he was my only son," and "blasted war," and "bastard Fire Lords."

A moment of clarity struck her in the midst of her haze. "Zuko! What about Than? Did you see him?"

Takeo took the liberty to answer this question for them. "You'll never see him again. He was supposed to make sure the fall from the zipline did the trick, and if not, he'd finish the job. Well, our 'man on the ground' went underground instead, so we made sure that he would never resurface."

Katara closed her eyes and buried her head under Zuko's chin. The steadiness of his heartbeat surprised her especially after the night's events. He was done fighting and admittedly—thankfully—so was she. He whispered into her hair, "We'll go get Jin. And then... we'll go home."

A/N: Phew, this chapter is an example of me not knowing exactly where I'd end up when I started. I'm not really into character death all that much, so I would never kill off Iroh. I hope no one got too attached to Than, Agni rest his soul. I feel like Rising Tide is becoming more episodic as the chapters fall into place. I hope the storyline is easy enough to follow.

I originally planned to do more with Hakoda starting in the last chapter, but then the new comic book came out and sort of shook my characterization of him. Obviously I don't follow canon, so I'm not sure why it matters, but it just got me thinking.

Every now and then, I have to take a break from the angst in this fic and write something lighter. So, I have a new piece posted, A Ride With A Side of Advice, more or less inspired by convos I've enjoyed writing between Zuko and the elders: Iroh, Piandao, Jeong Jeong, etc. Oh, and maybe inspired by a little real life experience, too.

Lastly, another companion fic to check out is Deal Breakers which alludes to the whole Sozin takes a Water Tribe woman and begets Azulon thing. Basically, I don't like gaps in the canon family trees or rather, I wonder how I can use them for conspiracy and intrigue. According to Wiki, Sozin was 100 years old when he started the war, and this was also the year Azulon was born. I'm thinking the guy was just a little bit... crazy... and desperate... and well, there's more to come!