A/N: Hey, I'm back! And just in the nick of time to keep up with my original posting schedule, not bad! This chapter isn't super long I found, but we get a bit more into Katara and Zuko's relationship, not so much of Sokka and Azula just yet (That comes later my dears!) But I think it turned out super well! I will let you read on now!

DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN IT-NOT MINE!

Chapter 19: Live and Let Live

The two teens on the air bison dismounted, making sure Appa was hidden.

Katara looked to Zuko, waiting to see if he knew where to go next. Where was a Fire Nation man most likely to go in a day?

Apparently, the market was the answer.

Zuko and Katara walked through the oddly barren streets and ally-ways, searching for the man they had been trying to reach for the past 48 hours.

Glancing over her shoulder, Katara's eyes widened as she spotted a tall, thin man with grey hair, buying fruit from a stand across the street.

She grabbed onto Zuko's tunic and tugged him behind an empty cart on their side of the street.

"Is that him?" Zuko asked in a hoarse whisper, peering over the top of the cart.

"I'm not sure. We have to get closer." She answerd in the same tone, watching with him.

They both ducked as the man turned, likely having heard them somehow. That theory was proven correct when they heard him call out before asking the vendor, "Did you see someone?"

Zuko breathed a sigh of relief, watching as the man walked away from the cart. Katara was staring hard at the ground. His voice… he had sounded framiliar.

She was pulled from her thoughts when Zuko grabbed her arm gently, pulling her to a standing position beside him. "Let's follow him."

She nodded and they made after the man, ducking behind structures and into ally-ways any and everytime they thought they would be spotted.

As they followed him down a stone stair well, Katara got a good look at his face as he started down the stairs going down parallel to the ones she and Zuko were on.

"Hello?" The man called out in that same voice. The Blue Spirit and The Painted Lady's alter egos ducked behind the stone railing that went along-side the steps. Once the man moved on, they looked over it again.

"That was him," Katara stated, venom lacing her words as she glared at the man's back. "That was the monster."

They followed said monster out of the stone paths and onto a dirt road.

Yon Ra was visibly suspisious. Every few seconds he would throw a glance over his shoulder, or stop to listen.

Zuko and Katara had hopped from hiding spot-to- hiding spot until coming to rest behind a large stone next to the path.

Somewhere along the way, it started to rain.

Yon Ra stopped. He barely hesitated before whipping around, his fist following his body and cuasing a large arc of fire to brush back towards the way he had come, shouting, "No one sneaks up on me without getting burned!"

All was silent for a few moments as the Fire Nation resident stayed in his alert position. After a heartbeat, he stood and gathered up his food that he had dropped, continuing on his way.

Yet, somehow, Zuko had managed to run a trip-wire across the path while Yon Ra was distracted. When the old man began walking again, he walked straight into the trap.

As soon as he was down, Zuko was out in front of him, a well aimed blast of fire directed at the man's feet. A pulled back fist indicated that he was ready to release another one.

"We weren't behind the bush." Zuko stated, rather calmly given the situation they were in. He advanced on the fallen man, "and I wouldn't try firebending again!"

Yon Ra cowered, covering his face, "Whoever you are, take my money, take whatever you want, I'll cooperate."

He was being oddly cowerdly for someone who used to have so much power. Zuko kept his fists aimed at him as Katara walked up from behind him.

She pulled down her mask, staring hard at the man before her, "Do you know who I am?" She asked with a voice as hard and cold as stone.

"No…I'm not sure?" Yon Ra answered, dropping his guard a little as he tried to place the face of the young woman before him. Her murderous blue eyes looked framilar…

"Oh, you better remember me like your life depends on it!" She shouted back, not in a patient mood it would seem.

Zuko kept quiet as he watched the long over-due confrontation unfold.

Speaking at a normal volume again she said, "Why don't you take a closer look."

Yon Ra did just that, taking in her long dark hair, her ocean blue eyes, her tanned skin with a band of blue against her neck. He had seen that pendant before…

"Yes…Yes, I remember you now. You're the little water tribe girl." Not so little and a lot more angry now… Lightning flashed behind her as he recalled their first meeting.

He had bardged into the igloo, a place fit for rat-vipers he had thought. He had been given a direct order from the Fire Lord Azulon himself.

Kill the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe.

The plan was direct and simple. Get in, get ahold of the old hag their source had told them about, get the job done.

Nothing was standing in his way, and he would have this small victory to gloat about within the hour.

A young woman, no older then some of his comrades, was alone in the dwelling place. She had looked up upon his arrival, and glared fiercely at him-almost as if she had been expecting him.

She had a light in her eye that could rival that of a firebender. A spark that sold out what kind of person she was, fierce and brave. Perhaps it was her he was after.

"Who are you? Why you attacking our villiage?!" She had spit at him.

He simply fell into a stance, ready to deliver a swift blow if she were to incooperate. "You have information we need. We know exactly who you are. Wife of Chief Hakoda. You know where the last waterbender is. Tell me, and you will be left unharmed."

It was an empty offer, this was going to end in scorch marks either way. But it was a bribe that usually worked.

The woman opened her mouth, only to be cut off by the rushed sound of someone making an entrance behind him.

A young child, no older then 8 or 9, a girl with scared blue eyes walked in on the scene.

"Mom?"

Ah. The Chief's daughter. Most likely considered a Princess among her pitiful people.

The small girl and her mother shared a look, before the woman he was questioning looked back to him.

"Leave her alone! If you let her go, I'll give you the information you want."

There it was.

He turned to the small child, "You heard your mother-get out of here!" He had shouted. Cuasing the girl to flintch before desperately turning again to her mother, claiming she was scared.

Her mother reassured her that all was going to be fine, to go find the Chief. That she would handle it.

Unlikely.

The child turned and fled, and the mother turned back to him.

"Now tell me. Who is it? Who is the last waterbender?"

"There are no waterbenders here," The woman glared, "The Fire Nation took them away a long time ago."

"You're lying." He stated shortly, "My source tells me there is one waterbender left in the Southern Water Tribe. We are not leaving until we find the waterbender!" He was getting impatient, demanding to have the man or woman they were looking for.

"If I tell you," She bowed her head, "Do you promise to leave the rest of the villiage alone?"

He gave an affermitive hum, awaiting his answer.

She looked up at him then, staring into his eyes, almost like she was putting a price on his person.

"It's me. Take me as your prisioner."

He knew it! Now just to execute the end of the plan.

Simple.

"I'm afraid I won't be taking any prisioners today."

He had ended her life then and there, calling to his men to dispose of her body swiftly. As soon as the job was done, they made their way off the frozen tundra, leaving behind the Chief and his family as they grieved the loss of their precious waterbender.

Yon Ra gulped as he was pulled back to the present, watching the lethally angry daughter of the woman he had killed, stare him down with a glare that matched perfectly with that of her mother's.

"She lied to you. She was protecting the last waterbender." The young girl disclosed, turning away with a pained expression.

Yon Ra was shocked. All this time- he had killed the wrong one? He had gloated and been praised over nothing?!

"What?! Who?!"

At that, the girl finally turned on him, all her rage and pain poured into one word as she came face-to-face with the realitiy of what was happening.

"ME!"

At this, she stomped, bending down to the ground, and-proving true to her claim- she bent the water. She stopped the rain from completing it's journey to the earth, creating a large dome overhead.

Yon Ra was speechless. He had been fooled, been wrong. And now his past had come back to slap him in the face in the form of an unhinged teenage girl who had had her mother ripped away from her for all the wrong reasons.

Zuko pulled down his mask, not caring that he was in front of this Fire Nation scum who would likely recognize him if he lived. He stared up in wonder as Katara stopped the rain.

His wonder turned into fear, horror, amazement- a mix of extreamly strong emotions, really- as he watched her effortlessly gather all the collected water up, forming huge spikes of ice.

And then flung them towards the man at the ground.

Yon Ra yelped and covered his face again, hearing the sounds of large shards of ice puncture the moist ground around him. It took him a moment to realize none had punctured him.

He cautiously opened his eyes, only to see dozens of ice spears hovering over his chest.

Zuko was as speechless and shell-shocked as he had been when he witnessed her Bloodbend. And-not for the first time on this trip- realized that Katara is a dangerous force to be rekoned with.

Katara dropped her stance and hung her head, allowing the ice to drop back into liquid form and fall to the earth.

Yon Ra jumped at the opportunity to get mercy, "I did a bad thing, I know I did! And you deserve revenge, so why not take my mother? That's fair!"

Zuko looked at the man on the ground in horror. Who would give up their mother for their own life! He was pulled from his thoughts of disdain when the girl beside him started speaking softly.

"I always wondered what kind of person could do such a thing, now that I see you, I think I understand. There's just nothing inside you, nothing at all!" She claimed as she moved forward, glaring hard at the man before her.

"You're pathetic, and sad, and empty."

This was all true. Everything Yon Ra had fought to keep hidden- how breaking every moral code he had really made him feel- came to the surface as this one oung girl uncovered who he was, laying it bare for him to see. He began to cry as he petheticly whimpered,"Please…spare me!"

"But as much as I hate you…I just can't do it."

Yon Ra looked up, shaking as he shed more tears. She closed her eyes and turned away, her companion following in her wake.

Yon Ra sat there and cried, trying to work out what his long and hurtful life had come to.

/\

The walk back to Appa, and the first few minutes of riding on him had been silent.

Zuko was surprised when Katara-who was sitting in the saddle as he steered- broke the silenece with a small yet strong voice.

"I wanted to do it…I so badly wanted to do it."

Zuko glanced back, seeing that she was curled into herself, her knees against her chest, her arms wrapped around them, and her forehead resting against them.

Zuko looked foreward again, then-deciding it was ok to let Appa fly on his own for a little bit- pat the Bision's head before climbing over the edge of the saddle.

He gingerly sat down next to Katara, looking at her, trying to figure out what to say.

Surprising yet again, he found words came easily to him. "You did what you thought was right. That's all that matters."

She looked up at him, and he could see the tears running down her face. He so badly wanted to comfort her, but decided that if she wanted to initiate any physical contact, she would.

"Is it, though?" She asked, looking right at him. "Thanks to me, that man is still out there, living, able to hurt someone else. And it's my fault!"

"It's not your fault!" He said a little to quickly, a bit too loud, and took a breath. "He is who he is, I won't say you did or didn't do the right thing. This was about you getting closure, no matter what it took to get it. Like I said, you did what you had too. And if that means letting him go free, then so be it. At least now he maybe understands what a horrible person he is."

Katara looked to the side, her tears having lessend. "Maybe he'll do the job for me." She muttered, catching Zuko off guard.

He had to stiffle his snicker, taking one's own life was no laughing matter, but the way she said it, so plainly, and with no readable emotion was amusing.

"At least Aang will be happy." She continued, glancing back at him briefly, before looking out over the water.

"Is that what you're worried about. That he'll be proud of you?" Zuko asked, honestly, if that were the case, then maybe she didn't feel any closure at all. Only to make the Avatar proud! How was that even-

"Of course not. I don't need his validation. I know who I am." She sighed, leaning her head on her knees again. "He just didn't want me to… I don't know, give into being evil,or something."

Zuko shook his head, "Taking a life for a life doesn't make you evil." He stated and she looked to him again.

"Speaking from experience?" She asked, almost…teasing? But the sad tone to her voice made it hard to tell.

He smirked, thinking of how his mother eledgedly killed his grandfather to protect him. "Not exactly."

She gave him a curious look, but he didn't elaborate.

Silence passed between them again as Katara went over the last two days in her mind. Which led into the last tow weeks, and so on. She didn't want to forget what had happened just an hour ago. But what was done, was done. Time to move on and learn and grow from the experience. She had gotten what she wanted, she had gotten closure. Now it was time to save the world with her family.

Family.

That word struck an odd cord with her.

She lifted her head to look at the young man sitting across from her. All he had done in the last 48 hours, he had done for her-not because he would gain anything from it, but because it was what she needed. Last time she checked… that's what family did for one another.

Zuko's thought process wasn't as deep as the waterbender's. He was looking past her, out towards the ocean, trying to think of their next move. Katara had gotten what she needed, and he was glad he had helped her do it. Now was the time to figure out what to do.

There were a few weeks left before the comet, a few weeks left to train Aang, to finalize their plans. But they really couldn't do that while travling like nomads. They needed to get in touch with their support groups. Katara and Sokka's father, his… his uncle. Maybe a couple of the benders and nomads that Aang had met on his travles before the Fire Nation siblings joined him. They needed to get their hands on a messenger hawk maybe. They needed to go somewhere civilized, somewhere wih a market, messenger hawks, a place for them to stay undercover until the comet. A place like-

No…

Zuko perked up slightly, noticing Katara look at him with big blue eyes. His thought process sped up as a plan fell into place. Would the rest of the group be up for it? Would Azula? No, Azula would hate it. But it was worth a shot… and their father would never think to look for his treacherous children in the place they used to always visit.

Back when they were one big happy family.

Of sorts.

"Zuko." He looked to Katara when she said his name. He was begining to notice a pattern. Every time she said his name, angry or otherwise, she captured his full attention, ready to listen to whatever she had to say. She had him hooked. He was sure it would always be that way. He nodded to her, waiting for her to say what she had on her mind.

"…Thank you. For helping me with this."

The way she said it, he could tell she was sincere, if not a bit reluctant. Hopefully this meant she was coming around, warming up to him.

He smiled a little, not a full one just yet, but it was there. "You're welcome… I was thinking. I have somewhere we can hide out until the comet hits. Somewhere the Fire Lord would never think to look for us." He stated, still looking at her.

She raised an eyebrow. "Where? Like in the Fire Nation itself?" She ment it as a joke, but at his serious nod, she faltered.

"Oh. Why would your fat-uh, the Fire Lord not look there?"

"We won't exactly be in the Fire Nation. More on the outskirts of it. There's an island we used to travel to as a family. But that was a long time ago…" He trailed, looking over Appa's head.

"What island is it?"

He looked back to her. Was she actually trying to make honest conversation with him? Was she really warming up to him as he had hoped?

All-in-all, he answered her, "Ember Island. It's more like a resort. My family owns a house there. We can use it until the Comet hits, like I said, we would be safe."

"Why wouldn't the Fire Lord look there? If I were a tyrant, I would have every stone turned over, even-especially- those right under my nose."

Zuko almost laughed at her claim. He couldn't even imagine Katara being a tyrant. He just shook his head lightly. "My family hasn't been there in years. The last time we all went together was when my mother was still around. Back when my family was still happy. That was a long time ago."

When he started speaking of his mother again, Katara was taken back to Ba Sing Se. Part of her wanted to brush him off. After all, hadn't he gotten her to trust him the first time around with sob stories about his mother?

But this time she felt different. A much larger part of her wanted to accept him, what he was saying. She thought back to the last two days, two big days for her that he had been a big part of.

She had accepted Azula. Maybe now it was time to accept him too.

"What…your mother. What really happened to her?"

Zuko was caught off guard and his head snapped towards her direction. He had a shocked look on that-if she were being honest with herself- looked utterly ridiculous yet unfairly adorable on the usually-stoic Prince's face. Then it softened, as he remembered all that had happened.

"I don't know for sure. Only what Ozai told me on the Day of Black Sun. when Azula and I confronted him, he told us the story. How my uncle had been in Ba Sing Se, trying to take it over."

"The siege that he led. I remember stories of the Dragon of the West from when I was a child." Katara confirmed.

"Those stories reached you guys?" Zuko asked. Had his uncle really been that well known?

Katara nodded and he hummed in acknowledgment before continuing. "His son, my cousin Lu Ten, had been there with him, on the front lines. My uncle was the heir to the Fire throne, supposed to take it over after Azulon died, then Lu Ten would be next in line. But Lu Ten died in Ba Sing Se. My uncle was devastated, he decided to withdrawl from the siege. My father thought it was an act of cowerdice, and that uncle should have been punished, his birthright renounced. He felt he should have been next in line for the throne, now that uncle no longer had an heir.

"Azulon grew angry at Ozia for suggesting such a thing and…he ordered my father to kill me, so that he would know what it was like to loose a son."

Katara's eyes grew wide as she gasped, kill your own son?! What kind of monster… her shock and horror was soon replaced by that of pure rage as Zuko went on.

"He told Azula and I that he was planning to do it."

That's it, Katara thought to herself, peacefuly ending this war be damned, that Fire Lord is going to die!

Zuko could see her growing murderous yet again, almost as deadly as she had looked when dealing with those men these last few days, but he plowed on.

"My mother jumped in. She told my father that she had a plan that would not only spare me, but put my father on the throne. It would get her banished, but I would be safe."

Katara's eyes again widened, this time in understanding, "Kill the Fire Lord."

Zuko nodded, mentaly noting how quick she was to reach that conclusion, a lot like his mother had been quick to come up with it. "I remember her coming into my room that night, saying that everything she had done, she had done to protect me. She told me to never forget who you are." He fell silent for a moment as he remembered, and Katara let him be as he gathered his thoughts. "When I woke up the next morning, she was gone, my grand father was dead and my father was preparing for his corrination. It all happened so fast, I could barely keep up."

"…So, she's still alive?" Katara asked hopefully, positive as always.

Zuko shrugged, "I'm not sure. After we win this thing, I want to find her, or at least try too. I know she has to be out there still."

Katara nodded. "We'll help you Zuko."

He smiled a little again. So she didn't completely hate him anymore, that was a plus.

"I feel like I need to be the one to find her, like it's my fault that she's gone." He glowered off to the side, all too framiliar with this feeling of self-loathing he got each time he thought of his mother recently.

Katara shook her head. Hesitantly, she rested her hand on his knee. He looked at her, startled that she had touched him and she took her hand back, having gotten his attention.

"Right after my mother was killed, I blamed myself. I was angry because I felt it was my fault, my being born with this amazing ability, that had gotten her killed. That if I hadn't been born with this power, she would still be alive. I didn't want to bend after that. It took months, and finally my dad explained to me that it wasn't my fault at all. That who I am is an amazing person with a beautiful talent. He told me that my mom would have wanted me to feel that way every single day. That she would want me to learn how to bend, how to use this talent so that she didn't die in vain.

"Your mother may be gone because she was protecting you, but it was her choice, her love for you that moved her to do it. I don't think she would want you to hate yourself for being loved by her."

Zuko sat there, speechless at the sheer amount of wisdom pouring from this girl. Did she even know how wise she sounded? He realized that she must have learned it from somewhere.

"It sounds like your father is as wise as your mother was brave." He stated quietly, not really trusting his voice.

Maybe she was right. His mother had chosen him over herself. And he would have to honor that.

Looking out again, he saw they were nearing a plot of land.

Ember Island.

He looked to Katara.

"If you want some time to yourself, I can drop you off on Ember Island," He gestured to the land in the distance that was steadily growing larger, "Then go get the others and bring them here."

Katara eyed the island that was coming into view before looking at the boy before her. Some time alone would be nice. She nodded, "I'd like that."

It took another half hour before he was landing on the docks to let her off. The island where the others were was only about 2 hours away, he would be back by sundown.

She turned to look at him before he and Appa took off again.

"Be safe, and don't kill Sokka on the way back." She actually did tease him that time, making him smile the slightest yet again.

"No promises."

He was about to take off before Katara called to him again, as always, capturing his whole attention with just his name.

"Zuko, again, thank you."

He just nodded dumbly at her intense gaze. She stepped back and he and Appa took off, ready to find the rest of their family.

Katara sat herself on the edge of the dock, putting her feet into her element. She had a few hours and a lot to think about. She knew she was at least satisfied with how facing her mother's killer turned out. She was still a bit confused on that front. But she decided to work through the new issue that had recently popped up.

How she felt about the Fire Nation Prince.

As she began working through her feelings, she had no idea that on the back of a flying Bison, said Prince was working through his thoughts about her, just the same.

Something between them had changed, and it was their job to figure out what.

I hope this went well, you know what would let me know for sure? Your reveiws!- I didn't get any this last chapter- I was super bummed, I love reading what you all have to say, so please, please, please let me know what you think! It makes me a better writer which make you happier readers! Anyway, I'll catch ya on the next one dears!

Writer out! ~0-0~