A. N. : I now realize it's been a full moon cycle since last chapter, and I don't know whether to be amazed or sorry. Both, probably.

The weather is horrible.

With the wind and Appa flying as fast as he can, the rain almost feels solid. It reminds Katara of the North Pole and the blizzard and the cold and the fear –

At that time too, they were looking for Aang.

And Katara is scared, she is terrified because between the storm and Aang's injuries, there's no knowing what state he'll be in when the find him.

But she believes, she has no other choice but to believe in Aang and the Spirits who protect him, and find him before she can be proven wrong.

Katara is so worried for Aang that she almost doesn't think about the fact that they are headed to the Fire Nation, that they will stay there until the invasion. Even for her, it's not easy to accept, so for the others…

Well, Toph seemed pretty enthusiastic about finally walking on some – good old earth, as she put it. Though next to Zuko, this level of excitement was nothing.

He was ecstatic.

He probably wouldn't have looked any happier if Lin had suddenly started talking. Almost as like he hasn't been home for years – but that can't be, after all he just became a fugitive recently –

Wait. Katara remembers the way Zhao treated him – and at the time, she thought it was just some petty rivalry and didn't even care but –

He did call Zuko a banished Prince.

The fact she has to think of Zhao in order to know something so important angers her – Zuko might have joined them, but he keeps to himself all the time, and she really tries to trust him, really wants to, but he doesn't exactly make that easy.

Dad said he was raised to become Chief – Fire Lord – and Katara knows Chiefs sometimes have to stay outside of things, so as to avoid being partial but – Zuko isn't Chief yet, and she would rather hope he is partial to them !

It's annoying. Katara is definitely going to do everything she can to include Zuko to the group and force him to open up a bit.

But even if he hides way too many things, at least he doesn't outright lie to them, unlike Jet.

Oh yes, he might've said he wanted to come along because he was – both figuratively and literally – sick of the ship, but Katara knows it can't be true because –

It's the Fire Nation they're heading to. And while he has this odd, sort of friendship but not quite with Zuko, there's no way he is going to act the same towards any other Fire Nation citizen.

Spirits, Katara is scared ! She knows they can't all be monster – even Zuko, who she used to think was the worst of the worst isn't one – but she can't help it. Fire just took too much from her.

So to think that Jet, who lost even more, Jet who tried to kill innocent people because they were standing between him and his revenge, to think this Jet would lay low in the country that's responsible for everything – it's not just hard, it's impossible !

She will have to watch him really closely.

The wind is strong, so strong it almost drowns out Lin's cries – Zuko is desperately trying to soothe her, but it's honestly a lost cause, between the cold and the rain soaking even Katara to the bone, and no soft words or flashy lights will change –

Oh. Zuko is not – not just trying to calm Lin down, he's actually keeping her warm. But to make a flame at night in these conditions –

Katara looks closer. Zuko is breathing fire. She didn't know it was possible. And she should probably be amazed – and she kind of is – but really he just reminds her of a mother turtle-seal blowing gently on her pup. It's – kind of a funny thought.

And she should be worrying about Aang, worrying about what's going to happen once in the Fire Nation, worrying about Jet and whatever hidden motives he might have, but instead she is stuck with a picture of Zuko with a shell in her head, and she wants to cry because – it's so ridiculous and she shouldn't be thinking about funny things right now.

She turns her head, looks to the front. The rain hurts, and she closes he eyes. Clenches her jaw. Aang is going through the same storm, and he is injured. She cannot allow herself to be anything but resolved to find him.

She will definitely find him.

She has to.