A/N. Next chapter will be Aang's! But I was blocking on a part of his chapter, so I began to write this instead lol!

"You didn't think Kuzon was his real name, did you?"

On Ji had not stayed after those words. She had fled the room, terrified by that idea. This morning she had made sure to avoid the girl altogether, taking her breakfast quickly in the kitchen and as soon as curfew lifted, she had gone out.

Sapphire, or whatever her name was, was a traitor, a criminal! A savage… And someone really, really dangerous! If she was to be believed, that savage had fought the princess… and won! Agni, that was all lies, of course! And those things she had said… It couldn't be true! The Avatar was evil!

But… But she had said Kuzon was in fact the Avatar. And Kuzon… Well, he had been… nice. How was someone that nice possibly the nightmare every parent in the Fire Nation used to scare their children? The Avatar was the only one who could bring down the greatness of the Fire Nation, and she had apparently danced with him in a cave…

That thought made her knees buckle. How had that been possible? No Spirit could even be that human… And the boy with the headband, charming and just kind… No, that was impossible. Sapphire had probably made that up. She had met the Avatar later, when Kuzon had been called up. That had to be it! But…

Stories had gone around the Fire Nation that there had been a girl with Sapphire's description travelling with the Avatar, even before the cave party. And if Sapphire was truly this Katara, that meant trouble. Would the Spirit come for the one he thought belonged to him? Because there was no way they actually loved each other. How was a spirit even supposed to love a human?

On Ji kicked a small stone away from her as she walked through the streets. Where to go? She couldn't stay home, because Sapphire would probably be there somewhere, trying to learn the secrets of the city. Was she even stuck here? Perhaps the traitor and the Avatar had sent her here as a spy, observing the defences so that they would know where to attack. That had to be it.

Someone as powerful as the Avatar's paramour had to be a good bender… She wouldn't be stuck! And the story about being knocked out by the guards and having no way out of the city was just a ruse, to make her trust her! That had to be it.

And so, she walked around the town, stopping at some shops where she knew the owners. There was only one subject of conversation in each establishment… What had happened? Who was right, were the rumours true? Was Azula Fire Lord, or had the Traitor taken over the Caldera? Was the Avatar coming for them, to bring down vengeance upon them? Where were the soldiers? Those who had children in the army were worried for them, and On Ji felt guilty about not being able to share their fears. She had not brothers or sisters, and she had been spared the conscription only thanks to her connections with the governor…

But everyone was kind to her… They all asked after her parents, how she was feeling… How could the Avatar hate all this? At school, and later the government, they had always said that the Avatar would come destroy them if they didn't win this war. Those speeches had grown in numbers less than a year ago, supposedly because the Avatar had been sighted…

But Sapphire had said that the Avatar, or Aang, didn't hate them…

When he learned of what had happened… You know who he blamed? Himself. He wasn't angry with the Fire Nation, he was furious with himself for not having been there to protect his father figure. His sister. His family and friends. He never blamed the people of the Fire Nation.

It had sounded so passionate. So full of emotions that On Ji had believed it. Lying was one thing, but to lie with such ease and with so much feeling? She would not be capable of doing so, and Sapphire seemed… Well, more at ease with lying, but not so much that she could hide her true emotions.

At least, Sapphire believed it to be true.

And would it be so far-fetched? All On Ji had heard of the Avatar was what she had been told… And she already knew that the government lied all the time to them. First the Avatar had been killed at Ba Sing Se, then he was alive. Now, Lord Ozai had died, but the rumours said he still lived… She didn't know anymore. Whom to believe, whom to trust…

"On Ji? What are you doing here?" A voice spoke from her left, and lifting her eyes from the ground, she realized she had drifted around town to find herself close to Shoji's home. Normally, she didn't go there, because her parents didn't want her in that part of town, and her friend normally came to her home…

It was not the best neighbourhood. The buildings were low and standing in long rows, but they were clean. It was not a slum… But clearly not the richest place in the town. Her father had once told her that that part of town had been built to accommodate the workers of the docks, in a government-subsidized effort to better the conditions of essential workers for the war effort.

Now, she stared into Shoji's eyes. He was not in the normal dark uniform he was usually wearing when he came to her home, but a rather thin tunic with black trousers underneath it. The trousers had seen better times, as they looked rather shabby…

"Oh… hey!" She tried to smile, but even she felt it was more like a grimace, "Sorry, I kind of forgot where I was going." On Ji watched as Shoji took a step backwards, creating some space between them.

"You shouldn't be here." The tall young man looked around him with a bashful expression in his eyes, "It isn't… A good place to be seen."

"I was at the Northern Gate yesterday, and I survived." On Ji grumbled, trying to hide the irritation she felt at how everyone in her life was trying to say what she should or shouldn't do. Why was it wrong to be seen at the homes of the dock workers? Those were people too.

"The northern gate… Why?" Shoji seemed shocked that she had gone there.

"To look at it." She answered. She hadn't told her friend that Sapphire wanted to help her out of the city. She hadn't even told her friend that she wanted to flee this place… Even though he would probably understand.

"On Ji… That is Hide's command! He will think you actually want to marry him if you visit him there!" Shoji hissed quietly, but it sounded… off. As if the thought made his skin crawl. And to be honest, it made her skin crawl. The idea of marrying Hide…

"I know! But Sapphire wanted to look at it… And I accompanied her." She surprised herself by not revealing the truth to the first trustworthy person she had seen today. Instead… She actually felt comfortable lying. Agni, this was messed up…

"Yeah, probably to spy on it. She is trouble, I just know it." Shoji looked around, then gestured towards the open door behind him, "Would you… Would you like some tea?"

On Ji saw the slight blush, probably because her friend knew she would get to see where he lived, and it was rather different from her own home. As he stepped through the door, into the room behind it, she hesitated. It was very badly seen if an unwed woman entered a house of someone else, and certainly if that someone happened to be an equally unwed man…

Looking around, she didn't see anyone, so she quickly walked inside. It was rather cold inside the building, but it looked… nice. Not in a rich, powerful way like the house of the governor, or the comfortable trader's home she was used to. The room was clearly kitchen and living space, cramped together into a little space. But every corner screamed "home". You could see people were living inside this house, not just occupying it to show off. She looked around her while Shoji was searching through a cupboard. Above a door, leading to another room, was the only thing in the house that didn't seem to belong there. The portrait of Lord Ozai… They hadn't had the official version of the new portrait, so it was still hanging, but On Ji supposed she could lend him the money to buy one… He wouldn't like it, but everything was better than having to spend money these people didn't have.

"I only have jasmine, sorry." Her friend held up a bag.

"It is alright." She supposed that that was the kind Shoji's family always drank, and that they hadn't any other in their kitchen. She watched as her friend put the leaves in a pot, filled it with water and put it above a small fire burning in the hearth.

"So… How was dinner last night?"

Oh yes… With the whole thing involving Sapphire, On Ji had banished the thoughts about the dinner…

"Alright. They want to fix a date. Father and Mother agreed on condition that the political situation stabilizes. So… yeah…" She sighed, thinking back at that small mercy. Hopefully, the traitor and the princess would soon be at each other's throats, burning and battling for the throne. At least, it would give her some breathing space.

"Ah… And Hide?" There was irritation in Shoji's voice, which On Ji could understand. Her friend hated her betrothed, because he had been bullied by Hide countless times when they were at school…

"Didn't say much, except that he expected our first… child… to be a boy." She shuddered. She didn't know that much about how all that was done… But she knew it involved sleeping together. And from the little she had heard about that, it didn't seem like something she would enjoy doing with Hide.

"Sea slug." Shoji muttered under his breath, turning red.

"Yeah… But enough about that." She didn't want to think about that particular problem… She had enough problems with the whole Sapphire situation…

"Father heard rumours about what happened in the capital. Apparently, Lord Ozai is alive." She spoke instead, trying to steer the conversation into the direction she needed it to be. She needed to hear Shoji's opinion.

"Says who?"

"The governor got a message apparently, from the traitor… The Avatar let Lord Ozai live and brought him back to the Fire Nation. The Avatar was wounded in the fight and is recuperating in the capital… And apparently, the princess didn't win, but escaped." That last piece of information was mostly coming from Sapphire, but Shoji wouldn't have had time to hear the rumours, so it wouldn't be a stretch.

"Meaning that they will probably fight for the throne… yay." Her friend sighed, taking two ceramic cups from the counter and putting on in front of her, "THe governor has declared for the princess, that is clear… But what did you mean, the Avatar let Lord Ozai live?"

She saw the small hope in the young man's eyes. His brother had been called up for the army, and had probably been sent to the Earth colonies… But it was also possible he had been on the invasion force Lord Ozai had gathered for the passing of the comet.

"Well, the rumours…" She meant Sapphire, or whatever her name was, "Say that the Avatar doesn't kill… Something to do with the way he thinks? I don't know. But the air fleet was defeated, and the Avatar let the Fire Lord live. I don't know."

Shoji retrieved the pot from the fire and poured the tea into her cup. Gratefully, she took it between her hands and sipped at it. It wasn't great, but the warmth and care that had gone into making it was enough for her.

"Rumours… Two sides of the same coin. One side says the Avatar is evil, the other say the spirit is a kind man. But it still comes down to the fact that we are screwed. If the princess wins the power struggle, she will have to fight the Avatar. And that is apparently not an easy task if even Lord Ozai lost. But then, if the traitor wins, he will let the Avatar wreak havoc on us for what our ancestors did to his people."

When he learned of what had happened… You know who he blamed? Himself. He wasn't angry with the Fire Nation, he was furious with himself for not having been there to protect his father figure. His sister. His family and friends. He never blamed the people of the Fire Nation."

"I… I don't think he would…" She whispered, looking into the cup of tea.

"Because your new best friend has said so? Agni, On Ji! When has Sapphire ever been your friend? She came here with Kuzon, and since then our lives have gone to shit, thanks to them!" Shoji's voice rose slightly in irritation.

"As if they weren't already. They just made it happen more quickly!" On Ji answered, her own voice rising too. Why was she defending these people? Her whole education had been to hate people like that! But… But they had never shown her anything but kindness… Even if Kuzon would be the Avatar.

"Yeah, you can say that." Shoji grumbled, fingers drumming on the table, "Still, Sapphire is not your friend On Ji. She is most probably a spy, for the governor, for the princess, for the traitor… anyone. You shouldn't trust her."

On Ji bit her lip… Sapphire had been honest when asked… And the Fire Nation girl couldn't help but think that the girl who claimed to be the Avatar's paramour was the first who had actually asked her what she wanted…

The first who had offered her help… Even if it had been to get out of the city. It had still been offered… Sighing, she drained the cup and swallowed the tea, standing up.

"I know Shoji… Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself. I'm going home, see you tomorrow?" The next day would probably be rather important, as the governor had said they would all swear allegiance to the princess as the new Fire Lord. And she would rather be there as a private citizen, with a friend, then stand next to the governor with her parents…

"Of course… And On Ji?"

"Yes?"

"You know that if there was anything you needed, you could ask me, right?"

The words hung heavy in the air, for she had a feeling why he said them… On Ji wasn't that experienced with feelings and emotions of this nature… But she had the suspicion that the offer wasn't purely friendly… And if she compared the feeling she had had when Kuzon had asked her to dance, and the feeling she had now…

It wasn't the same…

She nodded, trying to stay as neutral as possible, and stepped outside. There were people in the street now, and she quickly turned her eyes to the ground, walking away as quickly as humanly possible without looking like she was running.

Turning west, towards the street with her own home in it, she thought once more about everything Sapphire had said to her…

On Ji didn't want to marry Hide, and to be honest, she was curious about the world outside of Karashi. She didn't want to be stuck here, being married off to the most advantageous match possible. Even if her parents meant well, they were just doing what they were supposed to do… And she didn't want it.

Why should she be the perfect daughter?

Sapphire, or Katara, or whoever he was, was the first in weeks, maybe even months, that had asked her, alright, what do you want? And there had been only one answer possible. Get me out of here… I don't care where, just far away from all of this.

Of course, she shouldn't be naïve. The girl in her house was doing it for herself, not for her. Sapphire wanted to get out of here as much as On Ji did. What would that be like? Trying desperately to return to someone, instead of fleeing someone? How would that feel?

On Ji imagined that it would be rather nice… I love him, and he loves me... How would it feel to be loved for who you were? Not only for what you represented, or what you could be? Just… Be loved for yourself? And, if Kuzon really was the Avatar…

On Ji had seen it for herself.

She had watched as Kuzon had walked to Sapphire, determined and focused only on her. She had looked on, with all the others, as the two had danced together, so passionately that most other girls had presumed that the two were a couple…

And it had looked as something wonderful. The look in Sapphire's blue eyes as Kuzon had twirled her around, the laugh that had burst from the girl's lips as the young man had just looked at her…

She wanted that.

On Ji walked through the gates of her home, waving to her father who was talking to some of the stableboys with big gestures and a laugh. Agni, that looked like home to her… But home was not her friend at this moment.

No… For some reason, On Ji had a feeling that her only friend, the only person who was truly trying to help without wanting something in return, was Sapphire. And that idea terrified her. How could someone who wasn't supposed to be as civilized as all the people around her be the one person who understood her?

Entering her home, she hesitated. Of course, Sapphire had gone away. She would be afraid of what On Ji now knew, and she would have gone away. If she was truly Katara of the Water Tribe, why hadn't she just killed a guard in front of the gates? It would be as easy as that.

On Ji had not even dared approach the gates when she had been thinking about escaping, but Sapphire would not have the same apprehensions… Right? She would just kill her way through the soldiers, as the rumours said she was capable of…

Opening the door to the library, she was surprised to see the girl sit at the one of the tables, bend over a scroll. Apparently, she had not heard the door, and it gave On Ji a moment to look at her. She could see what attracted people when they saw the woman. The long hair was thick and shiny, framing a small round face with those big blue eyes and a straight nose. In concentration, she had stuck her tongue out, between her lips, but instead of giving her an idiotic appearance, it gave her… something else.

And the Fire Nation supposed that men would look at her and be attracted to the girl's body… It was clear as day to her that this woman had never lacked attention from that department… So of course, a spirit would be attracted too…

Scrapping her throat, On Ji watched as the woman in front of her nearly jumped out of the chair.

"Just me!" She said quickly, not wanting to be murdered by Sapphire. Who was probably more than capable of doing just that.

"Oh… hey." Sapphire smiled awkwardly, "How is your nose?"

Yeah… The young woman in front of her had punched her in the nose the night before.

"Sore." She answered shortly, trying to sound as intimidating as possible. She held all the cards!

"Come here then." Sapphire pulled out the other chair, sitting down next to it. On Ji didn't know what to do… What was she planning?

Against her better judgement, she took the few steps and sat down. If Sapphire wanted to kill her, she would already have done so, surely. As she let her weight rest against the back of the chair, she watched as the woman in front of her toke a small flask from the pocket of her skirt and opened it.

"I'm not going to hurt you, alright?"

That didn't sound very promising…

Sapphire turned the flask above her hand and water flowed out of it… Not spilling, but coating the woman's hand, forming a thin layer around her. Agni… Water magic. No, no, no! That was bad! If someone entered, she would be so in trouble.

"Sapphire, I…" The water coated hand was lifted towards her face, and On Ji froze as she saw the fingers approach. Her heart began to beat faster, and she knew that this couldn't be good. Of course, trying to trust the woman had been a bad idea!

Warmth spread around her nose, and she bit her lip as the sore feeling in her nose intensified. She was trying to hurt her even more, but On Ji couldn't move out of fear. This was it, she had been stupid, and now, she was going to die by some water magic, and Sapphire would be gone.

Of course, the only one who knew who Sapphire really was, was On Ji! She should have told Shoji at least! He would have been scared and would have run to the authorities as soon as she would have left the house, but at least she wouldn't have been alone with a savage!

"There. Better?"

The hand was lifted away, and the water flowed back into the flask… By its own accord… With wide eyes, On Ji watched as the water slowly made its way back into the container. And… To be honest, yes, it felt better…

"A bit." She murmured, not wanting to confess that if felt a lot better, "What… What was that?"

"Water healing, some benders from… from where I'm from, are capable of healing with their abilities."

That sounded amazing… But that couldn't be true. At school, they had learned about other bending arts. The earthbenders were nothing more than cave people, crudely bending rocks into weapons to use against the Fire Nation. The waterbenders were nothing but savages, turning the sea against the Fire Nation… And Air People had been the worst, capable of suffocating someone with a flick of a finger.

But they had never said the waterbenders were able to heal.

"So… it's true." There was no denying it now. Sapphire fitted the description of Katara of the Water Tribe, and she could bend water. Yes… the woman in front of her was truly the Avatar's paramour… And that meant… That Kuzon…

"You asked for the truth yesterday. And I gave it. I'm sorry for having been rather direct. It must have scared you." Sapphire spoke kindly.

Yeah, no shit.

"It did… Have… Have you told anyone else here?" As long as she was the only one to know this secret, it would be safe… Safe for her! She could lie if Sapphire was discovered, saying that she knew nothing about her being Katara of the Water Tribe!

"No, it isn't exactly safe for me shout it from the rooftops." The woman laughed softly, letting the melodious sound fill the room.

"Yeah… I guess. You are an outlaw."

"Yeah, I saw this morning. No matter, I was already in enough danger, it doesn't change much." Sapphire shrugged.

"Why?" On Ji asked, trying to stop herself. She shouldn't become invested! She should run to the nearest soldier and tell him who was hiding in her home!

"Azula if rather gifted at finding her enemies weaknesses. And she has found that Aang's weakness… Well, is me. So, she knows that to stop Aang, she needs me." Sapphire sighed, speaking quietly.

Agni… On Ji was holding the piece of information that could kill this war in its crib! She only needed to inform the governor of whom Sapphire was… And they would have taken out the Avatar in one fell swoop! Agni…

But she didn't move.

"Why are you telling me this?" She asked instead. It didn't make sense. Why say that, why give her the weapon to destroy the traitor and the Avatar?

"Because you asked for the truth. And you fled before I could tell you all." Again, that smile… Such a comforting sight, that On Ji felt herself relax… Just a bit.

"So… What else did you want to tell me?"

"The truth. I was not very clear yesterday. Kuzon was Aang, in disguise. Whom you talked and laughed with. And if I'm not mistaken, whom you had a small crush on." Sapphire smiled again, and On Ji looked away, feeling the blush on her cheeks. Yeah… And now she was talking to the woman who had his heart.

"I understand, he has that effect. But underneath the charm, he is shy, respectful and kind… He is just as human as you or me." Sapphire looked her directly in the eyes, and On Ji couldn't help but try and find any malice in those blue orbs… And she didn't find any. Only kindness.

"You want to go back to him." She spoke quietly.

"Tui and La, I do…" The want and longing in that voice broke On Ji's heart. If she still had doubts, the pure emotion in that sentence evaporated them.

"How do you love someone like that? The Avatar is supposed to be a monster…" She didn't understand.

"Loving Aang is the easiest thing I have done in my life. Being together isn't easy, it has had its fair share of problems… But loving him has never been a problem." Sapphire, or Katara, answered in a hushed tone.

"So… How do you plan on getting out of the city?" On Ji didn't know when she had agreed to be back on track with the escape the town part, certainly now that she would leave with a fugitive… But here they were.

"Do you know anything about the sewers?"

Wait, what?

"Eh… I know they were laid when I was little…" What was this?

"How big were the pipes?" Sapp… Katara. Katara asked.

"I don't know… Like this?" She held her hands up, her fingers forming a circle several inches wide.

"That's all?" The defeated tone in Katara's voice made her think that the woman had had an idea…

"Yeah…"

"Well… Back to square one I guess…" the woman sighed, turning back to the scroll on the table. On Ji looked at it, seeing it was a map of the town. She had not known there were any of those, at least not with the new fortifications on it. But this map showed all of it… Where had her father even got this?

But it didn't matter.

Katara wanted to get out of here to be reunited with the Avatar, or Kuzon, or Aang, or whatever his name was. And she wanted to be free of the duties that had been imposed on her.

On Ji also bend over the map.

Answers:

McChartney: Yeah, they are all over the place, with everyone separated and doing things without thinking. That is going to be a thing next chapter lol. Azula is already using everything in her power to destabilize the Gaang, and of course she will have a part of the Fire Nation behind her… And yeah, Zuko's rash decision is a bad one, but perhaps it is the only option. Thank you, a lot, for the kind words! Trying to make it as interesting as possible!