Zuko

I realized the problems of getting everything you wanted far too late, I had already done what I wanted on the North Pole and going back so soon at the head of a Fire Nation ship wouldn't be comforting to the locals or to me, I had deeper ambitions that would be obstructed by the Avatar's journey as he and my uncle were adamant about heading back towards the Northern Water tribe.

Uncle probably thought that I would relish the chance to see Yue again but that would complicate my plan to seduce Katara and I frankly wasn't planning on going back to a place with so little sunlight so soon even if more instructions about how to waterbend would be helpful.

Katara had been against going since she wanted to avenge her mother but the promise of learning waterbending from a master soothed her anger at least until she discovered from me that girls aren't allowed to learn anything that isn't healing. Iroh wasn't happy that I told her as now Aang was hesitant to go but the answer was as simple as it appeared, we would split up. I would head with Katara and Sokka to the colonies and Iroh and Aang would go to the North Pole.

Not only would it separate Aang from Katara giving me time to seduce her but also allow me to get rid of her brother in an accident without the worry that either Iroh or Aang catch up to my ruse, and what a tragedy would it be if an earthbender would kill him in the colonies.

Iroh would also have his chance to turn the Avatar into a more favorable way of thinking for us and if Aang was convinced to let the Fire Nation redraw the maps then all the better, I don't see the monk changing his mind but I will let my uncle have his chance to shine.

Now I just had to inform the highly emotional Avatar that the girl he liked would be going another way while he confronted the destiny he didn't want…

I will need backup.

With that in mind, I moved from the top of the ship, where I was taking in the sunlight, to the deck where Katara was currently trying to learn what she could from the scrolls we had.

She had taken off her clothes and was now in what I think was a bathing suit or an analog of some kind, it could just be her underwear but I don't think so, bathing suits definitely exist here, or at least in the Fire Nation so they should be a global thing, then again she just left her home so it really might just be her underwear.

Still, she was showing a lot of skin, and the way the wrapping of her ass accentuated the curves of it was certainly distracting as Aang seemed incapable of putting any focus anywhere else but Katara's ass.

"Avatar perhaps some meditation would do you some good, clearly you're far too unfocused to learn anything" Iroh brought Aang back to the real world and it was a distinct pleasure watching him go red-faced after Katara started laughing at him.

"You're right! I can also check up on Sokka!" the way his eyes immediately went to Katara as he sought her approval made me want to roll my eyes, he couldn't be more obvious if he tried to but Katara had a surprisingly good poker face.

"Make sure he isn't slacking off," Katara said as she tried to freeze "or eating!" she screams as Aang and Iroh made their way inside the ship.

"I don't need cryptic signs to know you're frustrated by what you've learned but I have a suggestion if you care to hear it" Katara gave a look that said 'go on' so I did "We have a smaller ship that Aang and my uncle can use to go to the North Pole it would take them longer to arrive but we could settle your business faster and let's be honest Aang isn't going to be mastering waterbending any time soon"

He actually would but I wasn't going to tell her that.

"I don't want to leave him behind" Katara said one thing but her face had a small smile as she thought of going after her mother's killer.

"Think of it as him going ahead rather than you leaving him behind, we will make our way to the Northern Water tribe after you're done so it's really the best choice" I slung an arm around her as a friend would and was glad she didn't push me away "besides once you explain to him why you want to go our separate ways he will understand"

Man! with the way I was lying and manipulating people around me I would've been better served being a demon instead of a Kryptonian.

"You're right! Let's go!" I was going to enjoy watching her blow up at Aang.

If they hadn't just met maybe Katara would do as her canon counterpart but right now? Aang will be lucky if she ever looks at him again.

"Zuko," Katara grabbed my attention as we moved deeper inside the ship, the soldiers moving away or saluting before leaving the premises, I had asked them to give me as much privacy as they could when I was with Katara but I would have to remind them that subtlety existed "what are the colonies like?"

"Well some parts are more developed than others but the style of building is much like the style of the ship"

"No" she giggled behind her hand before she continued "I mean, what food do they like, is it different from what is eaten in the real Fire Nation? is the music different, do they also worship the same spirits?"

"Oh! Well, I don't really know even when I was traveling the world I seldom stayed in places with a lot of people, I was more interested in ruins and other things like that"

"That's a shame I would've liked to know more"

"How about I show you around when we get there, there is nothing that says you can't have some fun while getting revenge" which drew another giggle out of Katara.

"Who's getting revenge?" Aang's head poked out of a door and I almost jumped in response, he was pretty sneaky for a guy who wasn't shy about making noise.

"Katara is, that's the whole reason she came with us"

"Oh" Aang's face fell at my response but he quickly recovered "Wait but revenge is bad"

"No offense Aang but I don't think you're in a position to talk since you almost killed both me and my uncle for what my ancestors did"

The Avatar winced again but he kept on talking "Yes but now we're friends and we are working to better the world, I know it hurts Katara but-"

"But what?! I don't deserve to feel angry about my dead mother"

Aang, one of the soldiers and me wince at the tone of Katara's words, this is going both better and worse than I expected.

"No! of course not," he raises his hands in a placating motion "but the monks said that revenge is like a two-headed rat-viper, while you watch your enemy go down you're already being poisoned yourself"

"There is great wisdom in the Avatar's words" Iroh comes out from the room followed by Sokka "This won't bring you peace"

Katara turned to him and went off "You say so but while we've been here I read about you, The Dragon of the West who showed his rage on the battlefield after the death of his son, what did the scroll say oh yes 'when a dragon weeps so does man as dragon shares his grief in the only way he can, with fire'"

Iroh looks down at the floor but his words reassert themselves even if he can't bring himself to look Katara in the eye "It won't bring you peace"

"But it will make me feel better and I will rest peacefully once I know my mother's murder is avenged, it's justice!"

"That's not justice Katara, that's just rage and if you let it fester it will consume you" Aang looks pleadingly at her and he even turns to Sokka who only shakes his head the Avatar.

"She's made her choice Aang, good or bad Katara will see it through to the end. It's not our place to decide or judge, as her brother the only thing I can do is support her and comfort her"

With those words, the surprisingly mature water tribe warrior goes to continue his training, leaving us behind. Katara and Aang have a staring match that goes on but before they can say anything that they will probably regret later Iroh leads Aang away.

"Perhaps we can speak more of it once our tempers cool down, anger makes us say things we don't mean and words can't be taken back once said"

"Katara" Aang calls out to her as we move in opposite directions "you still can forgive him, you can move on"

"That's the same as doing nothing!" Katara screams back at him.

"No, it's not, it's easy to do nothing, and it's hard to forgive" the Avatar finally moves away after those parting words.

Katara growls beside me and I'm not surprised when I feel a wave strike the ship.

"Do you agree with him?" Katara turns to me after letting out a huff of anger.

"I don't, there are some things that are unforgivable" I can't help but touch my throat as I say those words, an action that doesn't go unnoticed by Katara.

"May ask about…" she points to my scar and I smile letting her know I don't mind.

"It was given to me by my father" she gasps in horror but I continue "sometimes I doubt his words on why he did it, I think he just wanted to hurt me because I wasn't a monster like him"

"Is that why you came for Aang? So you could have your vengeance"

"No, I will repay his actions on my own, but the Avatar would be useful in letting go of the hate that has gripped the world for the last hundred years, but I doubt he will help as much as I once thought he would"

Katara says nothing more as we continue our silent walk back to the deck of the ship.


Author note: sorry for the wait there was a storm in my city and i was without internet, but i'ts finally here! i've been dreaming about Katara's rebuttal for weeks now and it was very satisfying to me, i doubt a man as strong as Iroh didn't rage at the loss of his son, sure that didn't last but a man as strong as him could do plenty of damage before calming down. Next chapter we see his reaction, anyway as always i hope you've enjoyed the chapter and that you're all in good health, like always my is below and i will see you next wednesday!