Collide

by FoxBlitz

Katara had been so sure of her plan to liberate the prison rig. How was she to know how efficiently the guards would respond to an uprising? Zuko had been positive that his best course of action was to travel separate from his Uncle. What else was he supposed to do when he came across a person from his past? Sometimes, through all the doubt, two people collide. Eventual Zutara.

34. Ch 34 - The Necklace

Chapter 34 - The Necklace

His body was suspended. Floating atop the vast waves of the sea beneath him. The salty taste brushed against his lips with every sway of the ocean. And yet, for some reason, he couldn't move his body. Each limb felt heavy, slogged against the water he was drenched in.

Not that it mattered. Moving wasn't his priority right now. Instead, he focused on her voice. Upset. Pleading. Ferocious. Her heart was breaking, full of betrayal. But the target of that hurt kept changing.

His arms and legs refused to budge; clamped down by an unseen force. He had no control. He was just along for the ride. A very painful ride. The bone-crushing impacts of being slammed into the ground, over and over again, being dragged across the dirt. He recalled them all.

Physical pain, he could take that. It was not anything new. He had endured that kind of torment constantly growing up. But the hurt in her voice. That ripped at him, all the way down to his very core. "Tell me why my Mother had to die!"

Zuko woke with an abrupt start as he shot up in bed, grasping at the thin white sheets firmly with his pale knuckled fingers. He wasn't floating in an ocean anymore. He was back in the familiar shared room in Hama's inn.

His consciousness restored, the aching pain erupted all throughout his body. The Fire Prince winced as the physical agony nearly overtook him. He had been through the ringer. Like he had gone a couple of practice rounds against the entirety of the Southern Raiders crew. Another spark of pain raced up his spine as he shifted. Nope, scratch that. His impromptu duels against the Southern Raiders hadn't left him nearly this bad off.

Through the normal discomfort, Zuko felt an abnormal strain in his body. A unique pain that he had only known once before, back when his body was recovering from having his blood bent. The haunting aftermath of all his nerves telling him that his blood had been flowing unnaturally. The sensation was unmistakably recognizable. You don't forget not being able to control your own body.

But it wasn't Hama who had been controlling him this time. His memory was a little fuzzy, probably because of all the blunt force trauma he took to the head, but...

"Katara!" Zuko stated urgently as he threw back the sheets and jumped out of bed in swift fashion. The result? An impressive tangle of wounded appendages sprawled out across the floor as the firebender collapsed into a jumbled heap.

"Yup, glad no one was around to see that..." groaned the Fire Prince. Despite all the soreness running through his body, he recognized that comforting healing touch. Katara had healed him. Probably spent the better part of the night and early morning too, because given the amount of physical abuse he had endured, Zuko had actually expected to be feeling a whole lot worse than he actually did.

Gritting his teeth, Zuko forced his aching body to listen to him and respond properly as he exerted himself to reach the door to the room. Now was not time to be resting. If he knew Katara like he thought he did, then the Water Tribe girl was probably berating herself in her head right now.

Zuko knew the feeling she must have been experiencing all too well. He had experienced a similar feeling every time that Azula tricked him with a lie. But Azula always lies. He could only imagine the betrayal Katara must be feeling right now, with Hama's treachery. After all, betrayal comes from your friends, not your enemies.

"Come on... it's just pain," motivated Zuko to himself with forced effort as he pressed through his aching soreness. "I've dealt with pain. It's nothing new."

Seeing his sheathed Dao Broadswords nearby, Zuko grabbed them and used the sheath as a sort of makeshift walking cane to support himself. Panting heavily as he reached the door knob, the Fire Prince leaned against the frame to open the door as he made his way down the stairs.

Zuko didn't mind all the noise he was making. Katara, Sokka, and Jin had to have won the fight against Hama. If they hadn't, then he would be dead and lying in a ditch somewhere instead of recuperating in a warm bed. So that meant that Hama was not around. But even with that comforting thought, Zuko still needed to find his friends. He needed to know what he had missed last night after he lost consciousness.

Just like the second floor, the first floor was empty. No one was sitting at the dining table, nor was there anyone milling about in the kitchen. Making his way to the front door, the firebender shoved his entire body against it to use his weight to push it open as he stumbled outside.

Instead of bright, invasive daylight blinding his eyes, the Fire Prince was greeted to heavy storm clouds that threatened to bring rain. There was a heavy gloom to the air, like a restricting weight. Glancing up into the sky, Zuko thought he could just barely make out the outline of Edel's shadow soaring through the dark gray clouds above. 'That explains the weather. Edel's back,' deduced Zuko as he continued to stare upwards. "And she clearly knows that I got hurt."

Dropping his gaze, the Fire Prince scanned the horizon for his friends. They had to be somewhere. Out of the corner of his eye, he finally spotted one of them.

Jin was sitting underneath a large oak in the somber weather, her knees to her chest and her head buried on top of her knees. Zuko made his way over to her as best as he could with his wounded form.

The Earth Kingdom girl looked up at the sound of someone walking across the grass and dirt. Her puffy, reddened eyes widened at the sight of the battered Fire Prince. She had been crying. "Zuko!" The earthbender was on her feet and rushing to help keep the firebender balanced as he staggered forward.

"Jin," the Fire Prince managed. "Where is everyone? Are they safe? What happened last night?"

The earthbender guided him over to a wooden bench back in the entryway to Hama's inn. "Everyone is safe." Jin wavered. "Well, physically, at least." She appeared downcast. "We took a hit, all of us, the whole team. This doesn't feel like a victory. I think... I think Hama won in the end."

"What happened to...?" started Zuko as he was interrupted by Jin.

"Hama's in custody," asserted the Earth Kingdom girl. "The villagers imprisoned her after Katara detained her last night. They're going to have a trial." Jin shook her head bitterly as she wiped away another tear. "It's just for show. The verdict's already been decided."

"I see," commented Zuko flatly. He had expected as much.

"We found them, the lost villagers," continued Jin as the words flowed faster. "Sokka and I found them last night. They were locked in a cave; most of them..." The Earth Kingdom girl paused as she had to fight down a rush of emotions. "Most of them were already dead. We saved who we could, but..." Tears were threatening to fall full force again. "Spirits, there were so many that didn't make it; starved or died of thirst. I don't think Hama bothered to give them food or drink very often, if at all."

Zuko was silent as he hugged his shivering friend and comforted her. "That wasn't even the worst of it," whispered Jin as she leaned her head against his chest. "Do you remember Mr. Yao? The meat vendor in town? He was the other person that Hama had bound and placed a hood on alongside you last night. She broke his neck." Jin's voice had dropped to a whimper. "I gave Mr. Yao the advice to confess his feelings to Hama and she killed him. I sent the poor man to his death."

The Fire Prince hugged his friend tighter. "No. No you didn't. You didn't know. You had no way of knowing. Hama killed Mr. Yao, not you."

"But..." started the earthbender.

Zuko ended the hug as he extended his arms, gripping Jin by both of her shoulders. "No. Listen to me, Jin. There are no 'buts.' Hama was a twisted psychopath who tricked us and everyone else into sympathizing with her. All so that she could carry out a one-sided crusade of revenge against all those who, in her warped mind, she thought wronged her and her Tribe. Wherever Hama saw Fire Nation, she saw someone deserving of death. It did not matter to her what the person had done in life; any relation to the Fire Nation was enough to mark them for death in her eyes. Mr. Yao's death is not on you. It will never be on you. Hama was never going to spare anyone in that village."

"B-But how do you know?" asked the Earth Kingdom girl, her voice shaky and unconfident.

"Because she told me herself while she had me imprisoned in the storm cellar," replied Zuko earnestly. "And I heard a good portion of the back and forth between Hama and Katara before I lost knocked unconscious."

Jin hung her head downward slightly as she leaned back on the wooden bench. "It still hurts. Even knowing Hama is the one at fault. I still feel guilty. We should have seen it sooner. Maybe we could have saved more people. If my earth sense had been better, then maybe we could have found the cave prison earlier," assessed the earthbender as she shifted uneasily.

Zuko placed his hand on his friend's shoulder again as Jin looked back at the Fire Prince. Zuko's voice was stern. "Don't. Don't start playing a 'what-if' game. You can't allow guilt to make you second guess yourself. Once that happens, you freeze up and become indecisive. There will always be something else we could have done, something else we could have seen. Guilt is only useful when we use it to push ourselves to be better, to do better, so that next time, we don't have to feel this way again."

Jin stared back at Zuko critically, before looking out across the field in front of Hama's inn. "You sound like some kind of wise, old man, with advice like that."

The Fire Prince smirked as a memory of Uncle appeared in his head. "I'll take that as a compliment. I've had my own fair share of failures and regrets. Enough to last me a lifetime. Hopefully what I managed to learn can help others to grow too."

The Earth Kingdom girl pulled her knees to back to her chest. "I think I still need some time to think everything over. But I do feel better now, you know? Sokka and Katara are out behind the inn. Could you talk to them too? I think you might be the only one with their head on straight right now."

Rising slowly, Zuko used his makeshift sword sheath walking stick to move around the bench. He paused as he stood with his back to Jin. "You're braver than you believe and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think." When Jin looked back at the Fire Prince, Zuko let out a reminiscent sigh. "Something I remember my Mother telling me, every night, right before she tucked me into bed."

"Mmm," whispered Jin as she smiled slightly and looked back ahead. "That's a good message."

Walking behind the inn, Zuko heard a steady chopping swing, followed by splitting wood. Over near the woodshed, Sokka had a woodcutter's axe high above his head as he chopped log after log. The piles of firewood did not look uniform or even slightly ready for the hearth. The Water Tribe boy was just chopping wood to chop wood, to give his hands something to do so that his mind didn't have to think.

Zuko picked up a second axe next to the woodshed as he grabbed his own log and began to chop away in unison without saying a word. The first couple of swings ran sparks of soreness throughout his body, but eventually, Zuko grew accustomed to the steady rhythm. The two boys continued working in parallel for a while, only the sounds of metal sinking into grainy wood resonating as they swung their respective axes.

It didn't take too long for the Water Tribe boy to grow annoyed. "What are you doing?" Sokka grumbled as he stacked another oddly cut piece of wood off to the side.

"Chopping wood," answered Zuko calmly. "Same as you."

"I can see that." Sokka placed a fresh log onto his stump. "Now, go away. I'm busy." He dropped his axe onto the wood log once more. Zuko picked up the pieces and placed a fresh log for Sokka to hit next. The Water Tribe boy frowned as he noticed the firebender had done a much better job of creating uniform and usable pieces.

The Fire Prince placed another log onto his own stump as he prepared to keep chopping. "Jin filled me in on what you all found inside the mountain. I want you to know that if you and Jin hadn't searched for and found them, then a whole lot more villagers would have died."

"Ppft," spat out Sokka as he picked up a mess of scattered split logs from the ground. He scowled at how lopsided they were. "I know that. I've been fighting in this war for all of spring and most of the summer. And I've..." The Water Warrior paused slightly as memories of a silver-haired princess and a fan-wielding warrior flashed within his mind. His face hardened. "I've lost people too. I know that you can't save everyone. Sometimes people die and there is nothing you can do about it. I've had to shield Aang from that truth several times on our journey together."

Zuko paused mid swing as he lowered his axe. That was surprisingly insightful for the Water Tribe boy. Perhaps he had been overly concerned for his friend. Sokka appeared to be better composed than Zuko had given him credit for.

Sokka's next swing came crashing down to pulverize another log as the wood exploded into useless chunks. Zuko frowned. Maybe he had spoken too soon. "Sokka..." the firebender started.

The Water Tribe boy buried his axe head into the stump in front of him with a frustrated swing. "Why did I let Hama gain control of me?! I should have been smarter than that. I knew that Hama was controlling people with her waterbending somehow. And here I go, just running blindly into the fight and nearly making a complete mess of things. I'm supposed to be smarter than that. I have to be smarter than that. I can't do things like that when we invade the Fire Capital. It could get people killed."

Sokka punched a tree and then shook his hand to wave away the pain. "It would have been over in a flash. It took Hama less than a minute to control me. If Katara hadn't stopped Hama when she did..."

Zuko finally noticed that Sokka's meteorite blade wasn't on the Water Tribe boy's back. Sokka hadn't gone anywhere without that sword ever since he made it in Piandao's forge. The Fire Prince vaguely recalled seeing the weapon back up in their shared room, haphazardly tossed against a corner.

Approaching the Water Tribe boy, Zuko placed his hand on Sokka's shoulder. When Sokka turned around to face the Fire Prince, he saw Zuko give him a grim look of understanding. Then, without warning, the firebender sucker-punched the Water Warrior square in the jaw as the warrior tumbled to the ground.

The world spun for Sokka as he held his head to get the bells to stop ringing. "What was that for?!" mustered Sokka angrily as he scrambled back to his feet and massaged his jaw in his hand gingerly. Zuko punched the Water Warrior squarely in the stomach this time as Sokka doubled over in surprise.

Growling fiercely, Sokka leapt at the firebender and tackled the already injured boy to the ground. He didn't like the idea of fighting a wounded friend, but Zuko had hit him twice already. It was time for the gloves to come off. "Stop doing that!" Sokka shouted as he delivered a swift return punch to Zuko's chin while he sat on top of the firebender to pin him to the ground.

Zuko winced terribly in pain. He really was too sore to be getting into a fight right now. This hadn't been his greatest idea, but he chalked it up to being too tired to think too complexly. And with Sokka, the straightforward solution was usually best for this stubborn fool.

Shifting his weight, the Fire Prince bucked the Water Warrior over the firebender's head and pivoted on the ground as he straddled Sokka in a reversal. The firebender then proceeded to punch the other boy a couple more times in the chest and face. "Are you in control of your body right now?!"

Fed up with being the punching bag, Sokka copied Zuko's move and threw the firebender off of him. With a cry of fury, he punched the Fire Prince in the chest a couple of times. "Of course I am! That's why I'm about to kick your butt! This has been a long time coming!"

Zuko shrunk into a defensive turtle-duck position as he defended his vitals from the Water Tribe boy's reckless blows. "Then, what are you really mad about?!" the firebender shouted in return.

"Mad?!" If his friend really wanted to know what Sokka was mad about, then the enraged Water Warrior was going to tell him. "I'm mad about how I couldn't protect my friends! I'm mad about how I was a liability. Mad about how I almost hurt them instead of defending them! My bad luck curse almost struck again! I lost Yue! I lost Suki! And I almost lost Jin!" Sokka paused as the words came out of his mouth.

Zuko didn't hesitate as he countered with a swift upward palm strike to push Sokka away and lay him flat out onto his back. Sokka wasn't quick to recover, opting to instead remain laying on his back, his arms spread out wide as he stared up at the sky. The Water Tribe boy was breathing in and out heavily from the scuffle he had just been in.

The Fire Prince crawled over to his friend's side, shifting into a cross legged sitting position next to the Water Tribe boy. "You didn't pull your punches," groaned Zuko as he massaged his side. Sokka didn't respond. Leaning back, Zuko added, "But I guess I didn't either though."

"I'm not ready to tell another girl that I like her," muttered Sokka lowly.

"Then, don't," replied Zuko as he turned away and spit out some blood. "But be honest with yourself at least."

Sokka kept staring at the white clouds in the sky. "You couldn't have just told me that?"

"Your Father once told me that real men talk with their fists," smirked Zuko as he stood up and offered the Water Tribe boy a hand to get back up.

Grinning as he accepted the offered boost, Sokka rose as well. "You let me beat you up for that? I nearly beat up a cripple."

"Even wounded, I'm more than a match for you," joked Zuko, just before wincing as his laugh caused his side to ache. Sokka snorted with indignation. The Fire Prince continued to walk towards the meadow behind the inn. "Is Katara over here?"

Sokka nodded. "She's in the meadow, but..." The firebender turned back to see the tense expression on his friend's face. "Whatever Hama said to her, it really tore her apart. Jin and I have been giving her some space, mostly because neither of us knows what to say, but Katara's not letting anyone come close right now." The Water Tribe boy watched as the firebender nodded once in understanding and proceeded onward towards the meadow.

There were fire lilies everywhere, as far as the eye could see. A sea of red and orange hues dancing in the gentle breeze. There, seated upon a small boulder off in the distance, was the Water Tribe girl.

About a hundred different things rushed into Zuko's mind all at once as he approached the waterbender. Unfortunately, none of them seemed like the right thing to say as he neared. The Fire Prince didn't even get the chance to say her name when several jagged spikes of ice rose up between them, forming a physical barrier to ward off anyone from getting too close.

"Don't. Just don't come any closer to me," whispered Katara, her back still to the Fire Prince.

"Katara," started Zuko. She didn't respond to him. Zuko walked a little closer. "It's not your fault." As he put a hand on the ice spike, it shifted into a wall to prevent him from walking closer.

"Just leave me alone. Please..." pleaded Katara lowly. "I don't want to hurt you again."

Zuko waited at the ice wall for a minute. Seeing Katara this broken up about something she had unknowingly done, well, it was actually hurting him more emotionally than the physical pain that he had endured last night. With all the beatings that he had taken throughout his life, he could withstand getting knocked down. He didn't like this wall between them; the one literally between them made of ice or the figurative one that Katara had erected in her mind. She was withdrawing again, just like how she had been when he had met up with her in that port town at the start of the summer. No, maybe this time might have actually been worse.

Making sure his voice was loud enough, Zuko declared his piece at the ice barrier between them. "I want you to know, I don't blame you. Hama was twisting your mind. Hama was trying to make you into someone you're not."

"Hama didn't have to do much," declared Katara darkly from her side of the ice wall. "I hate admitting it, but Hama was right. I was enjoying getting my revenge. I wanted to make Yon Rha hurt, make him suffer. I wanted him to bleed. I'm a bloodbender. A monster."

"You're not a monster. You're just... Katara," replied Zuko. There wasn't an answer from the other side of the ice barrier. Zuko punched the wall with the side of his fist. "I'm not going to condemn you. You never condemned me for my mistakes. No matter what you think of yourself right now, I'm not going to let you give up on yourself."

Katara was glad for the ice wall between them, because she didn't want Zuko to see how much she was shaking right now. "Please, just go. Leave me alone," she repeated, her voice cracking as she attempted to hold it together.

Zuko didn't say anything either for another minute. Then, "Thank you for healing me." With that, the Fire Prince took a step back and began to return to the inn.

Katara fought the urge to turn around and call out to the firebender. She knew she couldn't trust herself to be around him right now, nor could she bear to look at him directly in the eyes. If she did either, then she might very well slap him. Or cry. Or kiss him. And in that moment, she would never know which was right and which was wrong and which was madness.

---

Two village militiamen lined the front of the makeshift jail house that contained Hama while two more stood outside the door leading to her room directly. This little out-of-the-way village didn't have an actual prison or guard house. A runner had been sent to the nearby port city to fetch soldiers and a judge from the nearest garrison. Probably why Hama had such an easy time terrorizing this place.

Each of the volunteer soldiers looked exceedingly jumpy and none appeared thrilled to be anywhere near a witch who had controlled the bodies of so many people. When Zuko identified himself as a firebender and as one of the victims who had suffered under Hama's bloodbending the previous night, the nervous militiamen were only all too willing to make themselves scarce for a short while when he asked to talk to Hama alone.

"I wondered when you might be along," quipped Hama as she sat chained to the wall by both her hands and feet. "I guess it was too much to hope that my young protégé would have come to her senses and finished you off when she had the chance."

Zuko ignored the obvious inciting comment as he closed the door behind him. "Katara will never become like you," he stated evenly as he paused outside of Hama's cell. "I am truly sorry for everything that led you down the path you have suffered. But that does not excuse your actions nor does that give you any claim over Katara."

"The seeds have already been planted. They have already bloomed. She shares my gift and she shares my power. What is known, can never be unknown. No more so than you could stop the ocean waves from ebbing and flowing or I could stop the lava from rolling down a volcano," taunted Hama.

"Yes, Katara shares the same Water Tribe as you, the same people as you," acknowledged Zuko with a frown. "And instead of wishing better for the new generation of your people, you tried to drag her down into the same pit of misery that you yourself cannot seem to escape."

"I'll not have a firebender preach right and wrong to me," spat back Hama. "I did right by my people. I have ensured that our stories will not fade away; our knowledge will endure, and our legacy will be secured. You know as well as I that Katara will not forget the lessons I taught her, the plight I shared of the Southern waterbenders. Try as she might, she will never allow herself to forget."

"She's stronger than you," affirmed Zuko sharply. "You cracked under the pressure. You gave up. Katara has friends to make sure that she doesn't suffer the same fate. She has me."

"You're a curse upon her," growled Hama from her cell. "You cause her more misery just for being a firebender. She'll never know happiness if she stays at your side."

"We're stronger together. This world is divided. Everywhere we go, people seem to want to keep the world divided. You, my Father, you're both scared that something better could be forged if the different nations worked together, in harmony," reasoned Zuko.

"You're the Fire Prince, sparking war and chaos is in your blood. Don't try to deny it. You are nothing more than your Father's son," accused Hama.

With a faint, somber expression, Zuko stated, "My Father disowned me a long time ago. Katara was the one to help me understand that. Like I said, she's strong."

Glaring at the Fire Prince, the water witch pressed, "Why are you even here? To sing Katara's praises? To gloat over my defeat now that our roles are reversed? I don't need to justify my actions to a firebender."

Zuko returned Hama's glare. "I simply wanted to tell you that you're wrong about bloodbending. You see it as some sort of superweapon, just like my Sister sees lightningbending the same way."

"Lies," returned Hama automatically.

"I have no need to lie," stated Zuko. "I've been thinking. There's two sides to firebending. So why can't there be two sides to waterbending too? Sure, bloodbending is powerful, but when Katara first discovered the ability, she was saving my life. She used bloodbending to keep me from bleeding out. A force of destruction can be used as a force for good, if we're willing to use it as such."

"More lies," cursed Hama, still in denial.

"Everyone has a story," muttered Zuko absently as he recalled the lion turtle. "You may have forced your own chapter within Katara's story but she has people in her life who will not allow her to travel down the same dark path as you. You many have used bloodbending to harm, but Sokka, Jin, and I will make sure that she understands that bloodbending is able to do much more than that."

Hama's glare against the Fire Prince did not relent. "You try to make it sound like I asked to be defeated in battle and taken to the Fire Nation as a war trophy. When I watched my brethren in prison die off one by one, I had a choice; join them in death or keep fighting until the bitter end. The Fire Nation brought an army of savages into our lands. An army of murderers and raiders. If I had to do it all over, knowing where I'd end up, I pray I'd make the right choice again."

Zuko remained stone-faced. Resolute, Hama finished her declaration. "I fought. I lost. Now, I rest. But you, Fire Prince, you'll be fighting your Father's battles forever. And Katara, she'll be fighting my battles incessantly. The tragedy almost writes itself."

With that, Hama turned away from the Fire Prince and began to ignore him. Realizing that he didn't have anything more to say to Hama either, Zuko turned and started to depart the makeshift jail house.

Pausing near the door leading outside, Zuko picked up his almost completed light blue stone necklace from the assortment of items the arresting villagers had stored in a bin near the front door. This was the actual reason why he had come to see Hama in the first place. He wanted this back.

Zuko sighed. As much as the venture into this town had been a complete disaster, Hama had taught him a valuable truth. Not everyone was going to be willing to listen to the change he wanted to bring to the Fire Nation. And some would undoubtedly go out of their way to sabotage that change due to grudges suffered during the war. If he ever got the chance to lead as Fire Lord, the road ahead was going to be an arduous one indeed.

As Zuko was about to leave, he noticed a familiar worn Water Tribe hair comb amongst the other confiscated items.

If he left it here, then the villagers would undoubtedly burn it after they executed Hama. Maybe that was for the best. Let Hama's story end here. From behind him, Zuko heard Hama softly humming a Water Tribe melody that he recalled Katara's Gran-Gran humming back in the South Pole.

Against his better decision, Zuko picked up the hair comb and placed it in his pocket. Glancing over his shoulder, the Fire Prince whispered, "Farewell... Hama. Thank you for the lessons."

---

The bucket of ice cold water was easily enough to jar the slumbering airbender awake as he stuttered the water from his mouth, coughing and shivering from the chill. His eyes flickering around wildly, Aang realized that he was restrained to an X-shaped wooden crossbeam again.

"I know the accommodations probably aren't exactly what you're accustomed too, but we did try to make it feel like home. See? Ty Lee drew an Air Nomad symbol on the wall over there," welcomed Azula as she handed the empty bucket in her hands to one of her soldiers.

Aang struggled uselessly against his rope bindings. Airbending wasn't very much use here. The flooring itself was wood, so earthbending wasn't any better. Not that Aang was very confident with his earthbending to cut his bindings without hurting himself in the process. His aim still wasn't the greatest. He didn't have any water, so no waterbending. And firebending was never an option.

Noticing Aang squirming around, Azula grinned wickedly. "Already trying to figure out a way to escape. You're a fighter, Avatar. I can respect that." Then, without warning, Azula cleanly broke Aang's right leg with a sharp, brutal kick to his restrained limb.

An audible crunching of bone reverberated loudly throughout the high-ceiling dungeon room, followed by the anguished cries of a shocked Aang. The airbender could do nothing to tend to the clean break of his leg as he was tied tightly to the X-shaped crossbeam. All he could do was scream in pain.

"Now, now, calm down," soothed Azula as she observed the tormented young Avatar with disinterest. "It could have been worse. I could have had your entire leg removed. But if I did that, then I wouldn't have anything to escalate your punishment too, if you attempted to escape." Aang continued to cry out in anguish from his broken leg. Azula sighed. "Though, it looks like you're not going anywhere with just this much."

"Azula..." cursed Aang through clenched teeth. "You can break my bones, but you're not getting me to tell you anything."

Aang watched an impish smile grew on Azula's face, like she was a cat who had just caught a canary. "You've already told me everything that I wanted to know."

At Aang's confused and strained expression, the Fire Princess waved for Suki to step forward. "Did you really think one of your friends from the Earth Kingdom just happened to stumble upon you in the middle of the Fire Nation?"

"Suki! You said that you escaped! Jet had that code phrase that freed you and Mai. What happened?!" shouted Aang.

"Oh that? That was just for show," laughed Azula. "Your other friends have run into my minions before. I needed something to make them lower their defenses. Though, it seems I needn't have bothered. Your friends have already long since abandoned you for my Brother."

"What? No! That's not what happened!" claimed Aang.

"Apparently Zuzu's grown bold, surrounded by idealistic morons, to think he could return here to the Fire Nation," continued Azula. "He'll need to be punished for that. Him and his lackeys."

The pain of his freshly broken leg jarred through his body as he shifted, but Aang fought through it as he countered, "You won't find them."

"I'll have them soon enough," declared Azula. "You already revealed that too."

"How? Even I don't know where they are," denied Aang.

"If this water peasant compatriot of yours is as smart as you think he is, then there's only a couple of locations in the Fire Nation where he can hide this supposed invasion fleet of his," elaborated Azula. "And you let me know that they are already on their way."

The Fire Princess patted the restrained Avatar lightly on the head, lording her vastly superior upper hand over him. Then, she pinched his cheek and slapped him across the face. "Don't worry, we won't be killing you. Too much trouble seeking out the new Avatar when we'll have much more important things to be doing soon. And if you don't act up, then I won't have to break your other limbs."

Walking away with a silent Suki at her side, Azula left a stunned and guilt-ridden Avatar stuttering in his prison cell.

Outside the torture chamber underneath the Royal Palace, Azula considered what possible uses she could have for the Avatar. One particular idea stood out amongst the rest. Her Dai Li agents had proven themselves quite useful time and time again. Having a devoted and specialized squad of earthbenders, in addition to the firebenders at her beck and call, was invaluable. Now, what if she had some airbenders as well?

It wouldn't be that difficult to order some Fire Nation women to bear the last airbender's children. Then, those children that revealed themselves to be airbenders would be taken and trained to be loyal to the Fire Nation and, more specifically, to her.

It was a long term plan, but Azula could be patient. Especially, if she was planting the seeds to grow her strength to be able to challenge her Father for the throne later in life.

A Fire Nation soldier rushed up to the Fire Princess and saluted, before unfurling a leather-bound map and holding it out for Azula to see. "The tacticians have analyzed the possible infiltration routes. They have marked four possible uninhabited islands that could be used at a launch point: The Sibuyan Chain, The Ma'inka Shoal, The Pale Cliffs of Jo Shun, or Bhuzu Island."

Azula assessed the map with a critical eye as she ran though several possibilities in her head. She circled the Pale Cliffs. "They're here."

"The tacticians claim that the most likely gathering point will be Bhuzu Island," noted the Fire Nation soldier bravely. "It is closer to the Fire Capital and it avoids the major shipping lanes."

Azula glared at the Fire Nation soldier as he shrank away slightly. "The tacticians are idiots. If Bhuzu Island is the most likely gathering point, then I can assure you that the invasion fleet will not be there." Begrudgingly, she added, "This water peasant has proven himself smarter than that."

Continuing on her way down the hall, Azula ordered over her shoulder, "Call back the patrolling Central Fleet. And send them to the Pale Cliffs. We'll end this invasion before it even gets started." With another salute, the Fire Nation soldier hurried to relay the Fire Princess' orders.

---

Lieutenant Zuri remained steadfast in her vigilance as she stood watch outside the Captain's Quarters on guard duty. Chieftain Hakoda and Admiral Jeong Jeong were inside, discussing the upcoming invasion plan on the Fire Nation Capital City.

It seemed preposterous to her, if she was being honest. This resistance force had two captured battleships, a handful of frigates, and maybe a enough personnel to crew about two thirds of the positions onboard, if Zuri was being generous.

Hardly a noteworthy invasion force. The defensive line to the Fire Capital would be able to stop an attack of this scale without too much difficulty. The Great Gates of Azulon would be an impossible challenge in and of itself. Surely Admiral Jeong Jeong knew this. So, why was he so confident in whatever this Water Chieftain's plan was?

Off to her side, Zuri heard the crunch of an apple as she sighed. The other guard stationed at the door was some happy-go-lucky Water Tribe Warrior, Pato or Dato or Bato or some such. The man had introduced himself during an earlier meeting the previous day, but with his carefree attitude, Zuri hadn't concerned herself with remembering his name. She found his relaxed demeanor unbecoming of a professional soldier.

"You keep scowling like that, and your pretty face is going to wrinkle well before it should," commented Bato with his mouth full.

Zuri balked at notion. "Please finish chewing before you talk. And aren't you supposed to be on guard duty?"

"Just because I'm on guard duty, doesn't mean that I can't have a snack," laughed Bato as he continued to peel the apple in his hands with a knife.

"You're distracted. Someone could easily get the drop on you while you're eating," observed Lieutenant Zuri.

"Man, you're a stickler for rules, ain't ya?" Bato twirled his knife around in his hand with seasoned familiarity. "Who's to say that I'm not allowing people to think I'm distracted while I lure them to strike where I want them to?"

Zuri glared at the Water Warrior critically. He did seem to know how to wield that blade in his hands. Rolling her eyes, the Lieutenant decided to allow the Tribesman to have this argument. When she didn't answer, Bato shrugged his shoulders and simply popped another piece of apple into his mouth.

These were the types of people that she was supposed to fight with against the mighty Fire Nation Armada? Admiral Jeong Jeong had instructed her to get to know the Water Tribesmen and Earth Kingdom soldiers on Hakoda's flagship, in order to build trust and camaraderie, but this was utterly frustrating. These people were simply undisciplined and oblivious to the dangers of war. How had they survived this long? It must have been luck.

"You know, you're not exactly what I pictured a Fire Nation officer would be like," commented Bato, initializing the next conversation. When Zuri didn't respond to him, Bato continued, "Sure, you're uptight, prim and proper, and woefully boring." Zuri sent a sideways glare at Bato, who simply laughed heartily. "But you're here with us now. That counts for something."

"That's pretty open-minded of you," observed Lieutenant Zuri. Then, she probed, "How do we know that you all won't just abandon us during the invasion of the Fire Capital?"

Bato laughed some more. "Direct. I forgot to mention direct, didn't I?" He swirled the knife in his hand once before cutting another piece of apple and handing the chunk outwards to the Fire Nation officer. "We're not clever like you islanders. When we say we'll do something, we do it."

Pushing the apple chunk away in refusal, Zuri noted, "Even you can't be that dense. Up until just recently, we were on opposite sides. The Southern Raiders were the sworn enemies of the Southern Water Tribes. You're telling me that all that bad blood is just gone?"

The easygoing expression in Bato's eyes flickered for a moment as he withdrew the apple piece and ate it himself instead. "I'm not saying that. But our Water Chieftain made a decision and we are loyal to Hakoda. Your actions during this invasion will determine just how willing we will be to forgive after this war is concluded."

Bato's nonchalant facade faded for the briefest of moments as he answered Zuri there, and the Fire Lieutenant felt a cold chill run down her spine as she bore witness to the real intensity hidden away behind the carefree smile. Still, that only added to the creditability of Bato's response as Zuri began to understand the strength of the Water Tribes just a little better. They were much more united than the Fire Nation forces were.

Sheathing his knife with a showy display, Bato mentioned offhandedly, "It's the Earth Kingdom soldiers that you should probably watch out for, honestly. They're more stubborn than us Water Tribe. And they won't hesitate to get in your face if you cause trouble. The Southern Raiders hit a lot of coastal Earth Kingdom villages too."

"You might be right about that," muttered Zuri as she noticed the multiple unhidden glares that she had been receiving from various Earth Kingdom soldiers on the deck of the ship. There were a couple of dirty looks from some of the Water Tribesmen too. Apparently, not all the Water Warriors were in agreement with their Chieftain's decision, despite Bato's insistence.

While the Fire Lieutenant was scanning the ship deck, she noticed a pint-sized little girl march right by her without so much as a care and press her ear against the metal door to the Captain's Quarters. Looking over at Bato, the Water Warrior didn't seem to mind the little girl's presence in the slightest as he continued to gnaw on the apple core in his hands.

Zuri sighed. Of course, when it came time to do real work, the responsibility of actual guard duty was going to fall onto her. Approaching the little girl, Zuri bluntly stated, "What are you doing? This isn't a place for children. The galley's below decks if you're hungry."

"Shush, be quiet," hushed the little girl as she pressed her ear to the door a little closer. "I'm training."

"Training?" questioned the Fire Lieutenant. "What are you talking about?"

Clearly annoyed that someone was bugging her, the little girl turned around with an exasperated sigh, like what she was doing was obvious. "I'm listening to the conversation inside using the vibrations through the metal. I almost figured this out yesterday. I think I've got it this time."

Rolling her eyes, Zuri picked up the little girl by the back of her tunic and placed her down a ways from the door. "Look, as much as I'd like to humor you, we're busy. That door is four inches of cold-rolled steel. You're not hearing anything through that, no matter how good your ears are. Besides, the resistance leaders are discussing important matters in there. This is no place for a child."

"Nah, it's fine," commented Bato as he tossed the apple core overboard and pulled another piece of fruit out from a small leather bag at his side.

Zuri glared at the Water Tribesman. "It's fine?" she repeated incredulously. "Sensitive war plans are being discussed inside and it's fine that a small child is pretending to spy on the conversation?"

"Yeah, it's not a problem," shrugged Bato. "She's allowed inside, but she claims that she's been working on a new technique for the last week and would rather listen from out here."

The Fire Lieutenant stared at Bato like the man had grown a second head. Zuri took back the all praise she had for the Water Warrior's wit. It turned out that the man was actually just a complete imbecile.

She was going to have to handle this herself. Directing her attention down at the little girl, Zuri attempted to smile kindly as she said, "Look, we're not messing around here. If you keep trying to get into the Captain's Quarters, then you're going to have to deal with me."

The little girl didn't say anything in response. In fact, the entirety of the ship's deck appeared to grow quiet as several of the nearby sailors halted at Zuri's words. Confused, the Fire Lieutenant glanced around the area. 'What's going on?' she thought to herself.

"I'll accept your challenge," declared the little girl confidently as she drew Zuri's attention back to her.

'Is she... Is she smiling?' reflected Zuri, clearly baffled as to what was happening. Even more confusing was when the sailors on the deck instantly cleared out the immediate area and generated enough space to be used for a practice field. 'Who is this girl?'

Bato took a seat on a nearby barrel. "Didn't think a firebender trying to win the support of Hakoda's crew would challenge the de-facto leader of the Earth Kingdom forces. A word of warning, I wouldn't hold back if I were you. Hopefully you caught Toph in a good mood. She's been pretty annoyed these last couple of days."

"You're joking," retorted Zuri as she pointed at the little earthbender doing some light stretches on the opposite side of the dueling grounds. "That girl's the leader of all these earthbenders and Earth Kingdom soldiers?"

Bato grinned as he nodded. "She's dueled them all and beat them all. Multiple times too. Remember, earthbenders are stubborn. Because of that, those brutes treat her as their commander. Good luck now!"

Still completely convinced that this was some kind of elaborate joke that the Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom forces were attempting to deceive Admiral Jeong Jeong's forces with, Zuri cautiously took a firebending stance opposite to the little earthbending girl. Zuri frowned when she noticed that this Toph girl was standing completely still. 'That's her stance? She has openings everywhere.'

Completely positive that she was going to cause some kind of incident for harming a little girl and sour relations between the rag-tag forces, Zuri decided to just scare off the little girl in front of her. With a basic fire jab, Zuri launched a small fireball that would miss the little girl by a safe margin, while hopefully being close enough to intimidate the small girl.

Bato shook his head with disapproval as he realized what Zuri was up to. "I tried to warn her..." he muttered.

Zuri's fireball scorched against the steel deck plating with a fizzling whoosh. Toph appeared visibly annoyed at the lack of respect that her opposite was giving to this match. Shifting her bare feet across the smooth metal surface, Toph took control of a mountain of coal alongside the side of the ship that several other earthbenders had been practicing with earlier.

The Fire Lieutenant paled at the sight of the looming tower of coal before diving to the side, hearing the crashing roar as the black rocks impacted where she had just been standing moments ago. Rolling back to her feet, Zuri realized that she did indeed, need to take this fight seriously.

Launching into a series of concussive blasts, Zuri fired off a barrage of precise fireballs directly at the little earthbender before charging directly behind her projectiles, small flame daggers erupting from her hands. Zuri was average at best as a distance fighter. Where she excelled, was at close combat.

Toph actually yawned loudly into her hand as she casually bent the coal into columns to effortlessly block the fireballs. As Zuri drew near, Toph stepped forward as she punched up a rock outcropping from the coal around her feet.

The Fire Lieutenant placed a foot on top of the rock outcropping and used it as a springboard to launch herself high into the air. Predicting the likely trajectory of her airborne opponent, Toph swiped her open palm horizontally through the air as she brought up a similarly large hand constructed out of coal to bat the flying firebender away.

With a burst of fire from her hand, Zuri barely managed to gain enough lift to arc her body up and over the large coal hand as it attempted to swat her from the side. Toph frowned slightly when she realized that her simple attack failed to connect with her target. Settling into a defensive stance, Toph went on high alert, waiting and listening for the instant that Zuri landed on the deck once more.

Falling back to the ship's surface, Zuri locked her feet together as she propelled fire from her heels and rocketed herself at the earthbender below. Spiraling as she picked up momentum, Zuri noticed that the little Earth Kingdom girl wasn't looking in her direction, but was instead staring downward with her eyes closed.

'This has to be a trap!' shouted Zuri to herself internally. 'Who in their right mind closes their eyes during a fight?' Figuring the earthbender would launch some kind of defense at the last moment, Zuri braced herself to fend off a tornado of coal or something similar.

The distance between the two closed rapidly. The earthbender still didn't move or attempt to launch a counterstrike. Zuri's flame dagger was pointed outward as she flew by the small Earth Kingdom girl, tucking herself into a roll as she landed on the deck.

Zuri spun on her heels, her flame daggers held defensively, expecting a column of earthbending or perhaps a flying stalagmite or two. Instead, the Fire Lieutenant was greeted by the sight of Toph staring at her blankly, a shallow cut on the young earthbender's right cheek from where Zuri's flame dagger had grazed the young girl's skin.

Toph reached up and touched her face, feeling the sticky, warm blood on her fingers. Then, to Zuri's surprise, the little earthbender grinned wickedly. "It's been a while since I lost a match," acknowledged Toph at the first blood that Zuri had claimed. The small Earth Kingdom girl shifted into a more serious stance than the one she had been fighting in from the start. "I see you. You and me, we're going to be training together from now on. I want to learn how you did that. But first..." Toph trailed off as she stomped heavily on the metal ship deck.

Zuri felt the metal deck plating shift and throw her off her feet before another piece of sheet metal batted her harshly in the side and threw her back towards the end of the ship. Rolling head over feet, Zuri came to a stop in front of the door to Captain's Quarters. As she lay on her back looking skywards, the Fire Lieutenant attempted to figure out what had just happened.

Hearing the door to the Captain's Quarters open calmly behind her, Zuri arched her head to see an upside down Jeong Jeong looming over her in the doorframe with an amused smirk on his face. "I see you're making friends. That's good."

Zuri simply allowed the back of her head to lie flat against the cool deck of the ship in defeat as the little earthbender continued to bask in the praises of the Earth Kingdom soldiers and Water Tribe warriors cheering in the background.

---

"Where are we going again?" asked Sokka as the group of four flew on Edel across the sea. "There isn't much time left until we have to be at the rendezvous point. We don't have anymore time for adventures. And I don't think we can handle another one like we just had."

"I know. And you've already pointed out where the rendezvous is on the map. The place I'm taking us too is only a day away from the rendezvous," explained Zuko. "Besides, I don't think any of us want to stay in Hama's inn any longer."

No one argued that. Jin looked over at Katara sitting in the rear saddle seat with a heavy red blanket over her head. It had taken Sokka a lot of coaxing and pleading, but he had finally managed to convince his Sister to at least get onto Edel so that they could travel.

The Earth Kingdom girl really wished she could get her friend to say something, but every time Jin tried to start a conversation, Katara muttered one word answers until the conversation ultimately stalled out. 'Zuko's right,' agreed Jin silently. 'We all need to get away from that dark inn. Too many unpleasant memories.'

Glancing over Edel's wing, Jin noticed a lone beach house on a hill overlooking the sea with a long, winding path leading up to it. The roof was a traditional red and gold tiled cover with sea salt white walls. "Oh? Is that it?" asked the Earth Kingdom girl.

Sokka leaned over from across Edel's other wing to get a better view. Zuko just merely tilted his head downward. The Fire Prince already knew what the destination looked like. One of the sparse, bittersweet memories from his childhood. Hopefully, this plan of his would work. "Yeah, we're here," answered Zuko.

Edel came down for a landing as the four of them disembarked. Katara immediately walked off towards the beach by herself and sat on a log as she stared out at the sea quietly. Zuko watched her go. He wanted to say something, but first things first.

"Let's go check out the inside and assess the damage," the Fire Prince stated as he walked up the steps and tried the front door handle. It broke off in his hand, brittle from the salty sea air. Dropping the useless handle, Zuko shoved his shoulder against the door, but it caught, the frame warped from years of zero maintenance. "Ow..." grumbled Zuko as he felt the throbbing pain spark in his shoulder from the impact.

Sokka stepped forward as he pulled the Fire Prince back. "Come on, you know I'm the muscle around here." Zuko allowed the Water Tribe boy to have this one. The Fire Prince's still recovering wounds didn't exactly leave much room to argue. With some force and a shoulder bash or three, Sokka managed to throw the door open.

There was dust on everything. A window had blown open in the main chamber as sand and water damage from coastal rains filled a corner of the room. A stale odor wafted through the silent building. Evidently, this place had been long since abandoned.

Wiping his hand across a wooden desk surface, Sokka frowned at the amount of sand and dust he collected. "And uh... what exactly is this wonderous place that you brought us too?"

Zuko didn't answer immediately, instead he opted to stand in the common room in front of a tall picture frame that had been covered with a faded sheet. Sighing, Zuko gripped the tarp and dragged it from the painting. A royal portrait of his family stared back at him. "Welcome... to my Father's beach house."

"What?!" exclaimed both Sokka and Jin in surprise. Suddenly, the neglected beach house appeared more unwelcoming than it already was. The Water Tribe boy recovered first. "And you're sure we won't run into any surprises here?"

"My family hasn't used this beach house since my Mother disappeared. Father hated every second he had to endure being here. And Azula was always bored here. It had always been Mother's incessance that we ever took trips to Ember Island in the first place," explained Zuko. "I doubt my Father or Sister, or anyone for that matter, has set foot in this beach house in years."

"And no one's going to come wandering around here, because they know it belongs to the Fire Lord," deduced Sokka as he slowly came around to why this might be a good place to lay low for a bit. "Okay, this could work."

Exploring the rest of the place, it appeared the kitchen was empty and the cabinets were bare. No surprise there. If there had been any food, then it would have reeked. The bed sheets needed to be washed and cleaned, but the frames and the mattresses were still strong and comfortable, much to everyone's delight. It didn't seem like they would have to camp out on hard bed rolls.

Sokka, Jin, and Zuko set about to making some of the multiple bedrooms, the main area, and kitchen more hospitable for the rest of the day. Night had rolled in before they were done. Luckily, they had food stuffs that they had taken from Hama's inn before they departed to cook for dinner.

Katara wandered into the beach house at some point, but went straight to one of the bedrooms and shut the door behind her. Jin left a warm bowl of dinner at her friend's door.

---

The next day, Jin volunteered to keep eye on Katara as Sokka and Zuko ventured into one of the nearby Ember Island towns for supplies and to ensure no one was going to bother them up at the beach house for the short time they planned to stay there.

Sokka was distractedly making a list of the various supplies he wanted to collect when he finally looked up and realized that the two of them were not in the market area but instead in a theater district.

"Why are we wasting time here?" groaned the Water Tribe boy. "We don't have time to take in a show."

"That's not why we're here," replied Zuko as he continued to lead the pair of them around. It almost appeared as though the Fire Prince was looking for something, although he didn't answer when Sokka asked him what that was specifically.

Quickly growing bored, the Water Tribe boy started to look at the various theater production posters on the walls of the district. There was the standard line-up of romance, action, comedy, and drama plays being performed daily here on the Ember Islands.

However, it was one poster in particular that caught Sokka's eye just as he was about to wander somewhere else. "The Kid in the Iceberg," muttered Sokka as he read the title and glanced up at the lead character depicted on the poster holding a thin staff. "Hey, wait a minute!" Sokka exclaimed as he realized why the poster looked familiar. Unfortunately for the Water Tribe boy, Zuko chose that moment to tug his friend on the shoulder.

"Found what I'm looking for, come on," the Fire Prince urged as he started to drag the Water Tribe boy towards a shop on the far end of the road.

"Hold up, hold up!" Sokka protested as he flailed his arms. "I was reading that poster. Is that a play about what I think it is?"

Zuko looked back over in the direction that Sokka was pointing wildly. "The Creature from the Black Swamp? Not one of the Ember Island Players better works, but it's popular enough to get several retellings over the years."

Sokka looked back and realized that he was pointing at the wrong poster. "Not that one. The one next to it! I think it's about Aang."

"That's ridiculous," dismissed Zuko as he led his friend into the shop he had found. "Where would anyone here get the background information to write a proper story about the Avatar?"

Sokka assumed a thinking pose with his hand on his chin while Zuko looked through the store's merchandise. "Well, Aang was pretty loose-lipped about his life to the people we talked too during our travels. I kept telling him to stop, but he's very trusting. Maybe his stories spread?" suggested Sokka.

"If that's the case, then any play will be second hand information of second hand information. Which means the story will be a mess and the writer will just fill in any gaps as they please," assessed Zuko casually as he rummaged through some more items.

"You're probably right," replied Sokka as he rubbed the back of his head and looked out the front window back at the poster in question. The Water Tribe boy was still interested in checking the play out though. Maybe when they had more time. Just to see what the Fire Nation thought it knew about Aang. 'Maybe I should go back and check out the show times,' Sokka thought idly. Then, he was finally broken out of his ponderings as he noticed Zuko tugging at something from underneath a pile of random stuff. "Wait, what are you doing?"

Successfully pulling out the thing he was trying to get, Zuko held up two options in front of Sokka. "Which one looks more authentic?"

"What?" Sokka studied both items before pointing to the one on the left. "That one. What does this have to do about anything?"

Zuko scrutinized the option that Sokka had picked, before tossing it back on the pile and opting to go with the choice on the right.

Annoyed, Sokka fumed, "Hey! You asked for my opinion and then you didn't take my advice?"

"I did," shrugged Zuko. "But I've seen your lack of artistic sense back during Piandao's training. I knew that whichever one you chose wouldn't actually look right. And I need to get this right, because it's going to help Katara."

Sokka was about to argue that he had a great artistic sense, when he heard Zuko's last line. "Wait, what do you mean?" He looked around the shop they were in. "How would anything in here help Katara?"

Zuko offered a counter question. "How much do you know about psychological abuse and mental trauma?"

"Not much," replied Sokka earnestly.

Zuko held up the items in his hands. "Trust me. This is going to help."

---

When they returned to the beach house, Jin reported that Katara hadn't moved from her spot on the beach all day long. "I'm really worried about her," expressed Jin. "It's not healthy for Katara to push us all away like this. I want to help, but she's not letting any of us in."

"It's alright, I have a plan," reassured Zuko as he walked towards the beach with a heavy looking bag tied to his back.

"You mind letting us in on you master scheme?" huffed Jin in vexation at being left out of the plan.

Zuko shook his head as he walked past the Earth Kingdom girl. "Nope."

As the earthbender glanced over at Sokka, the Water Tribe boy shook his head as he raised his hands defensively. "Don't look at me. Genius over there didn't tell me anything either. And I may be a master tactician, but even I can't decipher nonsense."

"It's not nonsense," denied Zuko. He sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. Doubt was starting to creep into his own thoughts on whether or not this ridiculous ploy of his was going to work, or if it was going to backfire in his face spectacularly. Given his track record, it could go either way honestly. Maybe the odds were actually even skewed slightly against him.

Suddenly, the Fire Prince didn't feel that confident in his own idea. Maybe he needed to rethink this.

Taking a deep breath, Zuko calmed his nerves. No, this was going to work. He was going to make it work.

Continuing on, Zuko gave a cocky salute with his right hand. "Trust me. It's going to work."

Jin frowned. She hated it when she didn't know what was going on. One of her friends was having a nervous breakdown. Another one of her friends apparently had some kind of secret, risky gambit that was probably going to blow up in his face, and her third friend wasn't being much help either.

Grabbing Sokka by the arm, she pulled the Water Tribe boy towards the beach. "Come on. We're going to find a good vantage point above the beach. Something's about to happen and I'm not going to miss it," stated the earthbender.

"Whoa, whoa, hey!" stuttered Sokka as he pulled against Jin's grip. "Don't you think that's sort of private? We probably shouldn't be doing something like that."

Pausing, Jin turned to give her friend a confused side-eye. "Really? This coming from the guy who was all for constant surveillance on the 'oh-so evil firebender' hovering around his Sister from before?"

Sokka managed to free his arm. "I thought you wanted me to start trusting Zuko?"

"Argh," growled Jin. "Right when I needed the intrusive Sokka, you just have to go and become a more accepting person."

Sokka looked out towards the beach where Katara was still sitting on a log staring out at the ocean waves. "I don't know how to help my Sister right now. If Zuko can help her, then I'm not going to interfere. He's helped her before, after her time at the prison rig. I'm willing to give him a chance."

Jin groaned a second time. "Now? You choose now to be the bigger person?" Not that she didn't like the fact that Sokka seemed to be growing up, but right now, Jin was more concerned with making sure that Katara was going to be okay. The earthbender started towards the beach again. "Well, I'm still going to check it out. Feel free to come or not."

"Jin!" called out Sokka, hesitating a moment more before he chased after her. The two of them found a good spot overlooking the beach, up on a small sand dune rise that they could lay across on and peer over the top. "For the record, I still think that this is a bad idea," Sokka whispered.

"Duly noted, now be quiet," hushed Jin. "I think I see Zuko coming." Her face became quizzical. "What is he wearing? Is this some kind of joke?"

"I don't think he knows how to tell a proper joke," muttered Sokka as he too observed with curious eyes. "Unless, do you think it's some kind of inside joke between the two of them?"

"Shh..." quieted Jin as she stared with rapidly growing interest.

---

Her dark side frightened her. She had always viewed herself as a compassionate person who cared about others. But when Hama had told her that her Mother's killer was right in front of her, she didn't question it. Didn't question how Hama managed to track down the man, managed to capture him, or managed to prepare him like a lamb to slaughter. All Katara saw was red.

Gone was the kindness. Gone was the compassion. Gone was the humanity. All she cared about was revenge. All she wanted was for Yon Rha to hurt and bleed and suffer. The bloodbending that Hama offered was the perfect method of achieving those short term goals. All her hesitancy, all her reluctance, all of it just faded away instantly when she thought that she was confronting the man who had torn her family apart. And she had jumped at the chance to learn such a technique.

It was powerful. She could not deny that. Intoxicating, almost. Exhilarating. The ability to instill her will onto another. To bend them to her whims. If she had this power back during her time as a prisoner, then things could have played out very differently. But that was the problem.

Who was this Katara that enjoyed inflicting this asymmetrical level of pain on someone else? That reveled in standing on top of others and crushing them underfoot? That celebrated when she thought was about to get her revenge.

The Water Tribe girl wanted to deny this part of herself. Denounce it and proclaim it didn't exist. That this shadow looming over her was just a fake. But she knew. Deep down, this other Katara had always been there; waiting, watching, biding its time.

How could she face her friends and family? How would they look at her now that it was known that she had this darkness to her? She had been warned that revenge was a dark path, that it twists a person and can drive them to terrible acts. Jin had tried to prevent this, tried to make the waterbender understand. But Katara did not want to understand in the moment. She had just wanted her revenge.

And it had very nearly cost her everything. Her vengeance for the past almost claimed a potentially happy future. She had almost killed Zuko. The constant source of her happiness these last few months.

Still, she had tortured him enough. Bloodbent him in every which direction, pulled at his limbs until his arms and legs nearly collapsed. She had dragged him across the ground and smashed him against the earth. She had thought the hooded figure was Yon Rha, but, honestly, would that have made it any better?

All Katara felt was emptiness. No, that wasn't right. She felt fear that she had a darkness to her that had thought it was okay to torture anyone like that.

Sokka and Jin had looked at her with concerned eyes, with pity and fear. In the aftermath of that night, they had thought that they had hid their wary expressions, but Katara had seen it. Katara saw their caution as they approached her, heard their careful choice of words as they talked to her. Sokka and Jin had observed the strength of Katara's bloodbending first hand when she had used it on Hama. They had to have grown fearful of her. Katara just knew it.

That's why she couldn't bear to look at Zuko other day. She was thrilled that he seemed to be on the road to recovery, that he had sought her out. But the uncertainty remained. Would Zuko look at her differently? What kind of eyes would he have when he talked to her? He was the one person that she never wanted to see that fearful-of-her expression on.

An overwhelming part of the Water Tribe girl was glad that Zuko had flown them all over to this beach house. Katara couldn't stand to remain at Hama's inn any longer. The whole place just felt dark and evil. The quaint, lovely atmosphere and rustic design only amplified the dark secrets the building actually housed. How many people had Hama lured over the years to her inn, only to drag them off to her mountain cave to leave them to die?

Katara had no idea what she was going to do. The plan to invade the Fire Nation capital was only days away, but she was in no condition to fight. If she did, then she feared that this dark side of herself would emerge once more and she wasn't sure if she could put a lid on it again. But if she didn't fight, then she was letting her friends and family down. And they could fall in a battle that could have been won if she been there to help.

Not that she could think very well right now either. The waterbender hadn't slept a wink since the night of the full moon. She was terrified of what sort of nightmares would emerge within her head once she closed her eyes. She knew just how much her bad dreams could tear at her. But she was exhausted and her body was on the verge of shutting down anyway. Tonight, she would probably subject everyone to her night terrors. And she really did not want to reveal that side of herself to her Brother or her Earth Kingdom friend. Zuko would probably take it in stride. He probably already suspected what was going to happen.

The ocean waves were the only sort of calm that appeared to work on the Water Tribe girl. The steady rhythm of the constant ebb and flow across the sand. The tranquil salty breeze that brushed across her face. She could stare outward into the endless water and be at some semblance of peace.

Katara heard footsteps behind her, the crunching of sand underfoot as someone walked towards her on the beach. With a wave of her hand, the waterbender created a barrier of ice from the sea water to block the intruder's path. Maybe it was her Brother trying to comfort her again. Or maybe it was Jin bringing her some supper. Katara only hoped that it wasn't Zuko. She still wasn't ready to face him. She might never be ready to face him again. He had listened to her the other day and hadn't approached her again since she told him to leave her alone, but she had doubted he would stay away for long. It was a quality of his that she both loved and found infuriating right now.

As if to prove her point, a wave of flames melted the ice barrier with little effort. Concentrating more, Katara raised a thicker ice wall. "I told you to leave me alone," she stated dejectedly.

Zuko didn't respond. Instead the fire impacted the ice barrier with greater force than the first, again melting the obstacle as a thick steam filled the air, restricting visibility. Katara stood to her feet. Something was different this time. The firebender was coming for her. Pulling a large wave from the ocean, she surrounded herself in a tremendous igloo of ice. However, the entire structure shuddered against the firebender's next attack. Perhaps Katara was more tired than she had realized. Even beside the ocean and with night nearing, she did not feel strong enough to keep the firebender at bay.

With a final shudder, the entire igloo thawed and crumbled away as a vortex of fire wrapped around the waterbender. It felt warm, inviting. Reluctantly, Katara felt herself relaxing within its comforting embrace.

The Water Tribe girl snapped herself back to attention. She didn't deserve to be feeling calm and at peace. She tried to summon more water, but the air had dried out and the sea felt so far away beyond the wall of fire encircling her. Katara figured she should be at more of a panic, cut off from her element as she was, but she felt no alarm being surrounded by this raging inferno. She instinctively knew that these scorching flames would never harm her.

No, what made her anxious was the owner of these flames. An owner she had yet to see and still had no clue what to say to. Why hadn't he shown himself yet? As time continued to pass, Katara fidgeted even more. What was he up to?

Then, the flames died down and she saw him, standing just at the edge of where the flame wall disappeared. And she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Katara rubbed her eyes and looked again. She must already be asleep. She must have passed out while watching the sea and never realized it. Because that was the only explanation for what was she was seeing right now.

The waterbender didn't move as Zuko steadily approached her with even steps. Didn't move as he neared to within an arm's reach. Didn't breathe as he hugged her softly. This was real. She could feel his warm embrace, the pressure of his squeeze as he held her in his arms. And she hugged him back, frantically at first, but gradually, gratefully.

"You remembered," whispered Katara.

"You called me your polar bear dog before. I figured it was time to look the part," whispered back Zuko.

It was so ridiculous, so unexpected, that Katara couldn't make any sense of the situation. Zuko had somehow managed to catch her completely off guard and had evaded her defenses so easily. How was she supposed to fight him or yell at him when he was wearing a giant polar bear dog costume for her sake? Complete with the big floppy ears and the fluffy tail. All combined together with his usual scruffy swagger. It was overwhelming.

As the Fire Prince started to end the embrace, the waterbender squeezed him tighter. "Please. Just stay like this, for a little longer." She didn't want the hug to end. Right now, in this moment, she wasn't worrying about anything. All the negative thoughts that had been dragging her down, all the self-destructive ideations, all of it, none of it meant a thing. Everything was right with the world. And she felt safe and comforted and secure.

It must have been several minutes that they stood there, together and interlocked, but to the Water Tribe girl, the hug still ended too quickly. She didn't resist or pull away from him as Zuko positioned the two of them into a seated position on the beach, their backs leaning against the driftwood that the waterbender had been sitting on earlier. Rather, she rested her head on his shoulder as she leaned against the firebender.

It was irrational. That was the only explanation. For the last two days, Katara had been dreading being this close to the firebender again; unsure how she could face him after what she had done, insecure about how he would react to being driven to near death by her hand. Now, the moment was here and she couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

And just like that, with her head on his shoulder, the Water Tribe girl drifted off to sleep next to her loyal polar bear dog; her exhaustion finally winning out and her mind at ease.

Zuko smiled peacefully as he felt Katara slip into a blissful dreamland. He had practiced about fourteen different speeches in his head on his way down to the beach and he had rejected all of them. None of the words felt right. Honestly, he wasn't sure what he was going to say as he had approached her this evening. The only thing he had known was that he needed to do something. This plan of his had been a crazy longshot, but it appeared lunacy had won the day.

The slumbering and tranquil waterbender at his side was all the proof Zuko needed that this decision had been the right call. The harmonious sound of her serene breathing was worth all the odd looks he had endured back at the costume shop while trying on the animal costume, as well as all the questions from a confused Sokka that he had been forced to answer. Though, Zuko frowned as he knew he would very likely still have to endure an intensive interrogation from a very curious Jin later.

The Fire Prince had suspected that Katara might have been trying to stay awake for the last few nights. Zuko had not heard the predicted night terrors that he thought the waterbender would have as a result of Hama's influence. It appeared that his gambit managed to stave off those demons in the end.

Picking up Katara in his arms, Zuko cradled her head in his shoulder as he began the slow walk back up the hill towards the beach house. He ignored the prying eyes at the top of the overlook as a Water Tribe boy and Earth Kingdom girl scurried away once they realized that the firebender was walking in their direction.

Finding an empty bedroom in the beach house, the firebender slid Katara into a free bed. Pulling back her hair gently, Zuko gave the waterbender a small kiss on her forehead and whispered "Good night." However, as he turned to leave, a soft hand caught his own and he looked back down to see a still sleeping Katara holding onto his wrist.

Zuko heard a small laugh at the door and noticed Jin and Sokka both standing there. "I don't think you're going anywhere tonight," smirked Jin. "Best get some shut-eye yourself."

As Jin shut the door to the bedroom, Zuko could hear her telling a flustered Sokka that it appeared everything was going to be okay.

Thankful that he had decided to wear his standard outfit underneath the polar bear dog costume, Zuko placed the costume in the corner of the room and slipped into the bed as well. At his appearance, the Water Tribe girl snuggled up close to him and the firebender swore that the waterbender purred like a cat in contentment.

---

Katara awoke in disorientation. She was in a bed. But she had no idea how she had gotten here the previous night. The last thing she remembered was sitting on the beach with Zuko. He had been wearing the most thoughtful gesture she could have possibly imagined.

Who knew that the no-nonsense and non-comical Fire Prince had it in him to dress up as a polar bear dog? Just for her. Katara knew that Zuko would never have done that for anyone else. And it made her feel even more special.

The Water Tribe girl shifted in bed as she moved to sit up. Across from her was a hand written note. Picking it up, Katara read aloud, "Good morning sleepyhead, or should I say good afternoon. You must have been tired. If you're up for it, I'll be on the beach whenever you get up. Zuko."

Suddenly fully awake, Katara realized that she really did want to talk to her boyfriend. 'I can't believe he did all that for me, and all I did was fall asleep,' she stressed inwardly, despite knowing that Zuko wouldn't fault her for it. He never seemed to fault her for anything.

Racing to get ready for the day, Katara sped out of the beach house, ignoring the greetings from Sokka and Jin as they sat in the kitchen, eating lunch. "That was rude," grumbled Sokka.

"You really think that she's got time for us when Zuko's waiting for her out on the beach?" laughed Jin as she took another bite of her sandwich.

Zuko was sitting on the same piece of driftwood that Katara had been sitting on the previous day when the waterbender arrived on the beach. It was clear that the Fire Prince had been passing the time by simply meditating.

Approaching him, Katara managed to say, "Hi."

Opening his eyes, Zuko greeted his girlfriend. "Hello there." He motioned for her to take a seat next to him, which Katara obliged.

Neither said anything for several moments as an awkward silence fell upon them. Unable to bear not knowing anymore, the words just kind of blurted out of Katara, like water flowing over a dam. "How can you stand to be around me after I nearly killed you? Could have killed you, if I didn't falter and demanded an answer from the person I thought was Yon Rha."

Zuko nodded slightly. He knew this question was weighing on Katara's mind. How could it have not been? "But you didn't. And you wouldn't have."

"You don't know that. I didn't know that," mumbled Katara lowly. "There's a darkness in me. I wanted to kill Yon Rha. I was only going to be satisfied after he was broken and dead at my feet for what he had done to my family. Hama didn't give me that darkness. It was already there."

"Of course there's a darkness in you. There's a darkness in me too. And in Sokka. And in Jin," replied Zuko matter-of-factly.

Katara just stared at the Fire Prince in bewilderment of how he said that so calmly.

Leaning back on the driftwood, Zuko reminisced fondly. "This beach is special to me. It's one of only two places that I remember my Mother ever smiling. Out here on this beach, watching me play in the sand, building castles and acting out bedtime stories."

Zuko turned towards Katara. "Have you ever heard of the old nursery rhyme about the two dragons?"

When the Water Tribe girl shook her head, the Fire Prince chuckled softly. "Right, it's Fire Nation. But I bet the Water Tribes have a similar tale."

Using his sword sheath, Zuko started to draw in the sand. "Inside everyone, two dragons are locked in a constant struggle for control. The white dragon, Diage, embodies light and hope; while his Brother, the black dragon Nyriss, symbolizes darkness and despair. These two dragons are always evenly matched."

In the sand before them, Zuko had drawn two dragons circling one another, each chasing and attempting to eat the tail of the other as they formed a ring. Looking at the Water Tribe girl, the Fire Prince asked, "So which one wins?"

When Katara didn't appear like she was going to answer, Zuko braced his sword sheath against the sturdy piece of driftwood. "It's simple. The one you feed."

Zuko continued to stare intensely at Katara. "You didn't give up on me when all I could see was the darkness and despair back in the Earth Kingdom. So don't think for a second that I'm giving up on you."

"Feeding a dragon..." muttered Katara as she reflected on the nursery rhyme. "That's easy to say. But even still, what I almost did, the darkness I felt. Yon Rha harmed my family. I can never forgive him for that. But my thirst for revenge almost destroyed me, destroyed you. This pain doesn't just disappear."

"Some old wounds never truly heal, and they bleed again at the slightest touch," acknowledged Zuko. "But when they ache, that's what your friends are for. Hama," Zuko sighed heavily. "Hama didn't have that kind of support. She became a prisoner not only of the Fire Nation, but of her past. I don't want that for you."

Zuko shook his head side to side. "I know how lonely that despairing feeling can be. For three years, three long years, all I thought about were my past mistakes. Never be a prisoner of your past. It's just not worth it. Sometimes... sometimes, you just have to let that stuff go. The past is a life lesson, not a life sentence."

"But doesn't it scare you sometimes? Knowing what our anger and hate can make us capable of?" asked Katara.

A gentle sea breeze rustled the wind as the pleasant sun rays shone brighter through the wispy clouds above. With a charming smile, Zuko grinned as he answered, "Whenever I'm with you, I don't even really think about that anymore."

Katara could feel the heat rise up to her cheeks. It was seriously frustrating how he could just say things like that with a straight face and mean every word of it. What did Jin call that look on Zuko's face when this kind of situation occurred? Oh, right. The smolder.

The Fire Prince dug into his pockets and pulled out something that he kept cupped within his hand. The firebender suddenly looked unsure of himself despite the confidence he had just delivered that last line with.

Katara seized on the opportunity to not be the only red-faced one amongst the pair. "What do you have there?" She was rewarded with a similar red tint on the firebender's cheeks as he realized that the waterbender had noticed the item in his hands.

Zuko visibly gulped. No reason to hesitate now. Not after all the effort he had put into this. "I, uh... I made you a small token. I meant to give it to you as a celebratory gift for you becoming a waterbending master... but, uh... hopefully, it can actually just serve as a reminder that I'm always by your side, no matter what comes."

Katara's breath caught as the firebender opened his hand to reveal an intricately, hand-carved light blue water stone necklace secured to a gorgeous red and blue ribbon. Freshly etched on the stone was the symbol of her Wolf Cove Water Tribe embraced within the Royal Fire Nation Emblem. The Water Tribe girl traced her finger across the engraving lightly as she accepted the gift. "It's stunning," she whispered lowly.

Zuko continued to talk, as he normally did whenever he got overly nervous. "Now, I'm not trying to replace your Mother's necklace by any means. I know your Mother's necklace holds a lot of sentimental value to you and I would never want to get in the way of that. Umm... you know what, maybe a necklace was a bad idea. I, uh... I could change this into a bracelet. Get a shorter metal chain. Yeah, that could work. Then, you could wear both without having to chose. Argh, that was a stupid mistake. Here, give it back for a moment and I'll adjust the strap to fit your wrist."

The firebender reached for the necklace back only for Katara to swiftly close her hand around the jewelry and pounce on the Fire Prince, throwing her arms around his back as she embraced him firmly with a kiss. Zuko's eyes shot open wide at the unexpected contact before he slowly settled into the kiss himself and returned the hug with the Water Tribe girl on top of him.

"It's impolite to take back a gift once offered," reflected Katara dizzily as they came back up for air.

"Uh-huh," replied Zuko sagely as he still felt the electricity coursing through him. It appeared lightningbending wasn't the only way to form sparks. He would have to remember that.

---

As Zuko and Katara walked back into the beach house, they were met by the sight of Jin and Sokka drinking tea at the kitchen table while the Earth Kingdom girl and Water Tribe boy waited.

Jin was the first to speak up with a smile. "So? Is everything all better now?"

Both Katara and Zuko slid onto the small wooden bench-style seating on the opposite side of the table from Jin and Sokka. There wasn't really a gap between the romantic pair as they sat together.

Pouring himself some of the freshly brewed tea from the kettle for both himself and Katara, Zuko answered, "Yeah, we talked out on the beach for a while."

Nodding, Katara added, "Everything that happened with Hama, I'm not going to run from that anymore. I'm going to accept it and keep moving forward." She accepted the tea from Zuko as he placed her cup in front of her with a thank you.

The Fire Prince took a sip of the tea. It was sweeter than he would have preferred, but he could tell that Jin had put considerable effort into making it. And Katara seemed to like it.

The Earth Kingdom girl smirked as she watched her friends critically. "Just talked huh? Your hair is a bit unruly, both of you."

Katara took a sip of her tea as she nervously smoothed out her wild hair. "It's bad manners to pry in other people's personal lives, Jin."

"But it is more fun," grinned the earthbender slyly.

The sounds of Sokka slurping on his tea impolitely intensified. One of the last things he ever wanted to listen to was hearing about Zuko making out with Katara. Zuko may have helped Katara get over her trauma and Sokka was grateful for that, but this and that were two different things entirely. Not that Sokka would have likely been accepting of any boyfriend of his Sister's, but somehow she had managed to tame the gruff Prince of the Fire Nation.

Glancing over at his Sister, the tea cup in Sokka's hands dropped to the table with a resounding clatter as it clearly received some chip damage and cracking from the impact. Holding his head with one hand while pointing wildly at his Sister with his other arm, Sokka stammered out, "W-What is that?!"

Confused, the other members at the table looked at Katara with bewilderment. The waterbender looked equally perplexed as she looked around. "Sokka, what are you talking about?"

"There! On your neck!" shouted Sokka as his finger wagging increased in frequency.

Katara proudly held up her new necklace. "This? It's a gift from Zuko," she beamed.

Jin gave a low whistle as she hurried around the table to admire the jewelry on her friend's neck. "This is some amazing carving. Did Zuko do this himself?" As Katara nodded, Jin gave a second impressed whistle. "Guess he's smart enough to know that jewelry is always an excellent gift choice for an upset lady."

Sokka rounded on Zuko as he attempted to slap the tea cup from the firebender's hands. Zuko skillfully shifted the cup out of the Water Warrior's reach once, then twice, until finally, Sokka gave up and picked his friend up by the cuff of the firebender's tunic. "Really? Do you have any idea of the significance of the necklace you just gave my Sister?!"

Zuko raised his hands in confusion. "Of course I do. It's a token of my affection for her and a promise that I'm always going to support her, come what may."

The Water Tribe boy had a shocked expression on his face as he released the Fire Prince and stumbled back into his seat. Sokka arced both his hands into a triangle shape with his elbows on the table and his head pressed against his hands as he muttered, wide eyed, in bafflement about crazy firebenders and how everything moving too fast.

"I think you two broke him somehow," observed Jin. "Hey Sokka, you alright?"

Sokka didn't respond to Jin directly. Instead, he began muttering lowly and quickly to himself. "What am I going to tell Dad? He's going to kill me for letting this happen. Then, he'll probably kill Zuko. No, he'll probably beat him into a bloody pulp first. Then, he'll kill him. And hide the evidence. Somewhere no one can possibly find." He looked up at his Sister for a moment and then back down at the table. "Katara will be fine. Katara was always his favorite."

Jin put her hand on the Water Tribe boy's back as she attempted to calm him down. "Sokka, you're starting to creep the rest of us out. What's going on? It's just a necklace."

"Just a necklace...?" replied Sokka distantly, as if he was hearing Jin's words from far away. "Just a necklace?" he repeated, a little more coherently. "Zuko just gave my Sister a betrothal necklace! I think I'm freaking out the appropriate amount for just how my Dad's going to take this news. Especially when none of the Southern Water Tribe courting customs have been completed."

"Betrothal-" started Katara.

"-Necklace?" finished Zuko as the two of them stared at each other.

The widest smile spread across Jin's face. This day was just getting better and better. Shenanigans were afoot.

"I didn't give Katara a betrothal necklace," denied Zuko. "The necklace I gave her is just a promise that I..." he trailed off as the Fire Prince recalled exactly what he had said to the Water Tribe boy just a minute ago.

"Yeah, that," replied Sokka sharply. He turned to his Sister. "What did you think Mom's necklace was? That was a betrothal necklace from Dad to her."

"Wait, I didn't know that," commented Katara.

"I learned about the custom more when Aang and I visited the Northern Water Tribe," admitted Sokka. "Apparently it's a much bigger deal there than it is in the South. Probably because the North has more customs and such, but those necklaces are still recognized in the South too. Don't you recall some of the other women of our tribe wearing them?"

Katara thought back as she realized that she had never really noticed before, but yes, there were a couple of other women that wore similar necklaces in the Southern Tribes. The waterbender put her hands on her hips. "Well, it doesn't matter. I'm wearing the necklace."

"Katara," started Zuko. "You don't have to-"

"I'm wearing the necklace," she reaffirmed louder. Then, she grinned at the firebender mischievously. "Unless you already need a reminder about why it is impolite to take back a gift?"

Zuko's back stiffened as he went completely rigid and red-faced. Half of him wanted to call her on her bluff and the other half knew that she probably wasn't bluffing. Then, another half of him wanted to kiss her again and the other half was unsure about doing that in front of all these other people.

Jin started to laugh at the range of emotions playing out on the Fire Prince's face. She had taught her friend well, as Katara was clearly skilled enough now to make the usually calm and collected Zuko get all flustered and bent out of sorts. Or at least Jin was going to take credit for that. Occasionally, even Jin was surprised at the level of Katara's boldness.

Sokka took the opportunity to wisely faint backwards and remove himself from the scene unfolding around the kitchen table. He was absolutely positive that Hakoda was going to snap once he found out.