I do not own Avatar (but I wish I did! Cha-ching!)

(So I'm going back through this fic and fixing a few things. I noticed a lot of line breaks didn't make it into previous chapters, and some terrible grammar needs to be fixed so you may see little adjustments here and there. This chapter is also a wee bit short because there will be a doozy coming up next, so brace yourselves! [Zutara action! Wooooo!] Will also have review comments at the end of the chapter. Cheers!)

Chapter 9

The fishing boat made it to the village when the moon was at its highest point, good time despite the crew's backtracking to retrieve the healer that Katara had knocked overboard. When they arrived, both Zuko and Katara were shaken awake and dragged to the docks in the bright moonlight.

Zuko was first struck in awe by the size of their harbor, featuring numerous amounts of wooden docks that zigzagged in every direction. But it was the stone piers that jetted out into the warf that most impressed him, each one presenting ten massive ships cladded in thick metal sheets, obviously equipped for war. Zuko had seen his fair share of naval battles, but he had yet to see a ship from the Earth Kingdom specifically built and designed for battle. Most were converted shipping and fishing vessels, few of which stood a chance against the massive fleet of the Fire Nation. But these were a different breed, and at a glance to his partner, the firebender could tell Katara was just as surprised as he was.

Katara and Zuko made themselves useful and helped the crew unload the supplies, the small fishing vessel now shadowed by one of the many towering war ships. Katara knew she should feel safer knowing that she was finally in the Earth Kingdom, but they reminded her too much of the Fire Nation's warships, and though the moonlight revealed little, there was something about them...

"-Hey, are you ok?"

Zuko was looking at Katara very intently, who had been standing, staring unblinkingly at the massive ship before her.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." The waterbender shook it off and reached for another crate, only to find that all of them had already been taken ashore.

Zuko shouldered the last bag of fish with his good arm. "You sure? It looked like you were trying to bore a hole through that ship with your eyes."

Katara glanced back up at it again then shrugged it off. "Hey! You aren't supposed to be carrying anything with your bad arm, you won't heal if you don't let your body rest."

The firebender noted the change of subject but decided not to ensue. Instead, he rolled his eyes and began to do one-armed lifts with the bag. "But I'm not using my bad arm, see?" He taunted, enjoying the annoyance that was apparent on Katara's face. Zuko continued to use the bag as a weight, his smile growing larger with Katara's continued frustration, until she landed a swift punch to his hurt shoulder.

Zuko grunted in pain, his eyes watering as his bag slipped from his shoulder and split on the dock, fish spilling out and falling into the harbor.

"Hey Zeito! You should know better than to be carrying heavy loads with a bad arm!" The Captain called from the shore.

Katara looked at him with a smug smile. "See? Even the Captain agrees with me."

Zuko straightened himself and attempted to smile, though his arm was killing him. "Geeze Katara, do you treat all of your friends this way?"

"Only the ones I love," she replied with a smile, which slipped as quickly as it came. A wave of uncertainty overcame her, and she wasn't sure how to backtrack. "Uhm, I mean..."

"Hey! You two kids comin' or what?"

Both Zuko and Katara's attention turned to the Captain who was waving them ashore. Katara thanked the gods for the distraction and quickly made her way towards him, Zuko following close behind. Once ashore, the Captain and Ty led them through the village, all three men striking up an animated conversation about the fair weather and the excitement that was to be had the next day. Katara remained quiet as they reached the Captain's small home and through tea which was brought to them by a Mrs. Yung Zei Dow (Please! Just call me Missy!). When Ty and the Captain retired for the night, Missy redressed Zuko's arm and laid out furs by the fire for them to sleep in.

"Now no funny business you two," Missy teased, then wished them goodnight and disappeared behind a thick wooden door.

Despite the hours of sleep Zuko and Katara had throughout the day, both of them were exhausted, though strangely restless. Zuko kept squirming under his furs, to Katara's annoyance, and was constantly repositioning himself.

"Can you stay still for five minutes? I can't sleep with you rolling over every two seconds," Katara hissed, keeping her voice low.

"Sorry," Zuko muttered, adjusting himself one last time and finally sinking into his furs. Katara sighed and closed her eyes, ready to let sleep take her, when Zuko shifted uncomfortably again.

"What is your problem?" Katara bolted upright and stared at the firebender, her face edged with exhaustion. Zuko shifted slightly away from her, confused by her reaction. "I'm sorry! My arm just hurts and i've got a lot going through my mind." He wasn't trying to complain, but he knew honesty was the best way to speak to her. By watching Aang and the others interact with Katara, he knew that saying 'it's nothing' or 'don't worry about it' wasn't the best strategy, since Katara always got to the bottom of everything.

The waterbender relaxed and crossed her legs, her furs covering her up to her waist. The firelight was low but she could still see Zuko's face, and 'stressed' wasn't even close to describing his expression.

"I'm sorry, I guess we're both a little on edge." Katara shrugged her shoulders apologetically and leaned forward. "What's going on Zuko?"

The Prince sat up and mimicked her position, running his good arm through his hair. Katara had a look of concern on her face, but this time it wasn't about Aang, Sokka, Hakoda or anyone else, she was genuinely concerned about him. For Zuko, this was unsettling, yet he liked the fact that she cared...more than he was willing to admit.

"I'm worried that Azula will follow us here," he whispered, glancing at the doors that led to The Captain's room. His eyes focused back on Katara, and he found himself once again staring at her, entranced by her features in the firelight. Something inside him warmed at the thought of how beautiful she looked in the light of his own element, but the thought also freaked him out so he forced himself to stare into the fire as he continued to speak. "I'm trying to be optimistic but I know how she is. If she didn't find Toph or Sokka, then she is out there right now looking for us. She is under orders and will not rest until she finds us. Aang is second on her plate with me as your ally and I was stupid to help you guys, I put all of you at a higher risk! Hell, she could have found us already and is just waiting to strike at the right time-"

"-Zuko stop! Calm down..." Katara quickly reached for his hand and held it in a strong grip, nervously glancing at the fire that had turned from a warm glow to raging flames. Startled by her sudden touch, Zuko's thought process broke and the fire quickly died down, his eyes darting from the flames to Katara's face.

"Listen, I know you feel guilty for everything that has happened but you need to stop." She scooted closer to him and took both of his hands in hers, holding them tightly. "You are my ally, and I wouldn't have it any other way. You're all I have right now and i'll be damned if you decide to get up and leave because you feel you put us...you put me, at a 'higher risk'. In case you didn't notice, I normally travel with the Avatar on a giant flying bison, I'm pretty sure the risk doesn't get much higher than that."

Katara's attempt to make Zuko smile failed, causing her to sigh heavily.

"You can't keep beating yourself up over this. I know it's hard, but you have to let it go."

Zuko glanced up at her cerulean blue eyes, "How do you know how hard it is?"

Katara let go of Zuko's hands, jolted by a sudden memory. She abruptly realized where she was; sitting in a room and holding hands with a prince who was once her enemy.

"When I was younger, I blamed myself for my mother's death," Katara started, running a hand nervously through her hair and letting her gaze drift to the fire. "She died protecting me, making sure that the Fire Nation didn't find me, and making sure they never found out I was a bender. It was ultimately the Fire Nation's fault, but when I thought of them, when I got angry, I saw your face."

Zuko rubbed his scar frustratingly, "Those were my people who killed your mother. Fire Lord Sozin and his descendents, my family, ordered them to kill, and their blood runs through me."

"But I don't see you as the face of the enemy anymore Zuko. You've had little control over your life, and in the end, you made the right decision. The point I'm trying to make is that we have all done things that are wrong, we have all made bad choices, and we have all hurt people. But it's how we rise up from our mistakes that makes us who we are. There is so much good in you Zuko, if only you could see it."

Zuko sat there silently, digesting her words. "You...really think there is good in me?"

Katara smiled. "Well, I think Avatar Roku's bloodline has something to do with it, but yeah, I do."

Taken aback, Zuko leaned forward curiously, "How did you know that?"

The waterbender crossed her arms over her chest and smiled even wider. "Give us a little credit. We've been traveling for three years and I would hope we would pick up some information about our greatest enemy during that time."

The prince gave a lopsided grin and leaned back on his good arm. "Well, that really means a lot to me, especially coming from you." He was quick to clarify, "...the 'good in me' part, not the 'greatest enemy' bit."

Katara watched the prince silently for a moment, not quite understanding the feelings that had been creeping up on her during the past few days. She thought she had her emotions in check, and that Aang had always been that one person who she truly felt something for. He had always been there for her, and she knew that he liked her too, but recently the idea of being in a relationship with him seemed...off. It was as if they were destined to be together, and that she had absolutely no control in the matter. This sudden realization bothered her, and she understood that the Avatar had a destiny, but did that include her as well? Or maybe the possibility of having a small crush on the firebender in front of her was her own personal way of rebelling against fate. It was exciting, it was mysterious, but it was also very dangerous.

But Aang and I are destined to be together.

"Uh, Katara?"

Katara's mind snapped back to the present, and she found Zuko staring at her with a look of concern.

"...did I say something wrong?"

The waterbender's face flushed a bright crimson as she let out a nervous laugh, "No! No, you said everything right actually, I was just thinking."

Zuko looked at her curiously. "About what?"

"Oh, nothing." She lied.

"You know for someone who is very...outward with their emotions and opinions, I find you very hard to read sometimes."

Katara was surprised by this statement. She had never considered herself as someone hard to read, but she knew everything was different when she was around Zuko. Her guard was always up, as if she was unconsciously waiting for him to betray her again, just like he did in the Crystal Catacombs. And especially now that she may have feelings for him, it scared her. She knew it wasn't fair to him, and she silently promised herself that that would be something she would work on. Trust.

The waterbender was ready to reply when Zuko interrupted her.

"...but it's OK. I don't expect you to be an open book around me, and I really don't deserve it, but...I want you to know that you can ask me anything. I have nothing to hide."

Katara smiled warmly. "And I really appreciate that."

The couple sat there in silence for a few moments, both of them lost in thought. The fire began to die down, so Zuko blew a bit of life into it and the pair finally settled down to sleep. Zuko was the first to sink under his furs, and it only took a few moments before his breathing evened out and the prince was fast asleep.

Katara watched Zuko until her eyes grew heavy. She slipped under her pelts and sleep was quick to overtake her. As the firelight died down, she dreamt a familiar dream of a mysterious man dressed in black, with a blue mask covering his face.

Review Commentary

anon 5/6/12 . chapter 5

But the Temple was deserted when they arrived. It's been deserted ever since all the monks and Airbenders were murdered by the Fire Nation armies on the day of the comets arrival.

The stables were empty as all the Bison and lemurs were killed by Sozin, they should be used to the silence by now. After all, a dozen people, including just one Airbender, a lemur and a sky bison aren't enough to fill a whole Temple.

You are perfectly correct, BUT, when I refered to 'temple' I didn't mean the whole damn thing, because it is pretty big and the group was all hanging out together in a certain area, not spread out through the whole shabang. That is bad writing on my part and I just assumed everyone knew what I was talking about. Though, the temple would feel pretty darn empty when your group is cut by 80% regardless of how much space you were taking up.

Guido 5/8/12 . chapter 8

Yey! Glad you're back! I love this story! Keep writing!

Yes ma'am! And Thanks!

raidersfan777 5/6/12 . chapter 8

This story is amasing i love it update soon. :)

Ok, i'll update it now for you :p

BeWhoYouAre99 5/18/12 . chapter 1

I like this.

Funny, so do I!