A/N: Yay! I'm here with another story! I know, I know, I should be working on my Yu-gi-oh fic, and I have, but I've been so struck by inspiration and ideas lately that I can't drive them from my mind... I also can't get them on paper fast enough. It makes me wish for one of those microphones that you can hook into your computer and will type out everything you say. Probably have to do a lot of editing, though. No telling what all it would pick up! Haha.

So, this is a KataraXOzai story... DON'T RUN AWAY YET!!!! Let me explain... I know how weird this probably seems but give it/me a chance first. First of all, Ozai isn't, like, 53 or something, and Katara isn't 12. Yeah, gross. Actually, Ozai has always seemed far younger than Iroh to me, like in his mid-thirties or something. (My fellow ladies, you know that when Ozai flung that cloak off before he fought Aang, revealing his excellent physique, you were all like, "....Daaaaaaamn.") Ursa always looked too young to be considered "middle-aged," too. I'm probably wrong, but if I am, it doesn't really matter. This is my story, dang it! My word is law here! So, here are the ages:

Zuko : 19

Sokka, Suki, Mai: 18

Katara, Azula, Ty Lee: 17

Toph, Aang: 15

Iroh: 58

Ozai: 38

Ursa: 37

This means that Zuko was born when Ozai was 19, not entirely unbelievable seeing as how, being royalty, he and Ursa were probably expected to marry and have kids at some early point in their lives. Why the age gap between Ozai and Iroh, then? I don't know, why don't we ask Azulon---Oh, wait! We can't. He's dead... Darn it. Guess we'll never know... Personally, I don't think it's much different from reading SnapeXHermione or SesshomaruXKagome, and others like it. All I ask is for you to give me a chance before you bash me, or whatever. I promise that it won't be some fluffy, love-at-first-sight nonsense between the two... They'll have a long way to go before it gets anywhere close to being something like that, if it ever does. Besides changing everyone's age, everything else is the same. Basically, I'm picking up where the war ended. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or anything remotely related to it. Technically, I don't even own this computer I'm typing from or this story itself. It all belongs to God and my parents. *Looks up* Hey, thanks for the borrow.

Phoenix Rising

Chapter 1: Advent

It has been nearly seven months since the hundred-year war was finally brought to an end. Seven months since the reclaiming of the Fire Nation throne from the cruel, totalitarian monarchy its former leaders had become. Seven months since an exiled idealist took up the seat with hopes for a better future. Seven months since the Avatar returned from the dead to bring balance back to the world. Seven months since the end of all the fear, pain, apprehension, and uncertainty that the war had caused, emotions that Sozin's Comet greatly emphasized. Seven months of peace. And yet, not everything was going as smoothly as planned, as they had hoped it would. Katara could see now how they were doomed to disappointment. They had all been too naïve, too full of childish hopes which the war should have beat out of them to expect positive, flourishing results right away. Sure, Phoenix King Ozai was locked in the Fire Nation capital's most prominent, well-guarded prison, and almost-Fire Lord Azula was also locked away in a newly erected mental institution located overseas. These were for precaution and appeasement's sake more than the fear that they were actual threats. After all, how could a beaten man who lost his Firebending power and a mentally unbalanced former princess be a danger to the peace? It was all for the sake of justice; it was the one thing the world was unified in right now, wanting justice in the form of punishment for their former oppressors.

Katara wearily opened her eyes, thankful for the coolness of the shaded area and the soft sturdiness of the tree trunk she had come to find quiet and serenity. She was currently in one of the Fire Nation palace's inner sanctums which, as she'd come to find, were typically composed of private chambers as well as several quaint but sufficient outdoor areas, a place where only the closest friends and family members of Fire Lord Zuko were allowed to enter. Not even his war generals (though there wasn't much use for them now), domestic and foreign policy makers, or economic planners were allowed in this place. Come to think of it, there were far less servants in these areas as well, and for this, Katara was thankful. It was the one place in the palace where there wasn't a flurry of activity happening as multitudes of different people from different places and expertise scrambled around, trying to put the world back together again. Now, she could rest and actually think about what they were all attempting to accomplish in such a short span of time.

Even though the end of the war was formally declared seven months ago, communications between all the nations of the world had severely weakened. Even now, some areas were just recently getting the message as fighting between remote Fire Nation soldiers and disgruntled domestics, most of them Earthbenders or refugees, constantly broke out. Most of them still fought "in the name of the great Phoenix King Ozai." The word of the Avatar declaring that the war was over was often not enough to appease them, so Zuko repeatedly had to leave the Fire Nation, in tow with official documents and royal degrees, to get them to listen. But, even an official declaration of peace isn't enough to end old prejudices and racisms. Hate and anger has become common feelings for all peoples of the world; the Earth Kingdom citizens still felt that their wrongs dealt to them from the Fire Nation had not been rectified. Reports have come in from many foreign delegates detailing how rogue gangs of Earthbenders have killed a Fire Nation family, or how the disenchanted youths of both the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation have engaged in deadly bending skirmishes that often resulted in the deaths of teens and children alike. Despite their famed adaptation to change, even some adults and youth of the Water Tribes involved themselves in the fighting, something that Katara and Sokka's father, Hakoda and Northern Water Tribe leader, Arnook, were currently trying to stop. To Katara, it felt like they had traded one brand of war for another. It was ironic how Aang, the last survivor of the brutally eradicated Airbenders, felt no ill will toward anyone, not even the Fire Nation. Not even Ozai or Azula. Katara felt that if anyone had the right to take revenge for the wrongs done to their race, it would be him, but instead, he was working tirelessly to bring peace into everyone else's hearts and minds. It was just how he was.

Katara glanced over to the sundial that occupied the enclosed grassy area as its centerpiece. By its account, it was almost one o'clock, meaning she had slipped away almost as long as she could without being noticed and reprimanded for it. She couldn't help it some days, though. She needed to get away sometimes. She felt she'd snap if she couldn't get her thirty minutes of alone time every day, and let's face it; an angry Katara was never a fun Katara. The blue-eyed girl treasured the moments when she would simply think of nothing, but as it turned out, today wasn't one of those days. Instead, her thoughts always turned to…well…this. The war, its final moments, the Restoration, the hopelessness of it all.

She smiled bitterly; she knew she normally wasn't this negative, this bleak, but lately it seemed that a lot of things were happening that were beyond her control. Aang and Zuko had been gone for two weeks now in a quest to stop the fighting in the far reaches of the Earth Kingdom, and Sokka and Toph had been gone for even longer, Sokka to help Hakoda and Toph to assist in the rebuilding of Ba Sing Se, Omashu, and other Earth Kingdom cities. Without them, she was often struck with aches of loneliness, even though Suki, Ty Lee, Mai, and Uncle Iroh were there to support her.

It was more than just missing her friends, though. She and Aang had an unhappy end to their relationship. Well, it wasn't an end per se. Their exact agreement was that they were taking a break. That had been five months ago. Yes, thinking about parting from Aang romantically still stirred a pang of pain and regret in her heart, but she realized that, had they stayed together, any hope for their relationship would have been ruined by the stress and anxiety that came from assisting with the Restoration. Well, perhaps "assisting" isn't really the right word; they, that is, all of the Aang Gang and their closest friends, have been expected to do practically everything concerning restoring the Nations to their original splendor. How appropriate that now is the time when the adults decide to turn their brains off and turn to children for answers. Even though most of them could scarcely be counted as children, being in their upper teens, all of them would agree that they weren't prepared to handle this kind of responsibility. Getting a job or running a household is one thing; managing the affairs of three countries while trying to figure out your own place in this life is vastly stretching the concept! Seriously, it was like a total reversal of authority, the adults asking permission from the kids before they are allowed to do anything.

Perhaps it is better this way, though. After all, there was less of a chance for corruption within their ranks versus the ones that followed Ozai blindly and others that may still want revenge. Still, it was hard to get up some mornings, knowing that as soon as you did, you would have to jump right back into the cycle of discrepancy. Thank God for Uncle Iroh! Katara owed much to that man. She felt if he wasn't around, nothing would get accomplished, and they would have all taken blind leaps months ago. Yes, he, his Ginseng tea, and his wise pieces of advice, not to mention his patience and claming aura, always knew when their services were needed. She felt guilty that he had to set aside running his tea shop in Ba Sing Se for them, though, but what else could they do? Granted, the shop was still owned by him, and in order to keep it running, he had hired a nice, hard-working family of refugees to oversee service there, letting them take a healthy portion of the profits into their own dwindling income.

A great man, that he was.

The master Waterbender sighed loudly at not being able to keep her thoughts focused on just one topic, so loudly in fact, that she failed to notice someone's approaching footsteps until that person's voice sounded right next to her.

"Of course you'd be here brooding away. Strange that you're not splashing around in a puddle, though."

Katara visibly started, twisted her whole body around to see that the owner of said voice belonged to Mai. But, really, whom else could that alto monotone belong to?

"Oh, hey, Mai. You scared me!"

"What do you want? A heartfelt apology? It's not my fault you were too self-absorbed to notice your surroundings. I know the war's over and everything, but that's still not a wise habit to put yourself into." She broke off to let out a disappointed sigh. "Not even so much as a rise out of you for mocking your so-called treasured bending art. That's really sad. About as exciting as our encounter was when we tracked you from Omashu. You remember? The time when Ty Lee and I so easily defeated you and your brother, and we don't even have bending powers to speak of?"

Katara snorted in derision.

"Oh, really? You mean the defeat you were only able to deal us because you chased us halfway across the Earth Kingdom, without allowing us to rest? Oh, yes… Because it takes so much effort to take down two sleep-deprived teenagers not even close to being at their full potential. Personally, I doubt you'd have managed so well. As for the jibe at my bending…"

At this, the azure-eyed girl stood proudly before Mai, facing her with her back straight, head held high, and hands clenched at her sides, and they matched each other sneer for sneer.

"I doubt someone like you would truly understand what being a Waterbender means, what it takes, especially without being any kind of bender yourself. The fact that you were raised in the Fire Nation, around water's exact opposite in every form, fire, only confirms that you'll never comprehend just what makes it an art form in the first place!"

Katara's eyes, however, only narrowed further into slits as she saw Mai roll her own eyes condescendingly after Katara's speech, something that Mai was trying to keep at bay before her dam of cavalier finally broke.

"Please, spare me your idealistic worshiping of puddles. We both know I couldn't care less. Besides, we also both know that without your bending you could never beat me, or Ty Lee for that matter, in hand-to-hand combat, so this whole argument is basically pointless."

"Maybe I could, and maybe I couldn't. Why don't we find out?"

And both girls dropped into their respective fighting stances; Katara in a familiar Tai-Chi pose designed to wait for their opponent's attack before countering and striking with even greater force but the least amount of effort, only without the Waterbending; Mai into a more subtle stance dedicated to long distance attacks but still very adjustable to short range attacks, with feet spread apart, holding their ground, and knees slightly bent with her arms positioned so they would prove as an able defense in front and behind her, her hands forgoing their usual knives.

Neither was inclined to strike first, both being the type of warrior to allow their opponent to make the first move, which in turn allowed them to stay one step ahead. Instead, they stood as if frozen in time, glaring at each other, sizing each other up as if daring the other to make a wrong move; even a blink could give away their next action. Indeed, Aang could have appeared at that very moment, claiming that the world was coming to an end and that in his desperation, he wanted to marry Ozai and give Azula Appa's hand in marriage, wishing for nothing but Katara and Mai's blessings, but it wouldn't have mattered. No force on heaven or earth could disrupt their battle of wills; their concentration was so strongly set on the task of besting the other.

Unfortunately on this day, the results of just who was the better combat fighter among the two was never discovered, for Mai couldn't stop a brief but rare smile from crossing her face. It was so quick and so small that anyone who didn't know Mai well would have thought it was their imagination taking advantage of them, but to Katara, who had spent nearly every day since the end of the war in Mai's presence at some time or another, could easily recognize it as a smile of fondness and amusement.

Katara couldn't help herself. She released her stance instantly, resting her hands on her knees as she broke into a fit of laughter before straightening again to throw her head back, her laughs increasing in volume. Suddenly, she was seized by a renewed feeling of happiness as she began to walk around aimlessly in circles, as if movement would relieve the pent up energy caused by her sudden giggle fit and joyful feelings.

"Wow," she barely snickered out. "That was pretty good! There's no doubt that if some poor innocent bystander had witnessed that, they'd have thought we were serious! Ha ha!"

Mai relaxed herself more gradually, joining in Katara's laughter, albeit it was much more subdued.

"Now, who says we weren't being serious? I thought this is how we always address each other: no false fronts, always making our feelings for the other quite clear. Or," Mai mused, faking a cold tone. "Am I the only one who's being truthful here?"

"Oh, sure, whatever, Mai," said Katara, understanding their longtime developed inside joke before softening to add a very sincere "thank you."

Mai sighed wearily, motioning to Katara that they should make their way back into the more exterior, and thus busier, part of the palace.

"Well, I have to do this, don't I? Someone has to provoke you to make sure that your soul hasn't been sucked out by the politics and bureaucracy of this place and your spirit remains relatively unbroken. After all," she added, bitterly. "Look what I let it do to me."

"You had enormous expectations forced on you when you were just a child," Katara sympathized. "The person you became was only a product of what your parents wanted. It's not your fault."

"Became? What, or who, am I now, exactly?"

There was no hesitation in Katara's voice.

"A strong, courageous young woman who has unwavering loyalty to her friends and who isn't afraid to show her feelings when push comes to shove, and she does all this because she chooses to, not because of what is expected of her."

"Tch. Don't you lay it on thick? You're just saying that for my benefit; it's too cheesy to be true."

"No, I wouldn't ever lie about something like this. I meant every word. Besides, it's kind of hard for you to make an argument against it after looking at how you mess and joke around with me, not to mention everything you've done for Zuko."

At the mention of her childhood as well as her current love, Mai's features temporarily dropped all their walls and boundaries to reveal one of the most tender, warming expressions Katara had glimpsed thus far on her friend's face. She had guessed before that Zuko and Mai brought out the best in each other, and moments like this often confirmed her theory. She knew that if it wasn't for people like Mai and Iroh, Zuko would have never found the way to his redemption and the start of his own path. Briefly, the thought that if Ozai had had more people like them in his life, things might have gone differently for him flitted across her mind but was cut short in her musings by Mai's voice, her stoic mask in place once more.

"Well, regardless if any of this is true or not, I'm sure Ty Lee would still claim that I possess this 'pasty, dingy, gray' aura, if you believe in that sort of thing." This earned another eye roll of exasperation from Mai.

Katara laughed at her friend's annoyance.

"So, you're a little bland once in a while. That's hardly the worst personality trait in the world. In fact, I think it defines you better; it helps make you who you are. I mean, let's face it. Ty Lee has enough perkiness to fill a crowded ballroom. Any more additions to that would be overkill and would disrupt the balance of the earth as we know it."

"Now of that I have no doubts, Puddles."

"Hey! C'mon, really? Of all the nicknames you give me, the best you can do is 'Puddles?' Or was that your attempt at a joke?"

"Why would I ever joke about anything?" Mai stated sarcastically. "I think it's very becoming of you, and well, it's better than 'Zu-Zu.' I'm sure I could think of something that could compare to that, though, if you really want."

"…Puddles it is, then," she conceded dully.

"Speaking of Zuko, there's something you may want to know. It's actually the reason I came looking for you in the first place."

By this time, the pair had reached the massive double doors that separated the palace's interior, the area where the royal suites, patios, and inner sanctums were located, from its exterior, which contained everything from the throne room to the medical wards all the way to the Coronation Temple and Royal Plaza. Like mostly everything else in the Fire Nation, these twin doors were a deep bleeding red embroidered with gold around the handles as well as depicting intricate designs of dragons and flames. There was no denying the palace's beauty. For the dreamer who desired to live in the utmost fashion of fame and luxury, the Fire Nation capital was absolute perfection, exquisite to the last detail. …As long as they liked red, that is.

There was nothing wrong with the color, but even so, to Katara, who had taken up a temporary residency in the palace (although, in these desperate times, "temporary" was a relative, almost meaningless, term,) everything was just so…red. Sure, black and gold were also prominent colors, but they weren't nearly as glaring as the vast crimson structure was. That was another reason she treasured her moments outside; things were more in color out there, being bereft of the constant scarlet tinge she experienced everywhere else. Lately, however, the symbolism of the Fire Nation's ruby palace representing the country's past century bathing in their enemy's blood was not lost on her, but she kept comments such as this to herself.

It was especially troublesome today because, instead of wearing traditional Fire Nation garb like she wore when Team Avatar was sneaking around the Fire Nation, she was dressed in her usual Southern Water Tribe attire complete with her customary braid, her water pouch hanging at her side. At a time when she desperately wanted to avoid unnecessary attention, thus dodging longwinded, pointless conversation, she certainly hadn't chosen the right means to camouflage herself. Even a half-second glance in her direction would inform the onlooker that she was Water Tribe, with a closer look confirming that, yes, she was Katara, master Waterbender and close friend/confidant to the Avatar and thus, a "very important person worthy of being bothered," as Sokka put it. She couldn't help it, though. She was sick of red!

Helping each other push open the giant doors, Mai led the way through the familiar halls where there was a guard or two positioned at nearly every corridor. Unfortunately, when the Fire Lord was away, maximum security was a must. Even Iroh agreed that it was a wise move, and when the Dragon of the West agreed with something, any argument against it often lost merit in most people's minds.

"A messenger hawk delivered a letter from Zuko today," said Mai once Katara had gotten back in step with her, shooting the Fire Nation woman a curious look. "He said he and Aang have managed to subdue most of the violence in the outreaches of the Earth Kingdom. They are now fully convinced that the war is over."

"That's really good news! Now we can start focusing on disrupting the activities of the rogue groups that are sprouting up to cause trouble everywhere else, in person if we have to."

Mai nodded, liking the sound of going back into the field to deal out some damage. She shared Katara's resentment of how boring it got in this place; it's why she had taken up knife throwing originally. If she stayed here too much longer, there was no doubt she'd take up some other unconventional habit like fire dancing or drunken fighting.

Oh, the horrors one undergoes when boredom strikes, Mai mockingly lamented.

"They are currently staying," the ebony-haired girl continued, "in your own Southern Water Tribe and will return with Sokka after Appa has finished resting. He wrote that your village looks vastly different from what he first encountered. In fact, it's looking more and more like the cities in the North Pole. It was here that Sokka apparently wrestled the letter out of Zuko's hands, writing that he would tell you the rest and for Zuko not to spoil everything. It's a wonder it was still legible after the amount of ink stains splashed all over it, not to mention the burn marks on the edges."

"That's Sokka and Zuko for you: ego duel-airbags. They behave like the brothers they were never granted to have."

"Cute," Mai deadpanned. "I'm so thrilled for them."

"I know, right?" Katara smiled. "At least you didn't have to deal with the both of them in the months leading up to Ozai's defeat. Though, I can't deny how well they work with each other. Did they mention when they're coming back?"

"He wrote that they were going to find Toph in Ba Sing Se before returning here. It should take them at least two weeks to arrive here but promised not to take longer than a month."

"Oh, good! I've really missed them lately."

"So have I. Things are much livelier when the whole gang's around."

They were interrupted by their conversation by a young man who, upon rounding the corner ahead of them, quickly skidded to a halt at seeing them before making a more dignified, purposeful walk in their direction. Katara observed that he had black hair and golden eyes, common attributes defining someone as Fire Nation.

"Lady Mai, Lady Katara, my apologies for my impromptu appearance," he said timidly. "I have been instructed to request both of your presences in the throne room as soon as possible."

"Who is asking for us?" Katara questioned.

"General Iroh, my lady."

"Thank you for telling us this, uh---?"

"Kintaro, my lady."

"Kintaro, I thank you but, please, drop the formalities. Just call me Katara."

"That goes for me, too. Mai is fine. What? I'll have to deal with enough senseless groveling when I'm Fire Lady. Why should I have to endure it prematurely?"

"Confident, isn't she?" Katara joked to Kintaro, hoping to dispel some of her embarrassment at being referred to so formally as well as relieve Kintaro's nervousness. Kintaro didn't reply, too busy at watching the exchange in wonder until, remembering himself at Katara's light chuckle, rushed to say, "Um, well, thank you, my lad---I mean, Katara, Mai. It has been a profound pleasure meeting you both, but, uh, I must be going. Excuse me!" He gave a quick but respectful bow before turning smoothly on his heel, hurrying away to hide the blush quickly spreading across his face.

Katara felt instant sympathy towards him, for this wasn't the first occurrence that a young soldier like him had gotten flustered around her. That was why she always tried to make them more comfortable by granting permission to drop all the titles and act as normal as possible. Somehow, though, it only made the situation worse. Was she really that important, that influential? The young woman was so perplexed in her own thoughts and disbelief that she missed the knowing look on Mai's face.

"You really don't notice, do you?" said Mai in a tone of mixed wonder, mild amusement, and understanding. At the confused, questioning look of her much tanner friend, Mai let out another tired sigh, knowing that she'd have to be much more specific if the poor girl was going to get any of her implications.

"He likes you, just like all the others. You have a natural charm that appeals to boys and men alike, makes them unbalanced and flustered around you. Your looks don't hurt your attractiveness, either."

"Oh, come on! Now I know you're joking," Katara laughed awkwardly. "I'm not doing anything out of the ordinary to get any male attention; I don't want it."

"Well, that is why I said it was natural."

"And how do you know it's not you they're so enamored with?" Katara grumbled rebelliously.

"Because they know better than to go after the girlfriend of the Fire Lord, who as we know is very hotheaded and slightly possessive and won't hesitate to burn off a few crucial body parts of the fool who dares to do so."

"Hmm, sounds like it's happened before. You're not talking about that boy who flirted with you on Ember Island by any chance?"

"No, it wouldn't have gotten around the palace as this other incident did, which I don't really want to discuss. If you really want to know, ask the servants; they know everything. Zuko did fling that other guy into a vase, though."

Katara shook her head, not doubting it for an instant. "But, I'm dating Aang, the Avatar, so why---?"

"Correction: you were dating the Avatar five months ago with no sign that you're going to get back together any time soon. So, naturally, everyone in the Fire Nation knows that you're available. There's no doubt that Aang's gotten offers already---" at Katara's distressed expression, Mai quickly sought to put her at ease, "which I'm equally sure that he's denied. You haven't seen him walking around with any other girl, have you? No, of course not. It'll only be a matter of time before you get the same offers. You ready for that?"

"Well---but---that's," Katara sputtered, at a loss at how to begin. "H-how can you say that these boys like me? I don't even know any of them, haven't even spoken to most---"

"Ah, but they know you, or at least, know of you. Your history and battle prowess is very well known to the whole world but especially to the Fire Nation. The victors always get the highlights after all."

"Oh, so that's it, then," Katara stated in disdain. "They're not interested in me for me. They're after my reputation and what I can do for them once they've got me. Am I right?"

"Probably that's how it is for some of them. Power and status have always been weaknesses for most men, and you have both in spades, which makes you a great temptation. But, there are those that genuinely want to get to know you, or else they wouldn't get so nervous about you liking them or not. It really all depends on if you're willing to give them that chance."

"But, Mai," said Katara, actually stopping their walk to the throne room, turning to face Mai with conviction in her voice and on her face. "I'm dedicated to Aang. There's no way I would cheat on him with anyone, especially since I know he wouldn't ever do so to me---"

"Then why aren't you together now?" questioned Mai, staring her down. "There doesn't seem to be much point in this little break of yours' if you're not seeing other people. I always thought that was kind of the point; it would help determine if you and he were really meant to be with each other or not."

"Well, um… I just," she stopped, knowing that any response was futile and would only prove Mai's point. "What is this, Mai? Are you trying to hurt me? Make me feel like crap about how I've handled this?"

"No. I just think that something needs to be done about this. I'm not the only one, either. We've all noticed how miserable the both of you are when you're apart. The only grief that tops that is when you two are together. We just want you and Aang to be happy, and it's about time you each worried about your own happiness for awhile. Like I said before: if you two are really meant to be with each other, then it will be revealed in time."

"And, does Aang know about this?" said Katara, resuming their walk.

"Zuko has had plenty of time to discuss it with him, and if not him, then Sokka definitely has. It is certainly something you should talk about with him when he comes back."

"I'm glad I met you, Mai," Katara stated sincerely. "It's been a long time since I've had an honest female friend to talk with about things like this."

"You probably think that I'm a little too honest, though, don't you?" smirked Mai.

Katara snickered. "Well, yeah, sometimes. But, it sure gives me a good kick in the ass when I need it. Oh, we're here!"

And so they were. Fluttering before them was the scarlet satin curtain that covered the entryway into the vast, spacious room where all matters concerning the Fire Nation (and now, all the rest of the world) were thoroughly debated and analyzed to determine which would be the best course of action. War was no longer the only issue discussed here. Two guards stood on either side of the opening but did nothing to stop the girls from entering when they wished, having been told to expect them beforehand. Mai and Katara exchanged a brief glance and a nod, each taking a piece of the curtain that was split down the middle to allow them easier access inside the room. Steeling themselves, they entered simultaneously, each knowing how the next several hours were seemingly going to stretch to eternity, being as fruitless as they were boring. The only hope they still had was that Uncle Iroh was sure to have reserved for the both of them the most stimulating cup of Ginseng tea they'd ever had.

A/N: Please review. It makes me want to type faster!