Katara didn’t usually hide things. If she was angry, or upset, it showed. Sometimes, though, she managed to swallow it down. Hide it, from herself and everyone around. She wasn’t sure what prompted the reaction. It wasn’t healthy; it only made things worse when she finally broke down. But sometimes, like now, she just couldn’t drag the pain into the light. It would have to wait. It was nobody’s business but her own, after all, and Katara could take care of herself.
          She kept her cool, pushing the anger to the back of her mind. She managed to heal her wrist without Sokka seeing, thankful for the camouflage provided by her wrist-wraps. She could only imagine his reaction to the bruise, each of Zuko’s fingers distinctly outlined on her skin.
            She made herself tea, and went to bed early. There was no need to tell anyone what happened. It was her concern, and she would fix it. There was a good chance that time and a good night’s sleep would take care of it for her. If Aang threw a speculative glance in her direction, well, she was just tired. That’s all. Just tired.
            But sleep only made it worse. She couldn’t remember her dreams, but they hadn’t been pleasant. She felt out of sorts, awkward in her own skin. The anger hadn’t gone away. It had grown, like a pot left forgotten until it began to boil over. The lethargy in her limbs, which she normally would have ignored or put down to sleeping in an unfamiliar bed, was today directly identified as a side effect of Healing the Jerk.
           She snapped at her brother when he asked how she’d slept, and then at Aang when he asked if she wanted his sea prunes at breakfast, even though she knew how much he hated them and they had turned that fact into a familiar morning ritual.
          Master Pakku quirked at eyebrow at her aggression during morning practice, and then suggested that unless she intended to throw Aang over the edge of a fast moving ship perhaps it was better if he trained the Avatar alone. She bit back a witty retort of her own and stomped downstairs. Stupid Zuko. Stupid bruise. Stupid scar. Stupid, stupid jerk.
          What difference did it make that he was hurt? It wasn’t her fault! All she’d done was knock him down and give him a bruise. A tiny, piddling nothing of a bruise that had already been fading to dull greens and yellows before she wasted her time-
          How dare he?! She had put her own energy into helping him (rather a lot of it, actually) only to be summarily rejected for her kindness. After everything she’d done for him, out of the goodness of her heart, how could he just-
         Aaauuuugh.
         She hated him. She hated every little thing about him. And even if it killed her, he was going to know it. She reached the bottom of the staircase, her irritation escalating to justifiable anger, and then to righteous fury. By the time she reached the end of the narrow hall, Katara had been replaced by a Physical Embodiment of Divine Wrath.
         The guard caught sight of her expression, and bit back the remark he’d been saving. It wasn’t really that big of a deal that he’d had to recover the stool himself. Avoiding eye contact, he stepped aside as she slammed the bolt and yanked the door open.
          Zuko was sitting cross-legged on the floor, hands in his lap. His eyes flicked up as she entered, and then looked away again.
          Katara snapped. After everything else, he had the nerve to ignore her.
          “What the hell is wrong with you? We didn’t have to bring you back with us, you know. We could have left you behind to freeze to death, but we didn’t. Makes no difference to you. We tried to help you- I tried to help you. For what? You’re nothing but an ungrateful, miserable bastard. Do you even have the slightest idea what it takes out of me to Heal like that?  Of course not. Why should you?  You probably think you’re entitled. You’re Fire Nation, you think you’re better than everyone else. Well you’re wrong. How dare you?! I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, after you spent the last three months following us, “hunting the Avatar”, trying to capture the worlds last hope for peace! But what do you care. You’re the Firelord’s son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood.”
           Zuko looked up, and opened his mouth as though trying to say something, but Katara was too angry to stop and listen. She just ran him over, the crush of words spilling from her lips in a torrent of pain.
          “Do you have any idea what this war has put me through? Me, personally. As if it’s not enough that you showed up, and attacked my whole village and threatened my grandmother, your sick, power-hungry army took my mother from me. The Fire Nation took my mother from me…”
           Her voice trailed off and she swallowed, trying to dislodge the lump in her throat.
Zuko watched the tears roll down her face, dripping from her chin. Her hand rose to the carved stone on her necklace. After a few moments he decided she wasn’t going to start yelling at him again.
          “You think you’re the only person to be hurt by the war?”
          His voice was oddly soft, but the words still cut her. She stared at him, blue eyes glistening with unshed tears. He met her gaze evenly, his face unreadable.
          “Everyone… has lost something.”
          Or someone.
          He looked down again, and somehow Katara couldn’t summon even the slightest hint of irritation, much less rage.
          She didn’t notice that he held his head a little to the right, hiding the whole side of his face from her scrutiny. The scar was immobile. It could not show emotion, even involuntarily. His left eye no longer possessed the capability to produce tears. He wouldn’t let her get close again. If they knew how vulnerable he really was…
          No. He wouldn’t let her get that close again. She had already proven that she wasn’t above- taking advantage- while his defenses were down. He closed his eyes, breathing in through his nose, and out through his mouth.  By the time he opened them again, she was gone.
           Katara wandered down the corridor, slightly surprised when she arrived back at her own quarters. Aang was waiting there, a pensive expression on his face. Momo was draped around his shoulders.
          “Feel better now you let it all out?”
          Katara nodded, wondering at Aang’s innocent expression.
          “How did you know-?”
          He grinned. “Hey, it’s you. The girl who started a fight with the most powerful Waterbender in the North Pole- and probably the whole world- to get him to take her on as a student. I figured you’d just take care of it for yourself.”
           “Thank you.”
           “He’s still in one piece, though, right? ‘cause we do still kind of need him.”
           Katara bit her lip and then laughed ruefully.
           “Yeah. He, uh, actually gave me something to think about.”
          Aang wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her up to the deck. Fresh air was good. It cleared your head, kept you awake.
          “Why don’t we find your brother and figure out what to do about all this, huh?”
           Sokka had been slightly concerned by Katara’s earlier mood, but when he saw her leaning against the railing with Aang he knew everything was okay again.
           “You two look like you’re plotting something.”
           “Maybe we are.”
           “Would it have anything to do with you screaming at his royal jerkness earlier?”
           Katara had the grace to blush. Now that the incident had passed, it was slightly embarrassing to think that Zuko had gotten under her skin so thoroughly. She wasn’t about to let Sokka know just how badly she’d messed up the day before- thank the Spirits she hadn’t mentioned anything about her arm in her tirade.
          “You-heard?”
         “I’m pretty sure the entire ship heard. Pakku’s just finally stopped laughing. Of course, the words were pretty incoherent, but the intention was pretty-uh-hard to miss?”
          He leaned against the railing beside then, leaning over to bump his sister with his shoulder, just a little. “You gonna let me in on the conspiracy or what?”
           “It’s more food for thought, really.”
          “Do tell.”
          “Well, I’ve been thinking we don’t really know that much about him. Or the Fire Nation, for that matter. Just now, after I yelled at him, he said that everyone has lost something to the war. It made me remember something else he’d said, about trying to regain lost honor.”
           “Well that explains a lot.”
          Both siblings turned to look at Aang, surprised.
          “It does?”
         “Oh, yeah. Honor is a very big thing in the Fire Nation. Saving face can be more important than the value of a person’s life. I don’t know how things are now, but my friend Kuzon told me once that there used to be a ritual suicide meant to cleanse the stain of dishonor from one’s self and family. I can’t remember what it’s called, but it sounded pretty gross.”
        Sokka made a face. “Let me guess. It involves fire.” He spread his fingers to simulate flames.
        “Actually, no. Honor doesn’t discriminate between Benders and non-Benders. I think the ritual is different for men than woman, though.”
       “Okay, that’s creepy and insane.”
       “It’s also completely off-topic and not helpful.”
       “You’re the one who asked about honor, Katara. I was just trying to explain how- Oh.” Aang’s eyes went very, very wide, and he stepped back. “Oh, snap.”
       “Aang, what is it?”
       “Please don’t be mad at me. I wanted to tell you sooner, I really should have told you sooner-“
       “Told us what, Aang?”
       “Remember when both of you got sick, and I went to get help?”
       “You made us suck on frogs! I got a wart on my-“
       Katara held a hand over her brother’s mouth and gave Aang an encouraging nod.
       “I didn’t tell you at the time, but I kind of got caught.”
       Katara and Sokka didn’t say anything. They just looked at him. He sighed.
       “By Zhao.”
       “Whaat?!”
       “How?”
       Aang reached up behind his head and smiled sheepishly. “Uh, there were these archers, and they were really, really accurate, and I kind of got taken to this big fort-
See the thing is, I wouldn’t have been able to escape, only someone came and helped me. Zuko, actually, but, uh, I’m not really sure that’s what he meant to do…”
       “Zuko? Help you?”
       “Why didn’t you tell us this before!”
       “I wasn’t really sure what to think, because it didn’t make sense, and now it kind of does-“
       Sokka spread his hands and held them up. “Hold it. Hold everything. How does this make sense?”
        Aang sighed. He let his hands drop to his sides and began to pace back and forth, gesturing occasionally to punctuate his sentences.
        “If Zuko did something dishonorable, which apparently he has or he wouldn’t be trying to fix it, it makes sense that as the Prince, he would be given a chance to redeem himself, and it seems that that chance is capturing me, because being the Avatar, I’m the biggest threat to his father, and it’s got to be his only chance, which is why he’d risk trying to steal me from Zhao, because if he doesn’t fulfill whatever terms he’s bound to-“
       “Namely, capturing you.” Katara interjected.
       “Yes, exactly. If he doesn’t fulfill those terms, then, he’s, uh, he’s…”
       “Screwed,” Sokka finished.
       Aang stopped pacing and crumpled to the deck, folding his legs under him and resting his head in his hands.
       “He’s never going to help us. Not in a million years.”
       Somehow, Sokka didn’t mind the thought that Prince Stick-up-his-Butt wouldn’t end up as a permanent member of their team. Spirits or no Spirits, there was only so much a guy could be called on to put up with. Still…
       “You mean he’s not going to help us on purpose.”
       “Say again?
       Sokka rubbed his hands together, a wicked smile overtaking his face. “I propose a simple solution. I’ve even given it a name.”
       Katara raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really? What’s it called, genius?”
       “Operation Outsmart Zuko.”
       “Huh?”
       “Look, no one said he has to come with us all over the world on the off chance he suddenly switches personalities with someone actually human, just that we shouldn’t leave him at the North Pole, right? That’s why we’re taking him to General Fong in the first place. Maybe all he’s supposed to do is accidentally let something slip that we can use later, fulfilling the spirit-y usefulness thing.”
       It wasn’t a bad plan, as plans go, and not surprisingly (considering it was Sokka’s idea) it basically involved a lot of talking. Occasionally, talking would be supplemented by listening, and then by data-collection and analysis. It was all very scientific, and logical, and all three members of the team found very different rationalizations for it.
        Aang wanted to understand Zuko. Antagonism aside, there was something about the young Firebender that was- intriguing. He couldn’t help thinking that under the right circumstances, Zuko might actually be a decent guy.  Not idealistically heroic, necessarily, but decent.
        Besides, solving disputes and helping people get along despite their differences was pretty much the whole reason he was some sort of half-Spirit champion of peace and balance, instead of a normal kid. If he couldn’t get through to a single individual, how was he supposed to reach an entire Nation and convince it to choose a peaceful path? Maybe he could find a way around the honor issue…
         Sokka didn’t think there was a chance in the world Zuko could ever be anything but a pain in the butt at best and a serious threat at the worst. Nevertheless, every warrior knew that you had little hope of defeating an enemy you didn’t understand. Plus, he liked the idea of a sneaky plan. He really, really liked it. Of course, it was his plan.
         Katara thought Zuko was a jerk, but despite her outburst she knew he wasn’t single-handedly responsible for all the bad things in her life. Now that it was out, she knew it was absolutely ludicrous to think he could be involved with what had happened to her mother. He’d have been a kid then, too, and she was a little ashamed that she’d let herself fall into the trap of thinking all Fire Nation people were born bad.
          She was Katara, idealist, giver of second chances. Being vindictive just wasn’t her.  She trusted that the Spirits knew what they were talking about, and she knew Aang would need her support to combat Sokka’s pessimism. He might be the Avatar, but he was also twelve, and a guy, and listened to the sarcastic teen more than he probably should.
          Sokka made no effort to disguise his intentions. Aang and Katara, on the other hand, probably should have realized that their altruism was slightly self-serving. At the time, however, they had other concerns. Aang was worried because Momo had disappeared halfway through the conversation, and Katara was plotting revenge on her brother. Choosing straws was supposed to be impartial, but there was no way he hadn’t cheated…
         Zuko sat on the floor, cataloguing details in his head. He had started out noting similarities between his present environment and his previous quarters in a vain attempt to cheer himself up. Things couldn’t be that bad, right? It was almost the same-
          Only instead of making him feel better, it made him feel worse. Now he couldn’t ignore the parallels, and he was desperately trying to separate the two, but it wasn’t working.
         Metal room, on a ship, simple futon. They’d given him proper blankets this time, not animal pelts. All he needed was a flag on the wall, a candle for his meditation, and he might as well be back on his own ship…
          Dammit. This is different, this is a cage-
          So was the other.
          Maybe so, but at least it was bigger. At least I was free to roam the whole ship, I wasn’t locked up, chained. I could leave-
          But you always came back. Had to come back. Like a beast to his kennel.
          It was a cage.
          He screwed his eyes shut, folded his hands together, and tried desperately to think about nothing but breathing.
          For the second time that day, Zuko’s concentration was broken by the sound of metal scraping against metal as Katara slide the bolt and opened the door.  He pressed his lips into a thin line.
          “Forget something? Maybe you’ve found your voice back and want to yell at me some more? You forgot a couple things.”
          “You hurt me, Zuko, but it’s no excuse. I know I shouldn’t have yelled like that. It won’t happen again.”
         One corner of his mouth quirked upward. “Of course it will.” He didn’t move his head, but his eyes glanced up. “You have a temper.” Like me. Somehow the thought that she was as incapable of control as he was felt reassuring. Unfortunately, it didn’t help much.
         His eyes glanced down again and Katara resumed breathing.
         “I was just trying to help, you know. I can fix-“ she began, but he cut her off.
         “You had no right-“
         His hands curled into fists, and he could feel friction building up along his knuckles. He wouldn’t be able to hold it in if it got much worse. And of course, the stupid git was stepping forward, reaching out her hand-
         “Don’t touch me.”
         He forced his hands open again, flattening out his fingers against the floor. The metal felt pitted under his fingertips, corroded by exposure to the sea. That, he could use. That was different, from before…
          Katara watched him struggle for control, unsure quite how to respond. She didn’t understand why he was reacting this way. Why would he hold on to something that caused him pain?
          She was also uncomfortably aware of the fact that while the metal walls and chains might protect everyone outside, she was inside, with only her water skin for backup if he lost it. The metal sheeting under his hands was starting to glow dull red…She slid one foot backwards, the soft leather of her boot barely a whisper against the floor.
           She was leaving. Good. That was good. It proved she was a spineless jellyfish who couldn’t face situations she didn’t like, but that was her problem, not his. He didn’t want her there anyway. She was a busybody, uninvited, poking her fingers where they didn’t belong. She should leave. She had no right to be here…
           “Running away again?”
           Damn. What the hell was wrong with him? Stupid mouth. Stupid words he didn’t mean to say. Too late to call them back; she’d heard.
           Katara stopped.
           “What did you say?”
           “Nothing. Go away.”
           Her eyes narrowed.
           “Leave!”
           She cocked her hip and folded both arms over her chest. “No, I don’t think so.”
           “No?” he repeated, voice rising in surprise. The expression on his face was equally confused. What the hell am I supposed to do now?
           Katara allowed herself a slight smile. The current score was Zuko-2 Katara-1, but she had the advantage this time, she was beginning to get the measure of him, and the battle of wills was hers. All she had to do was keep him off balance, and talking. Instant victory.
          “You owe me answers.”
          “I don’t owe you anything.”
          Her smile widened. “Actually, you owe me quite a bit. Unless of course you want my brother, my Waterbending Master, a boatload of angry Water Tribe men and the Avatar to find out exactly how you repaid my kindness yesterday. They don’t like you very much, you know. I don’t like you either.”
           “No shit, princess.”
           “Well? Are you going to answer my questions?”
           “No.”
          And just like that, she lost him. The stumbling boy caught his footing, oriented himself, and stood his ground. Not a boy, anymore, either. His face was still, implacable, and as he tilted his head his eyes glittered.
          “You’re bluffing.”
          “Am I?”
          “Yes.” His voice held unshakable certainty.
          “How do you know?”
          “Because you healed me.”
          “So?”
          He smirked ever so slightly, and then mimicked her voice- “Do you even have the slightest idea what it takes out of me?”
          Katara didn’t respond.
          “You couldn’t stand the thought of your kindness being wasted like that. You’re not a very good liar, are you?  Then again I suppose you’re new at this, considering only a few months ago your entire worldview consisted of snow, ice, and pathetically crafted animal-skin tents. Let me offer a word of advice. If you wanted to hold the threat of pain over my head, you should have done that first. Instead, you used your precious Waterbending trick, hoping that I would, what, gush poems of gratitude?”
          He pulled back his head to study her for a moment.
          “Please tell you’re not one of those people who save animals because they’re cute and fluffy, or worse, take on charity cases because they “feel sorry” for them.”
          “Trust me, Zuko, I do not feel sorry for you.”
          “Good.”
          Katara shook her head. She wasn’t sure just how he’d managed to get away from her, but she would. Time was on her side. In the meantime, however…
         “You really are a pathetic ingrate, aren’t you? “
         Zuko shrugged. Not quite the reaction she was expecting. After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to push harder.
        “Yeah, you’re a real piece of work. A genuine, first-class, gods-forsaken bastard.”
        That he reacted to, rising from the floor in an instant and closing the distance between them in three long strides. Katara pressed her back against the door, swallowing down the sudden nervousness inching up her spine. Damn but he was fast. She matched his gaze, not daring to look down at the index finger pressed against her sternum. It was probably her imagination, but the tip of his finger burned...
        “That’s the second time you’ve insulted my mother’s honor. I let it slide once, but not again.”
        Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized just how far she’d crossed the line. Her mouth opened slightly in shock.
        “Your mother?” she whispered.
        “If you ever-“
       “No. I didn’t mean- I didn’t mean it like that.”
       Very, very gingerly she raised her hands, brushing his arm away without actually closing her fingers around his wrist. He jerked away from her anyhow, turning his back without a word.
       Katara left quietly, unsure which of them, if either, had won the exchange.
       She found Aang rooting through the cargo. Sokka sat on a crate with his hands laced behind his head, watching. He had a goofy smile on his face, and she had to wonder if whatever was going on was somehow his fault.
       “Found him!” Aang called cheerfully, both feet sticking up in the air as he leaned headfirst into a large barrel. He disappeared completely for a moment, and then she saw his head pop up, and he climbed out of the mess, cradling Momo in his arms.
        The tiny lemur had stuffed himself so full his belly was twice its normal size, and he lay semi-conscious in Aang’s hold with his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth.  
        “You know, sometimes I think he eats more than Appa does.” Sokka commented, sliding off the crate to land in front of his sister.
       “You get anything useful?”
       Katara sighed. “He’s mad at me for insulting his mother. Gives us a rare glimpse of humanity….”
       “Honor-crazed, but still a momma’s boy.”
       “Sokka, I’m not sure that’s-“ Aang started, but then stopped as Katara gasped and flung both hands over her mouth.
       “I’m so stupid!”
       “What? Where are you going?”
       “To find Master Pakku.”
      Aang and Sokka trailed after her, bewildered.
      As leader of the expedition, Pakku had a room all to himself above deck. As Katara knocked on the door Sokka opened his mouth to demand she explain, but there was a rasping groan and the door swung open. Katara didn’t wait for an invitation before she pounced, breathless in anticipation.
      “Who’s the Queen?”
       Pakku regarded her for a moment, his usually sour face made comical by surprise.
       “What?”
       “Of the Fire Nation. The Firelord has a wife, right?”
       “Ah”, His eyebrows settled, and he gestured them through the door. “You mean Princess Ursa. I’m afraid she never became Firelady.” The door clicked as he pulled it shut.
        “Why not? What happened to her?”
        “No one really knows.” Pakku held up a finger to forestall any interruption. “And I don’t mean outside the Fire Nation. It would seem the majority of the Fire Nation itself isn’t entirely sure. It’s… assumed… she died.”
         Katara absorbed the information, a small but satisfied smile growing on her face.            
         Aang looked confused for a minute, and then his face brightened. Sokka glowered.
         “Wait- I’m still lost. Why do we care about this mystery woman?”
         “Because she’s Zuko’s mother.”
         “Ohhhhhhhhh. What?”
         “You didn’t think he spontaneously generated under a badgertoadstool, did you?” She pursed her lips, thinking. “This helps.”
         “How?’
         “It’s a clue, Sokka. I thought you liked solving problems. Honestly, I thought you’d be all over this.”
          She turned toward the door, and Sokka caught her arm.
          “You are not running back to talk to him again. Not today.”
          She blinked. “Why not?”
          “He already knows we want something. We need to keep him guessing. If you keep coming back, he might start to think he’s important somehow. It can wait.”
          “But Sokka, maybe it’s the thing we need!”
          “And maybe it’s not. It can wait until tomorrow.”
          “But-“
          “It’s not exactly time-sensitive information. And it’s not like he’s going anywhere.”
          Katara agreed reluctantly.
         “Is that jam I smell on your wretched little pet?”
         Aang glanced up into Pakku’s face, an embarrassed smile on his face.
         “No, sir, just some squashed, overripe prickle-berries.”
         “He’d better not have eaten the whole barrel, because if he has, I may ask the cook to prepare berry-stuffed lemur.”
         Aang glanced down at the comatose body in his arms. He hugged Momo to his chest and squeaked. “No sir, there’s plenty left. It’llneverhappenagainIpromise.”
         Pakku grunted. Katara placed her hand on Aang’s shoulder and gently led him out.
          “Something on your mind, boy?”
          Sokka almost jumped. Pakku was a strange one. Sokka really wanted to get along with the sour old bugger, but somehow he suspected Pakku didn’t. He was genuinely fond of Katara, however…
           “Did you see her today?”
          “Saw and heard.”
          “She’s been running around in circles like an artic hen with its head cut off. Because of him.”
          “You’re worried your sister might develop feelings, perhaps?” Pakku’s tone made it extremely clear how unlikely he found the suggestion.
         “No! It just bothers me. I mean, the guy’s locked up, he’s a verifiable wretch and she knows it, and somehow he’s still dictating the whole situation.”
          Pakku pushed him out the door. He started to close it, and then suddenly leaned down. Sokka backed up a step.
         “I highly suspect he would disagree.”
         Then the old man straightened and shut the door in Sokka’s face.
         Sokka stood there for a moment, and then threw his hands up in the air.
         “Ah, man! What’s that supposed to mean?”