A/N: Much of this chapter was inspired by different comments I received on . Namely from : AvatarLover1, MidnightOasis, and Sev (my beta). Without their insight and suggestions, this fic wouldn’t be as great as it is. Please, keep the comments, suggestions and encouragement coming!!

Zuko was coming down the hallway to the bridge of the ship when he heard shouting.

“Leave me alone, Sokka!”

“Katara, you’ve got to talk to someone! Aang told me what happened on the deck!”

Zuko held up his hand for his Uncle to pause, holding his finger to his lips.

“Nephew, it may not be the best idea to…” Iroh stopped mid-sentence as a thud was heard. He started forward but was held back by his nephew’s restraining hand.

“You want to know Sokka? You want to know what happened in the darkness of Ozai’s palace?” Katara ground out, pushing her brother harder against the metal hull.

“You want to know about the first time he took me? How I pleaded with the FIRE LORD for mercy? The man who has decimated our people and the rest of the world? How I begged for Aang, Toph and you to come save me?! And how each and every day there was no one but HIM?”

Sokka couldn’t meet his sister’s eyes as the guilt engulfed him. “I just want…”

“What? You want the happy, optimistic Katara back? She is gone Sokka. Deal with it.”

Zuko peered around the corner as the water tribe girl stepped back from her brother, her arms crossed and her face stormy. She turned and caught Zuko’s eyes. From behind him she could see Iroh.

“Perhaps,” Iroh began, clearing his throat before Katara interrupted him with her hand held out.

“In all honesty, Uncle Iroh, be quiet,” she murmured before turning around and heading towards the bridge.

Zuko looked from his Uncle’s dumbfounded face to Sokka’s defeated one. “What is going on?”

“That is how she has been since she came back,” Sokka mumbled, wiping at his eyes. “She is so angry that whenever I suggest something, or try to get her to talk, she just lashes out. She is filled with so much hate…” the warrior rasped, choking on his tears.

Iroh strode forward, touching the boy’s shoulder before hugging him. “Your sister will be true to her element, Sokka. Like any glacier, once it starts to melt, it cascades into the sea. Eventually the dangerous iceberg will melt, joining the sea once again. Soon, your sister’s anger will thaw, and she will be all right.”

“You think so?” Sokka asked, stepping back.

“Yes,” Iroh patted his shoulder, looking to Zuko for confirmation.

Uncomfortable, Zuko only nodded.

From around the corner Katara’s eyes narrowed. Every time she left a room the whispers followed her, their eyes always sympathetic and pitying. Katara clenched her fists even tighter, the urge to scream bringing tears to her eyes. Didn’t they think she wanted to be normal? To just be ‘herself’ once again? Footsteps sounded in the corridor, and Katara darted towards the bridge.

Zuko peered through the spyglass before handing it to his Uncle for confirmation.

“It is a courier ship.” Iroh stated.

“What do they want?” Aang asked.

“They’ll expect us to slow to await them.”

The Avatar peered over the horizon at the darkening smudge that was quickly becoming a fire nation vessel. “They’ll know that we’re imposters, just like last time.”

“Possibly.”

“So what do we do? Run?” Toph asked from her position leaning against the wall.

“They do have smaller engines. If Katara and the Avatar can add to our speed with their waterbending we might have a chance,” Iroh said softly, his hands resting in his sleeves.

Aang thought for a moment, then turned to the Water Tribe siblings who had been silent throughout most of the exchange. “What do you guys think?”

Katara crossed her arms, her eyes hard. “Let them come. We’ve sunk bigger.”

Sokka gave his sister a glance before sighing. “Our responsibility is to get to the other Rebel forces. They don’t have the new information on the arrival of the comet. We need to regroup, plan the new invasion and find a way to rescue the men taken captive.”

“Well spoken, Sokka,” Iroh commented, earning a grin from the Water Tribe warrior.

The Avatar continued to gaze at Katara who just stared determinedly at the black smudge on the horizon. He sighed and turned to Zuko. “Tell the Captain to increase speed, and tomorrow, we’ll start to add our bending.”

A sharp bang greeted his decision, and Aang turned to face the empty space where Katara had been. Without a word he strode forward to find his friend.

Katara paced the deck, muttering to herself. How could they just run away? Why wouldn’t they fight! They were in a war, and with every enemy ship destroyed, it was one more blow to Ozai. Katara stopped at the railing, glaring in the direction of the oncoming ship. No one wanted to fight. Not even Zuko.

“I won’t be weak again!” She vowed.

“You’re not weak,” Aang stood behind her.

Katara turned around, her face inscrutable.

“I got captured, didn’t I?”

“Who are you angrier at Katara? Yourself or me?”

“What do you mean, Aang?”

The Avatar sighed, taking her hand. “I didn’t protect you. I didn’t …”

“It isn’t your job to keep me safe,” she murmured, the almost forgotten emotion of guilt creeping up her spine.

“Then whose is it? Zuko’s?”

Katara gasped and yanked her hand out of his, her eyes wide. “What?”

“I’ve seen you. I’ve seen you let him hold you, I’ve seen the tender moments, and I see how you look to him,” Aang’s voice shook with withheld emotion, and he closed his eyes, taking a breath.

Katara was silent. She couldn’t explain what she and Zuko were to each other, that would mean speaking about so much…so much she would rather leave in the darkness of Ozai’s palace. She steeled her will. What happened to her wasn’t the priority now.

“Aang, I want you to reconsider fleeing from the Fire Navy ship. We should fight!”

The Avatar stiffened. “No Katara. We shouldn’t.”

He stared at her hard for a moment before continuing. “If you can’t get a handle on your anger, I don’t think you should fight at all,” he said sadly, turning and leaving.

Zuko stood up as the door to his cabin was slammed open.

“He can’t do this to me! He can’t!” Katara stormed into the room, raging.

The Fire Nation noble tilted his head. “What are you talking about?”

“Aang! He told me that if I couldn’t get control of myself that he wouldn’t let me fight?! He can’t do that!” She screeched. Katara continued to pace. She would show him, if he didn’t let her fight she would just…what? Bloodbend him until he let her? Katara shook her head, sick to her stomach.

“Why is it so important to you?”

Katara closed her eyes as Zuko’s question interrupted her thoughts. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms, her emotions running the gamut of anger, despair and revulsion. At one time she would’ve never entertained the thought at using her waterbending against her friends, much less bloodbending. She stared at her hands, feeling stained and dirty. Would she never feel clean? Katara clenched her fingers into fists. If she had been stronger, better trained, she could’ve fought against the villagers and escaped. But she had been weak, compassionate and it cost her much more than her virginity.

“Katara,” Zuko touched her shoulder gently, turning her to him. She was tense, her body posture rigid.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

The words were so soft that if he hadn’t been close to her, he would’ve never heard.

“Why?”

The question tugged at the water maiden and echoed through her own mind. “I was trying to save that village. I healed them, gave them clean water and food. I gave them hope! And in my pity for them, I allowed them to take me prisoner. I should’ve fought them and escaped! But I didn’t want to hurt them. They didn’t understand what they were doing; they didn’t know that I wasn’t a threat to them.”

Katara paused, gripping his tunic. “But I knew what I was doing. Damn it Zuko! I’m a Master Waterbender! I have fought battles and traveled with the Avatar! I should’ve been better then that. Then I would’ve never fallen into Ozai’s clutches.”

“So what?”

Katara pushed back away from him. “What?” she hissed.

“So what?! You were captured by the man who controls most of the world! You aren’t in a minority there, Katara.”

“What are you saying?” The water bender felt herself beginning to tremble in anger.

“We cannot change the pathway that we walk, or the routes that we are diverted from; we must continue to place one foot in front of the other, till we reach our destination!”

“Thanks, Iroh,” Katara spat sarcastically, before turning away.

“Agni damn you! Listen to me!” Zuko jerked her back to him and into the circle of his arms. “Katara, what happened to you, happened. You were compassionate; you didn’t want to hurt innocent people! That is who you are! You couldn’t control what happened to you! You were a victim!”

“I’m not a victim anymore,” Katara said against his chest, closing her eyes to listen to his heartbeat. Of all the people she found comfort in, she never would’ve thought it would be the son of her attacker. Yet, he was the only thing that kept her alive. He was the only one that saved her.

“No, your not, and you won’t be, ever again,” Zuko promised into her hair.

Katara leaned against him, wanting to believe him more than anything. She knew that this battle would never be over. Not the one pulling the world apart, and not the one within her soul. Not until Ozai was dead.

Toph sat up straight from her pallet on the floor, ghosting her hands across the metal decking beneath her.

“What are you doing?” she murmured, sitting up and quietly making her way out of the room. Feeling along with her feet, she tried to make sense of the picture that her element was trying to relay. Finally emerging out on the main deck, she stopped.

“What are you doing?” The earthbender repeated, this time to the cloaked figure some yards away.

Katara froze, not even spying Toph in the darkness. “Just walking,” she shrugged nonchalantly.

“Why don’t we pretend that I’m not stupid, and I won’t pretend that you’re lying.” Toph inclined her head, walking forward a step. “You’re leaving,” she said with finality.

Sighing, Katara shifted her pack. She had gathered her essentials, and changed her clothes into black pants and a tunic, courtesy of Zuko, though he didn’t know it. The Earth Bender would try to stop her, and a fight would only serve to wake the others.

“Toph, please, try to understand,” Katara pled.

“Understand what? You are leaving us? Just after we got you back? Where are you going to go?” Toph paused for a moment before answering her own question. “You are going to attack that ship, aren’t you? For what?”

“Someone has to stop him.”

The cold words caused Toph to stop and shake her head. “That is Twinkletoes’ destiny, not yours.”

“Do you think he can really do it, Toph? Do you think that Aang has it in him to kill the Fire Lord?” Katara asked.

Toph frowned.

“Do you think Aang, who frees animals from zoos, and rescued Zuko even when he could’ve left him behind, would be able to stand, fight and kill Ozai?”

Silence answered the water bender. Finally Toph spoke. “What do you want, Katara?”

“Give me until morning; then you can tell them that you saw me leave.”

“And leave me with a mess?”

“I could knock you out,” Katara offered.

Toph snorted. “Not likely, Sugar Queen.”

“I’m leaving Toph, and if you try to stop me I’ll…”Katara closed her eyes, knowing that nothing would stop her, “I won’t be nice,” she said finally.

The Earth Rumble champion heard the steel in her friend’s voice and for once, she was almost scared. “Fine. But Katara, this won’t make anything better. It might just make it worse. Are you really prepared to loose everyone who cares about you?”

Zuko’s face flashed in front of Katara’s mind for a moment. She bit her lip. “I have nothing to lose,” she stated, before grabbing hold of the ships railing and disappearing from Toph’s senses.

Katara sped over the water just as she had as the Painted Lady. Only this time, there would be no mercy.She thought as the Fire Nation courier vessel drew closer.