A/N: Hello and welcome to Chapter 3! Woo! Ahem, I'm not sure why I'm so excited. Probably because this chapter has one of the first things in this story that I absolutely adored. This is SuperSonic Violet, hoping you adore it too! 8D

Disclaimer: Copyrighted bits = not mine.

A Vow of Faith

Chapter 3: The Choice

Katara precariously balanced the stack of bowls in her hands as she made her way to the kitchen. It was her turn to wash the dishes today – Sokka had instigated the creation of a timetable to make sure that whenever they were together, the chores would be evenly spread. She puffed out a relieved breath as she stepped through the arch leading into the kitchen, treading towards the sink as if she were sneaking up on it. She got there at last, triumphantly dumping the bowls into the sink with a smile.

As she turned the faucet on and worked the soap into a lather, Toph sauntered into the kitchen, a broom propped over her shoulder much like a boastful warrior with a sword – no doubt, if someone were to get in her way, she would actually use the broom as such… and more, Katara thought. The waterbender giggled as she watched Toph sink into a wooden chair. "Already done with the sweeping?" she asked, turning back to the sink.

Toph let her head droop over the back of the chair, inky hair slipping out of her face and around her bun to reveal a bored expression. "Nope."

Katara picked up the first bowl after the water was foamy and bubbling, scrubbing away at it while staring flatly at the wall before her. She rolled her eyes, having fallen into the trap. "Would you like me to help you?" she muttered between clenched teeth.

The earthbender suddenly perked up, jumping upright and dropping the broom, an exaggerated grin stretching her lips. "Well, if you insist!"

Katara threw her a scowl over her shoulder, hoping Toph could sense that much detail in a person; in case she could, her amusement at Toph's expression would be hidden. After this scenario having become something of a routine, there was no point in trying to be angry anymore. "Stop smiling," Katara said instead, setting the bowl on the wash rack and taking up a green plate. "Your teeth are so bright, I'm going to be blinded – oh! Sorry. No offe-"

"Eh, forget it. I'm already blind!" Toph threw an arm into the air. "And I don't give a damn if you think it's too bright," she announced pleasantly, flexing her arms before folding them behind her head and resting back comfortably.

"Language, Toph," scolded Katara.

She snickered. "Damn, damn, damn," she chanted. "Damn…"

"Cut it out."

"Damn, Sugar Queen, you're so damn parental sometimes. Damn you!"

Katara huffed, jerking the poor sponge over gravy hardened into stubborn crust on the plate. "I'm going to pour soap down your throat when you're sleeping," she said in a flat, sing-song tone.

"Damn," drawled the earthbender. "You don't need to get so damn moody. Dammit, I wish you weren't such a damned time-bomb for bad temper-"

Katara dropped the plate into the foaming basin with a muffled clank. She whirled, sponge crushed between her curled fingers, face twisted into a murderous mask. "Toph-"

The younger girl finally allowed herself to erupt in a fit of laughter, causing the chair to nearly tip over. As she gasped for air, she managed to squeak, "You're too easy to work up!"

"Oh, whatever!" she hissed, for a lack of anything sharper to say.

"And one more thing…"

"What now?"

"Dayum, you gotta watch your temper." Cheeks lightly flushed, Toph lifted a forefinger and poked it at the floor. "What's that you dropped on the floor anyway?"

"What?" Frowning, Katara looked down to see that the sponge, which she had squashed into a ball between her fingertips, had dripped soapy liquid onto the red material of her skirt, running down to slowly plop onto the floor. She groaned as it slid further down and close to her foot, feeling the moisture pasting a strip of the skirt to her leg. Tossing the sponge into the basin, she bent down to pick at the material. "Damn…" she muttered unconsciously – and snapped upright after realizing what she had just said. "You know what? Not a single word."

Smiling, Toph held up her hands. "Whatever, Queen of Endless Sugary Sweetness… or are you?"

Katara snorted, unable to keep back a smile. "You can be such a prick, Toph," she chuckled, shaking her head and returning to the unwashed dishes.

"And you still love me," said Toph cosily, reclining in the chair again.

She laughed again quietly, gradually losing herself to her thoughts as she swiped the sponge in circular motions over another plate. Last night, after she returned to the Western Air Temple, things had certainly felt different – but not to the extent that she anticipated. It had been nearly impossible, trying to fall asleep, since her mind kept creeping back to what had taken place in Zuko's chambers. In the moonlight, as the crisp night air ghosted over her skin through the open balcony doors, setting her dark tresses and his crimson night robe fluttering, she had sworn her faith in him. At the time, she had not thought that it was irrational or foolish – neither did she now. But this morning, after a sleep filled with too many thoughts that could not be considered dreams, she had had enough time to order things in her mind. And so she realized just how binding her words were. You can't make a vow like that and go back on it, not at all. Never. She knew what she was entering herself into and she had no regrets, but innately, she could not help but sense that it was awfully dangerous…

There was a tense coldness in her chest – as if her body was gathering her nerves for something, waiting for something to come to a head… But she did not know when this something was going to happen or if these instinctive feelings were even correct. It was as though she were holding her breath before the onset of a storm.

"Hey, Katara, are you okay?"

The waterbender started with a marked intake of breath. She looked down to find that her hands had stilled during her ruminations; she loosely groped the plate, her hands hanging in the sink. Turning around, she met eyes with the speaker. "Oh, Suki – when did you come in here?"

"Sheesh, pay attention much, Katara," remarked Toph.

"A minute or two ago," Suki answered, curiosity in her dark blue eyes, but her tone assumed casualness. "I just got back from a torturous tea with Mai and Ty Lee. You were just standing there, staring at the wall… Are you all right?"

Katara forced a smile, tucking an invisible strand of hair behind her ear. "Sure. I didn't have a good sleep, is all."

"It must've been pretty stressful, what happened with Zuko."

Katara frowned, her mouth going dry. Could she…? "What are you talking about?"

Suki shifted on her feet, resting her hand on the back of Toph's chair. "He treated you guys really badly yesterday, like you were enemies, and Aang almost-"

"Oh, right." Katara swirled her tongue around inside her mouth, trying to relieve the dryness from a moment before. She leaned against the counter supporting the sink. "How was the tea?"

The Kyoshi Warrior chuckled, pulling up a chair diagonally from Toph and slumping into it. "The tea was brilliant. Mai's rich, so I expected that. But she was being crazy about something Ty Lee shouldn't have brought up."

Katara raised an eyebrow and smiled crookedly, folding her arms. "What did she say? Your hair's better than Mai's?" she joked.

"Actually, it was pretty strange," said Suki. "Ty Lee and I were on duty outside Zuko's bedroom yesterday, and he sounded like he was having a nightmare. But after a while we heard voices, like he was talking to someone. When we burst in, he was staring out his balcony and the doors were open. Mai's pretty upset about it 'cause she's worried about him – and suspicious, but she won't admit it. I can tell. She's also questioning the capability of my Warriors." Suki rolled her eyes. "Frankly, she was extremely annoying."

The waterbender's smile had moderately faded as Suki spoke, not only because she knew exactly who Zuko was talking to and how the security had been tested, but also because there had been a knowing look in Suki's eyes the entire time. "It can't be the best thing to have someone you care about falling apart," she said slowly. Spirits, did she hear what I said to him? I don't know how they'll take it yet. It's something so personal, so complicated. I'm not sure how I could even begin to tell them, or if it's necessary at all…

Before Suki could respond, Toph yawned loudly. "Just talking about Mai makes me depressed and this Zuko business gets my blood boiling."

"Toph!"

Toph flung her hands up. "What? It's not just 'cause of what he did yesterday. I wish he'd see that he isn't that bad. It frustrates me."

Katara put her hands on her hips. Oh, Toph, it isn't that simple. And that's why I can't tell you everything now – you don't understand it yet. "Yesterday, I know we said we'd wait for him to apologise or explain, but we did agree we wouldn't hold a grudge."

"Of course, but I'm still mad… I just want my old Sparky back," admitted Toph quietly. A few minutes of silence passed between the girls, in which they were lost in their own contemplations. Finally, it was broken when Toph cleared her throat. "But maybe it'll happen eventually."

"It will, Toph," answered Katara, her voice strengthened with steel. She made her way over to the younger girl, laying her hand on her shoulder. "I would do whatever it takes to get him back."

Toph did not instantly respond, face hooded by her long, black bangs. Timidly her hand, still plump and tiny with childhood, reached up to press Katara's. "That means a lot," she whispered, loud enough for only Katara to hear. Then, looking up, she announced, "Now come on – enough sad talk. Let's go have a bending spree with Twinkle Toes!"

Suki sniffed. "Hmph."

"You and Sokka can do some sparring or throw daggers at us… or each other. Doesn't your foreplay involve that?"

Suki's jaw dropped, her cheeks flaming. "I will not discuss what I do with my fiancé," she blurted shrilly.

Katara giggled, not bothering to scold the earthbender for her suggestive talk as she usually would. She was glad that she had confided at least a part of her intentions to Toph – she knew that when the time came for whatever the cause of her tense feelings was, the earthbender might hopefully be able to understand, even just a tad. "Let's go then."

She was a master waterbender, her waterbending skills perfectly honed – yet her gift still managed to thrill her. Especially the tall tentacles of the water octopus she had summoned up around her.

Near to the fountain in the middle of the courtyard stood Katara, the centrum of eight tentacles of water that swished around her, droplets of liquid occasionally splashing her blue tunic, breeches and brown boots, but not soaking into them. The heat of the Fire Nation summer flared around the gang as they sparred under the golden afternoon sky, present even when a slight breeze wandered into the courtyard. But the water tentacles surrounding her entire body locked in cool air as she twisted and twirled her arms in order to keep her octopus alive. Waterbending would always make her happy – now that the War was over, there was more time to indulge in the art as a hobby. Though soon she would be beginning to teach waterbending classes, in less than three months, and she was greatly looking forward to it.

A Water Tribe dagger belonging to her brother flew at her, and with a curve of an eyebrow and a smirk to match, she caught it easily, the tip of a tentacle wrapping around the blade. Drawing her hand back fluidly and then thrusting it forward, the tentacle mimicked her movement and hurled the dagger back at Sokka. Its handle bounced off the wolf helmet that he had donned specially for their group sparring session, before landing on the cobbled ground.

"Argh!" cried Sokka, wobbling around dizzily. "Hey! That wasn't nice!"

"Your dagger-throwing skills aren't nice!" called Katara, laughing as he unsuccessfully tried to steady himself, interrupted only when a chunk of earth was thrown at her by Toph. With a powerful upward jerk of her elbow, a tentacle to her left collided with the mass of earth; it was destroyed, exploding into puny bits of soil, as well as the fat tentacle, which burst into droplets of water that fanned across Katara's face.

As she formed the tentacle once more from fountain water, she felt wind blowing her hair. Looking up, she found Aang cheering and swooping down at her, arms spread like the wings of a bird, and he quickly pecked her cheek as he passed, blasting the ground with air to keep him moving forward. Katara mirrored his grin as he dropped into an air scooter beside a floored Sokka. But she did not feel her cheeks blushing as she routinely would have, a warmth failing to be stirred in her chest at his adorable act… She frowned to herself, but dismissed it as her mind being elsewhere.

Suddenly, Aang dismounted his air scooter, allowing it to fade away with a gust. His pale arm, free due to his burnt orange tunic crossing over his chest and tying at the opposite bare shoulder, lifted so that his cupped fingers could shield his eyes as he peered up at the sky. "Guys, stop," he ordered loudly. The cheerful, light-hearted boy from before was now replaced by a grave Avatar. Immediately, Katara let the octopus drop into a puddle at her feet which she then scooped up and, dragging stray droplets along the way, sent it streaming into the fountain; the flower-shaped, beautiful fountain she had sat at last night as she healed her wrists. Suki yanked her sword out of another of Toph's blocks of earth before the earthbender slid it back into the ground, akin to a puzzle piece. Sokka, meanwhile, seemed to forget his dizziness, pulling himself into an upright position.

They all gawked at what Aang was staring at: A Fire Nation air balloon hovered over at the edge of the courtyard, a dark mass in the yellow sky, from which a roped ladder with a figure attached to it had just descended. And that figure was Fire Lord Zuko.

"What's happening?" hissed Toph, fidgeting in the silence.

"It's Zuko… He got here with an air balloon. You'll feel him land in the courtyard any second now." Sokka rubbed the back of his neck under his helmet. "I didn't think we'd be seeing him for a while… What should we do?"

"Maybe he wants to make peace," offered Suki, leaning on her sword.

"Let's see what happens," said Katara softly as she watched him. There was something strange about him, and looking around at the others' uncertain expressions, she could tell that they sensed it too. Something isn't right.

Aang's face hardened as the firebender stepped down the last rungs of rope, his boots with their curled, gold tips touching onto the cobbled floor at the end of the courtyard, which was situated at the top of one of the slimmer, inverted Western Air Temple towers that jutted out of the face of the cliff; it must have been easy to spot them, and equally easy to land. Aang walked forward strongly but guardedly. "What are you doing here, Zuko?"

"Fire Lord Zuko," he corrected in response.

Aang's eyebrows furrowed as he came to a stop, knowing that this exchange would not be friendly. "Sorry, Your Majesty," he said stiffly. "Why did you suddenly decide to come see us? Are you here to apologise for yesterday?"

Zuko allowed his eyes to flick to Katara across the courtyard, and her own sky blue pair widened. "Hardly," he said, icily meeting eyes with Aang again. "I decided to stop by, since I'm making a trip to one of my troublesome colonies. Yu Dao."

Katara swallowed, unsure if she should intervene, speak at all. He seemed… different. Something had conspicuously changed in him, but she could not guess at what it was. It was evident in his callous tone, his suspicious – almost sinister – air, the regular flexing of his fingers as though his mind was restless. Oh, but the latter could also be read in his eyes… Just as she decided that she should attempt to speak, Aang's fists clenched and words spilled from his lips. "Well, I don't know why you're acting this way and I don't know why you're here only to tell us that. We're not mad at you anymore-"

"Speak for yourself!" called Toph, and Suki elbowed her.

"At least some of us aren't," amended Aang. "We're ready to forgive you if you're willing to apologise and tell us what's going on. We're your friends, Zuko, not your enemies. You can talk to us. We can help you find peace within yourself and the world."

Zuko scowled, closing his eyes. "I did not come here to seek your forgiveness. I came here to tell you that I've received an offer from my father, and now I'm making my way to Yu Dao to re-enter peace negotiations. If those fail, then I will act severely. Either way, I'm going to ensure that this rebellion is crushed."

"Force isn't the way to deal with it, Zuko, especially when Ozai has something to do with it," warned Aang. "You can't go down the wrong path like this. He's brainwashing you. Don't do this, otherwise I'll… I must…"

"Force isn't the way? As if peace proves more successful. In fact, it involves just as much destruction and conflict as force and violence – in a tight space, one's shoulders will still rub with their enemy's even if they'd agreed not to fight." He spoke mechanically. "Look at your world. It's falling apart even after you worked so hard to put it back together. That's why how I go about this doesn't matter."

"You're not yourself, Zuko – this doesn't sound like you," said Sokka carefully, rising to his feet.

Zuko opened his eyes, ignoring Sokka. "I want you to join me, Katara."

"What? Don't you bring my little sister into this!" Sokka viciously yanked his helmet off, tossing it to the side. There were beads of sweat on his forehead and the bridge of his nose. "You'll become a monster like your father if you force her to go with you!"

Katara's wide eyes were trapped by Zuko's, her breath heavily entering and exiting her lungs. She registered the reactions from the rest of Team Avatar all too clearly, felt Aang and Suki's eyes piercing into her skin while Sokka glared savagely at Zuko. She wanted to lock herself in the cold cage of tentacles by which she had been surrounded not very long ago, anything to turn their stunned, questioning gazes from her. "I…" she began, but found that she could not finish.

Zuko drew in an audible, deep breath. "You told me where your allegiance was, Katara. You vowed. Would you go back on your word, commit such a sin of dishonour?"

He did not mean to sound punishing, as though he was entitled to something she owed him; his harshness was unintended. She knew that. But oh, her heart felt sullied simply to think that she would break a promise to someone, notably one of such gravity… And his words added to it.

"Katara?" Sokka beseeched. "You…?"

Suki gasped, realisation dawning on her, the sword she was leaning on clattering to the ground. "Is that what you said to him last night?" she breathed, astonished.

"A-Almost-" stammered Katara.

"Last night?" queried Aang. "But you… you were here the rest of the afternoon, and after we talked you went straight to your room-"

"Yes, and after that I went to the Fire Palace," clarified Katara.

"Why?" shouted Sokka unintentionally, familial worry over his sister causing his hysteria to rise with each minute that passed.

"Last night!" repeated Toph. "That's interesting."

"It wasn't like that, Toph, really," said Katara with a huff. "I felt like I needed to talk to him and see if he was all right." Before Katara could proceed to divulge his damaged condition – that he had most assuredly not been all right – something flickered in Zuko's eyes, almost a plea not to tell them. She tore her gaze away at last and regarded the others solemnly. "Then I swore that I would help him if he needed it, and that I had faith in him. And I do. But I didn't exactly say that I would be on his side or turn my back on everyone else, if that's what you thought. I don't think there are sides in this situation because we all want peace established – we're all aiming for the same goal. But if there are sides, I'm with everyone." There can't be sides, not when we're all friends. I vowed my faith in Zuko, to Zuko – to help him whenever he needed it. But does that mean I've…? Have I… already chosen a side?

"Is this it?" asked Zuko hoarsely, a tinge of weakness pervading his hostile stance. "Is this how you're breaking your oath?"

"Of course not…" Katara, have you already chosen a side? she furiously asked herself.

"So what is your answer, then? Will you come with me?"

Sokka angrily started forward, preparing to rush Zuko, but was held back when Aang latched firmly onto his wrist with two hands. Instead of struggling, he shook his head and uttered lowly. "Why would you want to do this to her, Zuko? The War already put my family and everyone I care about in danger, and now we're finally safe. You and Aang still have politics to deal with, fine, that's okay. But now you're jeopardising my sister's safety. Don't you see why I can't let this happen? What would my dad say?"

"Her decision is none of your concern."

Aang made a frustrated noise of protest. "You can't make her go with you – it's not fair, and it's dangerous! You'll be going against the official agreements of the Harmony Restoration Movement! You're not following the terms, and if you force Katara to go with you, you'll only make her a traitor to the peace, too! And…"

Katara shut her eyes and blocked out his voice, Sokka's voice, Zuko's voice – all of them. She needed to think. Aang was acting as if this would be a deed of betrayal, not absorbing her opinion on the matter. They did not want her to go with Zuko, who appeared unstable and, unfortunately by default as a result of his intentions, opposition. But was it honestly betrayal if she went with him, against their wishes and the Harmony Restoration Movement, to revive him? She had made a vow, a binding act, and it would be against her morals and every fibre of her being if she broke it by refusing him. But on this mission he might intend to use force; he might harm people – it was dangerous and he was despicably wrong… Was that not against her nature, too?

With that, Katara urged her feet forward. Aang fell silent as she came to a stop in the distance spanning between Zuko and the others. Katara lifted her face, surveying the other four members of Team Avatar, studying them intently as a breeze carrying the fresh mountain scent entered the courtyard. She broke eye contact with them and stared at the cobbled ground, her own pair of boots… before she turned so that she faced Zuko, and her back was to them. She lifted her chin and resolutely said:

"Every step of the way. Until the end."

His breaths were shuddering as he nodded, a glimmer of gratification highlighting his face as he recognised her words to him from the previous night. He held out a gloved hand to her, maroon cloak billowing about him. "Thank you, Katara. Thank you for choosing me."

Katara ignored what the rest of Team Avatar were saying, letting her legs automatically guide her towards Zuko. As it was, she felt guilty enough for leaving them without explaining fully why she was doing this, why she was not the traitor they probably considered her now. She settled her hand in his, using it as leverage to step onto the rope ladder, and climbed a few rungs, leaving enough space for him to climb on below her. She watched them sombrely – watched as Toph caused a few mounds of earth to bulge up and trap Suki, Sokka and Aang's feet, watched as they gave outcries of shock and attempted to break free. Toph tried to calm them, and she was not able see it, but Katara still nodded in thanks at the girl.

The earthbender had indeed understood Katara's words from earlier. "You guys don't get it – she's not betraying us. I'm pretty sure she's…" Katara heard as she tried to calm them with explanations, but the words got lost as Katara realised that Zuko was on the ladder and the airship was reeling them in.

Still, she thought that Toph would indeed get her reasoning right. Katara was going with Zuko not because she felt obligated; not because she was some prisoner of an agreement. She did not see herself as a prisoner of any sort but she did see that the agreement was important, and she knew in her heart that she would never forgive herself if she went back on her vow. Neither would he.

Breaking the vow would also sever Zuko's last tie to humanity. Oh, yes, she could feel the perverse change in him, feel it intrinsically. Something had happened in the time between their meeting in the moonlight and now – and it marred him inside. He was going to do terrible things, not only to other people, but to himself, too. And that was the other reason, aside from her vow of faith, why Katara went with him: She was going to ensure that no one got hurt on his new mission and, ultimately, save him from himself – as long as she was there, he would never lose his morality and humanity.

But it broke her to see Team Avatar hurt and feel so afraid for her – and also furious that she might be betraying them. She hoped Toph would be successful, though the younger girl would not be able to tell them very much. Perhaps she might at least reassure them in the meantime. As the ladder carried Katara and Zuko upwards, farther from the courtyard in the Western Air Temple, the waterbender focused on her brother. He was still trying to communicate with her, plead with her, say words that she could not hear at the growing distance… His agony was almost tangible.

Upon seeing that, a sob racked her chest; she realised that she had been shedding tears, and they were silently dripping down her cheeks. She had hurt them in making this choice, especially Sokka, but she hoped that they would discover and accept her true motives, thereby ceasing to hurt. And she knew that she, too, would get hurt in what she was doing – but it was all so that someone she cared about would stop hurting, and there was no other way, no other escape route for him.

Despite the pain that she would bring upon herself in the process, Katara knew that it had to be done.

I would do whatever it takes to get him back.

A/N:

I simply cannot believe that I haven't updated in over a year. Sheesh. I really hope that this sudden inspiration will carry on for a while so I can get the other chapters out reasonably fast. 'O_O And the thing that I said I adored in this chapter: When Katara chose Zuko! In my head it was such a delicious and scandalous scene – I hope it was decent enough over here. :P

Thank you so much for reading, and for your reviews! I really appreciate them. :D If you have any questions or feedback, feel free! Also, if you're interested, expect an update for Love Amongst the Dragons this week. :)

Next Chapter: We get to see a bit more of Zuko's villainousnessnessness, and a taste of how he treats Katara while he's villainous. Oh, and if you haven't caught on yet, Zuko is not going to be very nice in this fic. Seriously. Official heads-up. This is the one fic I write where he's a jerk most of the time.