The fight starts after dinner. Once everyone's finished eating, Toph and Aang bring a bowl over to Zuko. Just like they did with lunch, Toph frees his arms and Zuko eats.

"Your legs must be really uncomfortable," Aang remarks.

"So what if they are?" Katara mutters. She's settled herself not far from Zuko, Sokka's shirt draped over her lap and a sewing needle in her hand. Sokka himself, now shirtless, is sitting next to her. Teo, the Duke, and Haru are off exploring somewhere, as they often seem to be.

Aang frowns. "We could let you up," he offers. "So you could stretch your legs a little, and maybe move them into a different position."

Zuko's legs have gone so numb that he wouldn't think they were there anymore if he didn't know better. He'd love to move them. "Um-"

"Are you crazy?" Katara demands, standing. Sokka's shirt falls to her feet, forgotten. Sokka picks it up and looks at the still-ripped seam in dismay. "You're going to let him go?"

Aang blinks. "No, not let him go," he replies. "Just let him up. He's been kneeling there all day, Katara. That can't be comfortable."

"He's our prisoner!" Katara protests. "He's the prince of the Fire Nation. Do you think they would care if we were comfortable? Do you think he would?"

"But we're not the Fire Nation," Aang counters. "We're not like them. We shouldn't treat people like them. I thought the whole point of fighting the Fire Nation was so people would be treated better."

"Good people!" Katara yells. "Not people like him!" She waves a hand in Zuko's direction, and even though she's too far away for it to have possibly made contact, he still flinches at the movement.

Apparently, being on his knees while people standing over him yell and argue is enough to make Zuko very tense. He hopes no one starts yelling at him. He's not sure what he'll do, but he's sure it'll lead to questions he doesn't want to answer and discussions he doesn't want to have.

"He's here, isn't he?" Toph says, her voice sharp. "He gave himself to us as a prisoner. Seems like he's a good person to me."

"You didn't have to run from him for months while he tracked you down everywhere you went," Katara retorts. "He stole my necklace. And he had us attacked by pirates."

"And he burned down Kyoshi Island," Sokka adds. "And he was obsessive about trying to get his hands on Aang. Like, creepy obsessive."

"People change," Toph replies stubbornly. "This time last year, I didn't care about the war. I just wanted to beat up other earthbenders as the Blind Bandit. Now I'm working with you guys to take down the Fire Lord."

"Yeah, but last year you weren't trying to capture the Avatar," Katara counters. "And we don't even know that he has changed. For all we know, this is just a Fire Nation plot. Considering it's Zuko, it probably is. We should just send him back to the Fire Lord and be done with it."

"No!"

The word tears its way out of Zuko's mouth without conscious thought. His heart is pounding, and he thinks he can still feel the tingling of his father's lightning racing through his body. Phantom pain throbs around his eye, and his scar hasn't actually hurt in years, but try telling his brain that.

"No," he says again, aware that all eyes are on him. He can't seem to take a full breath. "Please. If you want to kill me, just do it yourselves, but don't send me back to my father. Please."

For a long moment, no one speaks. "Kill you?" Aang finally asks in a very small voice. "Your father… He'd kill you?"

"He's already tried," Zuko rasps. His voice is rough, like he's been screaming. "If I go back, he'll do it."

"Toph?" Aang asks.

"He's telling the truth," Toph says, sounding stunned.

Aang sets his jaw. He holds a hand out, palm down, then shoves it downwards. The stone around Zuko melts back into the ground. Without its support, Zuko slumps over to the side, but he puts his arm out to keep him from falling all the way over.

"Aang!" Katara cries.

"I'm just letting him get a bit more comfortable," Aang says in a voice that brooks no argument. He might be a child, but he's also the Avatar. Katara swallows and doesn't say anything else.

Aang offers Zuko a hand and pulls him to his feet. Zuko's numb legs refuse to support him, but Toph slides into place under his other arm before he can lose his balance. Between the two of them, they're able to help Zuko stagger over to one of the pillars that hold up the roof.

"You can lean against this," Aang says. "I don't know how you want to sit. I guess whatever's most comfortable."

Zuko sinks down to the ground, leaning his back against the pillar. He stretches out his legs, which are starting to burn with renewed sensation. "Is this okay?"

"This is fine," Toph replies. She looks at Aang, who nods. With another stomp - Toph clearly prefers to use her feet to earthbend - stone creeps up over Zuko's legs. She leaves his hands free, but Zuko is under no illusions that that's anything but temporary.

"I-" Aang sits down cross-legged next to Zuko. "I just want you to know, I never really wanted to take prisoners. I-I don't think it's something we should do."

Zuko doesn't find this particularly surprising. "Why did you agree to do it, then?" he asks.

Aang presses his lips together. "Because I think you're supposed to be here," he admits. "I don't know why, and I don't know how I know, but…"

"Destiny is weird," Zuko offers.

Aang smiles. "Yeah," he agrees. "It is."

They sit in silence for a moment, then Aang shoots Zuko a glance out of the corner of his eye. "Your father," he says tentatively. Zuko wishes he didn't know where this is going.

"What about him?"

Aang bites his lip. "Did he really try to kill you?"

"What, are we doubting my skills now?" Toph demands.

Aang looks uncomfortable. "No, not doubting, but-"

"He shot lightning at me," Zuko interrupts. "On the Day of Black Sun, I went to tell him I was leaving. I meant to be out of there before the eclipse ended, but I miscalculated. If my uncle hadn't taught me how to redirect lighting, I'd be dead."

Aang looks like he might be sick. "But you're his kid."

Zuko lets out a sound that was supposed to be a laugh but doesn't sound much like it. "That never mattered to him."

There's a long silence. "Like I said, Sparky," Toph finally says. "Considering your evil dad and your crazy sister, you could be a lot worse."

Zuko's laugh is hoarse, but much closer to a real laugh this time. Toph looks very pleased with herself.

"I'm gonna talk to Katara and Sokka tomorrow," Aang says. "We need to have rules, and we all need to agree on it, but I think we should let you join the group all the way, not just as a prisoner."

"I agree," Toph adds.

Zuko, horribly, thinks he might cry. He feels touched, probably ridiculously so, and he feels relieved, and he feels safe. He may be trapped in stone, and he may still be a prisoner, but he feels safer here than he has in a long time.

"Aang!" Sokka calls from where he's sitting, next to the fire. "You promised you'd tell us an old Air Nomad story tonight!"

Aang looks at Zuko for a moment, then turns to Sokka. "Be right there!"

"Want me to stay with you?" Toph asks Zuko. "Don't tell Twinkletoes, but he's not always the best at telling stories."

"Hey!" Aang protests.

"No, it's fine," Zuko replies, shaking his head. "Go listen to the story. I'm fine here."

Aang looks at Zuko's arms, guilt on his face. "Um, Katara will probably want us to trap your arms again."

"It's fine," Zuko repeats, settling his arms down in his lap. "I understand."

Toph stomps and stone covers Zuko's arms. Aang shoots him one last look, then he and Toph go over to the others.

Aang tells the story loudly, much louder than he has to. It's just loud enough that Zuko can catch the majority of it. Toph's not entirely wrong in her assessment of Aang's storytelling abilities - he keeps forgetting parts of the story, and occasionally has to double back to add something - but it's an engaging tale nonetheless. Zuko listens, his eyes closed and his head leaning back against the pillar, as Aang talks about a time long before the war, when a young Air Nomad woman fell in love with an Earth Kingdom princess.

It's the type of story his mother would like. Zuko wishes she were here to hear it.

Zuko wakes with the dawn, his eyes blinking open as light begins to spill over the horizon. He's the first one up. The others are all sleeping around the fire, which has died down to almost nothing. Zuko sees the Duke shiver in his sleep and uses his firebending to nudge the smoldering embers back into flame. It's only a small fire, but it's warm.

Zuko's used to practicing his katas every morning, but they all require freedom of movement. Instead, Zuko closes his eyes and does his best to meditate the way his uncle taught him. He's never been very good at it - peace of mind isn't exactly his forte - but it doesn't do any harm to try. It's better than just sitting around and waiting for everyone else to get up.

His meditation goes surprisingly well, actually, especially considering how uncomfortable he is after being in the same position all night. When Zuko reopens his eyes, the sun is higher in the sky, its power settling deep into his bones. Katara and Aang are both waking up, Aang poking at what's left of the fire while Katara grabs the pot and starts measuring out rice and water.

"Good morning," Aang calls cheerfully when he sees that Zuko's eyes are open. "How'd you sleep?"

"Um, fine," Zuko replies, surprised at the realization that it's actually true. He doesn't think he's had a peaceful night's sleep since he went back to the Fire Nation, but his sleep the night before was completely free of dreams.

"I'm glad," Aang replies, looking as if he actually is.

"How did you sleep?" Zuko asks awkwardly. He's not very good at small talk, but since Aang asked first, it's only polite to ask him as well.

"Good!" Aang replies. "I had a really weird dream about Momo and Appa learning firebending, but at least it wasn't as weird as the dream when I went to fight the Fire Lord without pants. Or when I fought the Fire Lord and he was the one who wasn't wearing pants."

Zuko stares. "Wait, you had a dream where- You know what, I don't want to know."

Aang grins. "Yeah, it was weird. I was super stressed about having to fight the Fire Lord during the eclipse, and I had really weird dreams." He shrugs. "And then I didn't even end up fighting him, so…"

The night before the eclipse, Zuko dreamed of his Agni Kai. It's been a recurring dream since it happened. He woke up with a scream caught in his throat and sweat dripping down his back. When he'd had that dream on his ship, or traveling in the Earth Kingdom, he'd been able to go to his uncle for comfort. In his bedroom in the palace, he'd been alone.

He'd rather not talk about it.

"Once, when I was little, I had a dream that I was a turtleduck," Zuko offers.

Aang giggles. "Prince Turtleduck of the Turtleduck Nation!"

"I'm going to regret telling you that, aren't I?"

"If you two are done talking about turtleducks," Katara says in a voice sharp enough to slice through steel, "could you get the fire ready, Aang?"

"Sorry, Katara." Aang renews his poking at the fire, for all the good it does him.

"I could-" Zuko offers, but Katara cuts him off with a glare.

"As if I'd trust you to firebend."

Zuko doesn't argue, but when he sees Aang poking futilely at the fire again, he calls on his firebending to coax it slowly back into flames. Aang looks delighted and rather proud of himself.

Katara makes rice for breakfast, and Teo wheels off with the Duke and Haru almost the second they're done. Aang fills a bowl with rice and is on his way over to Zuko with it when Zuko sees movement on a nearby stone ledge.

"Aang, move!"

Aang's eyes widen in panic, and he dives out of the way just in time to avoid the blast that shakes the entire temple. The assassin Zuko hired is on the ledge, and if the rumors about him are true, he's not going to stop until Aang is dead.

"Stop!" Zuko yells, but he doubts the assassin will listen, if he can hear him at all. "The mission is off!"

Zuko can see the assassin's head lean back, then another explosive blast rocks the temple. Aang is out of the assassin's line of sight, with Katara, Sokka, and Toph next to him, but that's not going to stop him.

Zuko takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. He does it again, gathering up his chi deep in his chest. He's never tried this before, not to this extent, but he has no choice but to try. There's nothing else he can do to help.

He takes another breath, gathers his fire in his chest, and breathes. Flames erupt from his mouth, a longer and more powerful stream than he's ever managed before. Zuko's never really used the Breath of Fire offensively. He's certainly never tried to bend this much fire through it before. He can feel his throat begin to burn - Agni, it hurts - but he doesn't let up. The flames are reaching the ledge, and he needs to give the others the biggest advantage he can muster. He'd be able to do more with his hands or feet, but they're still trapped in stone, so the Breath of Fire is all he can manage.

When he can't push any more fire out through his throat, he finally stops, leaning back against the pillar and trying to remember how to breathe. He coughs raggedly, trying to get the blood out of his throat, but that only makes it hurt more. He just hopes it was worth it.

Aang sends a tornado flying at the assassin, which makes him jump to another ledge but doesn't stop him from firing another blast at the temple. Zuko hopes it's securely attached to the cliff wall. Katara sends a wave of icicles flying, but that's equally ineffective. Zuko waits, tense, and wonders how long the temple can withstand this sort of abuse.

It's a long, long way down.

Zuko is beginning to wonder what's taking the others so long - do they intend to just let the assassin keep firing forever? - when a glint of metal flies past him. He doesn't know what Sokka intends to do with his boomerang, but at least it's something-

And then the boomerang hits the assassin in the forehead, right in the middle of his tattooed third eye.

The assassin gets back up, but he's shaky, and Zuko knows a hit like that would mess with his chi. The blast's not going to work the way he wants it to. Zuko's not sure if that'll be enough on its own. But if he adds some fire into the mix…

He takes a deep breath, wincing as it hurts his abused throat. He really shouldn't do this, not twice in a row, but he has to play his part. He sent this assassin after Aang. It's only fair that he's the one who has to take it down.

Then, right as he's gathering fire in his chest, the stone around him melts back into the earth. Zuko shoots a startled look over at Toph, whose hands are pressed against the ground. He doesn't know how she knows he's staring at her, but she looks up and nods once.

He doesn't bother trying to stand - he doesn't think he's going to be able to - but this is enough. He redirects the fire and sends twin tongues of flame out of his fists. They reach the assassin just as he tries to blast them again-

The explosion is huge, but it's centered around the assassin this time, not around them. A piece of the temple falls into the canyon, but not an inhabited one. Zuko sees the glint of sunlight reflecting off a metal prosthetic.

He leans back against the pillar again and takes a ragged breath. He's drained, and his throat hurts, but the threat has passed. They're safe.

"Is he dead?" Aang asks in a very small voice.

"He's not touching the ground anywhere near us, I can tell you that," Toph replies.

"It was him or us, Aang," Katara says firmly. "I don't know about you, but I'm glad it was him."

Zuko takes a moment to reflect on the fact that the Avatar, the same Avatar who sank a whole fleet of Fire Nation ships at the North Pole, is apparently a pacifist. He thinks he would laugh if his throat didn't hurt so much.

"So it's over?" Teo asks. Zuko starts at the unexpected voice. Teo's head is poking out from behind a pillar. The Duke and Haru are next to him. If Zuko's assassin hadn't been stopped, if he kept firing long enough to bring the temple down, those three would have died too. The Duke is eight years old. Zuko feels sick with guilt.

"Yeah, it's over," Aang replies heavily.

"Did you really breathe fire?" the Duke asks Zuko eagerly. "I didn't know anyone could do that."

"Yeah, Zuko," Katara says, her voice sharp. "What was that?"

Zuko should have known, considering his horrible luck, that not coming clean about his Breath of Fire would come back to bite him. "I'm sorry," he tries to say, but only a rough, scraping sound manages to come out of his mouth, and with it a few bloody coughs.

"Zuko?" Aang asks, kneeling next to him. "Are you okay?"

"I burned my throat," Zuko tries to explain, but the sounds that come out aren't recognizable as words at all. They're barely even recognizable as human. Apparently, Zuko isn't going to be up to chatting for a few days.

"What happened to Sparky?" Toph demands.

"I don't know," Aang replies worriedly. "But I don't think he can talk."

Which apparently means he's going to have to mime his way through this conversation. If he didn't think sighing would aggravate his throat, he'd definitely do it.

Carefully, Zuko summons a small flame in his palm. He holds it out, hoping someone will understand what he's trying to do.

"Ooh, it's like charades!" Sokka exclaims. "I'm good at this. Okay, so something about fire?"

Zuko nods and extinguishes the flame in his hands. He rubs at his throat, hoping Sokka will understand.

"Well, yeah, we all saw you breathe fire," Sokka says, frowning. "What about it?"

Zuko glares. He conjures up the flame again, then rubs at his throat. Maybe someone will get it the second time around.

"Can someone tell me what's going on here, cause I'm really confused," Toph declares.

Apparently not.

Exasperated, Zuko points to his scarred eye, then jabs a finger at his throat. "Your eye is in your throat?" Sokka asks, confused.

Zuko is going to throttle him.

"No," Aang says slowly. "I think he's saying his throat is burned." He looks at Zuko. "Is that it? Breathing fire like that burned your throat?"

Zuko nods, his shoulders slumping in relief. At least now the others will understand why he's not going to be able to speak for a while, at least until his throat starts to heal up a bit.

"Katara," Aang asks, "do you think you could heal him?"

Katara looks as stunned by the question as Zuko feels. "Heal him?" she repeats. "So he can breathe fire again, against us this time?" She whirls on Toph. "And why did you get rid of the stone? Am I the only one who remembers Zuko is our enemy?"

"He just saved us!" Toph cries. "He could have breathed fire at us all day yesterday, but he only did it when we were under attack, at the guy who was attacking us. He did it to save us!"

"Oh, please," Katara scoffs. "He did it to save his own skin. If the temple fell, he would fall too. He didn't do it for us."

"I don't think Zuko should be our prisoner anymore," Aang declares, the words spilling out of his mouth very quickly.

Sokka frowns. "So what, you think we should let him go?"

"I think we should let him join us."

"Let him join us?"

Zuko winces at the volume. Katara can be very loud when she wants to be. If he could talk, he'd tell Aang not to bother, but he's not going to be able to get the words out. He's just going to have to sit and watch.

At least he's not on his knees this time.

"Yeah," Aang says, not sounding entirely confident in his words. It seems he doesn't like arguing, or at least not arguing with Katara. "I think he's really on our side. And I need someone to teach me firebending. Zuko can do it."

Katara looks furious. "He is our enemy! Have you forgotten everything he did to us, Aang?"

Aang shifts his weight, looking intensely uncomfortable. "No, but-"

"Look, he might have a point," Sokka cuts in. "I don't trust Zuko either, but Aang needs to learn firebending so he can defeat the Fire Lord."

"And you think the Fire Lord's son is going to help us defeat him?"

"Considering his dad wants to kill him, yeah!" Toph yells.

Teo looks horrified. "His dad wants to kill him?"

"Already tried," Toph says. "He shot Sparky here full of lightning."

"Then how is he alive at all?" Katara retorts. "When Azula shot Aang with lightning, only the spirit water from the North Pole was enough to save him."

"Zuko says his uncle taught him how to redirect lightning," Aang explains.

"And we're just gonna take Zuko's word for it?" Katara demands.

"I mean, he is pretty into honor," Sokka offers. "Wouldn't it be dishonorable to lie?"

"The Fire Nation has no honor," Katara scoffs. Zuko doesn't let himself flinch. He can understand why Katara thinks that, but it doesn't make it any easier to hear.

"Look, whether we're going to let Zuko join us or not, we should heal him," Aang says. "Please, Katara."

Katara doesn't look happy, but apparently she can't say no to Aang's big eyes, because she nods once. "Okay. But I still don't think it's a good idea."

Aang offers her a sweet smile. "Thanks, Katara."

Katara opens up the waterskin at her side, letting the water coat her hands. "Lie down," she tells Zuko. "It'll be easier if I can get better access to your neck."

Zuko's every instinct is screaming, and it's only through sheer force of will that his hands aren't trembling like mad, but he slowly pushes away from the pillar and lies down, leaning his head back a bit to give Katara access to his neck.

She's an ally. She's an ally. She might not like you very much, but she's not going to kill you here, not when she promised Aang she'd heal you. You're safe. Stop panicking, you're safe.

Katara's hands ghost along his neck, the water glowing slightly. She's frowning, Zuko notices. He hopes that's not a bad sign.

"This isn't working," she murmurs.

"You can't heal him?" Aang asks, sounding downcast.

Katara's brow furrows deeper. "Well, there might be something…" She looks at Zuko. "Open your mouth."

You're safe.

Zuko does.

And then there's water pouring down his throat, and he's choking on it, and he twists onto his side and coughs, spewing blood-tinged water onto the temple floor. "Sparky!" Toph cries. There's a small hand between his shoulder blades, rubbing gently. Zuko's pretty sure it's Aang.

"What just happened?" Toph demands. "Katara, what did you-"

"The wound is on the inside of his throat," Katara says, crossing her arms. "So the water needs to be there too."

"You could warn a guy before you pour water down his throat," Sokka suggests. Katara glares at him and he throws his hands up. "Just saying!"

"Are you okay?" Aang asks Zuko quietly, his hand still rubbing his back.

Zuko nods. His breathing isn't quite steady, but it hasn't been since he breathed fire. There's a small pool of bloody water next to him, but at least he's not coughing any more up.

"Do you want to try again?" Aang asks tentatively. "With some warning this time?"

Zuko doesn't want to, but he's only good to the group if he can be Aang's firebending teacher, and he can't do that if he can't breathe properly. He can't risk giving them a reason to get rid of him.

He nods.

"Can he sit up?" Aang asks Katara. "It might be easier for him if he can sit up."

"It's easier for me if he lies down," Katara retorts.

Aang frowns. "Yeah, but-"

Zuko lays a hand on Aang's arm and shakes his head. Moving slowly, he lies back down, leaning his head back.

"Okay," Aang says, looking from Zuko to Katara then back to Zuko. "Are you ready?"

Zuko nods. He watches as Katara lifts water and opens his mouth, letting it flow down his throat. He's faced with the immediate urge to gag, but he tamps down on the instinct and lets Katara do her work.

After a few long moments, a wave of coolness rushes along Zuko's throat and the pain recedes to almost nothing. "Sit up and swallow," Katara tells him. Zuko does as he's told, tasting blood in the water he swallows.

"Did you heal him?" Aang asks.

"He shouldn't breathe any more fire for a while, but he should be able to talk," Katara replies.

"Thank you," Zuko rasps. His voice is hoarse, but at least it's there.

Katara scowls. "I didn't do it for you. I did it because Aang asked me to."

"So, is Sparky joining the group?" Toph asks.

Katara throws her hands up in the air. "This is just like when we were in the cave in Ba Sing Se!" she cries. "Can't you see he's manipulating you? He starts talking about his mother and making it seem like he's an actual human being with feelings. And then, when you have your guard down, he strikes." She puts her hands on her hips. "He turned against us in Ba Sing Se, remember? He'll do it again."

"I'm sorry for what I did in Ba Sing Se," Zuko says. "And I'm sorry for what I've done to you, all of you." He forces himself to look Katara in the eye. Aang and Toph already want him to join them, and he thinks Sokka will allow it, but Katara still needs to be convinced. "I know I didn't explain myself very well yesterday, I've been through a lot in the last few years and it's been hard. But I'm realizing that I had to go through all those things to learn the truth. I thought I had lost my honor, and that somehow, my father could return it to me. But I know now that no one can give you your honor. It's something you earn for yourself, by choosing to do what's right." Katara's still glaring at him. He remembers her words - The Fire Nation has no honor - and hopes his words are enough to convince her otherwise. All he wants is to help-

He looks to Aang, swallowing hard. "All I want to do now is play my part in ending this war, and I know my destiny is to help you restore balance to the world."

"I think you should join us," the Duke says. "You might be Fire Nation, but you're not that bad."

"Agreed," Teo says, and Haru nods.

"We all know how I feel," Aang says.

"Ditto," Toph agrees.

Aang looks to Sokka. "What do you think?"

Sokka seems to think for a moment, looking down, then he shrugs. "Hey, all I want is to defeat the Fire Lord. If you think this is the way to do it, then, I'm all for it."

"Katara?" Aang asks tentatively.

Katara's glare hasn't let up for a second. Zuko wonders if she'll agree to let him stay, and if she doesn't, what the others will do. Will they require it to be unanimous, or will the others outnumber Katara?

Finally, Katara stops glaring at Zuko and looks over at Aang. "I'll go along with whatever you think is right," she says, sounding as if she's having to force every word out.

It takes a moment for Zuko to realize what that means, but then the words click. She's agreeing. She's not happy about it, but she's agreeing to let him stay.

"Thank you, Katara," Aang says quietly.

"I won't let you down, I promise," Zuko adds.

Katara gives him one last hate-filled look, then she leaves. Sokka watches her, then turns back to the others. "I'm just gonna, ah, you know-" He points at Katara, then rushes after her.

"So," Aang says after a moment. "Do you have stuff anywhere?"

"I made up a camp, on the ground above the temple," Zuko replies. He hopes his things are still there.

"Should we go get it?" Aang asks, holding out a hand.

Zuko takes it and allows Aang to pull him to his feet. "Yeah," he replies, "I guess we should."

Sokka is waiting when Zuko and Aang get back from gathering Zuko's things. "We got a room ready for you," he tells Zuko. "If, uh, if you want a room. We've all kinda just been hanging out here, mostly, but if you want a bit more privacy…"

"Thank you," Zuko says, well aware that it'll probably make Sokka and Katara more comfortable not to have him sleeping in the same area as them.

Sokka gestures. "It's this way." He starts down a hall, and Zuko follows him. "So, here you go," Sokka says as they reach a doorway. Zuko steps in. "Home sweet home, I guess. You know, for now." There's a bed set up, a dresser across the room from it, and the far wall has windows along the ceiling. Zuko steps in, looking around.

"Unpack," Sokka suggests, his voice a little higher than usual. "Lunch, soon. Uh… Welcome aboard?"

Zuko turns slightly, smiling. His scarred side is facing Sokka, so he can barely see him at all, but he has the feeling he's a bit unnerved. He should have turned the other way.

"Yeah." Sokka turns around and leaves the room, and he isn't as quiet as he thinks he is when he tells Aang, "Okay, this is really, really weird."

Zuko kneels next to his bed, unpacking his things slowly. He pulls out a portrait of his uncle and wishes, for the millionth time, that he'd stood by his side in Ba Sing Se. Just as he's about to set the portrait down, he's aware of another presence, and he turns to see who's standing in the doorway.

At first, he's surprised to see that it's Katara, but after a moment's reflection, she's the only one who would make sense. He stands, wondering what she's going to say this time.

"You might have everyone else here buying your 'transformation,' but you and I both know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past," she says, walking into the room until she's right in front of him. "So let me tell you something, right now. You make one step backward, one slip-up, give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang, and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'll make sure your destiny ends, right then and there. Permanently."

She turns and leaves, slamming the door behind her. Zuko slumps a bit, letting out a long breath. He has no doubts that her threat is sincere - if he threatened Aang, he doubts there's anything Katara wouldn't do - and he's certain that she's capable of killing him if she thinks it's necessary. Katara is dangerous, all the more so because she doesn't look it. Zuko will not underestimate her.

But Azula tried to smother him with his pillow at least once a week for years, and his father always wanted him out of the way so he could have the heir he preferred, and Zuko lived for almost three years on a ship that was always on the edge of having an "accident" that would do away with the banished prince. Katara is dangerous, but Zuko has lived his whole life around dangerous people. This is nothing new.

He finishes putting his things away and goes to leave his room, almost strapping his swords to his back before he thinks better of it. The others will be enough on edge without swords entering into the equation. He sets the sheath on his bed and goes out to meet the others.

"Zuko!" Teo cries, wheeling over to him immediately. The Duke and Haru are eagerly waiting behind him. "Do you want to come with us? We're gonna ride the tunnel that leads to the Hall of Statues. We were gonna do it before, but then that guy attacked."

"Um…" Zuko looks over to the others. Is he supposed to start doing firebending training with Aang now? Is he trusted to go along with these children?

"You should go," Sokka says, and Zuko notices that his lips are twitching, like he's trying not to laugh. It's a far cry from his awkwardness earlier, and Zuko can't help but wonder where this new amusement comes from. "Have some fun, your turtleduckness."

Zuko stares at Sokka, because how? He wasn't awake yet-

But Aang was the one he told, and Aang has a very sheepish look on his face.

"You're going to regret that in training tomorrow," Zuko says very solemnly. Aang gulps. "Come on, Teo, let's go."

Teo cheers, wheeling off with the Duke and Haru running after him. Zuko takes a moment to reflect that yes, this is really happening, and then he runs after them.

This is his destiny, and he's going to fulfill it.