"Zuko," Katara said. "We need your help. Are you sleeping?"

"I was. What do you want?"

"You know the baby in the other room?"

"Yeah?"

"Aang and Sokka went into a wacky adventure and found that her tears have sacred healing abilities."

"What?"

"We're trying to make her cry, you know, so that she can help with Aang's wound. It may be the only way he can reach the Avatar State again. But we can't."

"Pinch her. Or something. Sic the tiger kitten on her."

"She can only cry the proper tears under emotional distress, not physical. And the tiger kitten is too cute to be intimidating."

"Really? Too cute?"

"Just look at him! It's a small mushy tiger kitten! Look at that itty bitty tail of his!"

"Right. So, wait. You want me to hurt a little girl's feelings, and it has to be me, because…"

"Well, you're good at that kind of stuff."

"Thank you."

"Zuko…"

"All right, all right, where is she?"

"You have a plan?"

"Yes, but you will hate me for it. Remember that you asked for it."

"Okay, brat." Zuko squatted, looking at the little girl wrapped in pink. She looked like a smaller, less deadly baby Ty Lee. She was just sitting there on the floor, her ridiculously huge eyes boring down into his soul. He closed his eyes, and counted to ten. He refused to fall to such saturated adorableness.

Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Momo watched from the other side of the room, waiting for him to make his move. Stupid Katara. Of course he had a plan. After years of dealing with an insane mastermind of a sister, he had to have learned a few tricks or two. He brought the tiger kitten, held it up in the air by the loose skin on its neck.

"Miyv," said the tiger kitten. The baby girl smiled, showing her pink gums.

"Look at how cute he is, huh?" Zuko said as shrilly as he could. "Isn't he a cute tiger kitten? Isn't he?" He rubbed his nose against its short striped fur. The kitten yawned. Its mouth opened to show the smallest pearl white teeth. The girl nodded frantically, letting out another bubbly coo that would have melted a weaker soul. "Awww," remarked Katara, and even Sokka had tears in his eyes.

Zuko set his other hand on fire. The walls flashed. Everybody gasped in shock.

"Well," Zuko said, shadows dancing on his face. "I can melt this little thing here with my bare hands in less than two seconds."

"You are a terrible, terrible person."

"I know. You're welcome."

"There are special places reserved in the Spirit World for your kind of evil."

"I am absolutely sure of that. Good night, Katara.