Author's Note: Hello there, and welcome to my first Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfiction. I'm rather new at this whole fanfiction thingy, and probably won't be doing it much, but I do love a good story, and that's all I'm really trying to accomplish here, a good story. There will probably be art with this one, perhaps, if I get around to finishing it, and yes, the chapters will be long. I'm not one to skimp, however if they are too long let me know and I will be glad to accommodate needs. Reviews are greatly appreciated, otherwise I have no idea how to improve. With that said, please enjoy my story.

I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nor do I own My Cat by Jack Off Jill, or Uninvited by Alanis Morissette.

Chapter 1

The street was quiet. The old warehouses, closed and barred up for the day, loomed over the street, casting long shadows that seemed to swallow everything around. A car or two drove down the asphalt every now and again, but it wasn't enough to disturb the peace of downtown.

Birds chirped lazily in trees, a few fluttering to the ground to pick at seeds, not all that interested in the pursuit of food. The little ladies and gentlemen in the parks fed them well. Suddenly there was a loud crash, like the shattering of glass and the birds started, flying for their lives.

"What the fuck?" Came a masculine scream, echoing down the long corridor of warehouses. A man stood, his feet shoulder width apart, his jeans were ripped and torn to near shreds, and his shirt clung to his chest and showed off what little muscle definition he had. He stood glaring hell at another man a few feet away from him. The other man wore brown from head to toe, from his dark brown, ripped, pants to a lighter tan top, to the almost black of his leather bomber jacket. Shattered glass lay to their side, a window having been broken and fresh air tumbling in to the room now without the glass keeping it at bay.

"You have totally fucked us over! Do you realize this, Jet?" The first man yelled, shaking his fist at Jet, who didn't look that concerned. Others were in the room as well, three women and one other man, but none seemed as concerned as the screaming man.

"Look Sokka, this isn't working." Jet said to the man who flinched at the sound of his name, so nonchalant on the lips of the person he hated at that particular moment.

"That's because you're being a lazy bastard! Maybe if you worked a little at this!" Sokka shot back, throwing his hand out to the side wildly.

"Whatever." Jet said with a shrug, the thick leather of his jacket creaking as he moved. It was obviously new. "This just isn't my scene ok? Look, it's been fun and all that jazz but I don't want to be in your band anymore." He explained, rolling a cigarette between his lips as he spoke. Sokka trembled slightly before a gruff, though feminine, voice spoke up.

"Let it go Snoozles." Said one of the women, smaller than all the others, dressed in varying shades of green and black, her clothes tattered and torn in a very British punk kind of way. A bandana covered her eyes, effectively covering her milky pupils, and stopping people from getting creeped out at her blind stare.

"We have a fucking gig tonight, Toph!" Sokka screamed at the girl in green, waving wildy at Jet who still seemed to not care at all.

"Let it go." Another voice added, this from the woman sitting the farthest into the room. Her long caramel legs were kicked over the back of an old and busted couch. Her head was slung over the armrest as she turned and pinned both men with eyes the color of the deepest oceans.

"But Kat-!" Sokka began before she pushed herself up from her resting position. Her shorts were black and short, but still more modest than what most girls wore today. Her stockings were ripped with fishnets layered over them, and those were stuffed into tall platform boots. Her top was baggy, draping across her shoulder to show off part of a black sports bra. Piercings glittered in her face and her eyes were heavily shadowed, glaring subtly at Jet.

"Let it the fuck go." She said to Sokka, but didn't look at him as she approached Jet. She stood straight and threw her head back slightly, looking down her nose at the man who was several inches taller than she. She scoffed softly. "Get out." Was all she said before turned away from him, her long mahogany hair swaying behind her, almost reaching her waist.

"Katara, I-" Jet started but she simply threw a glare at him over her shoulder.

"You want to leave? Get the fuck out. We sure as hell won't stop you." She said as she flopped back down on her couch, resuming her former position there. Sokka turned to look back at Jet who, for the first time, looked stricken as Katara dismissed him. He drew a breath as if to say something, but closed his mouth, scowled and stormed out of the warehouse. Katara sighed softly before she righted herself again and looked at the remaining girl.

Green eyes gazed back at her from a strong featured face, almost masculine, but her lips were a little too plump, her eyes a little too soft, and her red hair fell around her face in soft wisps. She was dressed similar to the others, just not as outrageous, but, then again, she also wasn't in the band, so she didn't have to look the part. Her jeans had a hole in them yes, but her top was quite modest in comparison to the others. She was also dressed in greens and browns.

"Suki, sweety, can you contact anyone you know that can play the guitar?" Katara asked, her voice carrying a much lighter tone than it had before. Suki nodded and stood up. She walked over, all toned muscles of a dancer, and grabbed Sokka's hand and drug him behind her.

"I'm taking Sokka so he can cool off too." Suki called over her shoulder as she strode out of the building, Sokka in tow, sputtering unintelligent words at her back. Katara smiled slightly and shook her head.

"Aang?" She asked, looking to the last remaining man in their midst. He had a laptop in his lap and large headphones on his ears as his head bobbed in time to some beat only he could hear at the moment. Katara sighed slightly and ignored Toph's little snicker. The last man, still a teenager really, was dressed like a little skater punk. His baggy hoodie was of the most obnoxious orange Katara had ever seen, and his cargo shorts were almost the same color, but were slightly more brown. His chucks were a bright yellow with blue laces, and a yellow bandana was tied around his head with a blue arrow shooting straight down the middle. Katara had never understood that, but had never questioned it either. She heaved herself to her feet once more and walked over to Aang, she gently pulled a side of his headphones away from his ear and snapped it back against his head. He let out a startled yelp and nearly tumbled from his perch on the railing of the stairs.

"Jesus Katara!" He cried, clutching his laptop to him like it was a precious child. He blushed slightly when he saw her smiling at him and looked down, unable to hold her gaze with his stormy gray eyes. "I mean...yeah?" He asked, glancing back up at her for a second.

"I need you on the look out." Katara said, figuring the little guy had missed the whole showdown with Jet only moments before. "Jet just left-"

"What?" Aang asked, cutting her off. Katara huffed slightly and shook her head.

"Jet left. Pay attention. I need to hold auditions for a new lead guitarist. Keep your eyes out and contact anyone you know, ok? Start ASAP." She said, giving him a pointed look. He stared back at her blankly for a second before a bright smile nearly split his face in two.

"Right!" He cried, stuffing his laptop into his bag and bolting for the door. The air around him seemed charged with his energy and the remaining two women felt drained by the time he had left.

"So, what's the plan Sweetness?" Toph asked, leaning back against her drum set, stroking the head of her snare lovingly, like it was actually alive. She idly twirled a drumstick between her deft fingers, never dropping it as she spoke to Katara. Despite her being blind, she seemed to 'see' more than anyone in their little group.

Katara shrugged then, for Toph's sake said, "I dunno. I've got to get in contact with some other managers before we can go forward. First off though I have to cancel our gig tonight." She growled softly to herself and slammed her hand down on a table. "I swear I could beat that man into a little pulp right now." She had held her temper in check while the rest of her band was here, no one having seen her lose it before besides Toph and her brother Sokka, it still didn't mean she wanted everyone to know.

"I might know someone." Toph said with a nonchalant air about her, twisting her drumstick between her fingers and tapping out a rhythm with her combat boot clad feet. Katara stared at her, slightly bewildered.

"And you're just bringing this up?" She asked, leaning against the table and looking over her shoulder at her blind friend. "Why wait? Why not tell me right away?" She demanded, a growl forming in her words.

"Because you were pissed off. And I felt it best to wait until everyone had left." Toph explained and turned her face in Katara's direction. Katara sighed and nodded slightly then said "Yeah," so Toph knew it was ok. Toph only grinned.

"So...want me to make a phone call before you go canceling our plans?" Toph asked and Katara couldn't help but grin slightly at her little friend.

"Yeah yeah, stop stalling." Katara snapped in good nature, still grinning to herself, happy about her luck for the moment.

"Damn." A deep voice said, staring down, with one good eye, at a sheet of paper. "I need better gigs." He said to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers.

"Zuko, you seem stressed. Would you like some tea to calm your nerves?" An older man said as he ambled quietly into the room the young man occupied.

"No thank you uncle. I really don't want any tea." Zuko said, counting to ten and back down again as he forced himself to take slow, deep breaths. His uncle Iroh regarded him quietly for a moment, his eyebrows knit together slightly as a slight frown turned the corners of his mouth down. He was about to speak again when the phone in his pocket buzzed, making him nearly leap from his skin. Stupid new aged devices. He grumbled silently in his mind. Why do I need one.

"Hello?" He said pleasantly, however, causing Zuko to glance over at his uncle for a brief second. "My dear girl, how are you?" His uncle boomed, catching Zuko's full attention then. "Oh? Well yes that is a problem. I see, I see. Well I don't know how willing...You don't say. I suppose. I will see what I can do. Tea next Tuesday? Absolutely my dear, take care of yourself." With that his uncle hit several buttons before finally managing to disconnect his call. He smiled brightly at his nephew.

"I have good news!" He said happily, folding his hands over his stomach, looking almost reminiscent of a smiling Buddha. "I have found you a gig." He continued, the last word sounding odd coming from the old man, after Zuko gave him a pointed stare, not really liking to wait for news of any kind, good or bad.

"You did?" Zuko asked, not quite as excited as his uncle had hoped, but Iroh was a persistent man and he would get the reaction he wanted out of his nephew.

"Tonight, in fact." Iroh glanced at the clock and smiled knowingly at Zuko. "They said you would receive a handsome sum of money for your participation in tonight's show." Zuko sat a little straighter and the corner of his lips quirked up the slightest amount.

"How handsome?" Zuko asked, but Iroh merely shrugged and turned his head away to look at the clock again. He bent forward and wrote an address down on a sheet of paper and slid it over to his nephew. Zuko glared at the paper and scowled at his uncle. "How handsome?" He demanded again, his voice pitching low and deep, growling almost.

"I would hurry Zuko. Beggars cannot be choosers and right now, this is your only choice if you wish to have money." Iroh said softly, his voice reaching a dangerous pitch itself as he regarded his short-tempered family. Zuko scoffed loudly, snatched the paper off the table, and stormed upstairs to change clothes. He paused slightly, hand on his doorknob before he shouted back down the stairs.

"What kind of a band is it?" He asked his uncle, hoping the man had gotten that much information at least. He could be so scattered sometimes.

"I believe the lady said "Punk Rock"," Iroh replied, and quietly so Zuko barely caught it. "Whatever that is..." Zuko couldn't help but smile slightly and shake his head as he pushed into his room. He stripped himself of his clothing, and leapt into the shower to rinse off before toweling himself off and rummaging around his room for decent clothing. He pulled out a pair of black jeans that had seen better days, but several girls had complimented his ass in them, so he assumed the pants looked decent while wearing them. He grabbed a blood red button up shirt next and buttoned it halfway up his chest. He draped several chains around his neck next and secured black cuffs around his wrists a moment later. He slipped the straight labret through his lip so it rested against his skin, and he also curled his eyebrow piercing back into it's spot. He clipped his wallet chain to his belt loop and stuffed his wallet in his back-pocket. Running his fingers through his shaggy, messy hair he scooped up his guitar case and slung it over his shoulder before grabbing a leather jacket and a helmet from the hallway.

"I'll see you later uncle." Zuko called as he rushed out the door, glancing at the paper with the address on it before slamming the door behind him. But not before he caught his uncle wishing him a productive night and a safe ride. He'd never admit it, but he loved that old man.

He threw his long leg over his black Ducati Monster and made sure his guitar was secure to his back. He really hoped they had a decent set of amps he could plug into when he got there. He knew the area he was going to pretty well, having been a street kid for most of his life before his uncle took him in, he had vandalized his fair share of old warehouses downtown before being brought off the streets and force fed some manners.

He sped through the streets, not caring about speed-limits or cops or anything. For this brief moment he felt like he could actually fly as he sped through town, weaving in and out of traffic in a way that would, assuredly, make his uncle have a heart attack. He slowed down when he came to the warehouse district and gazed at the buildings as if trying to pick a face out from a crowd. Finally he spotted the building he wanted, slightly less run down than the rest but with graffiti sprayed over every squared inch of free space. He pulled his helmet off and sighed slightly, securing it to the back of his bike as he pulled a scrap of fabric, that was obviously once a shirt, and tied it over half of his face. He didn't want to scare anyone just yet.

"Katara!" Aang yelled as Toph darted through the room with his headphones help high above her head in triumph, cackling like a mad-woman. "Toph, give 'em back!" Aang whined, a petulant tone squeezing it's way into his voice as he chased the small woman around.

"Catch me Twinkle toes!" She cawed, ducking out of his arms just as he thought he had her, and spinning away from him to go stomping up the stairs, the boy hot on her trail. Katara merely chuckled slightly as she went through the play list for the night. Looked like it was going to be another night of just doing cover songs since the new guy wouldn't know any of their own stuff. How annoying. She thought to herself as she picked from different songs in their repertoire hoping to find something they hadn't overplayed yet. She hated Jet so much at that moment she could have throttled him.

She glanced up and very quickly wished she hadn't as she saw her brother almost on top of Suki, looking like he was trying to devour her face. Suki didn't seem to mind as one hand was tugging on his hair (which was normally styled as a short mohawk), the other wrapped around his back and pressing him closer to her. Katara rolled her eyes when something caught her attention.

A man stood in the doorway of their warehouse, looking, for the world, to have stepped out of one of her darker, dirtier, secret romance novels. Her mouth suddenly went so dry she could have spat out a cotton ball. She stood up slowly and started to move towards him, kicking her brother as she passed, but barely sparing them a glance as her eyes drank in the man before her.

His skin was flawless and pale, and the definition she could see in his chest made her almost drool for a taste of him. His jaw was very strong and angular, almost giving him the look of a predator. His cheek bones were high and pronounced but that seemed only to add to his beauty. His nose was straight, and she could only see one of his eyes, but it was the richest color gold she had ever seen she wondered idly if she could cash him in. His lips were accented with a labret piercing that nearly sent Katara into vapors, his lips were just full enough that that one piercing alone made them just a little more kissable. His hair was black and wild and hung down in his face, nearly covering his one eye and almost completely obscuring the patch that covered his other eye.

His clothes hung perfectly on his body and showed off how long and muscular he was underneath it all without being vulgar. She may have been a punk, but her mother had raised her to be a lady before she died suddenly when Katara and Sokka were children. The chains he wore around his neck and waist clinked softly as he strode forward and stopped just in front of her, gazing down at her. God he's tall. Katara thought to herself as she stared up at this guy who seemed to be drinking in the sight of her as well.

Zuko had never seen a woman so beautiful in his life. Her skin was such a rich caramel color he felt like he could just eat her up and savour her taste forever. She was tall and thin, but not sickly so. She had beautiful curves that were as smooth and flawless as the rest of her seemed to be. He ran his hand through his hair in a slightly nervous gesture as he gazed at the woman before him. He glanced down slightly and noticed how tall her platforms were, and almost smiled to himself. She's so short. He thought, amused, before flicking his gaze back to her eyes, which seemed to encompass every color the ocean had to offer.

"Sparky!" A voice cried breaking their revere, and both people turned to look at Toph leaping down the last few stairs to join Katara and Zuko. She flung her arm around his waist in a friendly manner and Katara had to squash down the ugly face of jealousy at their close contact.

Zuko stared down at the top of Toph's head feeling slightly bewildered.

"Shorty?" He asked, and Katara felt her knees nearly give out at the deep baritone of his voice. She drew a deep breath and let it out slowly, pulling her raging hormones back under her tight control before she did something she'd regret, like raping him here in front of everyone. She needed privacy for that. Then again, with the look he'd been giving her, she wasn't so sure he'd mind.

"Right Katara?" Toph was asking, making Katara forcefully pull herself from her thoughts to gaze down at her small friend.

"What?" She asked, feeling like an idiot for having to ask when she was obviously right in the middle of the conversation.

"I said, we're lucky Zuko could play for us on such short notice." She repeated again, like someone had asked her to repeat herself twenty times before. Katara scowled at her but stopped when it lost it's effect on the blind girl.

"Right." She said softly and stuck her hand out for Zuko to shake. "I'm Katara. I manage this little ragtag group of punks, and I sing for them too." He placed his hand in hers and shook it firmly, not like the limp noodles she'd experienced before, all of them afraid to touch her because she was a woman. She'd almost broken a few hands over that. His skin was so warm it was almost hot and Katara felt her resolve slip a little bit more, but cleared her throat and pulled away.

"You know Toph, our drummer, obviously." She said, hoping she had kept the bite out of her voice when she spoke. She pointed to her brother and Suki, once again wrapped around one another on the couch, once again trying to suck each other's faces off. Katara sighed. "The guy is my brother, Sokka. He's our bassist. The girl isn't part of the band, just a really lucky roady!" Katara snapped and Suki gave her the finger as they nearly tumbled off the couch. Zuko glanced at them then turned his eyes towards Katara's back once more. Don't look down. Don't look down. Don't look down. He kept repeating over and over in his mind, trying to remain somewhat professional after meeting his manager, who just happened to be a drop dead gorgeous woman, and, if he guessed right from her coloring, his exact opposite from a water tribe somewhere. He glanced down as her ass swayed in front of him and stifled a groan as his eyes shot upwards again, just in time to notice her pointing to a kid who sat perched on a couple steps with a laptop in his lap.

"That's Aang. He's our DJ. He keeps us rolling through the night so there isn't any dead air. He doesn't look like much, but he can scratch the hell out of a disc, and work music programs better than any DJ twice his age with twice as much experience." She explained as she jerked his headphones off his head for the second time that day.

"Damn it Katara!" He cursed then blushed and looked down, making her grin slightly. Zuko got the impression she did that to the poor kid a lot. Aang opened his mouth to speak again when he noticed Zuko standing there awkwardly, with Toph still attached to him. "Oh hi!" Aang said as he leaned down and shook Zuko's hand. "I'm Aang, I'm the-"

"DJ." Zuko finished for him, smiling slightly as he shook the young man's hand. "I heard. Nice to meet you." He said politely, and Katara felt goosebumps rise on her skin. A gentleman too, how lucky was she?

Not at all. That horrible little voice in the back of her mind sneered. He'll leave just like Jet did. Like they all did. Don't get close. It reminded her and Katara felt the wind die in her full sails, bringing her back to a stand still in the proverbial waters. She rolled her shoulders and turned to face Zuko, her gaze serious, her lips (Her full, sweet lips. Zuko's mind supplied before he could squash it) set in a grim line.

"Okay look, this is how this is going to go. This is a trial run. We play a lot of gigs, we travel a lot, we get a lot of press. This is your first night, if you can't hack it, or otherwise don't want to stay, tell me and you'll get paid and won't be harassed by any of us." She leaned into his body space and suddenly the scent of him assailed her nose, momentarily stunning her. He smelled like a fire would, the smoke and the cleanness that happens to the air as the pollutants are burned away. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, and she jammed her finger into his chest. "If you bail, or fuck up in any way at all, consider any payments you might have gotten forfeit, and consider your dignity gone, because I will hunt you down and make you miserable. I'm sick to fucking death of people just fucking us without so much as a warning or a goodnight kiss." His molten gaze locked on to hers and her mouth went dry once more, her heart slamming painfully into her ribcage.

Zuko smiled at her then, as if sensing his effect on her, it was a slow and easy smile, one that just slowly crawled across his features until it sat smugly in his eyes as he watched her. She straightened slightly and stared down her nose at him, which only made him smile more. Damn! That usually works. She thought. He took her hand then and drew her even closer to his person, and, using her finger, he traced a large "X" over his heart with her fingernail and turned her hand over to kiss her wrist briefly. Her heart just gave up right then and there.

"I promise." Was all he said as he straightened himself up and released her hand, his smile fading until she was staring at a completely impassive face, just like when he had walked in. She blanched and stared at him, her mouth slightly open before she realized this and shut her mouth with an audible snap from her teeth.

"Right, great. Fucking perfect." She stammered, and looked around for something to distract her before she blushed hotly. "Amps are over there, set yourself up and we'll practice a few things before tonight. We're just doing covers, so don't worry about learning any of our stuff." She explained hurriedly and spun on her heel to walk away from him towards her mic stand. She drew in a deep breath and started plugging things in to where they needed to be, or so she hoped. She heard movement behind her as everyone started getting into position. Sokka plugged his bass in and strummed a few simple rifts before tuning his instrument slightly.

Toph plopped down in front of her drums and ran her hands over them lovingly, but also so she would know exactly where the head of each drum was, and wouldn't miss while she played. Katara had never heard her miss, or get off beat, but there was a first time for everything she supposed. Aang jumped down from the stairs and started partially setting up his DJ stand. He had a lot more stuff to plug in and rework than the rest of them, so he saved the minor details for when they were actually playing at a venue.

She watched as Zuko borrowed their equipment and deftly and swiftly tuned his guitar to match Sokka's tuning. Well he's smart enough at least. Katara thought shrewdly as she wrapped her mic cord around her hand a few times and gripped the mic tight in her long fingers. She stopped when she heard him play a few rifts, his fingers flying over the neck of his guitar with such ease she couldn't help but think he had done this a million times before. She didn't recognize the rift, but that didn't matter as she felt the emotion he poured into it. Rage, sorrow, and a little sprinkling of hope on top and she was in love with the poor man. Damn he could play a fine tune that catered to her dark little punk heart.

She stood then and stepped towards the front of the band and turned to face them all. Aang had his headphones around his neck now, checking the last few little things on his stand. Toph was ready, quietly tapping out a beat on the rim of her snare. Sokka had his hands folded behind his head and a dopey grin on his face. Zuko just watched her like she was a particularly tasty looking piece of steak he had every intention of devouring the moment he was allowed to. She cleared her throat.

"My Cat." She said softly, looking to Aang to pull up the song to play a bit for Zuko in case he hadn't heard it.

"Good song." Was all he said, a slight smirk playing across his lips. Katara growled slightly then sighed.

"Cover your ears." She said by way of warning, everyone leaping to do so, and Zuko suddenly caught on as she drew a deep breath, all the way from her diaphragm and let it out in an ear piercing shriek. She screamed for a long minute before letting her voice trail off slightly and letting the note end. Zuko stared at her, his smirk long gone, having migrated to Katara's lips as she looked at him.

"I don't play." Was all she said as Sokka started the opening notes. Zuko continued to stare at her, but started to play anyways as Toph picked up the beat, grinning from ear to ear. She liked how Katara was taking to Zuko, and vice versa. This was going to prove to be one of her more interesting schemes.

They went through several songs like this, before Katara felt comfortable enough with Zuko playing along that she called a stop to the practice. She smiled slightly at everyone before turning her attention to Aang.

"Add Otep to the list." She said as an almost afterthought and Aang only grinned at her as he complied to her wishes. Zuko glanced at her.

"You can scream like Otep?" He asked, his eyebrow quirked up like he didn't believe her.

"Hello?" Sokka demanded, waving his hand in front of Zuko's face. "Did you not hear her scream? Why the hell do you think we started a punk rock band? This girl can scream like anyone!" He ranted, making Zuko grin somewhat at her overzealous brother.

"Thanks Sokka." Katara said softly, smiling at her sibling. Zuko became instantly jealous, but shook his head to rid himself of the feeling. It wasn't their fault their family was normal. He couldn't blame them for that.

"So." Katara said, addressing him now, as Zuko trained his gaze on her once more. She looked cocky, smug, and he couldn't help the images flashing in his mind. "Think you can do this thing?" She asked mockingly, hands on her hips, her stance screaming a challenge. Well, Zuko was never one to pass up a challenge.

"Yeah." he said smoothly, as if playing for them were the easiest thing ever. "I think I've got this." Was all he said, but his smile said a thousand more things, almost mocking her right back, almost saying her band wasn't good enough for him. Her eyes flashed and her smile turned feral.

"Then get ready, badass." Was all she said as she spun and walked towards Suki, who pushed herself off the stair rail and followed after Katara into a side room. Zuko shook his head and noticed Sokka glaring at him out of the corner of his eye.

"That's my sister." He said slowly and Zuko nodded slightly. "She's been through a lot." He turned fully towards Zuko now and jammed his finger in Zuko's chest, despite being a few inches shorter than Zuko. "If you hurt you, they will never find your body." Zuko reached up and patted Sokka's shoulder gently, and tried to be as nonthreatening as he knew how to be.

"Your sister is my new manager, I feel it best that I leave our relationship, professional." Was all he said as he started to unplug his stuff. "Where does all this stuff go?" He asked and Aang bounded forward, still grinning.

"We have a truck!" He cried, grabbing Zuko's arm and dragging him outback to look at their SUV, which was a big, black Durango. Zuko blinked, it was a fairly nice car for a bunch of people working out of a rundown warehouse.

"Damn." He said and went about the process of helping everyone pack up.

Sokka vanished for a minute or two before reappearing with his hair spiked up into it's actual mohawk. He had kohl lined around the bottom part of his eyes, and he looked slightly more bad ass than before. He changed his shirt in favor of a beat up shirt with the sleeves ripped off of it, showing off he muscles in his arms, and a tattoo of the water tribe emblem on his shoulder.

"So you guys are Water Tribe." Zuko said and Sokka gave him a 'duh' look.

"The south pole." He explained however, as Zuko glared at him slightly. "We moved here when we were kids." And with that he moved to help finish packing the rest of the gear. Toph vanished a moment later and came back with her bandana removed from her eyes and her hair pulled back from her face. She grinned at Zuko.

"The crowd loves that I'm blind." Was her way of explanation as she shuffled off to flop on the couch next to Aang, who hadn't changed in the slightest. He was once again absorbed in his music programs and was completely oblivious to the outside world.

"Ready?" Asked a smooth voice from behind him and Zuko turned to look at Katara. She had pulled off her baggy shirt and replaced it with a shredded tank-top. She had also replaced her shorts with long pants, ripped up and gathered up and the bottom and stuffed into her platform boots. Numerous bracelets and cuffs wrapped around her wrists, and Zuko noticed the water tribe tattoo on her shoulder as well, though slightly more feminine. Her hair was styled in such a way that if you didn't know better, you could have sworn that Katara had a mohawk as well, though not spiked up at all, it fell about her neck and shoulders in wild waves that Zuko wanted to run his fingers through.

She surveyed the room and nodded slightly. "Ready to go?" She asked and everyone filed out of the warehouse and into the Durango.

"Shotgun!" Sokka and Toph called at the same time, to which she promptly punched him hard in the arm. Sokka squealed slightly and scooted away from her, glaring at the pint-sized girl with malice. She only grinned as she climbed into the front seat. Zuko piled into the back with everyone else and wedged himself between Suki and the door, careful not to touch Sokka's apparent girlfriend too much lest Sokka try to jump down his throat again.

They pulled up to a club some twenty minutes later and all piled out of the car.

"I'll be right back." Katara said as she sauntered inside to talk to the club owner and see where they could set up their stuff.

"How often do you guys play?" Zuko asked no one in particular, hoping someone would answer.

"Three or four times a week." Toph supplied as she picked at her fingernails absently.

"No shit?" Zuko asked, his eyebrow quirking up once more. Katara popped her head out a moment later and yelled at everyone to start bringing things inside. Zuko dove in and grabbed an amp before walking into the club. Several bands were already there, setting up their own stuff and Zuko paused a second, mid-stride.

"We're headlining so just put our stuff in the back for now." Katara called from over at the bar. A short, balding man stood with her, his features pinched, giving him the appearance of having something rather unpleasant smeared underneath his nose. Zuko nodded and walked off to stack things behind the stage. It was remarkably crowded for a club that wasn't even open yet.

"The Dragon is always like this." Sokka said as he came to stand beside Zuko, who merely glanced at him. "Middle of the day, closed for hours, always somebody here." He said and with a huff turned and went back for more gear. Zuko followed at a slightly slower pace.

After they were done they all gathered around Katara at the bar. She looked around sheepishly.

"Sorry I didn't help guys." She said, her voice soft and sweet, and utterly sincere. "He was trying to stiff us out of some of our money and I had to politely remind him of who we are and what our prices are." A wicked glint came to her eye as she spoke and the band chuckled in understanding. "Okay, here's the run down, we go on second, since we're headlining we have the longest set, so make sure not to exert yourselves too much before hand."

"Just make sure you drink water Sweetness." Toph said, elbowing Katara lightly in her side.

"I'm not going to ruin my voice again, thank you very much. That almost cost us our entire paycheck!" Katara said with a laugh and a shake of her head. Zuko watched her, his question written plainly on his face and when she looked at him she smiled.

"My throat got too dry, so when I tried to scream well, my voice cracked and bled a little bit. Almost cost us the show but I managed to soldier on." Zuko shook his head.

"You have to be careful." He growled softly, and Katara's head snapped up and she smiled so wide he thought her cheeks would split.

"Do that again!" She demanded, grabbing him by the front of the shirt and shaking him slightly.

"Do what again?" He asked, bewildered.

"The growl! Do the growl!" She nearly screamed, shaking him even more. Zuko blanched but did as she asked, and growled at her from deep in his chest. She let out a high pitched girlish squeal and threw her arms around his neck.

"Oh Zuko I love you!" She cried and bounced up and down. She wiggled her hips a little bit and did a tiny happy-dance right then and there. "I'm not the only singer! I'm not the only singer!" She chanted to herself and wiggled more. Really, if he were honest, Zuko never wanted her to stop wiggling and moving like she was right then. Suddenly it hit him.

"I can't sing." He said and Katara stopped dead in her tracks. She looked at him over her shoulder and blinked a few times.

"Can't what?" She asked, as if she hadn't heard him.

"I can't sing." He stated again, folding his arms over his chest. She blinked once more and rubbed her knuckle in her ear.

"Can't sing?" She asked. She really was having a hard time with this.

"That's right." He said with a nod. She kicked him in the shin, causing him to double over in pain and glare daggers at her.

"Damn it!" She cried, stomping her heavy foot on the ground. "Then don't growl at me like that!" She reprimanded and if he had rolled his eyes any harder he was sure he would have gone blind.

"Well excuse the hell out of me." He snapped, his temper getting the better out of him at the moment due to the pain shooting up and down his leg. Sokka snickered appreciatively behind him. Zuko growled again and Katara shrieked.

"Stop it!" She cried, grabbing his shirt and making him flinch. She was strong for such a petite thing and he certainly didn't want to get kicked again. She paused in her assault of him and stared at the bandana across his face, as if mesmerized. Zuko's stomach dropped to his toes. He tried to lean back, but she fisted her fingers tighter in his shirt, pulling him closer.

"Katara." He said her name in warning, but she disregarded him. Slowly her fingers reached up and tugged at the knot on the side of his head, keeping the make-shift patch across his eye. The fabric fell away slowly revealing a horrendous burn scar that covered almost half of his face. Katara's blue, blue eyes widened marginally as she traced her fingers lightly across the tough skin around his eye. Zuko almost groaned at how close she was, at how intimately she was touching him.

He had no qualms about his scar, having come to terms with it many years ago, but he knew it still made some people uncomfortable when they saw him for the first time. Katara's face split into a grin and she jumped up slightly to lay a gentle kiss across his burned eye.

"It's perfect." She whispered so only he could hear. His eyes shot to hers and he relaxed marginally. She was staring at his face, not with disgust, but with rapt fascination. He felt as though he should have been creeped out beyond all reason, but for some reason he couldn't be. He had never found someone who didn't cringe away from the burned flesh around his eye, but Katara kept running her fingers over the rough flesh. "God you're hot." She muttered to herself and Zuko's jaw nearly dropped. He just stared at her before a slight cough pulled them both back to the present.

"And now that you're done molesting Zuko's face, perhaps we could enjoy a bit of the night?" Sokka asked, a patronizing tone in his voice and a pleading look in his eyes. Katara jerked away from Zuko as if she had been burned, and with the way his inner fire was raging at him right now, he wouldn't be surprised if she had been.

"Ah, right, sorry Zuko." She shrugged slightly, a lovely blush darkening her cheeks somewhat as he watched her back up a few steps. "I mean, what can I say? Chicks dig scars." She said awkwardly and ducked her face away to order a drink for herself.

What in the fucking hell is wrong with me? She demanded of herself. She had almost thrown Zuko down right then and there and assaulted his person and raped him and oh god the things she had envisioned while she touched his face. Okay, so she freely admitted it, she loved the whole scarred, bad ass thing that men seemed to pull off so well. And yes, she may have developed her morbid love of wounds (healed!) after her mother had died and her father had been injured in the war, but come on! She tried to reason. That just gave him that much more personality and just, raw attraction.

Her drink appeared in front of her and Katara slammed the shot back before ordering a water to go with it. Her band mates slowly trickled away until only she and Zuko remained. She sat, hunched over herself, silently berating herself for her actions. She normally had so much more control than this.

"Katara?" She heard him ask and cringed slightly. She drew in a deep breath and turned to face Zuko, who still looked a bit dazed and confused. He stared down at her as she stepped in front of him and glanced up at him through her long lashes.

"I'm really sorry." Was what she was going to say, but suddenly found herself hoisted into the air by a pair of really strong, corded arms, and crushed to a really hard, and obviously equally strong chest.

Zuko's mind filled with Katara as he stood there, her in his arms, as his lips laid siege to her delicate mouth. She loved his scar. This crazy as hell singer loved his scar. She had touched him and not recoiled in disgust or fear, but had marveled at his less than perfect features. His tongue swiped across her painted lips and he groaned at the taste of her as she opened her mouth to allow him entrance. She suddenly had her long legs wrapped around him and was digging her nails into his back. It wasn't unpleasant, quite the contrary actually. He growled at her again and felt her melt even more into his arms and push herself bodily against him, as if she couldn't get close enough to him.

Slamming her up against a wall he cupped her ass in his hands, kneading her flesh softly between his fingers, making her squirm against him. She groaned and nipped at his lips, playing with his labret with her tongue, before kissing him gently.

She pulled back to stare at him, her eyes cloudy with lust as she traced the planes of his face mentally. What happened to professional? That voice in his head asked snidely, and he had absolutely no reply. Slowly she blinked, and her gaze cleared, and her cheeks darkened with a deep blush before she looked down.

"Um..." She whispered, and he leaned forward to slowly drag his teeth and tongue along the side of her neck, down to the hollow of her throat, where he kissed her gently. She whimpered softly before pulling back again. "We shouldn't do this." She managed breathlessly, her gaze unfocused again, making him smirk in pure male satisfaction. Sadly, however, she was right. Slowly he lifted her off his hips and set her back on her feet, keeping her arms in his grasp until he was sure she could stand on her own. He swept his thumbs across the bare flesh of her shoulders and felt her shudder beneath his hands. She blinked again and looked up at him. He smiled softly back down at her.

"I um...I need to go check on the band." She said softly, reaching up to remove his hands from her person. She stepped away slowly and patted his hands down at his sides. Her eyes flashed to his and she blushed again before ducking her head and bolting for the stage. Zuko watched her race down the stairs, surprisingly graceful in her tall boots. He groaned again and let himself lean against the wall for support and let his head fall back.

"Damn!" Came a voice behind him and he allowed his head to roll towards the bartender. "I usually don't get shows like that." He continued and Zuko turned his face towards the barkeep. The man glanced in his eyes and flinched when he saw the latent hostility reflected back at him in those golden depths. The scar just made him that much scarier.

"Sorry dude." He mumbled and ducked his head to wash out a glass and stack it with it's set. Zuko smirked again before slowly pushing himself off the wall and heading towards the rest of his new band. If nothing else went right tonight, he would still be able to call tonight the best night he's had in a long time.

Katara was laughing at Aang a she was being propositioned, it seemed, by a big burly bouncer off in a corner. Aang was fidgeting slightly, trying not to be rude to the guy in front of him, but clearly not wanting to be there at all. Katara snickered again before raising her voice slightly.

"Hahn, leave the poor kid alone." She said, catching the bouncer's attention. He turned and threw a wink at Katara before patting Aang's shoulder with a heavy hand. Aang flinched and wobbled back over to Katara, flopping down next to her with a large sigh.

"Why me?" He asked of no one in particular and Katara patted him gently.

"Well, you are kind of pretty." She said gently and Aang glared at her slightly.

"I'm not pretty. Girls are pretty. Boys are handsome." He said with a huff, sounding like a child as he spoke. Katara reached up and patted his head gently.

"Sure thing pretty boy." She said mockingly and he swatted her hand away playfully.

"We're up next guys." Sokka said as he went rushing past, diving towards the bar for one last drink before their set started. Katara rolled her eyes and went to stand when she felt a soft hand on her wrist. She turned slightly and looked down at Aang, whose whole face was red at that moment.

"Katara I...I have something to tell you." He said, stuttering over his first few words. Katara merely smiled indulgently and waited for him to continue. He blushed harder, and she thought his face might bruise.

"Well. You see. I like you." He said, but his words were strung together so quickly Katara had a hard time following him.

"What?" She asked, leaning down slightly to hear him better. He nearly died when her shirt gaped open slightly in the front but kept his eyes on her face.

"I like you. Like, I really like you. I have since you hired me." He said somewhat slower and Katara flashed him a radiant smile, making his heart skip a beat.

"Aw, Aang, I like you too!" She said, reaching up to pull his bandana over his eyes in aplayful way. He grumbled and pushed it back up his forehead.

"That's not what I mean!" He started and took a deep, calming breath. "What I mean is, I want to be with you. I like you Katara." He said, emphasizing the word as he spoke. Suddenly realization dawned in her pretty azure eyes and she frowned softly. She leaned down and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gave him a tight squeeze before pulling away and gazing at him.

"Look, Aang, I like you too, I really do. But I'm not...I just..." She sighed and hung her head slightly. She squared her shoulders and looked up at her friend again. "I don't want you to get hurt, ok? I do like you, but as a brother, well, I like you more than I like my brother, but I love you like a brother, understand?" She said, trying to explain her feelings adequately. Aang looked deflated but he straightened his spine and smiled up at her.

"I'm sorry." He said and Katara shook her head, leaning forward once more to kiss his forehead.

"Don't. Thank you for telling me. You're a really sweet kid." She said smiling as she straightened up and pulled away. "I will always be here for you though." She said earnestly as she moved off to gather her belongings and start moving them out on the stage.

"That's rough buddy." Toph's voice sounded behind him, and Aang turned to see his friend standing there, propped against a box with her arms folded across her chest.

"Yeah." He said with a bit of a sigh, and hung his head.

"Don't get down." Toph continued, turning her head away from him. "There are plenty of fish in the sea. Plenty of fish in your age range as well." She remarked and Aang scoffed.

"She's in my age range!" He defended, crossing his own arms now. Toph grinned.

"Fine, closer to your age range. Like, the same age as you." She said, none-too-subtly before pushing off the box and moving towards her drums. Aang blinked after her before jumping up to help out the rest of his band-mates.

They went through a long list of songs, Katara singing, growling and screaming through each one until they came to the last one. Sokka had been off in his own little world, bobbing and bouncing to the music he was playing in his own little corner of the stage. Occasionally he and Zuko would go back to back and tear up a particular part of a song (at this the crowd would lose their collective minds. Apparently they liked the 'dark, scarred' look Zuko pulled off), but generally they kept to their corners. Toph was wailing away on her drumset and Zuko had to wonder how anything could withstand the tiny woman's ferocity. Aang was flailing around towards the back of the stage, headphones on, tweaking nobs and pushing buttons and, like Katara had said, keeping them from having any dead space between songs.

They paused for a long minute as Katara took a long draft of water and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She glanced over her shoulder at her band-mates and grinned somewhat.

"Aang, on my mark." She said with a wink, causing Sokka to laugh and Toph to spin her sticks, a huge smile plastering itself to her face. Zuko was confused before Sokka leaned over and yelled just loud enough for Zuko to hear.

"This is one of her favorite songs. It isn't really punk, but the crowd goes wild when she sings it." He said, clapping Zuko on the shoulder and moving to stand back on his side of the stage. Katara was addressing the crowd.

"Well, I do hope this has been an enjoyable evening for all of you." She said sweetly, her voice the antithesis of her dress-code. The crowd roared at her and it finally sank in for Zuko how large the crowd actually was. The dance floor was pack with people wedged in so tightly to one another there was barely any room to move. The loft was nearly overflowing with people, some even hanging partially off the rafters above their heads. People were pushing in at the door, clamoring to get inside and see the band perform.

"We're going to end on a slightly different note tonight, and I hope you don't mind too much. Gives me a chance to rest my voice." She said with a breathless laugh and a toss of her hair. The crowd cheered even louder, causing Katara to flash her radiant smile, and Zuko's heart to hammer into his ribs almost painfully.

"This song is called Uninvited, and it's by the lovely Alanis Morissette." A with that the gently melody of a piano filled the air. The crowd hushed somewhat and Katara drew a deep breath, her voice carrying over the crowd and ensnaring all those present for her song, including her band. Zuko knew the song somewhat, and he followed along with Sokka for a minute before the music swelled around them and he caught on to the beat and melody of the song. He started adding his own variations and rifts that complimented Katara's siren voice as she sang. It had a distinctly dark feel to the song when the band played it together. Katara turned to glance at him out of the corner of her eye and grinned slightly, as if singing solely for him.

"'I don't think you unworthy. I need a moment to deliberate.'" She sang softly, watching him, seeming to wait for his reaction to her veiled words. He felt a smirk tug at one corner of his mouth, and though he didn't look at her, he stepped in front of her, pouring notes out of his guitar like a man possessed. His heart was racing right along with the notes he played, with the rifts he ripped apart and put back together in seconds time just to get across his meaning to her. He no longer played for the crowd or the money, he played for the woman standing to his left, watching him with a fire in her eyes that rivaled his own internal flame.

He lost himself in his music for her for a moment before he slowly pulled himself back from the brink, of what he didn't know, nor did he care, but he ended the song on one long, reverberating note that hung in the air like a palpable thing.

The crowd went wild, literally trying to rush the stage at the end of their performance. Katara walked up beside him again and laced her fingers with his. Zuko laughed, breathless and gazed down at her as she grinned up at him. She reached back and took Sokka's hand as the rest of their band joined them and bowed before the crowd. Katara grabber her mic again and bowed once more on her own.

"Thank you very much for having us again tonight! You guys have been amazing!" She bowed once more with her band before they all filed off the stage, people still screaming for them to come back for more. Everyone had to pat Zuko on the back as they collapsed in the back room to rest before removing their stuff and packing up for the night.

"That was amazing!" Sokka yelled, thumping Zuko soundly on his shoulder, grinning like an absolute buffoon.

"Where did you learn to play like that?" Demanded Toph after she had patted his stomach and thrown herself into a chair. Aang nodded violently, agreeing.

"Yeah! That was amazing! Even Jet couldn't play like that!" He crowed, flopping down next to Toph, who situated herself so she had her legs stretched across Aang's lap. Zuko watched them, a knowing look in his eyes, however, slightly glad that Toph couldn't see his gaze at that moment.

"Wait. Who's Jet?" He asked, glancing around to find Katara who was trailing in after them. She froze mid-stride and blinked a few times. She visibly shook herself and Zuko wondered what had happened between the two of them.

"Our former lead guitarist." She turned to look at Zuko, her eyes hard as glittering sapphires. "Until he left and you took his place." She walked over to him and tugged him down so she could more easily wrap her arms around his neck and squeeze him gently. Slowly his arms snaked around her waist and he lifted her slightly off the ground, images of earlier flashed through their minds and he slowly lowered her back down again.

Before they could even share a moment Sokka cleared his throat loudly and stared pointedly at the two of them, his eyebrow raised. Katara snickered quietly to herself before she walked over and ruffled his mohawk in a friendly way, causing him to grumbled to himself and try to straighten it back out again.

They packed quickly and piled back into the Durango. They waited a moment for Katara to catch up with them, an envelope tucked safely into her pocket. She leapt into the driver's seat and stuck the key in the ignition. She tore away back to the warehouse and Zuko zoned out in the back, grinning to himself about how lucky he had been in the past few hours.