Clank!

Clank!

Clank!

Zuko sat up, immediately alert and searching for the source of the metallic clanking. He looked over to Aang and Sokka who were still sleeping soundly. It took Zuko a few moments to realize that the clanking that had woken him wasn't actually that loud. With a sigh, he relaxed his muscles and dropped his arms to his sides. The noise started up again, and Zuko decided to investigate. He cast a final hesitant look at his two sleeping companions before he left their room.

It was unlikely to be an attack, Zuko decided. The grounds immediately surrounding his family's summer home had been abandoned for years. He wasn't sure his father or sister had even thought about this place in years, let alone the possibility that Zuko and his new…companions might be holed up there. Zuko did, however consider that it could an intruder attracted by the possibility of stealing something of worth. Hardly anything he need help handling.

The noise was coming from the kitchen, adding to Zuko's suspicions of an intruder. There was a torch lit and Zuko heard another clank, which sounded like some pots were being moved carefully, in order not to disturb the inhabitants. Zuko frowned at that. Even if an intruder had realized there were people staying there, they were clearly squatters. It would make more sense for a homeless wanderer to try to make contact with them. Zuko peeked into the kitchen and saw a figure in dark clothes poking around the cabinets underneath the wash basin.

"Who are you?" Zuko demanded, raising his hands in preparation of a scuffle. The figure was startled and jumped, hitting their head on the wooden panels of the cabinet.

"Ow!" The cry was distinctly feminine and the figure crawled out and turned towards Zuko. The prince was surprised to find himself staring at Katara's annoyed glare.

"I'm getting you a cow bell," she muttered angrily.

"Sorry," Zuko said, lowering his hands. "I-I thought you might be an intruder." He shifted uncomfortably under Katara's gaze. They had established a friendship, but it was still- from Zuko's point of view- tenuous. Katara shook her head and stood up.

"I didn't realize I was being so loud. I'm sorry." Katara rubbed the sore spot on the back of her head.

'You weren't really," Zuko told her. "I'm just a very light sleeper." He looked around the kitchen and saw for the first time that almost every dish in the kitchen was piled around the wash basin. His eyes widened in surprise and confusion.

"What are you doing in here?" he asked Katara. She followed his gaze and flushed slightly.

"I couldn't sleep," she said. "I needed something to do. Toph got annoyed with me for pacing and I thought, the kitchen could use a good scrub. And, well, here I am."

"You clean when something's bothering you?" Zuko raised an eyebrow. Katara shrugged and played with her fingers.

"It's something I can control," she explained. "It's kind of sick, because under any other circumstance, I hate cleaning." Zuko looked around the rest of the kitchen and sure enough, the floors, counters and windows were gleaming in the torch light. Then he frowned. She couldn't have possibly have done all of this in one night. It was late, sure, but they had only gone to bed a few hours before, according to the clock on the shelf above the basin.

"How long did this take you?" Zuko asked. "This room was filthy."

"I've- ah-I've been at this for a few nights," Katara admitted. Zuko wondered briefly how no one had noticed how clean the kitchen was getting, before he realized that Katara did a bulk of the cooking. No one else spent enough time in the kitchen to notice her systematic cleaning. Zuko walked over to the small wooden table and pulled out a chair. He looked at Katara shyly.

"Do you…want to talk about what's bothering you?" he asked uncertainly. Katara hesitated for a moment before sitting in the proffered chair. Zuko sat across from her and they were both silent for a few minutes.

"What's wrong?" Zuko asked at last. Katara bit her lip and pulled at the sleeve of the pajamas she was wearing. They had been Fire Lady Ursa's and were a bit large on Katara.

"I don't know," Katara answered him, throwing her hands up helplessly. "I just feel like- there's so much going on right now. How can any of you sleep?"

"Are you talking about the fight with the Fire Lord?" Katara nodded and looked down at her hands folded on the table.

"Among other things." Then to Zuko's immense discomfiture, she burst into tears and lowered her head onto the table. Zuko looked around for something-someone who could help. He was completely out of his depth.

"H-hey! It's alright," he said, awkwardly patting her head. Katara looked up, bewildered by his attempt at comfort.

"Wow," she murmured. "You are really bad at this." Zuko blushed and pulled his hand back as if he had been burned.

"I haven't had much practice," he mumbled. He stood up and looked towards the door. "Look, why don't I get your brother? Or Suki? Maybe it'd be better for you to talk to another girl about -" Katara surprised him again when she started laughing.

"Zuko, relax." Katara, still laughing, wiped the rest of her tears away. "I'm sorry. I'm fine, really. I just haven't been sleeping well and I tend to get a little emotional when I'm sleep deprived." Zuko looked unsure. Katara sighed and pushed his chair out with her foot. "Please don't go. I could use the company."

This was unexpected. Zuko sat back down slowly. He was not used to friendliness from the waterbender who had until a short time ago been anxious for his blood. He was used to the steel-eyed, vengeful hellion who had threatened his life when he joined the Gaang. That girl was all but gone. Katara looked vulnerable and childlike with her too large pajamas and free flowing hair. Zuko's heart clenched when he thought that she would be facing the worst the Fire Nation had to offer soon- very possibly his father or sister themselves. He had to remind himself that for all her youth, she was an incredibly formidable waterbender.

"Do you want some tea?" she asked suddenly.

"Wha-?" Zuko said intelligently.

"My gran-gran always made us tea when we were upset," Katara explained. "I thought we could have some now."

"Your gran-gran sounds like my uncle," Zuko chuckled sadly. "Sure I'll take some tea." Katara went to the wash basin and grabbed the copper tea kettle she had scrubbed clean that night. She pressed the pump handle to fill it with water and turned to the stove. She stopped and looked over at Zuko.

"Do you mind-?" she motioned to the cold stove. Zuko went over and took the kettle in his hands. Soon steam started pouring out of the spout and the kettle started whistling.

"It's easier than starting a huge fire in the stove," Zuko explained. Katara nodded at the logic. She pulled a couple of cups and some tea leaves from a shelf and brought them over to the table.

"We've got lychee tea," she told him. "That ok?" Zuko nodded and brewed the tea and poured them into the cups. With a nod towards each other, they took a sip. And then they immediately spat it back into the cups.

"That's awful," Zuko said. "I guess I should have paid more attention when Uncle made it." Katara stared at him for a second, and then burst into laughter. Zuko's lip twitched and soon he was laughing with her.

"How did you manage to mess that up?" she asked , wiping away tears of mirth.

"I don't know," Zuko said, still laughing. "It happens everytime."

"You're not allowed to make tea anymore." The pair laughed for a few minutes more, trying to stifle themselves so they wouldn't wake anyone else. The managed to compose themselves finally, and it felt like the tension was gone from the air. They sat more comfortably.

"So, do you want to talk about what's wrong?" Zuko asked again. Katara frowned and slouched down a bit in her chair.

"I think-maybe I -"she started. She looked up at Zuko suddenly, her eyes burning into him intensely. "You have to promise me that this doesn't leave this room." Zuko was taken aback by her sudden mood change and just nodded mutely. Katara fiddled with the ends of her hair. "I don't even know how to say it. You're a guy right?"

"When last I checked." Katara made a face at Zuko's sarcasm.

"Harhar. I need a guy's perspective."

"Wait. This is about a guy?" Zuko asked disbelievingly. "Who could you possibly have met? Haru?" Katara's cheeks reddened to a deep hue of magenta.

"No," she said. "It's about Aang." Zuko was not expecting that.

"Oh…" He blinked at her owlishly. "Is-isn't he a little…"

"Sweet sanity," Katara muttered, running her hands over her face. "He likes me. A lot. And he kissed me twice."

"Huh." Zuko nodded tentatively. "And you…felt…?"

"I'm…confused. And a little angry, I guess." Katara started running her fingers through her hair agitatedly. "I feel…ambushed. I don't know."

"Have you talked to him about it?" Zuko asked her. Katara shook her head.

"Not exactly. The first time it happened was on the Day of the Black Sun. He did it out of nowhere and then he took off. Literally. I didn't talk to him about it at the Air Temple, because I had other things on my mind. I thought maybe he did it because he was panicked-"

"Panicked?" Zuko looked at Katara incredulously.

"Hey, people do strange things when they think they're going to die, okay? Anyway, he never brought it up again, so I didn't either. "

"What happened the second time?" Katara sighed and drummed her fingers on the table. Zuko put his hand over hers to stop her. Katara frowned and pulled her hands into her lap.

"It was at the play," she told him. "He-he was upset because the play said there was something between us. You and I that is." Their eyes met briefly and they laughed a little at the memory of the absurd play.

"Stop!" Katara said, forcing herself not to laugh. "We have to be serious now."

"Alright." Zuko took a deep breath and made himself look serious, which caused Katara to start giggling again.

"I'm sorry! Okay! I'm done!" Katara straightened up and matched Zuko's serious look with her own. Then they lost their composure again and dissolved into quiet laughter.

"We're never going to get through this are we?" Zuko asked. Katara shook her head. She was laughing too hard to reply verbally. It was another few minutes before they could stop laughing completely.

"So do you want to finish telling me what happened?" Zuko asked.

"Yeah," Katara nodded. "I don't remember what I was saying."

"Aang kissed you at the play."

"Right." Katara blushed once again and looked down at the table. "He wanted to know if I really saw him the way the play said I saw him. I didn't know what to say and he wanted to talk about the first time he kissed me and he wanted to know how I felt. I told him I was confused and then he kissed me again. I could have slapped him after that." Katara shook her head angrily.

"How do you really feel?" Katara started to answer Zuko, but she stopped.

"I'm…confused."

"Are you confused?" Zuko asked her. Katara looked up at him blankly. "Because I'm not really hearing confusion." Katara glared at him angrily for a moment, before she sighed and leaned forward on her elbows.

"Aang's 12," she said quietly. "I know technically he's 112, but to me…I don't know. I feel like I've been babysitting him this whole time. Is that awful?" Zuko sat back and folded his arms thoughtfully.

"No, not awful," he said. "You're a natural caretaker and Aang is someone who needs someone to take care of him. I'm just getting to know him and I can see that even though he's really mature for his age, he's still just a kid. It's not surprising that he likes you, either. I had a crush on my governess when I was around his age, and you're probably the first girl he'd ever spent any real time with. The question is how do you feel about him? Do you think of him that way?"

"Well," Katara started hesitantly. "There was a time a few months ago, for like a split second. I had talked to a fortune teller who – my gosh, I can't believe I'm telling you this. It's so embarrassing!"

"Hey, what you tell me here, stays here," Zuko promised her. "But you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Katara stared at Zuko for a long moment, but she decided, she had told him this much, she may as well finish.

"Alright. I had talked to a fortune teller and she told me- among other things- that I'd marry a powerful bender one day. I considered briefly that maybe she meant Aang. He is, after all, the most powerful bender. But…"

"But…?" Zuko leaned forward waiting for her to continue.

"I'm not attracted to him," Katara admitted. "Don't get me wrong, he's not bad looking, it's just that when I think about him, it's not 'wow, he's real boyfriend/husband material.' It's more like 'he's so adorable, I just want to pinch his cheeks.' But how do I tell him that? We're about to face off with Ozai and he's already freaked out. I don't want to hurt his feelings on top of that stress. You know?"

Katara went quiet and fiddled with her tea cup. Zuko thought for a long while about what she had said and wondered what he would do in her position. Or in Aang's. His crush on his governess was different. She was twelve years older than him. Zuko knew he had no chance from the beginning, but Aang really believed he had a shot. And maybe he would, Zuko thought, in a few years. But not now. The two years between Aang and Katara may as well have been twelve years. Finally Zuko looked up at Katara.

"I think you should tell him how you feel," he said.

"What?"

"Tell Aang how you feel," he repeated. "I know it's going to hurt him, but it'll hurt worse if you leave him hanging. He's waiting for you to answer him and 'no' is only going to be harder to hear the longer you wait."

"But right now?" Katara asked.

"Well, not right now. It can wait until he's awake. But don't wait too long, Katara. This way he has some time to get over it before…Anyway, he's young, and you're his first crush. He'll bounce back. It happens to all of us, right." Katara thought about Jet and realized Zuko was right. She had been devastated after she realized how foolish her infatuation was, but it only lasted a few days.

'Yeah, I guess, you're right." Katara yawned. "I think I can sleep now at least. Thanks." Zuko gave Katara a sort of half smile.

"Glad to help." He got up and gathered the tea things from the table. "I can take care of this. You get some sleep." Katara smiled gratefully and gave Zuko a quick hug. She headed out of the kitchen while Zuko went to the wash basin. She stopped at the door.

"Zuko?" He turned he head towards her.

"Yeah?"

"This conversation. It never happened," she said gravely. Zuko mimed buttoning his lip and Katara smiled at him. "Goodnight."

"'Night." Zuko watched her leave with a bemused smile. Somehow he felt that this conversation had done more to repair their relationship than their 'life-changing fieldtrip'.