Katara guardedly peered around yet another corridor corner. Upon finding no one in sight she crept forward, lingering in the shadows that swept across the marble floors and up the elegantly decorated walls.

It had been days since Aang, alongside Sokka and Toph, had been captured by the Fire Nation. Her ice blue eyes narrowed in renewed frustration as she tried once again to determine how in the span of her short trip to the market the entire group had been so quickly apprehended.

Now here she was, the only one still with her freedom, blindly sneaking through the Fire Lord's palace in search of the others. She sighed, finding herself completely lost, and spun around to retrace her steps.

That's when she heard it. Their voices were quiet at first, a mere drone in the distance that echoed hollowly off the oversized halls and high ceilings. The closer they got the louder their voices became, and she cursed the minimalist design of the palace that gave her no form of shelter from view. Panicking as they grew nearer and closer to discovering her presence, she frantically ducked into the only room in view. The large door was heavy to push open and groaned as she did so, causing her to flinch at the sound. Carefully she held the door open just a crack and watched as the guards passed, chatting obliviously. They turned slightly to glance at the door she was hidden behind, as if they had heard it open, but made no move to check who had done so and continued on without pause.

When the men were finally out of sight, their voices no longer within earshot, she exhaled the breath she had been holding. She slumped forwards, resting her forehead against the door, and breathing deeply as her accelerated heart rate began to slow in her chest. When she finally felt calm enough to venture out of the room she straightened up and took a few steps back, straight into something hard and warm.

Her breath caught in her throat once more as she slowly extended the palm of her hand backwards and into the clearly human figure she was now pressed tightly against. His skin was hot against hers where her Fire Nation disguise exposed her usually covered body, and she could tell without turning to face him that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

She cursed under her breath at how easily she had been found and spun to face him in the hopes of feigning being lost. However, any hopes of that plan succeeding were immediately vanquished as she spun to come face to face with none other than her least favorite firebender, Zuko.

His face was pulled into an irritated frown, his gold eyes narrowed and his mouth set in a taut line. His shaggy hair was mussed, some pieces sticking up while others fell in front of his eyes. She looked past him to the rumpled red sheets on the oversized bed, concluding she had woken him up.

He crossed his arms across his chest, surveying her silently. When his golden eyes locked on her ice blues his cold mask of irritation broke into a mixture of shock and angered recognition. He opened his mouth as if to call for nearby guards and she lunged forwards, clamping both her hands over his mouth. His eyes widened at her action, as if he couldn't believe she had the audacity to touch him, before he ripped her hands away, tightly gripping her wrists and refusing to let go.

Katara cringed at the pain of his tight grip, fighting a silent battle of wills with him using her eyes. The rest of the palace was quiet, her having snuck in at night, and she didn't want to rouse suspicion of anyone nearby who would aid in her capture.

"Well I cant say I'm surprised." He ground out, never breaking their intense staring match.

His expression seemed to imply she was insane for taking such a risk by sneaking into the palace, something Katara wished she could smack off his face if not for her hands being trapped by his hold.

"Let go!" she barked, ripping her arms out of his iron grip and stumbling slightly from the force of her own action.

He raised his eyebrow, seemingly amused by her unabashed disdain for him and lack of fear in showing it. She deepened her glare at him response, standing as tall as possible to show she wouldn't be intimidated.

He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off before he had the chance by a knocking from outside the door. He looked past her, wrinkling his nose in frustration at the interruption, then back at her. The knock turned into a pounding, growing louder and angrier with every moment that it was left unanswered until he huffed and moved to answer it.

The second he stepped in her direction, Katara flew past him and towards the large open window that he had been blocking just moments prior. He spun, reaching his hand towards her fleeing figure. His hand missed seizing the ends of her hair by milliseconds, and he watched as she paused, crouching on the oversized window frame to look back at him, before jumping out the window altogether.

He raced forwards, watching as the pond in the courtyard rose to meet her falling figure. The water danced up, encasing her feet then the rest of her form, before settling back into a seamless surface that reflected the moonlight like a mirror. If he hadn't just witnessed her being swallowed up by the small pool of water, he'd never have believed it had moved. She was somewhere beneath the surface, hidden from all but the coy fish that swam below, and he supposed it would be impossible for anyone else to find her in her natural element.

His attention was drawn back to the door, the pounding having grown so forceful he feared the door would break by the persons hand. He flung it open, none too pleased with whoever had disturbed him, to find Azula standing in the hall.

Her lips were pursed in clear irritation, her normally cold mask now displaying outright rage. She leaned to the side, her emotionless eyes scanning the room before settling on Zuko in the doorway.

"I thought I heard something." She pried, watching his reaction carefully as she did so.

"I fell out of bed." Zuko replied, desperately trying to keep his face from revealing his lie as images of Katara's retreating body flashed through his mind.

Azula paused, as if gauging whether to accept what she clearly knew was fabricated, before rolling her eyes and turning to leave.

"Don't hurt yourself ZuZu." She scoffed, the corners of her mouth pulling up into the subtlest of smirks. "I'd hate to see you collapse."

He shut the door as she walked away, making his way back to the window. Somewhere in the palace a rogue waterbender was roaming about, and he knew just where to lie in wait for her return.