Secret Ally

2. Coming to terms

Katara POV:

When the Dai Li agent said: „You've got company" I expected the Earth King to be my fellow prisoner or one of the Council of Five or maybe even Sokka. Not Aang or Toph, for obvious reasons, but instead the last person I expected came rolling down the chute.

„Zuko?"

I mentally yell at myself for speaking but Zuko just turns around. „Katara" It's a statement, not a question, and then silence. He turns away from me and stares at the ground. For a moment I feel pity. After all, I'm the reason Azula captured him and then remember how he always tries to catch Aang and my pity vanishes. Before I can speak out, he does:

"I thought I saw you at the Jasmin Dragon?"

He's asking me if I was there.

"Yes, you did see me. And I saw you."

My answer is cold and stiff but he ignores my tone of voice and continues.

"I was sure you were going to tell the Earth King so I had suspicions when we were invited to serve tea at the palace, but I would never have expexted Azula to be here."

He looks at me again.

"Do you by any chance know how she got in?"

For a moment I'm surprised.

"You didn't know she was in Ba Sing Se?"

Zuko shakes his head and asks:

"Why would I?"

My answer expresses my anger and suspicions towards him.

"Why wouldn't you? for all i know this a trap to capture Aang when he comes looking for me and until the you want as much information as you can have. You've never wasted a chance to chase us and try to harm us so why start now?"

He remains silent, only angering me further.

"Do you have any idea how much pain this war has caused? For Aang, the Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribes, my family and me, Me personly!"

I'mcrying now but I can't stop talking until I've finished.

"The Fire Nation took my mother away from me!"

Zuko POV:

"The Fire Nation took my mother away from me!"

This sentence leaves me cold. When she started ranting I had no idea it would end with her crying but at least  now I understand some things.

I always observed how motherly and protective the Waterbender wsa around the rest of her group but I never thought that there was a reason for this. She doesn't want to lose the people close to her. She doesn't want to lose them the way she lost her mother.

as I turn to watch Katara while she crys I feel the pain of MY mothers dissapearence well up inside me and I know what I have to say.

"I'm sorry"

She turns to face my and stops crying, the look on her face one of wonder at my rare display of emotion other than anger.

"That's something we have in commen"

The look of wonder morphs into a look of pity, into a look of cofuson. After thinking for a second she voices her thoughts.

"Yiu lost you mother too? How?"

The moment she relizes what she just said she adds:

"If you don't mind me asking"

I respond with a daring request.