Katara brushed her long hair with her fingers as she made a sheet of ice against a tree to make a mirror as she made her hair with two little -as Sokka put it- 'hair loopies' with two beads.

She put on blue water tribe clothes as she threw on black clothes over with two water pouches over her chest. Katara pulled her thick hair in a low pony tail and put her large straw hat on over with a smirk.

"Someone's ready," Zuko smirked as he had only black clothes on and his traditional fire nation clothes where in his bag.

"More than I've ever been," she smiled tipping her hat at him and zuko put his swords in its holster but held something up in his hand.

"Think you should wear this today," he held Kataras mothers necklace for her.

"Thank you..." She breathed and put it on happily.

"And I think you'll want this," he offered her the painted lady mask he got for her.

"Always, partner," katara winked taking it in hand. Zuko put his on his head but kept his face revealed for it wasn't time yet.

"Are you ready?" Katara asked doing the same.

"It'll be easy, I got your back," Zuko nodded and Durk ran up his arm.

"Don't worry bud, you'll have to wait here for us to come back Durk," Zuko scratched his chin with a smile and fed him a fire flake.

They heard an explosion in the back and ran to the cliff across the valley and saw in the distance in the water was submarines as he fire nation was attacking back.

"It's started, let's get going," Zuko pulled down his mask but katara grabbed his wrist.

"Wait Zuko,"

He pulled his mask back up looking at her. "You okay?"

"I just wanted to say thank you... And I'm proud of you," katara blushed softly at him.

"Your not that angry prince who was so selfish and careless, your so much more now... You've dignified yourself and your honoring so much more than your father," she reached up touching his scar and zuko held her hand not pulling her away.

"I'm proud to be your partner," she nodded.

"Kat, you've grown so much too, your a master water bender in less than a year, your a mother hen that drives me wild but..." He trailed off looking down but looked at her with a small grin. "Who said someone who cares for you is bad?"

Katara smile wrapping her arms around his neck and zuko bent down to kiss her softly closing their eyes, he held her waist gently as they pulled away.

"Let's do this," she smirked up at him and pulled her mask down and pulled Zukos down as well teasingly as he was looking at her.

"I'm with you," he nodded and they took off to the city.

-------

"The warriors of the invasion should be on the otherside, the city should be completely evacuated," Zuko said under the mask as they walked down the streets together. Zuko saw the palace near by and gulped.

"Maybe there'll be someone in the palace, we have about an hour until the eclipse," he rasped.

"There's no one in there," Katara looked around. "There's no one anywhere,"

"We have time, I need something," Zuko took a step but paused. He needed something but would it put the mission at risk?

"Let's make it quick," katara nodded and they sprinted to the palace quickly but saw a shadow above them both. Katara looked up and saw a flying figure as it saw them as well.

"Aang?" She breathed as Zuko made eyes contact with the avatar. Did he recognize him? Aang found out who he was a long time ago as the blue spirit, but the kids gullible and thought he was dead.

"They don't know," Zuko sighed. "He's going to be disappointed,"

--

They waited behind a home as Aang left the palace after hearing a small cry of anger from him but they ran in the palace anyway.

Katara lifted the mask looking around the royal palace in awe at how big it was. But she kept running as she followed Zuko from hall to hall after more halls. But Zuko knew where he was going.

They found themselves at the backyard or some garden of the palace and zuko slowed down and slowly stopped at a cherry tree. The sound of him and his mothers laughter rung in his head.

"Let's keep going, it's near here," Zuko gulped as katara was behind him with a soft look. It was part of Zukos childhood, she knew he had memories here but she said nothing and they ran again back inside on the otherside.

Finally Zuko stopped in front of a door and pushed it open as he took off the mask and katara saw flames and flowers near a painting on a stone with a name. Ursa.

"Zuko who's..." Katara walked closer as Zuko got to his knees and made a small prayer but she saw the painting of a beautiful woman. He took the painting and put it in his bag.

"Let's go," he nodded.

"Was that your mother?" She asked and zuko nodded not looking at her.

"You know how scary it is to have nothing of someone you lost and the fear of forgetting them..." Zuko rasped and she nodded.

"I thought I forgot my mothers face," he pursed his lips and katara pulled him in a quick embrace.

"Let's go get your uncle," katara whispered in his ear and zuko smiled nodding.

They pulled their masks on and zuko felt a small weakness in his muscles just as they got outside. The eclipse has begun. He kept running with katara as they heard explosions and earth bending in the distance.

They both gasped hearing soldiers voices in front of the open doors of the palace.

"Someone came I swear, the doors where blown open," a man said as some soldiers walked over.

"No shit, there's an invasion," there was a line of soldiers for when the invasion got closer to the palace.

"But their over there, not here,"

"Fuck sake, how are we going to get out?" Zuko groaned hiding behind the large poles in the entrance of the palace.

"Emergency exit?" Katara raised a brow behind the mask.

"Nada," he shook his head.

"How? What if there's a fire?" She hissed. His masked face turned to her and she could hear the unamusement from him.

"Freeze em," he said simply and katara nodded.

She whistled for their attention but the few soldiers that where there turned just as water came at them and froze them in their place.

"There'll be more," Zuko ran and grabbed her arm running off but grabbed katara in his arms and twisted down just as a spear almost hit them.

"Like that?" Katara panted under him.

They got up and katara got out four arms of water seeing soldiers surrounding them.

"Five more minutes of the eclipse," katara said clenching her teeth seeing they where surrounded now as Zuko got out his dao swords with the song of them being unleashed.

Soldiers charged at them as Zuko sliced the wooden spears and katara took out soldiers with the water octopus arms as Zuko had his back to her.

He dodged a punched and grabbed the fist as he slammed his elbow into the soldiers face but hissed when a spear sliced his arm and saw katara flinch feeling the pain but she kept fighting.

"We're almost there," Zuko saw the prison that held his uncle. He looked back at katara seeing she was building up a swear but could hold her own for now.

"Two more minutes," he grunted looking up but threw her his bag and held it confused.

"Your going to get a head start in a little to get through the prison okay?" He called to her over his shoulder as she quickly put it on and froze three soldiers in their place but heard Zuko cry out behind her and felt a agonizing pain in her thigh, she almost dropped to the ground but gasped when a spear crashed through the water.

It was inches away from her face as she froze the spear before it hit her.

"Shit," she squeaked and saw Zuko battling his own with no fire while there was a bleeding deep cut on his leg.

She looked up just as Zuko was tackled down and smirked.

"It's back!" She yelled and zuko pushed himself up as he swung his legs back with a circle of fire surrounding him and soldiers cried out or backed up before their where hit.

"Kat go now!" He yelled but a soldier caught him by surprise with a spear slicing the tie that held his mask up and it fell to the ground just as Zuko back kicked the soldier in the head.

"Prince zuko?" There where gasped and whispers.

"Surprise," he punched the ground and a wave of fire knocked the soldiers back but someone grabbed his arm and shoved him to the ground. He let out a roar of fire.

"Kat go!" He screamed as she still fought off some soldiers. Tears where in her eyes.

"Katara!" He yelled again and a single tear ran down her cheek as she slowly backed away while her eyes where connected with Zukos.

"I'll come back for you," she whispered and ran to iroh.

She heard Zuko scream behind her and a bruising pain in her jaw. Tears kept falling but she didn't look back.

-----

"General iroh! General iroh!" Katara screamed running through the prison seeing guards knocked out as he hat fell behind her and she threw off her mask feeling suffocated.

"Iroh!" She cried out finding the cell but saw it was empty.

"Where is he?! Where general iroh?!" Katara grabbed the nearest guard with burning tears.

"H-he busted himself out... I-I've never seen anything like it befor- he was like a one man army," the guard shook and she dropped him closing his eyes.

"Sokka..." She whispered hearing the invasion still.

------

Katara panted as she leaped and sprinted down to find the water tribe and earth benders escaping. She saw appa and smiled brightly as she shoved her mask in the bag.  There was a shield of earth above them but she jumped over the other ones until she saw Sokka with Aang and toph and their father.

"Sokka! Dad!" She screamed and they all turned to her surprised but she immediately collided with her brother with tears falling down her face.

"Katara?!" He gasped hugging her tightly. Hakoda came up and hugged his children tightly.

"Where have you been? Are you okay?" Sokka asked frantically as Aang ran up hugging her around the waist tightly.

"I-I'm fine, what happened? Did you defeat the fire lord?" Katara asked looking at aang.

"No... We couldn't find him, how are we all going to get out?" Aang looked at them all confused with wide eyes as Sokka wrapped his arm around his sister tightly.

"We're not," Hakoda said sternly.

"Then our only chance is to stand and fight, we have the avatar, we could still win," Sokka retorted and katara narrowed her eyes at the blimps.

"Yes with the avatar we could still win on another day," he told them nodding. "You kids have to leave, you have to escape on appa together,"

"What? No I'm not loosing you too, we're not loosing anything," katara stomped her foot down wiping her tears quickly. She could loose her dad, she just got him back and lost Zuko. She couldn't take another loved one lost.

"Your our only chance in the long run, you and Sokka have to go with Aang somewhere safe," Hakoda told her gently touching her shoulder. "It's the only way to keep hope alive,"

She looked down in pain.

"I have some camp supplies in the valley, it'll last us until we get somewhere else," katara said controlling herself again. She had to get Durk.

The youngest of the group would go on appa to escape but the adults stayed behind and surrender, no one liked it but it was the only way. They all climbed aboard appa with final good byes from parents to their children or life long friends.

"Thank you all for being so brave and so strong, I'm going to make this up to you," Aang promised after a few tears he wiped away and katara sat on the back of appa looking down. She never felt more defeated in so long.

Then they took off into the sky looking back at the soldiers who stayed behind.