Prologue

Fire, nothing but fire, increasing in intensity every second, threatening to kill him. The flames licked at his burgundy robes, burning the fabric. There's only one thing he can hear through the roar of the inferno. It was her voice, her, the object if his dream. But where was she? She screamed for help, screaming in pain. He looked for her, spinning in every direction, but no luck. Then, everything was silenced. Even the fire ceased its rampage and in its place, was darkness. In front of him, lay a small, red jewel with a strange symbol on it. What was that symbol? Suddenly, he woke up, confused. It was all a dream.

Breathing heavily, and sweating like he had just run a marathon, Zuko rose from his bed in a panic. What was happening to him? This was the fourth time this week that he had had that nightmare. His room was dark, but he had no trouble navigating through it, for he knew it well. Zuko made his way out onto his balcony, searching listening for the one thing that could possibly bring an end to these freakish nightmares. An airship.

Chapter 1

Katara sat in complete and utter silence (and boredom) on her vessel. The month spent at the North Pole was nice, but she had grown accustomed to the warm climate of the Fire Nation. It had been two years since the downfall of Fire Lord Ozai and she had been appointed by Fire Lord Zuko, official Representative from the Water Tribe to the Fire Nation (never in Fire Nation history had a sixteen-year-old been appointed to such a high rank, but then again, never had their been an eighteen-year-old Fire Lord). Katara had been gathering public opinion on the current political situation concerning the Fire Nation and furthering her water bending skills. She had been taught all sorts of sacred healing arts and even furthered her blood bending but only a little, to where she could actually lift people off the ground without hurting them.

Katara rose from where she was seated on the floor, to look over the rail of the airship. She could see the large islands of the Fire Nation in the distance. This made her heart leap for joy. She couldn't wait to see all of her friends. Hakoda and Sokka were Zuko's military advisors, Toph was still just Toph, not wanting to be involved in politics, and Suki was the official Ambassador of the Earth Kingdom. Aang, being the Avatar, was running around on diplomatic missions, just keeping the peace, so he wasn't home.

As her ship approached the loading dock, Katara could hear the shouts and cries from her friends. As she got closer, she could see five figures on the dock, waving their arms and jumping up and down. Katara mumbled to herself

"Wow. Was I really missed that much?"

The ship landed with a loud thud as everyone rushed to the door to greet Katara. She stepped onto the loading dock into the mass of hugs, kisses (from Sokka), and 'welcome homes'. The greeting was most appreciated.

"Guys! You act like you haven't seen me in years. What's gotten into you?" Toph came forward and punched Katara on the shoulder (playing of course).

"Believe it or not, Sugar Queen, we actually miss your nagging" she explained. Katara knew exactly how to counter Toph's annoying jibes, so she wrapped her arms around the earthbender, trapping her in a girly hug.

"Aw, Toph, I missed you too!" she replied. Toph immediately broke away from the embrace, disgusted.

"Blagh!" she yelled. Katara couldn't help but giggle in her triumph. Everyone else laughed at the scene too.

Sokka was the next to get a personal greeting from his little sister. The two had their differences, but both were very family-oriented, making it hard for them to stay away from each other, as much as they fought. Sokka threw his arms around Katara as she threw hers around him.

"Welcome home, Katara" he greeted in a rather serious tone, which was quite the accomplishment for him.

Suki was next in line for the homecoming. She and the waterbender had become the best of friends, seeing as how both were simply teenage girls. Even though Katara was extremely mature for her age, had a high position in the council, and Suki was engaged, the two still made time for sleepovers, shopping, and spas. Katara would have hung out with Toph, but she didn't like all the things the other girls did.

Katara was suddenly hugged again by Suki.

"I'm so glad you're home! Seriously, I was getting tired of hanging out with the guys and Toph all the time. The next time you go on a trip, take me with you." Katara giggled as Suki stepped away, leaving one last person to greet. Zuko.

Katara scanned the faces before her, but could find no Zuko. "Where's our wonderful Fire Lord Zuko? Has he gotten shy or lazy?" she asked, teasing. Suddenly, she heard quick footsteps behind her; two arms wrapped around her waist and hoisted her into the air.

"How's my favorite representative?!" shouted Zuko from behind. Katara tried to loosen his grip from her, but to no avail. Laughing hysterically, she attempted a simple command.

"Put me down!" Zuko quickly loosened his grasp and let her land, lightly, on her feet. Quickly turning around, Katara shoved him back, playing rough now. Zuko put his hands in front of himself in an innocent gesture, showing he meant no harm.

"Hey! I was just trying to make your life easier! I assumed you'd be tired!" he pleaded. Katara put her hands on her hips and just stood there and stared him down. After moments of agonizing silence from everyone, Katara started laughing again.

"Hello, Zuko. It's good to see you too" she snickered. She rushed at him and gave him a big hug around the neck. Relieved that she wasn't upset, Zuko returned the favor with much enthusiasm.

Zuko was one of the people she like hugging the most, maybe because it used to be so hard. All the rage and anger had been holding her back until a couple of short years ago. She could still remember every detail concerning the first time she actually embraced the firebender out of sheer appreciation. She was surprised to find how right she felt in his hold, how at peace she had felt when she finally accepted him. That same nagging feeling had resided in her through those years, dormant, and now was threatening to manifest itself in a very unexpected way.