K15: So I decided that it was time that I started rewriting some of my stories. I decided to take this one, because of a couple of reviews on it lately.

Zuko: And her recent discovery of her still love of Avatar.

Me: Yeah. Anyway, so enjoy the new revamped chapter of Running from Fear Itself. Later. K15

Disclaimer: With Avatar being over for nearly a year now, and Zutara nowhere in sight, it shows I don't own Avatar.

Warning: This is long before the second season… probably around the time the first season was coming to a close. I'm not going to change much of the elements of it.


"I'm not going!" A shriek was heard from across the forest. A brown haired waterbender dug her feet deeper into the ground, trying to get away from their enemy—the Fire Prince Zuko. "Sokka, Aang, help!" she hollered.

Sighing, Zuko tried to get her to leave the camp. Her shrieking would alert his uncle, and the last thing he wanted that man to think was that Zuko was trying to rape the fourteen year old. Zuko finally stopped trying to force her with him, and slapped her across the face.

The screaming stopped long enough for her mouth to come in contact with Zuko's hand. Both hands came back and a flame came to his hand, as he held it up to her face in a threatening way.

"I'm sure you don't want a scar like mine on that lovely face." Katara's blue eyes shown fear for a second, before she took a step backwards. "If you don't…" Another sigh escaped from Zuko's lips as she ran off towards the forest. Snapping at a guard, "Tell my uncle that I'm going out to catch her. I'll be back before sun down."

He entered the forest carefully, not to alert the water tribe peasant of his presence. He half wondered if he should call out to the girl like a master would its dog. He shrugged off the feeling and noticed there were small footprints in the ground. For a girl so smart, she should have known that her feet would leave prints in the soft mud.

While thinking about how to sneak up to the Water Tribe girl, his thoughts returned to what his uncle informed of him the previous night.

Flashback

Iroh sat at the table watching his nephew eat a freshly caught and cooked fish. The food before the old general remained untouched. Sighing, he decided that now was a good time to interrupt Zuko's dinner.

"We're entering Fire Nation territory. And to make it more specific, you're sister is in the area." Out of anger, Zuko threw his fish towards Iroh. Iroh smiled as the fish missed by swerving sharply to the left.

"Sister!" Flames were coming out of Zuko's hands. "What do you mean sister?"

Of course the Fire Prince wouldn't remember, she was a girl who he paid little to no attention to. "I mean, a girl you're parents before your mother died. Remember all they had to do was—"

"I know how children are made, Uncle," said Zuko, raising his hand as if to blow Iroh off. "I want to know when they had it."

"After you were born." A growl escaped from the banished prince's throat. Raising his hands towards the ceiling, he released a stream of fire. "She's you're twin."

Zuko walked up to his uncle and stood about an inch away from Iroh's nose. In a deep angered filled voice he asked, "When were you going to inform me about this?"

"You're father always thought you knew. That girl followed you during your training." Iroh shrugged, taking a sip of his tea. "Then again you were never the most perceptive one."

End Flashback


As Zuko walked, his golden eyes remained on the ground as his thoughts tried think of his sister. He had been trying to recall her since dinner. She was complete blur to him. Occasionally, he'd remember a small cheerful girl following him, muttering about something about wanting to be just like him. But other than that memory, nothing more came up. Not even his family mentioned her to him.

A soft moan came, breaking his thoughts and alerting him. Stopping where he stood, he looked around. "Down here!" It was the waterbender's voice.

"What happened to you?" he asked, looking down.

Katara was in a ditch. It wasn't deep, but by the way she was clutching her ankle, it was obvious she had injured it. Zuko knelt down so his knees were almost touching the ground. Reaching in, he pulled her out and then shifted her around so he was carrying her bridal style. A chuckle escaped his throat at his luck.

"Put me down!" she shrieked. "I can walk!"

His hand squeezed her ankle and pain shot through Katara's leg. He smiled as she shuddered. "Not any more." A shot of guilt rang throughout him for breaking it, well almost. "If looks could kill," he muttered, looking up and away from Katara.

"Yeah, 'cause with all the looks you're getting you'd be dead by now." She laughed at her cruel joke and then sighed. There was a question bugging her. He always went for her, and never Sokka or Momo. "Why me, not Sokka?" she asked the prince, hoping for an honest answer.

He glanced down at her as they exited the forest. The answer was right there in front of her; did she really not know that? "Because you're closer to him," he finally answered, walking up the platform that lead up to the deck of his ship.

Iroh was waiting for the return of his nephew, when he spotted the girl draped in his arms. Tears streamed down her face from the pain and by the swelling of her ankle, it was clear that it broken. When it came to women, Zuko didn't have the best of luck. He didn't know how to treat them. That was not his fault. His mother wasn't around for most of the young firebender's life, nor was did his father take a hand in raising the boy.

"I'll take the girl," said Iroh, taking Katara from Zuko's arms. She let out a squeak of protest but Uncle shook his head. She closed her mouth and relaxed a bit. Iroh shook his head as he began his descent below. The plans were always the same. Capture the Avatar's girlfriend, use her as bait, Avatar comes, Zuko gets his ass kicked, girl leaves with Avatar and her brother, rinse, and repeat. Iroh felt like he was washing a messy child.

To his surprise, the brown haired girl had fallen asleep by the time he had reached Zuko's quarters. Placing her on his nephew's bed, he took off her shoes and began to bandage her ankle. When he was finished, he elevated it and walked away, studying the girl.

Her tattered clothes meant she had not been home, or settled down, for a few months. There was a thin layer of dust on her face, which meant she had not bathed in a few days. Iroh tilted his head, as he tried to guess her age. She was young, but not much younger than Prince Zuko. If he had to guess—he'd have to ask her later about it—his guess would be about fifteen; she wasn't ready for the trouble and responsibility that was going to come before her in the next few days.

As it turned out, with the hurt ankle, Katara was confined to the quarters for Zuko's room for the next few days. Even worse, she was stuck on his pathetic excuse for a bed. She had to rely on everyone else to bring her food and water. Conversation on the ship was even worse. The masked Fire Nation guards didn't speak at all, and the conversation between Zuko would result in him yelling her at lying around all day or not telling him about the Avatar. Eventually, he would leave fuming, sending in one of the many silent guards to grab the dirty dishes.

As usual—since this had not been the first time being kidnapped—she looked forward to her daily tea visits with the old General. He provided her with news about what was happening in the world, even if it was just the war, and where they were going. He kept saying that when she was well again that she would have to join them for a music night. This always kept Katara smiling, because she knew that she wouldn't be confined to these chambers for long.

Around the fourth day, Katara was able to limp around the room. However, she was unable to put a ton of pressure on her right ankle. With some of the water she was able to practice her waterbending. On this day, Zuko walked in and saw her sitting at the desk, playing a small marble she had found the day before.

"Having fun?" he asked, startling her.

"What do you want?" she barked quickly.

"I'm going to start firebending training," he told her. "I was wondering if you'd like to learn some basic moves. Maybe you could relate them to waterbending moves."

"How do you know I won't try to escape?" she barked.

"I trust you," Zuko sighed, walking over to Katara. "It might help with your ankle."

She narrowed her eyes. "You broke it!" She accused, wobbling like a duck over to Zuko. She poked his chest and did her best to keep the brave act going. "It's all because of you I'm still here."

Zuko grabbed her arm, and laughed coldly. "Yeah, it's because of me you're still alive and some platypus-bear didn't come along and eat you alive. Blame the bad guy for saving your life. Next time, I'll let my sister's armies capture you or that platypus-bear invite you for dinner." Again he laughed and headed back towards the always-locked door. "If you're going to survive on this ship, I suggest you learn some type of basic fighting skills or at least some manners."

K15: I'm very impressed with the way this new chapter came out. … Of course I just need reviews from you guys.

Zuko: Because that's how stories survive.

Me: Anyway, I'm going to keep my other story up for a little while. Incase you're too curious to wait for the next rewrite. It's the first like 20 chapters or so of Forgotten and Betrayed. Don't forget to review and I'll update again soon. Later. K15