hey, thanks for at least clicking on this story. this is my first fanfic, so please, i'm sorry for any mistakes or whatever you find. so...this is the prolugue...and i swear the following chapters will actually get into the story. so, i'm assuming you already know that this is a Zutara fic (definitely my favorite pairing). so, i hope you enjoy...oh, and sorry it's short; other chapters will be longer...

Prologue

"...give me one good reason to think you might hurt Aang, and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'll make sure your destiny ends. Right then and there. Permanently..."

Zuko frowned and rolled over on his pallet as Katara's venomous words rang through his head. He opened his eyes and turned to stare up at the temple ceiling. But, though ancient carvings covered it, his mind flashed to an all-together different ceiling, one rough-hewn and worn.

The catacombs beneath Ba Sing Se seemed magical, lit up with crystals of brilliant green. Not that Zuko would admit such appreciation. Yet all he saw was the blue. And the whisper of cool hands against rippled flesh compelled Zuko's eyes to close once more.

A Water Tribe girl, so protective of the Avatar, offered his salvation. She glimpsed in him something he tried desperately to bury. Zuko realized he had relied on her healer's nature to soothe the others, to smile at him in forgiveness. But he forgot her darker depths, the storm fueling her violent and powerful bending. He forgot the ice in her veins. Why had he expected her to welcome him when her heart and loyalty belonged to the Avatar?

What could he do to convince her of his sincerity, to chase the shadows from her water-blue eyes? How did one build trust when all he possessed were ashes of betrayed hopes?

"Why do I care about some peasant?" he growled furiously to the night. "I'm here to help the Avatar, not make friends." But, even as Zuko uttered his stubborn words, he knew their insincerity. Strangely, Zuko wanted the Avatar and his friends to accept him. He wanted Katara's eyes to light with trust and understanding. He wanted, for once, to feel the comfort of friendship.

"I've changed," Zuko whispered. "I want to help." I want to be loved.

As the wind outside began to howl, Zuko drifted to sleep, gentle hands and eyes his last memories before dreams.

Sometimes, at night, when all as dark and sleeping, Katara took out a small box, invisible to the eye. And there, nestled in the center, lay a heart filled with ice, which beat weakly with its song. Its melody told of hope and dreams, of trust given and lost. And, when the moon reached its highest peak, Katara would hold it close one long moment, before opening her eyes and locking it away to hide it from the sun.

She couldn't afford to trust, to forgive. Aang couldn't afford her to waver. For she kept now the only heart hardened against the hurt of betrayal. First Jet and then... In the dark, Katara shook her head and dried her tears. Though something inside clamored to forgive Zuko, she could not give in. He betrayed them too many times to ever recant. He hurt them too many times to be trusted.

Covered in ice, her heart hardened, but Katara knew ice could shatter only too easily. One wrong step from a trusted friend could break her. So she kept her heart locked in the box, vowing to let no one else in. Trust weakened the heart. So she kept her frozen walls high.

As the sun climbed the sky, Katara hid the box. Because even locked away, it took only a bit of warmth to melt even the strongest barrier.

"I won't trust you," she whispered furiously to the day. "I can't." But, as icy eyes found a familiar face, Katara heard the first crack of the thaw.

what do you think? please, please review. i don't care if i get people yelling at me, really. i'll take anything anyone says as constructive criticism. so. please review, please? oh, and thanks for reading!