Chapter 1

I'm lost.

Falling away.

Humanity slipping past my eyes.

Pain.

Burning, aching pain.

I had to stop the lightning from hitting her.

This is how I would pay.

Suddenly, soothing coolness.

Her face.

I stared at her tears as I blacked out.

"Gah!" I woke with a jolt. My scar throbbed painfully; a storm was coming.

I laid back with a sigh. I had been having dreams of her face lately. I remembered all the times she hugged me, threatened me, or just plain smiled at me. Her vivid blue eyes fueled my every waking moment. I couldn't get her out of my mind.

I must have been thrashing around last night. My bed was in total disarray. That made sense. Last night I had my worst, and most frequent, nightmare. I dreamt I was dying, because I had stopped that lightning from hitting her. I was dying and I would never see her again. I was always blacking out as I woke up. Another sigh. I rose, and began to put on my clothes. Today would not be different from yesterday, tomorrow the same as today. Paperwork everywhere. A century-long war wasn't just going to disappear because I was having nightmares. The Fire Lord had to handle these things with dignity and patience. To hell with that, I say.

All day, I would be filled with a painful desire to see her again. It hadn't changed a bit in 6 years. I knew that was impossible, a crazy delusion. She and Aang, the Avatar, had been travelling the world for years, helping orphans left by my nation's war on their parents. There was no way to contact her, because there was no way to know where she was at any given time.

Sigh.

I finished pulling on my royal robes, when there came a timid knock on the door. "Yes?" I called. The door cracked open. "Fire Lord Zuko,someone has sent a message. Shall I have it brought to you?" said the guard, who carried a tablet. His brush was poised to jot down my response.

"Who is it from?"

"Lady Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, sir."

"Yes, Kai Lun. That would be most helpful of you." I said, barely containing my elation. He nodded, closed the door, and padded down the hall. I waited until I could no longer hear his footsteps to release my whoop of joy.

-3 days earlier-

After months on end of travelling, I was ready for a break. Aang, it seemed, was not. Appa just kept flying on and on, simply because his master told him too. I wondered if the bison would ever get tired of the monotony of our daily routine. Wake up, pack up camp, clean up, hop on Appa, fly all day, land, unpack camp, go to sleep, repeat. That was what we did, until we came to where ever we were going. We had been to cities and towns all over the world, and Aang wasn't showing any sign of stopping anytime soon.

"Aang, I need to get away from all this!" I yelled over the wind. Turns out, sky bison can fly much faster than their size should allow.

"What do you mean by 'this'? Travelling the world, seeing the sights, and helping people? What's so wrong with that?" He replied.

Sigh.

I glared at him, until he began bringing Appa closer to the ground. It was closing in on sunset anyway. We might as well land, I thought. After touching down, we pulled out our tents and sleeping rolls. As we worked, I began presenting my idea. "Aang, we've been travelling for nearly 3 years. We only stop for about a week at a time. We need a break. Both of us. Even Appa does! I'm sure he would just love a month or so without having to haul us around continually." I said.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because. Where did you plan on staying the whole time anyway. Huh?" Aang said, "We don't exactly have property on Ember Island." That gave me an idea.

Snapping my fingers, I said "Why don't we ask Zuko if we can stay at his summer home there for a while? I'm sure he won't mind." Aang just laughed, saying, "Katara! That's a great idea! And while we're at it. I'll turn us all into giant pink platypus bears! It'll be fun!"

"Why so much sarcasm? Zuko would love to see us again. What's so wrong with that?" I asked. I was mad that he had laughed at my idea. I could have good ideas sometimes too. It wasn't only him. "Because he still has feelings for you! Therefore, I can't trust him near you." Aang cried, "Besides, why do you want to see him so much anyway?" Now I was getting really angry. "I haven't seen him in forever! We saw Toph, Sokka, and Suki just a little while ago. Why are you so jealous of him? What has he done to deserve that from you?" I yelled.

Aang's answer stung a little: "Because I don't want to lose someone else I love!"

I stopped short. Aang never yelled.

"I'm sorry." I whispered.

He had every right to say this. All the people he had grown up with had been killed by the Fire Nation, while he was trapped in the iceberg. Aang was the last of his people.

He said nothing, but turned away. We finished setting up camp, and I headed out to look for firewood. My twin blades of water cut down branches left and right, and I picked them up where they fell. I also managed to waterbend some fish into a sack, and brought it back as dinner. We saved two sticks for dinner, and Aang lit the fire with firebending. We cooked our food in silence.

Just as the sun was slipping below the horizon, I sat watching the dying embers of the fire. The soft sounds of the woods stirred the air. Everything smelled of pine and earth. There came a shuffling noise behind me. It was Aang. He handed me some paper, ink, and a brush. "Write your letter to Zuko. I'll earthbend it straight to his palace in the morning."

Without another word, he pulled his glider from Appa's saddle, and was off, Momo following behind. I didn't even have time to thank him. Aang was over the ridge before I picked up the brush and began. Where to start?

Dear Zuko…

…I hope to hear from you soon!

Katara

Underneath her name, she had stamped the Water Tribe's symbol. She wanted to visit me! Ember Island was currently taken by some close family friends. I wouldn't have wanted her so far from me anyway. If she was going to visit the Fire Nation, she would have to be at the palace itself!

"Kai Lun! Please send for the scribe, Ohn." I called. The head guard simply nodded, as he usually did, and walked off.

In the next hour, I had my letter for Katara. The swiftest messenger hawk was found. She would be here within the week! And to think this morning, that I had thought that today would be nothing special…

A/N: Hey there guys! Brook here! Just wanted to let you know, I'm brand new to FanFiction, but I thought I could still bring some stuff to the table. First and foremost, thank you for reading this! I know it's not that popular, and I don't stick out much, but it really means a lot to me! Second, I would just love it if you could spread the word about my story, so I get more readers. And third, please review! Pretty pretty please with a cherry on top! ;) Thanks again guys!

~BrooklynSays~