Forgive me?

Avatar does not belong to me, it belongs to Nickelodeon and its writers.

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Zuko grabbed his arm and winced. It had been two days since they abandoned the Western Air Temple for safer grounds. Who would have thought that Azula would have tracked them there? It wasn't exactly the most open place. But then again, the Firenation knew where all the airbender temples were since Sozin had attacked. Zuko growled temporarily. After being with the Avatar a short time, he had finally realized the mass slaughter of his nation. The Airbenders were peaceful people; not an army as he had been taught to believe. They avoided fighting, and believed everything involved balance harmony, and peace. He had nearly destroyed that peace, for good. No wonder the water bender girl hated him with every fiber of her being. Well, at least she had.

When Azula attacked the temple, Katara had naturally assumed he had been a spy. She had attacked him hard, and Azula had laughed. "Who needs allies when your enemies try and kill the prey." She had said mockingly before getting within a few feet of the avatar and throwing lightning. It was a good thing The Avatar was so agile, or he would have been killed for sure. Of course, being probably the most agile person Zuko knew; Ty Lee could block pretty much anyone's chi, including the Avatar's, and she had.

As for Katara, her fury blinded her to the real danger, and Sokka was so preoccupied with Mai, that he could not come to Aang's rescue. As for the others, well, Teo tossed a few defense mechanism's, and that held the girl's off for a little, but Duke couldn't bend or make weapons, and Haru was apparently a bit clumsy. In the middle of an attack, he tripped over a boulder, and fell flat on his face. Ty lee had gleefully leaped on him and smiled.

"Your cute!" And of course, Haru blushed dramatically.

As for the Avatar, he would have been killed if Toph hadn't knocked Katara off of Zuko and attempted to fend off the insane water beauty. Yes, she was beautiful, Zuko had decided, but that didn't matter, a lot of girls were, and they didn't have such malice for him. Besides, even if there was someone who had caught his interest in the other nations, this was not a time for girlfriends. The world was at war. Not only that, but once Azula recovered from the wound he had given her, she would be back, more rabid then ever.

Yep, the 'failure' as Zuko had so often been called, had wounded his prodigy sister.

Once Katara was off of him, Zuko was able to leap in the way of Azula's lighting path and redirect her lightning. Needless to say, Zuko found that once you discovered how to absorb and redirect lightning, you could create it pretty easily. Of course, this was by accident.

Zuko smirked as he thought of this. The look on Azula's face when he had redirected her lightning was priceless. And then he felt an amazing energy source flow through him. He felt different somehow, as if the secrets of fire had been absorbed with Azula's attack. Zuko attacked her with the clearest focus he had ever had, and almost instantly, his fire became lightning. He was shocked, and when it occurred, Azula's shrieks of anger, and frustration were unforgettable.

"Impossible!" she had cried, "I can't be bested! I am perfect!" Zuko had gotten closer to her and thrown a fire whip at her that she normally would have evaded, but her frustration got in the way, and she was soon injured even more.

"Perfection is overrated," Zuko had spit out. The girl's eyes had widened momentarily, but she soon lashed out with more lighting.

"How dare you insult me Zuzu."

Zuko evaded many of her shots but the last one injured his arm severely. He had ignored the pain and returned her attacks with as much ferocity as he could muster, and she was pushed back towards the edge of the temple. However, Zuko was getting weaker. In desperation he attacked her again, but it was sloppy, and Toph, who had somehow sedated Katara for the time being, threw a boulder that knocked Azula off the temples edge. She could have easily fallen to her death, but her ship had caught her, and her partner's in crime soon joined her. Zuko fell shortly thereafter, with Mai's look of hatred and pain burned into his memory.

It had rivaled even Katara's venom. Of course he hadn't been involved with the waterbender when he sided with Azula in Ba Sing se.

Zuko had upset Mai horribly. He knew he would when he left, but he hoped that in time she would come to understand the sacrifice he had to make, not only for the fire nation, but also the world. As Zuko thought back to his time of banishment and his refugee months with his uncle, he remembered the faces he met along the way, from the saucy Jun, to the spirited Jin. Zuko had learned something from each one of them, whether it is to be strong, care, or just relax.

Zuko closed his eyes as he remembered a kind healer who he had met when his uncle had stupidly drunk poisoned tea, and how he had stolen her family's pet. He thought of cheerful Jin in Ba sing se, and her city that he had helped conquer, he thought of Katara whom he had turned away from, and then he thought of Mai, possibly the only betrayal that would be worth it. But he was Mai's betrothed, or at least was, before he abandoned his country.

Zuko felt someone's eyes on him as he contemplated his deeds. When he turned towards the path, he was not surprised to see the water beauty. He looked in her eyes for the first time since she threatened him, and was surprised to see a softer, albeit mixed up feeling in them. It was an expression her knew well, for he had seen it many times on his own face. Especially when he had thought of the Avatar's proposal of friendship so many months ago, or when the young boy had saved him in the South Pole. But mostly, he saw it on his face when he had been questioning his betrayal of his uncle and Azula's promises of future praise.

Katara was in limbo. She was in conflict with her self. She wasn't sure whether to break her wall, or continue on with her hatred. She wasn't sure if she had just seen her enemy protect her dearest friend. Neither was she sure that he and Toph had really attacked Azula. Or whether he had went to the airbender and tried to help him stand after it was all over. She couldn't be sure if she was imagining all this, or whether Zuko was truly her ally, but she figured she might give it a go.

Zuko smiled as he thought of this, it was a good sign. A very good sign indeed. Now if only he could make up what he did to Song, Jin, and the only man who cared about him?

Fates seemed to smile on the boy that moment, as he soon realized they were over a familiar city, a very familiar city. He recognized the port him and his uncle at gotten off when they cut their hair. He recognized the little market place they had gone through. He recognized the buildings that loomed over the sea, and the huge crack where his uncle had picked the Flower he mistook for the white jade. Zuko eye's glazed over for the moment.

He saw a small home, soft features, green mud, and a pink and white hanbok. He saw a girl with dark braided hair, and old women who knew many secrets of herbs.

And for the first time since they had left the western air temple, he spoke.

"STOP!"
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To be continued…