Author: Becky L. Sly
Title: The Moon's Dragon
Genre: Romance/Adventure/Drama
Rating: T (there will be cusswords, violence and some non-explicit sexual situation that might not be appropriated for all readers)

I don't own anything. All character belongs to Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, and Nickelodeon.

THE MOON'S DRAGON
by Becky L. Sly

Chapter 1 – The Southern Raiders

Zuko straightened up his tent while he and the Team waited for Katara to finish cooking dinner. They were all starving! They had just arrived on the cliff about one hour ago, right after narrowly escaping Azula's attack on the Western Air Temple. They took Appa and flew as fast as they could away from the Fire Nation Princess's madness.

Azula was teetering on the edge of insanity, making her more dangerous than ever. In some ways, Zuko was glad he managed to fight his sister back, providing time for the Team to run away safely, even if it was just for a little time before Azula could reach them again. He also was flattered that Aang flew back to rescue him from a free fall that could have possibly lead him to death.

"Zuko," Toph's voice took the firebender away from his thoughts. "Dinner's ready. Hurry up or else you'll have to heat it up by yourself," she said with a smirk. He nodded and followed the little earthbender.

Not far from the tents, Aang had managed to make a fire and the Team sat around it to appreciate their dinner. Aang was sitting next to Sokka, who had Suki wrapped in his arms. A little closer to the fire, Katara was using her waterbending to stir a pot of delicious-smelling soup. Toph and Zuko found a place to sit beside Aang. Katara started to dish out the soup for the Team. At first, they all ate it in silence, still in shock over the earlier attack on the Western Air Temple.

"Wow, camping. It really seems like old times again, doesn't it?" commented Aang staring at his friends around the fire, trying to lighten the mood a little bit.

Zuko smirked in response. "If you really want to feel like old times," the firebender said slyly as he took a bite. "I could chase you around while trying to catch you". They all genuinely laughed about that. All except one. Sitting right in front of the prince, Katara's laugh was noticeably bitter and sarcastic. Sokka sighed before bringing his cup up for a toast.

"To Zuko," the warrior began. "Who knew that after all those times he tried to take us out, today he'd be our hero!"

"Here, here," they all cheered and brought their cup up for the toast, with the exception of Zuko and Katara. Toph poked Zuko affectionately, making him smile.

"I'm touched," Zuko said softly, feeling sincerely flattered with the Team gesture. "I don't deserve this."

"Yeah," Katara said bitterly across the fire. "No kidding." She stood up and stormed off, heading to the cliff's edge.

Zuko was indignant. What the hell is wrong with her? They all, including Aang, who by far was the one with more reasons to despite Zuko, had accepted him as part of the Team. Zuko could feel an anger starting to boil inside him.

"What's with her?" Sokka asked kind of surprised with his sister behavior. The prince stood up and headed after the waterbender.

"I wish I knew," he answered without looking back and kept walking. He vaguely heard Sokka ask, "Now what the hell's his problem?" He ignored the comment. Katara was out of the sight of the Team, almost at the edge of the cliff, gazing to the open sea right in front of her. Zuko was peeved with the Water Tribe peasant's attitude and he could feel his anger growing inside him each step he get closer to her. He was getting really tired of her lack of gratitude after he had just saved her life earlier that day and her total contempt towards him. He stopped just a few meters away from Katara. She noticed Zuko's presence and, very annoyed, she tried to keep herself away from him even more.

"This is not fair," he said, trying to maintain his calm. Katara didn't turn back to face him. The night was bright, being illuminated by the full moon bright in the sky, allowing Zuko to watch, clearly, the waterbender in front him. The wind was blowing towards the prince, making the grass on the ground sway within the summer breeze, as well as Katara's hair. Zuko stepped closer to the Water Tribe girl. "Everybody seems to trust me now… what is with you?"

Katara turned to face him, her eyes wild. She had tried to not be too close to him, otherwise, she wouldn't be able to help herself from punching him in his face as she was craving, as she had been since he had joined the Team.

"Everyone trusts you now?" she asked angrily. "I was the first one to trust you, remember? Back in Ba Sing Se and you turned around and betrayed me," she said through her teeth and then she sighed and looked away. "Betrayed us all."

Zuko lowed his head considering all those accusations he had just heard. He knew she was right and deep inside he regretted all of that. He regretted being that boy who betrayed his uncle's trust, not being able to know if he could ever apologize him for all the bad things he had done in the past. He raised his eyes and gazed at Katara.

"What can I do to make it up to you?" he sincerely asked, not so sure why her approval seems so important to him at that moment. Katara didn't soften her expression.

Sanguine, she shortened the distance between them two and stayed very close to his face. Zuko could feel her breath on his skin. She spilled out next words as if she was spitting on Zuko's scarred face.

"Do you really wanna know? Maybe you could reconquer Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King?" she said. Zuko held his breath in for a moment, uneasy with the nearness of them both. "Or maybe you could bring my mother back!"

Katara walked towards the camp, shouldering him aggressively as she passed him. She walked faster as she felt the tears begin to pour, unable to hold them back anymore.

Zuko remained quiet, watching her disappear from his sight as she walked away from him. He turned himself to face the full moon again, with Katara's words echoing in his mind. Shit. Why was it so damn hard for her to trust him? Zuko started to wonder why he had this urgency to earn the trust of a Water Tribe peasant.

He took a deep breath and sat on the ground. Suddenly, he was no longer hungry. The flashbacks from Ba Sing Se appeared in his mind. He was reminded of it all, the catacomb, the crystals, the fact that Katara was yelling at him and, most of all, the moment she offered to heal his scar. She actually touched him, right where his scar was. He had never let anybody touch his face after he was burned. Nobody. Even so, he had let her do it anyway. Who was she to him back then? She was just the girl with the Avatar, who Zuko had tried to catch with such vehemence. However, she touched him and asked him if she could use her North Pole magical water or something to heal him. To let her free him of his scar, his past.

And yet... he betrayed her. He also betrayed his uncle that day. Maybe, Zuko craved for Katara's forgiveness because deep inside he thought that, if she could find a way to forgive him for all the harm he caused her, so could his uncle. He took a deep breath, remembering the last sentence Katara said to him.

Or maybe you could bring my mother back.

That wasn't the first time she talked about her mother either. The first time also happened when they were trapped in the catacombs back in Ba Sing Se. He had no clue about what had happened to Sokka and Katara's mother. Yet, he was starting to figure out that if the waterbender was actually connecting her anger on him to her mother's death, perhaps Zuko could find a way to earn Katara's trust if he knew what really happened with her mother back in the past. However, there were zero chances of her actually telling him what had happened. He stood up and headed towards the only person that could help him with that.

There was no one left in the camp. They had all gone to their own tents in an attempt to rest, trying to forget the tired day they just had. Zuko walked through the tents, heading towards Sokka's tent. When he was about to open it, he bumped into someone else.

"Oops," Suki said, shamefaced. "Wrong tent."

"Wait. Do you want to speak with Sokka, too?"

"What? No, no," the Kyoshi warrior was blushing and she turned away from him before he could ask anything. "Not me."

Zuko was confused, but he entered the tent anyway. The sight that greeted him was clearly intended for Suki: Sokka, surrounded by candles, lounging half naked with a rose in his mouth and petals covering the floor. Both Sokka and Zuko stared at each other slack-jawed. However, Zuko decided to pretend that nothing had happened and sat on the floor.

"Zuko?! Wh… Why would I be expecting anyone different...?", murmured Sokka, trying to hide any evidence that could show his plans for that night. Sokka sighed, frustrated with the Fire Nation Prince visit. "What's on your mind?"

"Your sister," said Zuko trying to be casual, since he was in Sokka's tent asking about the waterbender. "She hates me. And I don't know why, but I do care what she thinks about me."

"Nah. She doesn't hate you," said Sokka without actually thinking about it, only trying to find a way to get rid of the firebender. "Katara doesn't hate anyone, except for some people in the Fire Nation."

Then Sokka realized what he had just said and tried to fix it.

"No! I mean not people that are good but used to be bad. I mean bad people. Fire Nation people who are still bad, who had never been good and probably never will…" Zuko interrupted Sokka.

"Stop," he started, taking a deep breath. "Okay, listen. I know it may seem out of nowhere, but I want you to tell me what happened to your mother."

"Why would you want to know that?" Sokka's voice was low and weak and Zuko struggled a little to hear it. Zuko sighed.

"Katara mentioned it before when we were prisoners in Ba Sing Se and again just now when she was yelling at me. I think somehow… she connected her anger about that to her anger about me."

Sokka remained in silence for a moment, considering the words of his friend. His voice was grave when he finally started telling the story, not looking at the firebender as he did.

"It's not a day I like to remember," he said. He told Zuko everything that he remembered and Zuko listened carefully and without asking any questions, showing his respect towards his friend's grief. At the end of the story, Sokka lowed his head and muttered very weakly. "I was so relieved that it was over. But that's because I didn't know what happened. I didn't know I lost our mother."

"Do you remember something?" Zuko asked. "Any detail about the soldiers who entered your village? Like… what did the lead ship look like?"

"I remember the flags," the Water Tribe warrior said thoughtfully. "Sea ravens," he said quickly in a snap. "The lead ship had sea ravens on their flags".

"The symbol of the Southern Raiders," Zuko muttered. He thanked Sokka for his help. Finally, the firebender stood up and left the tent. Or, more accurately, was thrown out of it by Sokka, who was very interested in finding a Kyoshi warrior nearby. Zuko walked towards Katara's tent. He was willing to talk with her once more, or at least he would try to make her listen to him. He reached her tent and before he opened it he looked around to see if anyone was looking. The camp was very quiet and it seemed that everyone was in their own tents.

However, when Zuko stepped inside the waterbender's tent, he found her sleeping. He thought about waking her up but then realized that it could possibly go very wrong. If she found out that he had entered her tent in the middle of the night, surely she would not trust him ever again. He decided that it'd be better to wait for her to wake up. He stepped outside her tent and sat on the ground right in front it. He was convinced that he would talk to her in the morning and this time she would listen to him.

The night passed and Zuko remained there, sitting near Katara's tent. At some point, he wondered if he should just go to his own tent and wait to talk with her in the morning, but then he remembered that Katara was always the first in the Team to wake up and he wanted to speak with her alone. Therefore, he stayed there, struggling to hold of his tiredness.

Katara awoke at sunrise and shivered as the cold wind of the morning blew through her tent. She stood up and dressed, but when she opened her tent to go outside, she was caught off guard. Zuko was sitting right in front of her, with his head leaning to the ground in some uncomfortable position. Katara noticed that he was sleeping. She snorted, waking up the prince. A little bit shocked, the firebender looked up and saw her staring at him. He had very deep dark circles under his eyes.

"You look terrible," Katara snapped as she managed to get away from him. She headed towards her belongings, searching for a comb to brush her hair out with. She was trying to look busy, making it very clear that she didn't want any conversation with him. Zuko, reeling a little bit, stood up and moved next to her.

"I waited out here all night," he said. Katara snorted once more.

"What do you want?" she asked harshly, not really wanting to know, brushing her hair with her back turned to him. He stayed quiet for a while but then continued talking.

"I know who killed your mother," he said, noticing that Katara froze. Seeing that she was not saying anything, he continued talking. "I know who did it and I'm gonna help you find him."

Katara turned to face him, not totally sure of what she had just heard. She was staring him with wide eyes.

"What… what did you say?" she stuttered.

"I know who killed your mother and I'm going to…" but before he could finish his sentence, Katara moved towards him and pushed him hard. He reeled back and gazed at Katara, who was staring at him with fury in her eyes. Zuko could feel his fire growing inside him, as well as his anger.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he cried, totally forgetting that the others were still sleeping.

"What's wrong with me?" she yelled back. "What kind of monster are you? How dare you come to me lying about my mother and telling me that you know who took her away from me when you don't even give a damn about it?!" she cried it almost in one breath, not even trying to stop the tears that streamed down her face. Zuko stepped forward and before Katara could turn her back to him again, he grabbed her right arm.

"But this is exactly what I'm fucking trying to show you!" he said angrily and she could feel that the place where he was holding her arm was starting to warm up. Before he could do anything without thinking, he let her arm free. "I'm not the monster you think I am"

Katara was willing to yell at him again, but she stayed quiet when he freed her arm and turned his back to her. She considered the possibility of her turning away and leaving him alone, but for some reason she stayed there, standing, still facing his back. She noticed him taking a deep breath before talking to her again, this time without looking at her.

"I know I really screwed up things in the past and I betrayed you and you are probably never going to forgive me for this… I don't even know if I deserve your forgiveness," he said before doing a long pause and turned himself to face her one more time. "But I'm not lying to you. I do really know who killed your mother and I'm willing to help you to find him."

She was incredulous and, even if she was not willing to admit it, she was ashamed for offending him the way that she had. She wiped her face with her wrist and faced the firebender.

"How do you know?" she asked coldly.

"The Southern Raiders," he began. "It's the Fire Nation Naval division responsible for dealing with conflicts and business that might occur in the south of the Fire Nation."

"But how do you know who killed my mother?" she asked harshly.

Zuko sighed. "Look, I don't know his name, but I'm sure it was the captain in charge," he said. "We could bust into a Fire Nation Communicating Tower and get the information of the location of the lead ship of the Southern Raiders and then find the man you are looking for."

It was not a bad plan, although he had no idea how he actually was going to reach some Communicating Tower. Maybe he could find some information when he returned to the Fire Nation with Aang to defeat his father. However, what Katara said next caught the firebender totally off guard.

"Let's go, then," she said.

Zuko was taken aback. "Come again?"

"You heard me," she shrugged. "You said you wanted to help me. So this is it. Let's find these Southern Raiders." She was not entirely sure what was happening, but suddenly something had awakened inside her. If what he was saying was true – if there was any possibility for her to face the man that had destroyed her family – she could not help but grab at the chance.

"But how are we gonna reach them? It's not exactly turning left on the next mountain. The nearest tower is based in the middle of the South Sea," he said and watched Katara shrug.

"That is not a problem. Grab my things," she demanded, motioning to her belongings while she walked towards the air bison. Zuko was not pleased about being ordered to grab things for her but he obeyed anyway. He grabbed Katara's bag off the ground and threw it over his shoulders. He stood up and headed towards her, still shocked by her reaction but he was determined to help her no matter what.

Aang was already up and was feeding his air bison. He had been woken up by the voice he thought belonged to Zuko, which was screaming something that Aang couldn't understand. When he stepped outside his tent, he noticed that Katara was talking with Zuko. Although Aang felt slightly jealous, he was glad that they were finally managing to accept each other. Sokka was up too, or rather, he hadn't gone to sleep in the first place. But, judging by the goofy grin on his face, Aang doubted he regretted it... though he did seem really tired. They both were chilling next to the bison. The Water Tribe warrior noticed his sister coming towards them, closely followed by Zuko.

"I need to borrow Appa," Katara said harshly. Aang looked over his shoulders and noticed that Zuko was still with her.

"Why? It is your turn to take a little field trip with Zuko?" the airbender asked rather unpleasantly as he fed his animal.

"Yes, it is," Katara answered and Aang jumped, whirling to face the two benders. Since when does she want to spend any of her time with Zuko? Aang was now wondering what they were talking about earlier that morning. Suddenly, all the relief that he felt became jealousy.

"What happened?" Aang asked incredulously. He listened as his friend told him that she and Zuko were going to look for the man that killed her mother. Both Aang and Sokka were shocked. The warrior approached his sister and tried to change her mind. He was a little bit concerned that somehow he had caused that by telling Zuko the story of their mother.

"I know who he is," Zuko commented feeling obligated to support the waterbender since none of the other guys seemed to do the same. "I know who he is and I know how to find him." Aang took a deep breath, still uneasy with the whole situation.

"But how exactly is this going to help?" Aang asked. Katara shook her head and released a cynical laugh.

"I knew you wouldn't understand," she said and turned her back to them. However, Aang tried to explain that he actually did understand how she was feeling. He tried to tell her that revenge was not the answer. Sokka joined him and tried to dissuade his sister telling her that the whole plan was a fiasco and there was no need for her to do it. Zuko managed to step in, always supporting Katara. Deep inside, Zuko could understand what Aang and Sokka were trying to say, and he actually agreed with them, but right that moment he had a chance of earning Katara's trust again and he was not going to waste it. Therefore, he always found a way to apostrophize whatever they said, even mocking Aang once or twice.

Aang gazed Zuko, wondering if he was the responsible for putting that idea in Katara's mind. Aang tried hard to convince her otherwise, but it was all in vain. She turned her back and left them behind, heading to her own tent.

"You convinced her to do it," Aang said to Zuko. The firebender had nothing to say and, turning his back to the guys, followed her. He had not convinced her to look for the Southern Raider captain, he had just offered his help. However, after what Aang said, he started to wonder if somehow he was pressing her to attempt this crazy plan. He agreed with the Avatar's words, but deep inside, he didn't want to follow them. For once, he wanted Katara to listen to him and agree with him, the exiled prince. She could find out that he is not as horrible as she thinks he is. A monster, in her words. She could forgive him if he gave her a reason to. He walked faster towards her tent.

"Katara," he called her softly.

"What do you want?" she asked, coldly, from inside her tent.

"I came here to say that I understand you," he said as he sat on the ground near the opening of her tent, placing her bag on the floor. Suddenly he realized that he had nothing more to say. He was cornered. Was he being selfish and pressing her to do something just so he could get what he wanted? He had no right in doing that.

He sighed. "But maybe Aang is right," he muttered. The tent opened and there was the waterbender facing him.

"No, he is not right. He doesn't know how it feels to lose your own mother right in front of your very eyes," she said that very seriously, looking deep into his amber eyes. The firebender felt his heart ache, feeling that she had said that specifically to him because he knew. He knew all the pain that he felt when his mother was taken away from him. He simply nodded. "I need to find this man," she continued saying. "And I need you to show me how," she said and for the first time after he had joined the Team, her expression softened. It warmed the firebender's heart.

"We are going tonight," he said as he stood up and headed to his tent to grab his own things. Katara nodded, feeling very thankful to see that he really did understand her and was not going to judge her decision. Not that she would ever admit that to him.

"Meet me on Appa."

Zuko and Katara were four days away from the camp. They borrowed Appa (with Aang's permission) and took off to find the Fire Nation Communication Tower. Once they found it they managed to get all the information they needed to find the captain of the Southern Raiders. They traveled again to meet the man. Zuko noticed that Katara was totally fixated with her purpose and she also seemed really exhausted. Several times Zuko asked her if she wanted him to guide Appa, so she could sleep a bit, but she refused every time. Actually, Zuko had to grab Appa's bridle away from her hands without asking her permission, so she could understand that she definitively needed to sleep. She tried to counter him but it was in vain, and not too long after that, she actually fell asleep over the bison's saddle.

Unfortunately, to their surprize, when they reached the Southern Raiders lead ship, they both noticed that the man they were looking for was no longer there. They obtained the needed information about his location then they traveled on Appa towards the island where the former captain was enjoying his retirement.

They were just a few hours from their destination, Katara was guiding Appa and Zuko was sitting in the saddle right behind her with a thought that couldn't leave his mind.

"What did you do with that captain?" the firebender asked, remembering the moment when he saw Katara somehow being able to control that man's body like a puppet.

Katara was surprised by with the question and feeling ashamed, she answered him very weakly. "I… bent his blood," she said, afraid of turning back to face his expression. She didn't care about his opinion, or at least, she thought she didn't. However, she couldn't face him and see his horrified expression. Not at that moment.

Zuko didn't say anything. He had never heard anything about bloodbending and while it scared the hell out of him, he was also very fascinated by it. He made a mental note to never step back into her bad side, so she would never do that to him.

Katara was getting really annoyed with the silence behind her.

"I didn't mean to do that to him," she said, taking Zuko away from his own thoughts. "But I was so angry. I…I didn't know what to do… I didn't..." her voice faltered when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"You don't need to explain," he said softly, still with his hand on her shoulder. Katara looked back at him, and to his surprize, she smiled weakly at him.

"Thank you, Zuko," she said. Zuko nodded and also gave her a small, shy smile. He dropped his hand off her shoulder and sat back in the saddle.

"You know what? Deep inside we are kind of alike," he said teasingly, trying to keep the mood a little less tense. Katara faced him confused. Zuko grinned. "We have problems to deal with our tempers." Katara laughed sarcastically to that, less aggressive this time.

"You wish," she said teasing him. Zuko let the subject drop, and the two benders rode in companionable silence

Not long after that, they reached their destination. They jumped off Appa and managed to find the former captain, a man named Yon Rha. They planned to pass unnoticed in the village, so they didn't ask anyone about his location. Instead, they kept themselves hidden, waiting for some clue of him. Fortunately, they didn't have to wait too long. They found him shopping for some vegetables in the village's little grocery tent. They followed him stealthily to his home. About midway, they laid a trap for the former captain. They stayed hidden, waiting for an opportunity to attack. Yon Rha was suspicious that someone was following him and afraid he cast his fire towards some bushes behind him. The former captain froze when he heard a voice behind him.

"We weren't behind the bush," said Zuko, throwing fire towards the man. Yon Rha was scared and tried to run, but he stumbled and fell to the ground. Zuko moved next to him. "And I wouldn't try firebending if I were you," he said menacingly. The man was shivering and put his hands over his face, trying to protect himself.

"Whoever you are, take my money. Take whatever you want. I'll cooperate," he begged. Katara stood in front of him and took off her hood, revealing her identity.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked in a cold voice. The man narrowed his eyes and looked her.

"No…I'm not sure," he said, trying to remember.

"You better remember it, because your life depends on it," she said aggressively. Rain began to fall steadily as Yon Rha thought frantically. Then, he remembered: He had seen her on his last "visit" to the South Pole. She was the daughter of the waterbender woman that he executed that day.

"Yes," he muttered. "I remember you now. You are the little Water Tribe girl. The waterbender's daughter." He swallowed hard after realizing what that meant. She was there to avenge her mother.

"She lied to you," she said weakly, looking away from him. "She was protecting the last waterbender."

"What?" the former captain faced Katara incredulous. "Who?"

"Me!" she screamed, feeling her fury take control of her body. She turned again to face Yon Rha and raised her arms, stopping the pouring rain in mid-air

Zuko was really impressed. He had no idea how powerful a waterbender Katara actually was. Even though he had already fought against her, that view had shocked him. He watched her turn the rain drops to icicle spears and hurl them towards her enemy. Yon Rha curled in on himself, pathetically awaiting his execution. However, Katara dropped her arms at the last second, interrupting her bending before the spikes could hit him. The water splashed harmlessly upon the cowering man. Zuko whipped his head around in surprize and confusion. Yon Rha was right there! She was so very close to accomplishing what she intended to do and yet she gave up?

"As much as I hate you," she started saying, feeling her voice falter at the end of the sentence. "I just can't do it."

Zuko put himself in a combat position, ready to attack at her command. However, she didn't. He just stayed there, staring at her, ready to accept anything that she decided. Then, making her choice, she turned and walked away from Yon Rha, leaving the man behind, crying pathetically in the mud. The firebender didn't expect that but said nothing to counter. He turned his back and followed her.

Katara walked aimlessly and Zuko followed her. They walked for a while in silence, getting a safe distance from where Yon Rha was. Several times Zuko wished to say something, anything, but nothing came to his mind. Suddenly, she just stopped and fell to her knees. Zuko ran towards her and knelt in front of her. She had covered her face again with the hood and her eyes were filled with tears. He didn't know what to say.

"I'm… so weak," she said sobering, her voice smothered by the hood. Zuko heart tightened in his chest. After all he had seen after she accepted traveling with him to find Yon Rha, the last thing he could think about her was that she was weak.

Hesitating, worried she'd push him away, he pulled off her hood, revealing her face. Katara was sobbing while her tears mingled up with the raindrops that were falling upon them.

"I don't… think you're, you know… weak," he said softly, not so sure about what to do. He brushed away her tears with his thumb. She froze when she felt him touching her face. She looked up to face him and Zuko saw her doleful eyes.

"Could you?" she asked with a cracking voice. "Could you kill the man that took your mother away from you?" she asked, still sobbing. Zuko didn't know the answer for that. He felt that he was not able to kill his own father, no matter what he had done to him.

"No," he said. Katara faced him again, making him take a deep breath. "But that doesn't mean that you are weak. You are stronger than you think. And much as it pains me to say this, I was lucky to have fought against you when you were only just learning how to bend," he smiled and was very glad to see that she smiled slightly too. He thought to see her blushing, but he was not sure.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "Thanks for coming here with me."

Zuko nodded and then realized that he was still holding her face with his hand. He dropped his hand and stood up quickly, helping Katara to stand up too. He passed his hand through his hair, feeling uneasy.

"Well," he cleared his throat before continuing. "We better head back to the camp. They must be already wondering if I captured you and turned you into the Fire Nation," he said and Katara laughed at that.

"Sure, as if you could," she said with a teasing and joyful voice. Zuko pretended to be offended and smirked. They walked back to Appa.

They flew back to the camp, almost without saying anything to each other. When they reached the camp, Katara didn't want to talk with no one and headed straight to her tent. They all came to Zuko to ask him what had happened and he explained everything. Aang tried to talk with Katara, but she asked him to go away and leave her alone for a moment.

On the next day, Sokka decided that they better find another place to set camp and Zuko suggested them to go to the Ember Island. After convincing them all that it was a safe place, they all packed their things. Before lunchtime, they were all ready to take off on Appa and fly towards the Ember Island. Sokka tried to talk with his sister but was ultimately unsuccessful. Katara kept herself curled up in the corner of the saddle and didn't talk with anyone.

It didn't get any better when they arrived at the Fire Lord's old summer house on the island. Katara remained in silence for the rest of the afternoon and not wanting to answer any more are-you-fine questions, she headed to the beach, telling everyone she wished to be alone.

"Zuko," Aang called from the balcony of the summer house, where he was staring out after Katara. "I need you to came with me to talk with Katara," Zuko seemed confused.

"Why me?"

"Because it was you who stayed by her side," Aang muttered, lowering his head. Zuko sighed and stood up from where he was sitting. He followed Aang and with Sokka, they headed with Appa to the place where Katara was. She was sitting on a wooden deck, swaying her feet over the water and watching the sunset. Aang jumped off Appa and ran towards his friend.

"Katara," he yelled. "Are you okay?"

"I'm doing fine," she said coldly, tired of answering that same question. Zuko approached to Aang, making the airbender look over his shoulders.

"Zuko told me what you did," Aang said, looking now at Katara. "Or…what you didn't…I guess. I'm proud of you," he said, smiling. Katara didn't turn to face him, but Zuko could tell she wasn't smiling.

"But I wanted to do it. I wanted to throw all my anger on him, but…I couldn't," she said, still facing the sunset. She bowed her head and muttered, "I don't know if it because I'm too weak to do it or it's because I'm strong enough not to."

"You did the right thing," Aang commented. "Forgiveness is the first step you have to take to begin healing." After listening to his last words, Katara stood up angrily.

"But I didn't forgive him," she said, correcting Aang. "I'll never forgive him," she said. Katara looked over Aang and realized that Zuko was also there, quiet, staring at her. She studied him for a while, thinking of all the things she had said to him. She also thought about him and how he stayed by her side the whole time. He had no reasons to help her and yet he did, showing her that she could trust him again. She sighed and smiled to Zuko.

"But I am ready to forgive you," she said to Zuko, getting closer to him. He smiled back, relieved that she finally accept him as part of the Team. However, before he could even prepare himself, Katara threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest. Zuko hugged her back, feeling himself get warmer as he blushed. After a few seconds, she let him go, smiling at him one last time before heading towards her brother, who was standing next to Appa.

Zuko didn't know how or why, but he felt that from that moment, everything was going to change.

N/A: This is the end of the very first chapter! I'm sorry for any mistakes. Right now, I'm without a beta. (EDIT 04-30-2016: The beautiful Totally Spazz-tastic and Brookie Twiling beta'd this chapter! Yeah!)

My dears, I hope you all know that reviews are so much important for us authors. So don't forget to submit your review to let me know if I should go on with this story.