It's dark, I'm alone, the only light provided by the moon above me. I look around for my brother or anything that is remotely familiar. I'm hesitant to speak out, considering just a few minutes earlier I heard strange noises that sound like fighting. Okay, Katara, you can do this; it's just a little dark. I listen to the soothing sounds of the river that is near me. Water calms me. Gives me power. Just as the moon, the first waterbender strengthens me. Just as I was about to take a hesitant step forward I felt a cold arm reach around me. The arms were holding my mother's lost betrothal necklace just in front of my neck. Knowing exactly where I last saw that necklace I knew that only one person could have my mother's necklace. I shiver and turn around, silently praying that it's not who I think it is.

I turn and the first thing I see is red. I see the amber eyes surrounded by a sea of red skin. Zuko. "Don't worry, I'll save you from the pirates." No, I try to fight against his hold on my wrists. But somehow I can't move, I'm mesmerized by the sad longing look in his amber eyes. That one lapse in my fight proved to be my downfall. Because next thing I knew, in a flurry of activity Zuko and his men had tied me up to a tree. Zuko and his men surrounded me and questioned me, looking for Aang and my brother Sokka. As he silently circles me I take the time to watch him, see his tells. Zuko walks with a certain pride in his step, his posture is impeccable and he looks as if you could perfectly balance a book on his head. He walks with a sort of elegant grace, almost catlike. I realize that I've spent so much time focusing on his walk that I barely listened to the things he was saying.

I heard something about honor and the avatar, but after such a derail in my thoughts I'm not entirely sure. It doesn't matter anyway; no matter what he does to me I will never turn in Aang and Sokka. Just as I was strengthening my resolve I felt a cold arm reach around me. The arms were holding my mother's lost betrothal necklace just in front of my neck. "If you give me the avatar you can have your precious necklace back." Zuko says as he looks at me with anger in his eyes. Why is he always so angry? What happened to him? "I will never tell you where Aang is." I say with a strong voice, even though inside I'm quivering at the thought of any harm coming to the last keepsake that I have from my long deceased mother. "Really? Then it seems that you have no need for this." Zuko says as he looks me dead in the eyes and a small flame erupts from his hand and begins to burn my most precious possession in the world.

I watched as the last thing to burn was the small pendent in the middle with the intricate designs and my grandmother's name that were carved by my grandfather many years before. Gone. Just like that. Fire really is destruction. At that moment I feel nothing but numb. I will definitely never tell him where they are. At this moment they are the only chance we have of ever beating the tyrannical rule of the fire nation. I look back at Zuko completely unfeeling, with a cold dead look in my eyes and show no emotion. I don't let him know that he has broken me just a bit. I open my mouth to spout back a retort about how nothing he does will work, when something changed in Zuko's expression and I knew that I was in for some big trouble. "Take her back to the ship, she's going to be helpful whether or not she wants to be." What? No. No. As his men begin to untie me I quickly plan an escape plan. I'll only have one chance at this. I waited until I was completely untied and tried to make a run for the river that was just a few feet in front of me. I took off at the fastest speed I've ever run in my entire fifteen years of life. I tell myself to not look back at the large group of men that I'm very sure are chasing me as I run. I'm so close I can feel it. I can smell the water, feel the current as it moves and flows. I look up at the moon and pray that I make it in time, before they reach me. I feel the moon powering me as I run. Just as I'm nearly three feet from the water I feel cold arms wrap around my waist and pull me back into a hard strong body. No! I was so close! I don't even have to turn around to now whose cold unfeeling arms are wrapped around my middle. I would know this feeling of malevolence anywhere. Once again this prince of sadness caught me. Knowing that I will not get my opportunity to freedom for a long time I resigned myself to my fate and hung my head in shame as the strong arms carried me to the giant ship that smelled of fear and anger.

The giant looming shadows of the large metal machines seemed almost as scary as the crew that manned it. I look up at the red flag with the flame inside of it. What was once a symbol of majesty and balance was now one of fear and pain. Nearly every town that I have encountered on my travels with Aang, the young new avatar (not really new considering in actuality he is 112 years old, but still..) has struggled fighting against the dictatorship that the fire nation has turned into. I've always dreamt of the days where we no longer have to live in fear of the fire nation, where we are finally free as we once were. That is why I agreed to help the avatar travel the world to master all four elements. I wanted to be part of the change that could very well save lives and have my father return to my village. However I never ended up doing just that, considering I'm now in a dark cell somewhere near the Earth Kingdom. The last thing I remember was the sense of doom I felt as Zuko dragged me towards the ship, my struggle against him and then nothing but darkness.

I look around my surroundings and see that they haven't even supplied me with the basic necessities. The only other thing in this small cell with me is a bucket. At least they were thoughtful enough to supply me with a bathroom. I snort as I look around some more. Although I am boxed in behind bars I am not also tied up or shackled to anything. Good. That makes it easier for me, when they bring me food and drink. I smile as I think of my impending freedom due to their ignorance. "What exactly is so funny over there to make you smile?" I hear a cold voice say from behind the bars. I felt myself shiver at the sound of the smooth deep voice. Not him again. "Does it have something to do with the fact that you're not tied or shackled down? Planning on waterbending your way out when we bring in food and drink? Good luck with that honey, cause for that to happen we'd have to feed you." I felt my mouth drop open in surprise. It's like he can read my mind or something. How does he know that I'm a waterbender? "How do I know that you can bend? Well it came to me when you were running towards the water after you were untied. You immediately headed for the water, not the jungle, the water. That's when I knew for sure. You have given yourself away, little girl."

I have never in my life felt hatred for another person. Not even towards the monster that took my mother away from me when I was far too young. This moment in time I almost felt what others would call hatred. Hatred for this sad catlike prince that seems to exude so much pain and anger. My blood began to boil as I looked at his smug scarred face. "You can't keep me here! I'd rather die than give up the avatar's location!" I yelled as I grabbed the bars in front of me and pushed my face as close to his as possible. "That's what you say now honey, we'll see how your answer has changed within a few day's time, once the hunger pains kick in." He says as he looks at me with an evil glint in his eyes. "Even then I will not tell you anything. You might as well kill me now." As soon as those words left my mouth I knew that I was in big trouble. His reaction was the most surprising part. I expected anger, but never in the magnitude that came at me as soon as those words were out of my mouth. Rage seemed to radiate from his pores as he raises his arm as if to somehow hit me through the iron bars that separated us from each other. Then I don't know what exactly happened, but then the look in his eyes died down some and his hand dropped down. I almost breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of his hand falling downward, until I saw them reach for my face. Before I could react he had his hand under my chin and was guiding my chin between the bars, with his mouth pressed against mine. In that moment my mind was vacant. I lived and breathed this strange prince. His lips are so soft and smooth. Every single nerve ending on my lips was going out of control as I kissed him back. It felt so right and so wrong to be kissing him. Wait! What are you doing?! He's using you! Snap out of it now! I wake myself out of the haze that his kiss has put on me and push him back. "If you ever touch me again, I will destroy you." I seethed through clenched teeth, as I pulled my hands behind me in an attempt to keep my hands from reaching out for him again. "Hard to do when you're behind bars." He says with a grin as he walks away.

Zuko

As soon as I round the corner from the cells I grab my head in my heads and look down. What is wrong with me? I close my eyes and try to clear my mind. It doesn't work, because every time I close my eyes I see her. Her beautiful blue eyes full of spirit. Her face firmly set in determination. Her long hair braided behind her back that I long to unbraid and run my fingers through. Her soft lips that taste of the sweetest honey. What is wrong with me?! Why did I kiss her? I think back to our short conversation. She told me that she would never give me the information that I need in order to regain my honor. She told me to kill her. I don't know why, but the very thought of her being harmed, let alone killed upset me. Just the thought made me want to punch something, or someone. I was just about to hit the bars when I stopped and saw the fear in her eyes. In that moment I didn't want to scare her, so I put my fist down. But instead of leaving it at my side, in the next moment I was touching her gorgeous face and bringing her in close for a kiss. The kiss was inevitable. I had to feel her close to me, I had to know that she was real, had to know that she was safe. My god, she's turned me into a weak fool. No. I can't let that happen. She has information that I need and I must keep my distance. From now on I will make others deal with her. I tell myself as I walk down the corridor to my quarters below deck. Maybe after some sleep I will be able to think straight. Yet somehow I doubted that in my mind. For even now I can still smell her sweet scent and feel her soft lips against mine.