A/N: Okay, I know, I know..... I should be working on the Yu-Gi-Oh one but....well...I couldn't help myself.....I wanted something fresh, a break from the Yu-Gi-Oh ones.

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Avatar; the Last Airbender. (And I haven't even watched the whole series! How sad, considering it was Avatar that got me into anime, even though, techincally, Avatar is supposedly a cartoon...)

Warnings: I had to type this on WordPad because my grandma's computer doesn't have MS Word which means, no spell check which means there's possibly a lot more errors in it.
Oh, and if you don't like Zhao, I suggest you don't read this. I used to not be a fan of Zhao but lately....I dunno...I'm more into his character I suppose.

Chapter One: Lost

Zuko had paused in his attack and Zhao simply glimpsed up, following Zuko's gaze to see why.

The moon! It was there, shining as brightly as ever. But how? It was impossible! He was Zhao the Moonslayer!

"It can't be!" he exclaimed. But before he had a chance to contemplate this further, the waters lifted in front of him, taking the shape that of a ...koi fish? Zhao blinked and suddenly he remembered the fish left at the oasis, the fish he hadn't killed. Did that mean he was facing La, the Ocean Spirit?

The spirit's arm extended toward him and out of the corner of his eye, Zhao saw Zuko dodge out of the way as the spirit grabbed Zhao, He was dazed, confused as to how a spirit of water could physically grab him. But then the spirit started sinking, Zhao glanced below him and realized the spirit would take him far beneath the surface of the water...and he would drown.

The admiral struggled against the increasing pressure of the spirit's grasp but all attempt was futile on his part. Looking up, Zhao saw the exiled prince leaning over the railing of the ice bridge, hand extending out toward him.

"Take my hand!" Zuko shouted, reaching. Zhao started reaching for it but then hesitated.

Zuko showing him mercy? Inconceivable! Why would he do that if Zhao could convict him for treason? Zhao could have easily defeated this fool and yet here he was, offering him help.

Buy should he accept his hand? If he were to, he'd lose his honor, his pride, his dignity. Not that he hadn't lost it already; with the moon back, the waterbenders of the Northern Tribe could easily overtake his fire nation soldiers. It was a lost victory- all for nothing. Zhao the Invincible, defeated. If he were to accept Zuko's hand, the rest of Zhao's life would be filled with shame. The Fire Lord would consider him useless...

No, he couldn't live with that. Zhao drew back his hand as Zuko's slowly grew further apart. He had lost everything, why bother living through the shame of it? Let Zhao the Conquerer die with what little pride he had left. Besides, there was a slight part of him that resented being saved by Zuko, the zealous teenager who had already given him much trouble beforehand.

Zhao glanced down at the surface of the dark water. The Ocean Spirit's hand would soon be completely submerged underneath, Zhao along with it. Upon seeing this revelation, a sudden surge of panic and fear enveloped Zhao. It was then that he realized that he was not ready for death. He turned away from the water to face Zuko's still outstretched hand again. Zhao reached as far as he could. Any further delay for his rescue would only result in his death; the Spirit's hand wasn't getting closer to Zuko.

Both men strained with all their strength but it soon became apparent after their fingertips brushed each others' lightly, Zuko would be unable to save Zhao. Zhao didn't bother concealing the fear in his eyes; he wasn't ready to die.

But then suddenly, Zuko leaned further over the ice railing, practically lunging, and grasped Zhao's hand with a firm grip. Zuko pulled again, using as much strength as he could muster. Then suddenly, Zhao broke through the watery fingers of the ocean, all the pressure gone. He was dangling off the side of the icy bridge, looking down to see the remnants of the Ocean Spirit's arm fall back into the depths it came from. Zhao and Zuko continued staring at the dissipating ripples but nothing more happened. Zhao exhaled a sigh of relief and, when glancing up, saw Zuko panting heavily. With another deep breath, Zuko managed to finally pull Zhao over the railing.

The two stayed crouched on their hands and knees gasping for breath and filling their lungs with the cold air that surrounded them here in the North Pole. Both were not suited for this morbid climate.

After a few minutes, the sounds of their breathing subsided and they both slowly rose to their feet.

"So what made you hesitate?" Zuko asked. But Zhao wasn't listening. The initial shock of his near-death experience had all but worn off and he was gazing at what was left of what was his vast and powerful invasion force. He could see that the siege had failed utterly.

Small troops of foot soldiers were dotted along a few of the canals. The tanks were demolished, piled high into heaps of useless metal. And the ships were scattered in a disorganized fashion, moving in chaotic directions as if they had lost their captain. Oh they had lost...He had lost...the siege, the battle, his authority, his title, his purpose...

"Admiral?" Zuko asked tentatively, placing a hand on his shoulder. In a flash, Zhao whipped around angrily toward the brat and shoved his hand away.

"Do you not see what's around you, boy?" Zhao sneered. "Can you not see I'm not an admiral anymore, not after this..." His voice trailed off, eyes becoming unfocused. But then, Zhao picked up his train of thought again and began advancing toward Zuko, voice becoming husky as he spoke.

"You, of all people, should know your father is not a very forgiving person. Do you think it was with mercy when he scorched that scar into your face, taking your dignity, your birthright along with it? Do you honestly think he would as even so much as to consider of accepting you back into the royal family, even with the Avatar at your disposal? No..." Zhao chuckled maliciously.

Zuko backed away a few paces, worry crossing his features.

"No," Zhao continued. "In the Fire Nation, you only have one chance. Just take a look at your pathetic uncle! Lost Ba Sing Se because he was too weak after losing his son. You know what that got him?! He could have been Fire Lord! But he screwed up that chance when he showed his weakness!"

"My uncle," Zuko interjected furiously, "is a great man and an honorable one at that-"

"Your uncle is a traitor. He keeps his reserves to the Avatar and then turns his back on his own country, on his own family, even on you. And you? You're only a failure in your father's eyes."

"And what does that make you, Admiral?" Zuko hissed. Zhao glared at him, stopping his slow advance.

"Didn't you hear anything I said, boy? I've lost all that tonight!" Zhao clenched his teeth. Because his life was spared, he could become nothing more than a fugitive...

"So what are you going to do now?" Zuko demanded. "I saved your life and the only thanks I get is you throwing insults at me?" Zhao narrowed his eyes and turned away from him, speaking to Zuko over his shoulder.

"I've lost everything I had tonight," he repeated. "Zuko, if anyone asks- say it was Zhao's pride that killed him. Say, it took a spirit as big as the ocean to bring him down. Do you understand?" Zuko paused for a moment, thinking.

"I understand," he said finally.

"Good. I will not seek you out and for now, I am indebted to you for saving my life. But let us hope that our paths do not cross in the future because revenge is indeed a sweet thing."

"I understand," Zuko repeated in a hard voice. Zhao nodded his confirmation and with that, disappeared into the shadows of the night.

Ta-da! First chapter is complete! I actually had a lot of fun writing this! But who knows when I'll be able to get the second chapter out, much less chapter number seven on Erased....

Oh well. Please review! Cookies are offered, as always! ^_^

-Nuit Songeur