Prolog:

It was the eve of their independence after decades of living under the Fire Nation's contemptible rule. Outside the palace of Ozai benders from all corners of the world fought a bitter and bloody battle against the Fire Nation Army. The army of Ozai was ruthless, holding almost no regard for the lives of their enemies. But it was now or never for the water and earth nations; the Avatar, after all, was on their side and on his way to bring down the Fire Lord Ozai himself.

Katara paused for a moment in the midst of the battle to catch her breath but the air caught in her throat as she took in the gruesome scene. Everywhere she turned people were dying and injured. The ground was covered in blood and the charred bodies of fallen warriors. She looked down at herself, her once ocean blue parka was now stained red.

"Katara look out" yelled a voice from within the bloody mass. She quickly came to her senses and whirled around to face a Fire nation soldier holding up a sword ready to bring it down upon her skull. Katara froze in fear, but suddenly the soldiers face contorted and he fell forward with a thud, revealing a water nation dagger sticking out of his back. Before she was even able to process what had just happened, Sokka was pulling her by the arm away from the fight.

"What were you thinking out there Katara, there is no time to stop and smell the roses in the middle of a war, YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED"!

"I'm sorry Sokka I….", just then Katara was distracted by a blue light coming from within the castle. "Sokka look", she yelled pointing to the castle. Sokka turned in the direction that she was pointing. Suddenly the earth began to shake violently and a fierce wind began to bluster. The battle that would decide the war was underway. "Let's go Sokka", Katara yelled pulling her brother toward the castle. The two fought their way through the crowd until they got to the castle entrance. Suddenly they heard a bloodcurdling scream coming from somewhere deep within the palace. The two looked at each other and then quickly ran through the corridors in the direction of the scream.

When they finally arrived at the throne room they came upon a dreadful scene. The room was completely destroyed. The walls were charred black, some small fires set to the tapestries still burned, blood spattered the walls and floor, and almost every piece of furniture was either burned or broken. Off in the corner of the room Zuko lay on the floor unconscious, burned badly and covered in blood. Katara ran over to the fallen prince.

"Zuko, Zuko" she called insistently. He didn't respond. Katara then opened the canteen of water that she always carried with her, she gently bended the water over the horrible burn and began healing the fallen prince while Sokka searched the room desperately for signs of Aang. After completing the healing process, Katara lifted Zuko up and cradled him in her arms. She heard him moan softly. "Zuko she whispered. Zuko opened his eyes and looked up at Katara. "What happened Zuko", she asked, "where's Aang?"

"B-balcony" he whispered.

"Sokka", Katara called "check the balcony!"

"I'm on it", Sokka yelled. Katara then helped Zuko to sit up against a wall. She turned and started to get up when Zuko grabbed hold of her hand. She quickly turned and looked back at him.

"Thank you", he whispered.

"No problem" she answered. She then ran to the balcony to join her brother. Katara gasped as she came upon the scene. The railing of the balcony had been blown away by what seemed like a very large and powerful fire blast but there was no sign of Aang or Ozai. She saw her brother kneeling at the edge of the balcony reaching for something. "Sokka where's Aang". Slowly Sokka turned to face his sister with sadness in his eyes, in his hand was a torn and bloody piece of orange cloth. Katara gasped taking it from him. "No it can't be" she said. Sokka quickly pulled Katara close to him and hugged her tightly. "He can't be gone", she sobbed, "he just can't be". As the two stood in the cool night air mourning the loss of their friend the heavens opened up and it began to rain.

Part 1 (six years later)

A lone traveler slowly made his way through the darkened woods clutching the hood of his cloak tightly over his face. Heavy raindrops beat down upon him at every step while the icy wind howled through the woods, blowing fiercely against him as if to keep him from moving any further. Truly this was no time to be traveling but the young man trudged on. He was not going to stop till he found what he was looking for. Of course the irony of two elements attempting to stop him in his tracks did not escape his thoughts.

"I must be close", he thought to himself confidently. Still the night grew colder and the rain seemed to become ice at the instant it touched the ground. "There is no way I can go on if this storm keeps getting worse. "I've got to find some kind of shelter to wait it out" he muttered to himself. The man peered into the distance shielding his golden eyes from the needle like rain drops. He spied a cave not to far off in the distance. "Perfect" he mumbled to himself.

Upon entering the cave the man gathered as many dry twigs as he could find. He then piled them up and with a swift flick of his wrist he shot a flame straight at the pile creating an instantaneous campfire. He then removed his wet cloak revealing the fire navy uniform underneath. He placed the cloak near the fire to dry and sat quietly by the entrance of the cave watching the falling rain.

"I know you're out there Avatar", he mumbled, "and I'm going to find you". He turned back into the cave and leaned himself up against the wall closing his eyes in an attempt to get some much needed rest. He could resume his search tomorrow, for now sleep was the only thing on his mind. But little did the prince know that he himself was being stalked. Silently in the shadows of the woods a cloaked figure watched every move that the Fire prince made.

Zuko's Dream Sequence

Zuko stood on the edge of a cliff watching the Fire Nation capitol go up in flames."My father", he thought to himself. He turned slowly only to find that once again he was a 14 year old boy in a sparring room face to face with Lord Ozai. "I won't fight you father", he screamed. But Ozai was not listening he began to laugh at his son.

"You embarrass me Zuko, your weakness is pathetic! I must punish you the only way I know how". With one smooth motion Ozai shot a flame at Zuko. He winced as he prepared for the pain but it never came. He looked up to see that the flame had shot right passed him and hit his Uncle Iroh instead.

"Uncle, Noooooooooo!" Zuko screamed. He turned and glared at his father. "How could you", he angrily screamed trying with all his might to hold his tears at bay. Ozai still wasn't listening.

"The only way you will be strong is if I take everything you love away", he said with no emotion in his voice at all. "Only hate fuels fire Zuko." Ozai turned his back on his son. Zuko filled his fists with fire and rushed toward him screaming. Ozai only smiled.

End Dream Sequence

Zuko sat up quickly, out of breath and drenched in sweat. Realizing where he was, Zuko quickly shook off the nightmare and prepared for another day of searching. He peered out of the mouth of the cave. The rain had stopped, the air was still and the sun shone brightly through the trees. Only a few deep and muddy puddles remained of the stormy night before. Zuko sighed deeply, pulled the hood of his cloak over his head and continued in the direction that he had been heading earlier.

As Zuko made his way through the forest he was plagued with the feeling that he was being followed. He scanned his surroundings carefully, but with no luck. "I've been in these woods too long", he thought to himself. Suddenly he heard a twig break from somewhere behind him. He whirled around quickly only to find an empty wood. Then out of nowhere a quick and quite deliberate gust of air brushed past Zuko's face followed by a rustling in the trees above. Zuko's eyes widened, he looked up and frantically scanned the treetops.

"Avatar I know you're here, show yourself!" No sooner had Zuko finished speaking did a cloaked figure drop down from the trees above directly in front of him. The figure was partially hidden by the shadows but from what Zuko could make out it was a young man maybe in his early 20's, he was tall and slender with a staff in his hand. The cloak was covering the young man's face. Zuko held his breath for a moment; it had been years since he had laid eyes on him, could this hooded figure really be the lost Avatar? "I said show yourself!" Zuko yelled. A hand of the figure slowly reached up to the hood of the cloak and pulled it off revealing two blue glowing eyes and a glowing arrow running along the man's head. Zuko's eyes widened. "So it's true", he thought to himself, "after all these years he is still under the influence of his Avatar spirit."

Zuko approached cautiously unsure of what to expect. The Avatar just glared at him with unemotional glowing eyes. As Zuko got closer the Avatar rotated his staff into a defensive position. Zuko stopped immediately. "I'm not here to fight you Avatar". The Avatar stood his ground keeping his staff aimed at Zuko. Zuko attempted to approach once more. Instantaneously the Avatar blasted him backwards with a powerful stream of air knocking him against a tree; he then created a vortex around himself and vanished into the shadows. Zuko got up immediately and searched desperately for the Avatar. "Nowhere", he thought to himself.

"I can't believe he slipped through my fingers again", he yelled, punching a tree in frustration. Suddenly Zuko saw something on the ground out of the corner of his eye. It was something shining in one of the puddles of mud. Assuming that the avatar had dropped it Zuko went and picked it up. It was an old water tribe necklace, one that Zuko immediately recognized. "The girl" , he exclaimed clutching the necklace in a tight fist, "of course"

Just on the outskirts of the southern water tribe village Katara stood at the glaciers edge a little out of breath. She had just finished practicing a difficult set of water bending moves and was just about ready to quit. It was a beautiful cool night. The full moon shed its pale yellow beams through the dense fog that hung heavy over the dark blue sea, creating an almost dreamy atmosphere. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and stared up at the glowing stars that dotted the heavens. Katara closed her eyes and took a deep breath allowing the sweet night air to fill her lungs. Night was her favorite time of day, a time when she felt most connected to her environment and her element. It was a time when she could easily work out every confusion or problem from the passed day and bring peace to her mind. Many a night had she spent out here water bending to clear her head of the past, but no matter how hard she tried she could not forget. Once again her thoughts drifted to the past. She saw Aang smiling his trademark grin with his big gray eyes gleaming and she could almost hear his infectious laugh. The thought of him brought on a familiar ache deep within her heart. The young Avatar had disappeared without a trace after the final bloody battle with Lord Ozai and it had been almost six years since anyone had seen him alive. Initially Katara thought that he had run off and needed time to deal with the horrible battle that he had just partaken in and that when he was ready he would eventually return. But days turned into weeks, weeks into months and months into years with no sign of Aang. It had been rumored that the Avatar and the Fire Lord had quite literally fought to the death, neither of them escaping with their lives. Some even thought that having fulfilled his destiny by defeating the evil ruler that the Avatar had been escorted directly to the spirit world as there was no longer a need for him to be on earth. It was all rubbish as far as she was concerned. If Aang was no longer alive she would know it, wouldn't she? And yet years passed without a word from him or about him. Katara opened her eyes and began pushing and pulling the water again. As she slowly lifted a stream of water into the air she began to think of the days when she was training Aang to water bend.

Flashback

"Aang, pay attention", Katara said loosing patience with the young avatar, "this is a very difficult move, I need you to concentrate."

"Concentrate….. Katara you sound just like Master Joung Joung, Do you know how boring it is to concentrate?" Aang was interrupted by a swift hit by Katara's water whip, which had knocked him off his feet.

"I don't care how boring it is Aang you don't have a lot of time to train, you still need to master earth and fire." Just then Katara was hit with a strong surge of air that knocked her off of her feet. As she lay on the ground she could hear Aang laughing hysterically. Her face grew red as she sat up and looked at him trying desperately to keep a serious face.

"Aang we don't have time to play games", she said firmly.

"Oh come on Katara", said Aang beaming, "We practiced all day yesterday and we'll practice all day tomorrow too, can't we just take one day off?" Aang looked at her with his big grey eyes, smiling the widest grin she ever saw. She smiled back at him, how could she possibly deny that smile of his.

"Sure Aang, we can take a day off, but only under one condition", Katara said playfully

"What's that Katara", Aang asked curiously.

"That you let me win", she said raising a huge wave that came crashing down on top of Aang. The wave knocked him clear across the beach.

"Hey no fair", Aang said laughing, "Of course you realize this means war, don't you Katara." She just laughed at him. "You know Katara I wouldn't be laughing if I were you", Aang smiled.

"Oh really and why is that", she asked still laughing.

"Because I know your weak spot that's why", Aang said mischievously.

"Oh no Aang, don't even think about it", she warned backing away from him as he came towards her.

"Don't think about what", Aang asked, feigning innocence. He then leapt into the air above Katara and into the treetops.

"Aang I'm warning you", Katara yelled into the trees trying her hardest to keep from laughing. She frantically scanned the treetops for him as he silently floated down behind her.

"You're warning me", he said startling Katara, she attempted to run but it was too late Aang grabbed hold of her and began tickling her mercilessly.

"No Aang don't", Katara laughed, "stop it- it's not funny."

"Then why are you laughing?"

"Aang stop I-I-I mean it", Katara laughed even harder, "alright, alright". Aang continued to tickle Katara without remorse.

"Alright Aang you win, I-I give up", With that Aang let her go and she scrambled away from him almost out of breath. The two sat looking at each other for a moment before they began laughing hysterically.

"See Katara we needed this, aren't you glad I suggested a day off?"

"Yeah, yeah", said Katara sarcastically and then shot him a smile.

End flashback

Katara smiled to herself as she recalled the humorous memory. Thinking about him made her realize how much she really missed him. How strange life had become without him around causing mischief or doing anything he could think of to make her laugh.

"I wish I knew where he is now", she thought to herself sadly. She missed their close friendship terribly. It broke her heart when he disappeared. Katara sighed heavily letting the water fall back down into the ocean. She sank to the ground and looked out into the vast sea. "Oh Aang, where are you", she whispered to herself.

Prince Zuko stood at the helm of his ship with arms crossed gazing out into the frozen South Sea. It was a cool crisp night, the moon gently sprinkled its beams onto the soft rolling waves looking as if the stars had fallen from the heavens and settled on the dark water creating a second sky. He sighed as he gazed up at the actual stars.

"So many", he thought to himself, "they seem to go on forever." The night sky always made him feel so small and insignificant. The prince closed his eyes for a moment and breathed in the chilled artic air, he imagined his uncle would have something philosophical to say about the infinite night sky. Zuko sighed heavily, the thought of his uncle brought on a burning pain deep within his chest, he looked down and gazed into the dark sea as it passed beneath the ship. Slowly he reached into his breast pocket and gently pulled out the water nation necklace that he had found weeks earlier. He dangled the medallion in front of him allowing the pale moon light to reflect off of it in all directions. He studied it carefully, every line, every indentation, every meticulous carving. It was quite an exquisite piece of artwork, but somehow it just did not compare to the beauty it held when it was wrapped around the delicate neck of its owner, the shiny silver contrasting so sweetly the smooth olive toned skin. Zuko sighed as his mind drifted to the young water bender girl that had saved his life so many years ago.

Flashback

Zuko lay on the floor of the palace throne room anticipating death. His body was throbbing in unbearable pain and he could feel an eerie cold setting into his limbs. It wasn't unlikely that he would meet his end this way, at the hands of his own father. He was not his son after all but a mere traitor to the Fire Nation. It was only Zuko's destiny to die like this, as an example set for all who dared to betray Lord Ozai. Who would turn against a ruler who would execute his own son. Zuko began to feel numb and felt himself gently slipping away from the world. The pain slowly faded, and the throne room seemed to drift farther and farther away till it was nothing more than a far off speck on the horizon. He didn't fight it he was tired of fighting, he simply gave in to death's icy grip. Suddenly Zuko felt something pulling at him. He heard someone calling to him from behind, a voice that sounded so familiar but just out of place. It was like an echo coming from so far away that he could just barely hear his own name.

"Zuko, Zuko", the voice whispered in the back round, but he could not answer. At the same time he could see a white light ahead growing brighter and brighter but Uncle Iroh stood in front of it, blocking his way. Iroh was mouthing something to him but Zuko could barely make it out.

"Sun go, sun go", Zuko did not understand. Suddenly the light began to fade and he sensed himself being pulled away backwards into his body once again. His eyes fluttered open and he saw her in front of him. He gazed into her sparkling aquamarine eyes so full of concern. He felt the warmth of her arms around him as she held him close.

"Zuko" she whispered softly in a beautiful bell like tone, "Zuko what happened, where's Aang?" Zuko's breath caught in his throat as he struggled to answer. He felt his heart beat for the first time as he looked upon her, his angel, his savior.

End flashback

Prince Zuko clutched the necklace tightly in his hand. He crossed his arms once more resting one of his hands on his chin and gazed out at the distant horizon. A thin sliver of rosy pink was just beginning to creep across the horizon of the navy blue sky.

"It's almost morning", he thought to himself, "we should arrive at the village shortly".

Katara sighed heavily as she muddled through a million thoughts of Aang. She gazed up at the fading stars. The sky was gradually lighting and was now a dark maroon with a thin band of pink lining the edge of the horizon.

"Everyone will be up soon," Katara thought to herself, "I'd better get back before they notice that I am gone". She stood up slowly brushed the snow from the back of her parka and began to make her way back to the village. As she walked along lost in her thoughts and memories, she was suddenly distracted by something shinning far off in the distance. She squinted her eyes and peered out at the sea in the direction of the light. "What is that" she asked herself in a whisper. She followed the mysterious light closely, it seemed to be moving in the direction of the village with great speed. She strained her eyes to peer through the darkness, she could just barely make out the dark outline of a ship. As her eyes adjusted on the object she could see a thin pillar of pale smoke billowing up into the maroon sky from what seemed to be some sort of smokestack. The light, she could now see, was coming from the ship's helm. It seemed to be some sort of spotlight. "Is that a Fire Navy ship", she questioned herself, "what on earth is a Fire Nation ship doing in the South Pole?"

To be continued….