Summary

Takes place after Final, and after Zuko and his Uncle have escaped. Zuko and his Uncle are traveling; Aang and his group are traveling. Katara goes separate ways from the group, to meet them at Soft Sound, but she'll be surprised who she runs into before then. And what she'll have to deal with before then. Zutara T for slight violence

Do not own Avatar: The last airbender

Ok here we go!

The Beginning


Zuko and his uncle looked worst then ever. There shoulders were slumped and they could barley pick up there feet. There Earth Kingdom clothes were torn and dirty and now to big on them. They could have kept Zuko's fire Nation clothes, Azula graciously gave them, but it was too much of a reminder. Iroh stopped and looked up at the sky. He sighed

"Zuko, I believe we should find something to eat and then take shelter."

"Why?" Zuko asked, his lack of food obviously getting to his head.

"Because, my dear nephew, if you look at your self, I think you will notice you need some kind of food. Also, look up." Iroh stated, pointing up.

Zuko looked up slowly and muttered and "Oh." Lightning clouds had started to roll across the sky, the sun getting partially covered.

"Let's look for a plant or bush to find fruit or something. No hunting. Even if we tried, we probably couldn't catch a snail." Zuko commented, with a bit of sarcasm.

Iroh nodded and looked to the right and then the left.

"Let's go to the right, it seems more suitable." Zuko just nodded in responses and lead his Uncle in the forest.

Few minutes later

Zuko and Iroh had an interesting collection of food…or they thought it was food. They had picked up a few berries varying in colors, three strange looking plants Iroh had convinced Zuko was edible, a yellow, twisted thing that looks kind of like a thin pumpkin, only with no stem, and last but not least a shriveled looking watermelon, only thing was it wasn't green, it was an amber color with bits of silver slashed here and there.

"Oh Zuko, look!" Iroh pointed in front of him excitedly, while accidentally dropping a few berries.

"Uncle you're dropping our food! And what's so great about…" Zuko stopped as he turned towards, what seemed to be a cave entrance. Yes! No more sleeping in the rain! Zuko thought happily.

"Come on, Uncle lets go!" Zuko called over his shoulder to his Uncle who was slowly walking towards the cave.

"I'm coming, just give me a minute." Iroh called back, while he continued to walk towards the cave.

Works with me Zuko was in the cave and had already started making a make shift camp site. He sorted the foods and popped a berry in his mouth. This is…SO GOOD! I never though I would like berries so much!

"Zuko, how are the berries?" His Uncle had come in and started sorting out his food as well.

"There very good, you should eat some while I go get some fire wood. If anything happens, just call me, I'll stay close." Iroh nodded his understanding and picked up a berry and started eying it suspiciously.

Zuko just rolled his eyes and walked out side to find fire wood. He thought to him self while picking up a good looking stick or small log. After no food for four days it must have taken a real big toll on Uncle. Thank Angi that there was rivers on are way here, or else I don't now how long either of us could of lasted. He sighed and picked up another stick.

"Huh?" Zuko looked up as he felt a small rain drop fall on his face. He ran back to the cave while skillfully caring ever stick he had picked up. Be the time he had reached the cave, it was pouring out.

"Good thing you came back so soon." Iroh remarked, while helping Zuko put all the sticks and logs down.

Iroh glanced outside. "And also that this cave is above ground." He added sourly. Zuko looked out side and grimaced. The water was steadily rising up; hopefully it wouldn't reach the cave. Zuko started making a fire while Iroh unrolled there mats and blankets.

Once the fire was going and there beds were set up, Zuko turned to his uncle. "How long do you think it will be till this rain stops?" He asked gesturing to the mouth of the cave. His Uncle looked thought full for a minute then sighed. "I believe it will last tonight and part of the morning tomorrow but..." He stopped unsure if he should continue or not.

Zuko raised one of his eyebrows, with his arms crossed over his chest. His Uncles eyes made it look like he was having an inward battle. Iroh straitened and nodded his head, as if he was agreeing with him self for who knows what reason (but me of course). Uncle had his lips locked and his head slightly down. He wasn't going to talk about what ever he was about to say Zuko knew that much.

He growled under his breath and narrowed his eyes at his Uncle. "Uncle, why did you stop talking? What is it?" Iroh shook his head. "It's not important, we should start making dinner." Zuko was about to protest to the sudden change in topic but changed his mind. Uncle looks so tired, I shouldn't push him to tell we anything his sensible side told him self yet I'm curious as to what's so bad about a little rain.

Shaking his head Zuko took out two hands full of berries and gave one half to him self and the other half to his uncle. He took out the strange looking watermelon and turned to his Uncle. "Uncle, you wouldn't know what this is would you?"

His uncle chuckled softly. "You don't know what it is because you've never seen it or tasted it. I had to eat this when I was a general. It's very filling and has an amazing taste."

Zuko looked at it and then back at his Uncle. "Do you know what it's called?"

His Uncle shook his head. "Sorry, no. All I know is that it is filling and good."

Zuko shrugged. He took out one of his hidden knifes from his sleeve and cut the…whatever it was, in to even slices. The inside was a strange pinkish color with a tint of light green hear and there.

Handing some to his Uncle, Zuko took one him self and stared at it for a second. His Uncle had already started his second piece by the time Zuko took his first bite. Uncle was right! This is good It was surprisingly sweet and had a slight ting to it. It made Zuko very relaxed and he suddenly got his drowsiness in full. He yawned "Uncle I'm going to go to sleep as soon as I finish. If you need anything just ask."

Iroh nodded and continued to eat his share of food. Once they both had eaten there fill, they crawled over to there makeshift beds and fell asleep.

Zuko woke with a start. He looked around for a few seconds, taking in his surroundings. He sighed. Not again

Ever since he had busted his Uncle out of the dark, damp cell Azula had him chained to, and ran away from Ba Sing Se, he had been having nightmares.

Zuko let out a shaky breath. Darn, this one was worst then the last It was quite vividly running trough his mind.

He sat in front of a shadowed figure, who was sitting on what looked like a very big chair. Next to him sat another shadowed figure, this one though looked like it was bowing down on her or his knees. Everything was covered in darkness accept for were Zuko sat "What..." He stood up and faced the kneeling person. "Azula!" he remarked surprised, yet was slightly suspicious

The light now doubled and shown on Azula. He snapped his head up to look at the mighty figure that had been in front of him, to see if it was who he though it was, the only person Azula would bow down to. "F-Father." Sitting on the throne was his one and only father.

The whole room blazed from the fires surrounding Fire Lord Ozai. Zuko's ear twitched when he heard the sound of clanking chains. He spun around to find the Avatar and all his friends chained to a wall. Next to them stood his Uncle, who was trying to pry open the blind girls lock, with no success.

"Zuko." A loud, booming, voice could be heard trough out the whole throne room. Zuko slowly turned around, his head down. His face was shadowed and if you could see it, you would see one thing. Fear.

A few minutes passed, then some more and some more, until it seemed like hours had passed. Zuko decided to risk it, looking at Ozai. He raised his head slowly, to find him self not in front of his father but in a suffocating darkness. He looked around franticly, and tried to firebend some light, but nothing happened. He couldn't firebend.

Zuko's eyes grew a fraction larger when he noticed things where starting to lighten up around him, but it was not to his liking. The scene that unfolded before him was one of his old memorizes and even more pain. There was his uncle in the center of the floor kneeled over someone or something. He saw the Avatar, chained, to a wall in the shadows with the blind earthbender at his uncle's right, and the water tribe warrior, also chained, to a wall to his left. All three of them seemed unconscious or asleep, but they all seemed to have gone trough some beating. There clothes were torn, dirty, and was stained with some blood here and there. They all seemed to have scars and burns some were. Zuko winced sympathetically.

"It's alright, everything's going to be fine, don't…," Zuko started to hear someone murmur, looking back at his Uncle, he now saw who he was comforting. It was the waterbender. The one who had beaten him at the North Pole, the one he had betrayed one of the only people he had respect for. And this was even harder to look at then her friends. One of her arms was completely covered in burns, her hair was tumbling everywhere, and her clothes were no better Zuko looked at his Uncle and gasped. 'He…he's covered in blood!' he thought in horror. He looked closer. 'No…that's not his blood.' He swallowed down a lump that had formed in his thought. 'It's hers.' He thought weakly.

Zuko sagged to his knees, his eyes glazed over. Now he could see Katara better. She was nearly drenched in blood. 'Who…who would do this. I mean I might have done something like that a long time ago, but I wouldn't have left them there to die slowly! Hum, what's that?' Zuko caught a glint of metal, whatever it was Katara was holding it close to her chest. 'Are those what I think they are?' They were. They were Zuko's broad swords. He could tell by there shape, and just something about them. 'Why does she have my broad swords?' He asked him self curiously. Scanning the room he noticed one thing he'd missed before. Lying close to his Uncle and the waterbender was him. Not only that, he was dead.

Suddenly, pain shot thought his head, even more painfully around his scar. He gasped, and stumbled back, while holding his head in his arms. Then, his hands began to burn in pain too. After awhile he was on fire. The pain was everywhere. He could barley breath, or see but the last thing he did was look up.

What he saw and heard made him go numb all over. There were two pairs of gold eyes staring bitterly at him trough the shadows. Azula stepped forward a bit, and said quietly but coldly. "You should have never betrayed me Zuko, then maybe you wouldn't be in this position. Well, you would have died anyway. You're too weak both mentally, and physically." She stepped back in too the shadows, were her and her father smiled, as Zuko's vision began to disappear in to flames.

Zuko shook his head, trying to clear it. What is with these dreams! They don't make sense He shook his head again and laded down again, with his elbow propping him up. And why is that girl the center of attention in these dreams? A while ago the Avatar would have been the big picture, but now…she seems to be the only thing I can't get out of my head. The image of her bloody figure popped into his mind. He shook his head vigorously, and then sighed

I guess I'll never know.


HAHA that's were he's wrong! Anyway, how was it? Good, bad? Just want to see what people think about the idea.

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