Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own The Avatar. Bursts into tears.

Author's Note: Hey everyone! This is my first ever Avatar fanfic, so I would appreciate it if you could give me your thoughts on my story, writing, etc. Reviews are defintely motivation for me to keep writing so I hope you like it and read, review, and enjoy.

Chapter 1: Death's Touch

Prince Zuko sat in the shade of a tree, his hat angled low as to hide his face. For four hours he had been waiting for his Uncle to return and still there was no sign of him. Prince Zuko could feel the steam hiss out of his nostrils as he tried to control his anger. Where is he? He said he was only going to get some food, it shouldn't be taking him this long!

Zuko stood up and brushed off his Earth bender clothing, a shiver of disgust going through his body as he did so. This is pathetic. I, Prince Zuko, have to stoop so low as to garner the weak colors of an Earthbender. Where has my honor gone? Why should I have to beg for food? Before he could lose himself within his thoughts, Zuko resolutely calmed himself and set his task on finding his Uncle, who had to be somewhere within the local vicinity.

An hour later, Zuko found his uncle playing a game of py-sho with some old peasant. The two men were laughing and talking rauciously, most of the people passing by would turn their heads to see who was causing the commotion and then shake their heads as if it was futile to attempt to get them to quiet down. Embarassed, Prince Zuko navigated his way towards Iroh and swallowed the fire in his throat as he prepared to deal with two rambling old men.

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She was gorgeous; every man in the room knew so and wanted her all the more. They watched, hypnotized, as the veiled woman, shook her hips and rolled her body to the lilting music of the musicians from the far right corner of the room. Her long brown hair, which had been braided into many small, yet long, braids swung as she tossed back her head and stretched back her creamy tan neck.

There were gasps as the men watched her dance; never before had they met such an enticing woman. Yet, the face of the woman was slightly smiling beneath the veil, her cerulean blue eyes, which were the only thing the men were able to see of her face, were as cold as ice and were hard with hatred. However, the lecherous men didn't notice her penetrating glare, the only thing they were aware of, was her scantily clad body in her low cut tight tank top with her low riding billowing skirt, and her bare feet.

When the dance was ended, she received hoots and whistles from the men, all begging her for more. Yet she merely shook her head, saying nothing.

"Will you not keep me company tonight?" A man in a silk vest, with several gold necklaces pompously asked her, not bothering to even wait until they were alone. The dancer turned her eyes upon the leader of this particular group, her eyes were not kind. As if I would ever want to spend an evening with you. She thought coldly to herself.

Yet she bowed her head ever-so-slightly and said, "If it would please you, my Lord."

Excited the man jumped up and grabbed her arm, leading her away from the room as his men cheered and shouted their encouragement to their leader. Some of the men even asked that they save her for them as well. Her eyes narrowed and she was glad for the veil that covered her face, if not the Leader would have seen her look of disgust and the anger that flickered within her eyes.

Once in the leader's private chambers, he leaned her on the bed. "You do not know how much I have wanted you." He said in a husky whisper, as he bent his head down to plant slobbery kisses along her neck. When she shivered in disgust, he took it for pleasure and began to trace kisses down her arm. "So beautiful you are. You cannot imagine how tortuous it was for me to watch you entertain my men."

As he uttered these last words, the man suddenly found himself thrown on his back to the floor. "What are you doing?" He asked, his gaze unable to meet hers as he continued to stare at her bare midriff.

"Let me please you, my Lord. I will find it much more pleasurable." She responded airily, makung the man smile. However the smile was cut short as she sat astride him and with a deft movement placed a piece of tape over his mouth. Then with a flick of her wrists, water formed shackles, pinning him to the ground as he struggled to break free.

When she was sure that he was securely in place, she pulled off the veil and the men let out a mangled gasp. "Surprised?" She asked as she traced a finger along his jaw, which quivered in fear at her touch. "Did you really think I would let you get away with murdering my brother and then handing over my best friend to Lord Ozai?"

Sweat beads began to form on the man's head, his eyes desperately pleading with her to spare him. She let out a hollow laugh. "Spare you? I think not." The man's eyes widened in terror as she placed her hand against his chest and it began to glow blue. "I wonder how it feels to die of dehydration?" She asked curiously, her eyes smiling coldly.

She watched as the body underneath her lost all of its fluids, his skin began to crumble into dust, his eyes began to shrink, and in the end the only thing that was left of him was his skeleton and the fancy, over gaudy clothing he had been wearing.

Katara stood up and dusted the dust off her body. May you rot in hell, you bastard. She stood up and exited the room taking a small candle with her. Keeping close to the shadows, she made her way, without a problem, back outside. With purpose, she turned a corner, knelt down next to a piece of frayed rope, and taking the candle, she lit it.

Two minutes later, as she reached the top of a distant hill, there was a loud explosion, and she watched as the mansion exploded and bits of it went flying everywhere. Revenge was sweet.

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Prince Zuko quickly swallowed down the food his Iroh had managed to buy them with the winnings from the py-sho games. While he ate, Iroh sat on a stool, looking at his nephew and sipping a cup of Jasmine tea. "Hungry aren't you?"

"I was starving!" Prince Zuko managed to exclaim through a mouthful of the chicken he was eating. He swallowed. "I was waiting for you for hours! You could of told me where you were!"

"I did not think it would take so long, my nephew. Next time you should just come along with me and I can teach you the art of py-sho and-"

"Damn it, Uncle! I do not want to learn the art of py-sho! I want to regain my honor! I want to be able to wear the colors of my nation! I don't want to spend the rest of my life in disgrace!" Prince Zuko burst out. His fist slamming the table for emphasis each time he finished a sentence.

"And how do you suppose we regain your honor? The Avatar has been captured and Fire Lord Ozai is slowly stomping out the rest of the resistance," Iroh said patiently. "I do not mean to crush your hopes, but it is time you realize that the life you once lived is no more. Rather than trying to live in the past, you need to make the most of what you have right now."

"I have nothing." Zuko said, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Then perhaps you should make something, my Nephew." Iroh stood up and slowly made his way over to a haystack in the corner of the empty barn that they were in. He plopped down, laid on his side, and rolled over so that his back was facing Zuko.

For a moment, Zuko watched the rise and fall of his Uncle's chest, until he stood up and walked outside into the night air. He looked up and saw the stars shining bright. Maybe...maybe Uncle is right...

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Katara pulled off her cloak as she entered the cave she had been calling "home" for the past year and a half. The cave itself was comprised of several different chambers, each connected through a small gap. She entered the first chamber and then squeezed into the next chamber which was much bigger than the next. On one side of the cavern was her sleeping roll with pelts of fur, which she had skinned herself, piled on top. On the other side, was a makeshift vanity, which she had constructed of wood and a mirror she had gotten from one of her admiring fans, and a bunch of personal items she kept in a wooden chest that she had carved out of an oak tree.

As she passed from this chamber and into the next, she grabbed a bar of soap and a ruff towel . In the next chamber, there were carcasses of deer, rabbits, and varying types of animal carcasses frozen in cubes of ice. She strode through this chamber as well, her stride full of purpose.

When she entered the last largest chamber, she couldn't help but smile. This chamber was her favorite due to the huge natural lake located in the center of it. Katara immediately strode down to its shore and, dropping her belongings beside her, she began to bend the water into a circular depression in the cavern's floor, creating a small pool of water.

Once done, Katara stripped off her cloak and the scanty dancer outfit she was wearing, then submerged herself up to her shoulders in the ice cold water. Although Katara let a small shiver pass through her, she ignored it, and instead turned her attention to vigorously scrubbing her skin clean where that mongrel had touched her earlier. When done, she brought her clean hands up from the water and stared at them. No, they're not clean; they're stained in blood. A sad glint came into her eyes as she thought of how much she had changed.

Gone was her childhood pettiness and immaturity, and in its place was a ruthless cold-hearted woman bent on revenge. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the unshed tears glistening at the corner of her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, her eyes were as cold as ice.

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