Disclamier: I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender, because if I did Zuko and Mai wouldn't be together.

(Takes place in the first episode)

Review and tell me what you think. Please no flames, this is my first ATLA fic.

Prologue

Zuko

After two years of my banishment, after two years of searching for the Avatar. I was ready to give up all hope, the search for the Avatar began one hundred years ago. Their attempts then were fruitless, and mine are as well.

Now as I travel, I am getting close to desperation. I find myself sailing in the waters of the Southern Watertribe, it feels like all hope is gone. I have failed my country, I have failed to restore my honor, and I have failed Sera.

Her name, it's a bitter taste in my mouth. Remembering her is like remembering the Fire Nation, too painful to even think about. Her face, it will forever be burned into the back of my mind. The one that is just beyond my reach. Unless of course, I somehow manage to capture the Avatar.

Somehow...

As much as I try to forget Sera, forgetting her would be again breaking another one of my promises. So instead, I try to think back to the times when my life was everything I now want. Back to a time when I was the young foolish prince, who just couldn't hold his tongue.

The first memories of Sera begin when we were only five years of age. Her father is the warden to the most powerful prison in the Fire Nation. Her mother was a lovely woman, she was beautiful, and kind. She reminded me a lot of my own mother, it must have been why they were such great friends.

As a child I was reluctant to meet new people, I was painfully shy. I recall hiding behind my mother as Sera's mother introduced us. But Sera wasn't what I had expected at all, I expected her to be the reserved child like her cousin Mai.

I was wrong to think that, Sera was nothing like Mai. She was a rambunctious child, she would run from her mother and seek out for her own adventures. Sera was nothing like anyone I had met before, or anyone I will meet.

As we were introduced I expected her to take a liking to Azula. Azula is the perfect child, it made sense that others our age took a liking to her. But they never truly did, they all feared her. But not Sera, she completely dismissed Azula and said hello to me instead.

I remember her bouncing on the balls of her feet, barely able to contain her excitement. "My names Sera, what's your name?" She asked sweetly, I looked towards my mother who urged me forward. "Zuko." I muttered quietly, then she wrapped her arms around me. I was shocked by this odd creature attaching itself to me.

But Sera is a strange creature, she can make even the most cold hearted person just melt at her touch. So I hugged her back. Our mothers smiled at each other, hoping we would have a great friendship. We had just that, Sera and I did everything together.

We even had the same firebending master, whereas Sera was a prodigy even better than Azula. I wasn't so good at my bending, but Sera never mocked me for it. She instead encouraged me to improve.

As time went on I looked forward to Sera's visits. Like the time we were ten, that day before Azula made me play with her, Mai, and Ty Lee. Which ended up awkwardly with me landing on top of Mai. I didn't want to replay that so we were instead walking with my mother while Azula again played with Mai and Ty Lee.

We strolled down the corridor enjoying our conversation until Azula interrupted. "Hey Sera, Zuko. we need more people for this game." Azula said, more like demanded. We both looked at each other and shook our heads. "Mom?" Azula asked smiling widely, my mother turned towards us and encouraged us to go.

Sera shrugged but I was a little reluctant. Ever since we were younger Azula hated Sera for dismissing her and taking a liking to me instead. I was afraid of what Azula had in store for my best friend, everyone loves Azula. The prodigy, the one even my father favors over.

It's more likely Azula will be Fire Lord than for me to. So when Sera took a liking to me, Azula was shocked by it. She didn't understand why anyone wouldn't want to know her, so instead she finds ways to humiliate her.

As reluctant as I was, we made our way towards my sister who smiled widely. "Now Sera stand over there with Mai, and Zuko over here." Mai and Sera smiled at each other, while I was just nervous for Azula's intentions. "Now Ty Lee, help me tie Zuko up." Ty Lee hesitated but Azula glared at her and she walked towards us reluctantly.

Sera looked a little angry but didn't move. Azula then set fire to the tip of the rope. "Azula!" I shouted, Sera's face turned red in rage. "Enough of this Azula." She simply touched the rope and the flame extinguished. Azula glared at Sera.

"It was just a game Sera." Sera walked towards her and I went between them. "Sera." I warned, she pushed me to the ground and flinched sending me an apologetic glance. I nodded as she continued going towards Azula. "You may think that your perfect, that your better than everyone else. But you aren't Azula, you are pathetic, you think people have to fear you to be admired. In reality no one admires you, I mean come on Azula. Why would they, the only thing they admire is your status. "

I held my breath afraid of Azula's reaction. Instead she laughed in Sera's face, "You shouldn't be so quick to judge me Sera. At least my dad knows I exist, I'm pretty sure yours hasn't been home in a while." Azula said innocently, Sera growled and tackled her to the ground.

Azula fire bended but Sera easily overpowered her, her firebending was exceptional even at her young age. She literally redirected Azula's fire and sent it elsewhere. "Don't you ever talk about my family!" She screamed raising a first. I grabbed her waist and threw her onto the ground, I straddled her and held her arms over her head.

"Sera, come on. Your better than this." She struggled but then gave up looking up at me. "She's right, my dad hasn't been home. Ever since my mom got sick." I let go shocked by what she said. She ran away and Azula smirked. "Aren't you going to run after your girlfriend?"

I glared at her, "Shut up Azula." It was one of the times that Sera started showing her darker side, her scarier side. As time went on things went back to the way they were, we steered clear of Azula and we were happy. But everything changed once Sera's mother died, I had never seen her so broken. Her father had changed, he got angry and would take it out on Sera.

Whenever her father was around she would jump and hold onto me like her life depended on it. But after three months her father was ashamed of what he had done, he couldn't bear to see the pain he inflicted on her. So he sent her to live with his sister , who happened to be Mai's mother. Sera lost all of her happiness, she had to follow the same strict set of rules that Mai did.

She could not be the rambunctious child she once was, the only thing she earned from her new life was her aunts affections. Something even Mai rarely had, but still Sera was a robot. It wasn't the same around her, she was polite and quiet. Two words that don't describe my Sera.

But one night Sera let the old her slip back in, only for a night. She had snuck into my room and woke me up, it was a tough day of training but of course Sera never cared of such things. "Zuko! Zuko wake up! Come on Uko!"

I cringed at the nickname. "Really Uko, you promised never to call me that again." She rolled her eyes and pulled me out of my room. We walked down the corridors careful not to alert any of the guards. She lead to me to the gardens and stopped at the turtle duck pond.

I roll my eyes, "We could have watched turtle ducks in the morning Sera." I whined, she rolled her eyes and sat down pulling me down with her. "But you can't watch the sunrise, you can literally feel it rising Zuko. It's truly an amazing thing, my mom and I used to do this every morning."

She said wistfully, her eyes on the horizon. I put my arm around her shoulders and she rested her head against mine. "I'm here for you Sera, no matter what." She looked up at me, "Promise?" I looked down at her and smiled, "Promise." I confirmed, then the guards came. "We found them in the gardens sir." They said to Sera's uncle.

He grabbed her arm roughly as they escorted us back to our rooms. My guards ushered me to my room and sent me to bed. Once they were gone I snuck out to make sure Sera was okay. I creeped down the hall to find them standing in front of her door.

Her uncle was holding her arm tight and digging his nails into it. "Now your mother may have found your little games amusing, but I do not! If you think I find it amusing for you to be acting so irrationally you have mistaken. I will send you back to your father, in an instant. Do you want that?"

He threatened, I watched Sera's stony face. "No." She said quietly, he let her go and pushed her away. "I'm glad we came to an understanding." She rubbed the red marks on her arms and entered her room silently.

After that day I rarely saw the girl she used to be. Unless we were alone, or when we were drinking tea with Uncle. Then when my mother left, all I had was Sera and my uncle. I felt so alone, and then the days Sera wasn't in the palace I felt so empty.

Then there was the fateful day my father took me to sit in on his war meeting. If only I had held my tongue, I wouldn't be in this mess. I remember kneeling in front of my father, refusing to duel him. But he did not show me mercy.

His flames made contact with my face, I remember screaming in agony. The smell of my flesh being cooked was sickening, feeling my skin bubbling, blister and pop. It was the most painful thing I had ever felt, I fell to the ground my back hitting the floor. I curled into a ball shivering from the awful pain, the world soon became hazy and I welcomed in darkness.

I woke up in a cell, with half of my face covered in bandages. I heard someone opening the door to my cell, I looked away hoping it wasn't uncle. I was shocked by who I did see.

"Sera?" I asked in shock, she smiled at me sadly and walked towards the edge of my bed. I'll admit over the years Sera had gotten even more beautiful. She looked like her mother, graceful, beautiful, but not to be mistaken with as gentle. She can send anyone flat on their back in an instant.

I'll admit I had a bit of a crush on her, and I told her countless times. But she would never act on those feelings, she claimed it was for the sake of our friendship. That she wouldn't want to ruin things, but I never gave up. In a way it was good thing she never acted on those feelings, because leaving her would have been even more painful.

She came closer to me and stroked my face gently, tears filling her eyes. "Zuko." She said softly, touching the unscarred side of my face. I closed my eyes savoring her soft touch, "You shouldn't be here Sera, they might catch you."

She shook her head stubbornly, "I had to see you again, I can't let you leave without saying goodbye." I smiled and held her hand to my face, searching her dark red eyes.

She held her head down breaking our gaze, I knew she didn't want me to see her cry. Her dark brown curls tumbled down her hair in a wave down her face. "I'm sorry Sera, I'm breaking my promise. But I will find the Avatar. I'm going to come back to the Fire Nation, back to Uncle, and back to you."

She looked up and blushed, a light pink spreading over her cheeks. She looked up at me and touched the bandages on my face. "Can I see it?" She whispered cautiously, I was horrified she would even suggest such a thing. But I couldn't deny Sera. I gave her a short nod, and prepared myself for her reaction.

She slowly took off the covering and looked at the bumpy, bubbly flesh. It was an angry pink in color, with blisters littering my skin. "I'm hideous." I whispered, she shook her head smiling. It's a wonder she could even smile at my foul face. "Never." She said gently placing her hand on my unscarred cheek, she leaned in close to me and brushed her soft lips against mine.

It was a cruel joke, of all days to have my first kiss. It had to be that one, "Sera you said you never felt that way about me." I said blushing from what she had done. "I lied Zuko, I can't hurt her like that." I looked towards her confused, but she shook her head still smiling. "I love you Zuko, you're my best friend. I can't let you go, just let me go with you! It's better than living this life, a life I don't even want."

I shook my head, "I can't let you do that." Tears fell down her face in frustration, "I don't understand, why does everyone I love abandon me. Please Zuko, please let me go. My uncle will ensure my life is a literal hell in every sense of the world. He will see to it that I become the perfect child. Please Zuko." She said to me, her eyes pleading me to give in to her wishes.

I put my hand on her cheek and pulled her closer to me, It was I who kissed her. Her lips were smooth and her hair smelled like firewood. I pulled away from her, finally allowing myself to cry. "I will not let you give up your whole life for me. You have to go." She shook her head, balling the front of my shirt up in her fists.

"No, I won't! Please. Please Zuko! Don't leave me too." She sobbed burying her face into my chest. I held her to me and rocked her gently to sleep, it was the last time I would ever be with her. That morning they opened my cell to find two thirteen year olds curled around each other.

They pulled her off of me, and she screamed fire escaping her mouth the entire time. "Unless you want to be a traitor of the Fire Nation, leave with some dignity." The guards yelled at her.

She turned towards them and screamed in their faces, fire singing their clothes and their masks. They dropped her to the ground and she ran towards me.

I hugged her tight and she kissed me one last time. "Don't forget me." She said, I took off the chain around my neck. On it was a ring my mother had given me, I put it into her hands and smiled. "Same to you."

They then pulled Sera and I in separate directions. I hadn't heard from her since. Not a day passes that I don't wonder about her. Wonder what turn her life took, if she remembers me. If she's happy, if she finally had a life she wanted. If she went back to live with her father, if she finally punched Azula. Yet, all of my questions will never be answered.

No.

They will be answered, because I cannot give up on her. Once I do, I will lose the last reason I have to go home. I looked up to the sky now bringing myself back to the present. I touched the cool metal of the ship, but a new fire within me was set ablaze. I was ready to fight, I looked to the sky and saw a flare. A smirk played on my lips, it seemed my hopes weren't lost. My chances were suddenly returning.

"I've found the Avatar, as well as his hiding place."