This takes place just after Zuko leaves his uncle in the North Pole to go and find Aang. Everything between the end of The Blue Spirit and now is the same. Nothing has changed except the end of that episode and what happens now. Enjoy!


2. The North Pole, Part 1: The Rescue

"Princess Yue, run!" Katara shouted to her friend as the pirates broke into the room.

"Give up water scum, you're surrounded!" one of them barked at her as Yue disappeared out a side door.

Katara hoped they hadn't seen her and that she would go and get help. She looked at the pirates around her. They were all armed and looked ready to fight.

But the water girl would not surrender.

"Clear off and leave this place!" she yelled with as much determination and confidence as she could muster, "you're no match against me!" She knew this probably wasn't completely true, but she did know a lot more waterbending just then than she had during their first encounter, and she was sure that they didn't know it very well.

"Yea, right!" one of the men laughed. "I could take you on my own with my hands tied behind my back!"

His companions laughed.

Now Katara chose to strike. Quick as lightning, she created a five meter water whip and slashed it violently in front of her, sending the pirates flying backwards.

She ran for the door, but before she could reach it, a spear flew past her and hit the wall. She turned to see the pirates had regained there footing.

They charged at her, swords, daggers, clubs and spears raised.

Katara made a wall of water rise between her and her attackers and froze it. She heard the dull thuds of the pirates running into the ice as she finally swung the door open.

But in just seconds she could hear the cracking and shattering sound of someone breaking through the ice.

And then she heard footsteps gaining on her.

As she ran, she collected water and froze it into pointed icicles, which she threw behind her. Some of her pursuers could be heard gasping in pain and falling over, but some of the pirates dodged her weapons.

She was outside now. But the streets were deserted.

Katara swung her arms around in a wide arch in front of her and pivoted as she ran to face her enemies.

As she turned, she could see the looks of shock on the pirates' faces as the wave of snow Katara was controlling came towards them.

Katara's lips curled into a triumphant smile.

But wait… something was wrong.

As Katara took a few steps backwards, she lost her footing. The wall of snow dropped as she tried to regain balance.

The pirates used this opportunity to advance on their prey.

Noticing this, Katara tried to start running. This only caused her to lose her balance even more.

Oh, shit, she thought as she slipped.

She thudded to the ground and pain shot through the side of her head as she slammed it against a rock.

Oh, shit!

And Katara's world went black.

Oh, shit…


She could feel the rocking of a ship as her element lapped its sides and she could hear the steady whoosh of the ocean as the water moved about.

Katara opened her eyes.

She was on her back, looking up at the ceiling of a dark, dank prison cell. She knew she must be in the brig of the pirates' ship.

She sat up.

Now what am I suppose to do? she asked herself.

She looked around, she was completely alone. There didn't seem to be a way out. The bars of the cell were all in good tact and the door was securely locked. There wasn't any water in sight, so she couldn't bend anything.

Katara was about to give up and just sit back until her friends came to save her, when the door to the brig creaked and swung open.

In the doorway stood the man in the blue mask, who she had seen the morning after she and Sokka had been sick and Aang had been hurt.

The masked man walked into the brig and shut the door softly behind him. Without a word, he crept over to the door of Katara's cell and, using his broad swords, unhinged it.

Then he broke the lock and the door fell away from its frame. He caught it and lowered it gently to the ground.

Straightening up, he held out a hand to help Katara up. She accepted his assistance and was pulled upright by strong, masculine arms. Still hand in hand, the masked man began to lead the way back towards the door.

"Wait," the waterbender said, before he could reach it. "Who are you?"

The man stopped and turned to face Katara. After a moment of silence he answered.

"I am the Blue Spirit," he said simply.

"What's your real name?" she asked, hoping he would say.

"I don't think I should tell you that," he answered.

"Why not?" she asked.

"That's for me to know and for you to work out for yourself," he replied.

He turned and opened the door. She gasped at the sight of two unconscious pirates, sprawled across the floor.

"What? You thought they just left you on the ship unguarded or just let me on board?" the Blue Spirit laughed coldly, as he stepped over the limp bodies.

Katara followed him.

Your voice sounds so familiar, where have I heard it before? she thought as they walked down a corridor, up a flight of stairs and onto the deck.

They started towards the boarding plank, but before they could reach it, their ears were met with an angry cry.

"Hey! Wadda ya think yer doen'?!"

They inclined their heads towards the crow's-nest to see a pirate glowering down at them.

"That's our prisoner!" he yelled at the Blue Spirit whilst indicating to Katara.

His eyes suddenly bulged in surprise as he acknowledged the man's mask.

"You!" he exclaimed. "You're alive! But we just killed you a few days ago!"

Before the pirate could issue another word, the Blue Spirit sent a fireball at him. The man yelled and jumped from the crow's-nest just in time.

Standing up straight, he drew his sword and charged at the Blue Spirit. The Blue Spirit drew his own swords and blocked the pirate's attack and pushed him backwards a few meters.

They glared at each other.

"Do you really think you have a chance against me, Your Majesty?" the pirate inquired.

"Yes, I think I do," replied a now cold and even more familiar voice from behind the mask.

Both men lunged at each other, swords raised in both attack and defense and a strange pair of hands wrapped themselves around Katara's neck. She screamed as a pirate pulled her back towards the door that led below deck with a choking grip. Katara fought against the man and tried to push him off, but he only tightened his grip.

A gasp of pain was heard in the direction of the Blue Spirit and the first pirate they had noticed. The sound of a body hitting the deck unsettled Katara and she tried to see who the victor of the battle was. But her vision was going black from lack of oxygen as her captor continued to strangle her.

Suddenly, she felt the temperature of her surroundings rise and heard the crackling of flames and a scream of pain as the pirate relinquished his vice grip on her throat.

Katara fell sideways from lack of oxygen, but felt two strong masculine arms catch her.

She knew the Blue Spirit must have won his fight against the pirate and was now coming to her aid again.

He lifted her up and she rested her head on his shoulder as he held her against his chest and ran from the pirate ship.

He's a firebender, Katara thought, but he just saved me.

She didn't know how she should feel about this. Blackness was filling her fast; she had to make up her mind about the situation now.

I'm safe with him, she decided, he's a good firebender.

With that, Katara relaxed and let herself become unconscious.


As Zuko ran, he could feel the water girl bouncing against his chest.

Keep running, Zuko, he told himself.

He kept up his pace, but glanced down at Katara every now and then.

After a few minutes he began to slow down. No one was watching him and he was a fair distance from the pirate ship now. Up ahead, he could see an opening in the rocks and a cave in the side of the cliff. He ran towards it, leaving the rocky beach behind.

Inside the cave, the ground was fairly smooth. Zuko put the water girl down against the cave wall and made sure she was in a comfortable position. He sat next to her and looked at her.

Why are you so pretty? he thought to himself.

He stroked her head again.


After a few minutes Katara began to stir. As the water girl woke, she looked up into golden eyes peering at her through a blue and white mask.

She could feel warm hands stroking her head.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm the Blue Spirit," he replied.

"I know that, I mean what is your real name?"

"I already told you, I can't tell you," he answered.

Katara sat up.

"Why not?" she asked.

"I just can't, ok?" the Blue Spirit's voice shook.

Katara could tell he wanted to tell her, but didn't at the same time.

"Those pirates – they know who you are, don't they?" she asked.

He nodded slowly.

Silence for a moment.

"You're a firebender." It was a statement not a question.

"So?"

"I haven't met many decent firebenders," she said.

"I'm not so sure there are many who are disloyal to the Fire Lord," the masked man said.

"Your voice is so familiar… have I met you somewhere before?"

"Um…"

Before the Blue Spirit could answer, a dagger came rushing through the air. It missed the Blue Spirit by millimeters before thudding into the wall behind him. Both of them swore loudly as three pirates emerged from the black depths of the cave and started charging at them.

The Blue Spirit pulled the waterbender to her feet and they started running back towards the cave entrance. But before they could make it out, two more pirates appeared, blocking their way.

The masked man knocked them backwards with a fire blast and quickly led Katara out of the cave and onto the rocky beach again. They ran hand in hand along the beach, towards a series of caves that ate into the mountain, a little further down the beach.

They made it in and kept running into the blackness, not daring to slow down. They could hear the pirates running after them.

They turned right and followed the tunnel until they came to a fork tunnel and they took the right again.

Finally the pirates' footsteps began to fade away, but the pair of them kept running.

As they rounded a bend, they entered a large cavern. They continued to run into it, only to find it was full of ice cold water. Both gasping in shock, they tried to stop themselves, but they were running too fast and they both went over the edge and plunged into the icy blackness.

Katara felt the air get knocked out of her, as she entered the water and could feel the warm hand in hers slip away.

So cold… she thought as she tried to swim.

But she was too cold; she couldn't move, she couldn't waterbend.

I need air… she thought.

She tried harder but she was almost frozen.

I have to breathe…!

And she did, but regretted it immediately.

She began to choke as the water clawed at her lungs with its icy cold fingers. Katara's vision was darkening and she still couldn't breathe or move.

Suddenly, there was a beam of light above her. She stared at it as she drifted deeper and deeper into the water. Then she felt the warm hands again, grabbing her under the armpits and pulling her towards the light.

In a split second, the water girl had broken through the surface and her lungs were greeted with oxygen.

She felt herself being pulled into the Blue Spirits warm embrace as he pulled her along as he swam towards the opposite bank of the lake. He dragged her ashore and she could hear his teeth chattering.

"Who are you?" she asked for the third time that night.

"I can't tell you," the soaked Blue Spirit hissed back, slightly annoyed.

Katara could still feel herself being lulled to sleep by the cold.

Not again, she thought as her eyes shut and she became still for the third time that night.


Zuko steadied his shaking as he looked at the water girl.

"Oh, c'mon, wake up," he breathed as he shook her, but she didn't stir.

So cold, he thought, we're all wet.

He stood up and walked over to a smaller cave, leading off the cavern they were in. He leaned her against the wall and quickly made a fire. He didn't need wood for his fire; he could keep it alive with his firebending.

Zuko took his mask off and put in on the ground. Grabbing his ponytail he squeezed as much water out of it as he could before removing his shirt and doing his best to get the water out of that. He evaporated the water that remained on him and in his pants and then slipped his shirt back on.

That's better, he thought, as he evaporated the remaining water in his shirt and snuggled into his warm cloths.

Katara moaned and then he remembered; she was wet and cold too. Zuko went and knelt down beside her.

She's soaked through, he noted, the clothes are going to have to come off.

Then, before the Fire Prince could stop himself he began to take off the water girl's fur coat and the dress she was wearing underneath.

What are you doing?! his brain screamed at him.

Saving her life! it answered itself.

No, you're perverting on her, pervert!

Get lost; I'm not even thinking about that!

Then what are you doing?!

I'm saving her life!

How's stripping her saving her life?

If I can just get her warm, then she'll be fine, but the clothes are full of cold water and that's making her cold.

Well, if she's not wearing anything she'll be cold too!

No, I'm going to use my body heat to keep her warm, once she's warm I'll put her clothes back on her.

Zuko had stopped what he was doing while he had this mental debate.

Stop arguing with yourself! Just help Katara!

He stooped over and finished stripping her clothes off her, leaving only her underwear on.

Jeez, she has a nice body…

He mentally slapped himself.

Told you, you were perverting on her!

Argh, I didn't mean that!

Yea, right!

Stop calling me a pervert!

Zuko pushed the mental argument aside as he unbuttoned his shirt again and pulled the unconscious water girl up to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and concentrated on raising his body temperature.

How's she gonna feel when she wakes up in her underwear and sees you? his brain asked him.

She won't know it's me, he answered mentally.

Zuko reached for his mask and slipped it back on, before once again concentrating on keeping Katara from dying of hyperthermia.


So warm,

Katara thought, I just fell into ice cold water, why am I so warm?

She snuggled in towards whatever, or on closer inspection, whoever was providing such warmth. She opened her eyes and saw she was being embraced by the Blue Spirit. She noticed that she was being held up against his bare chest.

Wow, this guy sure knows how to work out, she thought to herself.

The waterbender looked down to see that she was in her underwear.

What the hell?!

Calm down, I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for this.

Calm down? Good explanation? I'm in my underwear!

"You fell into the water, we both did. I got us out, but you were suffering hyperthermia," the Blue Spirits familiar voice spoke.

She looked up at him puzzled.

"Hyperthermia is a –"

"I know; a cold sickness that can kill its victims. Lots of people back in the Southern Water Tribe get it," she said. "Thank you for saving me."

"Sorry I had to take off your clothes, but you were soaked and they would have kept you cold."

"It's ok, you kept me alive, I think I'll forgive you," the water girl smiled.

"C'mon, I'll dry your cloths now that I know you're alive."

With that, the Blue Spirit rose and let go of Katara. As soon as he let go of her, Katara felt the icy air stabbing at her again and had to resist the urge to pull the Blue Spirit back to her.

The masked man went over to where a fire was burning in the middle of the small cave and Katara watched as he picked up her clothes and dried them. She knew he used his firebending to evaporate the water in them.

After a moment, he turned around and gave Katara her clothes before turning away again.

Oh, they're so warm! she thought as she slipped them on.

She looked and saw the Blue Spirit was buttoning up his shirt.

When he had finished, Katara got up and walked over to where he was by the fire. She knelt down next to him. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut across her.

"Please don't ask me for my name," he said.

"I wasn't going to. You don't want me to know, so I won't ask," she retorted.

"Oh, ok," he said glumly. "Then… what were you going to say?"

"I was just going to say… that whoever you are, I really like you and well, I want to thank you in more than just words…"

Katara reached for the lower edges of the mask. The Blue Spirit flinched and as she grasped the mask, he grabbed hold of her wrists.

"I'm not going to take it off you…" she said.

Slowly, and keeping a hold on her wrist, the Blue Spirit let the water girl lift the mask so that his mouth was exposed.


From behind the mask, Zuko couldn't see anything. He kept a gentle but firm grip on the water girl's wrists as she exposed his mouth.

Could this be a dream come true? he thought as he leaned in towards Katara with his lips parted.

In a split second, Zuko could feel Katara's lips pressing against his.

It was electric.

The Fire Prince couldn't help himself; he kissed back.

Their mouths opened and lapped each other.

Zuko could feel one of Katara's hands slipping down to rest on his shoulder. He let go of the wrist of that hand and placed his behind her head, drawing her closer.

Their lips raced and Zuko attempted to push Katara up against the cave wall. But he didn't let go of her wrist, and as he moved his hand to her shoulder, the mask slipped off. Zuko didn't notice and neither did Katara.

Now Zuko let go of her other wrist and used his now free hand to draw Katara body towards his.

They were leaning up against each other and their kissed were becoming deeper and more passionate.

Zuko's heart was racing as he snaked his arms around her waist and her arms wrapped themselves around his neck.

After an eternity they began to slow down.

When they broke apart, they were panting. They kept their eyes closed as their cheeks rubbed against each other.

"I love you…" Zuko breathed into Katara's right ear as she kissed his neck gently.


So, what did you think? AND DON'T BOTHER TELLING ME THAT IT'S MOVING TO FAST! ITS SUPPOSE TO! Anyways, hope you liked it! XD R&R

In other (very bad and heartbreaking) news:

Ok, if everyone has watched the last few episodes, then we all know that Kataang won (BOO!)

But don't worry, fellow Zutaraians; if we all hold hands and pull together and lean on each other, stay true to what is in our hearts and keep our imaginations running on fanfiction, then who cares if Zutara didn't end up in the series?! As long as we don't give up hope, Zutara will live on in us! THREE CHEERS FOR ZUTARA! HIP-HIP, HORAY! HIP-HIP, HORAY! HIP-HIP, HORAY! (Tear) nice to be part of the team, hey?

Don't let Kataang and Maiko get you down

Don't let them turn your smile into a frown

(Just a couple of lines from the musical nomads in the cave of two lovers episode, remade)

If you want to be part of team Zutara, pm me or let me know in a review, or check out my profile page for more information. I will list you on my profile page if you want to join. Penname if you have an account, just make one up if you don't.

Zutara forever!