AN: Yeah, odd I know. and a bit sad. But let's look on the bright side; it makes a good story line!! By the way, during the flashback, it may have some dialogue you don't remember being in the actual episode. Well I made it up because it cuts to Aang and Iroh right before.

'HA! Your servant? I'll show you servant!'

"Your SERVANT?! I don't think so!" Katara's pride kicked in. She was no one's servant. Especially not Zuko's.

"You heard me, water wench. Your healing abilities and cleaning skills will come rather in handy. Like it or not, you have no say in the matter." Zuko's eyes pierced hers.

"I would rather die!" She froze a small puddle forming an ice dagger and held it toward herself.

"No need! I would do it for you, just like I did your brother!" Mai smiled deviously. Katara turned the dagger in Mai's direction. She threw her last bit of water in her direction. If she was lucky, it would hit Mai and Zuko would kill Katara himself.

No such luck.

Mai's eyes widened as she saw the dagger heading in her direction, but Zuko easily melted it with a fire ball. Mai looked at Zuko with wide eyes.

"You saved my life!" Mai hugged him. Katara pretended to throw up. Mai's acting skills were terrible. Mai wasn't surprised at all, and she had so many daggers and knives under her robe it wouldn't even effect her.

Zuko eyed Katara as he was kissing Mai. He watched her gag and then sink to the ground again. Tears fell from her crystal blue eyes like a pool overflowing. In his heart, he couldn't help but feel sorry. He knew how it felt to lose the only real family you had left. Her mother had been killed by his nations' warriors, her father had gone off to fight in the war and was most likely lying amongst the corpses that had been killed that day. And now she had just lost her brother. Zuko felt his own pain begin to grow in his stomach. Suddenly, a flashback.

'Yet again, what would you care? Spreading violence and hatred is in your blood!' Katara yelled at the apathetic Zuko. He just glanced at her and then returned to counting dust particals on the floor.

'You have no idea what this war has put me through! Me personally! The Fire Nation took my mother away from me!' Katara grasped her necklace and sank to the floor and began to cry.

'Then we have that in common.' He walked over to her. She got up and looked into his eyes. All he could remember thinking was how pretty she really was, even though her eyes were puffy from crying. He had never noticed that before.

'What do you mean?' Katara wiped her eyes.

'When I was young, my mother ran away in the middle of the night. She betrayed the royal family somehow; my father wouldn't even mention her name or what she did. She has most likely been dead for a while now.' He was holding back tears. "Sometimes I dream of her... And then I wake up and...'

'It's like losing her all over again... I know how you feel...' Katara glanced at the floor.

Katara sat for a moment taking the conversation in. She looked to the ground. She sighed and wiped the remaining tears from her eyes.

'I'm sorry I yelled at you. It's just... Whenever I envisioned the face of the enemy, I pictured your face.' Katara admitted.

'Oh... I see...' He turned from her and touched his scar and sighed. He felt anger and sadness well up in him. Didn't anyone understand that he never wanted the scar? He wasn't given a choice in the matter.

'No! I didn't mean it like that!' Katara began to walk toward him.

'It's ok. I understand.' But he didn't. He thought at least her of all people would understand about it. She stood thinking for a moment before speaking again.

'Here, I have water from the Spirit Oasis in the North Pole. I've been saving it for something special. I could try and heal... it... I don't know if it would work, but it's worth a try.'

Could she be serious? Was she really going to use her abilities on him? Her special water stuff?

He waited for 'Yeah! Right!' or 'Just Kidding! Like I'd use this on you!' But he never heard it. She was serious.

He glanced at the ground and then looked at her. He didn't say 'thank you', or 'this means a lot to me'. He just looked into her eyes. She reached her hand up to touch his scar. Normally he would recoil; he never let anyone touch his scar. Ever. But he stood still. He felt... safe around her. Like she would never hurt him.

Her cold fingers felt good on his scar. Like a cooling sensation. She moved her hand and explored the rough skin. He closed his eyes. He didn't get his hopes up. After all, what if it didn't work?

She closed her eyes and breathed.

BOOM!

The Avatar and his Uncle ran the room. Katara rushed to Aang and Iroh rushed to him.

'Aang! I'm so glad to see you!' She hugged him.

Iroh rushed over to him and hugged him as well. He hugged his Uncle, but looked at Aang. The boy gave him a glare. Zuko returned the glare and sighed. So much for that.

He couldn't help but feel jealous when Aang hugged Katara. He had always wanted someone to understand him like Katara just had. She was everything he was not. Calm, compassionate, understanding, beautiful. He was angry, impulsive,

END FLASHBACK...

Zuko snapped to reality when the guards picked her up off the ground and cuffed her hands behind her back. She struggled from a few instants, and then gave up, knowing that there was no way out of this, or at least for now. The guards began to escort her toward the entrance of the huge palace.

"I'll take her myself!" Zuko said angrily. "Am I not capable of escorting a peasant?" He looked at one of the guards.

"I'm sorry, sir. I just thought that you didn't have time for such matters." One of the masked guards said while bowing.

"Well, think again and maybe you should ask next time!" Zuko pretended to be offended. He really just wanted to be alone with Katara. Maybe explain what was going on and why he did what he did. But he knew that she wouldn't listen. She would be angered for him to even talk to her. Especially after what his 'lover' did to her brother.

He grabbed her arm and began to walk her to the house. He heard some of the guards congratulating Mai on her kill. Did they just like to see people suffer and die? Sometimes he wondered how people could be so cruel, although he knew he had no room to talk.

Katara shuffled her feet just barely enough to move. He could feel her holding back sobs. But she remained strong. There was so much he wanted to say to her. 'I didn't want it to turn out this way either.' Or 'I wish we could both win.' But most of all, only two little words wanted to slip out of his mouth. 'I'm sorry.'

But they didn't. He just held her tightly. He entered the main palace building and walked down a few hallways. He came to a door. He thought about putting her in the main servants' quarter, but she was his servant, right? She could have a special room. He gave her a cozy room with a fireplace, dresser and a vanity mirror. The dresser was filled with nice clothes, a little nicer than a normal servant. After all, she had just lost her brother.

"This is where you will stay for now. I will get you in the morning and you will escort me and Mai…" She flinched. "Where ever we wish to go. Got it?" She walked into the room.

"Yes… Master." She looked up at him. Her eyes were filled with rage and hatred. More than he'd ever seen her before. He slammed and locked the door. He was breathing heavily. Maybe this was going to be harder than he imagined.