AN: I know the first few chapters of a fic aren't always the most exciting, especially when it's going to be a long fic, but please bear with me and enjoy!

The Gains of Enmity

YUE AWOKE FEELING weak and powerful at the very same time. Her eyes fluttered open, and the first thing she saw was Sokka's worried expression. Her hands were encased in his, warm and gentle. If she had passed on, this was heaven.

"Hey." He smiled, Spirits he was so handsome…

"Hi." Yue found herself smiling like the silly young girl she was.

"How are you feeling?" he queried, bringing a hand up to stroke her cheek.

She leaned into his tender touch. "I feel…so strange…" she murmured, distracted by his hand.

"Do you remember anything at all?" his voice was tentative, hesitant.

She immediately tensed. "What happened? Oh, Spirits, is my father-"

He pressed a finger to her lips. "You merged with the Moon Spirit and defeated the Fire Nation." He informed her gently. Among other things, he thought, scowling at the thought of Yue healing Zuko.

Yue raised her hands, staring at them. "It was…so strange. Tui helped me…as I did her…" she trailed off as the memories resurfaced. She looked up at Sokka, smiling gently. "I'm sorry, I-"

This time he silenced her with his own lips. "I'm just glad you're alive. I seriously thought that the Moon Spirit was going to take your life…" he shuddered at the thought.

She smiled, sweetly. "Sokka, as much as I like you kissing me, I can't. I have to marry-"

Sokka bit his lip, then reached into his pocket, pulling out Yue's betrothal necklace that Hahn had carved for her. He placed it carefully into her hands. "Yue…Hahn died during the battle." His voice was soft, remorseful.

Yue clenched the necklace tightly and looked down. "I…" Her eyes filled with tears.

He touched her cheek tenderly once more. "I know you have mixed feelings…"

Yue threw her arms around him, and began to sob softly. He merely held her as she cried her tears of happy relief and bitter remorse. She hadn't loved Hahn, he knew, but she certainly hadn't wanted him dead.

Slowly but surely, she calmed. Sokka wiped her tears. "You're free now." He murmured, staring into her crystalline eyes.

Those eyes fluttered closed and he found himself kissing her. The kiss morphed from gentle and romantic to deep and passionate. Oh, how he had desired to kiss her like this, unrestrained! From the moment he met her he knew she was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes upon.

She sighed contently against his mouth, pulling him into an embrace. "Sokka." She breathed his name, relieved that they could have here and now, together, without guilt or remorse.

"Yue." His hands stroked her unbound ivory hair and he felt so glad. A thought occurred to him, and he pulled away to search her face. "So…now we can do an activity together, right?"

She merely laughed, hugging him again.

ZUKO FOUND HIMSELF looking upon the streets and ornate architecture of the Northern Water Tribe. He knew he was searching for something, but didn't quite know what it was. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

"Uncle? Where are you?" his voice echoed throughout the empty streets, bouncing off of the pristine ice.

Suddenly everything was cast in a blood red dark, and he turned to see where this blanket of darkness had originated from. The moon, which was always so white and round, glowed crimson.

He could barely contain his shock. "What's going on?" he looked down again, and the once empty streets of the North Pole were filled with multitudes of people. Soldiers, commoners. People of the Fire Nation and of the Water Tribe. And they were fighting.

He saw a giant black figure rise above the homes of beautifully carved ice. The figure proceeded to decimate all of the Fire Nation soldiers. The people of the Water Tribe bowed before it respectfully, and they were saved.

A woman, glowing with a heavenly white light came up beside him. Zuko didn't think to question why she, or he, for that matter, was floating. Nothing else seemed to make sense anyway.

"Who are you?" he asked her.

"I am the Moon Spirit. Tui." She answered, her voice tinkling musically.

"What…" he didn't even know what else to ask. "What should I do?" he felt panic rise within him.

"Zuko, you must make some important decisions about the life you want for yourself." She answered, her blue eyes full of wisdom that he wished he possessed.

"What do you mean?" he demanded.

She raised a hand to silence him. "Who are you?" she inquired pointedly.

"I'm Zuko. Prince of the Fire Nation." It was a fact, a truth.

"Are you really?" her voice was tinged with doubt.

"Once I capture the Avatar I will be!" he snapped at her.

"Will that really get you what you want?" she looked rather coy, and it was irritating him.

"Yes, it will." He resisted the urge to set her on fire. What did some stupid Moon Spirit know, anyway?

"Zuko, search your heart. Please." And when he looked up to see Tui's eyes, he saw his mother's instead.

Zuko gasped and awoke with a jolt. "Mother!"

But she wasn't there. And he didn't know where he was. But it was not his ship, nor anything that remotely resembled something from the Fire Nation.

"Ah, you're awake now, Zuko." His uncle's cheery voice noted.

Zuko fought to keep his hands from trembling. Damn it, he was even drenched in a cold sweat. "Uncle…" he looked into his Uncle's eyes. "Where are we? What happened?"

Iroh smiled gently, patting his hands. "I have a lot to tell you Zuko…and it won't necessarily be what you want to hear."

Zuko grit his teeth and fought to quell the increasing panic he felt. "Well?"

Iroh studied his nephew carefully. He could see Zuko was shaken up from whatever dream he'd just had. But he couldn't conceal the truth from him. "When you ran after Zhao, the Avatar fused with the Water Spirit and the Princess of the Water Tribe fused with the Moon Spirit. Together they defeated the Fire Nation." He explained slowly.

Zuko nodded, wincing at the knowledge of the Fire Nation's defeat. "Zhao is dead." He suddenly remembered aloud. "The Water Spirit grabbed him…and the Moon Spirit…she…" he trailed off, scarcely believing it.

"Yes, he got what was coming to him. You cannot do wrong by a spirit and live to tell the tale." Iroh chuckled at the thought.

"Then what? Are we prisoners now?" Zuko implored.

Iroh sighed heavily. "Zuko…my actions during the Siege of the Northern Water Tribe will have me marked as a traitor. Your father will know of our failures soon enough. I don't think we'll have a home to go to. And we no longer have a crew, because of Zhao."

Zuko hissed softly. "No, that's not true! Uncle, if I can capture the Avatar, we can go home as heroes." He protested.

"Zuko, you cannot capture the Avatar." Iroh sadly informed his nephew.

"Yes I can, if I try harder. Next time-"

"There is not going to be a next time." Iroh interrupted.

Zuko frowned. "Why?"

"Because he is now my pupil." Iroh informed Zuko.

Zuko's heart skipped a beat. "What?" he couldn't believe his ears.

"I've agreed to help the Avatar, Aang, master Firebending." Iroh said simply.

Zuko stared at his Uncle, his eyes wide. "No, don't lie. Don't…no, Uncle, please." He pleaded, his hands beginning to tremble. "I need…I need to capture him…I have to…I'm a Prince!" he babbled incoherently, trying to deny everything Iroh had told him.

Iroh pressed his hands to Zuko's shoulders. "Zuko, your father is not going to take you back, Avatar or no." his voice was sincere and firm.

Zuko felt dizzy, felt weak, felt faint. And for the first time in nearly three years, tears trickled down his face from his healthy eye. "No…" he gasped it as if someone had punched him in the stomach, taking his breath away. "No, please, no." he moaned it, burying his face into his Uncle's shoulder.

He gently patted his nephew's back, offering him the only comfort he could: himself. "Zuko, this is for the best. You'll find yourself now. You'll be able to be who you are, without anyone else to dictate who you should be."

Zuko only could sob, for everything he was, all his hopes, dreams, and goals had just been burnt to a crisp by the one man he'd trusted the most. "Why Uncle, why?" he cried.

"It's for the best." Iroh answered, holding his vulnerable nephew, no, son.

KATARA OBSERVED THE Waterbenders of the Northern Water Tribe as they repaired all of the damage that had occurred to their village during the attack from the Fire Nation. There hadn't been severe casualties, and for that she was grateful. But the battle had yielded interesting results.

Yue's meshing with the Moon Spirit had been incredible. Katara wondered if Yue could use it as means of battling. She grinned at the thought, the idea of Yue moon-blasting the Fire Nation was rather amusing.

Katara looked down at her own hands. She had held the Moon Spirit's mortal form in her own two hands. And she had healed it as well. The experience was awe inspiring and a privilege.

And now, in the aftermath of the battle, Aang had acquired, unknown to him, a Firebending teacher. Iroh…he was Zuko's uncle, and he had accompanied his nephew as he relentlessly chased them across the globe.

But he had suggested healing the Moon Spirit; he had attacked Zhao for injuring it. He had agreed willingly to teach Aang Firebending, which would be to go against his nephew's wishes.

Did that mean that Iroh was a friend instead of foe? When Katara looked into his eyes she could see no guile, no dishonesty.

But what about Zuko? Was he honestly going to just do whatever his Uncle said? Would he truly give up his honor, his throne, his father's love, just because teaching the Avatar Firebending was the right thing to do? Zuko felt that he was right to chase Aang and try to capture him. He couldn't possibly change his mind overnight – literally.

Could he?

IROH LEFT ZUKO once he had cried himself to sleep. He heaved a great sigh, his heart breaking for his young nephew who had suddenly lost all that he'd known for the past three years. It was hard to deal with the first time, now it had come around to Zuko once more.

The boy was strong. This Iroh knew. Zuko never gave up, never settled for less, and always gave every last ounce of passion and strength for what he wanted to achieve. But how many emotional blows could one young man take?

Iroh was there when Zuko had spoken up in the war council room. He was there when Zuko had to fight his father in an Agni Kai. Iroh was there, visiting Zuko while he recovered from his horrible burn. He decided then and there, as his young nephew healed his physical wounds, that he would accompany him on his journey to find and capture the Avatar.

Iroh didn't necessarily agree on Zuko's mission, but he hadn't wanted Zuko to be alone. Now more than ever he needed someone to believe in him and stand by him.

In the past two years that Zuko had searched fruitlessly for the Avatar, Iroh wondered when and how he should tell Zuko that his father never truly wanted him back. Iroh knew his brother Ozai well, and knew he had purposely send Zuko on a wild goose-turkey chase.

But, miraculously, the Avatar reappeared, and it fueled Zuko's hopes and desires to an obsessive level. And for a while, Iroh believed that perhaps Zuko could capture the Avatar and regain his honor.

But it was not meant to be. Iroh could see this after their failures here at the North Pole. Zuko was not meant to capture Aang. Zuko was not meant to return to the Fire Nation in this manner.

Zuko was meant to carve out his own life, adapt, and become someone he was truly meant to be.

In order to do this, he would have to give up his father's love, give up his throne, his birthright, his blood. Zuko would have to give up all he'd ever wanted and all he'd ever known: his home.

But, once he had done this, and accepted his destiny, he'd become a better man with a new purpose. He just had to find out what this purpose was. But he wouldn't have to do it alone. Iroh vowed to help his nephew in any way he could, even if it was only to stand by his side and tell him he believed in him.

Lost in his musings, Iroh bumped into the Waterbender girl, Katara. "I'm sorry, miss, I wasn't paying attention-"

"No, it's alright. I wasn't either." She admitted, silencing his apologies. She smiled at him, reading his expression.

"What is on your mind, young lady?" Iroh inquired. He could see she had as much to stew over as he did.

Katara frowned softly. "Nothing as bad as what is on yours." She, as the mother figure in her group, could see with ease Iroh's troubled thoughts. "Zuko, how did he…?"

"He's got a lot to adjust to now. His life has changed irrevocably once again." There was no use hiding anything from this Water Tribe girl.

"I can understand the pain of it…" Katara murmured knowingly.

"I know I shouldn't ask this of you, but…" Iroh began reluctantly.

"Anything. We're in your debt, since you've helped us to save the Moon Spirit, and you've offered to teach Aang." She responded. She could see this man's love for his nephew as clear as day. And it touched her deeply.

"I see you as the most patient, the most understanding, of your trio. Please, be this way with Zuko. He needs someone his own age to just be there, to listen, to comfort…" Iroh knew it was a lot to ask this young to befriend her former enemy.

"Iroh, I'll do my best." Katara found herself promising him. And then she vaguely wondered how she could keep this promise. Somehow, she'd have to, to keep this group together. Aang needed to learn Firebending, and he need to save the world. It was on her shoulders now too, it seemed.