I'm... sorry...? There really is NO excuse for my behavior. Abandoning you all since April is really mean and really stupid. I WISH I could make up for it. I have been wracked with guilt ever since I left for Europe at the end of May. But my summer has been overcrowded and I didn't have my own computer until this weekend. I finally got my laptop and now I can upload again. But if you want to abuse me that's completely understandable.

ANYWAY...

I got the most amazing review of this story. I was completely blown away, but I didn't know who sent it! They sent in an anonymous review and I couldn't write them back to thank them. I loved it though, and if you haven't read my review's page here is what it said:

"your writing reads like poetry, yet its still interesting in the actual content. I wanna see what comes next!
you rock"

I printed this review off and pinned it to the wall above my desk. Whoever you are, Thank you SO much, it was amazing to hear that.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, I'm ticked that the third season won't follow my plotline, and Zuko never joined back with Azula.

Chapter 2

The Beginning of the End

Three Months Later…

"Zuko... Zuko wake up…" The prince heard a soft voice whispering to him while he slept. He rolled over and moaned, opening his eyes slightly to see Ami on her knees on the side of his bed. She had a hand on his shoulder and was fully dressed.

"What?" he moaned at her unhappily. He sat up slightly and rubbed his eyes.

"I have to show you something, get dressed, and hurry!" she pulled him out of bed by one arm and then waited outside his bedroom door while he got dressed.

It was late in the night and the moon was full, as the two ran out into the courtyard Zuko noticed that the guards were either missing or asleep. In the past three months since Ami had come to live with his family, the young prince had made a tried and true friend.

She fought back against all the confines of court life when it was just the two of them, and now she was wearing the least amount of clothing she could get away with, and her hair was completely untamed. She never pulled her hair into any constraint if she could help it.

They reached the pond in the middle of the courtyard and Ami stopped. "Ok, watch closely." She breathed, closed her eyes and took a fighting stance that Zuko had never seen before.

She began to move her arms back and forth, and he watched closely, not seeing anything strange besides her movement. "What? You woke me in the middle of the night to show me you can move your arms? Big whoop."

"Don't watch me you dunderhead! Watch the water." She started again and this time he watched the water, which began to move with her.

"What the heck?!" She stopped moving and so did the water, she turned to him and grinned.

"Cool huh?"

He stared blankly at her. Then suddenly began yelling. "NO! You can't be a waterbender! In case you haven't noticed, you are a FIRE princess!"

"Shut up!" She whispered loudly as she jumped on him and covered his mouth. "I know!"

"Then why on earth did you say it was cool?"

"Because it means I'm not nuts for hating this whole royalty thing! It's not who I am!" She stood and smiled, her hair blowing around her face. Suddenly there was a voice from the shadows and the sounds of footsteps as someone approached.

"What are you two doing out this late?" It was the voice of a young man, about the age of sixteen. Ami ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist in a gigantic hug.

"Lu Ten!" she exclaimed loudly. Indeed it was her betrothed, and she was not supposed to be hugging him, but she couldn't help herself. She actually adored the young man.

"Ami, what are you doing out in the middle of the night with my cousin?" Lu Ten said as he rubbed her head and smiled. Zuko walked forward and followed protocol in bowing slowly.

Lu Ten was tall and muscular, though he still carried an air of youth about him. His hair was in a knot at the top of his head, and he wore full fire nation armor.

"We were just playing." Ami said in the sweetest voice she could conjure.

"Isn't there enough time to do that during the day? Or is my bride hiding something from me?" He bent over and stared into her eyes with a reproachful look. She blushed lightly and looked away from him. She had a hard time lying to him, seeing as he was her hero. "But that's not what I came to tell you."

"I am leaving in the morning for Ba Sing Se, and I don't know when I'll be back." He put a hand on Zuko's shoulder and began speaking in a much more serious manner. "If anything happens to me, I want you and Ami here to watch out for each other." He put Ami's hand in Zuko's and smiled uncertainly at them. "Never let go of each other. No matter how hard they try to rip you apart, never let go."

Ami's deep blue eyes watered heavily, and soon tears were rolling down her cheeks with intense speed. "Please don't go!" She wailed through sobs. "If you do, I'll be all alone here!" He kneeled in front of her and she buried her head in his shoulder.

He ran his hand over her head, and shushed her in the most comforting tone he could achieve. "It's ok." He said quietly. "You're never alone, I promise." He held her close and let her cry.

Zuko watched this with mild curiosity; he had never seen a girl cry before. His mother had never cried around him, even when his sister was born. And his sister and her friends never cried; probably because they were too busy annoying him. He wanted with all of his heart to comfort his friend, but he didn't have a clue what to say. His cousin looked at him and smiled warmly.

That smile gave Zuko the courage to put his hand on Ami's back and begin speaking. "He's right, I'll be here. I promise, I'll always be here." These words seemed to comfort her more than Lu Ten's, and she smiled and wiped her face dry.

"I have to go now," Lu Ten began, extracting himself from the crying girl and standing slowly. "But I promise I'll be back." He smiled wide, and pushed Ami's hair out of her face. "It won't take long for us to break through that wall, and I'll be back before you know it."

"Ok." She said softly. He bowed to them and then began walking away, but paused and turned back to them.

"Now go to bed you two; before the guards wake up!" He called across the courtyard. Zuko and Ami smiled at each other and then ran back to the palace and off to their rooms. Zuko was sad to leave the warm night air, and his best friend, but as he fell asleep, he forgot all about the secret reason she had woke him up so late.

War, Death, and Waterbenders. How much COOLER can you get? Next chapter isn't even closed to finished. Bear with me, I promise it won't be months...