Previously:

"Mother?" Zuko asked lovingly. I softly shook my head, and said, "Zuko, I'm Katara, the water tribe peasant. Why do you ask if I am you mother?" Said Katara softly, not wanting to hurt him. But before she could finish, he closed his eyes.

CHAPTER 3: The Strange And Restless Nigh

"You really think that father would ever love and trust you? I am more like father than you'll ever be of father. Ever be of father. Ever be of father Ever be of father. Ever be of father." Azula said, over and over.

Zuko sat straight up, panting for breath. His body was covered in a thick coating of sweat that glistened in the light of the full moon.

His eyes scanned his surroundings. Hearing the sound of rushing water, Zuko cocked his head to the right. The water shimmered and sparkled in the moonlight. Everything was calming and relaxing. The sounds of the spidekits (part spider, part cricket) chirping, reached Zuko's ears.

He closed his eyes and took it all in. Slowly getting up, he noticed that he was in a blue, fur coated sleeping bag. Pondering why he was in it, he looked around, hoping to spot its true owner.

He also saw a fire pit, the ambers dark red; they were almost breathing. The fire gradually grew in size as Zuko concentrated on his fire within. Focusing his chi and breathing at a continuous rate: in-out, in-out.

During his meditation, Zuko heard the faint noise of water ripples, and water being moved around. Slowly and quietly, he trod in the direction that the water noises had come from. Just maybe, just maybe, he would find the owner of the sleeping bag, and the person that had helped him-

It all came rushing back to him. Azula, Di Le, lightning, blood, eyes, kindness. Zuko knew he had to find the beautiful young maiden that had saved his life, and had shown him more kindness than anyone else.

As soon as Katara saw Zuko's eyes close, she carefully took off his shirt: exposing his muscular chest and abs. She was dazed, staring at his bare chest, as it raised and fell, raised and fell, raised and fell in a continuous pace. Looking at his chest, she saw many battle wounds and scars.

Katara opened her water pouch and waterbended some water out, and made it circle around her hand. She concentrated on the pain, the wound, and the anguish. And gradually, applied her glowing hand to his stomach, where the lightning had stuck him. She focused her chi, and the skin started mend.

Katara smiled at the thought that she had just healed such a wound. She healed the rest of his wound that covered his body. Slowly, she unblocked the flow of his chi, that had been blocked by the lightning and rocks that had made contact with his body had blocked that.

When Zuko was healed completely, Katara then bended the water up and out of the ground. Using the water she had bended out of the ground, Katara bad a floating bed and gently lifted Zuko up. Carried him over to a bigger source of water she had past, not to long ago, before she had collided with Zuko.

After Katara had brought the sleeping Zuko over to a peaceful river, she laid him down in a clearing that was near the water. After laying him down, she rapped him in her sleeping bag that she now carried around with her. It was lightweight, yet warm. Brushing the loose strands of hair out of Zuko's face, she put a cup of water near where he rested and made a fire to comfort him.

Quietly, she walked away to the waters edge and practiced her waterbending; pushing and pulling, and many different techniques that she had learned form the North Pole.

Zuko quietly walked form tree to tree, till he was behind a bush, right next to the waters edge. Parting the green leafed branches carefully, not wanting to snap one.

He was struck with aw, as he saw Katara make the water carry her up towards the clouds, the moon, and the stars. They all made her seem like she was meant to be up there. She dazed him, as she also made stairs of water, and continued higher and higher into heavens. Bringing all the water she used to climb into the sky with, she brought it around her. She was suspended in the sky, as she made a ball of water around her, as it reflected the light of the moon and the stars. The she floated in the ball and it began to glow bright sapphire blue.

As she gradually descended, the glowing decreased and the water floated back to the river. Not a drop of water remained Katara. She had not bended the water, it bended its self. Katara's eyes closed and she seemed to be dead as she stood there, limp, but standing.

Zuko's mind swam with the thought that she must be the most powerful waterbender on the face of the earth. He saw her collapse to the ground, for no particular reason.

Zuko ran over to her side and knelt down, examining the girl that had saved his life. Checking her pulse, he knew she was still alive, but her pulse was as it was supposed to be. But the thought that she had been glowing, floating and climbing rattled in his brain. He couldn't put it together.

Tracing her gently face with his rough hands, he tenderly lifted her up into his arms, like she was the most important thing in the world to him, and brought her back to the camp she had made for them.

He laid her down on the sleeping bag that he knew she had given him. Zuko gently rapped the sleeping bag around her delicate frame. Looking down at her, he saw calmness and peace of being, like she had gone through nothing back there. Little by little, he bent over her, placing his warm lips on her forehead and said, "Thank You."