A/N: Thank you for all of those wonderful ideas for the cave and everything, I'm still trying to pick a favorite! I'm so sorry it took so long to update, it's just I had to pack and unpack everything…moving takes a lot of work!

To Lily: What did you find confusing?

And yes, I did get Katara a map! Thank you for that one.

Katara's POV

For the rest of the day, I tried to avoid him. I don't really know why, but I did. I also had a feeling that he might have been mad at me for being so prejudiced, and I can't really blame him for that. I'm just being protective of myself. Maybe a little over protective, yes, but that doesn't mean I'm letting my guard down! Don't think for one second I don't know what he's up to.

…Okay, maybe I don't know what he's up to. But trust me, I'll find out soon enough.

Besides, I don't need any distractions. After all, tonight's the big ball, and I need to be prepared. I mean, there's no way I can avoid Zuko at his own ball, right?

When he was at his dance lessons, it was practice time for me. When he was free, I avoided the practice room at all costs. He was actually pretty predictable. He always thinks I'm in the practice room 24/7. I saw him go into the practice room once, and of course, I wasn't there. Really, just because I'm a professional pianist doesn't mean I don't have a life! I don't spend all day practicing!

I did feel a little guilty, however, because every time that he walked into the practice room, and he found I wasn't there, he had a faint look of disappointment on his face. I knew he usually masked his emotions, because he rarely showed any, and he must've been pretty disappointed to show it. One time, I watched him outside of my practice room, pacing. I didn't know what he was doing, until he reached for the doorknob, paused, then turned away and started pacing again. He was trying to decide if he should go in or not! I hated how that made my heart beat faster.

Anyway, the little servant boy I ran into a while back who assisted me with my bags helps warn me whenever Princey boy decides to drop in. His name is Rai (or Raymond, he just prefers to spell it with an "I") and I prefer that rather than "servant boy". He tells me when the Prince's lessons are in session, when he's free, when he's coming, and all that. Rai told me that he had known Zuko ever since Zuko was only seven years old. Rai's parents passed away when he was five, and he came to the palace begging for a place to stay. It was his choice to work at the palace because it made him feel like a freeloader if he didn't. Anyway, Rai warns me whenever the Prince decides to barge in.

Right now I'm in the practice room while Princey boy is at his lessons. I'm trying to focus on my music and not Zuko, but it was difficult. I know I really shouldn't have ran away from him, he was only trying to be nice, but part of me still thinks that if I give in, he'll be just as uncaring as Jet was.

But then again, I do need to move on. Even my brother has got himself a princess girlfriend. Honestly, I don't know what Yue sees in him.

While I was lost in my thoughts, Rai burst into the room and yelled, "HE'S COMING!"

I immediately stopped playing and gathered all my music. I shoved it into my bag and ran for back door. I flung it open, and then what happened next was kind of a blur.

The door actually burst open before I could open it, so I dropped my bag in panic and frantically tried to run in the opposite direction, but he caught me by the wrists, and held on tight.

"Surprise," He purred. Zuko. Just great.

"What are you doing here?" I growled, hoping I didn't sound as nervous as I felt.

"I know there's a back door," He said smoothly. He was still holding onto my wrists, forcing me to look into his eyes. Shit. He's not stupid, that's for sure. I tried to squirm my way out, but it was no use.

"But…you were at dance…" I stuttered. His amber eyes were so hypnotizing, it was hard to focus.

"It got canceled," He replied simply. "My mom wanted me to talk to you about what you were going to wear to the ball tomorrow."

"Me? Oh, I've already picked out something special for the ball tomorrow," I answered.

"And what is it?" he asked.

"Jeans."

"Jeans? You can't possibly be serious!" He yelled in disbelief.

"Oh yeah, and a T-shirt of course!" I put my hands on my hips stubbornly. "I am perfectly serious, thank you very much."

"This is a formal ball, you can't come in with jeans and a T-shirt."

"Oh yeah? Watch me." I said, wrenching myself from his grasp and gathering my stuff up from the ground.

Zuko's POV

When I walked into the practice room, I admit, I was a little-no, very annoyed at her for running away from me a few hours ago. I mean, I understand she was upset, but why run from me? Really, I was only going to comfort her, and she runs away and ruins everything. And comparing me to that Jet? She can't just make assumptions without any evidence! Okay, so my dad is…a jerk, but that doesn't mean I'm a bad person!

And now she was really pissing me off with her attitude. People will definitely have less respect for me if I can't even handle a pianist that was hired to play for me at my ball!

Once she got up from the ground, she slung her bag over her shoulder and strutted out. She definitely had an attitude and a pride issue to match mine.

"Wear something nice to the ball tomorrow!" I called after her.

"I wear whatever I want to wear, Princey Boy!" She yelled back. Princey boy? Is that what she called me behind my back? Whatever. Back to the problem at hand. I am not having her wear jeans to my ball, no matter how much she protested.

However, before she walked through the door, she spun around to face me.

"Oh and Zuko?" She asked innocently.

"What."

"If you tell anyone about what I told you a few hours ago, I swear, I will make you wish that you were dead."

I gulped. She said it so seriously and menacingly, I couldn't help but feel a little terrified.

Her eyes had an evil glint in them, like my sister's in the morning, and if looks could kill…I'm pretty sure I'd be dead by now.

Then she turned around and walked proudly out the door.

Katara's POV

Okay, so after I walked out of the room, I had absolutely no idea where I was going. Luckily, Rai drew me up a map of the castle. After looking it over, I decided to go to my room. I was heading in that direction when suddenly my stomach emitted loud grumble. I held it, and turned in the direction of the dining room. It wasn't anywhere around dinner time, but I was hungry, and I didn't want to wait for the ball to get some food.

After I said "good evening" to the cooks, I sat down at my spot at the table. Nobody was here at the moment, but that was all right because Queen Ursa already gave me my permission to eat whenever I wished. The chefs brought me a bowl of noodles-non-spicy-I hated spicy food-and water, and I thanked them. It was lonely eating by myself, but I much rather preferred this compared to the awkward lunch I experienced only hours ago. I shivered at even the memory of Ozai's death glare, and his daughter, Princess Azula, definitely gave me the creeps as well.

Zuko's POV

"She's going to wear jeans, mom. Jeans!" I whined to my mom like a four-year-old begging for ice cream.

She laughed. How. Can she. Laugh at that? I sighed. Maybe she didn't understand the seriousness of this problem.

"It's not funny, mom. I'll be the laughing stock of the world. What will the other kingdoms think of me? Weak, for not controlling my own hired pianist?"

She slowly quieted down and looked at me sincerely. "It is funny because she puts in so much effort to irritate you! I would think she's taking a liking to you, Zuko!" She teased. I blushed and shot her a glare. She suppressed a smile, at least she tried to, and continued speaking, more seriously this time.

"Think about it Zuko, don't you think it would be more embarrassing for her than for you?"

I gave her a questioning glance that told her to continue.

"Well, she would be the only one who isn't dressed formally, and that would draw more attention to her. Probably unwanted attention, don't you think?"

I thought about her point for a while, and it made sense. But from what I've learned about Katara, she wouldn't care about what others thought of her, only what she thought of herself. That was one of the things he liked about her.

"Besides," My mom continued, "I thought you didn't care what others thought of you! Nobody would think you of weak for such a small thing! Try thinking of it as…thoughtful. For letting her decide what she wants to do, you care about what your people think, and their opinions, rather than just your own. That's the way I wanted your father to run this kingdom in the first place-thoughtfully and kindly. And that's what he promised me. That is…until the power got to his head."

I groaned. Maybe I'll try to be different then. Other kingdoms, such as Ozai's, rule with an iron fist. But what would happen…If I ruled differently? Would my people think me weak? Or would they be thankful? I sighed. Why not give it a shot. Sure I had my reputation on the line, but I would be representing my mom's way of thinking, and I was always proud of that. My mom never got a say in how to run the kingdom, and I thought that was unfair. If that's how my mom wants me to rule, then so be it.

"Okay. But that pianist is really getting on my nerves."

My mom smiled. "I think you should talk to your uncle about that. He always has the right thing to say. For now, I have to talk to your father. He wants to rage a war for no reason whatsoever!" She sighed. "This was definitely not the man I married…"

I nodded. Sometimes my uncle's advice is…really confusing at first, but once you figure it out, you'll realize that he was right all along. And as for my dad raging a war for no reason at all…well, I kind of expected that from him. He does seem like the type to terrorize innocent people just to take control of the world. I wonder what would happen if he did…

I shuddered. That's a topic that I didn't want to think about.

Katara's POV

Placing my porcelain cup into my empty bowl, and my chopsticks inside of the cup, I carefully carried it to the kitchen, where it was to be washed. I needed to go to my room and just think for a while. Maybe I should give Zuko a chance. After all, he didn't do anything wrong. But if he takes one step in the wrong direction, one little trip-up, I'll make his life a living hell.

Zuko's POV

I tried talking to Uncle about my issue, but I don't really think it helped at all. He didn't respond, because he was distracted by his grumbling stomach. Don't get me wrong, he was always happy to hear what I had to say, but if he was starving, he would block out the whole world until he got some food. At dinner (the ball starts at 7:30), I tried to talk to him again, but Ozai was glaring at me as if all his problems in the world came from me, and that made me feel just a tad uncomfortable. Anyway, Uncle Iroh was too busy stuffing his face to listen. Katara didn't show up to dinner, but I didn't question that. I was in a really bad mood, and I didn't want to take that out on her, even if she was the reason behind it.

"May I be dismissed?" I asked, breaking the terrible silence. I cringed as my voice bounced off the walls of the huge room, magnifying it to sound a lot louder than it normally would.

My mom nodded at me, and Ozai said nothing. I took that as a yes, and left. I decided that it was time for a rest before the big night. I needed time to think, anyway. I opened my door, and stepped into my elaborately decorated room. I crashed onto the bed, and sunk my face into the pillow. It smelled of burnt…burnt wood? Burnt leaves, burnt grass…burnt something. I guess that's how my whole room smelled. Maybe that's even what I smelled like. I inhaled the scent, and turned my head to the nightstand beside my bed. On top of it was a tall, thin, glass vase, and in it was a rose. Well, a rosebud. Beside the vase, there was a note.

Dear nephew,

I thought about your problem, and here is your answer.

This is a rosebud. Leave it in the cold and give it darkness, it will die. Shed some light into it's world, and with warmth and encouragement, it will bloom.

I was bewildered. So I'm supposed to grow a flower and wait for it to bloom? Then all my answers will come to me? That made absolutely no sense. I wonder sometimes if Uncle even knew what he himself was talking about. Thank you, Uncle. Thanks for making me sink even deeper into the pool of confusion.

I closed my eyes, and was about to fall into a peaceful slumber, when one of the maids woke me up.

"Um…sorry to wake you, Your Highness…" Her timid voice trembled. "B-but we have to get you dressed in your tuxedo…"

I groaned waved her away. "Thank you, I can get dressed myself. Just leave it on my desk."

She bowed. "As you wish. The ball starts in half an hour."

She was halfway out the door when she turned to look at me. "Oh, and your pianist…Lady Katara, refuses to wear the dress your mother picked out for her."

I groaned. I guess I expected that. "Okay, tell her she can wear whatever she wants."

The maid's eyes widened. "Really? You would let her do that?"

"Yes. If she doesn't want to wear the dress, she doesn't have to."

"Okay. I'll let her know," She smiled at me and closed the door.

I smiled to myself. Katara definitely won't see that coming.

Katara's POV

The ball was in half an hour, and I could feel my heart pounding in my ears. I was really, really nervous. Yes, I have been through this dozens of times, but each time I went through the same thing. I had already picked out my favorite jeans and a T-shirt, and I was changing into them now. I sighed. Usually I wasn't this rebellious, but something about him just made me so…mad? I don't know exactly what the feeling is, but, I definitely felt something. Right after I had changed into my clothes, a maid came in and informed me that I could wear whatever I wished.

What was he trying to do? I tell him that I'm not taking this seriously, and he says I can do whatever I wanted to? I huffed. He was very confusing. But if he says I can wear whatever I want, then I will. I folded my arms and smiled victoriously. I won. Right? Didn't I? I got what I wanted, to wear jeans and a t-shirt…so why does it feel like I lost? I groaned and fell back onto my bed. This was going to be a long night.

A/N: Did you like it? Did you not? Share your opinions with me please! Thank you! Tell me what you liked, what you didn't, and any suggestions on what I can do to improve. Your reviews are very much appreciated. Again, sorry for the late update, moving takes a lot out of a person. And thanks for all the suggestions for the cave! I'll make sure to use them later on.