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Chapter 7 I challenge You.

Pain, all he felt was pain. It was burning, his skin, his flesh, his soul all of it burnt. He couldn't see a thing, he could only feel. He looked around to see if there was a light, something to see, but there wasn't. There was only pain. He wandered in the dark, searching for something, something that wasn't there, something he lost and would never find again. Far away, he heard something, no someone. It was whispering something. No, SHE was whispering something. 'Never forget who you are…'

A small light appeared and he stretched his hand towards it. 'Zuko..'

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"Zuko, where are you?" Katara walked to the beach searching for the fire bender. 'Where did he go? Aang told me he saw Zuko go this way.' Once she got to the beach she forgot her search as she saw the sun set in the ocean before her. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever had seen. Sure she had seen the sun set over a thousand of times, but somehow this was the most beautiful and breath taking sunset ever. The sky was turned to the colors red, purple pink and a little blue. The few clouds in the sky had turned fire red.

Katara sat herself down in the sand and started to stare at the sunset. She forgot all about Zuko, but when the sun had completely disappeared into the ocean Katara got cold. It was then she remembered that she was looking for Zuko to tell him that they were going to sleep. Actually she wanted to talk to him, no, his uncle wanted her to talk to him. As Katara walked down the beach she tried to think why Iroh wanted her to talk to him.

"I know my nephew isn't the nicest person, sometimes." Iroh spoke as he put he tea cup down. "But believe me when I say that there is good inside him. He just needs someone to talk to."

"But you can talk to him." Katara said.

"Yes, and I do. But I am not a teenager anymore. He needs someone to talk to from his own age. Maybe you would like to talk to him." Iroh said.

"Me??" Katara said. "But he hates me, and to be honest, I don't like him to well either."

"I am sure that, when you talk to one and other, your opinions will change towards each other."

"I don't think so." Katara said softly as she looked down at her hands.

"Katara, could you look for my nephew, and tell him that I am going to sleep, and that he needs his rest to?" Iroh said. It was oblivious that he wanted Katara to talk to Zuko. Why, he didn't tell.

Katara nodded and put her teacup down and walked outside.

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Sokka stepped into a dark room.

"She is resting," Oyaji said.

Sokka walked towards the bed. "Could you please leave us alone?"

"I will, but don't make it a long visit. She needs her rest." Oyaji said. He then turned around and left Sokka alone with Suki.

He grabbed a chair and sat himself next to Suki's bed. He looked at her pale skin. She had been fighting, he could tell. She had been fighting a powerful force. Sokka looked at her face. The make up was gone and there where bruises and cuts now on her skin.

"Suki," Sokka whispered as he lay his hand on Suki's arm. She made a small movement with her arm and then her eyes popped open.

"Sokka?" Suki tried to say, but it was more like a whisper.

"Suki!" Sokka almost yelled. He was glad that she was awake. He couldn't care if she was in a weak position and could not hug her, just as long she was awake and he could stare into her eyes. He had missed her, he had missed her a lot.

"Suki, what happened?" Sokka asked.

"Azula," Suki whispered. "She attacked us. She killed all of the Kyoshi warriors. I am the only survivor."

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Zuko opened up his eyes. It was almost dark. He looked to his right and trough the trees he could see the sun sink into the ocean. He closed his eyes once more and leaned his head back, against a tree. He had tried to meditate, back in the house he couldn't. So he went to the forest. But once he tried to concentrate on his breathing, disturbing images showed up in his mind. His conscience played with his thoughts.

'What will happen when uncle finds out the truth? He will hate me, he will hate me to no end.'

But Azula had placed some spell on him. She knew how to manipulate Zuko. Azula knew that their fathers love was Zuko's weak point. She had managed to turn Zuko against his own uncle. The man who had teach him everything he knew. Iroh had been more like a father than fire lord Ozai had. And in a month from now, Zuko would betray him. And there was Katara. Zuko had betrayed her too. In the cave, he had opened up to her about his scar. She had offered to help him. If it wasn't for the Avatar he could be free from his mark by now. But he choose the side of Azula. Attacking the Avatar and Katara.

"I thought you had changed."

'I have changed, into Azula.' Zuko thought. And now he was traveling with them. He could understand them if they didn't trust him yet. Once you lost trust, it was hard to gain it back.

Zuko opened his eyes again. It was now completely dark. Dark and cold. He stretched his arms and legs and got up. He made a small fire in his hand and started to walk back to the village.

"Zuko?"

He stopped and turned around.

"Zuko wait."

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Katara walked on the beach, searching for the fire bender. She hadn't found him on the beach and she was no walking to the forest. It was dark and the light from the moon wasn't enough to see everything in the surrounding. Then she saw it. A small fire that came out of nowhere. It was moving away from her.

"Zuko?" She said. Katara saw the light stop moving and turning to her.

"Zuko wait." She ran towards the light. Once she entered the forest she could see him.

"Zuko, where have you been? I have been searching all over." Katara said

"What do you want, peasant?" Zuko asked irritated.

"I… What? Don't call me a peasant. My name is Katara." Katara said getting irritated as well.

"I'll call you what I want." Zuko said, turning around. He felt a hand smack against the back of his head and turned around.

"You'd better watch your mouth, fire nation scum!" Katara yelled as she put her finger on Zuko's chest. "I am not some girl who you can insult when ever you feel like it!"

Zuko looked down to Katara. Her face was turning red from anger. 'Temper, temper. I like to see if she has more of it.' Zuko shook off this thought.

"May I inform you, that you are a peasant as well, now that you are running from your sister and father." Katara said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"No I am not!" Zuko said, although he knew Katara was right. But he would never admit it to anyone, not even to himself.

"Just wait, once we defeat my sister and father, it is me who will sit on the throne of the fire nation. And if you keep talking to me this way, I'll make sure that my first action as fire lord is, to torture you until you're begging me for mercy."

"I will never beg for mercy. Especially not to you!!" Katara's face was now fire red. Ow how she hated him. At this point she couldn't care less what Iroh had told her. Zuko just needed to drop his 'I am to good for anyone' act and realize that he was nothing more than her, her brother and Toph.

"We'll see." Zuko said as he turned around. He started to walk.

"Yes, we will see indeed. You and me, tomorrow morning. A duel." Katara hissed. "At dawn we'll meet at the beach. Then we'll see who is begging who for mercy."

Zuko stopped for a second and turned his head a little. "Fine."

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It was silent and dark in the room. Every body was asleep except for one. It was a few hours before dawn and Katara had not been sleeping well.

'This is going nowhere.' She thought as she got up. Katara stretched her limbs and walked out of the house and towards the beach. She looked back before she walked trough the door. She looked at Aang, Toph, Sokka, the Earth King, Iroh and Zuko. They were all asleep, so nobody knew she was gone. She turned around and left.

Zuko had opened his eyes as he heard someone get up. He had been sleeping lightly, every noise and every movement woke him up. He saw Katara leave. 'You can't wait to duel me.' He thought. 'I can't wait to see more of that temper of yours.'

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Katara walked down the beach. She tried to clear her mind but she was just to pissed off. "Who do he thinks he is?" She said to her self. "Calling me a peasant, at least I have the love of my father. And some good friends."

She reached the ocean and started to bend the water. The moon was still in the sky and her bending abilities were stronger now. She started by pushing the water back and forth. Once she loosened her muscles, Katara raised a blob of water from the ocean and started to move it trough the air, throwing it to invisible opponents. Followed by strings of water that she used as whips. She was training hard, but not to hard. She did not wanted to be tiered once she would duel the fire bender.

"Just wait. I'll show you, stupid fire bender." Katara mumbled to herself as she bend a large amount of water and bend it around her body.

In the forest a figure was watching her bend her element. He was impressed by her strength. Impressed by the fire that burned in her eyes as she was manipulating the water to her will. If they where fighting now, he needed to put all his strength in his attacks to overmaster her.

He sat him self down and began to meditate. The noises Katara made weren't disturbing him at all. There was a rhythm in the splashing and soft moans Katara made. It made him go into a trance as he concentrated on his breathing.

"Sure, you are strong when the moon is out. But when the sun is shining, I will have the upper hand." Zuko said to him self.

Yes a duel. Water vs. fire. Who will win. And who will be begging for mercy? You'll just have to wait until the next chapter. Please review.