8 - Regrets

Zuko's feet refused to move. His brain ordered them forward but his body wouldn't function. He just stood there hand still outstretched toward the retreating girl. Nobody else on deck noticed anything in the past few seconds. The prisoners were still trying to escape. The soldiers still trying to stop them.

But, for Zuko his whole life was turned upside down in a matter of seconds. Suddenly all the hints he had been getting clicked together and made since. She came from the south and could water bend. She was the same age and had a very similar look. The dagger had been found on her and she said a male friend had given it to her. And now after one of those boys, who cared which one, called her Katara, there was no way he could deny it anymore.

His best friend was alive. He didn't know how she had lived through his father's raid. At this present moment he didn't care. And as she continued running from him... running from him... She didn't know who he was!

That thought seem to reset his body and he started racing toward her again. Now that he knew she was alive, he couldn't just let her slip through his fingers again. But, his efforts were of no use. The boys pulled her up onto the beast and they flew off. "Wait!" Zuko shouted desperate. But, she never heard and he watch her disappear from him.

He just stood there for a moment before rounding on the nearest guard. The guard started to make excused, but Zuko just raised up his hand to silence him, "After them," was all he said.

He knew from experience that this would take awhile. So, he headed down below deck to find his Uncle. He was not surprised that while all chaos was happening on deck and the avatar was escaping, his Uncle was happy to sit in his room doing nothing. As a result of that decision, Iroh had not heard Katara's name so was unaware of Zuko's revelation.

The minute Zuko walked into Iroh's room he knew something was up. Iroh raised one eyebrow and gave his nephew a half smile. "You look like you've seen a ghost," he joked.

Zuko laughed without humor when his uncle accidently hit the point right away. "You know the water bending girl that travels with the avatar?" Zuko asked him. When Iroh responded in the positive, Zuko continued. "I don't know how she survived, but I just recently came to discover that she's Katara." His uncle's response shocked him more then anything that day.

"Well, its about time you figured it out." Iroh told him.

Zuko starred at his uncle in shock for a few moments before he started fuming. "You knew?" he roared. He had never been so angry at Iroh before.

"I suspected," Iroh replied calmly.

After his uncle's words Zuko could swear he felt smoke coming out of his ears and his eyes blaze with fire. "And you let me continue on all this time! Why didn't you say anything?" he demanded.

"Well, if you recalled I did try to mention the similarities and you shot me down so fast your chair went flying and you insisted that she had to be from the north. You then told me to never say such a thing again," Iroh replied.

"Still," replied Zuko slightly calmer. "If you really thought it was her you should have done something about it rather then let me continue to hate her."

"Would you have listened to any word I had said on the matter?" asked Iroh.

Zuko rubbed his teeth together in frustration knowing that his uncle was right.

After a little while of silence his uncle asked the obvious question. "So, what are you going to do now?"

Zuko sighed before responding. "I'm not sure. I know I need to speak with her. But, she doesn't know its me. She knows me as the fire bender who has been hunting down her friend. How am I suppose to get her alone?"

"Good question," started Iroh. "Maybe..."

"Then once she does, how do we get past all this. I'm trying to capture her friend. However I'm sure she'll understand that part once I explain. But, I also captured her and her brother," he rambled on while panicking. He stopped suddenly with wide eyes as if he just figured something out.

"I tied her to a tree and left her guarded by Jee Lee of all people. He knocked her out!" he yelled the last part planning in his head different things to do to Jee Lee. He saw his uncle try to interrupt him again but he was on too much of a roll. "Then I locked her in a dark cold dungeon so close to the South Pole with only one blanket and tied her up again to interrogate her. In my room! She didn't know it was me. She must have been so scared because of me."

"Zuko?" Iroh tried.

"That doesn't even count all the time I spent hating her in secret," he continued.

"Zuko!" his uncle shouted. "Stop wallowing. Your best friend is alive. Its time to stop being angry at me for not telling you my suspicions or angry at yourself for how you treated your prisoners. Time to go find her and talk to her."

"Well, she's with the avatar and we know where the avatar is going," Zuko replied slightly calmer.

It didn't take them long to come upon another small island and suspected that the trio had landed there for the night, Zuko set out to find them on foot. One officer questioned him on why he was going alone, but Zuko refused to answer to answer him.

It was very easy to know where to search for them. They would have to be by a river for camp and bending use. So, he just followed up river. The island was small so it didn't take Zuko very long to find the small group.

He spared a lingering glance at the sleeping young avatar before returning his attention back to Katara. Zuko hated himself for what he was about to do. But, he needed to get her alone without waking the two boys.

He scooped her up off her feet with a hand around her mouth and walked her further into the woods.

When they were far enough away from the camp to be out of ear shot, Zuko released the struggling girl.

"Wait, wait, wait," he yelled with his hands up when she turned right around arms raised ready to attack. "I just want to talk."

"I'm not telling you where Aang is," was her reply.

"I already know where the avatar is. That is not what I want to talk about," replied Zuko.

"What could we possibly have to talk about?" she responded.

Zuko said nothing in response. He just reached into his sleeve and pulled out the necklace and dangled it within her line of sight. Her eyes widened before they blazed with anger. "First my dagger and now this. Where did you get that?" she shouted.

Zuko laughed which only proved to anger her more. "It wasn't clear to me at first either. But, really Katara think about it. I'm around the right age, I'm a fire bender, I have your necklace, and I knew about the dagger. For Agni sake Katara, just look at me."

Zuko watched as Katara really looked at him for the first time since they were children. He slowly saw her eyes go from blazing angry to complete surprise. "Zuko?" she asked cautiously almost like she didn't believe it. He smiled at her and before he knew it she was in his arms once again. Only this time, she was hugging him just as hard rather then struggling.

Everything was perfect for just a little while. But, far too quickly reality set in with Katara and he felt her struggled again. "You, you," she struggled. "You changed, I never want to see you again. Just get away from me."

"No, Katara," Pleaded Zuko. "I haven't really, just listen to me. Please," he said reaching for her again.

She kept herself out of his reach. But, didn't run away, which Zuko took as a good sign. "Alright," she yelled. "Explain how your actions in the last few months prove you haven't changed. How is hunting down the world's last hope for peace and breaking a promise you once gave me something you would have done ten years ago?"

"I have not broken my promise to you. I have been working the last ten years to fulfill that promise. And the worlds only hope is not some twelve year old boy. I refuse to believe that," shouted Zuko. "I'm not putting all my hope on some young kid."

Katara visibly hesitated before finally asking him, "What's going on, Zuko?" They both started to calm as Zuko explained his plan ten years in the making and how he screwed it up in five minutes. He then told her about how he was going to get it back on track, which included her new friend Aang.

"So, where does this leave us?" she asked when he was done.

"The next step seems obvious to me," was Zuko's reply. "I promised I would find you in the future and keep you safe. Now that I've found you, I don't intend for us to be separated again."

"I see," was all she said."

"I know it'll be difficult for you. But, I really hope that by the end of this you will see it my way."

"What happens after you capture Aang? To me I mean. I'm sure your father would not take too kindly to me," she told him.

Zuko rubbed his neck in frustration before replying. "We'll figure that out when we come to it."

"And how would Aang be treated. He is only twelve as you so pointed out," she added,

"He will be treated with dignity and not be harmed while in my custody," vowed Zuko.

"What about your father?" asked Katara.

"I'll be Fire Lord soon," was all he responded with because they both knew exactly how his father would treat Aang.

Katara hesitated for a really long time before finally looking at Zuko with the most determined face he had ever seen.

"Alright," she said. "If you promise not to capture him tonight I'll go with you. After tonight, all bets are off."