Did I freak you out a little in that last chapter? Well that was nothing. I gave myself chills writing this one. I hope I give at least one person nightmares. Oh and FYI an incubus is a sort of daydream that is more of abad thing then a dream.

A sudden burst a flames lit up the cave enough for Katara to see the man clawing at her blanket. It wasn't Zuko, that was good. The flames however, lit the man a blaze quickly crawling up the man's body. Katara freaked and kicked the man back and scooted further back into her little corner. The look in the man's eyes. The pure terror. Katara closed her eyes tight as the darkness surrounded her once more. She hugged herself and waited for the noise. Any noise. The sound of feet scuffling, the sound of someone breathing. But there was nothing. Cold, dead silence. That send thousands of tendrils down her spine picking at every nerve along the way. She hugged herself tighter refusing to open her eyes.

It is all a nightmare. It will all go away. But slowly as she held her eyes tight, incubus after incubus started to fall in front of her eye lids, playing and dancing on the blackened skin. The hungry look in the men's eyes that had tried to rape her. The monsterous hunger she felt as they pulled at her. Every sense ran wild as she could feel the men's sickening touch rolling over her skin. The feel of the sharp pain running through her head as she hit the side of the tree. An immense stabbing sensation in her back as the thorns were pulled one by one. Then this. The horrid look in the man's eye. He was terrified, and his eyes said it all. The said "Help me." His voice had already screamed it out to her ears but the look in his eyes spoke directly to her soul, making her heart wrench in fear and desperation.

Was this man bad? Did he die in vain, or did he deserve it? No. No one ever deserved to die, no matter the crime. But what was the crime that this man had been accused of? Or caught in? And what of Zuko? Was he the enemy or was he her savior? Was he both? Could he be both?

As sudden as the incubi appeared they vanished, leaving her alone again in the dark with only her fear to warm her icy blood.

A cold hand grabbed her shoulder and she screamed. She kicked out violently, eyes sealed shut, as she tried to get the demon from her. There was no way this creature was going to take her alive. Strong arms wrapped around her, keeping her from fighting. They were trying to claim her. Drag her into the deep dark depths of hell along with the other demonic entities. She tired again to scream but her breath forsaked her. She could find no strength in her heart, nor breath in her chest to force into a vocal noise. Fear had taken hold of her, digging knife like talons deep into her soul, stealing the breath from her and paralyzing her as she could no longer feel to move.

Zuko held her firmly to him. The way she was fighting she could do serious damage to him and her both. He had to calm her down.

"Quiet now! No one is going to hurt you anymore!" He ordered in a soft tone. He could feel her pulse beating hard in her chest at a rapid rate. If he didn't slow it down, her heart could very well explode in her chest from the stress being put on it. Her body temperature was fluctuating wildly, first she would be scorching hot, the next cold as death. Zuko felt his body start to flood in fear, not only for the girl's life, but what was wearing off onto him from her.

Katara could feel the mighty arms around her, preventing her from running, preventing her from escape. No one was there to save her, no Aang, no Sokka, no Gran-Gran. No one. She couldn't do it alone. She started to cry. She didn't want to be pulled into the vast emptiness, she didn't want to disappear into that endless void. An urge pulled at her, whispering to her from far away. A voice came to her out of the darkness, sommoning her to be strong. She couldn't speak she couldn't answer. She had no strength left. She had nothing. But still the voice spoke to her in soft tones. Urging her to be strong, to push forward and prevail over the darkness before her. That everything was going to be fine. But the darkness was so dense, she couldn't move. She tried to do as the voice commanded but her spirit wouldn't let her. Another voice came to her then. It's hopeless, just give it up. Who was this voice? A voice from deep inside her own self. Inside her mind a voice full of harshness and truth emerged. Give it up, it coached. What is worth living for, if an incubus can feast on your soul? But the voice of reason and life came stronger then.

"Listen to me Katara. You are not going to give up. You have been through to much." Zuko said clinging to her as her body started to jerk. Tears were streaming constantly down her face. Zuko watched her as she fought. Tears fell from his own eyes upon her hair. So much torture and anguish inside one's own heart was a horrifing thing to experience, and one hundred times worse to witness first hand.

What was she fighting? Her sanity? Her own will to survive? Perhaps the monsters that had attacked her? All of these were possibilites, and nothing could be ruled out. Zuko gasped as her body suddenly limped in his arms. Her body temperture dropped and her head fell limply back against his chest.

"No. No. No. Don't you give up now!" He ordered. He laid her on her back and brought a flame to his hand so that he could look over her. Her bronze face was pale and her blue eyes were rolled back in her head. Such is the power of one's mind. Zuko caught his breathing quicken, he took a brief moment to compose himself before he put his ear to her chest. Her heart was beating faintly. But it was beating none the less. He raised his cheek close to her mouth to feel for breath. He waited but not a warm burst, or even a puff,passed over her lips. He set the fire to a lump of kindling and tilted her head back. Once a deep breath. Then again. He watched as her chest rose as he gave her breath, only to get no response in return. He clasped his hands and pumped her chest, then again tried to breath life into her. After a few rounds of repitition, Katara gasp for breath and began to hack. Quickly Zuko sat her up against him so that her air passage was unobscured. He pulled her close to him in order to comfort her.

'Zuko?"

"Hm."

"You are an ass you know that?" She said and fell into a deep sleep. After all fighting against ones own demons is tiring work. Zuko smiled and nodded.

"Yes. I know." He leaned back against the wall, positioning her with her head on his chest. He placed his hand on her shoulder so that he could monitor her breathing. He looked out into the darkness of the cave just beyond the reach of the small fire. Somewhere within that room was a man who had tried to harm her. A burnt corpse that tried to steal her away, while she was in the most vulnerable of states. He had lied to himself. He had said he wouldn't kill for this girl. But he had. For a man to try and take as bait a woman who normally would not need any help in defending herself, was one thing. But when that woman was unable to fight back was another. Only a coward would try that. He hated cowards. Even so, now the man he encoutered in the woods would have a son to bury. It was by their own faults. They should have known not to mess with the Prince of the Fire Nation.

Tell me exacly how that made you feel! Oh and for those of you who don't know my writing very well, no this isn't going to start an automatic realtionship. Come on now. How lame is that. I have way to many twists in mind for this story and by the time I am done, I'll be a pretzel delux!