Alright! I guess you would think this would be the last chapter (or maybe not) but it's not! Even though I'm following the plot line from the actual series, I'm not going to stop here! I'll probably keep going a little past the actual end of the series. And just so you know, from now on things are going to get A LOT more interesting. So enjoy! Review please!

**I don't own ATLA or any of its characters. Hikari, on the other hand, is my brain child :D**

{BURNING WATER}

I froze, not daring to even breathe. Katara had turned and was glowering at the enemy's presence.

"Why aren't you with Azula?" she spat; Katara received no answer.

I could feel his eyes still trained on me, and I could feel my anger slowly melting away as I faced the cave wall. I rested a hand on its cold, rough surface. My anger was gone, now I was only numb. I was not prepared to be face to face with him like this. Not with Katara, or with anyone for that matter. I swallowed the bile rising in my throat.

I finally turned to look at him, with guarded eyes. I did not want Katara to know how much his pain presence caused me. I could hear Katara shuffled on the gravelly ground, facing the wall also. Zuko was still staring at me; his eyes were not hostile though.

"Why did you leave?"

Zuko's words echoed slightly, and Katara turned curiously. I glanced with a strangled expression in her direction before focusing on Zuko again.

"Because I wanted my freedom from that damned place." I hissed.

I could see Zuko flinch slightly at my hostility, and my heart squeezed.

"Hikari? Did you know him?" Katara's questioned broke through the bubble of tension.

I didn't look at her as I answered. "I used to. But it doesn't matter now."

I felt no victory as anger and hurt visibly burned in his eyes. I continued to stand at the wall, even as Katara moved to talk to Zuko. It wasn't until the earth began to rumble and Iroh and Aang appeared did I move from the wall. Aang inspected me after he shared a hug with Katara.

"You look pretty torn up." He reached a hand up to wipe my cheek gently. "I don't think I've ever seen you cry before. Did something happen?"

I looked at his wet hand in surprise, then wiped under my eyes with my own hand. I cleaned my face quickly, slightly embarrassed.

"I'm fine." Aang gave me a disbelieving look.

"You know, you don't have to bottle things up." Aang stated.

"I'm not! I'm fine!" I snapped.

I instantly felt bad. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright." Aang smiled. "Just know that you have friends that will always have your back, and are here if you need someone to talk to."

"Thanks." Aang offered me a hug and I accepted, happy to have a hug that wasn't fake or romantic.

{BURNING WATER}

I tripped, scuffing my knee in the process. As the blood starting to bead at the open wound, I realized sadly that Zuko was not here to fix it this time. I dodged a quick blast of fire from Azula, and for a moment I wondered if the blast was actually directed at me or if I just happened to be in the way.

I dropped to the ground quickly as a flash of lighting erupted from Azula's fingertips. My stomach dropped and I pressed myself as close to the stone floor as possible. Her lighting always brought back images of her torturing me, and it terrified me. I jumped up as soon as I heard Katara scream.

It was just in time to see Aang drop from midair, the scorch mark of the lighting the only remnant of the terrifying attack Azula had bestowed upon him. I cursed under my breath, and leaped into the water to waterbend myself out of the cave as Katara had. I looked down at Zuko, who stood next to his sister, a scowl planted on his face.

He looked back at me, and I allowed a glimpse of my hurt. I could see it in his eyes too. The hurt. I shook my head; there was nothing he could do to fix what he had done. There was nothing anyone could do to fix what the Fire Nation had done.