Belief

Zuko stood there, damp from the rain, with a look of utmost surprise on his face. He didn't know how long he stood there. He just new that it was for awhile.

"Prince Zuko. . . . ?" Iroh waved a hand in front of Zuko's shocked face. ". . . . anyone in there?" Nothing. A blink every once in awhile but nothing else. Iroh had come in when his nephew absence had been noted and commented on. When he asked Katara if she new anything, she got all quiet and said she saw him last in his room. ". . . . Zuko?" Iroh grabbed his nephew by the shoulders and shook him. That seemed to snap him out of the trance. Knocking away his uncle's hands, Zuko stormed out of the room, leaving a very confused and baffled Iroh in his wake.

Katara was sitting quietly on her bed when the door slammed open, startling her. Zuko was livid. He shut the door behind him and glared at her.

"What the hell was that?" Katara stared at him, confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't try to mess with me, alright?" Zuko yelled.

"What are you talking about!" Katara repeated, frustrated.

"You know what I'm talking about!" He snapped. Realizing what he meant, Katara looked away, slightly embarrassed.

"Listen, I wasn't trying to mess with you, alright." She whispered quietly, praying that no one would find out what she had said. Zuko was quiet, trying to figure out what to do.

". . . . did my uncle set you up to this?" Katara shook her head as she stared at the floor. ". . . . . then . . . . why?"

". . . . I don't know." She answered softly, causing Zuko to frown.

"Are you sure?" She crossed her arms as she glared up at him.

"What?" She growled out, annoyed.

"I'm a firebender, you're a waterbender. I'm a prince, you're a peasant. We are complete opposites. We'd never work." Zuko muttered shaking his head.

". . . . do you like me?" Katara asked him, startling him.

"I'm a prince!" He responded, shocked.

"What does that have to do with anything. It is a simple question. Do you like me?" Zuko glared at her.

"Just because you're pretty doesn't mean I like you." He snapped, causing Katara to smile.

"You think I'm pretty?" Zuko blinked and realized that he slipped up. A faint blush crossed his face as he sputtered out a reply.

"D-don't change the subject!" He looked away from her smiling eyes.

"You like me." It was a simple statement that was whispered softly. Zuko scoffed and stormed out of the room, bent on taking his frustration out in training.

Yumi looked up at Bumi as he sat on his chair. The guards had been sent out to give Yumi and King Bumi some privacy as they talked.

"That was quite an impressive display of firebending." Bumi frowned. "I've only heard of one woman who bends fire the way you do. And she was cast out of the Fire Nation." The dark eyed woman stared up at the king with no emotion on her face. The old man watched her carefully. Those pitch black eyes of hers seemed to suck in every last thing. And in some way, it scared the old man. He knew that her display of firebending was only a fraction of her power. She had never lost control and she didn't seem like the type of person who would go all out when they weren't in a life and death situation.

Finally, after what seemed liked an eternity, the young woman spoke.

". . . . what are you getting at?" Bumi pondered her question for a moment. What was he getting at? The truth for one, but she already knew that.

"Are you her?" Yumi remained emotionless while she looked up at the old man. Even though she was looking up at him, he had the feeling that she was truly looking down on him and everyone like him. Not just earthbenders. Firebenders were included in that.

"You dare not speak my name?" She smirked, finally showing something other than emptiness on her face and eyes. "Funny. Even those who are the enemies of the Fire Nation hate me."

"You protected the Fire Nation. What did you expect?" Silence hung in the air. It was her turn to think. But whatever thoughts entered her head were not voiced. She only chose to stay silent. "Why are you helping the Avatar?"

"I already explained why." Bumi's frown deepened.

"That seems to be correct. But I doubt that is the only reason." Yumi closed her eyes and nodded.

"You are correct in doubting. I have been here long enough. I wish to go home now. The Avatar is my ticket home, back with my father."

"Like Prince Zuko?" She raised an eyebrow. "Oh yes, I have heard of the banished prince of the Fire Nation. His only way home is to bring the Avatar to his father. Do you have any idea how many assassins have been sent after him? Even if he is banished, he still is the prince of the Fire Nation." Now it was Bumi's turn to smirk, a strange expression on his face. "Strange thing is, only a few got to him. Do you have any idea why that is?" Yumi was silent for a moment before her clear voice rang through the thick air, barely above a whisper.

"Haven't a clue."

"How long has he been training?" Katara looked back to see Iroh coming onto the deck. It had long since stopped drizzling and the moon was out. She had been sitting on a crate and was quietly watching as Zuko trained. He only seemed to train even harder with her watching him.

"A few hours."

"Ah." Iroh watched Katara look up at the moon. The fire from Zuko's bending roared as he punched and kick. ". . . . . do not worry." Katara looked back at Iroh confused.

"What are you talking about?" Iroh just smiled at her and patted her on the shoulder.

"Prince Zuko does things when something new happens and he does not know how to react. Once he is done sorting this out everything will work out." Katara looked back at Zuko.

"What makes you so sure?" The older man smiled and patted her shoulder before he took off and threw his answer over his shoulder.

"Call it a gut feeling."

No one else was on deck but the two of them. Zuko could feel her there. There was something about her that he couldn't place his finger on. Something that drew him to her. Maybe it was her eyes. Blue for an eye color was not something that belonged to the Fire Nation. It gave her a . . . . different look. Or maybe it was her tanned skin. In the Fire Nation, everyone had such light colored skin. That could be it. It could be any number of things that drew him to her. There was so much about her.

Zuko shook his head. He had to get her out of his mind. She haunted him for some reason.

"Aren't you tried yet?" Zuko glanced behind him to see Katara.

"I've gone without sleep before." She shook her head and held in a sigh. He still didn't get it.

"That's not what I meant." Zuko turned and faced Katara.

"Then what did you mean?" She looked up into his amber eyes. Zuko almost felt himself get lost in those eyes. But he pulled back at the last second. He couldn't get lost. There was no way that it would be acceptable for a prince to fall for a peasant.

"Of holding everything in?" Turning his back on her, Zuko gave out a harsh laugh.

"What would waterbender know about a firebender?" Katara narrowed her eyes and held in a scathing retort. She couldn't chase him away. She had to get him open up to her. It was the only way. For some strange reason she liked him and did not want to see him break.

"I know that you can't hold in everything. I know that trying to is hard." Zuko began to walk away from her. The waterbender bit her lip as she thought frantically of a way to get him to open up to her. Perhaps . . .

"I lost my mother when I was young." Zuko stopped dead in his tracks. Why was she telling him this? "I lost her in a Fire Nation raid on our village." Katara reached up and held her mother's necklace.

". . . . ." Zuko didn't know what to say. He wanted to apologize but it wasn't him. He didn't do anything. His words would not change anything. His words would not ease the pain. He could do nothing. It was a cold hard fact. One he had learned a long time ago.

". . . . I know what it's like to lose someone close to you. My father left to fight in the war." His father's war he added mentally. It was his father's war that her own father was fighting in. "It hurts. It hurts a lot. And it is hard keeping everything inside. It eats at you. It isn't safe. Because if you don't have anyone to talk to . . . . it turns every memory into something you hate because you don't want to remember. And sooner or later . . . . you forget. But that's what will hurt the most." Katara fought to hold in the tears. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to cry. So it startled her when she felt two strong arms pull her forward into a hug.

"Promise me . . ." Katara looked up to see Zuko staring off into space over her head. ". . . . promise me that what I'm about to tell you . . . you don't repeat to anyone." Katara felt him let her go as he took a step back.

"I promise that I won't." Zuko looked her dead in the eyes.

"I have your word?"

"Yes." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Silence hung in the air as he thought about what he was going to tell her.

". . . I lost my mother when I was four. I only have an idea what she looked like. I've tried to hold onto the memory of who she was. But I can't. The most I think she looked like is from a portrait of when she was young. Before she married my father." He opened his eyes and looked over the railing at the sea. ". . . . but there was a woman . . . . who treated me like I was her son." Katara watched him carefully. He was struggling to tell her this. It meant a great deal that he would tell her this. It appeared that he hadn't told anyone this. "She wasn't fake like all the other people in the court. She didn't try to use me like some many people tried." Zuko looked back at Katara, his eyes softer. ". . . . she was my teacher. She was very powerful. I thought she could do anything. She protected me against assassins . . . . she taught me how to fight . . . . she even comforted me when I was in pain." Zuko smiled to himself alittle as he remembered her.

"What happened to her?" A frown worked its way onto his lips.

"I don't know. One day . . . my father and uncle just chased her away. I never knew what happened to her. No one would tell me." Katara was quite, unsure of how to respond. After a moment, she became curious.

"What was her name?" A brief smile touched his lips.

"Hellfire."

Yumi pulled the out the hair tie that kept her pony tail to the side. Her dusty black hair fell down, lifeless.

". . . . Master Yumi?" She heard Aang's voice through the stone door. Because she could not Earthbend she had a heavy stone door. The firebender stood up and walked to the door. She pushed it open the door and stared down at the air monk.

"Yes, Aang?" Aang looked up at her with hope in his eyes.

"I think I've mastered what you've taught me so far." Yumi stepped out of the room and started to walk down the hallway.

"Very well, show me." Aang beamed as he ran ahead of her to the training area. Yumi watched him without expressing her emotion but on the inside her cold, calculating mind was busy worrying.

'Where is he? She should have brought them here by now!' Yumi stopped and stood at the railings. Aang began to go through basic firebending sets. She could barely keep her frown off of her face. 'If he is not here soon, then I will have put too much faith in the girl and in him.'

"Hellfire?" Repeated Katara and Zuko nodded in answer to her.

"A strange name, I know. But she wasn't normal, that's for sure." Katara lifted an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Zuko turned his gaze up to the moon.

"Many believe Hellfire was some vengeful spirit taken human form from the very fires of hell. Some believe that she was a demon. Others believe that Hellfire was some kind of witch. There are those who even believe that Hellfire was a fire sprite." Katara tilted her head to the side slightly and watched him for a few minutes. Zuko had walked to the railing and stared at the moon while resting his hands on the railing. After deciding to test the waters once more, she asked another question.

"And what do you believe?" Zuko slowly turned his gaze to her. After a moment, he smiled softly again as he recalled Hellfire.

"I believe that it doesn't matter how she came to be or where she's really from. I believe that one day, I'll see Hellfire again. And that's all that matters." Katara smiled softly at Zuko.

"I think you're right. It doesn't matter where a person came from. All that matters is what they do with their life." Katara came to stand beside Zuko.

"But . . . . the world does not share my views." Sighing, Zuko looked down at the dark waters beneath the ship.

"I never thought you were one to care what the world thinks. If you did, then why care about Hellfire so much?" Zuko smirked and was about to retort when his eyes fell upon her. The moonlight seemed to hit her just right, giving her an angelic glow. His heart sped up. Zuko leaned in close to her. Katara tilted her head up as he came closer and closer to her. Her eyes slowly closed as did his. Katara felt his lips pressed against hers gently. After a few seconds he slowly pulled back and the two teens slowly opened the eyes. A blush adorn Katara's cheeks as Zuko adverted his eyes. Zuko looked back at her after a few minutes. He felt his heart speed up again. She looked even lovelier when she blushed.

". . . . I shouldn't have done that." He whispered quietly. Katara looked up at him, confused.

"Why not?" She asked softly.

". . . . . I did not ask if you wanted to be kissed." Zuko replied as quiet as before with a dazed look in his eyes. Katara smiled.

"Then I will have to do the same to you." Katara stood on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly on the lips. Zuko smirked as she pulled away. Zuko leaned in close to her and whispered into her ear.

"It's late. You should go to bed." Katara nodded, as if in a daze, and watched Prince Zuko walk away from her. A hand reached up and her fingertips brushed against her lips for a brief second before she hurried back to her room.

Hey! Sorry it took so long to update. Please tell me your thoughts and ideas. You might be right. Plus, if you notice something wrong, tell me so that I can go back and fix it. Thank you for reading and please review.