I am back! : ) You are all such lovely readers, really, you all make me so happy!!! I just want to let you all now that I'll be going to Kentucky for a couple days to see off my brother- he's deploying to Afghanistan : ( But when I'm back, be assured that a new chapter will be posted : ) So, lets continue!

P.S. Some of you might be wondering why this story is rated T. Well, there aren't any lemons or stuff like that, but there are some things that happen in this that are rather violent and some adult situations. I promise, no lemons though, you won't be reading anything like that- just disturbing stuff.

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The sky had an orange glow to it as the sun went down, making it look as if someone had set the clouds aflame. The air around him was hot but he felt so cold; so cold as he stared at Kaori. He watched the guards remove the gag from her mouth and throw it to the iron floor. He watched her long hair blow in the wind, crossing over her face and over her wild eyes that stared directly at him. They were angry. Furious. Hurt. Upset. Betrayed. So many things that he couldn't process at once and yet these eyes were forcing him to.

There were three guards behind her, although it was not possible for her to run away, they were just a precautionary measure. She was tied to a metal chair, her wrists and ankles bruised from her chains. Her clothes were ripped and torn, the skin showing marked up and turning colors.

He wanted to go to her, he wanted to set her free. He wanted to be the person that she needed him to be. He wanted to be with her, he wanted to know how to do that.

Zhao stepped forward and the sky darkened, becoming an ungodly dark red. Zuko opened his mouth but no sound came out, nothing at all. He tried to take a step forward but his feet would not move.

Kaori's eyes detached from his and focused on Zhao, looking bold and defiant. She sat up, raising her chin as if to egg him on. As if to show him she was not afraid.

He watched as Zhao took out a blade, watched it glimmer. Something inside of him curled up and his face surely showed the agony that he felt.

Zhao raised the blade into the air, smirking widely, this was what it all came down to. This is what Zhao had been meant to finish.

Zuko's hands clenched and he could feel his heart racing. No, no, no, he had to get to her, he had to save her.

Zhao brought the blade down, stabbing it into Kaori's heart. Blood blossomed on her shirt and her eyes went wide. She made a choking sound and then her head lowered, eyes still frozen.

Zuko let out a silent scream, trying to move, only to fall to the ground. He could save her, he knew he could, he knew he wasn't to late but the blood…there was so much blood… And Zhao…he was laughing, he was laughing so much and Zuko wanted to shut him up once and for all.

Something caught his attention as he watched Kaori lift up her head. She stared at him, blood bubbling at the corner of her lips. "Teken…" she whispered, her voice echoing. "What a nice name…"

Zuko shot up in bed, his breathing hard and fast. With wide eyes he glanced around, trying to regain control over his breath. His room, he was in his room on his ship. It had been a dream…no, a nightmare. A terrible nightmare. Zuko laid back down slowly, unable to close his eyes- he knew he would see that image again. His skin was covered in a thin layer of sweat and he shivered slightly. The nightmare had been unnerving, so realistic and yet…

He had felt something so strong from the nightmare, so powerful, and he wasn't sure what he thought of it. It made him feel vulnerable and that made him feel weak and yet… He was drawn to this feeling; he had never experienced it before.

Zuko turned on his side, staring at the wall. No matter what he felt, he would get Kaori out by the coming nightfall. He would not let a nightmare become reality.

XxXxXxXxX

"Good morning, Prince Zuko," Zhao greeted him, seated at the head of a long table- seated in what was usually Zuko's seat in the small, ship dining hall.

Zuko glanced at Uncle Iroh, who looked at him pointedly. Zuko managed to give Zhao a small nod. "General," he said, although the words were hard to get out. He sat down across from Uncle Iroh, staring at his plate. The servants slowly brought in lunch, a tray of freshly cooked meat and sliced fruit. Uncle Iroh served himself first, passed the tray to Zuko who served himself hardly any food. Zuko's hands twitched on the tray and he slid it down to Zhao, resisting the urge to throw it.

Zhao served himself and then bit into a chunk of meat, chewing noisily. "So, Prince Zuko, I hope that your evening is free,"

Zuko glanced up from the pieces of fruit he had been pushing around. "Why is that?" he muttered.

Zhao swallowed then took a long chug of water. "Because I plan on executing the prisoner as soon as we hit land, which will be by the late afternoon,"

Zuko almost choked on the piece of fruit he had thrown into his mouth, but he managed to swallow it hard. Uncle Iroh held his cup of tea half way to his lips, looking shocked.

"So soon, General Zhao? Surely you want to give the girl a trial or some time, an execution takes a long time to prepare…"

Zhao laughed, slamming his cup down as he did so. "I've been planning this execution for some time now!" His eyes slid to Zuko, testing the boy. "An execution doesn't have to be pretty. Especially of a wench."

Zuko stared at Zhao, forcing back all his biting comments and all his rage- his uncle had never been more proud of him.

"I completely agree," Zuko managed to say, returning his attention to his food.

Zhao let out a 'humph' and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I'll be expecting you to be in the front row, Prince Zuko, at least that will show you still have some honor left,"

Zuko stared at his food, glad that he had his mouth full and could not answer.

Kaori. He would not let her die. That would not happen.

XxXxXxXxX

Kaori sat in her cell, clothes dirty and hair matted. What she wanted right now was a shower, that was her one desire. Well, she supposed her one desire was to be out of this cell, but a shower was a close second. She could practically feel the dirt moving on her skin.

Ever since she had been little, Kaori had learned that there would be people in the world who would not appreciate her talent. Every knock on her parent's door was regarded with caution, they were always expecting people to find them, and one day, they were found. That was the day that man, that Zhao, had killed her parents. She had escaped him and he had never found her. Many people had died that day- villagers that would not help him search for her as she hid on the island. She had wandered and wandered for a hiding spot until she came to a waterfall. It had been so beautiful that she knew this was where she was to hide for no one as ugly and evil as Zhao could enter such a precious spot.

And now, here she was in his cell. Trapped. A prisoner.

She stifled a laugh. She had managed to escape him but she should have known that eventually, all things that are lost get caught. But why did it have to involve Teken? No, that wasn't his name though, it was Zuko. Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, of all Nations.

She ground her teeth. He had lied to her, but then, she had never really asked him. She had never asked him where he had come from, what he was doing on her island. She had wanted to respect his past and let him tell her himself. She had seen his scar and knew that whatever burden he was carrying was a heavy one.

The worst part was that she wasn't entirely sure if she was upset with him. She wanted to be, but he had seemed so honest when he had said he would help her escape- like he actually meant it. Besides, there had to be more to the story. The only thing she knew about Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation was that he was the Fire Lord's only son- that was all. She frowned as the information passed through her head- if he was the only son, then why was he at sea? Didn't extravagant princes stay at home in their palace?

Sighing, she closed her eyes. Her body was tired and aching; the ties around her wrists and ankles had already left bruises. There was nothing she could do. Either Teken- Zuko- would help her or she would be executed.

She heard the door open slowly and she opened her eyes, expecting to see the young servant girl who had been bringing her food and water, but instead saw Zuko coming towards the bars of the cell. She scowled at him, yet inwardly cursed herself for the small flutter in her chest. How dare she feel that way when he entered the room! How dare she feel anything other than hate for what he was! And yet there was a part of her that didn't- the part that told him the story of her ancestors, the part that was allowing him to help her. She didn't know what this part was, only that it should belong to Teken, not some prince.

"Kaori," Zuko said softly. "We're landing very soon, we're just now turning so that we can dock safely. We've got a half an hour, tops,"

Kaori sat up a little, frowning. "You're still going to get me out of here." she stated, pushing down the fluttering feeling that lifted in her chest. No. She wouldn't feel like that.

Zuko nodded. "Yes. I'm getting you out now. When we dock, I'll already have you out of here and hidden. Zhao and his men will come down here to get you, but while they're doing that, I'll sneak you off the ship."

"And then what?" Kaori whispered, frowning deeper. "They'll search for me,"

Zuko nodded. "I've been on this island with my uncle before. About a mile away is another dock. We'll buy a boat from them and you can take it and escape. I'll stall Zhao as long as I can,"

Kaori stared at him- it was a good plan, she would give him that, but she doubted that it would actually work. Before she could comment, Zuko lifted his hands to the bars, examining them. He muttered something to himself and then stood up, going to the door of the cell. He placed his hand on the lock, taking a deep breath, and Kaori saw the metal glow red as he melted it.

There, she said to herself, look at that. Look at what he can do. He's a fire bender. See that flame? You should hate him. You should curse him. That flame has caused you so much pain in your life. Look at it. Hate him. Hate him just like you hate all the others like him.

But she couldn't fully do that. It wasn't Zuko that had caused her the pain in her life- it had been others. The lock fell to the ground and Zuko picked it up, putting it in a pocket in his clothes. He glanced at her. "Can't leave evidence," he muttered, opening the door.

Kaori stared at him as he approached her. She was completely defenseless and he was a fire bender- why didn't she feel more afraid? Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that there was still Teken in him, that it was Teken helping her, too.

"It's okay," Zuko said softly, reaching out to her. He began untying her wrists and Kaori closed her eyes. She hadn't flinched when he had touched her, she hadn't felt disgusted by what those hands could create. This was so wrong, so very wrong.

He tossed the rope around her hands away, working on her ankles. Once he finished, Zuko stood up, holding out a hand for her. "Lets go," he said, and she nodded slowly.

Cautiously, Kaori reached up her hand, taking his gently. Was he really so different now? He still had the same eyes…the same stubbornness, the same quietness about him. Was he someone else now that she knew he was a prince?

He pulled her up and Kaori lost her balance, stumbling into him a bit. She froze, staying completely still- Zuko didn't move an inch either but she felt him tense up. He was so close to her, yet she wasn't afraid of him. She didn't want to run away from him like she should. He was helping her, she had seen how badly he wanted to help her in his eyes. The guilt and the pain. He didn't just want to help her, he needed to. He was Teken, he had to be, this new title and name didn't matter.

Zuko slowly took her hand, grasping it in his, and looked away from her, afraid to see her expression. "Come on," he said quickly, clearing his throat. "We've got to hurry,"

"Alright," Kaori spoke softly, nodding her head once.

He pulled on her hand, leading her out into the hallway. He would not let them be heard or seen by anyone, if they were, then everything would be over. Surprisingly, getting Kaori to his room wasn't as hard as he thought it was- for it was there that he planned to hide her. A couple times, a servant would approach them, and Zuko would turn the other way, shielding Kaori from view and taking different paths until they were out of view from anyone. He rushed Kaori into his room, glancing down the hallways and then shutting the door behind him, letting out a relieved sigh.

Kaori had her arms crossed and she looked around the room. "Phase one is complete…" she muttered.

He nodded, watching her look at his things. She picked up a book that he had lying around, then placed it down with a twitch of her lips. When her eyes slid to the Fire Nation emblem he had hanging from his wall, he saw her scowl.

"Kaori," He said, coming up to where she stood. "I'm…I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. I couldn't,"

She glanced at him. "You're right. I would have hated you right away. Probably thrown you into a dungeon of my own,"

"I wasn't sure I ever wanted you to find out." Zuko said slowly. "I liked…I liked feeling normal for once. You didn't treat me like I was a prince."

Kaori turned to face him, nodding slowly, something sparking in her eyes. "No, I know what you mean…" she said quietly. "I didn't want to tell you who I was because you were treating me like I was just some girl… I liked feeling like I wasn't someone…someone who ruled an island. I liked being treated like I was just me…"

Zuko stepped closer to her, exhaling slowly. "I didn't want all this to happen," he said. "I didn't plan for it. It's why I didn't want you coming with me."

"But you would have met up with them eventually. What would you have done then?"

Zuko paused. "I…I don't know. I probably would have left you at an island, snuck away."

Kaori stared up at him, aware and yet not aware of how close he was standing. "And now you're helping me…"

He nodded. "I can't let anything happen to you. I will get you out of here,"

Her chest was almost touching his and she took a deep breath. "Zu..ko?" she said slowly, trying out the name on her tongue.

He nodded again with the slightest hint of a smile. "Kaori,"

Kaori leaned closer to him, felt his breath against her face while her own caught in her throat. "No fair," she whispered, moving closer to him, shocked at how she felt and yet she had known it all along. "You already knew my name…"

She watched him close his eyes and felt her own sliding shut, tilting her head to the side and draping her arms gently around his neck. "Zuko…" she whispered, testing the name again, and she felt him shiver from the feel of her breath against his lips.

Suddenly, the ship shook and their eyes snapped open. Kaori took two steps away from Zuko, shocked that she had allowed herself to be overcome by emotions like that. Surely it had just been a thing of the moment but no, no, she knew it wasn't. She knew that he was Teken, that this was who she knew and that nothing had changed. She hated herself for knowing that and yet there was no stopping it.

Zuko stared at her and blinked. "We've docked," he said simply. "It's time to go,"