I realized that some of my spellings of the character's names are wrong, so I fixed them. Sorry about that. I was sure that was how they were spelled…(stupid me) And so this is where the actual story begins… - ZeroSoul

"Katara!"

Katara didn't bother to turn around, but someone grabbed her from behind and pulled her around. It was Aang. He had scratches and burns on his face, along with smoke marks, but he was still up and running.

Not like Sokka.

"…Aang…" Katara gasped as she looked at him. Tears were still in her eyes.

"I'm sorry about Sokka, Katara," Aang said as he gave her a hug, "It got to him before I could,"

"…it…?" Katara gasped. Her voice was raspy and she could only whisper.

Aang grabbed Katara's hand and led her away from the camp, "We have to leave. Now. It's too dangerous and it might be coming back for you and me,"

"But…" Katara choked. She let go of Aang and ran to Sokka's limp and bloody body. "…I can't…I can't leave…Sokka…"

Aang pulled at her arm, "Katara, we can't stay here. We'll come back for him but it's too dangerous right now,"

"NO!" Katara yelled, holding onto her brother's body.

"Kita–" Aang began. He then yelled, "KATARA! DUCK!"

Katara only shot her head up to see Aang use his Airbending to fly over her and Sokka. Aang pulled out his staff and Katara blinked.

She felt something splatter onto her face and body.

Katara touched her cheek and looked at what was on her.

Blood. Warm red blood.

She looked up to see Aang choking and gasping as something sharp had harpooned him in the stomach. Aang gasped for air and collapsed onto the ground. Katara couldn't say anything, but clutch Aang as she looked to see what had done this to him. But she could see nothing but the small fires burning around her and the smoke.

"Aang! Aang, can you hear me…?" Katara whispered to him.

Aang coughed up some blood and choked out some words, "…The…Sha…"

"Aang, don't speak!" Katara whispered to him.

Aang gripped her clothes and pushed himself up. One hand was placed on Katara's shoulder and the other on his bleeding wound, "…The…Sha…dow…The…Shadow is…coming…Kit…ara…run…" He gave her a rough pushed. "…RUN!"

Katara clung to Aang's side, "No, Aang! You're hurt! I won't leave you here!"

Aang forced a bitter smile, "Kit…ara…I'm the…Avatar…I'll be…reborn…"

Katara held onto Aang, "No, Aang. I don't care. You maybe the Avatar, but there'll be only one Aang and…and…" She was on the verge of crying again.

Aang put his finger to her lips and smiled even more. His teeth were flecked with dark blood, "…no worries…Katara…I'll…always be…with you…"

And he kissed her gently. There was a faint glow as he kissed her and then he laid back and finally closed his eyes and became cold and still in Katara's arms.

It was sometimes considered to be a normal habit of the exiled Fire Nation Prince Zuko to sit on the outside of his boat and watch the waves whip by and some of the scenery as well. Most of the crew would stare at him for a few minuets, then go on their merry way when he felt their eyes drilling in the back of his neck and turn around and glare at them. Watching the waves was just another form of taking a break from searching for The Avatar.

'The Avatar,' - he clenched his fist bitterly as he remembered that stupid little monk boy. That bright smiling face. Those blue arrows on his body and the power he had…the power to defeat him in battle. Damn him. Curse him. May fire reign down and consume his soul – now there was a different thought. One of these days, he was going to have to write all of this down.

"Prince Zuko," said his Uncle, "You're brooding again,"

Prince Zuko turned a little to see that his Uncle right behind him. The old man was sipping a cup of tea with polite slurping noises as he looked at his nephew. Zuko acknowledged his presence, then turned his head back around to face the waves.

"You know," continued his Uncle as he walked next to the prince, "you should smile more often,"

"I'll smile when I capture The Avatar," answered Zuko.

"You should also be less obsessive," answered his Uncle, "You should take some time to relax and smell the peonies once in a while,"

Zuko paused, "…I have allergies,"

"Have it your way, Prince Zuko," retorted his Uncle as he walked away, "But you really should take a break,"

"I'll have plenty of time to relax after I capture the Avatar,"

'…or when you're dead,' thought his Uncle, but did not speak it. He then blinked as he saw smoke rising from a coastline, "Prince Zuko…look, smoke," He pointed towards it.

Zuko now turned completely around. He could see what looked like a tent and the remains of a camp burned to the ground. He could also make out two people nearby it, but couldn't see their faces. He could tell how the camp had been expertly burnt so that anything that was vital to a person's survival was destroyed.

"Firebenders…" Zuko murmured. He then walked away from the side of the boat and got ready to go down below. He spoke to his Uncle before leaving, "Alert everyone above! We're going to stop there and explore! I want to see what's going on there!"

His Uncle shrugged, "Your wish is my command, Prince Zuko,"

Katara sat their cradling Aang for a little while until she finally let go of him. She stood up, but fell back down…the world felt dizzy and confusing to her as she crawled around on the ground. She felt like the sky was getting ready to crack and fall and the earth would rupture.

What was happening? Was she going insane?

But Aang…(she couldn't bare to look at Aang's cold body now)…he was The Avatar (Avatar's don't die! They live! They live and they save everyone!)…and now he was…(He was supposed to save them all!)…and Sokka…(He was her brother! He was supposed to be there for her when her mother and father couldn't!)…he was…he was…

Katara felt herself suddenly become hallow, as if a hole had opened up inside of her. She could feel so many different emotions – loneliness, sorrow, depression – but couldn't express them. All she could do was sit there, tucked into a little ball, and remain silent.

"Give me your report on what you found," Zuko demanded from one of his soldiers.

"We found several things, prince," answered the soldier. They had been on the land for a few minuets now and Zuko had sent several of his soldiers to go around and explore.

"…well?" Zuko growled.

The soldier paled and coughed. He looked nauseated, "We…found…a dead…lemur,"

Zuko raised an eyebrow, "A dead lemur?"

"It had been…mutilated…and we also found…a…bison…also…in the same…condition…" The soldier choked and then vomited onto the ground at suddenly remembering what he had seen. Zuko made a disgusted face and backed away from the soldier as he collapsed onto the ground.

"Prince Zuko, I strongly suggest we leave this place, now," said his Uncle, "This place has an eerie feeling to it,"

"I feel it too," Zuko answered, "but now I'm curious about it," He turned away from the group and got on his armored rhino. "Uncle, you come with me to that burning camp. The rest of you watch the boat and go clean that lemur and bison,"

The soldiers nodded and went on their way to perform their duties. Zuko kicked the sides of the rhino and it went on its way. They entered some small woods nearby. The woods suddenly seemed thicker once they entered them. There was dead leaves everywhere and the trees were so tall they seemed to cover the sky. It seemed that they went travelling through it for hours.

"…Prince Zuko…we passed this…tree…" his Uncle said, looking weary.

"That's impossible! The woods can't be that big!" Zuko answered, but he was feeling a little strange himself. It felt like they were going in huge circle and going no where. The woods seemed to be so huge to him all of a sudden and his heart thumped in his chest. What was happening? What was going on? Were they trapped here? Would they be here for all eternity? What if…

The rhino passed through some trees and they were back out in the open. Zuko drew several deep breaths at seeing that they were out of the woods. He then gazed upon the ruined camp. It was defiantly Firebenders' work – he could tell now. He then gasped as he saw two corpses lying nearby them.

"Prince Zuko! Are you…alright?" his Uncle asked.

Prince Zuko nodded and swallowed. It was only a dead body. Only a dead body. Even though he managed to convince himself of this, it felt like he had swallowed an ice cream cone whole. He was shaking as he got off his rhino and identified the body. The first body was a young man, not far from his own age. His eyes were open and glazed over and his throat had been sliced open. He was wearing Water Tribe clothes as well…

'Water Tribe…wait, this is…!' Zuko thought as he gasped. This was the boy that was always with the Avatar along with the girl. The boy…what was his name again? Sokka? Was that it? (Probably not, but he was going to go with it) Then there was the girl…Katara? But did that mean that the Avatar…

Zuko whirled around to the second corpse.

It the Avatar.

But he was cold and stiff and bloody.

But it was the Avatar!

But he was...was…

"Oh…oh shit…" Zuko said as he fell to his knees.

The exiled Fire Prince Zuko had finally found what would redeem him in the eyes of his father. He had found what he had been searching for. He had found The Avatar.

…but the Avatar was dead and gone.

What would he do now? All that effort, all that hope of returning home, all of that…gone. Wasted. Frozen in time. Evaporated like water. Up in flames.

He felt like crying.

His Uncle got down the rhino and observed the bodies with silence. He then gave a quiet bow and murmured a prayer so that their dead souls would go to heaven. He walked over to comfort his nephew, but saw something more interesting out of the corner of his eye.

A girl.

A young woman to be more precise.

She was sitting and staring off into space, oblivious to the carnage around her.

She had blood on her.

"Young lady," said Uncle, walking over to her, "what are you doing in such a place?"

The young woman said nothing to him. She continued staring into space. Uncle walked in front of her and waved his hand in front of her face. Nothing. She didn't react. She was blinking and she was breathing, but she was mentally dead.

"Prince Zuko," said Uncle, "I think…this young woman…I think she is the only survivor,"

Zuko turned his head to the girl. She was sitting there, staring off into nothing. He got up from the ground and walked over to her. The girl was still alive, but she was silent as the death that had happened at this place.

"Do you know her, Prince Zuko?" asked his Uncle.

"In a way," Zuko sighed. He didn't feel too sad that The Avatar and all his dreams of returning home were gone yet. Depression would probably sink in later that day, "She was with the Avatar and she's from the Water Tribe. Those corpses were probably her friends,"

"What do we do with her?" asked his Uncle.

Zuko shrugged and began to walk away, "Take her back to the boat and leave,"

"What about the bodies?" asked his Uncle.

Zuko got on the rhino, "Have the soldiers bury them or whatever. I don't care,"

As the soldiers went to bury the bodies and give them a proper funeral, Zuko, his Uncle, and the girl went back to the boat. The girl, who Zuko now identified as Katara, had said nothing. She had rode on the rhino, got on the boat, and followed them led by Uncle's hand.

"Where should we put her?" asked Uncle.

"In the prisoner's cell. Of course," Zuko answered.

"A prisoner's cell? Prince Zuko, this young lady's been through a horrible tragedy and that would be so cold hearted of us just to throw her away like a prisoner. Surely she is no threat to you now?" said his Uncle.

Zuko glared at him, "Then where do you suggest we put her, Uncle?"

Uncle smiled. Katara said nothing.

Katara was eventually placed in one of the guestrooms on the boat. It was a very nice room with a window, bed, and table and it was on the same level with Zuko and Uncle's room. Zuko had a royal fit about putting her there, but his Uncle overrode his anger, restating how the girl had been through a terrible experience and needed a nice place to lay her head. Katara calmly entered the room and sat on the bed, still staring into space.

"Fine, she can stay in the damn guest room," Zuko growled as they were outside of the room, leaving Katara in there alone.

His Uncle smiled, "Good then. I suppose I'll go and have some tea now. Care to join me?"

"No thank you," Zuko answered as he walked away and to his room, slamming the door.

For the next hours, Zuko found himself brooding as he sat on his bed about what would be his next plan of action. The Avatar was worm's food now, as so was his hope being redeemed. So now what? What would an exiled prince do now that he had no true purpose anymore? He sighed, as he felt true depression washing over him. He may as well welcome it with open arms. He had nothing better to do.

What he needed was something to express his grief with.

Maybe something on the alcoholic side.

Something alcoholic would be nice.

Zuko suddenly remembered his uncle having a closed liquor closet in his room. He got up from the bed and exited his room as silent as possible. He then walked over to his uncle's room and opened the door. No one was inside of it. He checked the area to make sure no one was hiding in the shadows and then stealthily went over to the liquor closet.

It didn't take him long to jimmy it open.

Inside was all types of wines, brandies, sherries, beers, and many more Zuko didn't recognize. Of course, he had never experienced having a little nip, but figured that he shouldn't drink too much, less he succumb to alcohol poisoning.

He decided on a bottle on wine.

"To The Avatar and me having the idea that I would ever go home," Zuko said as he opened the bottle.

He took a swig.

All of the sudden, the world seemed a little bit happier.

Prince Zuko is my favorite character on the show. The next chapter should up soon. - ZeroSoul