A/N: Hola! Welcome to Chapter Four! Hope you like it. Please review! Thanks!

Chapter Four: Trust

"Hm. The Fire Nation. Okay. Katara of the Fire Nation…" said Katara, absorbing the information Zuko had just given her.

Zuko's heart was pounding. He couldn't believe he had just said that. He was just now starting to think of all the complications that would ensue from telling a waterbender she was from the Fire Nation. Oh well… No turning back now… he thought. He did fell a little guilty, however. But only a little. This girl was strong spirited and could be trained to fight well. She had much potential. Plus, she was a weakness for the Avatar. It would be an advantage to have her on his side. She could be used to lure him into a trap...

"Yes." Replied Zuko simply. What else was there to say?

Katara studied Zuko, scrutinizing him. It made Zuko feel uncomfortable. "So, you're my Prince, huh? My future leader?" she asked.

"Uh... yeah… I mean, yes. I am the heir to the throne." He said quickly. Once again, he omitted the fact that he was banished.

Katara sighed and put her head in her hands. "God, I can't remember anything. All I have is scraps of scattered information. What happened to me Prince Zuko?" She looked so helpless. Could he continue to lie to her?

"Why don't you tell me everything you know and I'll fill in the blanks." Zuko replied. Yes, he could continue to lie.

Katara looked at Zuko and smiled "Okay." She took a deep breath and gathered all her thoughts together. "Well, I now know my name is Katara and I'm form the Fire Nation. I know there are four nations and I know about the Avatar. He's been gone for a hundred years and you seem to think I can tell you where he is." Katara paused for a minute, thinking hard. "And I feel like the world needs him for something. You know, besides the obvious. I feel like it's important to find him…."

Zuko felt uneasy now. How was he going to explain to her that despite everything she thought, they were hunting the Avatar and needed to capture him. He would have to approach the subject carefully…

"Wow…" Zuko said. He was going to have to come up with some good lies, fast. How could this girl forget so much..? She must not even remember the war, which has been going on her whole life, because she isn't afraid of me. That must have been an awfully nasty blow to the head…

"Okay. Where to start? The ship you are on is mine. You're here because …you're part of my crew. Well, not exactly, I mean, you're not a soldier, so I guess more important than a normal crew ember, but still on my…ship..." Zuko knew how incredibly stupid that sounded, but he was groping for words.

"Ok…" Katara replied cautiously. Something was warning her not to be overly trusting. He had seemed pretty vicious only a few minutes ago. Why was he being so nice now? There was a constant nagging in the back of Katara's mind, but she had nothing to base it on. What would he gain from lying to her? Besides, Katara wanted something, needed something to believe. She wanted an identity. She was obviously here for a reason, so maybe he was telling the truth. "But why are we on the ship anyway?"

Zuko took a deep breath. He needed to think of a good way to explain this to her. He needed this girl's trust to capture the Avatar! "Because we're hunt-, uh, searching for the Avatar."

"Searching for him? You mean he's alive?" Katara asked excitedly. Uh-oh, thought Zuko. This was not going in the right direction.

"Yes. He is a twelve year old airbender."

"Twelve! How is that possible?" Katara asked incredulously.

"I don't know," Zuko admitted, shrugging, "But it's the truth."

"So, why are we looking for him? Because the world needs him, right…?"

Zuko looked uneasy. "Not exactly. You see, I need to capture the Avatar to restore my honor." Oh no, thought Zuko. The last time he tried to explain this to her, she hadn't understood. But, maybe this time would be different…

"Capture him? Why would you want to do that? And what does your honor have to do with anything? Katara didn't like the sound of this. The Avatar was an absolute good. Anyone who wanted to capture him… well, she didn't like the idea.

Zuko was getting sick of questions now. Mostly because he didn't have answers. And he didn't want to talk about why his honor hinged on the Avatar's capture. Remember, this will all pay off when I have the Avatar… thought Zuko. He wouldn't admit it to himself, but he actually didn't mind being in this girl's company.

"The Avatar poses a great threat to the Fire Nation. My honor hinges on his capture." Zuko replied in a dead serious tone. The tone told Katara not to press the subject any farther tonight.

"So, why am I injured? How did I hurt my head?"

Zuko's mind was reeling. What should he say? "…You were in the water. You fell overboard and you must have hit your head when you washed up on shore." It was kind of true….

"Oh, ok…" Katara said, with a hint of sadness in her voice. Then she yawned. She was very tired.

"You should probably get some rest." Zuko said.

"Yeah, and do you think one of the women onboard could lend me something to wear? My clothes are still wet…and dirty." Katara also noticed they were blue…

"Women? There are no there women onboard." Zuko replied.

"You mean I'm the only one?" Katara asked, gaping.

"Yes, I suppose so." Zuko replied. "I can get you some clothes, though. But they might be a little big…"

"It doesn't matter. Just as long as it's something to wear…"Katara sighed.

Zuko nodded and started to leave the room. Just as he was shutting the door, Katara suddenly said, "Wait, Zuko!" Zuko opened the door and peered in the room. "There was one other thing I wanted to ask you…."

"What is it?"

"Um, I a fire bender?" Katara asked shyly.

Zuko was taken aback by the question. "…No. You're not."

"Oh… Ok…" Zuko couldn't help but notice the disappointment in her voice.

"You sound disappointed."

Katara blushed a little. "Well, yeah… I mean, it just seems kind of useless to live in a world where people can bend elements and not be able to… But, then again, I've lived my whole life without bending, I just don't remember it. It is kind of disappointing though…"

Zuko did feel bad now. He was a bender and couldn't imagine not being able to bend. Katara could bend, just didn't know it. And Zuko couldn't let her know it. It didn't fit with his plan. But still, she her disappointed at not being able to bend, when she really could nagged at Zuko's conscience, which annoyed him. But, I didn't lie to her, Zuko told himself. She asked if she was a fire bender and she isn't. She didn't ask if she was a water bender.

Zuko nodded and said, "Rest up for tomorrow." And left. Katara didn't know what was going on tomorrow, or why she needed to rest up for it, but she didn't care. She was too tired to care. Pulling up the blankets, Katara closed her eyes. She thought briefly about Zuko. She wondered if she should really trust him… She knew trust was something to be earned, not given away freely. But, Katara thought, he had seemed to earn it. He had been pretty patient with her, after he realized what was going on. He was filling in her memory. That made him trustworthy, right? Right. Thought Katara, before drifting off to sleep.

And Zuko was very lucky. He wanted Katara's trust. He needed Katara's trust. Now, he had Katara's trust.