A/N: Hello again! Thanks so much for reading my story! Please review it! Do you guys think the story is moving too slow?

Disclaimer: If I owned Avatar, I would not be sitting here writing fanfiction. I would be writing for the TV show and making Zuko and Katara fall madly in love. But I'm not. Life is cruel.

Chapter Five: Dreams

That night, Zuko called a meeting with his Uncle, the captain and the lieutenant. Zuko stood, pacing the room while the three men watched him. "As you all know, we have the Water bender girl on the ship. She was unconscious for two days, and when she woke up, she believed she was from the Fire Nation."

"What!" Iroh and the lieutenant screamed in unison.

"Yes." Zuko replied simply.

Iroh eyed his suspiciously. "So, she just woke up believing she was from the Fire Nation?"

"Yes, that's what happened. It's a mystery to me too." Zuko replied uncomfortably.

Iroh stood and walked around Zuko. "Don't you think it's a bit odd that she would think that? She had no… outside influence?" The lieutenant and captain had been thinking the same thing, but would never say it. Iroh was the only one who could get away with challenging anything Zuko said.

"Um, what do you mean?" Zuko asked.

"Lieutenant, Captain, why don't you leave Zuko and me alone for a moment?"

"Yes Sir." They replied and walked out of the room. They were slightly disappointed that they wouldn't get to hear this conversation. It was going to be interesting, they could tell.

"Zuko, don't lie to me," Iroh said, "Did you tell she was from the Fire Nation? What did she lose her memory or something?"

Zuko looked away, not planning on replying, but then decided it was best to be honest with his Uncle. "Yes."

"Zuko! Of all the shameful-! What would possess you to do that? The poor girl wakes up not remembering anything and you lie to her?" Iroh asked incredulously.

"Uncle, having this girl on our side is an enormous advantage!"

Iroh rubbed his head with his hand. "Prince Zuko, did you consider the consequences of your actions? Ok, so she believes this nonsense for now, but how are you going to explain why she looks like she's from the Water Tribe, wears clothes from the Water Tribe, and, oh, I don't know... the fact that she's a waterbender!"

Zuko sighed. "That can all be explained, Uncle. I'll come up some explanations. You're missing the bigger picture. This girl is the tool we need to capture the Avatar. And I've seen her fight. She has a strong spirit. She can be trained."

"Uh, Zuko she always uses waterbending to fight. Water bending and Fire Nation don't mix."

"She wont waterbend if she doesn't know she can. Besides, though she lacks basic warrior training, she has much potential. And this girl is special to the Avatar. He cares for her much. Seeing her betray him… It could cause the kind of mental anguish I can use to defeat him!"

Iroh still looked skeptical, but then smiled at his nephew. "Are you sure there's no other reason…?"

"W-What do you mean?" Zuko asked nervously.

"Nothing. She's just very pretty that' all… I though maybe…"

"Uncle, NO!"

Iroh just laughed in reply.

OOO

Meanwhile…

Katara lay in her bed, tossing and turning. Suddenly, with a gasp, she shot up in a cold sweat. Panting, Katara brought a hand to her forehead. "What was that all about?" she whispered. Trying to relax, Katara breathed in slowly and deeply. She was trying to gather all her thoughts together.

She had been having a bad dream. Vaguely, she remembered the churning, black waters of the ocean. She remembered having the breath swept out of her… "Was that what happened when I lost my memory?" she wondered. Zuko had said she had fallen overboard. But, that wasn't the whole dream…

Katara also remembered seeing somebody's face…A boy… She was straining to remember what he looked like. She could hear his voice perfectly, shouting her name. It was so familiar, but his face was a vague blur to her.

"Who was that?" Katara whispered. Was it just a random dream? Or was that somebody she once knew…? That voice was so familiar, yet she couldn't place it. All Katara could remember was a storm and that boy's voice… It unsettled Katara.

"It was probably just a soldier calling when I fell overboard…" Katara told herself. But, she didn't really believe it…

OOO

Zuko lay in his bed staring up at the ceiling. He was thinking about all the things that had happened that day; all the things his uncle had said. They were absolutely true. Zuko knew he would have to come up with some good explanations. But, he was also thinking about Katara. He remembered asking her in her sleep why she couldn't be a fire bender. To Zuko it seemed as if it had happened ages ago, when it had actually only happened earlier that day. He realized that his wish had practically been granted. Though she could never be a fire bender, she believed she was form the Fire Nation and that was all that mattered. Just as long as she was from the Fire Nation…

Before all this had happened, Zuko had considered the thought that he might have feelings for Katara. He wasn't sure if it was love or not. He didn't want it to be. He didn't want to have any feelings for her at all besides hatred. But, he couldn't get her face out of his mind… It haunted him…

When he first started having these thoughts, he quickly dismissed the idea. She was his enemy. Besides, she hated him and would most certainly reject him. She could never have any feelings for him. Not any good ones, anyway.

But all that had changed now, Zuko realized. They didn't have to be enemies anymore. Maybe this girl could be his friend. (Zuko wasn't quit ready to admit he wanted to have a romantic relationship with her yet). He could finally find someone to care about. And someone who saw him as more than a monster or a banished prince. Zuko smiled to himself. It was a new beginning….