Updation time! I've gotten some complaints about not having something to separate two different scenes. Actually, when I typed the story, I did have these lines to separate them… but they disappeared. Which is really weird. But I'll try using different ones this time and hope it works.

Thanks for the reviews!

Note : as of now, the plot might seem kinda clichéd… you know, girl likes guy, guy likes girl… but it won't be that way

I PROOFREADED! YAY!

CHAPTER TWO – RELUCTANT (kinda a weird title… but if you think about it, it kind of matches this chapter)

Appa shook violently as thunder crashed once more. Aang spotted a flat landing on top of one of the mountains and guided the bison in that direction. They crash landed and Sokka tumbled on to the grass.

Aang turned to see if his companion was alright and let out a gasp at what he saw. Sokka's face, once filled with joy and child-like wonder, now had a seriousness Aang had never seen. The teenager's arm was bleeding and a few drops escaped onto the ground. Paying no attention to his injuries, Sokka started limping towards the water.

"Sokka! Wait! She was on the other side of the island", Aang yelled, running after him. Sokka made no reply, but turned in the opposite direction. The avatar caught up to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Sokka, you can't just rush off the find Katara. We'd both drown in this storm! Sokka! Listen to me! We have to heal Appa first. Then, when the storm passes, I can use my waterbending and we can find her. Sokka! Are you listening to me?"

Sokka paused in his steps and turned to Aang, a defeated look on his face.

"What if she drowned already?"

"No, you can't say that! Katara's a waterbender, remember? She can take care of herself", Aang replied. Sokka reluctantly nodded and followed Aang back to Appa.

insert change of scene here +

Retired General Iroh pushed open the door that led out to the deck, then slammed it shut instantly. The huge storm outside brought water, and water was an enemy of fire.

"Sir! We've spotted a person!" one of the crew called out. Iroh stepped outside again and ordered the person to be brought on board. Several firebenders fought the wave and rescued the girl floating lifelessly in the ocean. They hauled her on deck and laid her on the floor. Her simple blue outfit clung to her body, soaked with water. Her hair lay in a tangled pile, a few strands across her face.

"Is she breathing?"

"Listen for a heartbeat!"

"We don't know how long she's – "

"Give her some room!" Iroh ordered. The men quickly stepped aside as the old man approached the girl. "Ah", he mused quietly, "this is a friend of the avatar".

A wave of murmurs rose among the crew, but Iroh shushed them quickly. "Bring her the spare room… never mind, I'll do it", he changed his mind, not trusting the men with something as valuable as this. Iroh knew this girl could provide important information for his nephew, which meant she had to be treated with care.

sort of a scene change +

Zuko stepped warily out of the shower, a dark red towel wrapped loosely around his waist. He held up his hands and a ball of fire formed, drying him off immediately. After dressing in a fresh set of armor, he walked down the hall and almost got ran over by Iroh.

"Uncle! Where are you going?" Zuko asked suspiciously.

"I was looking for you. I want to show you something you will be interested in".

"Fine, uncle. Let's go", Zuko rolled his eyes. The pair walked down the hall and turned the corner.

"Uncle, did you do something to my room?" Zuko asked, recognizing the path they were taking.

"No, no. This is not about your room at all", Iroh replied. To prove his point, he walked right pass the door leading to Zuko's room and instead, pushed open the one directly next to it.

"I think you'll find this quite useful for capturing the avatar", Iroh commented, a mischievous twinkle dancing around in his eye. Zuko glared at him and stepped inside, his face remaining neutral at the sight of Katara.

"You wanted to show me a girl?" he asked, slightly confused.

"Do you know who she is?" Iroh questioned.

"Someone who doesn't concern me", Zuko replied roughly.

"She travels with the avatar, do you not recognize her?" Iroh asked. Zuko looked closer at the girl lying almost lifelessly on the bed. Her face was ghostly white and she had a pained expression on her face. Nevertheless, she looked familiar.

"Where did you find her?" Zuko asked, examining the waterbender.

"Why, she was in the water", Iroh replied.

"She's no use while she's asleep. I'll question her later, maybe use her as bait", Zuko thought out loud. Iroh nodded and the two firebenders left the room.

Katara did no wake up until the next day. It was around noon when she slowly opened her eyes. Her strange surrounding confused her and she tried to remember what had happened earlier. Sitting up in the bed, Katara noticed the dark colors around her. A red blanket lay across her knees and the walls were red as well. She pulled herself out of bed and tried to stand up. When she was sure she could support her own weight, Katara began walking towards the door.

The ship gave a sudden lurch and she fell to the ground with a yelp. Almost immediately, her door banged open and Zuko hurried inside. He had been in his room (which is next door) and heard the noise. His suspicious judgment caused him to believe the girl was trying to escape and he couldn't afford to let such important bait run away.

Katara recognized the banished prince immediately and she back away instinctively.

"Where's Aang?" she asked, hoping the Avatar had not been captured.

"I was going to ask the same question", Zuko replied smoothly.

"H-he's not here?" Katara asked, her eyes widening. How did she get separated? The prince let out a low chuckle, amused by the fact that this girl had no idea what'd happened. "Why did you capture me? I though you were after – "

"What makes you think you've been capture?" Zuko asked with a smirk. Katara thought about his words for a moment and looked around. She was in a comfortable room with a bed and food. There weren't any ropes binding her arms and no one had tried to hurt her so far.

"Then why am I here?" Katara asked, still unable to recall the storm.

"My uncle rescued you from the waters", Zuko explained, a slight tone of impatience present in his voice. He wanted to ask this lowly peasant some questions, then leave to go training. She was wasting his time!

"Waters? Was – "

"Stop asking stupid questions!" Zuko suddenly yelled, his temper flaring. Katara sensed a raise in the room temperature and she backed away nervously. "Look, I have limited time. I'll ask the questions, you answer them", he ordered. Katara nodded, afraid to respond otherwise.

"What's your name?"

"Katara"

"How do you know the avatar?"

"We- we're friends"

"Where is he right now?"

"I- I don't know", Katara answered honestly. She did know where Aang was heading, but she had no clue where he was right now.

"Where were you guys planning to go?"

"Why would I tell you that?" Katara dared to say.

"Because you have no choice. I am the prince and you are a peasant", Zuko replied smugly.

"Prince? You call yourself a prince? More like a spoiled, arrogant jerk! If you're a prince, then where's your kingdom?" Katara regretted those words immediately, for the room grew even warmer as Zuko balled his fists in anger.

"That's not your concern!" he yelled.

"And Aang isn't yours! Why don't you go home and leave us alone?" Katara yelled back. Zuko let out a growl and flamesshot out of his hands. Katara jumped back to avoid being burned, but he went after her, swinging a fist angrily. The waterbender spotted a tub of water in the corner and called it to her. She fashioned it into a whip and fought back fearlessly, dodging each fiery blow. With a wave of her hands, Katara brought the water down in icicles all around Zuko. He flared up the fire and melted them into a puddle.

The two continued in a fierce battle until Zuko backed Katara into a wall. She splashed water over his head, putting out the flames for a second. As she was about to escape, Zuko slammed his palms against the wall, trapping Katara between his arms.

She scooted away until her back was pushed tightly against the wall. He startling blue eyes met his dark golden ones and although she tried to look away, he had captured her gaze. For a second, Katara thought shesaw sadness in his eyes, but if it had been there at all, it was quickly chased away by anger. She stayed frozen in her spot, unsure of what to do. She knew she couldn't attack because he could fry her in a second. Could she try talking to him? No, that'd just make things worse.

Zuko inched closer to her, lifting one hand to form a ball of fire. At that moment, he wanted to kill her more than anything. He moved even closer until he could see clearly every eyelash surrounding her large eyes. Slowly, the urge to kill slipped away and he felt a need to … kiss her? What the – ?

He tried to push these thoughts out of his mind, but they fought back. He had to admit she was very pretty. Not beautiful or gorgeous, just pretty. It was a very plain type of prettiness, too. Nothing glamorous or sophisticated. She was almost… cute. He unconsciously leaned closer until his warm body was pressed against her cooler one. The fire in his hand still burned, but the urge to capture her lips in his burned even more. Going along with his instincts (and hormones), Zuko brought his lips to meet hers. They barely brushed against each other before self-control kicked in and the firebender pulled away.

He stepped back and gave her a long, hard stared before turning towards the door. If Zuko had felt award about what he'd just tried to do, he now felt like a complete idiot. Iroh was leaning against the door and by the look on his face, he'd been there for a while. Zuko ignored him the best he could and right before he stepped out of the room, he turned to Katara and answered, "Because I can't".

A/N : and that was chapter two! Review please.