Chapter 2

The sound of the thick steel door opening woke the young bender.

Two men in fire nation armor came entered the cell. They marched over to the young prince and hoisted him upright. Holding him at his upper arms, the fire nation soldiers hauled him away.

The girl didn't move until the sound of Zuko's feet dragging across the floor dissipated. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as she wondered what they wanted with that man. She answered her own question once she recalled the fact that he was The Fire Prince.

A feeling of safety and comfort, knowing that she wasn't in the company of her enemy any longer, overwhelmed the feelings of fear.

The slow dripping of water from a leak in the cell ceiling lulled her in to a deep sleep.

Zuko was awoken by a hard slap to the face. His body stiffened and he looked up to glare heatedly into the face of his assaulter.

Once he saw his captor's face, his glare hardened ten-fold.

"Zhao…" His voice was raspy from lack of use.

"Yes, Prince Zuko!" Zhao said as a mocking grin formed on his ageing face.

"How is your quest to capture the Avatar going? Have any luck, yet? Any little secrets you would like to clue me in on?"

Zuko kept his mouth closed and looked on into the eyed of Zhao with quiet dignity.

Angered by the Prince's silence, Zhao raised his hand to slap Zuko again. The sound echoed through the hallway and his face turned slightly from the force but he returned to staring at Zhao a few seconds later.

Zuko could not have been happier, even with the red hand print forming on his cheek, as he watched Zhao grow angry with his lack of response. He stared straight in the older man's eyes until Zhao turned to collect himself.

Once Zhao recomposed himself, he ordered Zuko to be taken back to the cell after mumbling something like "deal with him later".

The door to the cell opened again, this time not waking the girl. The fire nation soldiers pushed Zuko inside; a bit disappointed he didn't fall.

Zuko looked at his new 'home' with contempt, but then ridded himself of those thought and slumped against the wall, still proud of his indifference towards Zhao.

After a few minutes of rest he opened his eyes again and saw a site he had missed in his first inspection of the tiny cell.

A girl. More specifically, the water tribe girl, the one who traveled with The Avatar!

He stood with little trouble, despite the bindings that were still on his hands, and walked over to her with a limp.

When he reached her, he knelt beside her and prodded her with the tips of his bound hands.

She groaned and opened her eyes to a blurry out line. Once her eyes cleared, they widened.

Quickly calling on her bending skills, she collected some of the sludgy liquid leaking down the cell's walls into a ball and tossed it blindly at Zuko.

Her blind shot hit the correct target but with very little force, leaving a wet, slimy and severely pissed off Zuko.

He was still for a moment, wide-eyed, then stood and with a grunt and wiped his face off with his sleeve.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You're the one who was watching me sleep! What's wrong with you, you pervert?"

She sat up and glared at Zuko.

"I'm not a pervert!"

At his last statement Zuko stood and took a few steps away from her.

They continued spouting random insults at each other until an annoyed guard tapped on the cell door and told them to 'shut the hell up!'

The guard reminded Zuko of their predicament and he gave up his glaring contest to contemplate the problem.

He can't believe this is happening! He'd accepted that he was banished and to took on his mission to capture The Avater with gusto! Since he'd been banished he had been nothing but loyal to his nation! Why would they capture him? Why would his father allow it? Banished or not he is still his son!

Zuko sighed then looked up at the girl. He couldn't remember her name.

"Girl! What is your name?"

She looked at him with a scowl marring her features.

"What's it to you?"

"Would you like me to call you girl or wench for our stay here?" Zuko stated calmly.

Its odd how he could stay so calm in this situation yet he could not deal with his uncle's constant pestering about tea. He missed him already.

"Katara."

"What?" Zuko inquired, caught off guard while stuck in his thoughts.

"My name. It's Katara."

"Oh…"