Sorry it took so long to update. Talk about hell. You wouldn't believe! Well the last two sections of the story stemmed from my week. Hope you like. Angsty. Be warned. And a little several cussing.

Zuko decided he wasn't hungry. Or at least not enough to sit in with an old fool and a tempermental little girl. He decided it best to stay clear of her for a while. It's funny how such a little show of affection, could send him into a downward spiral.

He found his uncle and Katara both already eating, Riyo happily in tow. Zuko picked up his son and looked at his uncle.

"He needs to get used to his element." Iroh smiled at his nephew.

"Starting him off early, heh?" Z uko didn't answer and walked away.

He walked out onto the deck. He looked down at Riyo who was closing his little eyes tight. Zuko smiled.

"Stop that. You have to get used to the sun. It gives us power. And you want to be powerful don't you." He said lifting the baby high in the air, back to the sun of course. Can't risk the new prince getting burned. He sat down on the deck laying Riyo in front of him on his back. Zuko leaned down and looked at his son carefully. He did have his characteristics. Zuko smiled and tickled the bottom of the baby's foot, causing Riyo to instictly raise his feet to avoid the awkward feeling. Zuko picked him back up and propped him up in his lap.

Riyo was just getting a little more control over his head. So he was now curious of everything. Zuko put an arm around Riyo so he didn't topple over and put the other hand, palm up, out in front of him.

"Look, Riyo." He said into the infant's ear and let a small orb of fire glow in his hand. Riyo wasn't able to concentrate and actually look at the fire, but Zuko felt he could at least get him started on it. Suddenly, Zuko became aware of someone's presence behind the two princes. He turned and looked up with a warning glare only to see Katara standing in silhouette. He snorted and turned back to his son.

"I've never seen you play with him before." Zuko only snorted again. She pursed her lips. Oh how she hated that. Then he turned to look at her.

"I can be as good a caretaker as you are." He hissed and continued to roll the fire orb around in his hand. She sighed she didn't want to fight with him. She sat down beside him and watched him for a moment.

"I think it's cute." Zuko glared at her and handed her Riyo. She looked up at him. Just because I said it was cute doesn't mean for you to stop! She wanted to scream at him. To start another bout of it's your fault. But she didn't have the energy, or the will power for that matter.

He stood up and started to walk away.

"I need to train, You've been enough of a distraction for one day." She glared at him. How could she have any feelings towards him at all? He was like a rock. Not a smooth one, a jagged one. The kind you just want to throw into a lake to get it away from all the pretty rocks. She shook her head and looked down to Riyo and started playing with him.

Zuko looked back at the girl. She was fussing over Riyo, but that was what he had brought her for. He needed to train. He really needed to train. Thoughts had entered his mind, and he needed to get them out. Thoughts that if spoken out loud would be like a blashpemy in the eyes of the Fire Nation. He pulled his shirt off and began his warm ups.

He stopped mid kick and looked over at the girl. She's so young, yet she has that matrenly look and feel to her. He furrowed his eye brows and scolded himself. He started his rotuine again, but found himself staring at the girl. She had kissed him. She had said , not only that Riyo was hers, but so was he.

She confused him. She was supposed to be his enemy. She was helping the Avatar. But he had learned one thing the month or so that they had been forced around each other. She was a very caring and helping person. She had saved him from drowning, and was smart enough to see the chain before he lost his leg. Smart, caring, helpful. So she had some decent qualities to her, he had not reason for these feelings and thoughts to be swirling around inside him.

He growled and turned his head away from the stupid wretch. He started his dance. He started with his basic jabs, he decided to wait on the use of his flames, not knowing whether or not he had enough energy. Stupid Girl! I waste all my time yelling at her and use up my energy. Then in the back of his mind, the little voice he had tried to lock up peeked it's head out.

Yeah when there's so much better ways to burn energy.

He closed his eyes tight. He was training to get rid of those thoughts, but it seemed to be making it worse. He kicked out, forgetting that his leg was still injured. He winced as the firey pain shot up his leg and into his back. He collasped to the ground, clutching his leg. It felt as if needles were constantly jabbing into his leg, and that with each point they got sharper.

Katara seen the prince fall out of the corner of her eye. She looked up and seen him laying on the ground clutching his leg. She scooped Riyo up as she scrambled to her feet. She ran over to him, pushing him onto his back.

"Are you okay!" He glared up at her.

"FINE AND FUCKING DANDY!" He growled. She shook her head and pushed his arms away from his leg with her free hand. She rolled her eyes. The stubborn idiot had ripped his wound open. Now it would get infected for sure. She made some of the ocean water bend to her hand and form a glove. His eyes got wide and he sat up scootching back away from her.

"That has salt in it!" He yelled. She glared at him and with the gloved hand grabbed his knee. Even through the fabric the water soaked into his skin and deep into the wound. He was right there was salt in it. But the salt would stop the bleeding and the infection, yet there was always that little thing about salt on a wound.

He screamed and his hand brought fire. She jumped back, not knowing what to expect, only knowing that he had a temper. He clamped his mouth shut and glared at her, fire darkening his golden eyes.

"You did that on PURPOSE!" He bellowed. She glared at him.

"Yes I did! If you don't quit straining that leg, I'm not going to help you any more." He glared at her and tried to stand up.

"I didn't ask for your help." She frowned and stood up, and with her free arm pushed him back down to the deck. She huffed and walked off. He seemed to be having that affect on her lately.

Zuko shook his head and stood up. This girl was more trouble then she was worth.

Aang sat looking over the back of Appa. His eyes were a little less then lifeless, and his expressions had grown cold and solem.

He missed Katara.

She was the reason he made his choice to do this anyway. She believed in him. She never let him down or turn her back on him. But here he was, leaving her out there, not knowing whether she was alive or dead.

Closure. He needed closure. He shook his head to himself. No. He needed Katara. She had become his best friend. She had become alot more then that, but he never got to tell her.

He may have only been twelve years old, but that was only in body. His mind, emotions, and much more were just as aged as he would have been. He was tired. He just wanted to stop this whole thing. He wished he could control time. If he could then he would go back and make sure Katara was safe. He would have never let them get the lizard soup, muchless drink it. It was his fault they were in this situation to begin with.

They were just two young siblings from the water tribe, until they found him. He didn't want to get them involved. He didn't want to be envolved himself. A tear slid down his cheek. He didn't know whether or not he would ever see Katara again, and that hurt him the most. Knowing that he might not ever see her smile or her sparkling blue eyes, or hear her laughter, shredded his heart to pieces.

Zuko looked all over for Katara. She was already mad at him, so he decided it best to tell her his plan now. He found her in their room changing Riyo. She looked up and acknowleged him then back the the baby.

"Katara. There's something you might want to know." She smirked and without looking at him said.

"If it has anything to do with you, I don't want to hear it and I don't care."

"You will." She looked up at him. The tone in his voice was offset. It didn't belong in his mouth, it didn't even belong on that ship. She straightened her back as she picked up the wriggling child. His look said alot, but nothing at all in the very same instance.

"I'm going to let you go at the next port." He said his voice soft and very uncharacteristic of the prince.

"You already gave me that threat. Let it go."

"It's not a threat." She looked up at him. She didn't know how to feel, or what to think. She looked down at Riyo instictly.

"He will be staying with me." The prince said flatly. She looked up at him a distict look of pain in her ocean blue depths.

"What?" She ask her voice wraspy and strained. He kept his stern face. "You're no better then his mother!" She said looking down at Riyo. He could see the silver tears flowing from her eyes down her cheeks.

"You bring me in here against my will, give me this child, who I fell deeply in love with, and now you're going to take him away from me?" She couldn't fight the tears. She was being beaten little by little from the inside out.

"All of the hell I've been through on this damn ship, and you ripping the only good thing away from me, and leaving me stranded on some port with out my friends! Without anybody? You are a monster." She said shakily.

She couldn't handle this. She was too young for this emotional rollercoaster, whipping her and thrashing her from side to side, up and down, in and out the dark tunnels. She stood up and walked past him, holding the child close to her as if trying to force her self to believe he was just trying to hurt her. But it was the tone. The sincerity in his voice. She knew he was going to leave and take everything with him, including the shattered fragments of her heart. That bastard.

There you go. Next chapter Will be up shortly promiz. Oh and in favor of Valentines Day I am going to do a lovey chapter, but don't worry it will coinside with the story very well.

Ciao,

Shadow