Ch. 2- Encounter

The battle has begun.

As the cannons blast, I stand on the sidelines, wishing I was capable of bending, but I keep busy nursing. It is the only thing I'm capable of doing. Each patient that I attend to, I try to notice, but I'll forget about him or her soon…

One day when they pass me on the street I'll think nothing of them. Is that so wrong?

I don't know why but I feel anticipation rising in the air. Life appears much slower now, but I can't seem to focus. I can't help but wonder if the man I saw earlier was someone I knew. I only saw his profile, but something about him triggered a memory.

"Miss" I look up from my hands. I cannot believe that I've been staring at them

"Sorry" my words appear unnatural and untruthful. As if to make up for my deceit, I apply cream on the burns on his neck and back. I then reply some herbs to his sword wound on his thigh.

"You'll need to change these bandages frequently to avoid infection." I say as I wrap cheap cloth around and around his leg.

"Will do. How can I argue with such a pretty healer?" He winked and is escorted out of my tent by a fellow nurse.

I shake my head, flattered, but unconvinced. Maybe I should take a peek at my reflection.

I pulled a throat-examining mirror from one of my pockets and squint real hard to see. I see nothing special.

That Guy must be traumatized from his injuries to say something like that. I take another glimpse and all I see is big olive eyes, brown, boring hair, and awkward-looking bangs. Nothing has changed. In fact, nothing has changed in the past 2 years except now I've grown a little taller. As I look into the mirror, I see an image of a rather good-looking healer behind me. He must have sneaked up on me.

"Song?"

I reluctantly turn around.

"What Tai?" I can't hide my embarrassment as I notice his eyebrows are raised and his mouth is curved into an annoying smirk. He shakes his head mockingly and opens his mouth.

"We need you to take field shift." The Battle must be over.

"So soon?" I comment. Field shift is our term for when a group of nurses scan the battlefield for injured. Regrettably, this means that I will have to see more gruesome sights.

"You might have noticed if you weren't so fixated on your face" He quipped. Annoyed, but not letting his antics getting me, I reply.

"I'm coming"

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"I heard the Avatar battled the Fire Lord"

"Really" I say disinterested as I nudge an unmoving body. I don't feel tears spring to my eyes as my methods confirm that indeed this person is dead. I think I've forgotten how to cry. How else can I glance at the occasional glassy eyed stare or smell burned flesh without cringing?

"Avatar Aang is recuperating, but I believe he will tell us that he was victorious." I nearly forgot that he was still talking to me.

"One can only hope," I say withholding all sarcasm, as this is what I sincerely wish. Man I truly must be war-numb. I am no longer the same old Song. My tune has changed.

Now I can't help but chuckle. My humor stinks. I chase away any smile and continue my duty of touching victims and checking for any signs of life. This is not looking promising especially in the dark.

I glance at a pigtailed woman with wide-open eyes and unfortunately fixated on me. I believe her to be dead, but she blinks and opens her mouth.

"Shhhhh" silencing her. I tell her that it's all right even though I notice that she's still bleeding. I call to my annoying partner to come and take her to the infirmary. Once that is taken care of, I'm convinced that this is the last survivor I'll find. I make my way to the river using my flashlight to scan the area. This is where both frontlines met in battle. I heard about it before I made my way to the field. I see a formation in front of me. It could be a rock. It is. I walk around it and happen to move my flashlight to the side and see a face. His arm is cut and though it is hard to tell, but I think blood is coming from his side. He may be dead, but I flip him over cautiously not to break any bones. I flash my light on part of his face and recognize him as the man I saw earlier today. Who is he? I listen for breathing which I surprisingly hear. My eye focuses on something unnatural on his face. I reach for my flashlight again and see a scar across half of his face. I know him. I must not have seen his scar earlier today. This man was not only the same man I recognized this morning, he was the same man who stole an animal from me 2 years ago, and the same man whose demeanor fascinated me.

"Junior?" I ask him. I wonder if he is unconscious. One of the Healers who must have been spying on me, flashes a blinding light in my direction, and begins making his way towards me. He takes a good look at his disfigured face and says "General Zuko?"

"Huh?" I can't help but blurt. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe he's not the person I knew.

The man in question begins to moan. His eyes move and he tries to cover his eyes from our flashlights. His eyes focus on my face, and I am baffled that this could be someone other than the person I have met before. He opens his mouth to speak in a somewhat deeper voice than I remember.

"I know you." It is definitely him.

"Song" I say. "Do you remember?" he nods and I notice he is frowning.

I hear the clearing of a throat behind me.

Oh, I believe I forgot about the other healer.

"Sir, since you're hurt do you have dispatches that require immediate attention? Song could take them while I attend to you back at camp" I could sense that he wants to be responsible for saving the life a General, but I say nothing. I will just be the dutiful Mary Sue that everyone assumes me to be.

Junior… I mean Zuko sighed and then grumbled about keeping junk in his pouch. After a great deal of rummaging, I am told to run to take it all to the head base. With relief, I sprint away. I'm a little off balance, but I barely notice because my head is reeling from the encounter.

Who is this Zuko?

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Author's Note:

Okay I've introduced the second character. Too bad she only appeared in the show once because it's extremely difficult to convey her personality. I rather went on my own gut instinct of how Song would act after a few months of war.

Also, special thanks to JillRG for the first review. I appreciated your comments.

Next chapter should feature Zuko's POV.