Note: Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad that people actually like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Avatar: Last Airbender characters or the story line.

Chapter Four

The air was still, the stars crisp shinning as bright as diamonds on black velvet, and the crickets chirped, nature's violins. The fire crackled in front of both the fire prince and the water peasant as their fish roasted. Katara, overcome with curiosity looked over at the prince, and asked, "How come you chase us?"

"What do you mean?" He responded not looking at her but at the snapping fire in front of him, knowing very well what she meant.

"Why do you chase the Avatar?" making her sentence clear she examined him over the fire.

"Do you remember when we were imprisoned together in the crystal caves of Ba Sing Se and I told you I was banished from my home?"

"Yeah, I remember, that was right before you attacked Aang, and helped your sister hurt him or should I say nearly kill him?" her voice held a hint of disgust in it.

"That's it," his head drooped some in shame of the memory, "When I was banished from my home my father said the only way I could return home, to restore my honor, was to bring him the Avatar."

"Even if that meant destroying the world's only chance of peace."

"At the time," his eyes met hers, "My only thought was to go home. I didn't know of the world's sufferings done to by my father's soldiers, no, I knew, but never truly comprehended them. My Uncle tried to tell me, but I didn't listen."

"Your selfish," she hissed at him, her sapphire eyes as if ice.

He seemed not take offense to her insult, but just looked at her eyes with his warm honey ones that held an unmasked loneliness. He knew in his heart she was right; he was selfish but who in this hell, they called life, wasn't? It was silent for a few minutes then he said, slowly, "I know I'm selfish, and I'm sorry."

"Your sorry? Is that all you can say? Do you honestly think sorry can make all what your kind has done, better?" she paused, took a breath, then added, "Oh I'm sorry that my soldiers raped you, killed your husband and only son, burned your crops, destroyed your village, and sent your daughters to a brothel, please forgive me."

Her sarcastic tone echoed in his ears and her words pierced his soul like a thousand hot needles.

Do my people really do those things? No, they couldn't have, they would never do such things, would they?

He ignored his burning fish, "My people would never do those things! They're honorable men not heathens!"

"Oh yeah?" she screamed at him, "How do you know Prince Zuko?"

He looked away from her gaze knowing deep down her words were the truth, no matter how crude they were.

"You weren't there," tears streamed down her tan cheeks as the shadows, cast from the fire, danced across her face, "You weren't there when they invaded my village! When they came our men were in the East and they killed most of our young boys, and do you want to know why? DO YOU?"

He shook his head, guilt circulating through his body, "No."

"Well let me tell you, they killed them saying that they rebelled but the truth is they didn't want them to grow up and pose a possible threat to the Fire Nation.

"Shut up," he mumbled knowing she had something else to say to him.

"Shut up? What you can't handle the truth about your own soldiers?"

Zuko placed his head on his hands his mind filled with guilt, "Don't judge me based on what they did to you and your family. Don't judge me, you don't know me anything about me or what I've been through. I realize you don't care, but don't pretend you know me."

Katara was silent for a moment then said coldly, "How can I know you when you make it clear that you aren't on our side?"

He didn't reply.

"You said that you didn't comprehend sufferings of the world, but I think you just chose to ignore them because its easier than facing the truth," her hand went to the small blue pendent around her neck where she fingered it gently, "Maybe its time you understood."

He still didn't reply, but remained motionless; she stared at him for a while then he said, "Its war."

"What?"

He said it louder now, "Its war, people die."

"Got to hell," she was now on her feet, "You weren't there when they killed my mother or him! Sokka and I were in the berry bushes when your noble soldiers came, he and Mom were in the kitchen preparing for us to come back with the ice berries for the pie we were making. I watched as they lock them inside our house and set it on fire. And do you know how old he was? DO YOU? He was EIGHT the same age as Sokka at the time!"

He couldn't seem to meet her eyes, his mouth was dry, and his heart was filled with disgust that he could barely contain.

How could his father's, no, his soldiers do something so vial and cruel; as to burn a woman and an eight year old child alive? They really are heathens, he thought, so am I a heathen as well?

"You have no idea what suffering is."

He let out a low laugh, "I know what's its like not to be loved or even so much as liked by the one person in the world you would want to love you, even if no one else did."

Their fish were nothing now but ash mixing in with the wood; her tears were dry and she was now listening to him.

"My grandfather was going to kill me as punishment to my father's insensitivities toward my Uncle's loss of an only child. The only person who seemed to care was my mother and a day after my grandfather died she vanished."

Her voice softened, "I'm sorry."

"Its not your fault," he mumbled, "She died for me; I'm sure of it. I don't blame you for blaming me, but I didn't do those things."

"I'm going to bed," her voice was almost inaudible as she rolled onto her back. He sat up for awhile his mind uneasy about the story she had just told him.

Was it true? But then, why would she lie? She had no motive unless her motive was simply to get at me.

He shook his head, he didn't know. It seemed lately that he didn't know a lot about anything. He laid on his back, using his arms as pillows, next to the dieing fire he had created. Looking up at the stars, he sighed, slipping into a restless sleep, not noticing the shadow like figure lurking in the trees.­

Something cold, sharp was against his throat, it bit into his skin making the elixir of life trickle down his neck. Taking several gulps of air, almost like a fish would when out of the water, he opened his amber eyes. Something had him or more like, someone. He heard someone breathing behind him, when he tried to wiggle his arms; the realization that they were pinned aggravated him deeply.

"I know who you are Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation," a male voice whispered into his ear.

"Who are you?" Zuko croaked, all the moisture in his throat now gone.

"I am the spirit of this island, and you are not welcomed here," the blade of the knife pressed some what harder to his throat, "This is the home of refugees that your nation has made, and I will not allow you to stay."

"Then we will leave," thinking it best to appease the supposed spirit he decided not to argue.

"The water bender will stay with us, where all her and her virtues will be safe from your savage hands," the spirit spat dangerously.

Zuko growled, then angrily said, "My hands are not hands of a savage; I saved her from the ocean's murderous waters, and we will leave this island together."

"Whoever said you would leave alive?" the spirit hissed, "I said you couldn't stay but not in the manner you would be leaving. I cannot and will not permit you to leave this island alive nor can you stay on it alive."

"Then what is your plan?" Zuko's mind and heart was racing but his voice remained calm not giving away his true emotions.

"My plan?" the spirit laughed, "My plan is to kill you."

"And her?"

"She will stay here with me on the island," he felt his body being released from the spirit's grasp.

Standing face to face with the acclaimed spirit, Zuko allowed flames to engulf his hands all the way up to his elbows, "If you want to kill me here I am."

The spirit jumped over the ash pile toward the now stirring Katara, jerking her up by the hair, he put his blade to her throat and warned, "Put away your flames fire demon."

Katara let out a startled cry from being attacked in her sleep; her eyes met Zuko's, pleading, her confusion clear to him. He let the flames diminish although the fire in his eyes and heart didn't, "Let her go."

The spirit laughed again, "I wont harm her if you behave; I only want you dead but not tonight the time is not yet right, but soon."

"What?" Katara managed, trying to shrink from the blade, though her efforts were futile.

"Soon, very soon," he repeated pulling his mask down from his lips revealing a tiny scar on his lips in the glow of the moon's light. He leaned over the unsuspecting girl kissing her neck, letting out a loud yelp Katara struggle to free herself. Allowing her to fall to the ground, the spirit of the island disappeared into the shadows of the forest.

"I can't," she gasped, "believe he did that!"

"Are you alright?" Zuko asked her stepping over the pile of ash.

"Yeah, I just feel violated some," she humored, rubbing her neck with her palm, then added, "What was that about?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" she asked unbelievingly, but was to tired to argue.

"Tomorrow."

"Huh?"

"Tomorrow I'll send out help signals," he laid down beside the forest edge and instantly fell asleep unaware of the sound of a growling canine in the forest behind him.