DISCLAIMER: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor am I in any way affiliated with Michael Dante DiMartino or Bryan Konietzko. This story is purely fan-made.

A/N:

Italics are Zuko's flashbacks of the fight, starting with just before he and Katara were separated. Enjoy!

Katara had stood staring, unable to do anything, as Zuko had fallen to the floor. She continued standing there for a split-second, her mind numb. Then her instincts kicked in and she began to panic. Zuko was lying bleeding right in front of her and she had no idea what to do. Never remembering feeling so helpless in all her life, she desperately glanced towards the door, wondering if she called loud enough she would receive help.

Unlikely…Katara knew, as she glanced back to Zuko. His chest was still rising and falling, something which she noticed with immense relief. Trying desperately to remember anything that could be remotely useful in this situation, Katara closed her eyes in concentration.

"I need to stem the bleeding." Katara murmured to herself calmly. She had pushed back the feelings of pure panic in order to focus, and it seemed to be working. The only problem was that Katara could not find any material to use as a makeshift tourniquet. Realizing she would have to use either her own or Zuko's clothes as a bandage, Katara looked down at herself doubtfully. The only removable piece of clothing was her white sash that held her outer clothing together…and there was no chance she was taking that off. As Katara carried on glancing down at herself, her eyes settled on her water pouch and she almost slapped herself for being so stupid.

Water! I can heal him! Gods, how could I forget about that?! Katara screamed at herself, hurriedly kneeling in front of Zuko. She gingerly began to undo the buttons to his shirt, becoming very hesitant as her trembling fingers neared where she suspected his wound was. Lifting the material upwards towards the ceiling ever so gently, Katara tried not to wince as she got a little blood on her fingers. As soon as the shirt was as high as it would go, Katara swiftly unbuttoned the remaining parts of Zuko's shirt and fully opened it. Katara released a sharp intake of breath as she saw the full extent of Zuko's wound. Just as she suspected, it was just above his abdomen…which, Katara noticed, boasted well-defined muscles.

Where did that thought come from? Katara scolded herself; you should be healing him, not checking him out! She shook her head and focused on the task at hand. Whilst the wound wasn't exactly large, it was producing a lot of blood, some of which was beginning to dry. Quickly uncorking the water pouch, Katara withdrew the water and allowed it to encase her hand. Taking a deep breath, she nervously lowered her hand onto the wound. She had never attempted to heal anything like this before. At least, not with water that wasn't from a Spirit Oasis. A few seconds after the water had touched Zuko's skin, the water began to glow unearthly. Katara kept her hand there, praying that it would work; that it wasn't too late.

She could see Zuko's eyes flickering, but hoped that he would not wake up yet. The wound was taking longer than normal to heal, something that worried Katara. The water was slowly thinning, yet the injury had not completely healed. Desperately, Katara pressed down a fraction harder in the hopes that it would somehow make the water heal faster.

"That hurts." Zuko murmured, his voice faint. Katara snapped her gaze up to his face, his voice having made her jump. He appeared to be struggling to open his eyes, so contented for leaving them shut.

"I know." Katara whispered. "It won't for long."

"I don't need your help." Zuko muttered angrily. Katara shut her eyes momentarily and bit her lip to stop her from saying anything that should not be said to a man as injured as Zuko. However, she couldn't resist saying something.

"Your pride will be the death of you. Shut up and let me help." She said, trying to remain calm so that the water would not alter in any way. Leaning closer to inspect the wound, Katara could see that it was slowly closing up. However, the water was now depleting at a more rapid pace and it didn't look as though it would completely heal.

"I said I didn't need your help, peasant." Zuko spat, despite wincing in pain.

"I'm not going to sit back and watch you die." Katara hissed, although it seemed she had no choice, as the last of the remaining water vanished. Opening his eyes blearily and noticing this, Zuko smirked.

"It doesn't look as though you have a say in the matter." He said, seemingly not bothered by the prospect of death. Katara didn't respond, but knelt there trying to think of anything that would save Zuko's life. Whilst it was true that she had healed part of the injury, it would only prolong Zuko's life for perhaps a few hours unless she got more water. It looked as though Zuko had fallen unconscious again, so Katara just sat back and worried about what she would do. About what she could do.

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It had been simple enough to take on the idiot they called Akio. He looked tough but lacked discipline in his fighting techniques. Zuko could easily have bested him in a fair fight. However, Zuko had not had a proper night's sleep or a decent meal for a few days, making him weaker than normal. Still, it seemed he had the advantage in this fight, at least if the way he was very helpfully not getting stabbed was any indication. He had thrown a good few punches at Akio inside the small cell, and Akio had only been quick enough to retaliate a couple of times. Zuko's distractions were limited, as he knew that Katara could take care of herself, even though her water supply was limited. She had already driven off the men once, and seemed ready to do it again, so Zuko did not worry about her. Besides, if she could hold her own against him in a fight, then she could certainly defeat these idiots. It only bothered Zuko for a moment that he actually cared about the girl's safety, then he quickly moved back onto concentrating on the fight. After a minute there was an almighty crash of water, yet Zuko did not allow himself to look up, unlike Akio. Whilst his opponent was distracted, Zuko scanned the area for more defence and thanked the Gods when he spotted a small knife by his feet. Scooping it up and facing Akio again, he smirked. Akio looked panicked and seemed to be regretting his decision in wanting revenge.

Good, thought Zuko, He should know not to cross the Fire Nation. If he didn't know already, then he would after Zuko was through with him. Akio's gaze snapped back to Zuko, then away again.

"Get him outside!" Akio hissed to his henchmen. "Anzai - the girl!" There was a colossal movement towards Zuko and his vision was momentarily obscured. Trying to dodge the men that were charging at him, Zuko sidestepped and swerved, but eventually he was driven back. Suddenly, above the noise, Zuko heard a dull thud and saw a blue shape fall to the floor. That moment he was shoved out of the cell and thoughts concerning Katara's safety were pushed from his mind as his survival instincts kicked in. He was now surrounded by men who had the weapons to kill him, even if they didn't have the brains. Zuko quickly backed himself up against the wall next to the door to his cell so that the men could not surround him. There was a faint banging on the metal door, something which the men were quick to pick up on.

"How sweet, the little girl wants to help you." Sneered Anzai.

"Why don't you take a look at what she did to your friends before you call her a 'little girl' next time?" Zuko snarled, before deciding that they had done enough talking. Finally having enough room to use Firebending, Zuko clenched his fists as he felt power surge through him. It felt good, felt right to Firebend after days of having to contain it. Zuko put all of his energy and emotions into the blasts of fire that he shot at Anzai and the other men. After he had hit them all at least twice, Zuko allowed the fire to curl around his wrists like chains and once again used Katara's techniques of whipping the enemy with his element. Just as the previous times he had used it, it worked. Two men alone were knocked unconscious by the pure force of the attack, something which Zuko saw with satisfaction. The man standing closest to him decided to be a hero and charge at Zuko, smacking him across the face.

"Stupid move." Zuko hissed, punching the man back.

"Ryozo, do not be a fool!" Cried another man, but Ryozo ignored him and went at Zuko again, withdrawing his blade. Ryozo swiped at Zuko's face and - to Zuko's fury - managed to slash the Fire Prince's face a few times. The cuts hurt, but what stung more was the fact that he had received them in the first place. Ryozo swung at Zuko again, but this time Zuko was ready. He sidestepped the attack and brought his fist down upon the back of Ryozo's head, pressing down onto a pressure point that soon rendered his opponent unconscious. Unceremoniously throwing Ryozo aside, Zuko looked back up, blood dripping down his face.

"Anybody else feeling brave?" He asked dangerously, glaring at each man. There were now only three men left, and one of these was Anzai who was looking more and more nervous. The other two men were glancing uneasily at each other, and up and down the corridor, clearly wondering if they could escape unharmed.

Smirking, Zuko punched downwards, so that daggers of fire appeared in his hands. He had used these before on Azula to no success, but these men were prodigies in nothing, let alone Firebending.

Anzai's two friends moved beside him, either to protect him or for protection themselves. Deciding this was too easy, Zuko leapt forward and struck the two men with the fire daggers, incapacitating them with one move. They were not dead, but would wake up with very harsh burns. The only problem with this move was that it left Zuko open to attack, something which Anzai noticed quickly. Wasting no time, he thrust his fist forwards into Zuko's stomach. Pain shattered Zuko's world and he considered falling down and screaming, but he refused to let this scum win. Assuming he had merely been punched, Zuko scolded himself for being defeated so easily. Gritting his teeth, he managed a smirk.

"You should've brought more friends." He spat, before lashing out at Anzai with as much energy as he could muster. Anzai was thrown back as the fire encased him, his body slamming against the wall. Fire licked at his skin as Anzai screamed in agony.

Zuko was many things, but he was no Azula. Throwing his hands down sharply, the fire fell away from Anzai, who was still screaming. Zuko attempted to move toward the man now cowering on the floor, but found movement difficult. His stomach had once again exploded in pain, and he winced before taking a deep breath. He tried once more to move, but was this time stopped by a rough hand on his shoulder. It was one of Anzai's men, looking menacing.

"Don't expect to live long." The man spat, producing a key and unlocking the door. He pushed Zuko forward, pointing towards the door. Understanding, Zuko pressed on the door but found that it would only open a crack, then go no further.

"Help wouldn't go amiss right now." He told the man, his voice suddenly dry. The man sighed in frustration and opened the door as easily as if it were made of cotton.

What's wrong with me? Zuko wondered, I should be able to open a door for Agni's sake!

The man roughly shoved him inside then slammed the door. Zuko turned around to glare at the closed door, wishing that he could face the man when he (Zuko) was at full power and it was sunrise. That would show them all…

"How did you-" Katara started in wonder, before breaking off. Turning back around to where he knew Katara was standing, he saw her staring at him in horror. There was silence for a few moments, as the world began to swim in front of Zuko's eyes. Shaking his head, Zuko attempted a smirk, although now everything in his body ached and even speaking was becoming a tremendous effort.

"You think this is bad?" He asked, trying to lighten the moment. "You should see Akio."

His words did not have the desired effect however, as Katara's eyes widened.

"You didn't-"

"He's alive." Zuko cut her off. "Just badly wounded. His pride and honour are in a worse condition, however."

Once again the world became hazy, and even shaking his head did not make his vision right. A sweat had broken out on his forehead, even though he felt cold. Zuko didn't understand why he felt this way…until he remembered Anzai's earlier attack on him. Zuko slowly placed his hand over where Anzai had punched him, and felt an odd wetness there instead of fabric. Slowly peeling his hand away, Zuko saw shimmering, bright red blood covering his pale hand.

He didn't punch me…Zuko thought with dawning realization. He stabbed me…

Zuko looked up to see Katara staring back at him, her mouth open in shock and her cerulean eyes panicky. Zuko frowned as he felt his legs give way, and he collapsed. He barely felt his head crash onto the floor as he became enveloped by unconsciousness.

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Two hours had passed since Zuko had last been conscious, and Katara became increasingly more worried with every passing minute. If she didn't do something soon, Zuko would die and she would never forgive herself. She had already gently tore away the fabric of his shirt and cleaned away the blood around the wound, grateful that no more blood was emerging.

"If Sokka could see me now…" Katara murmured, disposing of the latest blood-filled piece of material by throwing it on the floor behind her. She thought about what she just said and smiled. "He'd probably still find a way to make it all your fault…like you were forcing me to heal you or something ridiculous."

"Your brother is an idiot." Croaked Zuko, his eyes remaining shut. Katara hadn't realized he was awake, but she smiled nonetheless.

"I know." She nodded, before sitting back and scanning Zuko's stab wound critically.

"Does it hurt?" She asked, although she knew it was a stupid question.

However, Zuko answered truthfully and did not make fun of her ignorance, as she had expected him to.

"Not as much as it did earlier. Thank you for…healing me. You didn't have to. I didn't want you to."

"I couldn't just let you die. I had to help you. It was the right thing to do." Katara explained, looking away momentarily.

There was a pause, then: "Don't you ever get tired of doing the right thing?" Zuko asked unexpectedly. Katara looked at him sharply but said nothing, not wanting to tell him her honest answer.

"You should save your energy." She told him shortly. "Try and get comfortable."

"I'm stuck on my back on a cold stone floor with no shirt on. I'd like to see you try and get comfortable in my position." Zuko grumbled, but closed his eyes anyway.

After silence had settled in and she knew that Zuko was asleep, Katara answered his earlier question.

"Sometimes." She replied softly. "Sometimes I get tired of doing the right thing." Katara sighed and then began to talk, saying things she had been waiting to say to someone, be they awake or not.

"Sometimes I ask myself why doing the right thing is so hard. I don't understand why the right thing to do is never the easiest. But then I look around at what the world is quickly becoming and I realize something."

Katara paused and took a steadying breath to try to calm herself down, but knew that there was one last thing she had to say before she could.

"I realize that the world is filled with people doing the wrong thing and I know what the consequences of that are. And I don't want to end up like that. So, yes. Sometimes I get tired of doing the right thing. But I will never stop doing it."

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Zuko lay there, his eyes remaining closed, listening to the girl rant. He understood where she was coming from, even though her words were probably inspired by emotions and such. People normally referred to doing the right thing as if it were easy, but Zuko knew better. Every time he tried doing the right thing, something went wrong and somebody got hurt. Since the same thing happened when Zuko did not try doing the right thing, he just eventually figured that doing the wrong thing would ultimately be easier. But it seemed nothing in life was easy for him.

No one said life would be easy…Zuko reminded himself firmly. Another, softer voice replied back, but no one said it would be hard either.

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Katara sat, deep in thought, for a few more minutes. She was so deep in concentration that she did not register the lock clicking and the door being pushed open frantically.

"Katara?" Cai asked worriedly. "Some agents were saying-" He broke off when he noticed Zuko. "Oh my Gods…"

"Yeah, say that for a couple more hours and you might be in the state of panic that I'm currently in." Katara said, despite her words sounding calm. She stood up and faced Cai, seeing with immense relief and gratitude that he had brought a large jug, filled to the top with shining liquid. Her eyes quickly darted to Cai, filled with hope.

"You're a healer, right?" Cai asked, handing her the jug.

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A/N:

Well, I updated sooner! Hope this was a satisfactory chapter for everyone, I just wanted Katara to have a mini-rant and get things off her chest. I guess it's Cai to the rescue again, lol. Thank you for the reviews, you cheered me up. I was feeling pretty down…y'know, boy stuff (as in I like a boy and don't know if he likes me back). But you all made me feel better:D Don't forget to review this chapter, lift my mood even more lol (nothing like a little emotional blackmail to get people motivated :P)