Author's Notes: This is dedicated to CGOF, and

Disclaimer:

Warnings: Rated T for blood, fighting, and very minor language.

I was almost to the village when I felt my head again. "Huh?"

I knew my bump was there, but what wasn't was my hair tie. It belonged to my great grandmother, and was a family antique. I loved it so much! I must have left it back at the stream.

"Ugh." My legs ached, my head hurt, I was dead tired. But I found myself trudging back to the stream against my will. When I finally got there, I searched the grounds.

"Katara? Have y- oh yeah," I remembered now. My hair tie was nowhere to be found, but a scrap of parchment was thrown into the center of the clearing. I picked it up and dusted it off.

It read,

'Mika, I didn't really get to say goodbye, so I am now. Good luck fighting Zuko. Beat him for me!' I laughed a little when I read this.

'By the way you left this.' I found my hair tie inside the scroll and fastened it into my hair.

'And if you ever need me, I'll be there for you. I promise we'll find a way. Good luck again. Katara.' I grinned, thinking of that pretty little sociopath, now my best and only friend. I walked back to the village, now feeling warm and content.

Next morning I woke up, still tired. Maybe I could sleep in for a little longer... I tried to close my eyes again, but was shaken by my mother. "You're always up before the sun, and now when it counts you chose to sleep in?" she said playfully.

"Mother," I said, eyes half closed, not really to anybody. As I stood up, I had a weird gut feeling. I didn't know what it was, quite. Excitement? No, that wasn't it. I tried to ignore it, but it grew stronger.

Regret.

I didn't know why I felt like this. What did I have to regret? I've been looking forward to this for months, so I must be imagining it.

I strode over to the glass case on the wall that held my fighting uniform. It was my brother's spare one, identical to the one that he was probably wearing right now. I stepped into the suit, and didn't feel like a girl anymore. I felt like a warrior. I touched my shoulders and looked in the mirror. I looked like a warrior too.

I walked outside to meet the rest of the village. "Are you ready?" One of the younger warriors asked me.

"I think so." He nodded. The village leader stood in front of the warriors. There were 20 of us, but not many were skilled.

"Forward!"

As the line of warriors came closer to Prince Zuko's ship, my excitement grew greater. With every step, my heart pounded harder.

I looked at everyone. I was the youngest of all of them, and one of the only girls. I felt out of place at first, but I belonged here. I was going to help end this war. I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I kept walking right into the man in front of me as everyone stopped. He turned around and looked at me and gave me a 'What are you doing, kid?' look. My face turned hot and I started to blush.

I shook it off, and finally noticed that we were face to face with the ship. It was right on the shore. It was black, ominous, dirty death, it seemed like.

In a few seconds, my life was about to change. I didn't know how, but it would. I knew it.

My body shook as Prince Zuko walked off his ship onto the dirt, about ten yards from the front of the line. I stared at the scar on his face and almost winced. For a split second, I imagined the pain he must have felt, probably a blinding pain. I thought it must still hurt him now, having to walk around with an ugly mark for everyone to see.

I shook the thought out of my mind. He was the enemy. I couldn't show compassion, I couldn't show anything.

"Why are you here?" Prince Zuko yelled, his face hard, feet apart. He seemed really annoyed.

Our village leader, Takashi, approached Prince Zuko. "Stop following the Avatar. Turn your ship around and go home," he said calmly.

"And why should I listen to you? I'm the Fire Lord's son. You should be bowing at my feet, not ordering me around! Nothing you say will change the course of my ship. Return to your village, peasants."

Takashi came closer to Prince Zuko. "I have brought my village to fight. If I were you, I would leave, unless you'd like another scar to match." He spoke so softly, though so sinister and serious. Prince Zuko touched the mark on his left cheek.

"Then fight! I'm not afraid of you," Prince Zuko said. I was scared to death, but this was what I'd been waiting for. Everyone on Zuko's ship came down onto the dirt. Their white masks hid their faces, and I wondered if they were as scared as I was. Prince Zuko and the leader of Katokai bowed to each other. Fire rose into the air.

We separated ourselves into individual duels. We fought one person, Prince Zuko against the Katokai leader while the rest of us fought Zuko's crew. I guess it was instinct, and anyway we only had a split-second to analyze everything.

I punched fire at one of Zuko's soldiers. He did some fancy move at my and sent three fireballs at me. I blocked myself with my arm. I kicked around to make a line of fire at him. I swung my arms round my head and closed them together to make swirling fire fly at him. He jumped and missed it. I was exhausted and breathing hard, but I had to keep going.

I sent an inferno of kicks and punches, some of them licking his armor. I was winning. Ha. I sent yet another streak of fire at his face, this time knocking off his mask. Damn, this guy's only a kid! He had an extremely young face, with golden eyes and pale skin. Why was he here? His lip was dripping blood, and his dark hair tangled under his helmet. Stupid me hesitated, leaving him time to conjure a mass amount of flame to hurl at me, but I defended myself instead of striking. I made a ring of fire round me to catch my breath for a moment. I couldn't see anything from within the fire, and anyway the sweat was getting into my eyes. I finally lowered my arms, ready to fight again. But as soon as I let my arms down, I felt a piercing burn on the back of my neck. "Eee...ah," I gasped. I grasped my neck and screamed. I fell to my knees. Burning tears fell down my cheeks. It hurt so bad, I wanted to die, right then and there. I tried to get to my feet, but collapsed to the ground. I could bring myself up enough to turn my head to look behind me. I could only see one man standing. My vision blurred, but I knew that face, and I would never forget it. I would never forget the man who laughed at me while I was on the ground crying. I would never forget the man who kicked me while I was lying helpless. I would never forget Prince Zuko.