Author's Notes: Sorry this took forever... I basicly had to rewrite the whole thing. I made it a bit... rougher? This is dedicated to my friend Unique Art, author of Freedom Isn't Free, a truly amazing fic. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.

I pushed all my weight against the door; it was heavier than it already looked. I looked past the corner of the gold trim, seeing a face turned sideways, exposing its massive scar. I pulled the door closed as fast as I possibly could, but not fast enough. Zuko had rushed up and seized me by the collar of my shirt. "What are you doing?!" His eyes cut straight into mine, forcing me to look away.

"I- I-," A guard had ran up beside me.

"She helped the peasant escape. She's nowhere near here anymore." Zuko signaled him to leave, along with the others that had tagged along. It was likely that they were only there to help the dude force some sort of punishment on me. Psh.

"I'll deal with you later." He tightened his grip on my collar. "Apparently, five of my men can't keep you from making chaos for more than an hour, so I guess I have to monitor you myself." His voice steamed. However, it wasn't with rage. I couldn't tell what was going through his head, but whatever it was, couldn't be pleasant. "From now on, you'll never leave my sight." Though his voice was calm, his menacing stare never failed. He dragged me by my collar into his room, and led me to a steel door. The handle creaked as he opened it. Dust wandered off the door into my lungs. What was behind the door was what looked like an empty broom closet, water stains on the roof. There was charcoal spread all on the floor, and there were cracks in the metal.

"This is just a-"

"Your new room. You will never leave my sight, haven't you heard?" My mouthed gaped open at what he had just declared. He fed off my misery, my pain. The jerk. "You'll be training with me tomorrow. I don't want to waste a good Firebender. There are never enough people on my crew," he said. "Good night." He pushed me into the closet and turned off the light. It was pitch dark in there. There was barely enough room to lay down straight, so I went into an uncomfortable curl. I tried to sleep all my pains away, but it would be impossible to on this wet prison ground. But finally in the dead of night, I managed.

I stood somewhere, somewhere familiar that I had never been. The sky burned red, the sun immense and dying. In that somewhere familiar, strange figures floated in the distance. Their faces were blurred and unreadable. As they approached me, their figures became clear. "Dad!" I screamed. He failed to smile or show any emotion at all. I yelled their names one last time and attempted to run towards him, but with both no avail. As the sun set in the horizon, they vanished before me and the world became dark.

I stood erect on the ocean, like it was glass. Waves raged around me, but I stood still. "Mika!" someone yelled. I turned, but could not find the voice. "Mika!" I turned once more, and saw the person that had yelled my name. And they were sinking. Katara was falling into the depths of the ocean.

"NO!!"I sat up, my face wet and tear streaked. I felt the ground below me, making sure I wasn't still dreaming. The floor was moldy but solid, and I remembered that this would be an even worse nightmare.

Heart still pounding, I opened the door and strolled into Zuko's room, only to find that he wasn't there. The light entering through the small window told me that it was morning already.

I exited onto the deck, looking for someone who could get something for me to eat. I hadn't eaten since- I couldn't remember when. Tell you the truth, I didn't know why food would be on the deck. Too late; my feet already carried me up the stairs.

I found Zuko facing me. He walked toward me and put on a small grin though it didn't look happy. It was likely that he was trying to make this as non-painful as he could. "Ready?" I started to turn back but he gripped my wrist. I tried to break from his grip, but he was strong.

"I just wanted to have something-"

"Eat later." He knew I was starving, that vile, sad excuse for a prince! But I daren't disobey.

I stumbled toward him, so weak I could barely walk. I had no idea what to expect. How well can you swim? Can you burn your own face?

"Show me what you can do," he said, arms crossed. I gathered all my energy and punched twice, kicked around, and made a ring of fire. I sent fire up into the air in a never-ending vertical line. I couldn't remember why that was at all useful until embers rained from the skies. Oh. Zuko grabbed my wrists and pulled me under the tarp, saving me from an exceptionally large flame about to land on my face. "Don't. Do. That." Zuko frowned.

As soon as it had stopped raining fire, we walked back onto the open deck, careful not to step on some still hot embers. "One more thing."

"Yeah?" I wondered what he would have me do next.

"Lightning."

"What?" I could only guess that he would make me do something horrible.

"Conjure it, show me." How did he know I could conjure lightning? So Zuko, are you on crack or marijuana? Or are you just a stalker?

"But-"

"Try," he ordered. I separated the energy, made the motions, and was blown aback by a cloud of sparks.

"Again."

"But can't I eat something first?" I was weak and feeble, about to pass out. He paused before answering.

"...Whatever." What did it take to get some manners around here?

We walked about five feet apart at the same pace into the door. He stopped and let me pass him into the door.

"Thanks," I whispered, not for him to hear. We came to a room where there was several of his crew supposedly about their work; they stopped abruptly in mid-conversation as we walked in.

Zuko walked up to one. "We would like some breakfast." I made no comment. I guess I rubbed off a bit of courtesy on Moody pretty fast.

We walked back into a room, supposedly a small dining room. It was painted a deep red with red banners that sported a gold Fire Nation insignia and had golden silk thread on the bottom that were hung on opposite walls. I looked away and sat down on the cushion. Zuko sat opposite me. He had no choice; there were only two seats in the house. That made me feel a whole lot better.

The table was a square elevation raised from the floor. There was a black tablecloth lain neatly on it.

Soon, a cook came in and set a bowl of steamed rice for both of us. "Thank you," I said to him out of common courtesy. I picked up the chopsticks and ate in silence, or at least until Zuko spoke up.

"Why weren't you able to make the lightning?"

"What makes you think I could ever do it?" He paused as if he were trying to think up an answer that wouldn't make him look bad, which he probably was.

"I don't know," Zuko mumbled. If only I could get inside that little head of his...

"And I can do it. I was just weak and hungry. That's it." I continued. "Can you?"

His eyes wandered around and then down to his food. "Not... really," he confessed. "I've practiced and practiced, day after day, and I always end up being shot back by a cloud of sparks, kind of like you had." Wow, thanks for embarrassing me, Moody! "Did it take you long to figure it out?" he questioned me.

"Well..." I looked up and around. It had actually taken a few days. I was a natural, I guess you could say.

"Great, you can outdo me." He had done it.

"Will you stop insulting me?" I stood up, hands on the table. "You're a prince, for crying out loud! Aren't you supposed to be like, kind?" Like I expected, Zuko was taken aback. "Do I have to teach you to act like a civilized person?" I said loudly. Zuko's face didn't change from its bewildered stare. "You know, that would be too hard. How about lightning. At least you won't feel like I'm on a different level than you, which I am, by the way."

Now he just looked annoyed. I could've sworn I heard him curse me a few times, but I was so over it. "Tomorrow. Sundown. On the deck. Don't be late." I left in a hurry.

It was a long time before I heard Moody leave the room.

I didn't even bother to go back into his stupid little closet. My room, and my room only, was now a decent bedroom down the hall. And the best part was I would probably be pissing Zuko off. It didn't really have a point, but it was fun. Go rebellions.

I awoke peacefully after a pleasant dream, though I had forgotten it. I stood up immediately and strolled out and through the hall. Zuko's door was open for some reason that I didn't know, and at the moment didn't care. The prince was asleep. I studied the steady rise and fall of his chest for a while before deciding sneaking noiselessly into his room. Zuko was resting on a mat, and a pretty dingy one from the looks of it. I scrolled over his vanity, trying to see if he owned anything interesting. Nope, just a bunch of decaying scrolls. I bent down to look in the mirror: I was a mess. I brushed off my shirt and straightened my hair, not that it helped in any way shape or form.

I walked back into the corridor. I would explore today, I guessed. See what I could see, dodge a bunch of Firebenders, don't get caught. That was my kind of day.

I stepped out and into hot, dry air, though I could hardly breathe it in. My breath was stifled. I wasn't really sure if I wanted to be walking around all day in this condition. But did I really have much of a choice?

I ran my fingers on the wall as I walked. The metal was cool and chilled me to touch it. After a good forty-five minutes, I realized I would've been better off sitting in my room. There was nothing but a few portraits and random décor. Not even an angry jerk of a guard. Come on.

One of a more interesting objects-probably the only interesting objects- I found on my journey was of a family. A woman, about thirty, stood on the outside. She had beautiful amber eyes and long black hair. There was also a tall man on the opposite side. But what most intrigued me was the little boy in the middle, supposedly five years old. He had the same eyes as what I supposed was his mother. There was an undeniable determination in them, and something else I couldn't find. He had jet black hair pulled up into a ponytail, lopsided but clean. I felt like I knew him, like he was here...

I went on, not finding much else but a bunch of dust and a few off-task Firebenders that didn't even see me!

My "exploration" took until sundown, and it sure felt that long. Sundown! Zuko must already be up deck waiting for me, I thought. I ran like there was something worth running for. I walked out onto the open space, the sun sinking into the endless ocean water. "Ok, we'll start-," I said, expecting to start training right away. But there was no Zuko to train. I stormed into the corridor and through the gold-trimmed door. "I thought we were going to meet on...deck..." Zuko was there all right, facing the wall and tears pouring from his eyes.

I ran over to the prince, eager to help. I couldn't stand to see anyone in so much misery, even if they were a cruel prince. I kneeled by his side, though he kept his back to the room. "What's wrong? Please, I want to help," I offered. I was almost to tears my self, seeing him. He said nothing. "Please!" I shook him, but he just turned and faced away. I walked away from that stubborn... thing! He wouldn't let me help when he was in pain, I hated him for that!

I plopped down in the center of the room, just staring myself. I looked all over, trying to get an idea of what to do to help, though it was not the easiest thing to do. Something caught my eye: a scroll, moist with water drops. I picked it up, wiping off the water. Tears.

'To the Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation:

Your mother, Fire Lady Ursa, has been missing for some time now.' Not much interesting text, just a bunch of whereabouts and names of which I didn't know. I wondered what he could be so sad about. But the one sentence that made my heart stop, was so horrible; I couldn't read it. But it said,

'As of the 14th of January, the body of your mother Ursa was found at the Fire Nation capitol.'

I went over to Zuko and hugged his shoulders.

"I- I hadn't seen her for so many years. I mean, one day she was here, and then the next day she wasn't. She was missing, b- but I had taught myself to believe she was out there somewhere, alive. But now she's just...gone. You don't know what it's like to be me."

"But I do know what you're going through." Zuko looked up at me, but I only looked down. "When I was seven, my brother went to war. He was 17. He was brave, strong, handsome. He was my role model and my best friend. I loved him so much, more than I could ever love anyone.

"For five years my mother and I waited for him to come home. We would sit outside, watching the open spaces for a fleet of soldiers to come marching home.

"We waited for three more years for my brother to come home. But he never came. No contact, nothing. I knew what had happened, though I tried not to believe it. I taught myself not to think of him, even until now. I didn't want to cry anymore, I couldn't bear more tears."

Zuko wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulders, only making more of the silent tears roll down my cheeks. "What was his name?" "Haka-Sai. I became a warrior because of him, and him only. I would finish what he had started. I'm- I'm just going to go." I walked out of the room and into mine, my last memories transferred into sorrowful dreams.