A/N- This is progressively becoming my favorite song ever; and I'm moving on from just listening to All-American Rejects songs to listening to just Grey's Anatomy soundtrack songs. And this, being one of my favorites works I found to work well for Avatar as well as a song. So ta-da! A song fic was born!

Chasing Cars

She stumbled through the undergrowth, softly cursing every time she tripped. The forest seemed to be never-ending, torturing her with its maze of trees, stumps, vines and branches. Maybe going that way hadn't been the brightest idea after all…

(Flashback)

"Are you saying that it's my fault?"

"No, I'm just saying that if you hadn't been playing with your 'magic water', we wouldn't be in this situation."

"So it's my fault then."

"Well, now tha-"

"Well, since I'm so unwanted around here; I'll just leave and solve all of your problems." Her tone gave way from its sarcastic start to one of anger and hurt. She turned away quickly, hoping they couldn't see her tears. She had to be strong.

She then had grabbed her things and stalked off, not bothering to say anything more to anybody. If they wanted her gone so badly, she'd go off by herself where she wasn't such a bother to everyone. It was on impulse and completely ridiculous, but she was seething mad and it made her feel a bit better to be in charge of the situation for once. She knew it was stupid, but she wasn't about to back down after all that.

So she had headed off in the direction of the forest, not once daring to look back. She knew what all of their expressions would be; she didn't need to see them. Her brother's smirking face was the first thing that popped into her head, taunting her with his self-righteousness. He thought he was so smart, so high and mighty…oh did she want to rub the smirk off his face. He was positive that she would come back, just like she had done every other time. He thought he was always right, knew everything there was to know, and everybody else didn't. But yes, he believed she would come back crawling on her knees, begging him for forgiveness.

She stiffened at this, and started walking faster. She would not let him win; she would not let him be right…

(End Flashback)

She stumbled through a few more branches, nearly tripping on a stump half-hidden with fallen leaves and branches. She swore that she would be lucky to get out of the place alive, much less without any scratches, bruises or cuts. She wouldn't be surprised if she twisted an ankle in the forest.

She tripped again, this time falling down hard on her foot, mainly her ankle. She let out a few choice words as she fell to the ground. She just had to think that she wouldn't be surprised if she twisted an ankle in the forest.

She dug through her bag, looking for her water pouch, only to remember that she had dropped it back by the river by their camp. It would be no help to her now.

She looked around her, trying to see or even hear a stream nearby. She wouldn't get far on her swollen ankle. She strained her ears for a sound of water rushing or even trickling, and was relieved when she heard the familiar sound, though it was faint. She went through her bag again, this time producing a set of bandages. Until she got to wherever the water was; they would have to do. She wrapped her ankle well enough to be able to limp on it until she got to the source of water.

It was a stream, she found out when she got close enough, and there was barely enough water for it not to dry up in a drought; but it was water all the same, and at this point she was going to take what she could get. She submerged her hands in the water, slowly bringing them to her hurt ankle, which glowed for a minute, the swelling slowly disappearing before her eyes. Once she was done, she stood up and tested it, finding that it would be fine as long as she was careful and didn't trip again.

She gathered up her supplies and started walking again, this time being careful to not trip over anything.

We'll do it all

Everything

On our own

Soon enough, though; her persistence was rewarded when she spotted a patch of grass, signaling the end of the forest. She quickened her pace, forgetting about her newly healed ankle, and was almost running when she burst through the undergrowth into the open grassland. She was reminded of it instantly, though, when she stopped for a minute to take in the sight of the beauty before her, and was brought back to her senses with its twinges of pain. She fingered her ankle gently before standing up again, walking forward continuously until the hill came into sight.

She hadn't remembered it as a large hill, but it looked huge all the same after her episode with the forest and then her ankle. She walked cautiously up the hill, her pace increasing as she neared the top. She admired the view for a bit before spotting him at one corner of it, almost waiting for her.

He was half lying down in the grass with his back turned to her, staring off into the distance. She was about to say something, the words flying out of her mouth forgotten when he spoke instead.

"It was the last straw this time, huh?"

She stood there in shock for a minutes; unable to find her voice. She found her mouth opening and closing again in response to him. Apparently he could read her mind as well as her footsteps, for he began to speak again, voicing the answer to her thoughts.

"You're very loud when you're angry, y'know."

She put a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow at him, momentarily forgetting he couldn't see her. She had just escaped a know-it-all brother, a treacherous forest and a twisted ankle and now she had to deal with his smart remarks?

"Oh really?" She responded sarcastically, unwilling to explain anything to him.

"Yes," he continued, "You make a lot of noise. All the stomping and huffing must have scared the animals a mile away. What happened this time?"

Apparently he was going to ask anyway. Well, she just wouldn't give him a straight answer. Two could play this game.

"What happened to you?" She shot back.

"I just needed some alone time, that's all."

She looked at him, amused. Or rather, his back, for he still hadn't turned around.

"Your uncle bugging you?"

"He won't leave me alone. For spirit's sake, I'm almost seventeen and he still treats me like a little kid."

We don't need

Anything

Or anyone

Her expression softened. They were back into their routine, a play they had parts in. She responded with mother-like tendency, keeping to the script.

"You know, he's just trying to help you. He cares for you deeply and doesn't want you to get hurt."

"Too late." He responded bitterly, the memory of the Agni Kai and later, his banishment; afresh in his mind.

She looked at him, instantly concerned, but he never turned.

She couldn't find words to console him, and as such, remained silent. Neither spoke for awhile, the silence lingering. But the unspoken words hung in the air around, speaking volumes.

She broke the silence first, dropping her bag and plopping down on the ground next to him, responding with a dejected sigh,

"Like completely and utterly sucks right now."

"Tell me about it." He muttered, which got a laugh for her. The laugh quickly died, though, as she was reminded of everything that had happened, both in her life and his.

"Sometimes I think that this is just one big game that we're all forced to play; a game that I just don't know the rules of."

"If you don't the rules of the game, where does that leave the rest of us? You're the one who's got it all figured out, her life set out before her in a perfect little line."

She sat up and turned toward him.

"My life is perfect?"

"Yes, you with your caring brother and your precious little Avatar. And that little blind girl with you as well, all of them ready to fight with you until the end."

She laid back down and turned the opposite direction of him, mumbling into the grass, "My life isn't as perfect as you think. I've got problems too and I know they seem small compared to other people's" she added as she heard him about to protest the 'problems' part. "But they're problems I have to deal with, a lot that I don't have the answers to." She paused. "Especially since everybody thinks that I have all the answers," she added as an afterthought.

"But you know what?" She asked, not expecting an answer from him. "Through all this, through everything that has happened; I've hung on to one thing, something that has helped me stick it out, carry on until the end. And that," she said, turning toward him, "is the fact that I'm not alone. Even when it seems like it, seems like I'm lost and alone in the world without anybody at all. There's always been somebody and there always will be. No one is alone in the world, no one." He made no response so she continued.

"You're not alone, Zuko, remember that."

She sat up and leaned her back against his, to which he responded tensely to at first, but soon relaxed into.

The people from two different nations named Zuko and Katara faded into oblivion there atop the hill and they became just a boy and a girl, all their troubles floating away.

If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?