Hi! I'm sorry it took so long to update, I had SERIOUS writers block. BTW Zuko is not the FireLord. I had a review asking that. Enjoy! Please review!

Roku's POV

I was completely and utterly insane. My dad was going to MURDER me!! Well, maybe not. When I had seen Ariana, she was just so perfect, her hair spilling over her shoulders, and her eyes shining out on her angel face. If only she wasn't Katara and Zuko's daughter. Dad hated them. I had followed Ariana and Onji to avoid capture; they would probably look in front of them, not in back. I was behind an Earth Bender when I heard them talk.

"Ariana, I just saw Roku! Isn't he HOT?" She said happily. I froze. What would Ariana think? I had just LEFT her there!

"Well, umm, yeah, but he's more than just…hot, isn't he, doesn't he have a personality?" She said nervously. She looked at me, and I was shocked. She wasn't shallow like Onji; she actually cared if I was nice. I turned away, and went over to my friend Haru. Haru looked just like his father, who was also named Haru.

"Hi, man." Haru said, as he sat on the grass. I sank down next to him.

"Do you see Onji with…?"

"Yeah I see Onji…hey, who's that she's with? She's…god she's HOT!" Haru's mouth dropped open.

"Close your mouth. She's Katara's girl." I said, looking at her sadly. Haru realized the problem.

"Oh. That sucks. You aren't allowed to see her, aren't you?" He asked.

"No." I said curtly.

"Hmm, more for me." I was just about to slap him, when I saw Onji coming towards us without Ariana.

"God…not again, bye Haru!" I shouted, and darted into the crowd. I wove past people, not knowing who I was searching for. When I was at last free of the crowd, I looked up, and saw someone disappear into a path that led to the beach. I followed stealthily, and watched as she disappeared into a cave that I wouldn't have found, if she hadn't led me to it. As she disappeared, I got a glimpse of black hair.

"Ariana!" I gasped, but she didn't hear me. I sat down on the beach, and stared sightlessly into the waves. I felt lonely. I minute or two later, I realized I felt better. I heard a sweet voice singing. I hummed to the music.

I need you,

Like water,

Like breath,

Like rain,

I need you,

Like Mercy from up in the Sky,

There's a freedom in your arms that carries me on…

I need you!

It was like a lullaby, soothing and beautiful. I stood up, and walked over to the cave. Inside, I heard Ariana still singing beautifully.

I need you,

Like Water,

Like Breath,

Like Rain,

I need you…

Oh yes I do…

I relaxed, and waited for the rest of the song. It never came. I walked over to Ariana, crossing my fingers for luck. She had her eyes closed, and she was breathing softly. She was sleeping. I breathed a sigh of relief, and looked down at her, unsure of what to do next. I could bring her back to the party, but I think my dad would hate me after seeing my carry her. I could wake her, and hope that she didn't hate me, or…the list goes on. God, why is everything I do so flippin' hard? I touched her shoulder, and whispered her name. She woke up, rubbing her eyes.

"Crap. Did I fall asleep?" She asked, not looking at me.

"Yes."

"How…how did you find me?"

"You were singing, and I was on the beach." She blushed, and then scowled.

"Why did you come?" She asked tiredly. I sighed. What was I going to say? Well, I followed you because you weren't at the party, and I was bored, and Onji was going to bother me… Yeah, right. Not going to happen.

"Umm, I just, sort of, almost, well, you, I kind of…umm…" I stammered, looking away from her eyes. She laughed, and pulled herself up. We walked back to the party in idle chatter, not really talking about anything important. When we got back, Dad's eyes bore holes in the back of my head. I pulled Ariana next to Haru, and attempted to start a conversation.

"So, what are you doing this summer?" I asked hurriedly, my eyes trailing back to look at my dad. Wrong question in my dad's eyes, he started to storm over next to me.

"Crap." I muttered.

"What? What is it?" Ariana asked, her eyes following mine. She saw dad.

"Oh no…" She murmured.

"ROKU!!"

"Dad? Umm…hi, how are you?"

"Cut it Roku! When we go home…ohhhh…" He trailed off to find mom. Seconds later, mom came over, her sightless eyes, glaring at where she knew I was. I hung my head. Dad didn't want me with Ariana and Mom liked Katara, but hated Zuko, and therefore Ariana too. It wasn't fair. We traveled quickly, to my dismay, and Dad pushed me onto the couch for the father-to-son talk.

"Give me one good reason you were walking with Ariana." He said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I was just TALKING dad."

"It was at a party, and you hadn't had much talking to her in the past…" He said thoughtfully. He fixed me with his gaze.

"You are allowed to be friends with her, but anything more…ohhhh…"

Roku's heart soared. It didn't matter that he was in trouble…he was not confined to do anything. Yet.

"Mmm, 'Ku, go and practice your EarthBending. You've been too lax with it lately." Mom said from the other room. I grumbled, and went out to the beach. No one was there, and I kept to it, halfheartedly fighting nothing, thrusting rocks nowhere. I finally sat down on the sand, looking without seeing at the sea. My mind wandered to a childhood memory, when I was just five. My mom had just started to teach me EarthBending.

"Roku, CONCENTRATE!!"

"I'm TRYING mum!!"

"Don't be so timid. You're moving the rock, not the other way around!"

"This better?"

"Much. Well, at least you're like your father in learning. He mastered EarthBending in just one day!"

"WOW!" I had said, my eyes shining. Mom was smiling, until…

"Did daddy master FireBending and WaterBending so fast too?"

Mom's smile dropped off of her face.

"He got WaterBending fast…don't mention FireBending to him 'Ku."

"Why not?"

"Let me see your stance."

"Mom?"

"Drop it NOW."

I remembered how she had just shut off the subject.

"When will this all be over?" I murmured.

"Maybe never."

I turned around in shock at the musical voice.

"But we have to keep trying, I guess." Ariana sat down a foot away from me, avoiding my eyes.

"Guess so." I said, staring out to the waves again.

"What happened…after…you know…?" She asked hesitantly

"Well…Dad just wants us not…together."

"That's alright…we can still be friends, right?"

"Yeah. What'd your parents say?"

"A lot. I wish I didn't know half of it."

I frowned.

"What'd you mean?"

"I found out…I found out exactly what happened between them that makes them…not like your parents."

"Oh."

"They weren't enemies at first, Katara and Aang, they were boyfriend and girlfriend."

"You've gone insane."

"Listen, will you? Shut up!"

I shut up.

"It all started when they were our age…" She started…