A/N- Watched the series finale tonight…WOWOMFGITWASTHEMOSTAMAZINGTHISIHAVEEVERSEEN!!...until those last 30 seconds with the Kataang kiss. It literally tore me and my friends apart; there was a lot of scream, even for the tears shed for that atomic bomb that sunk the Zutara ship. Also, why couldn't we acknowledge the Tokka, even one-sided, that's all we get, a stupid blush in "Sokka's Master." Grrr….But anyway, just wanted to say that I love Avatar, so I thought I'd give you an update before I leave for a cruel week of soccer camp…And I spent writing this chapter until about 2:00 a.m…I only got done with the flashback sequence, so I couldn't give you an update before camp…eh

Also, the flashback takes place when Zuko and Kya are 10, but right before Ozai becomes Firelord. I'm just assuming Zuko was around ten at the time. Please correct me if I'm wrong and I'll go back and change it.

Also, for the fact that in this past week the show ruined my story line, let's just say that they never went to Zuko's house on Ember Island to hide, although they did go to the play. Note joke in first chapter

Also…Yeah I know I should shut up…this was a pain to write. Seriously, I wrote the flashback and I was like alright that was awesome, then when I got to the real time scenes I've been literally stuck; which is why it took so longer to update. Just thought I'd let you know

--

"I swear I didn't do it!" the voice of Kya's 10-year-old self cried, looking up into her punishers eyes, although mostly concealed by a mask. "Please, don't hurt me. I'll be good."

"You tried to kill Fire Prince Zuko. You're lucky you won't be killed you treacherous wench," the man fired back with a deep rough voice.

Kya looked around to the faces of all the generals and nobles surrounding the floor of her trial room, her eyes settling on a man with short black, hair, his general formal robe glistening in the torches' light. He was tall, his clothing doing nothing to conceal the muscles underneath, and his features were sharp, his almost hawk-like, golden eyes studying her as well. She looked down at herself, her puny, tan, blue-eyed, brown-haired self: she looked nothing like her father.

"Does anyone have anything to say for the convicted, anything to say in favor for her case," the judge's voice droned. "Maybe from her father?" Moments passed, she looked to her father with hopeful eyes, he said nothing, there was not even a hint of concern on his face, and honestly he looked like he just wanted to get out of the room. "Alright then, we then find the plaintiff gui–"

"Wait" a distinctively feminine voice rang out. Kya whipped her head around to see Fire Prince Ozai's wife, Ursa walk into the room. Behind her was an oddly pleased-looking Azula, and Zuko who had his face turned, avoiding her scrutinizing gaze, making it entirely impossible to read his expression. "We must remember now that this girl, although her crime is very mature, is of course, only a girl, a child, she doesn't deserve the harsh punishment you have been planning to inflict. Just because she tried to…hurt my son," she paused to glare at the girl, causing a pang of hurt to run through Kya, obviously she wasn't off the hook, not even with the woman she cared so much about, that was like a mother to her, 'It's obvious that she's not your mother,' a cruel, mocking voice echoed inside her mind, 'you have no mother…' Kya was subdued by the thought and looked away from Ursa's harsh stare, promising herself she wouldn't cry. "There must be some explanation to why this happened and I think it has something to do with her Waterbending; my son agrees that she might have lost control of her power; he had been teasing her, you see." She paused to smile weakly at the procession. "Of course, she's too dangerous to have in the palace, but my husband and I both agree that there may be some use for her on the battlefield, that she could be used as an advantage against the Water Tribes once she learns to control her abilities. Take a moment to think about it: one of their kind acting as a spy for us, able to infiltrate their cities and when the time is right, strike them unexpectedly. Her outburst yesterday proved that she is a prodigy in her skill…It is not that we don't feel that this crime should go unnoticed, but I don't want to waste what she can offer." She fell silent and the jury began to murmur amongst themselves. She tried to give a grateful smile to Ursa but the women's face remained stony, avoiding her eyes.

"We the jury agrees that the Water Tribe girl will receive a milder punishment for her crime against the Fire Nation. Afterward she will be sent directly to the Fire Nation Army Military Academy where she will undergo intense training in her bending and other necessary skills so that she is ready to go to the barracks and fight for the Fire Nation…We shall punish the girl now and then case dismissed."

Kya sighed with relief, she could stand fighting for the military, it might be fun, Azula was always practicing fighting with her, using her more as a dummy than an actual opponent but maybe if she would see the girl again she could actual give her a run for a money. She looked to Azula who had an evil sneer on her face, 'Maybe not.'

Suddenly Kya was pulled to her feet and quickly pulled to the center of the room. The guards on her arms pushed her down onto her knees, tearing the back of her shirt open. Color drained for her face, finally realizing that the lesser punishment wasn't going to be as easy as a slap on the wrist. A cold looking soldier crossed the room, he stopped abrubtly behind Kya, waving his arm so that a flaming whip emerged from it. In a quick motion he rose it up into the sky. Kya couldn't help the tears that fell as she watched as he began to lower it down. She screamed as the whip tore into her back, hot blood pouring down from the wound. She watched as he rose his arm up again.

"One." the judged said monotonously.

He brought it down again.

"Two."

And again.

"Three."

And again.

"Four."

And again.

"Five…"

--

Kya's eyes snapped open but she had to close them again as they were assaulted by a blinding white light, it took her moments to realize that it was the sun shining brightly into the small room she was in. She shook her head to get her screams out of her mind and wiped the sheen of sweat from her face. Her eyes fluttered closed again and she began breathing deeply regaining her composure then opened them to observe her surroundings. The room was entirely stone, the only furniture seemed to be the bed that she lay on and a small chair in the corner. Nothing about the Spartan look of the room gave her any idea of where she was located. She made a move to sit up but was met by an onslaught of pain and she was forced to lie back down clutching her obviously broken ribs. Fire raged in front of her eyes and she suddenly remembered, 'the explosion!' She looked up and down the rest of her body for any major injuries, but it seemed that any burns she had received seemed to have magically disappeared only leaving a few cuts and bruises to ruin her otherwise perfectly healthy skin. 'What happened?' she wondered, moving to rub her temples, trying to remember any details from what happened after the explosion. All she could remember was blazing heat and darkness, 'how long was I out?' At that instant she realized the chains that were tightly bound on her wrists and ankles, shackling her to the bed. Panicked, she started struggling against the foul contraptions but again the pain from her ribs kept her from escaping.

"Oh good you're awake," said a familiar voice behind her.

Kya turned to see the blind Earthbender leaning casually against the door frame. She had a slight smirk on her face, despite her lack of sight, obviously sensing that she was in pain. "I wouldn't move too much if I was you. Katara hasn't been able to heal your ribs yet."

Toph waited for the girl to speak, ask a question, but she remained silent; although she could feel her heart pounding with anxiety and panic.

"You've been out for about a week," she continued, answering some of internal questions. "You're chained up because; the gang wants to be cautious. Even after you're healed we can't trust you to leave without revealing our location."

There was another bout of silence, but then Kya figured it wouldn't do her any good keeping silent. "I'm your prisoner, then," she stated, her voice sounding foreign, dry in her ears.

"Well, basically," the Earthbender said with a grin. "So, you hungry?"

Kya blinked, she couldn't understand this girl's bluntness, or that even though she had just been made the prisoner of said girl, Toph was being…almost friendly. She shook her head in refusal, but on queue her stomach growled in protest.

Toph smirked, "Something tells me you are. I'll have Katara bring you something at your next healing session. I'll be seeing you." With that, the blind girl turned on her heels and was gone, closing the door with a slam that was quite appropriate to her character.

Kya flinched at the noise of the shutting, she stared blankly at the cracks in the stone ceiling, and the small patches of vegetation that had managed to grow, using the sunlight from the window to flourish in the otherwise dark room. She breathed slowly, sitting in the silence she created, listening to the hum of birds and bugs outside her lonely prison. She was trying to take in all that happened: She obviously had saved Zuko, surprisingly had lived and now as 'thanks' they were healing her. Kya might have been thankful except for the fact that she was now chained to a bed, forever going to be the prisoner of this motley crew. She blew a line of fire from her mouth, her nostrils steaming, 'You are so stupid!' she shouted at herself, 'Of course this is what you get for trying to be nice, which by the way, I can't seem to understand why I did it; this is how you're repaid. This is what you get for dealing with Zuko, you got burned…literally.'

--

Toph walked silently back up to the main hall, stopping in mid-stride. "She's doing fine, Zuko," she said to no one.

"Did she say anything about me?" Zuko asked emerging from behind a large stone pillar.

"No. Why do you ask?" Toph retorted, her eyebrow arching in question.

Zuko blushed at the tone of her voice, embarrassed at what his question could have meant. "N-no reason," he stammered, for once glad the Earthbender was blind, "Just is she angry with me?"

Toph laughed, "Well we did imprison her after she saved your life, so yeah, she's probably a bit angry." Hearing Zuko's audible sigh, she gave one of her own, trying to console the Firebender, "But I bet she's angry with all of us right now, not just you. Besides, when I talked to her, she just seems a little stunned, she didn't speak much."

Zuko nodded, "Yeah," he murmured distantly.

Toph shook her head at the hopeless boy in front of her, "Look I know that you're worried because of whatever happened between you two in the past." Zuko looked up; he was still always surprised at the girl's ability to read him. "But, something tells me that she still cares about you, I mean she did save her life. I have a feeling that she's not as stone cold as she lets on. It might take some time, but I think that she might come around. You can be friends or whatever you two were again."

Zuko nodded again, "Maybe." The two then walked silently back up to where the others were camped, Zuko's eyes shining with doubt. Despite Toph's comforting words, he doubted that Kya would ever forgive him. Her screams rattled his brains again, the memory of the whip coming down on her back forever seared into his memory. 'It's all my fault.'

--

Kya had been sitting there for what felt like an eternity when a blue-clad figure walked in. Immediately Kya recognized the Water Tribe girl…peasant, Katara. She was balancing a tray of food in one hand and a bowl of water in the other. When their blue eyes met, Katara gave a small smile. In response, Kya's frown etched a deeper line into her forehead, 'Why was everyone being so damn nice?' With the lack of response from the older Waterbender, Katara's smile faded and she sneered. "You must be hungry," she said, her voice deep with malice. 'Finally. This is a feeling I can understand.' "You haven't eaten solid food for the last week," she continued.

"Why do you care?" she asked, her tone matching Katara's. "Why don't you let me starve to death, stop healing me; you wouldn't have to worry about me exposing your group."

Katara laughed coldly, "Honestly, that would probably be the best for us. And honestly I really didn't care whether you would live or not" Her gaze on the Fire Nation General was dark, anger obviously seething underneath those hard blue eyes, but after a beat she sighed deeply, the anger seemingly dissipating with it. "But, you saved Zuko, my friend…all of ours. For that we're grateful." Katara was silent for a minute and reached to help Kya sit up when she was interrupted by a manic laugh from the Fire Nation girl.

Kya couldn't even help the laugh; everything was so absurd at the moment. She was captured, by the Avatar no less, and they wanted to help her because they saved Zuko, their friend. It wasn't the fact that Zuko had friends that was causing her body to shake with mocking laughter, but the irony of whom he decided to become friends with. It just didn't make sense. Particularly the Waterbender who asserted their friendship, it just didn't seem like Zuko could be friends with someone who was from such a primitive state as the Water Tribes; especially after what he had done to her; because she was a Waterbender. She had heard many a story about Zuko's chase of the young Airbender along with his distaste for all that he stood for. Zuko had more pride for his nation probably than she did and he was always fixed on honor and being a prince; going behind his father's back didn't seem honorable, not at all. There had to be some other reason he was here, seemingly betraying his nation. Kya voiced her opinion on the matter, rather cruelly to the young Waterbender:

"Your friend, ha!" she smirked, "Don't make me laugh. Zuko couldn't actually be friends with you," she sneered, punctuating her final words. "You all are probably just little pawns in his plan to get on Daddy's good graces, to capture the Avatar without even bothering to lift a finger, leading you all to your demise!" She was breathing heavily now, the anger coursing through her veins, taking control of her next words, "he would never be friends with a filthy Water Tribe peasant, like you." Expecting this to have gotten a rise out of the girl she was stunned when the girl responded quietly: "Lay back so I can have a better angle to heal your ribs; then you can eat."

Kya could have burned herself she was in such a state of rage. She simply couldn't understand these people and she hated when she couldn't read people, bend them to her will. It made her feel powerless. Looking down the wrappings that covered around her chest and rib cage, left her toned stomach bare and twirled around her lower section and she supposed she was indeed powerless, . This thought was the only strong enough to subdue her so that she laid flat on her back and suddenly the cool glowing glove of water on her broken ribs allowed her to bring her body temperature back to normal.

"Funny," Katara said, breaking the silence, "that you should say that. That I could never be friends with Zuko because I'm from the Water Tribe…I mean he was friends with you and you're from the Water Tribe."

Kya lunged at the girl, straining against the chains, "I am not from that wretched place," she spat. The pain on her ribs was too great for her to continue and she flopped back down onto the mattress.

"Again that's funny," she said placing her healing hands once again over Kya's ribs, "because you look like you should be."

This time Kya couldn't deny the claim. She had to hand it to the peasant; she knew which buttons to push. Seeing the futility of her efforts she figured that she should stop fighting with her healer, "my mother was from the Southern Water Tribe; my father," she paused, finding the phrase difficult to say, "was a Fire Nation General, he retired a couple years back. But I was born in the Fire Nation, lived there all my life," she murmured quietly, turning her head away from the girl.

Katara perked up, and although Kya couldn't see it, she was pleased that the Fire Nation girl was trying to make conversation. "The Southern Tribe, huh? I've lived there all my life, you think I might know her?"

Kya shook her head, "No, she was taken in a Fire Nation raid, probably before you were old enough to remember. That's when she met my father." The pause when Kya talked about her father did not go unnoticed by the master Waterbender but she did not question it, although curiosity was eating at her. She knew that Kya was part of Zuko's dark past from his restraint and nervousness whenever she was mentioned, only giving tidbits of information on the girl, but nothing truly to get an actual understanding of the Water/Firebender before her. Katara looked down at the girl, waiting for her to continue but she appeared to withdraw again, not wanting to give out the information but she respected the girl's wishes. At least she now knew why the girl could bend the two elements, obviously not being the Avatar. It wasn't uncommon, particularly now with Fire Nation colonials and Earth Kingdom residents to be living in close quarters to marry and have children; but usually they only took either of the parents' bending or none at all. Kya was special, that much she could tell. They sat in silence for some time before Katara figured she should share some information with the girl, to even the playing field and maybe get her to open up again.

"My mother was taken in a Fire Nation raid too," she said sadly although now the tears didn't fall. "She was taken for trying to protect the last Waterbender, me; she saved my life." She gazed absently outside the window, shadows growing with the time as the sun rose further into the sky. Again the pair didn't speak for minutes before Kya finally responded:

"I'm sorry. About you're mom," she paused as the girl's shining blue eyes met hers, a pang of sympathy rising in her chest, "But you're lucky, in a way. I don't think I know of anyone who would have put their life in danger for mine," her tone became steely and Katara figured that Kya's mind had once again shifted to her father and, sadly, Zuko.

Katara was silent, lifting her hands from Kya's ribs, indicating that the healing session was finished. She watched as Kya lifted herself, feeling the afflicted area with gentle, "I don't think they're fully healed, but they're definitely not broken anymore; the pain is a lot less…painful," she stated and finally lifted her head enough to reach Katara's eyes, and she noticed something flash behind them for a second but then disappeared, her eyes assuming their dark blue gaze, reminding Katara of a stormy ocean. "Thanks," she said, so quietly, Katara had barely heard. It must have taken her a lot, the Water Tribe girl realized to admit defeat and thank her; she laughed inwardly, 'She's almost as proud as Zuko.'

"You're welcome," she said with a small smile. They sat their in awkward silence until Katara got up and turned for the door. But she stopped in mid-stride and turned back, "Zuko's changed, you know. He's been really concerned about you. Honestly, he's been the one helping the most with taking care of you," she said with a slight laugh. After a beat she spoke again, "I know that something happened to you two in the past; something that has to do with the scars on your back and why you scream at night," Kya went visibly rigid, she had forgotten how Katara must have seen the scars "but I really think he might surprise you now." She paused again, "And I know that some scars remain visible, marks of our past; but sometimes they can fade too…they just need a little healing time." She again began heading for the door, "you'll probably want to heat up your food with Firebending," she said lightly, "but I wouldn't try anything else. You're not fully healed and even if you could escape there are four master benders along with a massive convict, a bomb special, an Earthbender, a crazy little kid and three warriors waiting just on the outside of this room. I know you're tough but I don't think you could take us all on," she grinned and left.

Kya couldn't help but grin as well; the Waterbender's smiles were contagious. She was grateful for this member of the Avatar's gang; who seemed to know how to talk to her and to know when to change the subject, like she had just now. But even with this fact Kya couldn't ignore the pounding in her chest at the statements she had previously made:

"He's been really concerned about you. Honestly, he's been the one helping the most with taking care of you… but sometimes they can fade too…they just need a little healing time."

Her words echoed in Kya's ears as she chewed on the now cold meal in front of her.

--

And so it is done, HAHA! Took me long enough. Well, so begins the Katara/Kya friendship. It was really between Katara, Toph, and Aang in who would have the first friendship with Kya but I think the contrast and similarities between Katara and Kya, whom by the way I didn't know shared the same name with Katara's mother; just it was a former name for Katara they had used in the pilot; but still. More to come!!

As always…R&R

-Ktsvillefan