Due to language and dark themes like rape and torture, I might have to change this story's rating to M, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think the rating should be.

"No, no, no," I whimpered, staring at the sparks rising from my hands. I ran across the kitchen and shoved my hands into the washbasin, trying to control my breathing. This time, I hadn't even been doing anything stressful, or even out of the ordinary. Ever since my outburst with Zuko, it was like all my control over my (it was hard to even think the word) bending… had been obliterated. When an animal in the woods startled me, my hands would smolder, itching to release a stream of defensive fire. When I dropped a dish or tripped over a rug and my heart rate increased, the smoke would rise immediately, as if my subconscious was now on edge, preparing for anything that could potentially be a threat. I'd been trying some stress-relief exercises and they seemed to help. I'd feel the heat begin in my chest and I would sit down right where I was and breathe, think calming thoughts and focus on the breath going in and out of my body. Usually, it worked almost immediately. The sparks would disappear and the smoke would grow thinner. This time, however, caught me by surprise. At least when I dropped a dish or heard something in the woods, I could tell myself that the rush of awareness triggered my fire. This time, though, I'd just been folding some newly made bandages. It was getting harder and harder for me to predict, and even harder for me to control.

It had been almost a week since my two houseguests had left. The intervening time after Zuko and his uncle left was almost painfully quiet and empty. I did what I could to stay busy, but Iroh was a big personality, and even though Zuko didn't say much, he still had a commanding presence. My mind drifted back to the last night they were with me and every time I thought of his lips on mine, the smell of smoke would flood the air and I'd have to clear my mind, or at least bury my hands in dirt or water, whichever was closer.

The bandages were strewn over my dining table and my hands were still soaking in the washbasin when a knock sounded at my door. I cursed softly, looking anxiously at my hands under the water, but I couldn't tell if they were back to normal. I stayed quiet, hoping against hope that whoever it was didn't need me to heal anything. However, there's really not any other reason that someone would come to see me. As whoever it was knocked again, I took a deep breath and pulled my hands slowly out of the water. I sagged with relief when I saw that they were back to their unthreatening state. If any of the people from town knew my secret, it would be the end of my healing career, in this village at least. It would be very difficult to establish myself in another town the way I have here, and it takes years for an herb garden to produce as much as mine was now. I wiped my hands on the cloth lying next to the basin and went to answer the door.

It was Jaela, a woman I'd met once or twice in town, and her young son. I didn't know her well, but she was always kind to me, outwardly at least. She was a thin woman, and always seemed to look tired. I guess it was because of the little ball of energy she had restrained by his shirt collar. Her son had the same tan skin and brown hair as his mother, but he looked darker due to the film of dirt he was covered in. Jaela gave me a tired smile and said, "Hello, Rei. My son skinned his knee on some rocks today. It isn't bad, but I don't want to take the risk of it festering."

I looked down at the boy's knee and noticed a trickle of blood making its way down his shin. "Of course. I'll just get it cleaned and put some anti-infection herbs on it. Right through here." I led them into my healing room, trying hard not to think about its last occupant.

"Mother, I don't want to!" the boy whined.

"Now Sinja, I told you not to go near the mine. You fell because you disobeyed your mama, and now you have to pay for it." With that, Jaela lifted the boy up onto the table, where he sat with his arms crossed and a pout on his face. I smirked as I filled the basin with fresh water from the pitcher and gathered the right herbs.

I finally settled on the stool and scooted up in front of the boy, his mother's hand rested on his shoulder to keep him still. To distract him while I washed out his wound, I asked, "So Sinja, how did you skin your knee?"

"My friend and me were practicing our swords," he said, eyeing my wash rag carefully. I glanced up at him again. He couldn't have been more than six, far too young to begin learning swordplay.

"Your swords?" I started to wipe away the dirt and pebbles that were stuck to the skin with rocks. He cried out and tried to squirm away, but his mother held him in place. "Where did you get swords?"

The boy was whimpering, but still answered my question. "Well, they're not real swords. They're just sticks, but we pretend. We want to be ready for when the Avatar comes and needs us to fight!" he finished proudly.

"Sinja!" his mother scolded, "What did I tell you about talking like that?"

"It's alright," I told her. I finished cleaning out the wound and put the paste of anti-infection herbs on the scrape. The mixture doesn't sting, so Sinja was much more relaxed. "You know, Sinja, the Avatar hasn't been seen in a hundred years."

The boy rolled his eyes at me. "Don't you know anything? He's back! Everyone in town is talking about it. He defeated the Fire Nation up north!"

Being somewhat removed from the town gossip, I was taken aback by his confidence. I took a couple deep breaths and concentrated on quelling the heat that always seemed to bubble just below the surface now. I glanced toward Jaela to ascertain how much of her son's statement was imagination, but she was just glaring at her son. I finished the treatment on his leg and stood, holding out a hand to help the boy off the table. He hopped down and ran immediately out the front door and attempted to climb a tree. I sent a silent thanks toward the spirits for keeping my hands cool as I treated him. I walked Jaela to the door and said, "I know it'll be hard, but just try to keep it clean. It isn't deep and should already be scabbed over by tomorrow. If you get nervous about it, please come back to see me."

"Thank you, Rei." She put two coppers in my hand, which I accepted. "I'm sure we'll be back," she said with a sigh as we both watched Sinja fall out of the tree and bounce right back up for another try.

She'd taken a step outside my door when I said, "Jaela, wait." She turned back, her eyebrows raised. "I was just wondering about what Sinja said… about the Avatar?"

Jaela ran a nervous hand over her hair. "Oh, yes. There have been some rumors that the Avatar was sighted up near the North Pole. However, I wouldn't put too much stock in those stories. They're just wishful thinking. I've told Sinja to put it out of his mind, but he's as stubborn as his father was."

My smile must have seemed a bit distracted as I asked, "When do they say he was sighted?"

"Oh, not long ago. Maybe a couple weeks." Jaela was obviously anxious to leave as her son fell out of the tree a second time and headed into the woods, away from the path to town. "Sinja!" she scolded. The boy turned back toward his mother and after a quick goodbye from Jaela, they headed down the path, her hand firm on his shoulder. I didn't mind, my thoughts were already turning to a conversation I had a week ago. Zuko had been telling me about his travels to the North Pole. He never said exactly why he went there, just that he was ordered to. If the rumors were true, Zuko would have been there around the same time as the Avatar. My mother had told me stories about the Avatar, the wonderful things he or she could do, but so much time had passed since the last known Avatar was alive, the idea really seemed more like legend than history to me. It was every Earth Kingdom citizen's wish that the Avatar would return and rid us of the Fire Nation rule, but those were just dreams. However, a part of me desperately wanted those rumors to be true. If the Avatar really was alive, it seemed like an outrageous coincidence that a Fire Nation prince happened to be at the North Pole at the same time as the Avatar. I smelled smoke again and didn't even bother to look down at my hands before crouching down and burying them in the dirt, my breaths slow and even.

I had just closed the last shutter against the coming night when I again heard a knock at my door. "Well, aren't I popular," I mumbled under my breath and I went to slide open the door. I let out a soft gasp as I realized it was Kenshin who stood before me. "Captain Kenshin. This is a surprise," I managed to say. I glanced behind him to see how many men he'd brought with him, but was surprised to see that he appeared to be alone.

He gave me the leer that I've come to expect from him. "It's tax time, Rei. I need five silvers."

My jaw dropped open. "Tax time isn't until next month and it's three silvers!"

Kenshin leaned against my doorframe and I took a step back, trying to keep a fair amount of distance between us. "Things change. The great Fire Lord needs your support, especially after what happened at the North Pole."

Fear crept up inside me as I started to smell smoke. I focused on my breathing and hid my hands behind my back, praying Kenshin would dismiss the smell. "I don't have five silvers right now, Captain, I just had to buy new bandages. I only have three silvers, but theFire Lord can take them." With that, I turned back into my kitchen, trying my best to keep my hands hidden. I reached up into the cupboard and took out almost all of my money, noticing that only a thin line of smoke was trailing from my fingertips. I tried my best to calm down, and after fiddling around with the money for a little while, trying to kill time, the smoke finally disappeared. I turned to walk back to Kenshin, but shrieked in surprise as I walked right into him. He must have followed me into the house and was now looking me up and down, his disgusting gaze lingering on my breasts.

"You know, I do need five silvers, Rei… if you don't have them, maybe you could earn them," he growled. His rough fingers brushed aside a strand of hair from my neck and I started to shake. I don't have a lot of experience with men, but I have enough to know that evil look in his eye. He wanted me, I always knew he did, but I never thought he would act on his longing. He's a Fire Nation captain, and hates the Earth Kingdom.

"Captain, please, just take the silvers and go," I'm ashamed to say my voice shook.

He stepped closer so that his chest was touching mine. I was backed up against the counter and couldn't move. "No, no," he whispered. I smelled smoke again and pressed my palms together behind my back, the money growing hot in my grasp. "You've been playing with me for too long, peasant. Now, you're gonna get what you've been asking for." He grabbed the back of my neck so hard that I gasped from the pain. He used the opportunity to shove his mouth against mine, thrusting his slimy tongue inside my mouth. I felt the heat from his breath just like I felt Zuko's, but I was more afraid than I ever was of the prince. The money clanged against the counter as I dropped it and shoved against Kenshin's chest as hard I could, trying to wrench my mouth away from his. His huge body didn't even budge; he just ground his hips against mine, seeking his own pleasure and finding it in my pain and panic. I had no doubt what he would do to me if I stopped fighting, and I knew in that same instant that I couldn't fight him off me. I couldn't stop it from happening. He would use me and probably dispose of me and I'd never see Zuko again. I felt the blind fury replacing fear as I thought of how Zuko had kissed me, so gently. Kenshin's hand moved to grip my bottom and I let out a furious growl as I felt the heat rise in my chest. "That's it," he sighed against my mouth, "You know you want this." The heat grew almost painful, but this time, instead of burying it and calming it, I embraced it. I let the warmth flow through my limbs and burst out against his chest. A blinding ball of fire erupted between our bodies as Kenshin let out a wail of pain and fell backward. I looked down at my hands to see them each engulfed in orange flames, but it didn't hurt. The only thing I felt in that moment was gratitude. A crackling above my head drew my gaze toward the ceiling, and I saw that the roof thatching had caught fire. I threw the water in the basin up toward it, but it had already spread, the dry thatching acting as the perfect fuel.

"No!" I shouted. The roof was covered in flames faster than I could have imagined, and I knew that there was no saving it. I ran toward the open door, but stopped just outside and turned to look back at Kenshin's unconscious form and considered saving him. Then I asked myself why, and kept walking. I didn't get twenty feet from the house when soldiers started to emerge running from the woods. I stopped in my tracks, too surprised to do much more than raise my flaming hands when one of them caught both my wrists, shoving them behind my back and turning me to face the burning house.

One of the soldiers that I didn't recognize stopped at my front door and shouted, "Captain! Are you in there?"

I heard a muffled moan from inside and the soldier ran into the building, emerging a few seconds later, dragging Kenshin's body behind him. Immediately after they cleared the doorway, the roof finally gave way, collapsing in a shower of red sparks and smoke. The shadows from the huge fire made the trees around us dance and sway like they were alive. I could still feel the heat on my hands and I knew that they were on fire, but the soldier at my back was holding my wrists with one hand while he calmed my flames with his own bending with the other. His hand encircled mine, keeping the flames to a minimum. Fear started to build in me again as I realized that I was captured by the Fire Nation soldiers, and I had just attacked their captain. Just then, Kenshin was sitting up with the help of the soldier who saved him. The others were in defensive positions around me.

Kenshin finally looked up at me and said, "That one attempted to kill me. She's a firebender and an attempted murderer." I started to shake again as he slowly made his way to his feet. I didn't hurt him as badly as I thought, and he was steadier on his feet than I'd hoped. He stalked over to me and shoved his face up close to mine. I clenched my jaw to keep from spitting at him. "You fucked up, girlie," he growled. "You're just as useless and disgusting as your father was and you don't deserve to bend. I'll have to make sure no one ever wants to touch you again. Hold her down!" he barked at the man holding me. My legs were kicked out from under me and I landed hard on my face, my hands still held behind me. Kenhin grabbed my shoulders and turned me over, seizing my hands before I could even move them. Two soldiers grabbed my arms, pinning them on the ground straight out, palms down. I could see the columns of smoke rising from them, but they were useless to me. Kenshin moved to straddle my waist and he knocked the wind out of me as he dropped his weight onto my stomach, pinning my legs under him. "Hold her legs, just in case," he told the men behind him.

I never knew terror like the kind I was feeling as firebenders held my limbs down, spread eagled, and Kenshin leaned over me to leer at my face. I could smell his singed hair and see the smoke rising behind him from the only home I'd ever known and I wanted nothing more than to die before he could take me. I prayed he'd be quick about it and leave me to the spirits. I felt tears prick behind my eyes and clenched my lids shut against them. Kenshin would never see me cry again. I turned my face away from him and pressed my cheek into the dirt. "Good, Rei," he said, and I winced when his hand pressed against my cheek to shove my face even more firmly into the ground. "I don't want you to move, understand? It'll be much easier for you, trust me," he sounded like he was almost trying to soothe me.

"Captain," said the soldier holding my left arm. "I don't think this is right—"

"Shut up, or you'll get the same."

I felt fabric rip across my chest and felt the cool night air on my bare skin. Then, I saw a blindingly bright light from behind my eyelids a split second before a pain more intense than any I've ever known burst across my chest. The last thing I remembered was hearing my own piercing scream before the world went black.

""""

I woke up in the dirt, my mind unable to register anything but the pain. As my eyes opened to the bright daylight, I groaned and raised my hand to my chest. I sat up slowly, pain blossoming across my entire body, and I knew they must have beaten me. I didn't remember anything past what they did to my chest, but it felt like two of my left ribs were cracked, and I could feel the bruises along my legs and arms. I could barely move my right arm without sending stabs of pain along my chest, so I carefully sat up and surveyed the damage. My house was almost completely gone, only a few beams and clay pots remained. I could see straight through to the herb garden, which was nothing but charred remains. The only structure left standing was my outhouse. I finally did allow myself to cry when I thought of how much work and devotion my mother put into that house and how many hours she spent tending the herb garden. All gone in one night, with one man's sick desires. I braced myself to look down at my chest, and when I did, I finally broke down into sobs. Kenshin had branded the Fire Nation symbol into my chest, the flames reaching up onto my neck. As if they wanted to cement the idea that I was Fire Nation through and through, my palms burst into flame.

I don't know how long I sat there, but finally, my flames extinguished and my tears dried. I looked around at my home again, and finally stood, wincing at the pain. I tried to find some supplies that might have survived the fire, but the only things I found that could be of use was a single iron boiling pot under the remains of the healing table, and a couple silver pieces I picked out of the ashes. I did my best to tie my shirt together so that my burn was covered, and secured the pot around my neck with a makeshift sling. Taking one last look around my little clearing, I straightened my shoulders and hobbled down the path that led west. I knew there was no way I could rebuild here. Not really because of the amount of work involved, but more because if I ever saw Kenshin's face again, I wanted it to be when I could kill him. The anger rose in me, drowning out the pain and fanning the warmth rising in my chest. I smelled the smoke from my fingertips and raised them in front of my face, thinking for the first time that maybe my firebending could serve a purpose after all.

Now before you get nervous, this story will not be only about Rei, though she will be the main character.

I was going to leave this story as an oneshot, but I got some requests to continue and honestly, I couldn't stop thinking about what would happen to Rei and Zuko.

Please review if you would like to read more!