DISCLAIMER: I NOT OWN AVATAR THE LAST AIR BENDER; ALL RIGHTS RAE RESERVED FOR ITS REPECTIVE OWNERS.

"First Impressions"

1.) first consideration or judgment

Katara's hand tightened around her grandmother, as if she could protect her from the evil that was standing before them. The pressure being exerted upon the old woman's shoulder was so intense that it was a wonder she didn't squirm or scold her granddaughter for her thoughtlessness.

But, Kanna knew the dangers of a fire bender. She understood her granddaughter's fear, her worry. The young girl had already lost her mother. She didn't want her to experience yet another loss.

Reflexively, Kanna placed a comforting hand over Katara's. The girl's blue eyes never left the boy in front of them, armor of the Fire Nation adorning his body, but her eyes suddenly appeared a bit glassy. Tears.

Katara squeezed Kanna's calloused fingers, as if reassuring herself that the old woman was still beside her.

Yet, despite how hard she tried to hang on to Kanna, despite her consistent pleas to the Spirits above, begging them to allow the Southern Water Tribe peace, Kanna was snatched away from her. The Fire Nation boy held the old woman with an iron grip, face devoid of any kind of emotion. It was as though he was nothing more than a hollow encasing of a person, no heart, no soul. It was clear that he was not allowing release until he received the information that he wanted.

"Monster!" her inner self screamed in desperation, frustrated mental tears brewing into anger. Her teeth bit into her lower lip, and she tasted the coppery, metallic taste of fresh blood in her mouth.

The boy simply stared at her unknowingly as she experienced her mental anguish, the pain almost unbearable. Her azure eyes were trained on her grandmother, who was looking back at her, wise eyes telling her to calm her emotions.

She remembered her grandmother's voice, wise and strong. Confident, as she taught Katara life's lessons. "Rage is not the answer to anything shoujo. Rage locks you in a pit of darkness and the only way to obtain happiness is through logical reasoning. Rationality is achieved through patience. This will be your beacon. The beacon you are to follow faithfully throughout your life."

The old woman's eyes were studying Katara; she sensed that the two of them were both trapped in the same memory. Now, looking into Kanna's eyes, Katara realized that her grandmother was right. The young waterbender calmed her racing heart, and took an inaudible breath. "Patience is my beacon, patience is my beacon." She repeated inwardly to herself. Yet, no matter how many times she thought it, no matter how many times she believed that she had her temper under control, his eyes, those calculating, cunning eyes of the Fire Nation riled her up again.

She clenched her hands. And another tiny river of scarlet trickled down her palm until it came to rest in the snow, soiling the perfection of the pure substance with its crimson hue.

Zuko looked on, feeling slight amusement and annoyance at the sight that was before him. He kept his face a blank canvas though; this lowly, unimportant girl would not see him lose control. He was stronger than that. That was one important thing his father had taught him: never show emotion; emotion is your weakness.

Now, mentally, he laughed at the Water Tribe girl. Her fingers curled into fists, blood droplets falling, staining the pure white snow beneath her. She didn't notice. Eyes were trained on the old woman, hair as white as the snow itself that stood rigidly within his grasp.

"Weakling," he sneered. She didn't know pain, didn't know absolute anguish. He did.

Before he had the chance to allow frustrated tears or a rage induced frenzy of flames to burst from his core, he turned away from her eyes, as if uninterested. In that moment, the two benders, nothing more than mere children swallowed in a tainted world, sharing a hatred for the other, could never have guessed what the Fates had in store for them in the future.

******I really wanted to get a feel for what our favorite couple felt the first time they saw each other. I think I captured what Katara might have felt but Zuko, as we all know, is a tough cookie to understand. He always bottles up his emotions, rarely ever allowing anyone entrance. I do believe that this would have been what he might have thought though.

Shoujo- means "daughter".

REVIEW PLEASE!

~Moonlit- Silhouette