Author's Note: Wow, sorry about the long wait. School just got back in and my week was pretty busy. Anyway, I worked on this when I could and hopefully it was worth the long wait for my impatient readers.

Kai looked down at the raw burns on her arms before covering them carefully with bandages. Even though the agni kai had been the day before, she had naively hoped the burns would at least start to heal. It was irritating that everything she did and every movement she made caused a stinging pain. When Zuko had noticed her obvious wincing while playing a game with Iroh, he had forced her to stay in her room while he or one of the servants tended to her and she was growing tired of not doing anything for herself. It's not that she didn't appreciate his intentions; she just wasn't someone to sit around and do nothing. She sat down on the edge of her bed and stared at the bandages, annoyed with them. A knock on the door signaled a visitor and Zuko walked in with a tray of food. Concern sparked in his golden eyes and he set the tray down, sitting on the bed beside her and tenderly touching the bandages.

"Are you okay? Did you use ointment when you bandaged them again?" he asked.

She elicited a sigh. "Yes. I know how to treat a burn," she said, a little harsher than she had intended.

A frown fell on Zuko's lips and he pulled his hands away, his jaw muscles working. She sighed again and took his hand, her blue eyes softening. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that," she said, reaching up to gently trace the bottom of his scar. He closed his eyes and turned his face away, pulling his hand from hers. She frowned, pulling her hand back and setting it in her lap. "You know I love you. I'm just restless and I'm taking it out on you."

"I've already lost my honor. You don't have to remind me."

"Zuko, I wasn't trying to-"

"No, just stop."

There was a short stretch of silence before Kai spoke again. "If you ask me, I think it was dishonorable of your father to do this to you."

"Nobody asked you!" he shouted over her, leaping to his feet and leaving. She flinched as the door slammed behind him and she glanced at the tray, guilt washing over her.

A couple days later, Iroh entered the chamber, finding Kai sound asleep. He smiled to himself and walked over, pulling the covers more snugly around her like he used to do when she was a child. The sound of approaching footsteps caused him to turn and he found a very excited Zuko.

"We finally found the Avatar! He's staying on Kyoshi-"

"Shhh!" Iroh motioned toward the sleeping form in the bed. "She's barely been getting any sleep because of those burns."

Zuko scowled. "She probably deserves it."

"Prince Zuko!" Iroh whispered harshly. "The roles would be reversed if she hadn't stepped in. This isn't how you treat someone you love."

"She insulted me! My father would treat her much worse."

"You aren't your father," Iroh said darkly. With that, he walked out, leaving Zuko in shocked silence. He turned to look at the peaceful girl on the bed and his expression softened. No matter how much they fought, he couldn't stay angry at her for too long. With a sigh, he sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to disturb her. He gently combed his fingers through her golden hair, letting the silky strands cascade through them. She inhaled loudly and moved and he recoiled quickly, afraid that he had disturbed her. Her blue eyes opened and it took her a moment to focus on him. She sat up quickly, a defensive look crossing her features.

"What are you doing here?"

He glanced away, suddenly feeling ashamed of his quick temper the other day.

"I wanted to see how you were healing."

"So you thought you would come in while I was sleeping?"

"Actually..." He considered momentarily about telling her that his uncle had been here first, but then realized that might embarrass her. "Yes? I...uh...it doesn't even matter. Look, I'm sorry. I overreacted and you were just moody from being stuck in your room all day."

She frowned at him and he grimaced. That had come out wrong. "Please just forgive me. I miss you."

Hopefully, she knew him well enough to know that he was terrible at expressing his feelings through words and she would just forgive him. He recognized the resigned look in her eyes and knew she was going to give in.

"Okay. And I am sorry about what I said," she finally relented, adding her own apology.

He let out a relieved sigh and pulled her into a hug, burying his face in her neck. Her scent wreathed around him, reminding him of how much he missed having her close. She smelled like fire lilies and her skin was soft to the touch as he pressed a gentle kiss to the crook of her neck.

"I love you, Kai," he whispered against her silky skin. "No matter what."

He pulled back and looked down at her, a half-smile turning up one corner of his lips. She returned his smile and he took her hand, running his finger lightly along the bandages on her arms.

"How are these healing?" he asked, pulling at the end of one and beginning to unravel it.

"Faster. I think I can live without the bandages."

The skin revealed under the bandages was barely healed and a bright pink. At least the wounds wouldn't scar. He didn't want her burdened with such a painful reminder, not like he was, and not by that vile man. He looked up at her, meeting those eyes that always had some sort of emotion toward him, whether it was love or anger.

"I have some good news," he told her. "The Avatar has been spotted on Kyoshi Island. I want you to come with me this time. It'll be harder to capture him there."

Indecision flickered in her eyes and he squeezed her hand gently, wanting her to help him. They would do this together. They would capture the Avatar and return home to have their honor restored and he would take his place on the throne, hopefully with her at his side in the near future.

"I'll come," she finally said and his eyes lit with joy.

"We'll be there soon. Get ready and meet us on deck," he told her, getting to his feet and pressing a kiss to her forehead. He left her to get ready and returned to the top deck.

Kai stared off at the approaching island, its snow-capped peaks almost foreboding. She glanced over at Zuko, who was speaking with one of his soldiers about how they would approach the raid. Her eyes shifted back to the crescent-shaped island ahead and she strained to see a small figure in the bay.

"The mountains are beautiful, aren't they?"

She jumped at Iroh's voice, having been distracted by whatever that thing or person was in the bay. She looked over at him and he gave her a smile. It faded slightly when he noticed the uncertainty in her eyes.

"What's bothering you?"

She sighed and looked back at the island. "There are going to be innocent people there, aren't there?"

Iroh gave her a sympathetic look and placed a comforting hand on her arm. "I am glad you are not heartless, my little fire." He pulled his hand away and shifted his brown eyes to the island. "Yes, there will be. But there are choices we make in the moment that define us. You are not a bad person for infiltrating the island if you bring no harm."

"These could be our people. I can replace them with anyone in the Fire Nation in my mind and it makes this feel worse."

Iroh smiled and chuckled to himself. "It is moments like these when I know you will make a great Fire Lady one day," he said, leaving her in a surprised silence to go speak with his nephew. She turned back to the view, but ignored it. Instead, she focused on her hands and thought over his words. He had so much faith in Zuko and her, but she felt like it was misplaced. A small part of her was telling her that no matter how hard he tried, Zuko wasn't going to capture the Avatar. The kid might be young, but he had escaped them once and caused a lot of damage to the ship. No…no. She shouldn't doubt him. He was perfectly capable of this and she would support him, no matter what.

"We're almost ready to go," Zuko said, walking up to her side. She turned to look up at him, noticing the determined look in his eyes. "Are you sure you want to come?"

She nodded, giving him a weak smile. "Let's do this."

He gave her another one of his half-smiles and leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips. "We'll get our revenge on the Avatar once we capture him," he reassured her as he pulled away. He turned to the crew and began to address them over their course of action. She glanced back at the beach until she felt a nudge on her arm.

"Let's go," Zuko said, taking her hand and tugging her to the prow. A few men were already mounted on their war rhinos and her eyes widened at the gargantuan beasts. This was part of the raid? Maybe she should have been paying attention to his address. He led her to the lead rhino and glanced down at her.

"You'll ride with me and then you'll dismount once we reach the village. I want you to infiltrate first and find the Avatar for me," he explained. He helped her mount before pulling himself up in front of her. She hadn't ridden these creatures before and she could feel the leathery skin grazing her ankle. A little concerned about how well she could stay on, she wrapped her arms tightly around Zuko's waist, peeking over his shoulder as the prow was lowered. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze of reassurance before taking off, leading the soldiers onto the beach and out toward where the village was supposed to be. Kai's hold tightened as they rode, gritting her teeth against the lack of rhythm in the rhino's pace. She was much more used to riding salamander hounds or ostrich horses. They finally reached the determined point outside of the village and the group came to a stop. Zuko turned slightly to look at her, that same determination present in his golden eyes.

"Send a signal when you find him."

She nodded and pressed a kiss to his cheek before sliding off of the rhino and pulling the hood of her cloak up. If anyone saw her golden hair, they would know for sure who she was. The whole world knew of the golden-haired firebender who traveled with the banished prince. She took off down the trail, stopping only when she heard the familiar bustle of a village. She kept her pace casual as she walked in, her face shadowed by the hood. She had been careful to change into gray clothes to help hide her identity and loyalty. No one seemed to notice her as she searched the village for the Avatar. Finally, she found him with a multitude of young girls fawning over him.

"Oh, Aang, your tricks are so amazing!"

"Show us more!"

"Can you do anything else?"

Kai rolled her eyes. So this was Avatar Aang? The boy who had escaped their ship was a big-headed show off. She slipped into an ally and felt the energy of fire dance along her fingertips as she sent one long streak of white flame into the sky. She jogged away from the alleyway and into the marketplace, slowing down to keep from attracting any attention. A group of girls clad in green kimonos with face paint and fans ran by her in the direction of the signal. It was only a few moments before the ground beneath her feet began to shake and she moved more swiftly toward the sound. The herd of war rhinos rumbled into the village, causing the peasants to scream and seek shelter. The market place was clear in moments and Zuko and his soldiers came to a stop in the middle of it.

"Come out and face me, Avatar!" Zuko's voice boomed through the deserted marketplace. Silence reigned for a few heartbeats before the same group of girls Kai had seen earlier appeared. They leapt into action, moving toward the herd of rhinos. Zuko signaled for the soldiers to take care of it and soon they were in the midst of a small battle. Fire flew and fans sliced the air with Kai observing from the shadows of an alleyway. She didn't need to jump into the fight right now. The soldiers were taking care of it. Zuko broke away from the fight, slipping off of his rhino and stepping out into the open.

"Nice try, but these little girls can't save you!"

"I'm over here!" came a boyish voice. Aang appeared a few feet away and Zuko gave chase as he disappeared into the streets. The soldiers still mounted on their rhinos began to rampage the village, setting fire to the buildings as they chased after the girl warriors. Kai watched with a small frown before it was wiped away with the attack of one of the green-clad warriors. She pushed them away easily and turned to face them, falling into a firebending stance. She faltered only for a second when she realized it was a boy behind the make up. That was…different. He leapt toward her with his fans and she easily sidestepped him, sending a small bout of flame in his direction. He skittered out of the way, looking back at her with wide blue eyes. It was obvious he wasn't very skilled. Wait…his face seemed familiar. She stepped back in surprise as he lunged for her, easily knocking his hand away. She thought it better not to use fire and chose to get him out of the way without burns. He tried to jab at her again and she grabbed his wrist, twisting the fan out of his hand and then knocking him back with a swift kick to the stomach. She heard the familiar rumble of a rhino approaching and glanced over briefly to see a small child crying in the middle of the street, the soldier approaching with no sign of slowing down. In her distraction, the boy leapt forward, swiping at her and slicing his fan across her arm. She cried out in surprise before kicking her leg out to wipe his feet out from under him. She took off quickly in the direction of the child, paying no mind to the cut on her arm. The boy called out after her, something about her being a coward, but she ignored him. She reached the child and pulled him into her arms, carrying him to safety just as the rhino barreled past them. She let out a sigh of relief and set the little boy down, scanning him for any injury. He looked up at her with wide eyes of fear and she realized her hood had fallen back in the fight.

"Where's your mother?" she asked hurriedly. She huffed in frustration when he didn't answer her and quickly pulled him to safety behind a shop stall. She crouched down to his eye level and put a hand on his shoulder. "Stay here until the scary men leave, okay?"

He only nodded and she got to her feet, only able to take his word for it. A shadow passed over the marketplace and she looked up, seeing the flying cow creature that had been back at the ship when the Avatar escaped.

"Back to the ship. Don't lose track of them!" she heard Zuko order. He had mounted his rhino again and had stopped near her. She raced up to his side and he reached down to pull her up behind him in one fluid motion. They took off with her barely situated, thundering back toward the ship. When they boarded, the prow rose and they were in pursuit before anybody had even gotten off of the rhinos. Zuko pulled her out onto the deck hurriedly, his golden eyes to the sky.

"We were so close, the coward!"

Kai searched the sky a moment before looking back at the receding island, smoke billowing into the sky. They had done this. That village was probably in ruins because of them. Homes burned down, children abandoned in the streets, buildings torn apart. She may be in the Fire Nation, but she still had a conscience.

"We lost one in the battle, sir," a soldier reported as he walked up to Zuko, causing Kai to pull her gaze from their destruction.

"It doesn't matter right now. All I want is to find the Avatar. Stay on his trail!"

Kai was surprised by Zuko's insensitivity. A man had been killed because of his quest to find the Avatar and he didn't care. The soldier bowed and left and Kai looked up at the banished prince.

"Zuko, are you even going to have a small ceremony for him?"

He looked down at her, his golden eyes hard. She could see it, the indifference, the thirst for revenge and honor.

"I will capture the Avatar and then his sacrifice will be worth it."

A/N: R&R! Hopefully, I'll get another chapter up before the weekend is over, but no promises. Enjoy the three day weekend everybody in the U.S.