Author's Note: Okay short chapter, but I intended for that.

Zuko gazed off into the dark water of the ocean, his eyes not really taking in the moonlit night as his thoughts reeled in his head. The look on Kai's face at his betrayal kept playing over and over in his mind, making him wonder if he had made the right choice. No, he had made the right choice. It was she who had betrayed him. She chose to join the Avatar and now she was in the brig because of that. It was her fault she had committed treason.

Footsteps brought him back from his thoughts and he turned to find Mai approaching him. The melancholy girl leaned on the rail beside him and he looked away. Why was she bugging him? She was Azula's friend, not his. "Aren't you cold?" she asked.

"No," he replied shortly.

She watched him a moment before looking away. "You know, they're probably going to execute her."

"And?"

"You still have me," she said softly. He glanced over to find her looking at him with hopeful eyes, something he had never seen from her indifferent expression. He looked away again, his jaw clenching.

"Mai, I stood up for you when we were kids. That doesn't mean anything."

"It meant something to me. You just never saw because you were always with her."

His golden eyes returned to her and he studied her face a moment. Kai was lost to him now. She should mean nothing now. He had kissed her before running off to follow Azula, his way of saying a final goodbye. With a sudden burst of anger toward her for betraying him, he leaned down and pressed his lips to Mai's, trying to push Kai out of his thoughts.

The cell was cold. All they left her with was a blanket and a moldy straw pallet to sleep on. It offered her no warmth and she refused to sleep on it. She knew there were bugs hidden inside, nesting in the straw and waiting to prey on her blood. The only sounds were the occasional wails of other prisoners and a constant dripping from a pipe overhead. If she sat in the wrong spot, the water would drip on her, leaving her colder than she was before.

Her rations were small and she felt herself growing weaker everyday. She couldn't firebend. She had learned that lesson the first day and still had the bruises to remind her. She didn't have the energy to anyway, and once the cold settled into her bones, she knew she wouldn't be able to for a while. The sun never appeared to warm her. The only source of light was a lantern hanging on the wall. The only warmth she ever got was the food, if that was warm. Usually the rations were too cool for comfort.

The opening of her cell door made her curl up more within herself. It didn't matter how much they beat her, they would never break her. She wouldn't tell them where some of their more secret troops were, wouldn't give away their plans if Sokka chose to attack as planned on the Day of Black Sun. She didn't know if Aang was alive. She had been told he was dead, but part of her couldn't believe that. And she had to protect them.

"You are pathetic." Ozai's voice slithered through the air, making her wince. Two pairs of hands forcefully pulled her up and a gloved hand yanked her head back, forcing her to look at the man she hated. She didn't make a sound of pain. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of knowing they were hurting her.

"I never expected this sort of treachery from someone so close to my family," the Fire Lord said. "Especially when you and my son have been so close." He chuckled and crouched down in front of her, his finger tracing her jaw. She didn't flinch at his touch. She only watched him with cold, emotionless blue eyes. "Do you want to know a secret, Kai? I did expect it. I knew this would happen. And you want to know why?" He leaned forward and it took all of her restraint not to struggle against her captors. "You are the chosen one," he whispered into her ear. He pulled back and her expression remained unchanged at his revelation. "There's a prophecy. The golden firebender will lead to the demise of the nation of fire. Did you know that? Did you know that the fate of the world is in your hands? Well…it was." Another harsh chuckle escaped him. "Father thought we could train you as one of us, but obviously that didn't work. But I stopped you. You have failed, Kai. The Avatar may be powerful, but without you, he cannot defeat me. Let it be on your conscience, my dearest. You have failed the world and now the world will be drowned in fire because of you. I just thought you should know. More people will die, and it's because you failed them. Why don't you think about that?" He turned to the men holding Kai. "Let's go."

She was thrown roughly to the ground and the loud clang of the door resonated through the cell. She waited for the footsteps to fade away before curling up into a tight ball and releasing the tears she had been holding back.

Zuko walked hand in hand with Mai through the courtyard, feeling light hearted as he roamed his home with the woman he loved. He noticed two children playing with each other by the pond, and he pulled Mai to a stop when the little girl's golden hair caught his attention. What a strange looking child. A sense of familiarity tugged at the back of his mind, but he couldn't quite grasp it. His eyes went to the boy and he realized it was a younger version of himself. He turned to Mai to see she had changed into an older version of the golden-haired girl. She pulled her hand from his grasp and emptiness filled him as she drew further away from him.

"How could you betray me, Zuko?"

"What are you talking about? I don't know who you are."

"How could you betray me?" His eyes widened in surprise as the voice changed to his mother's and the girl's hair turned black, her face changing into the familiar one he missed so much.

"Mother?"

"Help me, Zuko!"

He ran after her and the courtyard changed into a dark tunnel. His mother was being pulled farther and farther away from him, no matter how fast he ran. Suddenly, a hand grabbed his arm and he turned to find Azula holing onto his wrist.

"Don't bother, Zuzu. She's a traitor."

"Zuko!"

He looked back and found the golden-haired girl again.

"How could you betray me?"

"How could you betray me?"

Zuko sat up in bed, gasping for air as Kai's voice echoed through his mind. Sweat slicked his torso and he put a hand to his head as his labored breathing subsided. He swung his legs over the side of the mattress and got to his feet, pulling his robe on. He needed to stop this or he would never sleep again. Pulling the hood up, he slipped silently through the palace and crossed the city to reach the prison. He made his way to the bottom level, where they kept the most notorious prisoners. A guard led him to the cell he wanted and unlocked the door for him, standing just outside to give him privacy. Zuko walked up to the bars and he winced at the stench of mold that hit his nose. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the dim light of the prison cell and he finally sought out Kai curled up in the corner. He cleared his throat and she lifted her head, her blue eyes unfocused as she looked at him. He kept himself from reacting to the bruises on her cheeks and the cut on her lip, trying to appear indifferent. He searched for something to say and finally found the anger that had escaped him once he found her in this state.

"Stay out of my head."

She looked away, and he felt his heart clench in his chest. He hated himself for wanting to reach through the bars and comfort her.

"Stop trying to make me feel bad. It was you who betrayed me."

Her blue eyes returned to him and he saw the accusing look in them. He rushed forward and gripped the bars. "I loved you! I did everything for you and you left! I have nothing to regret but wasting half of my life with you!" He turned and stormed out of the cell, his anger boiling. This wasn't his fault. He was done. She was nothing to him.

A/N: Yikes, Zuko is such a jerk! How can he do that to poor Kai? And she knows the prophecy now. Things aren't looking too good for her. R&R!