A/N: Another Chapter! I'm quite proud of myself for updating so quickly :) But I have to get these out, and I can't wait to actually put some Zuko in this!

Oh! And I was thinking of splitting the story up into a couple of stories, because Avatar is just such a long series :)

Thank you for the nice reviews :) And a little mention to Izzie-94 whose commented on every chapter :)

I appreciate all of you who are reading and giving my story a chance! :D

Disclaimer: Avatar belongs to Nickelodeon...I think :)


The clearing they camped in seemed quite peaceful. They were on a little plateau made of rock, and beside them, a little stream moved by. Katara folded clothes while Aang lay on a tree.

"You're so hard working!" Arisu remarked, watching as Katara folded and packed the clothing, "Do you want me to help?"

"No, it's fine," Katara said, smiling, "You really don't want to go anywhere near Sokka's laundry."

"Arisu, how did your dress turn blue?" asked Aang.

Aang was right, Arisu's beautiful silk dress had turned from a deep red to a dark shiny blue.


FLASHBACK

They just landed in the clearing and Katara had went down the stream to do the laundry.

"I'll find somewhere to land Appa," said Aang, who took off into the sky with the bison.

"And leave me alone with someone from the FIRE NATION?" Sokka yelled, making arm gestures at Arisu.

Arisu sighed, a loud gust of air, which eventually turned into loud coughs.

Sokka looked alarmed. "Are you alright?" he said, rushing to her side, as the coughs started to reside.

"I'm- COUGH COUGH – alright," finally, she stopped, and smiled at Sokka, but he just turned around and pouted.

"Not that I care or anything, its just that if you were sick you could make Katara and Aang sick or something,"

It was a small comment that Sokka was just using as a cover up, Arisu knew that, but it was true. Her eyes widened, and she started to panic on the inside. What could she do?

"Well, you should change into something else," said Sokka, still not turning to face her, "We don't want anyone knowing you're fire nation."

"Oh!" Arisu brightened up, momentarily distracted, "I can turn the dress inside out! Their lining is blue!"

"Go on then," said Sokka, turning around and sitting on a rock, "Do whatever,"

Arisu smiled. "Not in front of you, silly,"

She got off the plateau and started changing behind a large rock.

"Of course not," said Sokka, blushing.

END FLASHBACK


"Great, you're back! What's for dinner?"

Sokka was walking back to the clearing, carrying a small bag.

"We've got a few options," he said, as Aang and Katara gathered around him. Arisu watched from a distance.

"First, round nuts, and some kind of oval shaped nuts? And some rock shaped nuts, which might just be rocks,"

Sokka threw a couple of nuts to Momo, who picked them up and looked at them with interest.

"Dig in!" Sokka smiled.

"Seriously, what else you got?" asked Katara, looking at the nuts.

Sokka looked inside his bag.

But they were all distracted from food when they heard loud crashes and booms.


They all lay on Appa as he tore through the starlit skies slowly.

"Arisu?" Katara said, not sure whether she was awake or not. Arisu was awake, but Aang wasn't, and neither was Sokka, who was snoring away.

"Thank you, for coming with me to the ship,"

It had been a long day, an emotionally tiring one for Arisu. They met a earth bender named Haru who lived in a village taken over by the fire nation, and tried to help break him out of prison when the soldiers discovered he could earth bend.

She'd seen the fire nation wreak havoc on people with her own eyes, and it was so confusing! She didn't know what to believe any more.

"Me? I didn't do anything! I can't help much, not being a bender and all..."

Katara smiled, although Arisu couldn't see in the darkness. "But you came with me, and that's what matters to me,"

Arisu smiled too. "It's no problem,"

The two soon drifted off to sleep, and Arisu dreamt of something she hadn't meant to think about at all.


"Come on Arisu," said Mother, knocking at my bedroom door, "We're going to the palace in 5 minutes! Are you done changing?"

"Nearly!" I called back, "Just a moment,"

Mother wanted me to wear a nice dress for dinner, but I didn't want to go at all. I wasn't looking forward to have dinner with a Fiance I didn't want to marry. But at least I got to go outside.

I finished changing and walked outside, smiling at Mother.

"I'm sorry you have to do this Arisu..." she said, "He can't be that bad, right?"


"How wonderful to see you, Akira, Arisu!" Lady Ursa was bright and friendly...unlike her son.

It was after dinner and we were all seated on cushions in a lovely warm room with a fire burning in the middle.

Father and the Fire Lord were talking in another room. Gosh, to think I was that close the leader of the whole of the fire nation!

Lady Ursa and Mother exchanged knowing smiles.

"Zuko, you should take Arisu for a walk around the garden, to make up for how rude you were the other day!" suggested Lady Ursa. She and Mother started giggling quietly when Zuko grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the room, through the corridors and into the garden, with me blushing the whole time.

He finally stopped at a bench near a fountain and motioned for me to sit down next to him.

We sat in silence for what seemed like hours, but it was probably only seconds.

"You...have...a nice garden," I smiled up at him, because he was awfully tall for a 13 year old, and I was awfully short.

"Thanks, I...uhh...like your dress,"

I laughed, because I was outside the confinements of my house, because the stars in the sky were twinkling happily at me, because Zuko was being friendlier than he was when I met him yesterday, and because he just told me he liked my dress.

And he laughed too.


A/N: Thank you for reading this chapter :D

Please update, I would love to hear from you :)