"Put a flame to every single word you ever said."

- Carly Rae Jepsen

I didn't realize just how many emotions could pass through a person in a single second. But I swear, I felt the entire spectrum in that instant. But only one remained when the others left. And that's anger. So, this is why Ozai decided to have this ridiculous show. He wants me to know just how foolishly stupid I am.

I should have known. That's all I can think. That, and how angry I am. Chen or Prince Zuko or whoever the hell he is… he used me. He used me to get to Aang and I made it so easy for him. I am so ashamed of myself for letting this happen. If I had just trusted my initial instincts and told Chen to buzz off, I wouldn't be in this situation right now. Aang wouldn't be locked away in some Fire Nation prison. We'd be in Ba Sing Se with his earth bending teacher. He'd be safe. I can't believe myself. I should have known.

Suddenly, a thick hand grabs the back of my neck and throws me down onto my knees. My teeth clench and I wince at the pain. My bruises and burns hadn't even begun to heal. But I refuse to cry out. "You will bow before royalty!" The guard barks at me.

I risk an upwards glance at Zuko. He's a few dozen yards away from me. He swallows slightly, a deep frown prominent on his features. I can't believe this is happening.

When I'm finally addressed to stand, my knees are aching.

I glance around the arena, trying to assess every possible weakness and exit. There are nearly a hundred people in the stands on either side. Soldiers line the outer edge of the arena. Probably two dozen of them, all within three feet apart from eachother. That doesn't include the Fire Lord himself, and all of the other possible fire benders who are in the crowd. I'm seriously outnumbered. And the only source of water that I can feel is in a two foot wide trough. The most powerful bending I could do with that is a water jet. Although I do have great aim. Even if I could take out every single guard with an ice dagger, that still leaves the entire crowd and the rest of the soldiers who are back inside. Not to mention, it's the middle of the afternoon. I don't stand a chance out here.

If tonight had a full moon in the forecast, I might try to stall. But the full moon is nearly two weeks away.

"Begin!" The announcer shouts.

I glance back to Zuko. His eyes meet mine and I see his lips purse tightly. I become possessed with a fury that rivals any I've ever felt. Okay. I get it. He's evil, he's the enemy. He tricked me so that he could get to Aang. That all makes perfect sense for Fire Nation cruelty. So why did he kiss me? Why did he use me that way? My hands are shaking. I feel disgusted; with him and myself.

I bend a ball of ice at Zuko, aiming right for his head. He deflects it away with a quick bend of fire. The crowd around us begins to roar. I send four ice daggers at him, one after another. He dodges the first two and bends a line of fire in front of him to block the others. He straightens up and the fire in front of him disappears. But he doesn't advance with any type of offense.

Oh so now he's having a conflict of morals? Are you kidding me?

I unleash a water whip from both hands, he deflects them. I am frantic now, using the whips and random ice daggers, attacking him from every angle, without even thinking through the attacks. It'll be too easy for him to defend himself. He knows my bending. He knows how I fight. But I don't care. All I want is to inflict as much pain on him as I possibly can.

I hurl myself forward; unleashing round after round of water attacks, closing the space between us. Steam protrudes around us; the effect of our elements mixing. When all of those advances fail, I use my fists. In my blind rage, Zuko is able to use my momentum to block and deflect every shot that I take at him. He doesn't retreat or fight back. He's frozen with fear or guilt or power. I'm too pissed off to decipher which.

He bends to block my left kick with his elbow. Which is when I realize that my wild attempts are getting me nowhere. I take a step back from my opponent, my chest rising and falling heavily as I size him up. His eyebrows pull together and his eyes widen. His lips twitch, as if he wants to say something. I reach forward and slap him across the face, right on his scar; hard enough to make my hand sting and his head swivel to the side. He looks back up at me slowly and I can see the change in his face.

For me to have embarrassed him this way, in front of all of these people, in front of his father… now he will have to act.

"That's right. Fight me, you bastard." I hiss at him, backing away as I do.

Zuko is frowning now, but his nostrils are flared. I know that I've gotten him angry. And I'm ready for the real battle to begin. Zuko holds his hands at his sides, palms up, with fire blazing from their centers. I can't believe that I was ever able to trust him. I should have known. He's lying and manipulative. He represents his nation so well.

A blast of fire comes whirring toward me and I bend an ice shield in front of me to fend it off. With a flick of my wrists, I send the shield at Zuko with the intent of encasing him. He shatters the ice with a flaming fist.

A lone voice in the crowd breaks my focus. In our frenzy, Zuko and I had shifted off to the right side of the arena. I look out and see a man with long, black hair. His arms are crossed tightly in front of his chest. And even if he wasn't wearing his crown, I'd still know he was the Fire Lord. He looks as evil and angry and menacing as I always imagined he would.

In that instant, as I fail to deflect one of Zuko's fireballs, I am knocked backwards by the force of the blow. I land on my tailbone and a sharp pain shoots up my spine, making my back arch in pain. All of my burns and cuts make themselves known again; feeling as if they've been remade and reopened. The fire on my black shirt goes out almost immediately. It could be the material, but that wouldn't make any sense. The Fire Nation has done nothing so far to give me any sort of edge in this duel.

I look up at Zuko. He is frowning so deeply and breathing so heavily. He put out the fire. But the question is…why?

I look back over at Ozai. He is yelling now, yelling at Zuko to finish me.

Yeah, my father gave it to me. Chen's words, Zuko's words, ring in my head. I had wondered what kind of father would inflict that kind of pain on their child. Of course the Fire Lord is capable. I'm starting to wonder if there's anything that he isn't capable of. And this stupid duel makes even more sense. I slowly put the pieces together.

This isn't about me at all. This is about Zuko. And whether or not he's cruel enough to do what the Fire Lord is telling him to do. That's why there's a crowd.

No one is waiting to see my failure. They're waiting to see Zuko's.

I wonder if they've seen it before. They must have. Zuko was banished. Why? He lost a duel. Or else, why would we be having one now?

The only way he would be allowed home was if he captured the Avatar. And the girl who tended to me earlier… she knew what a ridiculous notion that was. She knew, she knew how impossible the idea was. And I bet she wasn't the only person who thought so. I bet every single person in this crowd thought so.

I bet Ozai thought so.

And yet, Zuko clung to that idea and because of my stupidity he was able to do the impossible.

What would Ozai do to Zuko if he failed to win this duel? Kill him or worse, probably.

Zuko deceived me. And he betrayed me. And I hate him for it. Or atleast, I want to hate him. I really do.

But I hate Ozai more. So much more.

And now I understand what Ozai wants. What he expects from this brouhaha.

He expects Zuko to lose. Or rather, he expects Zuko to refuse to see this duel through to the end.

And there is nothing I would like more in this moment than to prevent the Fire Lord from getting what he wants.

I slowly get to my feet. I see Zuko deflate as I begin to bend all of the remaining water into a sphere in front of me. I lunge forward and when Zuko sees me about to attack, he sends out his own.

But I have no intention of attacking him.

I send the water sphere into the air directly above me. Zuko recoils, frowning with confusion when he sees that the water is not aimed for him. He attempts to reign in his attack, but it's too late. In the following second, Zuko's line of fire hits me, sending me backward once again. The flames engulf me and the searing pain threatens to blind me.

I bounce onto the ground and my head slams into the concrete, effectively sending me into the blackness that I imagine to be Ozai's soul.

Where the hell am I?

My eyes peel open slowly. I am lying on a cot, that much I know. The room around me is dark and the walls are grey. The next thing I become aware of is how hot I feel. My head is pounding and my body is sizzling. The memory of flames surrounding me returns and I start to shake involuntarily. I glance down at myself to assess the damages, but I'm confused to find that I'm all covered in white bandages.

"Not so fast. You'll hurt yourself." A voice says softly from behind me.

I jerk up, completely on edge. There is a man seated beside me. He's wearing a red Fire Nation outfit and he has long gray hair. "Who are you? Where are we?"

"Which question shall I answer first? Calm down, girl. You'll hurt yourself." The man passes me a cup. "It's Jasmine tea. My favorite." The man grins widely at me and I frown before hesitantly accepting the beverage from him.

I take small sips. Hot tea is not exactly what I could really go for right now, but I suppose it's better than nothing. I glance around the small room. Other than the cot I'm lying on, only a dresser in the left corner and the chair that the man is seated on occupy the space.

"So." The man smiles again. "I am General Iroh and we are on a ship."

I swallow another sip of tea down thickly. "Oh. When are you people just going to kill me already?"

Iroh chuckles. "Let me explain further. My nephew and I came to your aide after your duel and brought you here. This ship is currently headed for the South Pole, to bring you home. My nephew says you live there. Is that correct?"

"I… yes…" I shake my head, suddenly very confused. I glance up at Iroh with an eyebrow raised. "Why should I believe you?"

"Well if you can keep a secret, which I suspect you can, then you should know that I'm on your side. My brother has no sacredness and he does not deserve to be Fire Lord. I would also like to see the end of this war."

"Wait…" I press a palm against my throbbing temple. "Fire Lord Ozai is your brother?"

Iroh nods, still smiling. "Yes."

"So… your nephew is Prince Zuko?" I am incredulous. How could someone who smiles so much be related to the two most hateful beings on the planet?

"Yes, again."

I shake my head slowly. "Yeah, well… no offense, but your relatives suck."

Iroh laughs again and it's a nice sound. "I suppose so." Obviously I'm not so great in the judgment department, but he seems nice enough.

"You're really bringing me home? Just like that?" That sounds too good to be true. Iroh said that he and the Prince brought me here. But why? I should be locked up in prison. What could either one of them have said to the Fire Lord for him to simply release me and think nothing of it? Maybe after seeing me lose, he no longer sees me as a threat to their nation. But no! That makes no sense. Maybe Iroh is a liar just like the rest of his family and this is all another trick. They're going to the South Pole just so that they can destroy it?

"Unless you'd like to go somewhere else?" Iroh grins. When he sees my panicked expression, his face softens. "I know what you're thinking. But I can assure you that you are safe here. My nephew went to great lengths to make sure that the Fire Lord does not know of your whereabouts. As far as my brother knows, the burns you suffered during your duel led to your death."

So, I am dead to the Fire Nation. That makes things interesting. "But why should I believe you?"

Iroh smirks. He takes my hand in his, which startles me enough that I jerk back. But Iroh releases me quickly, and when he does, I realize that he's placed a small token in my palm. I hold it between my thumb and forefinger to examine it. It looks like a Pai Sho tile, if I'm not mistaken. On it is a white lotus flower. "Katara, I know you are a smart girl. But I feel as if I should stress this to you: If the Fire Lord discovers that you are in fact alive, my nephew would be compromised in devastating ways." He pauses, letting me absorb the words. "So if you return to find the Avatar, please use the utmost discretion."

My jaw drops. Iroh knows that I have every intention of returning to the Fire Nation for Aang. I'm mentally fighting with myself, debating whether or not to believe what this man is saying. Everything about who he is and what he represents is telling me that he's a liar and a traitor like the rest of them. But there is something…so offputtingly kind about him. I spare a second glance at the tile in my hand.

Iroh stands and a smile returns to his face. "I'm sure you have many questions. Join me on the main deck when you're feeling up to it. And there will be more tea!"

He strolls idly to the door, humming quietly to himself as he does.

"Um, thankyou." I tell him, just before he disappears.

He leaves me to my thoughts and to my delight, a shower. My room has a bathroom adjoined to it. My body aches so badly and I'm desperate to feel water on my skin. Now I'll be able to heal myself. I turn the metal knobs, leaving the temperature dial set as cold as it will go.

I realize that I'm still wearing my red and black battle outfit. Although, there's not much left of it.

When I step under the stream of water, I can practically hear my skin sizzling as the cold liquid flows over my burn wounds. I sit down slowly on the tiled shower floor and start to work on healing myself.

Here in the water, I am able to think clearly. Zuko lied to his father to save my life. But what does that mean? Maybe he acted out of guilt. Well, he can choke on his guilt for all I care.

It takes me close to a half hour, but I manage to heal every wound on my body. Except for a few on my back, that I can't quite reach. But those are just cuts and they'll heal on their own soon enough. I find a new set of clothes in the dresser in my room. The entire outfit is black, but there's a large blue jacket for when we reach the South Pole. What is Sokka going to say when I show up without Aang? How is he going to react when I tell him everything that's happened? I'm sure he's wondering why neither of us have written to him in so long. It's been almost two months since Aang and I left the South Pole. If he were with me, the idea of returning home would make me a lot happier.

My stomach growls. Maybe Iroh has food on the main deck as well.

I slip out into the halls and make my way through the ship. There are men scurrying about, laughing loudly and tending to different things. None of them say a single word to me. I regard them all suspiciously, but remind myself that I've decided to trust Iroh. And either way, I am surrounded by ocean. If I needed to escape this ship for any reason, it'd be all too easy.

I climb the steep stairs that lead to the deck of the ship. The sun is low in the sky, preparing to set. I breathe in deeply, taking in the scent of fresh air and salt water. It feels good to be free.

I hear Iroh's rambunctious laughter from across the way. He is sitting at a table, surrounded by a small group of men. There are game card tiles strewn along the table and a pot of tea sitting just within Iroh's reach. I make my way over to him.

His face lights up when he sees me. "Well, hello, Katara! You look wonderful. My nephew did mention that you have remarkable healing powers. Please, join us. Would you like some tea?"

Remarkable? Did Zuko really say that my healing powers were remarkable? I can't imagine that word leaving his mouth. "Yes, thankyou."

I take a seat in the empty chair beside Iroh and he introduces me to the men at his table. I am presented with a plate full of dumplings and chicken that looks so good, I think I actually start to drool. Iroh watches me with a happy smile, casually telling me stories of his youth while I eat. He doesn't ask any questions or mention Aang or the war. I suspect this is because he doesn't want to seem as if he's prying information from me. But I wouldn't mind. After he told me the story of when he jumped from a roof with an umbrella at the age of seven, thinking he would be able to fly, I knew that I trusted him.

After finishing their meals, the men sitting with us get up to spar. "Working off the calories", they call it. I watch as they practice their fighting skills. And a few of them are fire benders. This makes me uneasy and I shrink back away from the flames, remembering their painful hold on my body. I hate fire. I always have. But now it terrifies me.

Luckily Iroh is here to distract me with his stories, before I have a full on panic attack.

When the moon is high in the sky, Iroh and his men retreat to their bedrooms for sleep. But I'm too restless to sleep. I'm too worried for Aang. I keep working myself into a frenzy as I try to create a plan to rescue him. I'll need to enlist Sokka's men for help. But that probably won't be enough. I need benders. But how will I find any? There's no way I could take Appa around. He's too easily spotted. And walking would take way too long. I'll need a new way to travel. But…

I shake my head of the thoughts and bend a line of ocean water in front of me. Water bending calms me. It's who I am, it's my center. I feel strong and complete when I use my element. And when the moon is high in the sky, it's even more powerful. The water swirls around me, flowing through the air with each movement of my hands and arms.

"Katara?" A familiar voice calls, sending a chill along my spine that settles deep into my bones. I tense up and the water I'd been bending splashes onto the deck. I try to steady my rapid breathing. My fingers are itching to form an ice dagger.

I swallow hard, willing my anger to stay inside. "What are you doing here?" My voice is steel and I hardly recognize it as my own.

"This is my uncle's ship. I brought you here, I got you out of-"

"Shut up!" I seethe, whirling around on my heel. Zuko is only two yards away from me. His black hair is messy and falls just above his eyes, the way it looked when I'd first met him. Without his crown and red battle outfit, he looks more like Chen. And I want to bend ice around my fist and punch him square in the nose. "I don't want to hear it."

"Katara, I never meant for you to get hurt." He takes a step forward. I bend the ocean water around us and the boat lurches to the side, nearly knocking him over.

"I wouldn't do that." I warn, clenching my fists tightly.

Zuko straightens. "I tried to call off the attack, Katara. I did! I told them you didn't know where the Avatar was. Once I realized that you and I…that we…" His voice trails off.

"We what?" I hiss. I dare him to say it. I dare him. Because I won't lose our fight this time. "Damn it! I worried about you! I worried about you when I was locked up in your dungeon! You bastard!"

Zuko takes another step forward. "Katara."

"Stop." I back away from him. "I don't need your excuses. You got what you needed. Leave me alone. Just get away from me."

Zuko recoils as if I've slapped him. "My father thinks you're dead."

"I know that." I growl. "What do you want? A thankyou? Well thankyou, your royal highness." I bend forward in an exaggerated and sarcastic bow. "I know the only reason that you helped me escape from Pohuai Stronghold was so that you could find Aang first! Don't act like you've ever done me any favors! Everything that happened between us was just another part of your sick plan. You should really look into some acting classes, I think you'd do great."

Zuko's hands drop to his sides and he deflates. "I'm sorry that you feel that way."

I glower at him. "Why are you even here? Go back to your lush palace and be daddy's little boy again."

His face hardens. "I wouldn't expect you to understand."

I walk swiftly toward him. The look in my eyes could probably kill, but he doesn't falter. When I finally stop, Zuko is only inches away from me. I raise my chin to meet his golden eyes and he manages to remain expressionless. "I should claw your eyes out of your skull." I whisper. "But how would you be able to look at yourself in the morning?"

Zuko's jaw clenches, but he doesn't say anything else. I brush past him, leaving him standing alone on the deck.

If you've ever seen Little Black Book with Brittany Murphy, then Katara's last words probably look familiar. I couldn't help myself. I love that line. :)