Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA.

Hey! What do you know, I actually managed to upload when I said I would!

Kmsmitterly: Yeah, it was pretty hard just writing that one :(

Song of a free Heart: Precisely the point I was trying to make while writing that! Not everything that happens is going to be ideal, and Katara found it out the hard way... And in response to your most recent review, I agree! Something about Zuko being stuck in a situation like that just seems horribly more pathetic than Katara XD

NollasBlack: Thank you! And I hope you found that last one funny ;)

Sapphire5000: I'm flattered that my drabbles wasted so much of your time, haha :)

fictitiousburn: No worries! Your reviews are always a privilege! And yes, I agree that Aang just isn't up to Katara's level of maturity or need yet... Sad as it is, I'm not sure he ever would've realized her pain either.

LiveLoveLaugh14: Thank you!

He was barely breathing. Everything in the abandoned building was dark, quiet. Jet better have been right about the chip being hidden somewhere in here. If not, he was gonna kill the bastard.

Zuko stealthily made his way past empty rooms and rotting walls. His gun was cocked and loaded, pointed straight ahead, the attachable flashlight following his movements. You never knew what was lurking behind the corner, especially with such a rarity at stake.

His eyes raked in the sketchy setting. The halls smelled musty and old. Not much light made it past the broken shutters, and being that it was nighttime, Zuko wasn't expecting much anyways.

Freaking creepy...

He thought to himself. Jet said it was supposed to be at the end of the right wing of the building, hidden in a briefcase under the floorboards. He just had to pick the most obscure place, didn't he...

Once he completed this, he would be set for life. Zuko himself wasn't quite sure what was in that chip, but there was a reason he got paid for his skillset rather than his knowledge. All he did know was that it was valuable, and that his current employers would pay a lot for him doing their dirty work.

He'd reached the end of the right wing, and there was only a single room to his left. Warily, Zuko kept his gun trained in front of him, scanned the room, then hurriedly strode in once he was sure it was empty. Examining the ground carefully, he saw that one nail of the decayed floorboards had been bent at an awkward angle. With a solid kick, the now soft wood boards gave way, collapsing to reveal a strikingly shiny, black briefcase.

"Gotcha." Zuko smiled under the black mask hiding the lower half of his face. He could practically see the piles of money now, the new Bugatti, the mans-

"How sweet of you, Zuko, to find that for me."

His eyes widened. Shit.

He swiveled as fast as lightening, moving his finger to the trigger, but he wasn't fast enough, and a black boot kicked the gun away from his hands. He found himself crashing to the floor from a well placed uppercut, and he was seeing stars. His legs moved on their own accord, swiping out at the feet standing before him.

They deftly jumped and avoided his attack, seemingly as if they were predicting his every move. Probably cause they were. In the next half a second, a sharp kick to the cheek sent him twisting to fall on his stomach, and a slim body was crouched on his back.

Knees pinned his arm to his side, and the other one to the ground. A hand buried itself in his hair and shoved his cheek to the floor. He hissed in anger. Cold metal dug into his upper back.

Zuko caught a glimpse of blue from above, but he already knew full well who was pinning him down.

"Katara." He growled viciously.

Light laughter tinkled from above him, and he felt a warm breath on his ear. The gun at his back pressed harder against his skin.

"It's nice to see you too, Zuko." He didn't need to see her face to hear the cold amusement in her voice.

He bucked once to throw her off, but his efforts ended just as quickly when the butt of her gun met the back of his head. He felt her slide off him and push him onto his back, and just before he succumbed to the blackness swamping his vision, he saw a pretty, tan face, and sad blue eyes staring at him with something like regret.

Once upon a time, she wouldn't have been so violent. Once upon a time, she wouldn't have touched a gun. And once upon a time, she was the girl that he had loved.

Author's Note: I'm honestly not sure where this one came from... It was... almost bittersweet, but... not. That didn't make any sense. Oh well.

All of you guys have been super supportive, so thanks for that! And for anyone who's been following What Could Go Wrong, don't fear! I've put it on hold for the moment mostly due to the lack of time I have right now. Once school is out, I'll get right on it! Also, check out my other one-shot, Remember How!

MI3