The last thing Zuko expected was to see her standing there on the deck in her white night gown with her hair gently floating around her face. If he hadn't know better, he would have thought she was some kind of beautiful spirit.

A beautiful spirit…who was looking slightly green in the face.

She muttered a few incoherent words and tried to step past Zuko and his uncle, but lost her balance and was suddenly falling to the ground. Before he could even make sense of what he was doing, Zuko sprang forward and caught her right before she fell.

"Katara? Are you alright?" He tried to conceal the emotion threatening to break free from behind his words, but with little success. Concern dripped from each word, as if her answer would hold the key to his sanity. Her eyelashes fluttered over her dangerously pale cheeks as she tried to form a coherent answer.

Zuko slowly pulled her upright, trying not to tussle her too much. Even though she was pale and clammy with seasickness, she was still naturally stunning. Her long dark hair was left loose from its customary professional style, billowing in soft waves down to her waist. Eyes as blue and clear as the sea were peering up at him as her dry lips formed a few feeble words.

"I'm fine." She sounded like she was anything but fine, but Zuko didn't push it. It seemed like she had a natural tendency to reject any help she was offered, and Zuko did his best to keep the corners of his lips from uplifting. "Could you stop spinning me please?"

Zuko, forgetting the firm grip he had on her waist, suddenly became more aware of the delicate girl he was supporting. The clothing she'd worn before had hid every feminine curve of her body, but now, with his arms wrapped tightly around her midsection, Zuko could feel each dip of her form.

"I'm not spinning you at all. And you definitely aren't fine. You're as pale as the moon, Katara." Zuko focused on her face again, desperate to get his mind back on track and away from this peasant girl's curvature. He watched as Katara squeezed her eyes shut and took a shallow breath in, slightly gripping the material at his chest. Zuko took in a quick breath, wondering if she was doing it on purpose, or if she was completely ignorant of the effect she had on him.

"Don't worry, Zuko," his Uncle Iroh boomed from somewhere behind him. Zuko had completely forgotten that he and Katara weren't alone and turned back slightly to meet his uncle's eyes. He appraised them silently, an eyebrow quirked up as his eyes scanned the position of Zuko's arms. "She'll be fine once she gets her sea-legs." He let out a deep laugh, and Zuko had a feeling it was more to do with his nephew fawning over a damsel in distress than the distressed damsel.

"Katara, this is my uncle, General Iroh," he said through tight lips, sending a menacing glare toward his uncle, warning him to behave.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Katara," Iroh said, letting another laugh escape at his nephew's expense. They exchanged a few words, and Zuko could tell Katara was trying to be respectful by bowing her head, but that simple action had set her entire balance off, and she desperately clutched at his arms to steady herself. His muscles jumped slightly at her light touch, and he could tell that she'd noticed by the faint rush of color to her cheeks. Iroh invited Katara to share some tea with him, and she'd agreed with a short nod.

Since she looked a bit overwhelmed by her surroundings, Zuko leaned in and spoke in her ear, immediately regretting it because her skin smelled like vanilla and sea salt. "Can you walk?" He could barely hide the gruffness in his voice. This girl did things to him that he'd never experienced before. She shivered as his breath hit her ear and Zuko almost lost it right there. "Are you cold?" he barely choked out before ripping the red cloak from his shoulders and placing it around hers. Anything to put some distance between them and cover her distractingly thin nightgown.

When she took a step away from him, Zuko realized that he didn't want to be separated from her just yet. His arm found its way back around her waist, and if she hadn't been so sick, Zuko was sure her biting response would have been filled with twice as much venom.

"I said I can walk."

"I know, but I'd rather you didn't take another head-first dive into the deck floor." Zuko cursed himself for the lame excuse, expecting Katara to call him out on it, but she just rolled her eyes and took his outstretched hand.

"How courteous, Your Highness."

Practicing in front of her had been pressuring. He felt like a school boy, trying to impress a girl he liked.

Liked?

Zuko almost smacked himself mid-sequence. Zuko didn't– couldn't– no, wouldn't develop any kind of feelings for that peasant girl. She was in a completely different league, a lower one, might he add. There was no possibility of anything ever developing between them. Zuko wouldn't allow it, and he sure as hell wasn't going to admit that he felt anything toward the girl with the blue eyes.

He immersed himself in the training routine, pushing every thought of the girl sitting a few yards away to the back of his mind. He needed to focus. Each swipe of his hand, each kick of his leg, he found himself truly absorbed in the routine. There was nothing like it, feeling that kind of power emanating from his own body. Knowing he had this kind of power was exhilarating, but overwhelming. He had the potential to create so much devastation with a simple flick of his hand. Fire destroyed. It would never create like its counterpart.

Kick, step, push. Each move was memorized and perfected. He didn't have time for imperfections. There was too much pressure, too much competition. Even though he was the Fire Lord, the choice to coronate him instead of the next available successor was frowned upon by many powerful Fire Nation officials. They wanted someone like Azula, but he wasn't like his sister. She was a prodigy, her abilities stretching far beyond Zuko's; she'd mastered advanced techniques at seven, while he'd only mastered them at sixteen.

There was no dispute: Azula was the better firebender. But she was a woman, and a woman could never be Fire Lord. That's why Zuko was brought back from banishment. He'd been trained for the crown his entire life, had endured years of harsh scrutiny under the eyes of his mentors, and had the knowledge and experience needed to lead the nation.

No one dared to usurp his uncle's decision as the de facto leader. There was no other option. He'd been born as the crown prince, a position that came with numerous consequences and responsibilities.

As much as Zuko was grateful to be accepted back in the Fire Nation, he still felt weary. There were numerous attempts on his life, so they'd hiked up security over the past few months. But that hadn't stopped the threats.

People weren't happy the banished prince had been welcomed back with open arms.

Zuko finished the training sequence and swept his hands over his head to the front of his stomach, ending the exercise. He looked up and started to make his way back toward his uncle and their guest, studiously keeping his eyes from finding her blue irises.

"Very good, Zuko," General Iroh said to his nephew. "Your breathing still needs work." Zuko had expected this. Breathing, breathing, everything was about breathing when it came to his uncle. Your source of energy comes from your breath! Zuko had heard that rant dozens of times, so it was getting old, but being scolded in front of Katara made him feel oddly inferior. He didn't like it.

He looked toward her direction to gauge her reaction, but she was looking away, biting her lip like she was trying to keep herself from being sick. She started shaking and Zuko almost sprang forward to ask her what was wrong. But when he took a closer look, he could see that she didn't even look remotely nauseous. In fact, she looked much healthier than she did before. And then he realized it.

She was holding in laughter.

Zuko couldn't even hear his uncle speaking anymore; he was too engrossed in her reactions. Her features melted into a smile, allowing herself to give into the amusement and for the first time he felt like he couldn't breathe. She was so naturally charming, it was unsettling.

She looked back at him, unsuccessfully trying to compose her features, but when she met his eyes, her face flooded with a deep blush and Zuko almost sighed in relief. She was definitely feeling better, he could tell. But a small part of him was also excited at the fact that she'd blushed because of him.

Her eyes cut away from his sharply and she hastily pulled herself up. "I think I'll be returning to my quarters now."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Zuko asked, stepping beside her in case she needed a hand. He wondered when he became such a gentleman.

"Thank you, for the tea. I think it helped," Katara said, completely ignoring his question. He acted like that didn't irritate him a bit.

She slipped the red cloak he'd given her from her shoulders and shivered, and Zuko couldn't help it. He visibly tensed, very aware at how delicate and vulnerable she looked in her thin shift. His eyes traced her form, right from her eyes down to her waist and back up.

He knew immediately from her widened eyes and red face that she was mortified. She could hate him, hit him. He knew just how rude what he'd done was, but he hadn't regretted it. Idiot, he cursed himself silently. He'd finally started to make some headway with her, and just because he couldn't control himself, he'd completely lost that. She was going to resent him forever, and spirits did he deserve it.

She shoved the cloak into his chest, and he let her, feeling her anger and embarrassment behind the feeble push. And when she turned and basically ran to the door, Zuko didn't call after her.

He knew he didn't deserve to.

I'd made it my job to snub Zuko after he'd eye-raped me. Each time I saw him (which seemed to grow in frequency), I made a point of noticeably turning and walking in the opposite direction, or just sending a malicious glare his way whenever I could.

He came close to me one or twice, but I kept myself busy and made sure there was no opportunity for him to speak to me. He could shove his apology somewhere I wouldn't name. The last thing I'd ever do in this world was forgive him.

Okay, maybe that's a little dramatic, but I was pissed off.

Just because he was the Fire Lord, he thought he could just do whatever he wanted and get away with it? He could be Tui or La for all I cared. No way was that flying with me.

I walked up to the deck to report for my schedule, feeling much better today than I had yesterday. I'd gotten my sea-legs, as General Iroh said and now, I was accustomed to the swish and sway of the ship. We had another full day of sailing, but we were expected to arrive at our first destination tomorrow.

"Lieutenant Jin," I called out when I saw my superior reading a scroll as he sat on a stack of crates. He squinted through the bright sunlight and waved me over with a smile when he saw me. I jogged to where he sat and bowed quickly before peering over at the scroll in his hands. "Today's schedule?" I questioned.

"Yeah, we're a little behind schedule, but we can catch up. We're supposed to arrive tomorrow at dawn, but it's looking a little more like noon now," he said as he peered out at the water. "Feeling better?"

"Actually, yes. I'm feeling a lot-," I started, but stopped abruptly. How the hell did he know I was sick yesterday?

"Word spreads fast around the ship," he said as a response to my confused expression. "Don't be surprised if the guys give you a wide berth for the next few days."

"Oh ha, ha," I mocked, embarrassed that everyone already knew I'd puked up a storm, but more amused than anything. Everyone had been skirting around me this morning. "Any training practices today?" I'd missed the first practice yesterday for obvious reasons.

"Not today. We don't want to tire you guys out the day before a mission. You're going to need your energy for this one."

"Where's our first stop?"

"One of our smaller colonies. Fire Island. It's pretty small in population, but the uproars we've been keeping a watch on have been increasing in number. They're rebelling against the new leadership, but that's only natural." He took a pause and sighed before continuing. "But these riots are becoming pretty violent. A few officers have been killed in the uprisings, so that's our cue to step in and do some damage control."

That matches the information Kiano gave me. I was just hearing the story from a different point of view now.

"Damage control?" I questioned.

Lieutenant Jin focused hard on a spot over the horizon. "Don't worry about it. Get some rest for today."

I nodded, not brave enough to press it any farther. He was a pretty easy-going guy, so to see him get so serious so quickly, I knew something had to be wrong.

"Wait, Katara," he called out as I turned to leave. "Could you do me a favor?"

"Sir?"

"Bring these scrolls down to the Fire Lord's room. Tell him he needs to review them before we arrive tomorrow."

My stomach dropped. The universe just couldn't side with me for once, could it?

I knocked on the door that should be Zuko's three times, waiting and cringing for him to answer, but he never opened it. I looked down the hallway, pondering what I should do with the scrolls when the perfect idea hit me.

I'll just sneak in, leave them on his desk and sneak out again. I wouldn't have to see him, or talk to him. Maybe the universe was on my side today.

Or so I thought.

When I was about to gently rest the scrolls on his desk, guess who just happened to walk through the door?

Zuko.

And guess who just happened to lose her grip on the scrolls, sending them crashing to the floor?

Me.

I scrambled to pick them up while he stood motionless, then slammed them on top of the desk and said, in a voice that might have been a little too loud, "Lieutenant Jin wants you to review these for tomorrow." I tried to slip past him in the doorway, but he was suddenly mobile again and gripped my arm, hindering my escape.

"Wait a minute," he said breathlessly as I tried to rip my arm from his grip.

"I don't want to hear anything that comes out of your mouth right now," I hissed through tight lips.

"Could you hear me out? I just want to apologize." I looked back at him, and he sincerely looked like he was sorry. But I wasn't that forgiving. If he wanted to my forgiveness, he was going to have to earn it.

"Apologize for what, Your Highness? You didn't do anything wrong," I said in a sickly sweet tone that was clearly sarcastic.

"Katara-," he started, but I didn't let him finish.

"I mean, what could you, the Fire Lord, our great and powerful leader, do wrong?"

His eyes turned dark at my very obvious attempt to mock him. "I get it. I offended you-"

"Offended me? Of course you didn't! I love being looked at like some cheap prostitute on the street! It's what I strive for in life, you know?"

"You're not going to let this go too easily are you?" He was trying not to smile, but he still looked a little frustrated.

"I'd be the cheapest, and dumbest prostitute I know of if I did." I looked down at Zuko's hand, which still had a firm grip on my arm, then back up at him. "Would you mind letting go of me, Your Highness? Or else I'll have to charge you for that."

He let go of my arm, but grabbed my hand instead and pulled me over toward him. Slowly, without looking away from my eyes, he brought the back of my hand to his lips and kissed my skin, letting his lips linger there a moment longer than my heart could take.

"It would be better if I could think of you like that. Then, I might be able to stay away from you," he said so quietly I would have thought he was speaking to himself if he wasn't looking me directly in the eyes.

Poof. Anger gone. Now all that remained were butterflies, and I was afraid that if I didn't get away from him soon, I would melt into a pile of mush on the floor at his feet.

He moved our entwined hands to his chest, where I could feel the faint thumping of his heart and his free hand came up to rest against the side of my neck, while his thumb gently stroked small circles over the skin under my cheekbone. My eyelashes fluttered to a close as he brushed a loose curl that had escaped the ribbon holding my hair back behind my ear. I could feel the quick pace of his heart under the back of my hand. Was he nervous?

"I don't think of you like that at all, Katara," he said in a low voice as I subconsciously leaned into the warmth of his palm-

And then the warmth was gone, and my hand was released. I looked around in confusion, suddenly feeling like I was missing something. Zuko was standing at his desk, his back to me, unraveling one of the scrolls.

"You can go. Tell Lieutenant Jin I say thank you." He spoke without looking at me. Did I just imagine that happening? I couldn't have imagined it. My cheek and hand were still warm from his touch.

"Alright," I said in a slightly stunned voice, and turned to leave the room.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," he called out as I reached for the door handle. I peered over my shoulder, but he still wouldn't turn to look at me.

I sighed, my resolve weakening. "It's alright." And I closed the door behind me.

"Mornin' boys," Lietuenant Jin boomed out as we stood in a line awaiting orders. I tried not to cringe at being considered "one of the boys," but I guess you take what you're dealt without complaints. "As you can see," he waved a hand toward the large island behind him, "we've arrived to our first destination. We expect you to be on your toes, alert and cautious at all times. And watch each other's backs."

Zuko walked up beside him with his uncle tailing behind, looking intimidating and professional in his dark armor and strict hairstyle. We all bowed.

"But more importantly, keep your eyes on this one," he continued as he clapped a hand on Zuko's shoulder. The casual camaraderie between them was surprising. "He doesn't exactly like to do as he's told." Zuko shot him a dark look and scanned the line of us. I sucked in a breath when he looked at me, but there it was again. That cold distance he could put between us with a simple look in his hard, gold eyes.

"Alright, let's get down to the docks. We'll get you saddled up there."

Task Force One consisted of six members, two of which were Makoto and Ryou, to my relief. At least I knew the two of them, otherwise I'd be much more nervous for my first mission. Lieutenant Dao and Lieutenant Jin were leading our Task Force group as we guarded Zuko and General Iroh on this mission.

When we got down to the docks, I could see a few shipmates pulling what looked like giant lizards down a ramp that led to the storage compartment of the ship. I counted them out: ten, one for each of us.

When we got closer, I'd gotten a bit nervous. These animals, lizards, whatever they were, didn't look friendly.

"What are they?" I asked Makoto who was walking beside me.

"Giant Eel Hounds, I think," he answered, shading his eyes from the sun to get a better look.

"Are they as aggressive as they look?"

He just shrugged in response, and I turned my attention back to the hounds, who were being fed sprouts of cabbage by the shipmates.

"One hound a person, take your pick and don't complain if they bite," Lieutenant Dao instructed from in front of the pack.

Everyone tentatively walked over to the hounds, one by one loading their sacks onto the saddles and climbing up to sit. I saw a small hound in the back of the pack, and I decided to give it a try. It watched me cautiously as I approached it, appraising me with its eyes, deciding if I was dangerous or not. Apparently, I wasn't, because it turned its head away as I came close enough to touch it. I walked toward the back of the saddle and started to tie my sack to it when I felt a nudge against my side.

"Gah," was the only reaction my mind could register when I looked to see the hound's large head next to my arm. It nudged me again, gently too, so I reached out to pat its head. Its eyes brightened and it pushed its head under my arm, trying to play and I giggled. It was friendlier than I expected, and its playfulness was completely unforeseen. The Giant Eel Hounds look pretty menacing at first, but I guess that's why they're being used today: to have an intimidating presence.

I laughed some more when it tried to sniff near my ear, but stopped abruptly when I realized that all eyes were on us.

"Sorry." My face heated as I pulled myself up onto the saddle.

"That's alright," Lieutenant Dao said in a monotone.

"Yeah, I guess we're just not used to seeing you giggling and girly like that. Usually you're covered in blood or scowling at something," Makoto piped in from atop his Eel Hound.

Everyone laughed (except for Zuko, of course). Even Lieutenant Dao looked like he might have wanted to crack a smile for the first time in his life. I send a grateful look over toward Makoto, who just rolled his eyes. I swear, he can always tell when I'm uncomfortable.

I peered up at the mountain ahead of us. Some dark clouds formed overhead one of the peaks, probably a storm forming.

"Let's move out. Everyone stay in formation around His Highness and keep your eyes peeled. Don't let your guard down and watch each other's backs." It was the most serious I'd seen Lieutenant Jin look since I'd met him. He was pretty tense, which was quite uncharacteristic of him. I got the feeling that we could be walking into a very dangerous situation.

About an hour later, I found out why Lieutenant Jin was so up tight. And he had every right to be.

We'd had a very calm walk up the mountain. The dark storm clouds were getting larger, darker even. I peered up and shaded my eyes from the sunlight. Those weren't storm clouds.

"Fire," I tried to say but my voice wouldn't come out. "Fire!" I called behind me to the group.

All nine heads snapped up to the dark clouds at the sound of my voice, each one of them with the same wide-eyed expression of shock.

"What do we do?" Ryou called out from the back of the group.

"We're still going up," Zuko answered immediately without the slightest hesistation.

"But Your Highness-," Ryou started but was cut off.

"Pick up the speed and tighten up!" Zuko ordered.

I swung my Eel Hound back around and fit myself into the formation next to Zuko, starting to feel the nerves set in. It was only my first mission. I wasn't prepared for this kind–

"Relax," Zuko murmured quietly next to me before slightly pulling forward. I wasn't even sure if he was talking to me, but his small word of comfort had calmed me a bit.

When we finally reached the village, we saw just how bad the fire was.

And spirits, bad wasn't the word.

Loud cracks sounded in every direction as wooden beams snapped in half because of the fire. Orange flames licked the air around us, smoke billowing up from almost every building in the village. Now it clicked. This was why Lieutenant Jin was so high strung.

The rebels had completely lost it. They were so fed up with Fire Nation rule that they'd set fire to their own village, or rather, completely burn it to the ground.

Chaos ensued around us. Families scrambled out from the burning houses. Parents desperately clutched their crying children, tears streaking down their soot-stained faces. Calls for help came from every direction as rebels set fire to more homes, yelling praises of their destruction as they went along.

We made it into the heart of the village in one piece, our group still intact, but looking slightly frantic. This fire was too much for us to control. We wouldn't be able to reign it in without reinforcement. Which meant we were going to have to wait it out.

"Your Highness, I highly suggest we return to the port! We cannot do anything until the flames subside!" Lieutenant Dao shouted over the noises of our surroundings.

Zuko looked like he wanted to disagree, but he nodded firmly, seeing sense. "Alright, let's regroup and get back to the ship."

I, on the other hand, was furious that they even thought of abandoning this village at a time like this.

A large crack sounded a few yards ahead of us as a house started to crumble in the flames. A young woman stood before it, screeching as she watched her home burn down before her eyes.

"Katara," Makoto called from behind me and motioned for me to join the group. I looked back at the woman, now joined by her husband who had just made it out of the burning house, holding a small, singed girl in his arms. The woman still screeched, and I finally caught wind of what she was saying in her panic.

"MY BABY! NO, MY BABY!"

And then I jumped down from my saddle and rushed toward the house.

A/N: Okay! So here's chapter 11. I'm horrible with keeping up with updates, I know, but I'm really trying. Believe it or not, this chapter was halfway done around the time I put up the last chapter, but I never got around to finishing it. I hope this one was worth the wait though!

Let me know what you think and I will take your criticisms into full consideration. Also, any predictions you might want to make? I already have a set story-line, but I wouldn't mind incorporating any of your ideas in there if you suggest some!

Thanks for reading and I hope I can get the next chapter out in a week or two (crossing my fingers)!