A/N: Pickles and Night I adore you both for leaving your lovely reviews! This one is for you! Get the tissues out!

Fate was on their side.

For once.

Her didn't run into any trouble while Zuko carried Orora to the war balloon. No one spotted them as they were lifted into the air and the clouds provided them with the cover they needed to stay out of sight. The winds were also in their favor, so maybe things weren't all bad.

While Zuko's intention had been to follow after Aang and his friends as they made their escape on the bison, he now had to make a small detour.

He couldn't keep the balloon in the air while also trying to take care of Orora, so they would have to make a stop where he would bandage her up and make sure she wasn't too severely injured.

His eyes darted to where he had laid her down on the floor just beside him. His pack served as a makeshift pillow for the time being, while his cloak covered her body, hiding the worst of her injuries from him. Checking the compass to make sure they were on the right course, Zuko turned his attention towards Orora.

She was just as beautiful as he remembered her.

Maybe even more.

While he had only seen her with short hair, he had to admit the longer hair suited her even more. It made her features appear far more softer. Her skin was slightly darker, probably from being under the sun for days.

He wished she would open her eyes so he could see if her eyes were truly as blue as he had seen in his hallucinations of her, or had that all been in his head.

But Orora didn't wake up.

Her breathing was even and her body relaxed, so that was a good sign, he thought to himself, his hand gently pushing away some of the hair from her forehead.

How long had she been fighting for her to get so tired that she would pass out?

Zuko shuddered to think what would've happened if he had arrived any later. It was obvious that his sister found out what Orora was to him. And if the Water Tribe girl had fallen into Azula's hands...

His stomach churned and he felt like throwing up whenever his mind would wander to such thoughts.

Which is why he forced himself to focus on the present. And just be content and thankful that Orora was beside him. A little injured, but at least she was alive.

He had no idea how she would react when she woke up, but honestly, Zuko didn't care. As long as she didn't force him to stay away from her, he was ready to accept whatever she had to give him. His gaze flickered to where her hand peeked out from under the cloak. His own hand twitched, and he very nearly had to physically retrain himself from reaching out and taking it in between his.

No.

He didn't deserve to hold her hand.

Not after what he did to her.

Closing his eyes in resignation, his hand clenched at his side before he stood to check if they were on the correct course just so he would have something to do.

Little did he know, their destination was the very island Orora and her family had decided to call their home for the four days they had spent there before the Invasion.

It was nearing late afternoon when he sighted the island he had decided would be safe enough for them to take refuge on. For the past two hours, Orora had not stirred, and Zuko was starting to get more then a little worried.

As soon as the balloon landed, he quickly disembarked. Zuko had never set up camp as fast as he did then. There was no need for a tent, so a tarp overhead would have to do. Once his bed roll was on the ground he quickly rushed back to the balloon. Throughout his tasks, he had kept glancing in it's direction, afraid that Orora would wake up and try to stand by herself.

Cradling her in his arms, he gently placed her atop the bed roll, before pulling his pack towards himself and began to rummage through it. Once he had taken out whatever he needed, the young Prince set to work.

First, he made sure to clean the cuts that littered her arms and face. Her clothing had saved her skin from being cut open, but the tumble she had taken hadn't been forgiving when it came to her bare skin. Not to mention her gloves were tattered in some places as he removed them to allow her skin to breath. Dark bruises were already forming along her skin, and he gritted his teeth, regretting not taking down the soldiers then and there for hurting her like that.

Just then, she moved. A soft sound came from her parted lips, and her head fell to the side, now facing him.

Zuko paused, the cloth he'd been using to clean her cuts hovering just above the cut along her eyebrow.

But she didn't wake up.

And he resumed his task.

Once he had applied a soothing salve onto the cuts and bruises, he moved on to the injury she had sustained at her side. The sight of which had his heart constricting in his chest.

Somehow, despite the pain, he could see Orora had managed to heal herself a lot more then he had initially thought. The wound still needed to be dressed, something he was an expert at since he had to take care of his own burn a little over two years ago.

Not wanting to cut away her shirt, lest she feel uncomfortable when she woke up, he did his best to slowly and carefully cut the cloth around the wound, allowing the unmarred skin to show underneath. This time, when he applied the salve for burns, she did react. A sharp gasp that tapered off into a whimper echoed in the clearing, and her forehead creased at the pain she felt. Her hands clenched and her body tensed.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, his voice soft. "I know it hurts, but it won't in a bit. Trust me." As he spoke, he continued to apply more of the salve. And just as he said, the herbs within began to act and Orora relaxed.

She still didn't wake up.

Sighing to himself, Zuko picked up the roll of bandage he had packed. Gently guiding her into a sitting position, he leaned her upper body against his own, trying not to notice how her head rested against his shoulder, her warm breath brushing against his neck.

Wrapping his arms around her abdomen, he made quick work of bandaging her up, before laying her back down. He heaved a sigh of relief.

She looked much better now, he thought to himself, standing up and making sure the rest of the supplies were secure. A small stream ran just a little ways away from their makeshift camp. He was quick to walk over and get some fresh water before returning to her side.

She hadn't moved an inch.

And it didn't look like she would be waking up any time soon.

After a meager meal of bread and some fruit, he found himself beside her once again. He pulled the blanket up to her shoulders after slipping her feet out of her shoes, hoping it would make her comfortable.

Was it strange, for him to be looking at her like that?

Maybe.

But he didn't care. If he couldn't touch her, hold her hand, then at least he could just look at her.

And reassure himself that she was really there, and not just a figment of his imagination.

Zuko had no idea how long he sat there. Slowly the light dimmed as the sun set, but the moon was bright enough to allow him to continue looking at her. When did he change his position from sitting to laying beside her, his hand just inches away from her own, he didn't know.

Neither did he realize when his eyes closed and he fell asleep, his face turned towards her, one arm laying in front of him, as if even in his sleep, he was reaching out towards her.

His string glowing a strong blue.

Ice blue eyes blinked open, staring at the canopy of trees above.

Her entire body ached, and yet not a sound fell from her lips as she slowly sat up. The blanket dropped into her lap, as her hand lifted to press against her bandaged burn.

Orora blinked, slightly disoriented after having been asleep for so long. She raised a hand to press against her forehead, frowning at the bandage around her wrist. When had she hurt her wrist? She couldn't remember.

Everything was so unclear, as if she were trying to see things through a thick fog.

A slight movement at her side had the young waterbender turning her gaze in that direction.

Only to be greeted with the sight of a very real and very there Prince Zuko fast asleep.

So it hadn't been a dream, she thought to herself.

Zuko had been the one to save her. He was the one who had cleaned and bandaged her up. Her heart constricted at the sight of him, her teeth biting down on her lower lip. Allowing her eyes to drop to the string that connected them, she was not at all surprised to see hers flickering red every now and then.

Her heart and mind were raging an internal war, her eyes never wavering from Zuko.

It was ironic how their first encounter had been him saving her, and now, after all that had happened, after what he had done, their second meeting mirrored their first.

He had saved her yet again.

And it had opened the door in her heart, behind which she had kept her true feelings for him buried and hidden away from sight and mind for so long.

Because yes, she did have feelings for him. Feelings that had grown during their time together in Ba Sing Se but had stalled once he...well...

Suddenly feeling like she couldn't breath, the girl quickly, yet silently, rose to her feet and walked off towards the edge of the tree cluster. Stepping out into the clearing, she took in the familiar sight. Seems Zuko had brought them to the very island where she and and her friends had been staying before the invasion. Her suspicions were confirmed further when a koalasheep with barely any wool covering it's body, walked past her.

A brief smile pulled at her lips before she began to walk further.

She didn't get very far though, her side began to hurt after a few minutes. Groaning softly, she leaned back against one of the many rocks that littered the surrounding and turned her face towards the sky. There was only half a moon that night, but it provided her with the comfort she needed.

Zuko was back.

He was here.

Just as he had promised he would be in her dream.

And even more strange was the fact that he was wearing the very clothes she had seen him wear in her last hallucination of him while she had been bathing before the Invasion.

Was this a trick? Was he going to try and lure her in and try to take down Aang and her friends? Was this Azula's plan? Or was it his father's? Or was it his?

Or maybe it wasn't a trick?

Because try as she might she couldn't ignore the fact that she had seen the glow of his string when hers had flickered with color as well.

And no one could fake their string glowing because it wasn't something anyone could tamper with. Not even the spirits.

What did that mean? Did he...have feelings for her? But then how could he? How could he after what he had done? But her string flickering meant she still had feelings for him too didn't it?

But how could she? How could she be angry at him and hate him but also have feelings for him? Or maybe it wasn't hate? Maybe she was just angry and sad? Or just mad? Or sad? Maybe both?

Her head began to pound, and she reached up to rub her fingers gently against her temples to try and alleviate the pain.

Why did the Spirits have to give her such a complicated soulmate?

If she were honest, she didn't know how to feel about Zuko. There were so many emotions tangled up inside her chest that she could barely make sense of where one emotion ended and the other began.

"Orora!"

The sound of his voice calling out her name had the young waterbender growing rigid. Her eyes widened, and she pressed herself further against the rocky surface, ignoring the way a few sharp rocks dug into her already sensitive skin.

"Orora, where are you?" He called again. His voice sounded strange, she frowned, trying to determine the emotion within his tone. "You shouldn't be wandering around! You're hurt!" He called, and this time she was able to guess the emotion.

Or rather emotions.

Panic and worry.

She pursed her lips, wandering why she remained behind the rock hidden from his view.

"Please Orora! Answer me!"

The girl in question couldn't help herself as she took a small step towards the edge of the rock and peaked out from behind it. He was standing just a few feet away from her hiding place, his head turning this way and that as he tried to locate her.

"Orora!" This time his voice broke at the very end, and though she had told herself she wouldn't allow her heart to feel anything remotely in favor of him, it did feel a pang of pain at the fear and heartbreak in his voice.

She watched as he dropped his head into his hands, before turning his gaze towards the sky where he glared at the moon.

"Was that all just a vision too?" He shouted, his voice echoing across the otherwise silent landscape, disturbing a couple of the sleeping koalasheeps.

Orora frowned. Vision? What was he talking about?

"Did I hallucinate all of that? Like I have been for the past few months? Am I going crazy?" He continued, raising his hands to his head and gripping his hair.

Her eyes widened as her mind finally caught up to what he was saying. He had been seeing her, just as she had been seeing him since their time apart.

But why would he see her? He had betrayed her. Was it out of guilt? Or was it because of what they had shared in Ba Sing Se? Questions burned at the tip of her tongue, and even more swirled around in her mind.

"Answer me!" He suddenly roared, making the girl jump where she stood and focus her attention back on Zuko. His head was tilted back once more towards the moon, and though she couldn't see his face, Orora knew there were tears in his eyes as he finally collapsed to his knees, his face buried in his hands.

Slowly, so as not to startle him, she began to walk forward. Her bare feet made no sound on the grass as she drew closer to him with each step.

"Please." She heard him say, his voice muffled. "I can't take this anymore." Curse the Spirits for her inability to see anyone, even people who had betrayed her, in such a heartbroken state. Because that is exactly what Zuko was right then.

Heartbroken and hopeless.

"I have to know if she was real or not."

She knew it was genuine, knew he couldn't fake it. Not when she could hear the pain in his voice and see the glow of his string, while her own flickered red.

"Please, let her be real."

She mirrored his posture as she dropped to her knees in front of him. Reaching out, she placed a hesitant hand on his shoulder.

His head snapped up.

Terrified amber eyes met an uncertain ice blue gaze.

The moment his eyes met Orora's, Zuko stilled.

For a moment, he even forgot to breath as he simply took her in.

Was this another trick? Another game his mind was playing with him?

But then his body seemed to register the fact he could feel her hand against his shoulder.

Warm, solid and strong.

And there.

She was staring at him, and though he could see the confusion on her face, he could also see the doubt in her eyes. And he had no one to blame but himself for that.

Once his breathing had calmed, she slowly retracted her hand, moving to sit on her knees properly, her hands resting on her thighs as she looked at him. This time with barely a hint of emotion on her face, as she watched him and waited.

It was strange how quiet she was. He had been expecting her to be angry at him, to yell, to cry, to blame him. And he had been ready to accept all of that.

This silence was somehow worse.

His stomach churned and a shiver of nervous energy passed through his body as he finally looked away from her. Too ashamed to meet her gaze. Her eyes, he realized, were the same as the ones he had seen in his vision. They were as blue as he had remembered them to be. Zuko focused on the bandage at the side of her waist.

Which only made him feel guilty at not being fast enough, not having been able to reach her in time.

"I-I-" He paused, clearing his throat.

Spirits! He had no idea what to say to her.

The next few minutes of silence were agonizing.

Finally, she sighed, and her body shifted, as if she were about to get up and walk away.

And that terrified him more then he had been while facing his father.

His right hand shot out, grasping her left hand within his. He felt her entire body freeze at the contact, knew that he had probably crossed a line, but he didn't want her to go.

Not when he hadn't said anything.

Still he did drop her hand and she resumed her previous position as did he.

"I-I was worried when I woke up and found you gone." He began, stumbling over his own words. "I thought maybe it had all been a dream." He admitted, glancing skywards towards the moon for a brief moment before resuming to focus on her injury rather then her eyes. "I know I'm the last person you wanted help from, but I just..."

He stopped, not knowing what else to say. Running a hand through his hair as an act of frustration he chanced a glance at Orora.

She was looking back at him, still silent.

The night air echoed with the sound of a humorless chuckle. "You're not going to say anything are you?" He asked, though he already knew the answer.

Silence.

"Honestly I don't blame you. Even I wouldn't talk to someone like me after what I did." He paused, licking his lips. "I-I don't bl-blame you for ha-ting me." The word felt bitter on his tongue.

In front of him, Orora seemed to tense even more.

"I don't blame you for hating me." He repeated. "What I did, betraying you and uncle, after all that we went through and what you did for me, I went and betrayed you like that." His voice cracked at the last words, his eyes stung with tears but he didn't let them fall. He couldn't break down in front of her.

Not like this.

Not until he had at least tried to explain himself and what he had done.

Silence.

Whatever courage he had left, he forced it to the forefront as he finally lifted his tear-filled amber gaze to meet her ice blue eyes.

"I am so so sorry for what I did." He said, this time his voice did crack, and the tears that he had been holding back began to make their descent down his cheeks. "I was so desperate for my father's approval and to go back home that I- Spirits I'm so sorry Orora!"

Silence.

"Not a day went by when I didn't think about you or wished that you were with me." The words poured out of him.

From his lips.

His mind.

His heart.

His soul.

His very being.

"Spirits! Sometimes I missed you so much I could barley breath." He remembered those sleepless nights when his heart would physically ache at not having her near. "I mean I missed you so much that I actually started to see you everywhere I went. You would talk to me, give me advice and I thought I was going crazy but I didn't want it to stop. I didn't want to loose you." Though his voice quivered and broke, his gaze never did. It remained fixed upon his soulmate who continued to look at him.

In silence.

"But I did loose you after what I did. And I regretted that decision from the moment I made it." He paused, licking his lips before continuing, his body leaning towards her slightly as he did. "But I've changed now. I found out some things about myself. And its helped me realize why I've always felt so conflicted about my place in the world."

A slight breeze brought the salty sea air with it, while also allowing loose tendrils of her hair to brush against her face.

"And I realize I was wrong. I was wrong to think I could have my father's love back." He looked ashamed of himself, for even thinking he could have his father's love. That he deserved it. "You were right." Zuko continued, his voice and gaze earnest. "You were right about everything. I stood up to him and I told him everything." He shook his head.

"And I wasn't scared. Because of you." A look of gratitude crossed his features as he continued to look at her. "The thought of you and how you stood up to your father made me strong enough to face my own. Even when you weren't with me you were helping me." He was still crying, but the tears fell unnoticed.

Where her hands had been lying flat atop her thighs, they were now clenched into tight fists.

"Please believe me when I say that I'm done with my family. I am done trying to win back my honor and father's love. He never had any to give me in the first place." The realization, however horrible, was a reality he would have to live with.

"I am going to try and help defeat them so this war can end and everyone can have their lives back and leave in peace. I'm going to help Aang learn how to firebend, so he can defeat my father. Because I know that is the only way, the world...that you will be safe." Zuko knew that while his main focus should be to safeguard the entire world, Orora was his world.

He had to make sure she was safe. That she could never get hurt at the hands of his family.

"I-I don't expect you to forgive. Or to not be angry at me. I know you might even hate me." There was that bitter taste again. "But please believe me when I say that I am so sorry Orora. I am so so-so sorry."

Silence followed his deceleration, with the two teenagers just staring at one another. One having bared his heart, while the other struggled with her own heart.

"Please." He was begging her now. "Please Orora say something. Anything, please."

Silence.

Was this it then? Was she never going to speak to him?

How he could feel his heart begin to shatter physically was something he never understood.

"Please."

One last time.

His head hung in front of her.

He would beg her one last time.

If she had thought her emotions were a raging storm before, now they were a full blown hurricane. She still had questions.

A lot of questions.

But those would come later.

Right now she needed to make sure Zuko didn't deter from his decision. Because if his teaching Aang firebending could help save the world, then she could push aside her own feelings in favor of the greater good.

Or at least that was the lie she told herself.

Finally, she took a deep breath, closing her eyes before opening them again.

"Prove it." Those two words prompted Zuko to lift his head and look at her. "Prove to me," She forced herself to continue. "And everyone else that you have changed. That you won't betray anyone like you did me and Uncle in Ba Sing Se." She saw him flinch at the reminder, but she continued.

"Teach Aang firebending and help us save the world."

She made no mention of her forgiving him. Or not being mad at him. Or not hating him.

Honestly, she just didn't have the energy to sort through her emotions right then. So, this would have to do.

But what she had said seemed to be the exact words Zuko needed to hear. He smiled in earnest. "I promise, I won't let you down Orora."

The girl pursed her lips, before simply nodding. Slowly, so as not to aggravate her injury she stood, with Zuko rising beside her, his arms raised slightly towards her, as if he were ready to catch her should she fall over.

But she didn't.

"Aang and the others will be at the Western Air Temple. I told them to wait for me there when I left them in the tunnels." She said, a hand resting atop her bandage. The burn was beginning to ache now, and it would be best if she laid back down. "We can leave in the morning."

With that Orora began to walk back to where their camp was.

Zuko stayed where he was, staring after her. He was just about to turn away when he stopped at the sound of her voice.

"Zuko?"

Hearing the sound of his name coming from her lips after so long had him standing completely still in utter shock. She had paused halfway towards her destination. Her shoulders were tense but she turned her head so she could look at him over her shoulder.

"Thank you. For saving me. Again. I-I owe you."

With that she walked away, leaving her string to flicker behind her.

An occurrence that was observed by Zuko.

And had a small flicker of hope to ignite within his chest.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Let me know what you think! - Hestia28