Wow. After reading back my old chapters of this story which were written when I was twelve, (chapters 1-4) I realize how immature as a writer I was. A lot of the dialogue was random and awkward, and Zuko was waaay OOC. I think I also lacked on a lot of descriptions too. I guess it just shows how I've grown in these past two years as a writer. I considered re-writing them to my current standards, because I want this story to show the best of my ability, but I'm not sure. If you guys think I should re-write them, then let me know. Anyway, I won't hold you any longer, so go ahead and read!

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. If I did Zuko and Katara would be together!!

It didn't take very long to find a suitable campsite, and it wasn't long after they had gotten camp set up when Aang began to blow fervently at his bison whistle—which hadn't been confiscated—to locate his friend. After a few minutes of constant blowing, the bison could be seen overhead, and it carefully lowered itself to the ground. Aang, Sokka, and Katara all rushed up to meet it, but Zuko merely stared at the animal. He was leaning up against a rock, his arms crossed against his chest, a frown plastered on his face.

"What is that thing?" Zuko said, still refusing to get up from where he comfortably sat to greet the giant animal.

"His name's Appa," Aang answered, "And he'll be your mode of transportation from now on." He petted the animal on its side and smiled. Suddenly Momo jumped off of the saddle and clamored all over Aang's shoulders, chattering wildly.

"Momo!" Aang giggled and attempted to pet the lemur as well, but Momo was still much too excited about seeing Aang to stay still.

"Great, just what we needed. A yak and a monkey." Zuko grumbled.

"Hey! Appa's a bison and Momo's a lemur." Katara intervened before Aang could have a chance to speak.

"What. Ever." It would be hard enough to find food as it was, and that meant that they couldn't spare any of it for the animals. And he was positive that the flying bison would eat twice as much as all of them together in one sitting. Zuko sighed, then stood up slowly and stretched. Looks like I'll have to do the hunting around here… Zuko thought as he took his broad swords out of their sack.

"I'm going hunting. If I'm lucky I'll catch a rabbit or two."

"I'll go too." Katara offered, but the way she said it made it sound more like a demand. She really just wanted to get some time to talk with the prince, and perhaps get to know him better. So far he'd been very standoff-ish, and hadn't really talked at all. If they were going to be living together for the next month or so, it would be good to know a little about him, so at least conversations wouldn't be so awkward. Katara smiled at Zuko, expecting an affirmative.

Zuko looked at Katara and frowned.

"No."

Katara stared with bewilderment at Zuko as he turned around and headed into the forest.

"What? Why not!" Zuko decided to ignore the girl and keep walking. "Wait! You can't do that!" Zuko stopped and turned around, feeling very annoyed.

"And why not? Are you afraid I'll run away and tell my dad that the Avatar is here?" Zuko accused of the Water tribe girl. Aang and Sokka both exchanged worried glances, knowing that if something wasn't done soon, the two hotheaded teenagers would both be brawling.

"That isn't—ˮ

"Look. Even if I did wanted to go back, my father would probably kill me, so you don't have to worry about your precious Avatar!"

"Why you—! ˮ

"Good—bye." Zuko said, the finality that the conversation was now officially ended clear in his tone. Then he stalked into the forest, leaving Katara steaming.

"Go ahead! See if I care! I hope a platypus-bear eats you!" She yelled into the trees, cupping her hands around her mouth. When she heard no response, she let out a frustrated sigh and stomped away, leaving Aang and Sokka bemused.

"What was that all about?" Aang finally asked, petting the lemur that now rested calmly on his shoulder, apparently not affected by the yelling that had previously taken place.

"I dunno. Maybe it's because she's finally found someone who can out-argue her." Sokka shrugged.

"Do you know where she went?"

"Who knows? Probably to tell Zuko off."

"But she went in the opposite direction." Aang pointed out.

"Whatever." Sokka yawned, obviously feeling quite lightly of the situation.

Aang and Sokka stood there a few moments longer, fidgeting and looking around the small clearing, clearly devoid of anything interesting to say.

"So…what do we do now?" Aang asked, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence.

Sokka merely shrugged.

Zuko cleared away a branch with his broad sword—being careful to only use his right hand, for his left hand was still injured—then used a series of complicated movements to clear a tree straight out of his path. The branches fell with a startling crash. What he was really doing was making it impossible for anyone to follow him, whether it would be enemies or that Water Tribe girl. The Water Tribe girl…what was her name…? He'd never bothered to ask. Not like it really mattered, for it was the boy—The Avatar—whom he'd be training. But still…why did that girl want so badly to go hunting with him? Did she really trust him that little? Well, not like he could blame her, after all that he did to them, but even so, he had hoped she would know better than to think he would run off and betray them.

Crash!

Another tree fell. He stepped over it and continued into the forest. He had also been marking the trees with his blade every so often, for he couldn't afford to get lost in these woods. Years ago, when he was still a child living in the palace, he ran away and went into the woods after being beaten by his father for failing to master his firebending techniques successfully. He had been ashamed of himself for disappointing his father, and didn't want anyone to see him cry—not even his mother. He had gotten lost of course, and it was days until the guards finally found him—scared to death and nearly starving. Unlike his father, his mother had been worried sick about him, and instead of punishing him for running away, she held him in her arms, crying tears of joy and whispering words of reassurance in his ears. His mother had always loved and protected him, and now he only wished he could have somehow protected her…

Zuko shook his head to clear his mind of the troubling thoughts, and continued forward. He decided to stop destroying the trees, because he figured that anyone worth fighting would see through his ruse anyway. He stood still for a long minute, listening for any signs of a rabbit, or perhaps even a squirrel. Then, suddenly he heard a soft rustling in the bushes and a small white rabbit hopped out. The rabbit didn't appear to have sensed Zuko yet, and so continued to sniff the air, oblivious to the young firebender approaching with his swords ready. Zuko quickly swung his sword, slitting the rabbit's throat quickly and painlessly. One rabbit would barely be enough for the four of them, (Forget it if the animals were eating) but he didn't care. If the Avatar and his friends didn't find the rabbit substantial, they could go hunting for themselves.

Holding the rabbit by its ears, he followed the trail of markings he'd left until he neared the camp. He stopped when he reached the edge of the forest, and stopped shy of entering into the clearing. The children couldn't see him, he was sure, and the Water Tribe girl was nowhere to be found. She'd probably stormed off somewhere. Not that he cared. Zuko then sighed, for it had been a trying day. Finally, after much deliberation, Zuko decided to head off into the forest to meditate, He was sure he'd heard the rushing of water somewhere nearby. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about the cool breeze and sound of rushing water that put him at ease. With that in mind, he turned to go towards the water, throwing the dead rabbit into the clearing for the kids to eat.

Sokka sat with his back against a rock, (clearly quite bored) whittling a piece of wood.

"ACK!" Sokka was knocked onto the ground after apparently being hit in the side of the head with a dead white rabbit.

Katara stormed off into the woods, angry and frustrated. All she'd wanted was to go hunting with Zuko to get to know him better, but he'd flat out said no!

"Jerk." Katara mumbled to herself as she cleared a branch out of her path. She didn't care where she was going, so long as she was away from him. She eventually began to hear the sound of water nearby, and so decided to follow it. She didn't mind doing some waterbending right about now. She could make little ice sculptures of Zuko and then crush them. Yes, that would make her feel much better. As Katara prepared to step out from behind the trees to near the shore of the river, she stopped dead in her tracks.

There, sitting cross-legged on a rock with his eyes closed was none other than Zuko. She held her breath for a few seconds as her heart skipped a beat. She'd come here to get away from Zuko, and she'd run right into him! She noticed that there was a small fire going, and the lowering and rising was in sync with his breathing. He hadn't moved, so apparently he hadn't noticed her yet. Katara decided to study the prince further, forgetting completely the rage she had previously felt towards him. She could only see the right side of his face, for he was turned so that she only saw a profile view. She watched his expression closely, and saw for the first time, it wasn't strained or contorted with rage. It didn't even have the customary scowl. He actually looked peaceful, and at ease. Katara also took note of his sharp and handsome features, for she couldn't see the huge scar that plagued the other side of his face. Wait…handsome? Where did that come from? A voice in Katara's mind said. As Katara studied more closely, she realized that he was indeed handsome; She just never paid attention to his looks when she was running for her life. Katara shook her head of those thoughts. She'd come to the stream to waterbend, not scrutinize the spoiled prince. So what if he was handsome? That didn't make him any less of a jerk.

Katara finally stepped forward, and decided to alert the prince of her presence.

"I thought you were supposed to be hunting?" Katara asked.

Zuko opened one amber eye and frowned.

"Why did you follow me?" Zuko demanded, standing up from where he sat. The small fire he'd built grew hotter and larger.

"I didn't follow you, Your Highness." Katara said mockingly. "I came here to waterbend and then I found you here." Zuko stared at her for a few moments and then scowled.

"Well, I'm meditating, so leave." Katara looked at him with disbelief. He wasn't serious.

"You can't make me leave! You leave!"

"I was here first!"

"Well—well—you can meditate anywhere! This is the only river I know of!"

"Well that's your problem!" Both teenagers were steaming, and neither was backing down.

"I'll fight you for it then!" Katara yelled, the anger she had felt for Zuko earlier coming back. "I know you've been wanting to spar with me for a while."

"Fight you?" Zuko repeated with disbelief.

"Yes! Whoever wins gets rights to this river for the rest of the week. Sounds fair?" Zuko thought about it for a few moments and then smiled. Fine. He'd fight the Water Tribe girl. It would be a good way to get rid of a lot of the stress he'd been feeling lately anyway.

"Sounds fair." Zuko sunk into his firebending stance, and Katara into her waterbending stance. They circled each other for a few seconds, and then the battle began.

Zuko shot fireballs out of his fists in clear precise movements, while Katara bended the water out of the river to block the attacks, leaving a burst of steam where the fireballs had been aimed. She quickly condensed the steam turning them into ice daggers, then sent them flying towards Zuko. The projectiles pinned the prince to the tree behind him, but he quickly melted the daggers with a burst of flame.

Jumping into the air, Zuko performed a flaming kick, which sent huge flames hurtling in Katara's direction. She dodged the flames with a roll to the side, then bended more water out of the river to create a giant wave. As she rode the wave forwards, Zuko scaled the tree behind him all the way to the top to avoid the wave, but it was too large, and so covered the tree, and Zuko in the process. But he wasn't finished yet. He quickly got up and began a series of complicated acrobatic movements, sending barrages of fire in Katara's direction. Some she dodged and some she blocked, but he was too fast. She didn't have anytime to attack him, because she was too busy stopping the fire from reaching her.

Finally his combos stopped, and both were panting heavily. After a few moments—when they'd caught their breath—they ran towards each other, this time resorting to hand-to-hand contact. Katara swiped her foot in a roundhouse kick, but Zuko blocked it easily with his forearm. Katara punched, Zuko ducked. It went on like this quite a while, neither of them getting any hits in. Zuko hadn't even tried attacking Katara, (perhaps he felt bad about hitting a girl) And Katara hadn't even landed one blow. But as the battle progressed, Katara began to notice that Zuko was hardly using his left hand at all. A weakness perhaps…? This would be Katara's only chance. She gave up using hand-to-hand combat, and decided to bend some water out of the river to attack with. Zuko decided to go back to bending as well, so he readied his fire daggers.

They both backed away from each other—Katara holding her water in mid air, and Zuko with his fire daggers, both ready to attack. And although neither would admit it, they were enjoying themselves. It was exciting to spar with a bender of a different element, especially one who was a formidable opponent.

"You're pretty good." Zuko admitted as he inched closer.

"You're not bad yourself. But I think it's about time we ended this."

"I agree completely." Zuko and Katara ran up towards each other, but this time, Katara aimed for Zuko's left arm. Before Zuko could realize what was happening, the blow landed right where Zuko had gotten burned. Zuko yelled out in pain, and clutched his arm, letting his fire daggers go out. He stumbled backwards, but lost his balance when the back of his foot hit a rock, and he went plunging into the river.

"Zuko!" She hadn't realized she'd hit him that hard. Katara rushed over to the edge of the river, but Zuko hadn't broken the surface of the water and was nowhere to be found. "Oh no!" Katara quickly stripped down to her wrappings then dove into the river to find the prince. She swam deep beneath the surface, looking around for any signs of Zuko. Finally she spotted his ponytail, and so pulled him up to the surface. She dragged him onto the grass, panting and gasping for air. He was unconscious, Katara observed, and blood was seeping through his left sleeve.

Katara decided to see about the arm later and just work on getting the water out of his lungs. She opened his mouth, then lifted her hand, pulling out the water from the prince's lungs. Once the water came out, he woke up with a start, and started coughing heavily. Katara stood up to go fetch her clothes—for she couldn't bear to have Zuko see her half naked like this—but stopped when a hand pulled her back.

"Wait." Zuko said in a raspy voice, still raw from all the coughing. "Thanks." Katara blushed and looked at the ground, a warm feeling welling up inside of her.

"Um…you're welcome. Even though it was kinda my fault…" Katara trailed off.

"Yea… but…you saw my weakness and exploited it, which is what any firebender would have done."

"Now you're making me feel worse."

"What?" Zuko didn't understand how that could make her feel worse. It was a compliment in his eyes anyway.

"Never mind." Katara sighed, and then spoke.

"I didn't know I'd hurt you that bad." Zuko paused before answering.

"It wasn't you."

"But—ˮ Zuko quickly rolled up his sleeve and took off the strip of cloth that had been bandaging the wound, exposing the injury. Katara gasped. The skin was red and blistered, and around his wrist was black and blue with bruises. And in some places, where the skin had broken, blood was coming out.

"Being hit with water doesn't cause burns." Zuko said quietly. He started to pull the sleeve down, but Katara's gentle hand stopped him.

"Let me heal it."

"Heal it?"

"Yes. I can heal wounds using my waterbending. Will you let me see it?" Zuko studied her for a few moments, a bit taken aback by the generous offer. As if to reassure him, Katara smiled warmly, her blue eyes twinkling. There was so much compassion and understanding in those eyes. How could he say no? Finally, Zuko nodded, and handed over his arm to be inspected.

"It looks pretty bad. What happened?" Katara asked as she bended some water out of the river and covered her hands with them. Zuko looked out towards the river, ignoring the girl's question. Katara frowned. Apparently it must have been something bad.

"Fine." She said as he bended the water onto Zuko's forearm. The water began to glow a bright blue, and the wounds slowly began to close up. The redness and the blisters also faded away, causing Zuko to stare in amazement. Then the glow began to fade, and the water dripped off of Zuko's now perfect arm.

"See? Good as new." Katara said confidently as she watched Zuko flex his arm a few times to make sure the pain was gone, and it was.

"Your welcome." Katara said, crossing her arms.

"Oh…um…thank Takar—ˮ

"Katara." She corrected.

"Right." Zuko pulled down his sleeve, then picked up the sack with his broad swords and slung it over his back.

"We should head back to camp. They'll be wondering where we are." Zuko said. "But, before we do that, you um…might want to…" Zuko pointed to the pile of blue clothes lying in the grass.

Ugh, long…chapter….well, I guess I owe it to you guys, since I haven't updated this story since last year. Hehe…So what do you think? I got in a little bit of Zutara in there for ya. But don't worry, there will be a lot more where that came from. Sorry it took so long to get the Zutara thing going on, but hopefully you'll forgive me. and please review!