AN: This is my first Avatar fic so tell me what you think.

Disclaimer: I wish, but I don't, so don't sue.

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He's gone. Why wouldn't he take my hand? Zuko looked down into the pool where he last saw Zhao. The water was smooth, as if it had never been disturbed. Am I so unworthy that he wouldn't even take my hand? A sudden realization broke into his depressing thoughts. Uncle! I left him with the Avatar and his friends.

Zuko ran through the streets, careful to avoid the water benders still able to fight and the fallen bodies of Fire Nation soldiers. He made it to the secret oasis and was relieved to see his uncle unharmed. The two siblings were together by the koi pond, the warrior on his knees and the bender at his back. There was no sight of the Avatar or the silvered hair girl.

It was the water tribe girl who was the first to notice him, though, and she slipped into a fighting stance. She gathered a large ball of water and held it at the ready. "What so you want." Silence greeted her statement. "Aang isn't here. Why do you want him so badly anyways? What could a twelve year old boy do to deserve you hunting him?" Zuko dropped into a fighting stance of his own. "What I do is my own business, peasant."

"That is enough you two." Iroh stepped between them. "There's been enough fighting for one night and both sides have those to mourn." He looked to Sokka who had remained kneeling by the pond for the entire exchange. "Prince Zuko, mind yourself while I find us a way out of here. I don't think any of Zhao's ships survived the spirit's attack." Iroh moved to Sokka to get him moving, he was, after all, the same age as his nephew.

Blue and gold eyes followed the two men as they left the oasis. Katara looked to the man, really a boy, beside her. "I suppose we have a sort of truce for now. We all owe your uncle a great deal. He is a great man.

Zuko looked at her strangely. "He is a great man. He has taught me much since I was… since I left home." Katara's eyes flashed blue fire as she whirled on the prince. "If he's taught you so much, why do you still hunt Aang? Don't you realize what will happen if this war is not stopped? Aang is all alone now, his people have been destroyed. More and more people are killed everyday because of this war your family started. Now the only chance this world has to survive rests on the shoulders of one very young boy. He should not have to face this; he should not have to witness all this cruelty and violence. Yet I don't know why I bother. Someone like you wouldn't understand. You thirst for blood and violence."

"You're wrong." Katara's eyes widened in shock at the prince's voice, soft and sad. "I despise the violence and death as much as anyone. Too many good people have died, most didn't deserve it." Zuko's eyes followed the koi as they circled each other in the pond. Katara's voice broke him from his painful memories. "Then why? Why do you seek to capture the one person who could stop it?"

Gold met blue and held as he debated his answer. "There's no way a mere boy could stop a man so powerful as the Fire Lord. He is ruthless, with no hint of mercy. He wouldn't care if his opponent is a mere boy." Zuko reached up to run his fingers lightly against his scar, feeling the pain again as his father's strike seared his flesh. "Weakness is not something the Fire Lord knows." He shook off the painful memories and continued on in a harsher voice. "Besides, if I do not capture the Avatar I will never regain my honor." Zhao's words echoed to him, an impossible task set by his father to ensure his failure.

"Honor! What does honor have to do with this?" Zuko spun to face her fully. "I wouldn't expect a water tribe peasant to know anything of honor. My honor is my life, without it I am nothing. When I bring the Avatar back to my father my honor will be restored."

"And you say I'm foolish." Katara touched his left shoulder to keep him from turning away from her words. "Is it more honorable to let the world suffer them to live with this mark placed upon you?" She reached up and gently ran her fingers over his scar as he had done earlier. Before he could jerk away she gripped his shoulders again. "Let me tell you about honor in my tribe." A small snort was his only reply but she continued on. "You can never have your honor taken from you. It is always here' she touched his chest, 'in your heart. Others can ridicule you, ruin your reputation but as long as you stay true to yourself and do what you think is right you will always have your honor. The only way you can lose it is if you, yourself, give it up. As in putting yourself, your wants, before that of the world. Your honor is still yours, now you must decide what to do with it."

Zuko gripped her arms in his hands, trapping hers against his chest. They stood that way, focused completely on the other, for what seemed like an eternity until the sound of a throat being cleared brought them to their senses. They separated quickly and looked to see Iroh across from them. "I'm sorry to interrupt' he said with a rather evil grin, 'but I believe we must be going, Prince Zuko. We have been given a raft and are ready to set sail immediately. In fact, I think immediately might not be fast enough, these people in the Northern Tribe have no love for fire benders." He looked to Katara curiously. "We must be going, my dear. A pleasure. Next time we must have some tea." With that he left, leaving the two teens to stare after him

Zuko turned to Katara, opened his mouth to say something and promptly shut it. He turned and began walking towards the door. Halfway across the bridge he stopped and said, "This changes nothing. I will capture the Avatar."

"His name is Aang." Was her only reply. "And what is your name, water bender?" Her eyes widened in shock at both his words and his soft tone. "Katara." She saw his head nod briefly then he left.

Zuko's thoughts were muddled as he, almost blindly, made his way to the raft. It seems these people were grateful enough to his uncle to provide them with transportation and some food but that was all. If this was reversed and this happened in the Fire Nation we would have been killed. Perhaps we aren't so great after all? After a few hours at sea in silence, Iroh interrupted his thoughts. "That is some girl, huh? It is rare to find such wisdom in one so young." "How much did you hear uncle?" Iroh pretended to fuss with the packs to keep from meeting his nephew's eyes. "Oh, only a little. Nothing really." "How much uncle?" Iroh sighed. "Since she asked you 'Why?'."

"So you basically heard everything." It wasn't a question but he nodded anyways. "Do you think she is right uncle? Is it all up to me?"

"Zuko, I have traveled with you for two years now and not once have you done something dishonorable, even if you have a rather short fuse. You have stuck with this with a determination men three times your age do not have. You have even rescued the Avatar from a man who would have used him for his own gain." Zuko looked to him shocked. "Yes, I have known since the beginning. You don't think I'm that senile so you?" When no answer came he shot his nephew a dirty look. "I am proud of you. To me, you are very honorable, but that is a question you must answer on your own."

Zuko nodded and again they traveled in silence until, "Uncle, did you really mean it when you said that all elements must balance each other?" Iroh nodded. "So two elements could really coexist?" Iroh nodded again, a knowing smile on his lips. "I am tired uncle." Zuko lay down on the raft, thinking of what had happened the past night and of his honor. But as he drifted off to sleep, a pair of sea blue eyes invaded his dreams.

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AN: Well what did you think? Yes? No? Anything..? R&R