This was originally going to be the start of my story "Yours and Mine", but then I took that in a whole new direction, but I still liked the idea of the different Zuko and Katara meetings so I posted this anyway.

First Encounters

Hate. Pure unadulterated hate coursed through her veins. Katara had never hated anyone before; she always strived to see the best in people. However, she saw nothing good in this man- this boy- who was relentlessly attacking her village. She hated everything he stood for; the Fire Nation, this ruthless war, the death of her mother. She channeled all her pent up hate to him. But as she stared defiantly into his golden eyes, she saw the glimpse of pain and guilt that he tried so hard to mask.

She started to hate him a little less.

"I'll save you from the pirates"

A mixture of shock and fear covered Katara's face as he grabbed her wrists. Despite her struggling, she couldn't fight back as he tied her to a tree.

"Tell me where he is and I won't hurt you or your brother" he demanded.

Determined amber eyes met defiant cobalt orbs. She may not be able to physically fight back, but she could still defy him with her sharp tongue.

"Go jump in the river!" she spat, her words coated with venom. She saw surprise cover his face if only for a second. Good, let him see that not everyone will bow down to him.

She expected a slap or burn or some kind of repercussion for that remark and was willing to pay the price. So it beyond shocked her when he smiled instead. Well really a smirk, but still shocking.

"Try to understand," His voice was like silk as he walked toward her. "I need to capture him to restore something I lost, my honor." His voice was smooth and his expression was hard, but Katara saw that pain flicker in his golden eyes, and she couldn't help but soften her glare. But the mask of indifference was quickly put back into place and his next action brought the steel in her glare back.

"Perhaps in exchange I can restore something you lost." He purred as cool stone and familiar leather grazed her neck. Just as quickly as it was there, it was gone again, dangling in his hand.

"My mother's necklace! How did you get that?" A familiar hate shot through her.

How dare he steal something so precious from me!"I didn't steal it if that's what you were wondering." He replied as if reading her thoughts. What a liar! How stupid does he think I am! Then again why would he even care if I thought he stole it?

"Tell me where he is." He demanded, interrupting her thoughts.

"No!" She shot back, still defiant and now enraged. Arrogant son of a donkey-bear! Spirits, I hate him so much!

He was tired. Tired from the swimming, tired from the running, tired from the failure. But he was determined. He told his uncle he would come back with the Avatar and this time he would.

He finally found him meditating with the girl as his only protection. This was just too easy."Well aren't you a big girl now?" Zuko said with a smirk as he moved toward the Avatar, toward the girl.

"No" she breathed.

"Yes, now hand him over and I won't have to hurt you." He really didn't want to hurt her, but if he had to he would.

He sent fist after fist of flames her way and she quickly doused them all. Hmm, looks like she's been practicing. Zuko didn't have time to contemplate on his thoughts, because right then a wall of freezing water was blasted at him leaving him a wet heap on the ground. She's been practicing a lot.

"I see you've learned a new trick," he rasped, "but I didn't come this far to lose to you."

He was so close to everything he wanted, he wouldn't let this girl get in his way.

He shot a fist of flame her way, which she counterattacked with another blast of water. Before he knew it his feet were frozen to the ground and ice was surrounding him in swirls. He could see her bending and calling the water, her moves controlled yet graceful. Not one flaw in her form. He had to admit, he was slightly entranced by this dance of water done by this, in all honesty, beautiful girl. He didn't have time to dwell on his thoughts though.

"You little peasant! You've found a master haven't you?" He remarked before shattering the ice around him.

Now that he knew what she was capable of, he wouldn't hold back. It was on.

Flame after flame erupted from his fists, each met by a wall of water. Swirls of blue and flames of red and orange flew through the air as steam wound around them. Both were closing the distance between them, each attack holding more ferocity than the last, more passion. Both were panting hard now, but neither easing up. He had to admit she was a worthy opponent, so different from that girl he had once tied to a tree, she was stronger now. No longer scared, but just as defiant.

With the full moon up, their bending was matched, balanced.

Dodging one of her attacks, he grabbed the monk's collar only to be met by a wall of water. She slammed him into the wall of the cave, freezing the water all around his unconscious body.

He didn't know how long he had been unconscious, but when he felt the rays of the sun dance on his skin a renewed vigor ran through him. He melted the ice that encased his body and sent an angry ball of fire toward the girl. He caught her off guard and she slammed into the pole behind her.

"You rise with the moon," he drawled as he made his way toward the monk, "I rise with the sun."

As he saw the girl fall to the ground, he was hit by a pang of guilt. Why did he feel guilty? He had killed dozens of men, and while he felt bad then he could easily get over it. So why did he feel this biting guilt with her? He tried to brush off the feeling, telling himself over and over again that he did what he had to do, as if just saying it would make it true.

He took the Avatar and left, not glancing back to face what he had done.

She was yelling at him and he knew she wasn't holding back. She let the harsh words wash off her tongue in a torrent and Zuko knew he deserved every one of them.

"… you're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood."

Zuko couldn't stay quiet through that comment. He needed her to see it wasn't true, he didn't know why he cared, but he did.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"I don't?" she spat back; rage seeping into her voice, "How dare you! You have no idea what this war has put me through, me personally. The fire nation took my mother away from me." Her last words were barely a whisper, all the anger in her voice melted into sadness. A sadness he could relate to.

"I'm sorry." He spoke sincerely and hoped that she would see that. "That's something we have in common."

In that moment a fragile bond had formed between the prisoners. They were both prisoners of war, chained to the grief and sorrow that war always came with. No one came out of the war unscathed, no matter how pure their heart was.

Zuko found himself immensely saddened when he realized this, not for himself, but for this girl, Katara. He deserved the pain, for he had caused so much of it himself, but she didn't. She was good and pure and didn't deserve such a heavy burden. He wished so much that he could relieve her of that burden.

Katara stared at this boy, her former enemy. Enemy. Children should not have enemies, but then again children should not be responsible for ending a war either.

She saw now, what she had only seen in glimpses before. She saw the confusion and pain in his eyes, the defeat in his posture. He no longer his behind the mask of indifference, he no longer had the will to. This was not the man who had chased her and her friends around the world; this was a boy who was barely holding himself together. She could relate to that.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you before," she said, sincerity in her voice

"It doesn't matter" he replied hollowly

"It's just for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy, it was your face."

"My face, I see." His hand moved to his scar and Katara instantly regretted her choice of words.

"No, no that's not what I meant," she started

"It's okay. I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever." He didn't know why he was telling her this, he barely knew this girl and until a few minutes ago they were enemies, but for some unexplainable reason he trusted her. He wanted this girl to know who he was even if he wasn't completely sure who that was yet. "But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark."

He felt lighter all of a sudden, like the heavy weight in his heart was lifted just a little.

"Maybe you could be free of it."

"What?" he replied, shock written on his face.

She explained her healing abilities and the Spirit water and how she was saving it for something important. He looked at this girl, who had been screaming at him a couple minutes ago and now was offering to heal his scar. The war had put her through so much, yet her ability to trust never wavered. He realized he envied her, envied the goodness in her heart.

He closed his eyes and let her trace her delicate fingers across the edge of his scar. She'd never know that she was the first person to ever touch his scar.

Suddenly the cave shook and shattered on one side. He saw his uncle with the Avatar. Jealousy he didn't understand washed over him as he saw Katara run from him and towards the Avatar. Gray eyes locked with golden ones in a silent glare. Accusations clearly made, but never voiced.

He likes to think that's why He chose to follow Azula, because the Avatar would have never accepted him, but he knows that's a lie. He's used to it now though, lying to himself is second nature now. He pretended the disappointment on his uncle's face didn't bother him when he went with Azula. He hid his fear behind nonchalance when Azula struck the Avatar with her lightening. But his greatest façade of all was convincing himself that his heart didn't shatter when he saw the look of betrayal and hurt on her face, her, the girl who trusted him despite what he'd done, who he'd been. He went on pretending he was fine, even though he was crumbling inside.