So… I know that this type of plot has been done before, though I've hardly read any of those stories. You know… The "Zuko isn't bad and pairs up with Katara" ones? Yeah, that's kinda what this is like, just…it's different. It kinda takes a while. Please enjoy! .

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. If I did, Katara and Zuko would've paired up a long time ago.

Katara frowned bitterly as she waterbended from a nearby lake and dropped it into a basin that she had brought with her. As she finished, she picked it up and headed back to the camp that she, her friends, and now the Earth King, had set up and were staying at. She didn't like staying there; in her opinion, it was too close to Ba Sing Se. But they couldn't travel far with Aang's bad condition, and Katara needed to stop by a large body of water to make sure she could heal Aang again, in case anything bad happened. Like those dirty, vile firebenders coming along, she thought angrily.

As she returned to camp, her arrival was announced by Toph, who had been in a particularly bad mood ever since the capture of her friend, Iroh. "Sugar Queen's back." Katara didn't say anything. She could tell Toph was being rude –at least more so than usual- because she was worried. In fact, everybody was worried. Toph about Iroh, Sokka about Suki, Kuei and Aang about the Earth Kingdom, and her about Aang's injury.

Sokka joined in with Toph. "Did you have fun with the magic water?" he asked sourly. Katara felt her face redden, yet once again, she didn't say a thing.

"Guys, lay off her, will you?" came the voice of Aang from next to Appa where he lay. "It's not like you're doing anything." Toph pouted at this and Sokka looked away angrily. Katara looked at them sadly, realizing that what they really needed was to know that their friends/loved ones were safe, not harsh words. Slowly she walked over to Aang and kneeled down.

"You feeling okay?" she asked softly.

"Yeah," he smiled weakly. "It's not like I'm going to get worse within the last five minutes that you asked me."

She smiled sadly back at him. "I know, but I'm just…" She didn't finish, as Aang finished for her.

"Worried. I understand. Aren't we all?"

She nodded. "Yes. And until we defeat the Fire Lord, we'll all remain worried." Aang looked away, and she remembered it was a bad topic to bring up at the moment. "Come on," she said softly. "I need you to turn over so I can see your wound. See if it needs any more healing."

He obeyed, and turned over without a word. She traced her finger along where the lightning that had nearly killed him had struck. She had managed to heal him, yet not without leaving several scars. There was only so much the Oasis water could do.

"Is it okay?" he murmured, his face buried into the long fur along Appa's tail.

To her relief, it was fine. "Yeah," she said. "I don't think we'll have to worry about it again. But," she added as Aang turned over again. "If it does start to hurt there, tell me. Then we may have to worry."

He smiled at her again. "You worry too much, Katara."

She hugged him. "I can't help it, Aang." A tear leaked from her eye as she realized once again that she could have lost her best friend just a week ago.

----

"Katara," Aang whispered, shaking her shoulder lightly. "Katara, wake up." Katara rolled over on to her side. Two weeks had passed since that fateful night that Ba Sing Se had been taken over by the Fire Nation, and Aang was already back on his feet.

"Aang," she yawned. "What are you doing up? It's still dark."

"Well," he said, blushing slightly. "I figured I still need to learn waterbending, injured or not, and it would be good to start off easy again." He looked at the moon. "And night is the best time for that."

"But you already know how to waterbend," she murmured, burying her head back into her pillow.

"It doesn't matter," Aang insisted. "I need to master it if I'm ever going to defeat the Fire Lord. Especially since I'm not going to have a firebending teacher."

Katara sat up suddenly. "Don't speak like that, Aang. We'll find somebody. I'm sure we will-"

"No, Katara. We won't." Aang looked away bitterly. "They're all loyal to the Fire Nation- except for Iroh and Jeong Jeong. But Iroh's in jail and it doesn't help that Jeong Jeong seems to have vanished off the face of the earth." He looked back at her, his eyes filled with determination. "I'll just have to go with what little Jeong Jeong taught me."

Katara looked at him sadly. "C'mon, Aang. You still want that waterbending lesson?"

He nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Katara." As they left camp, Aang said, "Waterbending seems to be one of the only things that cheers me up right now. Earthbending lessons haven't been exactly…pleasant lately."

"Has Toph been going tough on you?" He nodded. "Well, you can't really blame her. Iroh was her friend. She's worried about him."

He looked away from her. "All this worrying. It's all my fault. If I had managed to stop Ba Sing Se's takeover-"

"Don't blame yourself, Aang!" She placed a hand on his shoulder, her eyes filled with despair for her friend. "You did better than anyone else could've done. You were braver, stronger-"

He pulled away from her. "But I still could've done better." He walked away silently toward the shimmering lake. Katara sniffed, trying to hold back tears. It pained her to see any of her friends like this. In fact, it pained her to see almost anybody like this. Even Zuko, for a short while. For a moment, it seemed like he was going to join their side. For a moment, he almost seemed good. She looked at the ground, her hate for him boiling angrily. "I thought you had changed," she spat. Then she headed towards the lake and Aang.

----

"I have changed!" Zuko yelled back at the waterbender. Why won't you believe me? I have! I just can't tell you. She shot more water back at him, and he copied her move, only using fire instead. Stop, he thought. I don't want to have to hurt you.

Then there was a flash of blinding light, and he saw, in the air, lightning flash. Lightning that had come from his sister. And as the motionless body fell towards the ground, he saw that it was not, in fact, the Avatar. It was the waterbender. I thought you had changed…

Zuko woke up, gasping for breath and his heart pounding furiously. As he looked around the room he was staying in –red Fire Nation flags everywhere, candlesticks, a comfortable bed- he calmed down a bit. Only a dream. It was only a dream…

He nervously smoothed back his hair, which was now tightly fitted into a small topknot. He stood up and wrapped his cloak, a long black and red one, around himself, and opened the door of his room. Slowly he stepped outside into the cold night air and climbed the stairs on to the deck of the ship. There he stood, looking out at the ocean as the ship slowly drifted on its way to the Fire Nation. The captain was still awake, and so was the person who steered the boat at night. He could see the faint light coming from the front of the ship.

"Zuko?" he heard his sister ask as she came up the stairs, obviously having followed him. "What are you doing up this late?"

Zuko continued to stare out at the ocean. "Bad dream," he answered. "Nothing much."

Azula placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. "Another one? Was it about Uncle?" she asked softly.

Zuko looked down. He couldn't possibly tell her what he had really been dreaming about. "Yes," he lied. "It was about Uncle."

She shook her head in what seemed to be a sympathetic way. "Zuko, you mustn't think about him. He is a traitor. A dirty traitor who tried to turn you against your own nation. A nation you would do anything for."

He looked away. "Alright, Azula. You're right. It's just…" He paused for dramatic effect. "…I trusted him so much. It's just so hard to believe…"

"It's hard for all of us to believe, Zuko," she said. Oh, the dirty liar, Zuko thought. "We all trusted Uncle so much. I mean, the Dragon of the West. Who would've thought?" Zuko mentally rolled his eyes. Gee, I dunno. Maybe the entire world… And maybe, just maybe, that was why you tried to kill him so many times.

"Azula," he gulped. "Did you ever think that…I was a traitor?"

She laughed. "Of course not, Zuko. I always knew you'd return to us someday."

"And how about father?"

Azula's face suddenly grew serious. "Father, well… He's different. But I promise you, Zuko, he'll be happy to see you now. Now that you've proven your loyalty again." She yawned. "Now go back to bed, Zuko. It's late." And with that, she turned and walked down the stairs.

He'll be happy to see me? Zuko thought disdainfully. Somehow…I highly doubt that. And somehow, I doubt that you're happy to see me either.

So…that's it so far… Hope you enjoyed chapter one! Please R&R!