Updated: 12-25-13

Such a beautiful pairing. Let the angst begin!

This chapter switches point-of-view a little. Hope it's not too confusing…

The crescent moon shone down on the shape of a girl with bright blue eyes and long, dark hair. An ancient fountain held her footing, water lapping at her legs, her eyes closed in concentration. She brought her arms up and flexed the well-used muscles; water rose and fell gently in ripples.

She creased her brow now as the water rose higher and higher, dancing faster and faster. Her whole body swayed in a rhythm, in what would seem to be slow motion. The water lifted her in a graceful spin, following every shift of weight, every tension and release.

If she had not been so focused on her bending, she might have bothered to be more quiet.

She might have bothered not to make so much noise in fear of waking another, newer member of the Gaang.

But she was focused, and she didn't notice when the prince pulled on a shirt and walked outside. She didn't notice when he heard her splashing and came to see what the matter was. She didn't notice when he turned the corner and found her transfixed in a world of her own, her body twirling the water into beautiful shapes.

Watching her dance, momentarily forgetting the destructive potential of bending, seeing briefly only the hypnotic beauty, he didn't notice when her eyes opened and she saw a shadow she did not recognize on the wall.

Instantly, the dancing stream fell. It rose from the fountain—fast—in a great wave and slammed his body into the wall, locking his torso to the ground where he fell. Heavy clouds moved in front of the moon, further shrouding them in darkness. Carried by water, she quickly closed the distance between them and bent over him in the darkness, unsheathing a dagger. It's cold metal met his throat as her dark curtain of hair fell onto his neck. Her other hand hovered above his chest, holding the water around and under him in place.

The dagger pressed harder against his neck and drew a thin line of blood. Her voice was low and flat, nearly a hiss, as she demanded to know who the intruder was.

His lungs regained function but in his shock he could hardly breathe a word. He twisted to grab her hand and stay her blade but was thrown away from her in a wave. He hit the ground hard and felt a sharp crack along his side, the sound of it ringing out clearly in the air. Pain began to curl at the corners of his consciousness, but through now-closed eyes he could feel the light of the moon break through, illuminating his face in the darkness.

She took a few cautious steps before he heard her gasp of recognition. She fell to bend over him again, now with the suddenly intimate touch of a healer, her knees pressed to his arm. Her voice was still heavy with urgency, but now pleading as well, both scolding him for sneaking up and apologizing profusely.

The darkness curled at the edges of his mind, and in it he saw the beautiful colored flames shown to him and Aang by the dragons at the Sun Temple. Surprisingly, he didn't feel the heat of his usual anger—although it was to come in the days that followed. Like a reflex he felt his fist shoot out, bright orange fire gracing his knuckles.

There was the dull thud of his hand connecting with bone, then the heavy sound of her torso slamming to the ground beside him. Her shock was amplified as the air was knocked from her in a sharp breath, and she felt him losing consciousness beside her, following his lead.

And there you have it. See, that wasn't too bad, was it? Hope it wasn't too bad. Anyway, there's more to come...

Okay, so this is my first Zutara fanfic… actually, it's my first fanfic period, so please review!