Something More: An A:TLA Fan Fiction

Chapter: Missing

Word count: 1,734

Rating: T for some suggestive scenes and mild language

A/N: So, I'm not sure you guys are even reading my notes, but that's okay, because I never read them when reading fan fictions. (: But, those of you hipsters reading this, I'm making this chapter from Zuko's P.O.V., just to give my story a bit more interest and to prolong it. So, here you are! Enjoy!

- Zuko's POV -

I am a royal idiot.

I shouldn't feel as strongly about this as I do, should I? My father and all of my people would be disgusted with me if my thoughts could be shared. I have to forget everything that's happened and simply work on finding the Avatar.

Yes, I just have to find the Avatar. But, what about the girl? She's being used for terrible things… I can't let it get to me! Focus, damn you.

Katara. That was her name. She was weighing so heavily on my mind that it was almost ridiculous. She wouldn't leave my thoughts, my dreams, and my very soul. She was holding onto my heart and not letting go. The look of terror on her face when the ship door closed; it was heartbreaking to me. I should have been rejoicing that the Avatar's waterbending teacher had been evicted from his life, but I was mourning the fact that she was being taken away.

Perhaps it was why she was being taken. I considered that quite often. She was being taken as a plaything for filthy pirates, and my uncle had always taught me of respecting women and their virtues. It was only in my nature as a Fire Nation gentleman to be concerned for her well-being.

I turned back to the task at hand: I was writing a letter to my father – not that he ever replied back to me. I knew he read them and had them displayed to my sister and the rest of his inner court. He loved to share with his companions the failure of his son. Personally, I couldn't care less if those around my father thought me a disgrace, but the one thing I needed was for my father to understand me. He had to know how desperately hard I was trying to gain my honor again.

But what am I saying? Father hates me, no matter how many things I accomplish.

As the day came to an end and the meager light streaming in through the window dimmed, I set down my brush and ink, rolled up the letter, and tied it to the leg of my messenger-hawk. "Bring this to the Fire Nation palace," I instructed. "Quickly." The bird soared out of the window, leaving me alone in my quarters.

I crawled onto my mat, and pulled a blanket to my chin. It wasn't too cold – I was a firebender, so I was never cold anyways – but I suppose the blanket was just force of habit. My eyes shut tightly, and tried my best to let sleep consume me.

/

Three hours later and it was two in the morning. No luck in sleeping, again, I thought. The fear in her eyes was too invasive on my subconscious, and if I slept, I would dream, and I would only dream of her.

So, I resigned myself to staying at my desk and aimlessly singeing strips of parchment through the night.

In the morning, I found myself groggily sitting up from my desk chair. I had fallen asleep at some point, and now my back ached from sleeping upright. I checked the window, and the sun was at its highest point. Uncle would be angry with me for skipping breakfast and my morning training again.

Damn it, I always wake up so late, I thought as I shuffled to my wardrobe to dress. Maybe Uncle forgot about my lessons, and won't bother me about it… I heard a slow procession of footsteps coming down the hall, and knew that I was wrong in my hopes.

"Prince Zuko," my uncle's voice resounded outside. "You are late again. Today, I will have to drill you twice as hard as you have disrespected me by missing your morning lesson. Do you not wish to learn proper firebending?"

"Uncle, I apologize. I didn't rest well," I explained, opening the door and inviting him in. His tired, old frame settled into my desk chair that had held me all night, and he sighed.

"You need to find a way to rest, nephew. A man needs his rest."

"I know," I nodded.

"Is this for the reason I believe it is, Prince Zuko?" Uncle asked me, raising a suspicious eyebrow. I gulped. He knew that I was dreaming about her, and that I couldn't control my dreams. I hadn't told him, but he always just felt these things.

"Probably, but I can get though it, Uncle," I assured him. "I will forget about it easily after we capture the Avatar to restore my honor."

Uncle sighed. "Yes, Zuko; now, let us go an practice your bending."

/

I slumped into the hot water gratefully, my muscles relaxing and unwinding. The drill session had been arduous, as Uncle had promised. My eyes closed and my mind numbed. Ah, this is perfect. Almost like the hot springs back…home. I couldn't think straight for the life of me, so I was sitting in the hot bath water for about an hour before it started to chill enough for me to start washing.

As I was doing so, she flashed through my mind. She was a waterbender, and here I was, bathing in her element. She probably hasn't bathed in days. She must miss her water, I thought. My eyes glazed over slightly as I thought of her, dirty and alone on the ship, her scared eyes flashing to a locked door and her hands tied behind her back. I shivered.

Damn it, Zuko! Stop thinking about it; she isn't worth your worries.

No matter how much I tried, I couldn't stop thinking of her. The thing that stuck with me the most was her eyes – her brilliant, terrified blue eyes. I could almost feel them watching me, asking frantically for safety and rescue. The safety and rescue I was unable to provide in her one time of need. What kind of person was I? I couldn't help her the only time she had ever reached out to me for aid.

I decided then, in that moment – however awkward the setting – that I would save her – save Katara – from those pirates. She could rely on my intellect and my bending to carry her off of that ship and to keep her safe from them.

Wait, what the hell am I thinking? I stopped myself. I can't go after her! I have to capture the Avatar and restore my damned honor! I have no time for a water tribe peasant.

But, I ignored my better judgment. Screw it all, I was going to save her, whether my honor stayed with me or otherwise. I barely knew the girl, but I was plotting to save her. There must have been something wrong with me.

I got out of the water and steamed away the moisture from my skin, the sudden warmth once again setting my nerves at ease. I wrapped in my zhiju, and made my way down my bedroom. I sat down at my desk once again, and began writing down ideas for rescuing this girl.

When I finished jotting down ideas, I pulled back and stretched my arms a bit. I looked down at my paper.

"What the hell…?" I asked myself, squinting in the dim light. On the paper, my notes had shaped into her gentle face, smiling up at me.

"Zuko," she whispered, her voice sweet, like honey. I rubbed my eyes. I'm going insane.

"This can't be real," I whispered back.

"Zuko, aren't you coming to save me? I'm so lonely and afraid here. The pirates…they are so unkind and they…" I stopped the voice coming from the paper before it could continue.

"I'm working on it, okay?" I sighed. I looked down my notes, and found them in the orderly characters they had been before. My brain was reacting to lack of sleep, I knew it. I would just skip dinner and sleep early so I wouldn't disappoint Uncle again.

I stripped down to my zhongyi, and crawled onto my mat. The ship was steady that night, and – finally – sleep came easily for me.

My dreams were calm and full of light.

She looked up from where her head rested in my lap, her peaceful ocean eyes glinting in the sunlight. "It's so warm here," her honey-like voice sighed as a cherry blossom floated down into her dark hair.

"I know. It isn't too hot, is it?" I asked. My worry was that she would be uncomfortable in the heat, because she had grown up around ice.

Her laugh rang gleefully in my ears. "No, Zuko. It's perfect here. I love the sun," she smiled brilliantly.

"Mom," A little voice trilled. A boy with the brightest blue eyes scurried up to her, tugging her hand until she sat up. "Can we feed the turtle-ducks?"

She smiled again. "Of course," and she handed the boy a sliver of bread. "Don't throw them like you usually do; it hurts the ducks."

The boy ran off, laughing happily with the energy only a small child possesses.

/

Unconsciously, I smiled as I slept.

A/N: So, that was my first attempt at writing as a guy. If he sounds gay or just really feminine, I apologize. I'm not very talented at writing as the opposite sex, but I tried. (: So, you may notice this chapter is late. Well, I can take some blame, but I have a right. I GOT ALMOST NO REVIEWS ON MY LAST CHAPTER! D: Oh, no! So, thus, no inspiration to write, my self-esteem all angry, etc… Yeah, I'm overreacting, I know, but I can see when you lovely people read my stuff, and it kind of murders a little part of me to know that you guys read it and then don't give me feedback… Eh, I'm ranting. Hope you liked reading my Zuko-ness, and until next time, stay nerdy! - Addie