The painted lady and the blue spirit

The cave

The painted lady suddenly whipped water from the air, turned it into ice and tried throwing at the boy but it hit the wall.

'A waterbender!' The boy said. A waterbender? In the fire nation? It can only mean one thing.

'Katara?' I said. She froze and looked at me. Her reaction meant either she knew her or she WAS her. The boy was right behind me. 'Katara? Like sokkas sister katara?' Okay this was weird. Sokka was the ponytail guy traveling with the avatar. Wait. The boy said he was the avatar. I didn't really pay attention to it before though.

Katara suddenly leaned to the side and her eyes were closed. I ran and caught her just as she was falling off the roof. I used her fog as my cover and ran. I ran down the volcano and hid in a cave on the side. I put katara down and sat next to her, waiting as the rising sun appeared. I looked at her.

'You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun.'

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I woke up and looked around. I was in a cave. And at the mouth, I could see the horizon and the sun rising. I looked next to me and saw the blue spirit watching the sunrise.

'You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun.'

I sat up slowly. He turned and ran up to me to help me up. 

'Who are you?' I asked.

He slowly removed his mask and moved it to show the right side of his face. He had jet black hair and golden eyes. He looked familiar.

'Zuko?'

He smiled a bit. It was the same shy smile he gave me when we first met eyes. I put my hand on his left hand holding the mask and pulled it down slowly. I gasped. Unlike the right side of his face, the left was completely covered with a red scar.

'Zuko what happened?' He closed his eyes and looked away.

'A week after you left, I invited myself to a war meeting. I spoke out of turn to a general and...I was challenged to a Agni Kai.'

'An Agni Kai?!?! You were just thirteen!'

'I know. But I thought I could do it. But when I stood up, I found my father at the other end. I bowed down to him, telling him I was his loyal son and begged for mercy. "You will learn respect. And suffering will be your teacher". That's what he told me before he unleashed his firepower at me. When I woke up at the infirmary, I expected you and my mother to be there. But I expected wrong. And I got banished that day. For three years, I couldn't see my home.'

'Zuko, I am so so sorry for not being there. Maybe I could've healed it but I didn't. I was selfish and I ran away. And what happened to ursa?' My eyes filled with tears.

'She disappeared the day after you left.'

I couldn't do this anymore. I left for selfish reasons and my only friend I ever had suffered. 'Zuko. Mere words can't express how sorry I am....what can I do to make it up to you?'

'Promise me one thing.'

'Anything.'

'Promise me you'll never leave my side. I need you more than you know.'

'I promise.'