1. The Strangers in the Iceberg

**Chapter 1: The Strangers in the Iceberg**

* * *

The first thing she registered as she awoke was that it was cold, incredibly so, and her yellow and orange robes didn't do much to keep the icy chill out. She wrapped them tighter around herself as she sat up, rubbing her head.

"Appa!" she heard a younger boy call. "Wake up, buddy!"

Rolling her eyes, she climbed to her feet. "That's right, Aang, check on your bison before your sister."

Aang flushed as he turned to her. "Sorry, Rin. You okay?"

Rinzen's lips curved up into a small smile and she shrugged a little. "Yeah, but it still would've been nice if you'd asked without a prompt." She rubbed his bald head affectionately as she passed him, her eyes roaming over the remains of the large iceberg they were standing in. She heard Appa groan as he stirred, licking Aang as the boy laughed in relief, and her eyes landed on the two Water Tribe siblings - for how could they be anything but siblings, with how similar they looked? - standing in disbelief at the edge of the iceberg. "And you are?" she asked wryly.

"I'm Katara," the girl introduced herself promptly. She was maybe two years younger than Rinzen, with wide pretty blue eyes and wavy brown hair braided back with two loops of hair pinned to her fringe.

"Why would you say that?! They might be Fire Nation spies!" the boy argued immediately, glowering at his sister, who rolled her eyes and tugged at the tiny wolf-tail he sported. His head on either side of the wolf-tail was shaved and he held a spear tightly.

"Uh, no, not Fire Nation," Rinzen pointed out, gesturing vaguely to her clothes. "Air Nomad. Same as my brother. I'm Rinzen, but everyone just calls me Rin."

"And I'm-" Aang was cut off from his own introduction by his own loud sneeze. He jolted into the air, sliding back down the side of the iceberg and stumbling to a halt. "I'm Aang," he finished cheerfully, sniffling.

"How many times have I told you to cover your mouth?" Rinzen sighed and Aang grinned sheepishly at ler.

"You're an airbender!" Katara gasped.

"Sure am!" Aang beamed back at her.

"Okay, back up. Where are we?" Rinzen turned to Aang. "Did you get us lost?"

Aang blinked at her innocently. "Lost? Us? No way! We're near the Southern Water Tribe like I said we were before that storm hit."

"What storm?" Katara interrupted. "The sky's perfectly clear."

"So it is." Rinzen eyed the pale sky in disbelief. "It was storming heavily when we crash-landed. And why were we in an iceberg when we woke up?"

"Exactly! See? This girl's asking the real questions!" the Water Tribe boy snapped at Katara.

Aang gulped. "Uh, funny story about that." He was saved from explaining when Appa sneezed and green phlegm landed all over the Water Tribe boy. As he yelped in disgust and collapsed to the ground in an attempt to get it off, Rinzen snorted as Aang said hurriedly, "Don't worry, it'll wash out." The other boy's nose wrinkled as he examined the state of his blue parka.

Rinzen rolled her eyes as she rubbed Appa's nose gently. "So what now? You two need a lift home? I'm sure Aang and I can give you a ride before we head back home." She gave Aang a pointed look and he nodded sheepishly.

"Yeah. Okay."

"Sure, we'd love a ride, thanks!" Katara was already climbing onto Appa's back as Aang hopped easily onto Appa's head.

"No way, I'm not getting on that fuzzy snot-monster," Katara's brother grumbled.

"You hoping some other monster will give you a ride home before you freeze to death, Sokka?" Katara bit back and Sokka scowled before grudgingly climbing on as well. Rinzen rolled her eyes as she settled in beside Aang, taking the reins.

"Appa, yip-yip!" She snapped the reins lightly and Appa took off - and then promptly crash-landed back into the water.

"Wow, that was truly amazing," Sokka deadpanned.

"Come on, Appa, yip-yip!" Aang tried again and Appa groaned in response.

"He's probably exhausted," Rinzen reassured Aang, rubbing Appa's head. "Give him a day to rest up and he'll be soaring again, don't worry." She caught him glancing back over his shoulder at Katara, who blinked at him.

"What are you smiling at?"

"Oh, I was smiling?"

Rinzen snorted as she turned back to steering Appa through the icy waters, her smile fading as she watched Katara and Sokka settle down to rest and Aang recline against Appa's saddle to start snoozing. The Southern Water Tribe knew exactly what Air Nomads looked like. So why had Sokka assumed she and Aang were from the Fire Nation? And spies, at that? Something was off about this whole situation and she intended to find out what.

* * *

Appa ground to a halt when they reached the icy shores of the Southern Water Tribe village. Katara and Sokka had awoken by then and they climbed off Appa's saddle, sliding to the ground and heading straight into the village.

Rinzen scooped Aang up before sliding off the bison's head, glad that he was incredibly light. "I'll be back in a little while, buddy." Appa grumbled in response as Rinzen settled Aang closer so that his head rested against her shoulder before carrying her sleeping brother into the village. He was a light sleeper and she was surprised he hadn't awoken yet.

Katara came out of a small tent, smiling. "You can put him down here and get some sleep yourself, if you want."

Rinzen shook her head as she went inside, resting Aang on a fur pelt and covering him up with a blanket once she'd removed his shoes for him. "I'm okay. I've gone longer without sleep." She got to her feet and came back outside, smiling back at Katara tiredly. "You have a lovely village."

"It used to be bigger," Katara admitted with an equally tired smile, closing the tent flap to let Aang sleep in peace. "But a lot of things have changed since the war."

"War?" Rinzen echoed, taken aback.

Katara's eyebrows furrowed. "You don't know about the war?"

"That's ridiculous, how does she not know about the war?" Sokka demanded as he approached, food in hand. He passed a steaming bowl to Katara and then one to Rinzen.

Grimacing inwardly at the sight of stewed sea prunes, Rinzen took a bite. She bit back a shudder, figuring she wasn't going to get much better food and she ought to be grateful for getting food at all from strangers. "Well, clearly I don't, so there has to be a reason for it. What war and against whom?"

"The Fire Nation. They started a war against the rest of the world a hundred years ago." Sokka frowned at her now. "You have to know about that."

"A hundred years ago?" Rinzen repeated, bewildered. "Last I heard, the world was at peace. Aang's got friends all over the world, including the Fire Nation."

"How long were you in that iceberg?" Rinzen couldn't respond, stunned speechless at the possibility of being in an iceberg for a hundred years, and Sokka shook his head before walking away. "I'm gonna go tell Gran-Gran about our guests. We can introduce them to the village after the kid wakes up."

Katara watched him go before turning back to Rinzen. "You really didn't know?"

Numbly, Rinzen shook her head as she took a seat in the snow outside the tent. "Not a clue. You said it's been going on a hundred years?" Katara nodded and Rinzen stared at the bowl in her hands, taking another bite absently just to distract herself. "I didn't even know we were in an iceberg until I woke up in the remnants of one," she added wryly.

"How'd that happen, anyway?" Katara prompted and Rinzen had to banish away the memory of Aang's eyes glowing eerily underwater, the vision shimmering as she'd lost consciousness.

"I can't remember," she lied. If there really was a war going on, the last thing she needed was someone going after Aang for who he was.

An awkward silence fell between the two girls, and Katara hesitated before saying brightly, "So, um, airbenders. Wow. We haven't ever seen those around here before."

"What are you talking about? The Southern Air Temple's right nearby. Aang and I travel around these parts all the time. I'm sure the other monks do, too." Katara's expression crumpled a little and Rinzen frowned. "Right? They do, don't they?"

"We've never seen any Air Nomads around here before," Katara repeated quietly, as if hesitant to say something. A chill that didn't have to do with the cold settled deep in Rinzen's stomach and she didn't dare push Katara further, afraid of what she might learn.

"Right." Doing her best to not think about the horrible taste, Rinzen drained the last of her sea prunes and put the bowl down beside Katara. "Thank you for the food, but I'd better go check on Aang." She pushed herself up with a burst of air from her hands against the snow beneath her and, ignoring Katara's gasp of awe, disappeared into the tent. She dropped down beside the pelt Aang lay on, stroking his head absently. "What've we gotten into?" she murmured worriedly. She lay down beside him, soon drifting into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

_"I told you flying in a storm was a bad idea! Give me the reins!" Aang tossed the reins to her and she yanked on them hard, steering Appa towards the large glacier. "We've got to find shelter!" she shouted over the crashing thunder._

_Aang pointed. "Up there!" Rinzen found the niche in the large glacier he was aiming at and guided Appa up towards it. If they could reach it before the large wave crashed into them, they could wait out the storm there. Just as she thought they'd cleared the wave, a large force crashed into Appa, yanking him down below the surface of the ocean._

_Lightning flashed somewhere above her and two glowing eyes appeared right in front of her in the pitch black water. She screamed, but only a bubble left her lips. Freezing water filled her lungs and she squirmed, struggling to reach the ocean surface and find air._

* * *

Rinzen jolted awake and saw that Aang was gone, the blanket tossed haphazardly over her. With a faint smile at her brother's attempt at thoughtfulness, she climbed to her feet and left the tent.

Aang was waiting right outside, giving her a bright smile. "Hey. Sleep well?"

"In a manner of speaking."

He didn't seem perturbed by her dull tone as he grabbed her hand. "Come on, Katara wants to introduce us to the village!" He dragged her over to where Katara was standing in front of a small group of older women and young children.

"Aang, Rinzen, this is the entire village. Entire village, Aang and Rinzen." There was silence as the group stared at the two airbenders and they stared back.

"Why're they staring?" Aang asked, bewildered. "Did Appa sneeze on us or something?"

"Well, nobody's seen an airbender in the last hundred years," a wizened old woman said. "We all thought they were extinct."

Rinzen's stomach dropped even as Aang repeated, "Extinct?"

"Aang, this is my grandmother," Katara said, trying to ease the tension.

"Call me Gran-Gran," the old woman said with a tiny smile and Rinzen felt marginally better as she touched Aang's shoulder to get his attention.

"We appreciate your hospitality, but we really should get going," she told Gran-Gran even as Aang glanced at her tentatively.

"Should we?"

"Yes, we should." Rinzen's tone became slightly more stern, but Aang frowned stubbornly.

"But Katara said we can go penguin-sledding."

Rinzen raised an eyebrow at Katara, who flushed a little. "It's kind of the first question he asked me when he woke up from the ice."

The older girl sighed. "I guess one penguin ride can't hurt." Before she knew it, Aang was opening his glider and taking off. The children in the small group gasped and giggled as they watched Aang soar away, clearly in search of penguins to sled on. Rinzen shook her head wryly before picking up her own staff where she'd abandoned it outside the tent.

"What is that, a weapon? You can't stab anybody with that." Sokka snatched the staff away and Rinzen summoned it back with a swift air current, her lips pursing at his rudeness.

"It's not a weapon. It's for gliding." She snapped it open to reveal the glider before snapping it shut again easily.

"Gliding? You mean you and Aang can fly?" Katara asked as she watched Aang disappear beyond the village walls.

"Sort of. We control air currents around us and let the gliders do the actual work." Rinzen nodded.

"All right, that's enough playing, Katara. You have chores," Gran-Gran scolded, ushering Katara away as the other girl shrugged a little at Rinzen. Rinzen watched her go with a small smile before turning back to watch Sokka gather the young boys in the village and sit them down near a makeshift watchtower built of snow. She followed them over, taking a seat well away from the group.

"Hey, scram, this training is for warriors only," Sokka snapped when he saw her sitting near the boys.

"I bet I could beat you with one hand behind my back, no bending required," Rinzen deadpanned.

"Oh, yeah? Let's see what you got!" Sokka yanked out his spear and Rinzen climbed to her feet lazily. As he rushed her, she side-stepped him easily, grabbing his spear and tossing it to the ground before knocking his feet out from under him.

"Your grip on your weapon was too loose and you rushed me without even assessing your opponent. So now that you've seen what I've got, can I sit in on your warrior training?" she asked as she held out her hand. The tips of Sokka's ears flushed red as he sputtered for a minute before he scrambled to his feet, ignoring her hand as he grabbed his spear again and turned to the group of boys. Smirking, Rinzen sat down again and leaned back against a small pile of snow to listen in. She was an Air Nomad, sure, but her primary objective was protecting the Avatar. She'd learned early on in her training how to use offensive fighting techniques.

She was only distracted when Sokka turned away from reprimanding the little boys for wanting a potty break, his eyes widening in the direction of the setting sun. She turned as well, only years of training keeping her from showing any shock at the sight of the large flare against the orange sky.

"Look what your brother did! He's signaled the Fire Navy!" Sokka yelled at her as she shot to her feet.

"Don't you blame him. You don't even know what happened."

"I know that you and your brother are nothing but trouble and you need to leave!"

"Gladly." Rinzen grabbed her staff, glad Appa was close by and hoping Aang would return soon. Sure enough, he soon did with Katara at his side and a sheepish expression on hs face. "Aang!" Rinzen crossed the distance between them, cuffing him gently on the head. "You had me worried, what's going on?"

"We kinda went on this big Fire Nation ship and it was booby-trapped." Rinzen glowered at him and he shrunk in on himself slightly. "Sorry. It was my fault, though," he added hurriedly as Sokka approached them, glaring. "I made Katara come with me."

"Nevertheless, Katara, you should have known better," Gran-Gran added as she stood beside Sokka, frowning. "I think it's best the young airbenders leave."

Rinzen's lips pursed before she nodded stiffly. "I think that's best as well. Let's go, Aang. Appa's waiting outside the walls."

"Well, if they're banished, then I am, too!" Katara snapped.

"What are you talking about?" Sokka demanded. "Where are you going?"

"To find a waterbending teacher. Aang's taking me to the North Pole." Rinzen raised an eyebrow at Aang, who looked nonplussed.

"I am? Great!"

"No, not great, we gotta go home," Rinzen scolded him and he looked abashed.

"Katara! Would you really choose a total stranger over your own family?!" Sokka yelled after Katara and Aang hesitated, turning back to the younger girl.

"Katara, I don't want to come between you and your family." He gave her a small smile. "Maybe we'll see each other someday."

"I hope so." Katara looked miserable as she backed away and Rinzen nodded to her politely before leading Aang to Appa. She let Aang clamber onto Appa's head as she rubbed the bison's nose before joining him.

"Yip-yip," Aang tried and Appa got to his feet before groaning and lumbering away. He was clearly still too tired to fly yet.

"Yeah, I didn't think so," Sokka snipped, still probably bitter about Rinzen beating him in training along with Aang's trouble on the Fire Nation ship. Rinzen ignored him as she guided Appa with a gentle tug of his reins away from the village even as she heard a little girl crying after them not to go. Aang's expression fell as he glanced behind him, catching Katara's teary eyes.

Rinzen touched his shoulder gently. "This is for the best. We need to go home. We can rest somewhere away from the village until Appa's strong enough to fly and then head back to the temple."

Aang nodded. "You know we were in that iceberg for a hundred years?"

"Yeah. I'm aware." Rinzen frowned, fingers tightening on Appa's reins. She wasn't looking forward to seeing what had happened to their home in their time away.

* * *

**I've honestly had this idea in my head for _years_ now, literally since Avatar began. The main issue was that I didn't trust myself to write a semi-decent OC then - especially since this idea's been done to death - and have a decent writing style. Recently I've been rewatching all the episodes and my love for the show rekindled itself, so I thought I'd give it a try and see what people would have by way of suggestions on improvement.**

**This will follow general canon and I'll do my best to diverge so that it's not an episode recap in every chapter. Please let me know what I can do to improve in a review whenever possible. Hope you enjoy!**


	2. The Avatar Returns

**Chapter 2: The Avatar Returns**

* * *

"I'm cold."

"Yeah, well, it's the South Pole. It tends to get a little nippy."

"But I'm _really_ cold."

"Fine, here." Rinzen tossed one of Appa's saddle blankets at Aang, who caught it and spread it out underneath himself. "That'll keep out the chill from the ice, hopefully. We'll warm up when we get back home." She settled back against her own blanket, but she could still feel the chill of the glacier they were both resting in. Appa lay in a large hole in the glacier below them, contentedly snoozing.

"You think we can get cups of tea when we get home?" Aang asked hopefully.

"Sure. Hot butter tea sounds really good about now, doesn't it?" Rinzen murmured in fond memory, recalling with perfect clarity the taste of the tea the Air Nomads specialized in making. It sounded odd to many other people, but with the high altitudes they lived at, it was a perfect solution for the thin cold air.

"Yeah. Monk Gyatso makes it better than you, though." Aang's tone turned teasing now, an old argument they'd had for years.

Rinzen was in no mood for a fight now, though, playful or otherwise. "I'm sure he does."

Aang's smile fell as he sensed her mood. "What's wrong?"

"It's been a hundred years, Aang. A lot changes in that time." She sat up abruptly, eyes following a billowing plume of black smoke as a Fire Navy ship trudged through the icy waters.

"What is it?" Aang sat up as well, frowning slightly as he looked in the same direction.

"Sokka was right. That's a Fire Nation ship, and it's headed straight for the village." Rinzen climbed to her feet, snapping her glider open. "Stay here and keep out of sight. If I'm not back in an hour, take Appa and go home without me. I'll catch up on my glider, the temple's not far." The lie came more easily than she wanted it to as she took off before Aang could protest.

Flying again felt incredible after what felt like forever, and the wind rushing past her soothed her as she flew at the fastest speed she could to the village. She landed just past the walls and ran the rest of the way, stopping behind a tent and peeking out to assess what had happened. A large Fire Navy ship had crashed into the snowy wall, knocking Sokka's watchtower down and cracking some of the ice. The entire village's population huddled together near the front as several soldiers, the youngest of whom went without a helmet, stormed into the village.

The youngest man must have been the leader, because he stood at the front and called out orders to his men. He was bald aside from a diamond-shaped patch of hair at the back of his skull and a long ponytail coming from the patch. He couldn't have been more than Rinzen's age, but his young face was marred by a terrible scar that surrounded his left eye, rendering it permanently smaller than the other eye, and covered the entire left side of his upper face. It even stretched across his left ear. Rinzen couldn't help but wince automatically out of sympathy for how much it must have hurt when he'd received it.

"I know you have what I want!" he yelled at the crowd and they flinched back. All sympathy vanished as abruptly as it had come and Rinzen tightened her grip on her staff. The teenager shot his hand into the crowd, yanking out Gran-Gran away from Katara even as the younger girl cried out for her. "He'd be about this age? Master of all four elements? I know you're hiding him!"

Rinzen snorted quietly even as her heart hammered in panic. These men were after Aang, which was enough cause for worry, but did they really think he'd aged in the iceberg? Then again, who was to say the world even knew what exactly had happened to Aang? Taking a deep breath, she sent a blast of air between the teenager's hand and Gran-Gran's parka, causing him to yelp in surprise and let go of her. Katara caught Gran-Gran and pulled her back to safety even as Rinzen stepped out, staff extended in warning.

"Looking for me?" she demanded and the soldiers stared blankly at her even as out of the corner of her eye, she saw Katara clap her hands over her mouth in shock.

"The Avatar's a man and he's over a hundred years old," the teenage boy pointed out irritably. "You're not him."

"I aged well. And second, who said the Avatar was a guy? There have been girl Avatars before." Rinzen crossed the distance between them quickly, shoving her staff at his throat. "You've got me, now leave this village alone and I'll come quietly." He pursed his lips in thought before nodding stiffly once.

"No, Rin!" Katara said hurriedly and Rinzen turned back to face her.

"If Aang comes back, make sure he's safe, okay? Don't let him come after me." Katara hesitated before nodding reluctantly, tears in her eyes. Rinzen turned back around, dropping her staff into the snow obediently. Just as soon as the staff hit the ground, it was snatched up by one of the soldiers as two others took her wrists, yanking them around and cuffing them before leading her up the gangway to the ship. Rinzen took one last look as the gangway began to close, making sure Aang was nowhere in sight before the ship was enveloped in darkness. She couldn't risk him coming after her and getting caught.

She was shoved along to the upper deck even as the teenager called for departure, watching her suspiciously. Rinzen kept looking around to make sure Aang and Appa weren't nearby until they were back in the channel leading out into the ocean, chewing her lip anxiously.

"What are you looking for?" the other boy snapped and she glared at him.

"Mind your own business." It was a feeble excuse and his good eye narrowed further.

"For two years now, the Avatar _has_ been my business." He turned away again. "Lieutenant! How are we on time?"

"We'll be out at sea before dark, Prince Zuko!" the lieutenant called back and Rinzen stiffened.

"Prince?" she echoed and Prince Zuko glanced back at her.

"Yes. There a problem with that?"

"Not at all. Just wondering why any prince would stoop to bullying an innocent village over a girl." Rinzen smirked a little as steam curled from Prince Zuko's fists.

"Everything rides on capturing you. My honor, my throne, my father's acceptance, _everything_. You wouldn't understand, would you? As the Avatar, you wouldn't have had to struggle a day in your life." He accepted Rinzen's staff from the soldier who had picked it up, tossing it between his hands. "This will make a handsome gift for my father. I guess you wouldn't know about fathers, being raised by monks."

Rinzen had always been told to keep a level head by the monks, but in that moment, she saw red as she lunged against her captors' grips, managing to get only inches away from the prince before she was held back. "You keep your mouth shut about my people. They were clearly more of a family to me than your father ever was to you."

Prince Zuko scowled. "Take her to the interrogation room," he snapped at her captors, who hesitated.

"Uh, Prince Zuko, we don't have an interrogation room." Rinzen couldn't help but snort with amusement.

"Well, what about that room with the table that you can cuff people down to?" Prince Zuko demanded wearily.

"Oh, _that_ interrogation room. Yes, sir!" Rinzen watched Prince Zuko hand her staff to another soldier with an order to take it down to his room before she disappeared below deck. She was taken to a room and her hands were bolted down to the table so that she couldn't airbend easily. Even as she struggled, the door opened and Prince Zuko came in alone.

He shut the door behind himself before taking a deep breath, not turning to face her just yet. "Look, uh, Rin, I-"

"That's Rinzen to you," she snapped back at him.

The prince's fists clenched, but he took another deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "Rinzen," he corrected himself calmly, "I think this would be easier if both of us cooperated with each other."

"Couldn't agree more." Rinzen forced her tone to calm down as well. There would be no use in angering a firebender with clearly no control over his temper. "So how'd you get that scar?"

All calmness went out the window as Prince Zuko slammed his hands on the table. "Why are you so infuriating?!" he yelled.

"Call it a natural talent." Rinzen rolled her eyes. "If you didn't want to answer, just say so next time instead of blowing out my eardrums."

Prince Zuko flushed a little with embarrassment before he turned away. "It's none of your business."

"Fair enough." Rinzen shrugged as much as the cuffs would allow her to.

"You said someone's name to that girl in the village. Who's Aang?"

"Nobody." Rinzen tensed automatically. "He's nobody, just a traveling companion, he's-"

"You're lying. Is he an airbender, too?" Prince Zuko turned around again, smoke curling up from his palm as he grabbed a hold of her wrist. She cried out in pain as the heat of his skin scorched hers. "Where is he?"

"He's gone! Probably far away by now!" Prince Zuko released her wrist and she hurriedly checked it, relieved to see that it was only reddened slightly and not burned. She relaxed back against the chair, watching Prince Zuko turn away again, clearly in thought.

After a moment, he groaned in frustration. "It's him, isn't it? He's the Avatar. You're just a diversion."

Rinzen finally managed a smirk of relief. "Fooled you long enough, though, didn't it?"

"He'll be back for you," Prince Zuko said firmly.

"He won't. He's not that stupid. You'll never find him."

Prince Zuko's attention diverted to the window behind her as he smirked. It looked odd when all she'd seen him do is scowl and glare. "You sure about that?" Rinzen craned her neck to look behind her and saw Appa fly past the window.

"Okay. Apparently, he _is_ that stupid." She turned back around to see the prince slamming the door shut behind him and she struggled against her metal cuffs, attempting to get free. The sooner she could get to Aang, the sooner they'd go home and get away from this insanity.

She was glad they'd left her feet free and slammed her heel into the table as hard as she could, cracking the wooden leg of it. The table crumpled and with effort, she tore the cuffs from the splintered wood, racing out the doorway and down the hall.

"Hi, Rin!" Aang rounded the corner, smile wide and innocent.

"How dumb can you be?! This guy's after you, you can't just stroll onto his ship!" Rinzen snapped back at him.

"It's okay, Katara and Sokka flew Appa up to distract them. Here, I swiped this from the guards." He yanked out a key ring and unlocked the cuffs. Rinzen rubbed her wrists as the metal cuffs clattered to the ship floor. "Come on, let's get your staff!" Aang grabbed her hand and began to run. He peeked into the first open door on their right and Rinzen peeked in on the left.

"The prince told his soldiers to put it in his room, wherever that is," she told Aang as she shut the door once she found it empty. Aang peeked into another room, wincing and whispering "sorry" as he shut the door. Rinzen caught sight of an older portly man snoozing on the bed inside.

"Well, it can't be too far from here. There's only one floor of rooms, everything else is the engine room and boiler room and stuff down below," he pointed out as they ran down the hall to check the next set of rooms. "Found it!" Rinzen shut the door behind her and followed Aang into the room he'd opened up, grabbing her staff. Abruptly, the door slammed shut behind them.

"I underestimated you two. It won't happen again," Prince Zuko said, locking the door behind himself.

Rinzen spun around, staff extended in warning as she stepped in front of Aang, but before she could attack first, a fireball came their way. She yanked her brother down, shielding him from the heat of the blast before aiming an air strike at the prince, who slammed back into the wall.

He retaliated instantly with another barrage of fire blasts and Aang parried them with his own staff, spinning it rapidly to keep the flames away from both of them as he hopped to his feet. Rinzen was on her feet in seconds as well, stepping back in front of Aang as they circled around towards the door. While Aang hurriedly unlocked the door, Rinzen sent a sharp blade of air at the mattress on the floor, slamming it into Prince Zuko and sending him careening back into the metal wall with a painful thud. For good measure, she threw the mattress - and the prince - up into the ceiling as well once Aang got the door open.

Once she made sure Prince Zuko wasn't getting up anytime soon, she grabbed Aang's hand and they began to run. "Let's go, we can catch Appa up on the deck." She led Aang up the stairs and found Katara and Sokka fending off soldiers. "Thanks for coming!" Rinzen called even as she ran up to them, blasting several soldiers off the deck and into the cold water below with a burst of wind aided by her staff.

"Yeah, well, Aang was set on coming and we couldn't exactly let him go alone," Sokka answered as he threw his boomerang to knock a soldier out before catching it again. Rinzen felt a little warmer towards him now despite his earlier rudeness. He'd only been trying to protect his sister then and if he and Katara were willing to risk their own safety to keep Aang safe, she could relate.

Just then, a blast of fire knocked her off her feet, sending her sprawling across the deck. She looked up to see Prince Zuko running out onto the deck, sending more concentrated fire up at Aang, who was climbing onto Appa. Aang was knocked down even as Rinzen scrambled to her feet. Prince Zuko dodged her air strike and hit Aang with another fire blast, sending him stumbling towards the edge of the ship. His gray eyes were wide as he wobbled precariously.

"No!" Even as the cry left Rinzen's lips, Prince Zuko sent another wave of fire, knocking Aang overboard. "No, _Aang_!" Sokka caught her around the waist as she lunged for the side of the ship, struggling to peer into the water for any sign of her brother.

Tension hung in the cold air for several moments, Rinzen's panicked breaths forming small clouds as she clutched the metal railing of the ship, her knuckles white. Then just as quickly as Aang had fallen in, he burst out again, water swirling around him to form a twister that towered over the ship. Rinzen's eyes widened when she saw his eyes and tattoos glowing pure white; it was raw power at its strongest and it was terrifying to see her normally sweet little brother with so much anger in his expression.

He descended onto the ship, water curling around his hands before he lashed out sharply, the wave pushing several of the soldiers - and Prince Zuko - off the ship and down into the water below. Slowly, the glow faded when the threat was gone and Aang slumped to the deck of the ship. Rinzen caught Aang quickly, lowering him down to the deck.

"Hey," he said weakly and impulsively, she yanked him close to press her face into his shoulder.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again." She felt Aang's arms wind around her in return loosely, clutching at the back of her robes, and she tilted her head to press a brief kiss to the side of his head. She didn't often indulge in real affection, but she figured she could spare some after that close call.

"I dropped my staff," Aang said as he pulled away and Sokka nodded.

"I'm on it." He headed to the side of the ship to pick it up, yelping in surprise when Prince Zuko latched onto the other end of the staff, using it to try and pull himself up. Recovering quickly from his shock, Sokka whacked Zuko over the head with the staff before snatching it away and carrying it back over to them.

"Okay, come on, everybody on Appa," Rinzen said, deciding to take charge as she helped Aang to his feet. Katara took over from there, taking Aang's arm and leading him to Appa and helping him climb aboard. Once Rinzen made sure Sokka was on, she cried out in surprise as hands grabbed her wrists and yanked them behind her back. Looking over her shoulder, she found a soldier holding her in place. Several others were encased in ice behind him, probably Katara's work.

"Rin!" Aang shouted, forcing himself upright and Rinzen shook her head even as she struggled.

"No, I'm okay, go!" Aang looked torn and before he could strain himself by leaping off Appa and trying to airbend her to safety, she shouted, "Appa, yip yip!" Appa's ears perked up and with a push of his tail, he was airborne. Aang's expression remained worried and miserable as they flew higher up and Rinzen kept herself as calm as she could in the face of his despair. She would find a way back to him eventually; in the meantime, she hoped Katara and Sokka could keep him safe.

"Shoot them down!" Prince Zuko shouted as he and several of the other soldiers climbed back onboard. He and the portly older man Rinzen had seen sleeping before aimed simultaneous blasts of fire at Appa.

Rinzen's eyes widened, but before she could struggle free and stop them, Aang appeared, sliding down Appa's tail just enough to swing his staff hard enough to cause an air current to derail the fire blast into the mountainside. She caught a glimpse of anger in his expression, even as far away as he was, and something in her chest twisted in guilt for letting him go without her. Still, she knew that if he'd returned to get her, he would have been captured, weakened as he'd been by the Avatar state.

A rumbling sound distracted her out of her thoughts and she shut her eyes instinctively as an avalanche crashed down into the hull of the ship. The remaining soldiers shouted in surprise as they scrambled out of the way. When the snowfall ceased, Rinzen cracked her eyes open to see Appa flying over the clouds and vanishing from sight. She let out a sigh of relief; at least they were safe.

"Good news for the Fire Lord," the portly man said after a moment of silence, "The Fire Nation's greatest threat is a kid."

"That _kid_, Uncle, just did this." Prince Zuko gestured angrily to the pile of snow burying the ship's hull. "I won't underestimate him again. Dig the ship out and follow them!" he snapped at his soldiers. When no response came, he turned to see the remaining soldiers attempting to melt the frozen ones with firebending. "After you're done with that," he amended before turning to Rinzen, eyes narrowing. "At least I still have you. Once I have your brother, too, I can return home."

"Aang's not coming back for me," she insisted, glaring back at him defiantly. "You're wasting your time holding me as bait."

"You're forgetting that I saw his face when you made him leave without you." A small smirk tugged at his lips and Rinzen's lips pursed in response, worry and guilt swirling in the pit of her stomach. "I'll capture the Avatar sooner than you think. Get me her staff," he ordered to a stationary crew member, who grabbed the staff from the deck where Rinzen had dropped it in her panic to get to Aang.

"Leave that alone, it's an antique," Rinzen snapped and Prince Zuko examined it curiously before closing both hands around it and snapping it over his knee. The crack made Rinzen flinch and she watched helplessly as her staff, severed cleanly in two, dropped in front of her. Tears stung her eyes and she blinked them back, careful not to let her weakness show.

"Take the girl to the prison cell," the prince ordered the soldier holding her in place. "And make sure she's chained up well. I don't want her airbending her way out again." Rinzen allowed herself to be led away below deck, all the fight drained out of her as she closed her eyes. All she could see was the pieces of her staff laying on the deck, the last remnant of her home gone.

* * *

**First of all, I'd like to address the first review I received for this story here only because the reviewer doesn't have private messaging enabled so that we could talk this out politely and I wouldn't have to waste others' time while they read this.**

**I just want to say that you insisting that I work on my old stories before I publish new ones doesn't entice me to write for my old stories. If anything, it makes me want to stop working on it altogether just to spite you. I have writer's block for my Catch Me Now sequel and I seriously can't write for it right now, especially with how busy my schedule is. I'm barely able to write for this story as it is and the only reason I'm updating this fic at all is because the words are actually flowing for it, as opposed to Before It's Too Late. I do intend to keep working on it when I have more time, but I would like you to stop being incredibly rude. I'll write what I want and take into account only USEFUL constructive criticism.**

**On a separate note, I received a message that Rinzen's name is a very common, overused name because of Aang's nickname "Rin." I actually found her name on a list of names of Tibetan origin and it means "intelligent." As Gyatso was also on the list, I thought it would be a good fit within the Air Nomad culture as well as the Avatar universe overall. At least you were polite about letting me know about this and I appreciate your note about it.**

**Now that I've sufficiently ranted like a brat, I do appreciate everyone who is interested in this story and hopefully you won't hate me for diverging slightly from canon by letting Rinzen be captured. This does mean I won't cover certain episodes - or at least the parts that won't involve Zuko - for a while and I'll do my best to fill in holes between episodes. Hope you enjoy!**


	3. The Agni Kai

**Chapter 3: The Agni Kai**

* * *

A week out at sea locked in a prison cell did nothing for Rinzen's foul mood. With her staff gone, even if she _could_ escape now, there would be nowhere for her to go, especially since they were in the middle of the ocean with no land nearby as far as she could tell.

Zuko had visited her once on her first day in captivity, trying to get information on Aang out of her. Instead, she'd blown an air current at him so strong that she'd knocked his feet out from underneath him and he'd fallen flat on his face. He'd then flushed angrily when she'd laughed at him and climbed back to his feet quickly, ordering a guard not to give her food that day.

She'd been frustrated for cheating herself out of food until later that night when Prince Zuko's uncle - whose name she learned was Iroh - snuck down a tray of food for her. He had somehow known that she was a vegetarian, so she was relieved to find a bowl of vegetable stew with noodles. At least while her wrists were cuffed, her fingers were still free so she could manage the chopsticks well enough to eat. From then on, Iroh visited her once a day with a pot of tea along with a tray of food so that they could share a meal together.

For someone related to Zuko, he wasn't so bad, as far as company went. He was kind and made really good tea, particularly jasmine and ginseng, both of which were some of Rinzen's favorites. He even unlocked Rinzen's handcuffs for her each time so that she could eat more freely and drink her tea. When Zuko had found out, he'd started yelling at Iroh for letting Rinzen go until Rinzen had pointed out that she couldn't go anywhere, anyway. That had deflated him quickly enough.

Rinzen looked up as her cell door opened, managing a small smile at Iroh as he came in with a pot of tea as usual.

"Hello, Rinzen. I hope you don't mind that I've tried a recipe that I heard the Air Nomads once specialized in."

Rinzen shook her head. "No, I don't mind. It'll be nice to have a taste of home."

Iroh nodded as he poured the tea into tin cups. "I thought it might." He passed it over and Rinzen took a sip, recognizing it immediately as butter tea. The tea was salty and piping hot, contrasting against the dark gloomy cold of the prison cell, and it warmed her from the inside almost instantly.

"It's perfect," she answered when she realized Iroh was watching her somewhat anxiously to see how she would react to it. "Just like the monks used to make."

He relaxed with a smile as he poured himself a cup. "Coming from you, that is very reassuring. Prince Zuko doesn't appreciate fine tea like you and I do or I would have offered some to him."

Rinzen grinned wryly. "Oh, so he's a sourpuss to everyone, then. Good, I thought it was just me."

Iroh chuckled. "Go easy on my nephew. I know he hasn't been very kind to you, but he has had a difficult life."

"We've all got sob stories. Doesn't excuse him trying to capture my brother," Rinzen pointed out as she took another sip of her tea.

"He believes capturing the Avatar will restore his honor and his father's approval," Iroh answered, his joval expression shifting into a melancholy one.

Rinzen paused, chewing her lip as she fiddled with the cup in her hands before asking, "Is that how he got his scar?"

"Yes. There was a war meeting when he was thirteen. I let him go in against my better judgment, and he spoke out against a decision one of the generals made. He was right, of course, but speaking out so brashly was an act of disrespect, and Zuko was challenged to an Agni Kai. However, when he arrived at the duel, it was not the general, but his own father who had shown up to fight him."

Rinzen's heart lurched unexpectedly with sympathy for the banished prince and she had to stamp the feeling down. "So did Zuko fight him?"

"No. He refused to fight, begging for forgiveness, but the Fire Lord grew angry and burned his face. He then banished Zuko with orders to come home only when he had captured the Avatar. Zuko has been searching ever since."

Rinzen was quiet for a while, her finger tracing the edge of her cup as she debated how to feel towards Zuko now. "How could anyone do that to their child?" she asked at last.

"My brother is capable of many terrible things," Iroh answered just as quietly, his expression sorrowful. He added after a moment, "I don't expect your stance on Prince Zuko to change. I just thought it might help you understand his actions."

Rinzen nodded at last. "It does. Thank you for explaining, and for the tea." She drained her cup as an afterthought and Iroh took the cup back, standing.

"Tomorrow we'll be docking at an Earth Kingdom port taken over by the Fire Nation for repairs to our ship. We'd like you to keep hidden until we're back out at sea."

"Why?" Rinzen asked curiously.

Iroh smiled tiredly. "Let's just say that there are worse people than us to have you as their prisoner." He shut the cell door behind himself and for the first time, he didn't lock it.

Rinzen briefly thought about leaving and exploring the ship, but keeping in mind Iroh's warning about the next day, she stayed where she was, lying back on the cot that served as her bed and closing her eyes. She drifted into a troubled sleep, her dreams filled with searing heat, screams, and a young Zuko's face without its scar.

* * *

She started awake when her cell door banged open the next morning, sitting up sleepily as Zuko stormed in.

"What's going on?" she asked around a yawn and yelped as Zuko grabbed her wrists, pulling her up and then promptly shoving her unceremoniously under the cot. "Hey! What gives?!"

"Stay hidden. We've docked at the port and under no circumstances are you to be found," he ordered.

Rinzen glowered wearily back at him. "And why do you care, anyway?"

Zuko spluttered briefly before recovering quickly, "I don't!" She raised an eyebrow skeptically back up at him. "Look, I just don't want anyone else hunting the Avatar. If they find you, they'll know your brother's out there. And it's_ my_ destiny to capture him. Now be quiet and don't make a sound until I come back and give you the all-clear."

Rinzen huffed as she watched him go, curling up to the best of her ability under the cot to hide. She stayed there for what felt like hours, trying not to sneeze from the dust that had gathered under the cot, when she heard footsteps approaching the cell. Quickly, she airbended herself up until she could grab onto the underside of the cot, hovering inches off the floor as her arms trembled with the effort of holding on. When Prince Zuko's voice didn't come, she remained where she was, holding her breath.

After a moment's silence, a hand swiped suddenly under the cot. Only years of training kept her from making a sound as she bit her lip hard to keep from screaming and the hand slowly withdrew.

"No one here," a gruff voice said. "We'd better report back to Commander Zhao." Footsteps echoed away from the cell and when the door shut, she slowly released her hold of the cot, sinking back to the floor with a soft sigh of relief.

Suddenly, the cot was overturned and she screamed as a soldier grabbed the front of her robes, hoisting her up into the air. "Let me go!" She blasted him back with a burst of air before breaking into a run, vaulting over another startled soldier. She made it out onto the top deck of the ship and several soldiers jumped her. She was flattened to the floor by at least three men in heavy armor and grimaced at the stink of sweat as she wriggled out from underneath the pile of men. Just as she got free, two soldiers flanked her on either side, shoving her hands behind her back and dragging her down the gangway to the port.

She was led to a tent and shoved inside, hands tied firmly behind her back as she was pushed into a chair. Looking up, she found Zuko and Iroh also sitting in similar chairs, flanked by guards.

"Commander Zhao, we interrogated the crew as you instructed. They said Prince Zuko had the Avatar and his sister and the Avatar escaped. We found the girl down in the prison cell hiding under a cot," the soldier who had captured Rinzen informed the man standing in front of them.

"Now remind me, Prince Zuko. How _exactly_ was your ship damaged?" Commander Zhao asked with a smirk, leaning over Zuko as he glared defiantly back at the older man before turning to glower at Rinzen.

"I _told_ you to be quiet."

"I _was_! But it's not like I could just stop breathing!" Rinzen complained.

"If only," Zuko grumbled.

"Now don't be hard on the girl, I'm sure she did her best to stay out of sight." Rinzen didn't like the tone of this new guy, especially how he kept sneering at all of them. "Just like an Air Nomad, always hiding and never facing anyone head-on."

Rinzen felt her jaw clench involuntarily at the jab at her people. "Can I punch his smug face in?" she demanded and Zuko nodded immediately.

"Go for it."

"Prince Zuko," Iroh scolded and Zuko looked only somewhat abashed.

"And why haven't you delivered the girl to the Fire Lord yet?" Zhao asked, turning their attention back to him.

"I wanted to deliver her _with_ the Avatar," Zuko answered, "She's bait for him."

"The longer this girl remains alive, the greater threat she is." Zhao stepped back and Rinzen relaxed slightly, but tensed up again the moment he added, "Capturing the Avatar is too important to leave in a teenager's hands. He's mine now. And I'll take the girl to the Fire Lord myself before I set out to find the Avatar."

With an angry wordless yell, Zuko leapt up from his chair, but was held back by two guards.

"Keep them here," Zhao ordered the guards lazily as he left the tent. Zuko exhaled sharply and kicked the table hard, breaking it into pieces and smashing the teapot on it on the ground before slumping back into his chair wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose. As the guards left to stand outside, Rinzen slowly curled up in her seat, shaking a little. She was terrified of what would happen if she was taken to the Fire Nation. She would never get to Aang and he would be in danger if he even tried to come after her.

"We won't let him take you to the Fire Lord," Iroh promised her, seeing how scared she was, and turned to Zuko. "Isn't that right, Prince Zuko?"

Zuko looked up, his golden eyes meeting Rinzen's wide and skeptical gray ones, before nodding curtly once. "He won't take you," he repeated as he got to his feet, pacing around anxiously. Rinzen didn't know why that reassured her, but it did and she relaxed marginally in her chair, fidgeting against the ropes on her wrists as they waited for Zhao to return.

* * *

"My search party is ready," Zhao said as he entered the tent again. Rinzen had picked the ropes free by then, glad for once that she had long nails, but Iroh had convinced her not to take out the guards so that they could get back to the ship. They didn't need to become fugitives by running, he said, and Zuko had huffed angrily at the thought. "Once I'm out to sea, my guards will escort you back to your ship and you're free to go. The girl will come with me to a special holding cell until I have a ship ready to take her back to the Fire Nation."

Rinzen glowered at him even as Zuko scowled and snapped, "Why? Afraid I'm going to stop you?"

"Stop me?" Zhao laughed coldly. "You? Impossible."

"Don't underestimate me, Zhao! I _will_ capture the Avatar before you!" Zuko snarled, storming closer to Zhao.

"Prince Zuko," Iroh cautioned, getting to his feet as well.

"You can't compete with me. I have hundreds of war ships under my command and you're just a banished prince," Zhao said confidently, lips curling into a sneer. "No home, no allies. Your own father doesn't even want you."

Rinzen had to wince at the low blow even as Zuko retorted furiously, "You're wrong! Once I deliver the Avatar to my father he will welcome me home with honor, and restore my rightful place on the throne!"

"If your father really wanted you home, he would have let you return by now, Avatar or no Avatar. But in his eyes you are a failure and a disgrace to the Fire Nation. You have the scar to prove it."

"Maybe you'd like one to match!" Zuko's fists flared with fire in his anger and Rinzen automatically flinched back from the searing heat.

"Is that a challenge?" Zhao asked mockingly.

"An Agni Kai. At sunset!" Rinzen met Iroh's eyes, seeing the worry there and she bit her lip, concern starting to sink in as well. "The winner keeps the girl," Zuko added, earning a startled and confused look from Rinzen.

Zhao cast a look at Rinzen calculatingly before nodding. "Very well. It's a shame your father won't be here to watch me humiliate you, but I suppose your uncle and the girl will do."

"'The girl' has a name," Rinzen piped up and Zhao glanced back at her, clearly not caring as he turned and left the tent.

"Prince Zuko, have you forgotten what happened the last time you dueled a master?" Iroh asked cautiously and Zuko's fists clenched again.

"I will never forget," he said darkly.

"I didn't know you cared," Rinzen added a little curiously.

"I _don't_," Zuko snapped back at her.

"You do a little," she teased.

"Don't be ridiculous," he scoffed, "I only want to keep you around as bait for the Avatar."

"Sure. Plus I'm growing on you." Rinzen smirked, now thoroughly enjoying riling him up.

"Yeah, like a fungus," he muttered as he stormed out.

Iroh patted Rinzen's shoulder as they both followed Zuko. "Ah, he means well, my nephew. Even if he doesn't show it."

"I had a feeling," Rinzen agreed, unable to stop smiling now.

* * *

Just before sunset, they were led to a large flat terrain with walls bordering it. Several Fire Nation flags hung around the arena, covering the Earth Kingdom symbols etched into the walls. Zuko immediately set to work stripping off his armor and the shirt he wore underneath before kneeling down as a ceremonial red scarf made of a sheer material was placed around his shoulders. Zhao mirrored his pose facing the other way on the other side of the stadium.

"Stay to the side," Iroh cautioned Rinzen. "Things can get heated easily for those in the center of an Agni Kai."

Rinzen nodded and when Zuko looked up at her, managed a tiny smile at him. "Good luck." His good eye widened slightly in surprise before he nodded slowly, clearly taken aback. Rinzen took that opportunity to escape to the sidelines, taking a seat on the stone bench and wringing her hands together nervously as she watched Iroh coach Zuko through some final tips before Zuko stood, facing Zhao as the scarf fell from his shoulders. Zhao did the same, the scarf falling from his shoulders as well. They both took a fighting stance and a guard rang a gong from one of the upper terraces, signaling the start of the Agni Kai.

Almost immediately, Zuko aimed a fire blast at Zhao, who dodged it almost effortlessly before dodging the following blast as well. He crossed his arms to block two more fireballs, dissipating them and smirking as Zuko panted to catch his breath after expending so much energy. Furious, Zuko brought his foot down in an arc, spraying fire straight at Zhao, who blasted the fire away with stronger flames of his own. Rinzen could feel the heat even from her distant spot on the side of the arena.

She glanced at Iroh, who shouted, "Basics, Zuko! Break his root!" Glancing back at the duel, she concluded that it was not going well for Zuko and she was nearly about to be shipped off to the Fire Nation - and subsequently, the Fire Lord. Swallowing, she fiddled with the edge of her robes, praying to any spirits that were listening that Zuko would win. She never would have thought she'd actually willingly stay with Zuko and Iroh, but she figured they were the lesser of two evils now.

Just as she thought that, Zuko fell back and slid several feet away before coming to a halt, grimacing in pain. Rinzen was off the bench immediately, something in her chest twisting in panic - and not just for herself. She had to stamp down the strange feeling just as Zhao aimed a blast of fire straight at Zuko's face. She shut her eyes, unable to watch and preparing for the end of the duel, but the gong never rang

She opened her eyes to find Zuko twisting abruptly to knock Zhao back, flipping onto his feet and landing solidly on the ground with a smirk on his face. Before she knew it, she was cheering for him and forced herself to be quiet when Iroh raised an eyebrow with a smile back at her. Flushing, she shrugged back at him before watching Zuko knock Zhao onto his back, aiming a flaming fist at his face.

"Do it!" Zhao snarled at him. With an angry yell, Zuko released a fire blast and Rinzen watched it hit the ground just beside Zhao's head. "That's it? Your father raised a coward."

"Next time you get in my way, I promise I won't hold back," Zuko returned coldly as he turned away. The gong echoed in the arena, ending the Agni Kai, and Rinzen met both Zuko and Iroh in the center, relief flooding through her like the chill of a bucket of water being upended over her head. Suddenly, she felt a flaring heat just behind them and turned to hit Zhao instinctively with a powerful air current, sending him careening back against the rocky ground.

Furiously, Zuko rushed forward to retaliate, but Iroh stopped him. "No, Prince Zuko. Do not taint your victory." The older man turned to Zhao, contempt in his expression as he watched the commander climb gingerly to his feet. "So this is how the great Commander Zhao acts in defeat? Disgraceful. Even in exile, my nephew has more honor than you." Zuko's head lifted a little in surprise as he gaped at his uncle. "Thank you again for the tea. It was delicious." He patted Rinzen gratefully on the shoulder before resting it there, leading her away from the arena with his other hand touching Zuko's arm briefly to turn him away as well.

"Did you really mean that, Uncle?" Zuko asked quietly once they had collected his undershirt and armor and begun heading back to the now repaired ship.

"Of course. I told you ginseng was my favorite," Iroh answered with a cheeky grin and Rinzen snorted with amusement.

"So is it back to the prison cell for me?" she asked wryly, shoving her hands into her pockets as she walked beside them.

Iroh glanced at Zuko pointedly and the prince fidgeted a little before admitting, "We told the crew to arrange a room for you near my quarters. You're free to wander around the ship so long as you cover up your arrows when we're in port. We don't want anyone like Zhao catching sight of you."

She nodded, unable to keep back a bright smile at the thought of not being locked up anymore. "Thanks." Clearly surprised at how genuine her gratitude seemed to be, Zuko nodded slightly in return.

When they were back on the ship, since Rinzen's new room was closest to Zuko's, she followed him down below deck.

"That's yours." He pointed out the door for her before opening the door to his own quarters. Impulsively, she caught his wrist, causing him to start in surprise as his skin reflexively heated up in preparation to attack. She released his hand quickly before she could accidentally burn herself.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I just, uh...I know you could've just let him take me to the Fire Nation, but you didn't, so...yeah, thanks for that," she finished lamely.

Zuko blinked at her, bewildered, before nodding. "You're welcome. And I suppose I should...thank you, too. For diverting Zhao's attack on me."

"Yeah, no problem."

The two of them awkwardly shuffled a little in their spots before Zuko said abruptly, "Well, goodnight." He entered his room and shut the door right in her face. Smiling a little despite the rude goodbye, Rinzen crossed the distance between their doors to check out her new quarters. Maybe this could be a new start for them.

* * *

**The road ahead - or seas ahead, as the case may be - will not be as smooth for these two as this chapter ending may lead you all to believe. Just saying.**

**Ironically, I have most of the second half of Book Two and all of Book Three planned out, but none of Book One and the first half of Book Two. So honestly, most of the story so far has been improvisation on the fly (yes, including Rinzen being captured by Zuko rather than escaping with the Gaang on Appa). ****Basically, I'm a wee bit concerned that the material so far isn't as solid of a story as people might like because of said improvisation. If anyone has good constructive criticism to offer, I'd gladly appreciate it :) hope you enjoy!**


	4. Attack on Kyoshi

**Chapter 4: Attack on Kyoshi**

* * *

As Iroh had promised, Rinzen was free to wander around the ship from then on. She no longer ate in the prison cell, but with Zuko and Iroh as they pored over maps trying to find Aang. Zuko had prompted her for any suggestions on where Aang might go, but Rinzen had no idea, in all honesty. Even if she had known, she'd added directly to him, it wasn't as if she would tell.

It had certainly put a damper on their growing tolerance of each other.

"The Fire Lord knows the Avatar is alive," Iroh informed them one morning as they all sat down to eat breakfast.

Zuko looked up, frowning now. "How? Did Zhao say anything?"

"No. The Fire Sages did. The statues of the previous Avatars began to glow about a week ago, around the time we were in port to fix our ship," Iroh answered.

"That means Aang was in the Avatar state for some reason last week," Rinzen piped up. She didn't often get involved in discussions about her brother, trying not to give away any information, but the news that the Fire Lord now knew about her brother worried her.

"The Avatar state is triggered by intense emotion or danger to the Avatar," Iroh told her. "Do you think your brother could have been in danger?"

Rinzen frowned, thinking back before shaking her head. "No. I usually know if Aang's in trouble, it's a knack of mine. He must've been upset about something."

"The only way the statues would have glowed at the same time in various temples around the world is if the Avatar state was triggered in one of the temples themselves," Zuko said quietly at last. "And the only temple the Avatar would feel safe enough to go to is-"

"The Southern Air Temple," Rinzen blurted out before she could stop herself. "But what would upset him so much there? I mean, he would've felt right at home with the other monks around." Zuko and Iroh stared at her blankly. "What?" she asked, thrown off by the confusion aimed her way.

"She doesn't know?" Zuko glanced at Iroh, bewildered.

"I thought someone at the Water Tribe village would have told her."

"Told me _what_?" Rinzen demanded in frustration even as a chill went down her spine. She wasn't sure she wanted to know, but if it had caused Aang distress enough to trigger the Avatar state, she thought it was best she had an idea.

Iroh paused for a long time before admitting quietly, "After you and your brother vanished, the Fire Lord at the time - my grandfather Sozin - wiped out all of the Air Nomads." Zuko glanced down at the table, clearly uncomfortable.

Rinzen didn't know what to feel at first; disbelief, incredible anger, and grief all swirled inside her like a massive dark cloud that weighed heavily in her chest. After a few long moments, she said quietly, forcing her tone to remain calm, "Well. That explains a lot." She wanted to rage at the two in front of them, blame them for what their ancestor had done to her entire culture and family, but she couldn't muster up the energy to. Instead, her eyes prickled with tears and she got to her feet, abandoning the table as she left the room.

Slamming her own door closed behind her was somewhat mollifying, but it didn't ease the weight in her chest any more than yelling and throwing things would have. She sank to the floor as soon as she was out of sight, burying her head in her hands as she did her best to keep her breathing steady. How could her entire culture be gone? How could she and Aang be the only remnants of the Air Nomads?

A shaky sob tore out of her throat painfully and before she knew it, she was crying quietly into her hands, tears rolling down her cheeks and onto her palms. Even if she did escape now, she would have no home left to go back to.

* * *

"Has anyone seen the girl?" Zuko demanded as he entered the navigation room three days later. The crew members looked uneasily at each other before unanimously shaking their heads. "Uncle?" Zuko prompted, turning to Iroh, who was playing Pai Sho with Lieutenant Ji.

"I haven't seen Rinzen since we last spoke to her," Iroh admitted. "According to the helmsman, she has only come out at night and taken some food from the kitchen before going back to her room. Doesn't go anywhere else on the ship."

"Well, what about the Avatar?" Zuko added, trying to distract himself from thoughts of going after Rinzen and talking to her. He had no time to coddle the enemy when she wouldn't even tell him where her brother was so that he could go home.

"Well, it's a funny thing, Prince Zuko. We have no idea where he is."

"_What_?! How could we lose his trail _again_?!" Steam curled from Zuko's fists in frustration as he pulled out a map, rolling it out across the table before marking a spot. "His bison was seen here yesterday. That's way off course from our last sighting of him. He's clearly a master of tactical evasion."_  
_

"That, or the kid has no idea where he's going," Lieutenant Ji muttered as he moved a Pai Sho tile.

Iroh moved another in response and grinned broadly. "Looks like I take the pot, my friend."

"I don't see any money," Zuko pointed out, raising an eyebrow as he looked up from the map.

"I said pot, nephew, I never said anything about money." Iroh pulled the teapot beside them over to himself to pour a cup of tea and Zuko rolled his eyes at his uncle's predictability before pushing all thoughts of Rinzen out of his mind. Finding the Avatar was his priority; the girl could wait.

This decision was why he was confused when he found himself standing in front of Rinzen's door, one hand poised to knock and a cup of steaming tea in his other hand. He couldn't stand tea himself, but he knew she liked it, especially the way his uncle made it. They wouldn't stop talking about different recipes whenever he was around, anyway. It had been easy enough to get the cook down in the kitchens to tell him which tea his uncle had made that had pleased Rinzen most and then convince him not to tell a soul that the prince had come by.

After a deep breath, Zuko knocked on the door, his knuckles making a sharp clang against the metal. "Rinzen?" he called. "Are you going to come out sometime? My uncle's worried about you."

There was only silence on the other side of the door.

"I made tea," Zuko added hurriedly before he could backtrack, "It's probably not as good as Uncle's, but I know you said you like butter tea and I tried to make it as well as I could and-" He abruptly cut himself off when the door cracked open slightly.

Rinzen looked miserable, with circles under her dull gray eyes and her short brown hair in disarray. The arrow tattoo on her forehead stood out starkly against her pale skin and her eyes were puffy and red. He felt a twinge of guilt even though he knew he himself had nothing to be guilty for. He hadn't personally wiped out her people, but it still made something in his chest twist to see her so devastated.

"You made tea?" Her skeptical, hoarse voice broke him out of his examination of her and he nodded, holding out the cup somewhat awkwardly.

"Here."

Slowly, her movements stilted, she reached out to take the cup of tea and he noticed that there were more arrows like the one on her forehead on the backs of her hands. "Thank you." Her eyes still darted between the cup and him suspiciously. "Is it poisoned?"

A surprised genuine laugh burst out of him at that and she looked even more alarmed. "Uh, no, not poisoned. Just thought, you know, you might like a taste of home. After...yeah." He gestured vaguely around them and Rinzen stared at him blankly before looking back down at the cup. "You okay?"

Rinzen shrugged one shoulder, not looking up at him. "Just...tired, I suppose." Finally, an exhausted smile tugged at her lips. "I'm fine. Thank you for the tea."

"Yeah, you're welcome." Zuko shuffled a little before blurting out, "What are those arrows for, anyway?"

Rinzen blinked, clearly not having expected the question, before answering, "They're airbending mastery tattoos. Aang has them, too. He's the youngest airbending master in history, he got them when he was ten. I only got mine when I was thirteen."

"Talented younger siblings, right?" The note of bitterness came out before Zuko could stop it and Rinzen frowned back at him a little curiously.

"You sound like you can relate."

"My sister, the firebending prodigy." Zuko rolled his eyes a little and Rinzen cracked a tiny smile before nodding towards the inside of her room.

"You want to talk about it?"

Zuko's mouth was already half-open in an affirmation before he realized what he was doing and snapped his mouth shut again. "No. I have to get back to finding your brother's trail." He turned sharply and headed down the hall. Halfway down, he turned back to see Rinzen smiling a little as she shut the door again behind herself, tea clutched in her hand. Unconsciously, his own lips curved up in a faint smile that he only just managed to wipe off his face by the time he returned to the bridge of the ship.

* * *

Rinzen left her room more often after that and the first thing she confessed to Iroh was that Zuko really couldn't make tea. The older man had laughed heartily and even though she was sure she couldn't muster enough energy to laugh as well, she found herself chuckling, too. They barely managed to stop themselves by the time Zuko entered the room, demanding to know what was so funny.

"Sir, the Avatar's been spotted on Kyoshi Island," a guard said as he entered the room where they were all having lunch one day, Zuko and Iroh with plates of roast duck and Rinzen with her vegetable and noodle stew.

"Tell the men to ready the rhinos, he's not getting away this time," Zuko ordered as he got to his feet and Rinzen bit her lip, glancing at the map spread out on the table between them. They were very close to Kyoshi Island as it was. If they reached there before nightfall, Aang and his friends wouldn't have a chance to get away from the island in time.

"Are you going to finish that?" Iroh asked, pointing to the steaming plate in front of Zuko, who snatched it from the table.

"I was going to save it for later!" Despite herself, Rinzen found herself cracking a smile as Zuko stormed out.

"I suggest you stay on the ship while we are at Kyoshi Island," Iroh added to her as he finished his meal and climbed to his feet as well. "Things may become dangerous if you are caught in the crossfire."

"I understand." Rinzen had no intentions of obeying, but she nodded. If she had a chance to get to Aang in time and get him out of trouble, then it was the least she could do.

She snuck down to the soldiers' quarters, finding the smallest armor they had and slipping it on. The armor was still clunky on her, but it had to do. Putting the faceplate on, she joined the ranks of soldiers at the mouth of the ship, where the gangway was being lowered so that they could disembark on Kyoshi Island. Climbing haphazardly onto a komodo rhino, she flinched as the large beast snorted a little, as if recognizing the lack of skill in its rider.

"Easy, big guy," she murmured, rubbing its leathery hide and hoping it wouldn't give her away. "I just need you for a couple minutes." With another snort, the komodo rhino subsided and began to move with the others down the gangway.

"I want the Avatar alive," she heard Zuko call from the front and ducked her head to make sure no one would notice her. She could hear the soldiers grumbling quietly to themselves and tried her best to blend in until they reached the village. "Come out, Avatar!" Zuko called, but the village remained silent and deserted. "You can't hide forever!" When no one responded, he ordered, "Find him."

The other soldiers kicked their steeds' sides to go further into the village while Rinzen veered off, sliding down from the rhino's back and patting its side gratefully before running between the wooden houses. Abruptly, she was knocked down by someone wearing a long green dress and vivid white makeup. A fan was held threateningly over her head and she peered up through the faceplate's eyeholes before recognizing the warrior on top of her.

"Sokka?"

"How do you know who I am?" Sokka demanded, his other hand pressing down on her throat, and Rinzen reached up to remove her faceplate.

"It's me, Rin. I snuck off the ship, now get off me!" Flushing, Sokka clambered off her, grabbing her hand to help her up. "Uh, why are you wearing a dress and makeup?" she asked, bewildered, as she glanced him over.

"It's a long story," Sokka confessed. "Aang's been worried sick about you, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Not hurt, anyway." Rinzen ran a hand through her hair. "You three have to get out of here, Zuko won't leave until he finds you."

"Aang and Katara went out to the beach a while ago, I don't know where they are," Sokka answered frustratedly.

"You keep Zuko from hurting anyone. I'll look for them," Rinzen promised and Sokka nodded before taking off. Not bothering with the armor anymore, Rinzen removed it and climbed on top of the nearest wooden house for a better aerial view. She ran along the tops of the houses, hopping easily across the gaps between houses with an extra burst of air to give her more distance, when she finally saw Aang and Katara hurrying back to the village from the beach. "Aang!" She landed on the ground again and Aang tackled her in a hug almost immediately.

"I thought I'd never see you again!" He buried his face into her shoulder and she clutched him tightly, just relieved to have her brother safe and sound.

"Same here." She pulled back slightly. "You both have to find Sokka and go, _now_."

"We're not leaving you," Katara protested and Rinzen frowned back at her.

"I can keep leading Zuko off your trail if I stay on his ship."

"But I just got you back," Aang argued miserably.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm gonna be fine, he won't hurt me," Rinzen reassured him. "But he _will_ hurt this village if you don't get going and lead him away." She squeezed his shoulder. "Call Appa and go. I'll distract Zuko and I'll see you before you go, promise." Nodding, Aang and Katara ran back to the village while Rinzen leapt back onto the nearest rooftop to start running again.

There were burning houses everywhere now, scared villagers hiding in some of the few intact buildings, and Rinzen did her best to put out the fire with large blasts of wind. Some fires went out immediately, but others only flared brighter when she blew on them. Giving them up for lost causes, she landed on the ground in front of Zuko, who had slid off his komodo rhino by then.

"What are you doing off the ship?" he demanded.

"Keeping you from making a mistake," she retorted, "Aang's not here and you're hurting innocent people and their homes."

"You're wrong. The Avatar's here and these girls are protecting him," he answered, gesturing to one of the nearby unconscious warriors who was dressed similarly to Sokka. "Now you're going back to the ship and you're staying there whether you like it or not." He grabbed her wrist as she yelped a little in pain at his tight grip.

"Hey! Over here!" Rinzen had to bite back a groan of frustration as Zuko turned them to find Aang standing opposite them, staff extended in warning.

"Finally," Zuko muttered before releasing Rinzen to send several fireballs directly at Aang, who dodged both before using his staff to propel himself into the air and behind Zuko. The prince spun around, kicking the staff out of Aang's hands and sending another wave of fire at him. Rinzen parried it with a blast of wind, dissipating the fire even as Aang grabbed two abandoned fans on the ground. Using his airbending, he spun the fans to slam Zuko back into the nearest wooden house. The moment Zuko was gone, Aang dropped the fans miserably as he looked around at the burning village.

"Hey, it's not your fault." Rinzen wrapped her arms around her brother tightly as he held her in return, burying his face into her shoulder.

"Yes, it is. This never would've happened if I hadn't stayed here," he answered sadly and she rubbed his back.

"Then you have to find Katara and Sokka, get Appa, and go."

"What about you?" Aang glanced up at her worriedly. "Zuko'll be mad at you now."

"I'll be fine," she promised, although she truthfully wasn't sure how Zuko would feel towards her now. "We'll find each other again, I promise, but you have to go now." Hesitating, Aang nodded, hugging her tightly one last time before grabbing his staff and flying away. Rinzen watched him go before turning as Zuko climbed out of the wreckage of the house, visibly steaming with anger.

"What are you playing at?!" he demanded.

"Excuse me?" Rinzen balked a little. "I don't know what side you think I'm playing for, but my only priority is keeping my little brother safe from crazy hotheaded princes trying to capture him."

"I'm not crazy!"

She raised an eyebrow at his disheveled appearance, his ponytail askew and his armor dented in several spots. "Could've fooled me. I'm going back to the ship." She turned to find the komodo rhino she'd left earlier.

"Wait." She turned back, ready to snap at him, and relaxed marginally when she saw the genuine confusion in his face. "You could've left with him."

"I guess I could've." Honestly, despite what she'd told Aang, she wasn't sure why she hadn't just escaped while she could. It wasn't as if she owed Zuko anything. Without adding any further explanation, she turned and began walking again. "He's leaving, by the way. You'll want to leave the village and follow him," she added over her shoulder.

Zuko stared after her for a few long moments before coming back to himself and ordering the men, "Back to the ship!" With a small sigh of relief, Rinzen kept walking, finding the komodo rhino she'd left alone and climbing onto its back easily. The rhino snuffled a little curiously before starting to walk when she nudged its sides, its curiosity with its new rider satisfied.

Once they were on the ship, Rinzen led the rhino to the stable and rubbed its snout gently. "Good boy," she murmured.

"Abia is a girl," one of the soldiers corrected as he led his own rhino to the stable beside her.

"Oh." Rinzen scratched under the komodo rhino's chin gently. "Sorry, Abia, you're a very lovely girl." Abia snorted before nuzzling her affectionately. Zuko ignored them as he ran up to the deck, clearly intent on capturing Aang before he got away. Rinzen patted Abia's nose one more time, promising, "Be back soon." She ran after Zuko, watching Appa fly over the ship.

"Don't let them get away!" Zuko shouted to the helmsman. All of a sudden, Rinzen saw an orange and yellow speck throw himself off Appa down towards the bay.

"What's he doing?!" she shrieked even as Aang landed in the water, disappearing below the surface. Suddenly, a large jet-black eel burst from the water, Aang swinging from his whiskers. The younger airbender landed on the eel's head and tugged the whiskers hard, causing the eel to spray the burning village of Kyoshi with water and put out the fire.

"Your brother's an idiot," Zuko told her, gaping at the spectacle.

"There are only so many heart attacks I can take in one day," Rinzen sighed in relief as she watched the eel throw Aang up into the air and Appa catch the boy in his paws before letting Aang clamber back up into his saddle. "I'm going back to the rhinos, they're more sane than all of you."

* * *

**I blame writer's block and approaching finals for not getting this up sooner. My next update probably won't be until closer to Christmas because I have final exams all the way until the 22nd, so if I don't update before Christmas, happy holidays and good luck to those also taking final exams for the semester! Enjoy! :)**


	5. Of Clothes, Tea, and Incense Allergies

**Chapter 5: Of Clothes, Tea, and Incense Allergies**

* * *

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Rinzen demanded and Iroh raised his eyebrows in warning.

"Tread carefully, Prince Zuko. Take it from experience, insulting a lady's clothes is akin to signing your own death wish."

"Wisely said," Rinzen said politely to him before glowering back at Zuko. "There's nothing wrong with my clothes."

"You mean aside from the fact that they stick out like a sore thumb?" Zuko answered wryly, gesturing around them. Looking around, Rinzen could see most of the crew dressed in the same dark red and black armor as Zuko and Iroh, and she was the only one wearing vivid yellow and orange clothes.

"Okay, fair enough," she conceded.

"As much as I hate to say it, we'll have to go shopping and find you some more subtle clothes when we dock at the next port," Zuko decided.

"Excellent, I've been looking for some more Pai Sho tiles," Iroh mused.

"This is strictly for business, Uncle, we can't search for tiles for your stupid game when I have to get back on the Avatar's trail!" Zuko protested.

"Oh, but we can stop for clothes I don't even need, is that it?" Rinzen pointed out with a grin.

"Trust me, you need them." Zuko eyed her robes with distaste. "Unless you'd rather be turned over to Zhao and sent off to the Fire Nation." Grimacing, she shook her head. "That's what I thought. Use this to cover your forehead. We'll be docking in an hour." He tossed a dark red square of cloth to her and with a scowl, she tied it around her head to cover her arrow.

"I hate you," she muttered.

"Glad to know we've got something in common." Zuko dodged the swing to his head just in time.

* * *

"Did we _have_ to let the rhinos go back to their compound?" Rinzen complained as they walked down the gangway into the port.

"We can't keep them on the ship forever," Iroh reminded her.

"Yeah, but I'm gonna miss Abia."

"Who?" Zuko blinked at her, bewildered.

"You really ought to get to know the rhinos better," she scolded him and he had the decency to look somewhat abashed. Almost immediately, Iroh made a beeline for the nearest clothing store, examining the fabrics curiously. Rinzen followed him a little more warily while Zuko crossed his arms and remained outside the shop, scowling.

The shop owner peered over the counter at them curiously, examining Rinzen in a way that made her adjust the cloth on her forehead a little more securely before coming around the counter. "Lighter tones will suit you, I think," she decided as Rinzen fidgeted a little, inching away from her and closer to Iroh.

"Hmm, yes, I agree," Iroh said thoughtfully and Rinzen gave him a betrayed look as he began to hold up swatches of light red and pink cloth to compare it to her pale skin. "These will do nicely." He collected a few practical shirts and pants in a particular pinkish-red shade before following the shop owner to the register to pay. Seeing Zuko wandering over to another shop, Rinzen made her escape and followed him.

"What're you looking for?" she asked once she'd followed him into the next shop and he started.

"You need to wear a bell or something," he snapped at her, "Or at least quit sneaking up on people."

She rolled her eyes. "It's not my fault you don't pay attention to who's behind you. What're you looking for?"

"Uncle said he wanted a new teapot," he admitted grudgingly.

"I thought _you_ said you weren't going to get him one, and I quote, 'because it's a waste of time to keep wasting money on frivolities like stupid tea,'" she reminded him, grinning.

"Shut up," he muttered, cheeks flushing a little as he examined a china pot with delicately carved jasmine flowers decorating it. "And don't tell anybody."

"Okay, you big softie, your secret's safe with me." She felt like she could have teased him further, but instead, she nodded to the teapot. "I like that one."

Zuko glanced at the price on the pot, picking it up before nodding. "I do, too. I'll get this one." He headed for the counter and Rinzen followed, adjusting the cloth around her forehead and then pulling her sleeves down to cover the arrows on the backs of her hands when the clerk eyed her curiously.

She was relieved to leave the shop, but wrinkled her nose when Zuko then headed to an incense and candle stall. "Why do you need incense?"

"For my meditation." Zuko raised an eyebrow at her. "I thought monks meditated all the time."

"Not with incense, we didn't." Rinzen stifled a sneeze into her elbow when one of the burning incense sticks' scents tickled her nose.

Zuko was visibly biting back a smirk. "Are you allergic?"

"No." Rinzen sniffled before sneezing again into her elbow.

"Bless you," Zuko deadpanned before moving to inspect each packet of incense sticks. Rinzen followed him, still sniffling once in a while and doing her best to keep it quiet so that he wouldn't tease her. Surprisingly, he picked up the first packet she didn't sniffle at, moving to the store owner's register to buy it.

"That's awfully nice of you," she said and he rolled his eyes.

"It's not for your allergies, I just happen to like this kind." He looked away quickly, though, cheeks tinted slightly pink, and Rinzen grinned.

"You really _are_ a big softie, I knew it." She nudged his side teasingly and he shoved her away slightly, huffing.

"Am not." He paid for the incense while Rinzen took the packaged teapot off his hands so that he could carry the incense packet.

"You know, for a guy who's supposed to be evil, you're not half-bad," she answered and he frowned at her as they began to walk away from the market to return to the ship with their purchases.

"You think I'm evil?" If Rinzen didn't know better, she would have thought he sounded hurt.

"_Supposed_ to be," she corrected with a shrug.

"Right." His expression was pensive, lips pursed now, and she worried that she might have offended him. Not that it mattered to her, of course, since she was technically captured by him in the first place, but she still felt a little guilty since he'd gone out of his way to make sure she was comfortable on the ship.

"But you're not, so it's okay," she offered and the tension in Zuko's shoulders eased slightly.

"Well, that's good to know." His tone was still a little stiff, but he glanced at her and she could see the mild amusement in his face, so she grinned back at him and the tension broke easily after that.

As predicted, Iroh was pleased with his new teapot and made sure to make Zuko flush with embarrassment when he proclaimed loudly that Zuko was the best nephew a man could ask for. The prince shot Rinzen a betrayed look when she only laughed instead of coming to his rescue.

* * *

After Rinzen got used to her new clothes, fitting in at ports became much easier. All she really had to do was tie the cloth around her forehead to hide her arrow and the clothes did the rest. She still earned some strange looks sometimes for her oddly-colored eyes, hardly befitting a Fire Nation lady with how gray and pale they were, but for the most part, as long as she stuck near Zuko and Iroh, she was invisible, which was just how she liked it.

Still, she preferred the ports that didn't have too many people and stalls milling about, and the rough Earth Kingdom terrain they were currently at fit that bill perfectly.

"Have you seen my uncle?" Zuko demanded as he met up with her at the gangway after filling up on supplies.

"No. He went out into the forest after we docked to explore around, but I haven't seen him since," she answered, eyebrows furrowing. "Is he still gone?"

"Yes. Come on, let's go find him." He turned before she could even ask why he was bringing her along and she hurried to catch up, using a little wind to speed up her steps until they were side by side again.

Zuko finally came to a stop when a rustling came from the area nearby and he made a beeline for the clearing. "Uncle! Where are you? It's time to go!" He stopped dead in his tracks when he reached the clearing and Rinzen, taking note of the clothes hanging on the branch, didn't even bother to try and look. She tugged her headband over her eyes to make a quick blindfold so she didn't accidentally glimpse anything.

"You look tired, Prince Zuko. Why don't you join me in these hot springs and soak away your troubles?" Iroh prompted.

"Unbelievable," Zuko complained, "We're closing in on the Avatar's trail and you're taking a soak in a hot spring?" Over his shoulder, he added, "Rinzen, shield your eyes."

Rinzen snorted in amusement. "Already got them covered."

"Oh, is Rinzen here?" Iroh sounded a little guilty now and Rinzen raised her hand over Zuko's shoulder to make her presence known, knowing she was small enough that Zuko probably hid her completely.

"Hey, there."

"Well, that's embarrassing," Iroh conceded.

"You know what? Why don't you take a few more minutes?" Zuko decided, grabbing Rinzen's shoulder and turning her around to lead her away. "Be back at the ship in half an hour or we're leaving without you!" he added sharply over his shoulder.

Once they were a good distance away, Rinzen finally removed her headband, adjusting it back over her forehead with a goodnatured roll of her eyes. "Like you're _actually_ gonna leave without him, Mr. Softie."

"Watch me," Zuko threatened mildly, but he didn't sound very convincing. "And I don't appreciate that new nickname."

"Oh, but it captures your essence so nicely." She made to pinch his cheek teasingly, but one stern look from him had her withdrawing her hand with a sheepish grin immediately.

* * *

Half an hour came and went, and then one more full hour. Rinzen eventually lost patience with Zuko's fidgeting and got to her feet from where she'd been sitting on the railing of the ship - which probably was part of his anxiety, given that he relaxed marginally once she was on solid ground - to turn towards him and snap, "Fine, let's go get him already." He immediately jumped to his feet and followed, gesturing for two soldiers to follow them.

When they returned to the hot springs, Rinzen already tugging the blindfold over their eyes, Zuko called, "Uncle? Where are you?"

No response came, causing Rinzen to lift up her makeshift blindfold. Iroh was gone from the hot springs, the water drained from the ring of earth and sharp protruding spikes of rock going upwards.

"Sir, maybe he thought you left without him," one of the soldiers suggested.

"Something's not right, look at those rocks," Rinzen pointed out and Zuko nodded in agreement pensively.

"A landslide?" the other soldier suggested.

"Land doesn't slide uphill," Zuko snapped back at him. "These rocks didn't move naturally. My uncle's been captured by earthbenders."

Rinzen's eyebrows shot up in surprise as she looked around, hoping for a clue. She spotted something in the dust, moving closer to examine it. "There are animal tracks here," she said, pointing to the tracks. "Ostrich horse prints. They're fresh, maybe less than half an hour old. If we hurry, we can catch up to them fast." Grimacing at the sight of the clothes still hanging on the trees, she added, "We'd better bring those clothes along, too."

Zuko wrinkled his nose at the thought, but nodded as he gathered up the clothes and stuffed them into a bag. "You two return to the ship until we get back," he ordered the soldiers. "Rinzen, you think you can recognize these tracks further down?" She nodded. "Then come with me, let's go." She followed him down the dirt path, where several ostrich horse prints led down the road.

"Must've been a good three or four of them," she said, nodding to the path. "The prints are scattered everywhere."

"You're not bad at tracking," Zuko said, sounding mildly surprised, and she shrugged as she adjusted her headband back over her arrow.

"I used to help corral sky bison herds back at the Air Temples, so I've gotten used to identifying animal tracks in case any bison got into skirmishes with other animals," she answered.

Still, the praise made her glow a little inside as she continued to follow the path beside him. Hopefully, her instincts would lead them right and they would find Iroh soon.

* * *

**This took way too long to bang out and I mostly blame my semester being ridiculously work-loaded. I have about four exams next week plus a quiz in one of my classes and a presentation due, so I apologize for not writing this sooner and not making this a longer chapter.**

**I also have this horrible habit of writing out the endings of my stories, which accidentally demotivates me to write the middle bits. I need to work on that. But I do have the ending of this story written out, I just need to crank out everything leading up to it. I'll do my best to keep writing at a somewhat steady pace! Thanks for sticking with me this long!**


	6. The Missing General

**Chapter 6: The Missing General**

* * *

The pair had been walking for quite some time, but two pairs of feet were hardly enough to keep up with a group of ostrich horses and their respective riders. Rinzen was half-wishing they had one of the komodo rhinos with them, or at least her glider so that she could scout ahead.

"How come earthbenders kidnapped your uncle, anyway?" she asked, breaking the tense silence that had fallen between herself and Zuko since they had begun on the dirt path. "He's a nice guy."

"He wasn't always," Zuko admitted after a few moments, "He's admittedly gone softer in his more recent years, but he was actually known as the Dragon of the West for a long time, one of the most ruthless generals in the history of the Fire Nation military."

Rinzen snorted with amusement. "Yeah, right. Your tea-loving, Pai Sho-playing uncle used to be a scary, deadly general." When Zuko just raised an eyebrow at her expectantly, her jaw dropped in surprise. "Wow. You're...actually not kidding."

"Of course not. He can be intimidating when he wants to be. He just usually doesn't." Zuko shrugged mildly.

"So is that why you're not concerned as much as I thought you'd be?" she prompted and he nodded.

"He can take care of himself if he has to." He frowned as he spotted something in the road, going ahead of her and kneeling down to pick it up. Rinzen followed him, recognizing the object as a sandal. Zuko took a sniff out of curiosity and then shuddered in disgust. "Yep, that's Uncle Iroh." He shoved the sandal into the bag containing Iroh's clothes before carrying on, Rinzen grimacing and following suit.

"Wait, so if he was some kind of war hero for the Fire Nation, what did he do that was so bad to the Earth Kingdom?" she asked and Zuko frowned back at her.

"He laid siege to Ba Sing Se for six hundred days. You know, the city with the walls and-"

"Ba Sing Se wasn't built yesterday," she answered wryly, "I've been there."

He flushed a little, color rising in his cheeks as he added, "And he almost succeeded, too."

"What happened to make him fail?" she prompted.

His expression fell slightly. "His son died in battle. My cousin Lu Ten."

Rinzen felt her heart clench in sympathy for Iroh; she couldn't imagine the pain of losing a child in battle. "I'm sorry."

Zuko gave her a curt nod of acknowledgment. "After that, Uncle Iroh was never the same. He called off the siege and came home soon after."

"Oh." Wondering what she should say next, she settled for, "I guess that explains why the Earth Kingdom doesn't take very kindly to him. Ba Sing Se's their pride and joy." It wasn't what was really on her mind, her thoughts still on Lu Ten, but she figured dwelling on his cousin's death wasn't one of Zuko's priorities.

After a moment, Zuko said, a note of pride in his voice, "He breached the outer wall."

"Really?" Rinzen raised her eyebrows, impressed. That feat had never been done before, which explained why Iroh was considered a war hero.

"Yeah. He sent me a gift around then, actually. I still have it." He withdrew a dagger from a sheath on his belt, passing it over to her handle-first. Out of curiosity, she took it, examining the intricate engravings on the hilt.

"'Made in Earth Kingdom,'" she read dryly.

"The other side," Zuko replied, sounding amused, and she flipped it over to read the words on the other side.

"'Never give up without a fight.'" She looked up at him with a small smile, passing the dagger back to him. "That's good advice."

"Yeah." He sounded a little nostalgic as he tucked the blade away again.

"Does he know you still have it, Mr. Softie?" she teased and he glowered mildly at her before shoving her lightly in response as she laughed. "I'll take that as a no, then."

"No. And quit calling me that." She only grinned more widely.

* * *

They were still walking a few hours later, steadily losing hope that the ostrich horses hadn't outrun them, before Rinzen spotted a large rockslide down below.

"Hey, take a look at that. And the tracks are all messed up here." She pointed at the ground near the cliffside, where several ostrich horse prints were stamped over each other as if there had been a scuffle. "I think your uncle may have made an escape attempt. They can't be far, these must be only a few minutes old."

"Good, we're catching up." Zuko looked up suddenly and Rinzen followed his gaze, seeing a white mass outlined against the bright blue sky.

"Appa!" she exclaimed happily, but Zuko had other thoughts in mind.

"The Avatar!" He made to step in the direction Appa was flying before hesitating, looking at the ostrich horse prints leading ahead on the path.

Rinzen kept watching Appa before frowning. "That's not Aang up there. His way of flying Appa's different. And if he was up there, he'd always fly Appa." She turned to keep walking down the path. "You'd be wasting your time going after them now. Come on, we need to get to your uncle."

After another moment's hesitation, Zuko followed her, falling into step beside her. "Does that observation come from corraling sky bison herds, too?"

"No, that just comes from knowing my little brother and his bison in particular," she answered wryly.

"Did _you_ ever have a sky bison?" he asked abruptly.

Rinzen shook her head at the question. "Nah. You're supposed to be at a certain level of airbending by the time you're old enough to bond with one and I developed kind of slowly at first when it came to my bending. After that, I was just too old to bond with a bison."

Zuko grimaced a little. "Sorry to hear."

She shrugged. "It's okay. I don't think that iceberg we were stuck in for a hundred years could've fit more than one sky bison anyway. It would've been cramped in there." Zuko clearly hadn't expected that, because he snorted suddenly with amusement. Rinzen grinned at him before starting off at a faster pace, hoping they could catch up to the earthbenders and Iroh.

It was sunset by the time they came to a large ridge, finally spotting the earthbenders and Iroh down below. Iroh was, thankfully, wearing a loincloth, but his hands and feet were chained together and his wrists were stretched out over a large flat rock.

"These dangerous hands must be crushed," one of the earthbenders was saying, hovering a giant rock over Iroh's hands in preparation to drop it.

"Think you can take them without airbending?" Zuko asked Rinzen quietly.

"I've been trained in hand-to-hand combat for years, I'll be fine," she reassured him. He nodded before slidng down the side of the ridge, jumping up to kick the rock out of the way before it could drop on Iroh's hands. He then swung his foot down hard to break the chain with the heel of his boot even as Rinzen slid down the ridge as well.

"Excellent form, Prince Zuko," Iroh complimented and Zuko nodded as he took a fighting stance to face one of the earthbenders.

"You taught me well."

"Surrender yourselves, it's five against two," the captain said, going into a fighting stance while his companions did the same.

"What am I, part of the scenery?" Rinzen complained as she managed to get down the rest of the way to the ground.

The captain blinked at her in confusion, clearly uneasy at the thought of fighting a teenage girl. "Er..." He glanced around at his men, who looked just as uneasy. "Five against three," he corrected himself awkwardly after a moment. "Either way, you're clearly outnumbered."

"That may be, but you are clearly outmatched," Iroh answered.

What ensued next could only be described as complete chaos, with rocks and fire slinging back and forth as the earthbenders attacked and Zuko and Iroh retaliated, Iroh using his chains to catch each boulder and swing it back towards the offending soldier and Zuko using his firebending. Rinzen kept her airbending hidden, using hand-to-hand combat to take down one of the soldiers and flipping over his head the moment he threw a punch at her. She swept his feet out from underneath him with a subtle gust of air before knocking him out with a sharp jab to the head.

Soon, all the earthbenders were dispatched, some groaning and barely conscious while the others were completely knocked out. Rinzen stretched a little as she joined Zuko and Iroh.

"Good teamwork, everyone."

Zuko quirked a small smile before shoving the bag he had discarded before the fight at Iroh unceremoniously. "Now will you please put on some clothes?" Iroh flushed and grabbed the bag as Zuko nodded to Rinzen. "Let's get going."

He began to climb up the side of the ridge as Rinzen began to do the same, pushing herself up easily with a burst of air from her feet whenever her footing slipped. Iroh soon joined them at the top, thankfully clothed at last, and the three started towards the ship again, Zuko eager to get back onto Aang's trail.

The dirt path led them to a village by nightfall and Zuko made a beeline for an old man leaving one of the buildings. Rinzen felt her lips automatically purse as she lingered back, watching Zuko interrogate the man harshly and even push him through the door.

Once he had gotten the information he needed, he returned to her and Iroh, raising an eyebrow at her expression. "What?"

"You could've just asked him nicely, is all," Rinzen answered simply, shrugging as she began to walk again. "Where to now?"

"The Fire Nation." She stopped in her tracks, turning sharply again even as Iroh gaped at his nephew in shock.

"You're joking, right?" she demanded.

"Your brother is on his way to Crescent Island," Zuko answered impatiently. "He's going to talk to Avatar Roku at the Fire Temple there."

"Sailing in Fire Nation waters is dangerous," Iroh cautioned.

"If the Avatar's headed there, then so are we," Zuko said firmly, signaling the end of the discussion as he took the lead and began walking. Rinzen shared a nervous glance with Iroh before they began walking as well.

* * *

Once they were back on the ship and sailing west, even as they neared the edge of Fire Nation territory, Iroh repeated wearily, "Sailing in Fire Nation waters is one of the most foolish things you could do at this point."

"I have no choice, Uncle," Zuko protested, running a hand over his face wearily.

They had all been awake all night, sailing quickly to catch up to Aang and his friends, and Rinzen stifled a yawn before adding, "Isn't this technically treason or something since you're banished?"

"My father will understand why I'm returning home, I'm chasing the Avatar," Zuko retorted, glowering mildly at her.

"You give my brother too much credit, he's not the understanding type," Iroh said wryly.

"There they are," Zuko said instead of responding, lifting his telescope to peer up into the bright blue sky. Rinzen could make out a white shape flying quickly ahead of them, recognizing it to be Appa. "Helmsman! Full steam ahead!" Zuko ordered up to the helmsman and the ship began moving even faster. A part of the ship's floor moved and a large metal catapult was raised.

"What exactly do you plan on doing with that?" Rinzen asked sharply, fully alert now as she glanced between Zuko and the catapult.

"What do you think?" Zuko asked dryly as some soldiers loaded the catapult with a large, stinking projectile.

Rinzen wrinkled her nose at the smell before turning back to Zuko, glaring at him. "You are _not_ shooting them down."

Zuko blinked at her, a little bewildered. "Uh...yes, I _am_. How else am I going to capture the Avatar?"

"You're kidding, right?" Rinzen turned to Iroh. "He's kidding, right?"

She found no support with him, finding him fanning his face with a grimace. "Really, Prince Zuko, couldn't you shoot them down with something more fragrant?"

"You two are unbelievable!" Rinzen threw her hands up in the air before moving to stand stubbornly in front of the projectile. "You're not firing at them!"

Zuko just rolled his eyes, grabbing her shoulder and shoving her sharply aside before lighting the projectile. "On my mark! Fire!" he called and the catapult was released before Rinzen could regain her balance and put out the fire. It zoomed just past Appa and Rinzen let out a sharp exhale of relief at the bad aim mixed with anger.

"What are you playing at?!" she snapped at Zuko, who raised an eyebrow at her.

"I don't know what you think I'm doing, but I made it clear I'm capturing your brother."

"Ugh!" She pulled her hand back to punch him right in his smug, self-righteous face, fed up with his attitude, but his attention diverted just as she threw the punch and missed, losing her balance again. "Hey, at least look at me when I'm trying to hit you!" she complained as she stumbled and caught herself.

"A blockade," he said simply instead, wide-eyed and sounding horrified. Rinzen blinked at him before turning, her own eyes widening at the sight of several large Fire Nation ships lined up in two rows and stretched across the border between Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation waters.

"...can we turn around now?" Her voice left her in an embarrassing squeak. She was definitely not prepared for this kind of warfare.

"Technically you are still in Earth Kingdom waters. Turn back now and they cannot arrest you," Iroh agreed.

"He's not turning around," Zuko said in frustration as he swallowed his shock, glancing back up at the sky to watch Appa soaring towards the blockade without wavering.

"If the Fire Nation captures you, there's nothing I can do," Iroh answered desperately, "Do not follow the Avatar."

Zuko was silent for a long time and Rinzen hoped for a minute that he would agree, but then he took a deep breath and murmured, "I'm sorry, Uncle." He lifted his head, pointing straight ahead. "Run the blockade!" Rinzen glanced back at Iroh, who looked worried and resigned, before watching as the ship began moving again at full speed towards the barrier of Fire Nation ships.

* * *

**So, um. Yeah. I really don't have an excuse other that severe writer's block that had me stuck at the halfway point of this chapter for a really really long time as well as exams, my 21st birthday (by the way, alcohol really doesn't taste as good as people make it seem and I'm pretty much never drinking ever), and starting my internship as well as GRE prep. But I'll definitely try to start spending some time working on this fic because I really love it and want to keep going until I get to the parts that I've already written out in the midsection! Please enjoy!**


	7. Of Blockades and Scrolls

**Chapter 7: Of Blockades and Scrolls**

* * *

As the ship moved steadily closer and closer to the blockade, Rinzen found herself automatically gripping Zuko's arm tightly for support. He glanced at her once, but didn't say anything, his mouth pressed in a tight line as he turned back to stare straight ahead. That was when the blockade began to attack.

Fireballs - great, stinking ones like the projectile Zuko had fired earlier at Appa - flew in a large arc from every ship, aimed first at Appa and then descending down on their ship. Rinzen had to bite back a shriek as the first one landed right beside their ship, rocking the vessel roughly and tossing her right into Zuko's back as waves splashed over the railing and onto the deck. Zuko stumbled as well, regaining his footing just as the next fireball crashed right into the back of their ship, sending the ship rocking forward this time as something exploded belatedly.

"Prince Zuko! The engines are damaged!" one of the crewmen called. "We need to stop and make repairs!"

"Do _not_ stop this ship!" Zuko ordered instead, turning back to face the blockade.

Rinzen lifted her gaze to the sky worriedly to watch Appa duck and dodge each fireball, his white fur getting singed by the soot and embers as he narrowly missed several of them. All of a sudden, she saw a small figure fall from the saddle and her heart leapt into her throat, praying it wasn't Aang. The blue outfit made her recognize that it was Sokka even as Appa dove down abruptly and Sokka was pulled back into the saddle. Appa leveled out a few feet above the water, zooming back up over the blockade and sailing over.

"They made it," she said, relieved, before realizing that two ships had begun moving to close the gap where their ship was headed. "We can't reach that opening in time," she protested, turning back to Zuko only to find his expression set.

"We're on a collision course," Iroh warned.

"We can make it!" Zuko answered tersely, his gaze fixed on one of the ships. Rinzen followed his gaze to find Commander Zhao standing at the bow of the other ship, staring directly at them with a smirk on his face. She grimaced at the sight of him and automatically moved closer to Zuko, who placed his hand on her shoulder in response and squeezed it gently. It was probably one of the nicest gestures he had ever shown towards her, and if she wasn't so worried about them all crashing and drowning, she would have been a little confused and flattered.

All of a sudden, the two ships ahead of them stopped abruptly and their own smoking ship passed through the space. Zuko glared up at Zhao, who stared calmly back, and the instant they were through the blockade, Rinzen let out a shaky sigh.

"Let's not do that again, I'm not sure my heart can take that stress."

"_Your_ heart? What about an old man's?" Iroh demanded wryly.

"Yeah, well, I'm technically older," Rinzen retorted, earning an odd look from Zuko. "A hundred and sixteen, remember?" she clarified for his sake before adding to Iroh, "So I think I'm entitled." Iroh merely chuckled before patting her shoulder concedingly.

"What's he up to? Why didn't he arrest me?" Zuko cut into the conversation, glancing back at Zhao's ship skeptically.

"He wants to follow you, obviously," Rinzen answered, stepping back a little when she realized just how close she was to him. "He's looking to get Aang just as much as you do."

"Then if Zhao wants to follow a trail of smoke, that's exactly what I'll let him do," Zuko decided, looking ahead again at the approaching island. Rinzen could now see why it was called Crescent Island; the entire island was curved exactly to match a crescent moon. "Ready one of the boats," Zuko ordered his men, distracting her as one of the smaller boats was brought out. "Keep going north, Zhao will follow the smoke trail," he instructed Iroh. "I'll use it as a cover and go to the island."

"I'm coming, too," Rinzen said, moving to follow him to the boat, and he shook his head.

"I'm not an idiot, I know you'll just try to keep the Avatar safe. You're staying here." Before she could protest, he climbed into the boat and was lowered into the water. With an angry huff, Rinzen glared down at him as he began rowing to shore even as Iroh placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Rinzen. Your brother has evaded Zuko many times before," he reassured her.

"It's tough for you to say that, isn't it?" she asked wryly, turning back to him. "When I know you want Zuko to catch him so you both can go home?"

Iroh looked a little torn even as he nodded. "Yes, but I also believe that this quest may not be the right path for Zuko to follow."

"Trust me, I do, too." Rinzen glanced back at the boat disappearing into the distance, chewing her lip nervously even as the ship turned to begin sailing north. Zhao never followed them, which only worried her more.

Zuko returned only around dusk, climbing aboard the ship distinctly irritated and Avatar-less, for which Rinzen was relieved.

"Zhao didn't follow us," she informed him.

"I think I noticed that when he ambushed us at the temple," he deadpanned as he went inside to find Iroh. Rinzen couldn't help a quiet sigh of relief, looking up at the evening sky to see Appa flying towards the horizon and disappearing out of sight. She remained watching the sky for a while until it was night before finally returning inside.

* * *

The monotony of sailing again finally settled in after a few days, and by then, even Rinzen was bored of it. Zuko had ordered full steam ahead to go after Aang and his friends, and that meant hardly any breaks or ports of call. Still, Zuko himself was getting restless as well and took most of his irritation out on his crew members with firebending practice.

Currently, he was sparring against Lieutenant Ji, and Rinzen was perched on the edge of the railing to watch them. It was a completely different experience to see firebending when she herself only knew how airbending worked. Airbending required circular movements to avoid rather than directly attack, and Rinzen was always fascinated to see how other forms of bending played out.

All of a sudden, the ship jolted, changing directions and causing Rinzen to topple off the railing. Luckily, she landed on the deck rather than in the water, grimacing as she climbed to her feet and saw Zuko and Ji doing the same.

"Someone's changing our course," Zuko said angrily, glaring up at the tower before storming inside. Deciding to take a leaf out of Iroh's book and calm Zuko down, Rinzen followed him up to the navigation room. "What is the meaning of this mutiny? No one told you to change course!" Zuko demanded as he slammed the door open and made his way inside.

"Actually, someone did," Iroh said calmly as Rinzen entered the room as well, seeing that he was playing a game of Pai Sho with one of the crew members there. "I assure you, it is a matter of utmost importance, Prince Zuko."

"Please tell me it's something to do with the Avatar," Zuko answered, barely holding his irritation in as Rinzen took a seat at the table and examined the Pai Sho board curiously.

"Even more urgent," Iroh insisted. "It seems I have lost my lotus tile." He slid a tile across the board and the other crew member looked at Rinzen helplessly. Rolling her eyes, she moved a tile for him and he gave her a small grateful smile before turning back to study the board.

"Lotus tile?" Zuko echoed, bewildered.

"For my Pai Sho game. Most people think the lotus tile insignificant, but it is essential for the unusual strategy that I employ," Iroh explained cheerfully before glancing at the board. "Did you just help him cheat?" he asked, looking up at Rinzen, who just grinned. "Shame on you, young lady, very unsporting of you."

"You changed our course for a stupid _lotus tile_?" Zuko repeated incredulously.

"See, you, like most people, underestimate its value," Iroh scolded mildly, "Just give me ten minutes to check the merchants at this port of call. Hopefully, they will have the lotus tile in stock and I can get on with my life." He moved another tile and Rinzen moved a tile in response once the crew member looked at her again.

Zuko huffed angrily, clearly frustrated both by the change of plans as well as being ignored, before tilting his head up impulsively and breathing a stream of fire at the ceiling. The room filled with thick dark smoke briefly.

"I'm so lucky to have such an understanding nephew," Iroh said cheerfully even as Rinzen waved away the smoke with a small blast of air.

"Quit being overdramatic," she told Zuko dryly as she moved another tile in response to Iroh's next move, the crew member moving aside so that she could take over for him. "It's an hour or two in port at most. I promise Appa can't fly that far in that time." Somewhat mollified, Zuko left the room, grumbling, allowing Rinzen to turn back to the Pai Sho board.

* * *

"Stop fidgeting," Zuko muttered as Rinzen moved her headband for the fifth time. They had landed in port and stayed behind while Iroh shopped around for the lotus tile. "You're only drawing more attention."

"Sorry." Rinzen dropped her hands, doing her best to keep still.

"This is stupid," he added irritably. "We've already been here for an hour."

"Humor your uncle, we'll be done soon," she answered even as Iroh approached them, looking dejected.

"I've checked all the shops on this pier. Not a lotus tile in the entire marketplace," he informed them morosely.

"Oh, well, good to know this trip was a complete waste of time for everyone," Zuko said sarcastically.

"Quite the contrary. I always say, the only thing better than finding something you are looking for-" Iroh looked over his shoulder and Rinzen gaped at the huge number of parcels being carried onto the ship. "-is finding something you weren't looking for at a great bargain," Iroh finished cheerfully.

"Is that a tsungi horn?" Zuko said incredulously as the instrument was carried onboard.

"For music night," Iroh said defensively and Rinzen snorted with amusement.

"You have _music night_?"

"Every few months or so, it boosts the crew's morale," Iroh told her. "Now if only we had some woodwinds." He perked up, pointing to a large wooden boat docked near theirs. "That looks promising!"

Almost immediately after stepping onto the boat, Rinzen felt uneasy, especially when she saw the two men in the back corner. One wore a green tunic and a bandanna tied around his head while the other had a large black hat and an iguana parrot perched on his shoulder. They were clearly pirates, and while Rinzen had never actually met a pirate face to face, she knew this wasn't a good situation to be in and inched unconsciously closer to Zuko.

Iroh seemed to have no qualms about the place, beelining for a monkey statue on the wall and admiring it. "Oh, that is handsome! Wouldn't it look magnificent in the galley?" Rinzen glanced at the monkey statue skeptically before looking up at Zuko, who looked equally creeped out by the statue's eerie ruby eyes.

"We lost the Water Tribe girl and the little bald monk she was traveling with," the smaller pirate was saying to the other, who looked like the captain. Rinzen did her best not to react, even though she mentally began to worry. The pirates could only have been talking about Aang and Katara, and the fact that her brother was possibly in the same town as Zuko was not good.

She hoped Zuko hadn't been listening, but her hopes were dashed when he perked up and moved towards the pirates.

"This monk, did he have an arrow on his head?" he demanded, abruptly reaching over to pull Rinzen's headband up. "Like hers?"

The pirate captain surveyed Rinzen with interest and she squirmed uncomfortably under the scrutiny, tugging her headband down again. "Aye, he did," he confirmed. "His little girlfriend stole a priceless waterbending scroll from us."

The look on Zuko's face didn't give Rinzen much hope of Aang and his friends getting away.

* * *

"I don't like them," Rinzen muttered as she, Zuko, and Iroh made their way down the river in a boat. It was late at night now, the woods around them silent with only insects chirping and water running.

"Well, try to contain your disdain," Zuko retorted quietly, glancing at the other boat sailing beside theirs. "We still need them for a while longer."

"_We_ don't need anyone," Rinzen sharply answered, "It was _your_ idea to make friendly with them. Unless you've forgotten, pirates don't exactly have a trustworthy reputation."

Zuko just huffed a little, turning to look down the length of the river. "You're just making a scene because they're going to help us find the Avatar."

"That, too. But it doesn't mean I'm not right about not trusting them," Rinzen said, crossing her arms.

It was a little further down the river that they began hearing something that wasn't the insects or the rush of water - the distinct noise of splashes and a frustrated voice that Rinzen recognized as Katara's. As the noises grew steadily louder, she began losing hope that Zuko wouldn't notice and sail right on by.

Instead, he nodded wordlessly to the pirates looking over at him expectantly from the other boat as he moved to dock their own boat on the shore quietly. The pirates docked beside them and climbed down to the shore stealthily, Zuko following them, and that was when Rinzen climbed down from the boat quietly, too.

The moment she hit the rocky bank of the river and Zuko turned, noticing her, she called out loudly, "Katara, run!" A rustling noise came from the bushes as Katara apparently followed her command, but then the other girl yelped loudly.

"Let go of me!" One of the pirates had caught up to her, and she splashed water in his face just as she came into view. Zuko stepped in, catching her wrists and clutching them tightly so that she couldn't break free.

"I'll save you from the pirates."

"You literally could not sound creepier if you tried, for the record," Rinzen sighed wearily as Katara was taken by the pirates to be tied to a tree. Abruptly, she was grabbed by the pirates as well, dragged back towards the tree beside Katara's. "What gives?!" she demanded angrily, glaring at Zuko.

"I couldn't risk you freeing her or going to warn the others," he answered even as Rinzen's wrists were tied behind her. She sullenly kicked some sand from the riverbank at him in response. "Tell me where the Avatar is and I won't hurt you or your brother," he addressed Katara, ignoring Rinzen as he picked up the waterbending scroll laying on a rock nearby and rolled it up.

"Go jump in the river," Katara spat back at him.

"Try to understand, I need to capture him to restore something I've lost, my honor," Zuko tried to reason, but Katara just jerked her head away angrily. "Maybe in exchange I can restore something you've lost?" He pulled out a necklace and it was only then that Rinzen noticed that Katara wasn't wearing the necklace she usually was.

"My mother's necklace!" the Water Tribe girl gasped. "How did you get that?"

"I didn't steal it if that's what you mean," Zuko answered dryly. "Now tell me where he is."

"No!" Rinzen had to admire Katara's stubbornness, especially when she was being held hostage by pirates.

"Enough of this necklace garbage! You promised a scroll!" the pirate captain burst out, frustrated.

Zuko looked unfazed as he pulled out the scroll in question. "I wonder how much this is worth," he pondered as he summoned a flame in his other hand and held it under the scroll, causing the pirates to gasp. "A lot, apparently. Now you help me find what I want, you'll get this back, and everyone goes home happy. Search the woods for the boy and meet back here," he ordered.

"Fine," the captain grumbled and he and his crew disappeared into the woods.

Rinzen took the opportunity to kick more sand at Zuko, glowering at him even as she inwardly hoped Aang would avoid being captured long enough for herself and Katara to escape.

* * *

**Yeah, I'm definitely trying to get these up faster, but bear with me, I'm also studying for the GRE and working an internship at the same time! :) Enjoy!**


	8. Stormy Seas Ahead

**Chapter 8: Stormy Seas Ahead**

* * *

"Nice work," Zuko praised as the pirates brought back Aang and Sokka, both tied and struggling.

"Rin!" Aang perked up when he saw Rinzen, who smiled back at him wryly.

"Hey. Fancy seeing you here." He didn't seem bothered by the fact that they were captured, though, still beaming at her.

"Aang, this is all my fault," Katara confessed.

"No, it's not," Aang reassured her.

"Yeah, it kind of is," Iroh piped up, having joined them, and Katara glowered at him.

"Give me the boy," Zuko demanded and the pirate captain raised an eyebrow.

"You give us the scroll."

Sokka visibly brightened a little. "You're really gonna hand over the Avatar for a piece of parchment?" Realizing what he was doing, Rinzen kept her mouth shut instead of arguing.

"Your friend is the Avatar?" The pirate captain looked at Sokka, interested.

"Don't listen to him! He's trying to turn us against each other!" Zuko protested before glaring at Sokka. "Shut your mouth, peasant."

"Yeah, Sokka, you really should shut your mouth," Aang hissed through clenched teeth.

"I'm just saying, it's bad business sense. Just imagine how much the Fire Lord would pay for the Avatar. You guys would be set for life," Sokka said innocently.

The pirate captain pondered that briefly before pointing his sword at Zuko. "Keep the scroll. We can buy a hundred with the reward we'll get for the kid."

"You'll regret breaking a deal with me," Zuko snarled as he released a blast of fire at the pirates and then a huge dust cloud plumed up as the pirates began to fight against Zuko and the guards he had brought with him from the ship.

Rinzen felt little teeth biting into her bonds and turned to see a little flying lemur nibbling at the ropes until they snapped. She scooped it up and set it on her shoulder as she undid Katara's ropes as well. The Water Tribe girl gave her a brief smile and the lemur fluttered off Rinzen's shoulder over to her. "Thanks, Momo, I owe you a bushel of apples," Katara crooned to the lemur, scratching its large ears.

"Get Aang and Sokka and get out of here," Rinzen told her. "Is Appa nearby?"

Katara glanced around anxiously, trying to spot Aang and her brother. "I don't know. I think Aang got a bison whistle at the market, that should call Appa, right?"

"Let's hope." Rinzen pushed her towards the shore. "Take the pirates' boat, you can bend the water around it to steer it. I'll keep Zuko from following you."

Katara gave her a grateful look. "Thanks. Be safe." She squeezed Rinzen's hand before running into the fray to find Aang and Sokka. Rinzen followed her, but split off to find Zuko and the pirate captain battling. Before she could reach them, Iroh got there first, shoving them apart.

"Are you two so busy fighting that you cannot see your own ship has set sail?" he pointed out.

"This is no time for proverbs, Uncle!" Zuko snapped back at him, steam billowing out of his nose in frustration.

"It's no proverb." Iroh pointed at the river, where Katara and Aang were bending the water to get the pirates' boat moving and climbing aboard with Sokka. Secretly, Rinzen felt a rush of pride when she realized that Aang had already started learning how to waterbend.

"Bleeding hogmonkeys!" the pirate captain swore and ran after the swiftly-moving ship as Zuko snorted with amusement.

"I wouldn't laugh so soon," Rinzen said as she noticed their own boat moving down the river, the other pirates on board and waving mockingly at them.

"Hey!" Zuko realized what she was looking at and chased after the boat.

"Maybe it should be a proverb," Iroh mused thoughtfully and Rinzen patted his shoulder.

"I wouldn't count on it catching on." They both set off after Zuko, who stopped at the edge of the waterfall and watched the boat crash into the water below.

"My boat!" Zuko complained, staring down at the wreckage, and Rinzen noticed Iroh fiddling with his sleeve.

"Prince Zuko, you're really going to get a kick out of this," the older man began, amused, "The missing lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!" He pulled it out, grinning innocently. Breathing harshly, Zuko turned and snatched the lotus tile out of Iroh's hand, throwing it as far as he could. Rinzen watched it bounce off one of the pirates' heads poking out of the water below before looking up to see Appa soaring into the cloud layer above. She let out a small, relieved breath, glad they had escaped once more.

* * *

Rinzen didn't really like storms anymore. She had once admired their beauty, lightning zigzagging across the dark sky as rain lashed at the windows of the Southern Air Temple, but ever since the storm that had driven her and Aang into the ocean, every roll of thunder sent a shiver up her spine.

The ship had weathered a few mild thunderstorms since she had been on board, and even though it was a clear sunny day, something about the cool breeze in the air left her feeling uneasy.

"There's a big storm coming in," Iroh told Zuko, confirming her suspicions.

"You're out of your mind, Uncle. The weather's perfect. Not a cloud in sight," Zuko dismissed, opening his telescope to peer at the horizon briefly.

"He's right, though," Rinzen answered, biting back a small smirk when Zuko started in surprise at the sound of her voice; she hadn't really spoken to him since the incident with the pirates, especially after he had refused to apologize for tying her to a tree. "There is a storm coming, I can feel it."

He rolled his eyes. "And I suppose I'm just supposed to trust your good judgment and turn the ship around?" Rinzen just raised an eyebrow at him and he scoffed back at her. "Not happening. You just want me off the Avatar's trail."

"The storm is approaching from the north," Iroh cut in before Rinzen could argue, "I suggest we alter our course and head southwest."

"The Avatar is traveling north," Zuko answered stubbornly, "So we'll do the same."

"Hey, we're only considering the safety of the crew here," Rinzen said sharply, causing Zuko to glare at her.

"The safety of the crew doesn't matter!" Rinzen could see Lieutenant Ji stopping in his tracks from where he was entering the open deck. Noticing, Zuko turned to walk straight up to Lieutenant Ji with his good eye narrowed. "Finding the Avatar is far more important than any individual's safety." He stormed past Lieutenant Ji and into the ship, probably to his quarters.

"He doesn't mean that, he's just all worked up," Iroh did his best to soothe Ji's temper as Rinzen followed Zuko inside, her own temper smoldering.

"You're telling me you'd risk dozens of lives for your own crazy crusade?" she snapped at his retreating back and he turned sharply to face her, glaring.

"Finding the Avatar is all that matters. Everything important to me depends on it."

"Hey, if your father really cared about you, I doubt he'd have kicked you out of your home," she retorted and abruptly found herself pinned against the wall, her feet dangling a few inches off the ground and a burning hot hand wrapped around her throat. She grabbed at his wrist for purchase, glad it was covered by his armor so that her fingers wouldn't get scalded by the heat rising from Zuko's skin.

"You have no right to talk about fathers," Zuko snarled and she made a small choking noise, unable to do much else. She barely registered his good eye widening slightly in surprise at his own actions before he released her quickly, taking a few steps backwards. Rinzen rubbed at her throat, glad it wasn't burned, and opened her mouth to say something, but Zuko was already hurrying down the hall, his door slamming shut behind him.

Grimacing a little, Rinzen returned to the deck. At least the open sea air would help calm her down and hopefully ease any future tension between her and Zuko if he showed up again.

It was another few hours of sitting on deck watching the crew go about their chores before Rinzen noticed the dark ominous clouds in the distance rolling in and repressed a small shudder of displeasure. She hated being right about storms.

"Looks like your uncle was right after all," Lieutenant Ji sneered and Rinzen turned slightly to see Zuko coming out onto the deck.

"Lucky guess," Iroh said with a shrug as he sat down beside Rinzen.

The look on Zuko's face was just as thunderous as the clouds approaching. "Lieutenant, you'd better learn some respect or I'll teach it to you," he said coldly, jabbing two fingers into Ji's chest before turning to head back inside.

Rinzen grimaced at the challenging expression on Ji's face and she could see Iroh wincing and pinching the bridge of his nose. "What do you know about respect? The way you talk to everyone around here, from your hard working crew to your esteemed uncle shows you know nothing about respect. You don't care about anyone but yourself! Then again, what should I expect from a spoiled prince?"

Zuko wheeled around, his expression furious as he took up an offensive stance. Ji did the same and Iroh quickly got to his feet to break them apart.

"Enough! We are all a bit tired from being at sea so long. I'm sure after a bowl of noodles everyone will feel much better." Ji huffed and turned away, breaking eye contact with Zuko, and Zuko glared at Iroh.

"I don't need your help keeping order on my ship." He shrugged off the hand Iroh placed on his shoulder and made his way to the bow of the ship to glare out at the dark horizon.

As Ji and Iroh retreated into the ship and the rest of the crew did the same, Rinzen hesitated before getting to her feet and moving to the bow to stand just behind Zuko.

"He was only trying to help," she said quietly and saw Zuko twitch slightly, surprised at the sound of her voice.

"I don't need his help," he muttered stubbornly.

"Doesn't mean you have to be rude about it," she answered stiffly.

Her annoyance quickly fizzled out the moment Zuko's shoulders slumped a little. "I know." After another moment, he turned back towards her. "How's your throat?" he asked abruptly.

She blinked, bewildered, and rubbed at her throat absently. "It's fine. No harm done." She figured it was as close to a real apology as she was going to get from him. She glanced at the clouds approaching with a grimace. "You're sure you're not going to turn the ship another direction until the storm passes?"

Whatever softness there had been in Zuko's face disappeared in an instant, his expression hardening again. "Positive." He pushed past her and headed inside again. Rinzen watched him go, only following once the first few drops of cold rain began to fall. She retreated to her own quarters and lay down, deciding to at least take a short nap before the storm and the rocking of the boat made it impossible to sleep any longer.

* * *

Rather than the storm waking her, she awoke to the sound of the door slamming open and Zuko standing in the doorway, eyes wide as he looked around.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes and asked around a yawn, "What is it?"

"I heard you scream," he answered shortly, concluding his inspection of the cabin.

Rinzen flushed, embarrassed. "Oh. I didn't even realize. Sorry, must've been a bad dream." She flinched as a loud crack of thunder reverberated through the metal of the ship. "I don't really do well during a storm," she admitted and something in Zuko's expression softened a little.

"You, um...you can stay in my quarters if you want. Until the storm passes, I mean. Probably safer with someone else around. Metal ship and all, the lightning might hit it." He gestured vaguely behind himself, a faint pinkness in his cheeks. To spare them both any further embarrassment, Rinzen nodded as she got up and grabbed one of the thick blankets from her bed. She hated being cold these days.

Zuko didn't say a word as he led her back to his quarters, letting her in before shutting the door behind them and going to take a seat in front of a small table with candles and incense already lit. She presumed he was meditating and left him to it, taking a seat on the floor beside his bed and wrapping her warm blanket around herself to bundle up.

A few awkward moments of silence went by before Zuko finally broke the silence, "I don't really like storms, either." He sounded somewhat uncomfortable, possibly because Rinzen was rarely ever in his quarters.

"I used to love them when I was a kid," she said in response, curling up a little further on herself. "There was something beautiful about them."

"What changed?" She was surprised to hear genuine curiosity in his voice as he turned slightly to glance at her.

"A storm's what trapped me and my brother in the ice," she said simply. She could tell her answer wasn't too satisfying, so she discarded the blanket and moved closer to sit next to him slowly. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just that you never really explained how that happened." He frowned back at her curiously.

She bit her lip, hesitating and debating whether he really needed to know or not. "It's a long story."

"We've got time," he pointed out wryly, "The storm's not passing anytime soon."

She cracked a wry smile in return, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. "I'd known since Aang was born that he was the Avatar, but the monks wanted him to grow up as normal as possible. We only told him about it after he turned twelve. Things started changing after that for him. His friends wouldn't play with him anymore, and he kind of withdrew into himself. Hardly did anything but play Pai Sho with me and Monk Gyatso." Seeing Zuko's confused look, she elaborated, "Monk Gyatso was our mentor. Taught us everything we know about airbending."

Zuko's expression softened slightly. "He was like a father to you," he guessed and she nodded, dropping her gaze away from him.

"Yeah. As close to one as either of us had ever had." Refusing to think about Monk Gyatso and the sharp pang of loss that came with that train of thought, she continued, "One day, Aang overheard the elder monks deciding to send us away to the Eastern Air Temple to finish our training there. Neither of us wanted to go, so that night, we packed up and left on Appa." She placed her chin on her knees, staring into the flickering flame in front of her.

"You ran away?" Zuko asked, bewildered.

"They were going to take us away from our home." Rinzen glanced back up at him. "Everything we knew and loved was at the Southern Air Temple and they were going to send us away."

Something in his expression seemed to clear and he looked away. "I know what that's like."

"Yeah." Rinzen looked down at the candles on the table again. "We flew Appa all the way down to the South Pole before the storm hit. It sent us underwater and-" She broke off, shivering a little at the memory of Aang's glowing eyes in the dark swirling water. Suddenly, something warm wrapped around her, bringing her out of the memory, and she realized Zuko had grabbed her blanket and tucked it around her shoulders. Pulling it further around herself, she managed a small smile back up at him, startled by his kindness as she finished, "Next thing I knew, I was waking up in the iceberg. And you know the rest from there, I guess. So there it is, then. I don't like storms because the last time I went through one this bad, I lost everything."

"No. You don't like storms because you feel guilty for running away and leaving your people to die." She was startled enough by that to glance up at Zuko, who was watching her quietly. "If you had stayed, you would have been killed along with the other airbenders."

"You don't know that," Rinzen said, glancing away.

"I know what my great-grandfather's plans had been," Zuko reminded her. "He destroyed the airbenders because he wanted to make sure the Avatar wouldn't stop him. If you and your brother had stayed, he and his army would have killed you both without hesitation."

Rinzen swallowed back the lump in her throat, burying her face into her knees. "We should never have run away," she said plaintively, her voice hitching. Abruptly, she felt something warm wrapping around her and she froze, realizing Zuko had put his arms around her. After a moment, she let herself lean into his embrace, pressing her face into his shoulder and glad he had removed his armor so that she was pressed against his warm shirt instead of hard armor plates.

"I'm glad you did," he said quietly and she huffed a wry, wet-sounding laugh against his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'll bet you are, now you get to chase my brother halfway across the world."

"Not because of that," he dismissed and then thought better of it. "Okay, maybe a little because of that." She cracked a grin and pulled back to wipe her eyes, but then the boat rocked roughly and a loud cracking sound reverberated through the ship. Zuko jolted back sharply and got to his feet. "The lightning must have hit the ship," he said, blowing out the candles on the table before they could roll off and start a fire. Rinzen clambered to her feet quickly to follow him out the door.

"I hate to say it, but I _told_ you we should have changed directions," she scolded him as they ran down the hall and up the stairs to the open deck.

"Save it for later," he told her sharply as they ran out into the pouring rain. "Where were we hit?" he demanded as he found Lieutenant Ji. Rinzen stumbled a little as the ship rocked against the waves crashing into it, water splashing onboard and drenching everyone on deck.

"I don't know!" Lieutenant Ji called back over the howling wind. "The bridge, I think!"

"The helmsman!" one of the crew members called, pointing upwards, and Rinzen could see a man hanging from the top rigging of the ship, squinting against the wind and rain as she brushed her wet hair out of her face. She hurried to the ladder to start climbing up, Zuko just barely beating her to it as he began to climb ahead of her. She shrieked a little as lightning zigzagged right near them, but it suddenly changed directions and she looked down to see Iroh redirecting it over the water.

Just then, the helmsman slipped off the rigging with a cry and Zuko reached out, grabbing hold of the man's arm. He nearly slipped off the ladder as well and Rinzen grabbed onto his sodden shirt, yanking him back against the ladder so that he could grasp it again with his free arm. He nodded down to her and they climbed down, the helmsman getting ushered below deck by a few crew members. Rinzen could see Lieutenant Ji glancing at Zuko, his opinion clearly changed of the prince.

"The Avatar!" Zuko said suddenly and Rinzen turned to see Appa soaring just below the clouds.

"Appa!" Her voice was drowned out by the wind as she hurried to the bow to get a closer look, but she hoped Aang and his friends wouldn't come any closer.

"What do you want to do, sir?" she barely heard Ji ask Zuko, who paused in thought.

"Let them go." Her heart stopped in shock and she whirled around to face Zuko, who was no longer looking at Appa, but directly at her. "We need to get this ship to safety."

"Then we must head directly into the eye of the storm," Iroh decided and soon enough, the ship was turning to head towards the eye of the storm.

Rinzen watched as Appa swooped upwards to avoid a large wall of water before it overwhelmed the bison and pulled him and his passengers under. She clutched the bow of the ship tightly, peering anxiously at the water and for the first time in her life hoping to see the tell-tale glow of Aang's Avatar spirit. At least it would mean he and his friends would have survived.

Just as they reached the eye of the storm, the torrential rain slowing to a drizzle, Appa burst out of the water just in front of the ship. Rinzen could see Aang peering over the side of the saddle at them and smiled broadly up at him as he smiled weakly back at her. Soon, Appa was out of sight as he vanished above the clouds and Rinzen turned to see Zuko watching the bison disappear, his expression unreadable. After a moment, he looked back at her, his nose wrinkling at her drenched clothes and wet hair.

"You look like a drowned rat."

She scoffed back at him. "Yeah, because you look so much better, _Your Highness_."

Zuko glanced down at himself, conceding defeat with a mild shrug that took Rinzen off-guard. She didn't think he'd ever given up on a fight so easily, with how quickly his temper tended to go off. "Fair enough. Let's get inside, you need to get changed into dry clothes or I'll never hear the end of you whining when you catch a cold." Rinzen rolled her eyes, but accepted the concern for what it was with a small smile as she followed him back into the ship. Once they were out of earshot of everyone else, Zuko added abruptly, "You meditate, right?"

"Um. Yeah. Sometimes." Rinzen blinked back at him, surprised.

"You can join me if you want now on."

"Oh." She didn't know where the sudden offer had come from, but at least it meant he was starting to lower his guard down around her a little. Maybe this was a sign he wouldn't fight with her so much. "Sure. I'd like that."

She was stunned by the actual smile Zuko gave her before he returned to his quarters, and she was left standing in the hallway dumbly for a moment, reeling over what had just happened before she finally made her way to her own quarters to get changed.

* * *

**So, um. Sorry for the delay? Life and a huge case of writer's block kind of hit me in the face with a really big shovel. I'll do my best to write more frequently, so sorry again! But hey, at least Rinzen and Zuko are getting along better?**

**Yeah, taking such a huge break from this story really did a number on my ability to write well, so I apologize for not doing "The Storm" justice since I really love this episode. Hope you enjoyed!**


	9. Rocking the Boat

**Chapter 9: Rocking the Boat**

* * *

It was easy to settle into a rhythm - Zuko would inevitably find Aang and track him down, Rinzen did the best she could to assist Aang whenever she snuck off the ship, and Aang narrowly made it away each time. What was really surprising about it all was that Zuko didn't even seem to be annoyed that Rinzen was helping Aang like he had been before.

"It's not like I can blame you," he answered when she pointed this out to him, shrugging mildly and glaring at her when she raised her eyebrows in response. "I'm sorry, did you want me to throw you in the jail cell again?" Rinzen wisely kept her mouth shut, deciding that it was better not to push her good luck thus far.

She began to take Zuko's offer up of joining him for meditation, and found that it actually helped her focus better to have someone else beside her doing the same breathing exercises. It also helped to get away from some of the less appealing qualities of the ship, which was accentuated one particular night by the sound of the tsungi horn echoing down the metal hallways as she knocked before entering Zuko's quarters.

"I thought you'd be enjoying music night," Zuko said as Rinzen took a seat beside him and she wrinkled her nose.

"No thanks. I like listening to music as much as the next person, but I prefer meditating." She placed her fists together, crossing her legs and closing her eyes. "Ready?"

Zuko didn't reply as he closed his eyes as well, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Rinzen could see the candles in front of them dimming and flaring in time with his breathing and found it oddly soothing to watch the flames flicker.

After a few moments, she broke the silence. "You know, for a guy who meditates a lot, your anger management still needs a lot of work."

"Hey, that's uncalled for, I haven't insulted you once today," Zuko complained, opening his eyes to look at her, and she grinned.

"It's true. Seriously, why all the meditation if it doesn't even work?"

"Well, Uncle says it might, and I'm hoping he's right. And I'm getting better at it these days than I used to be even a year ago."

"It must be my charming presence," Rinzen joked and he surprisingly looked contemplative.

"I _have_ been focusing more when you meditate with me."

"Hey, let's not turn this into a real moment here, I was only joking," she hurried to add and his lips quirked in a tiny smile.

"I know you were." Closing his eyes, he went back to meditating and Rinzen found herself struggling to return to her original focus as she glanced at him once in a while. "I can tell you're staring," Zuko muttered after a few minutes without opening his eyes and she flushed.

"Sorry."

"It's the scar, isn't it?" he sighed wearily.

"Not for the reason you think," she quickly reassured him and saw the tension in his shoulders ease marginally. "Your uncle told me how you got it, you know. The first week I was here, actually, when I was still locked in the cell."

Zuko's lips pursed a little as he finally turned to look at her. "He shouldn't have said anything."

"It's not his fault, I'm the one who asked about it." She hesitated before asking, "Does it still hurt?" He shook his head. "Can I touch it?"

"Why would you want to touch it?" he asked in response, bewildered. "It's a scar, nothing else to it."

"Just curious." She shrugged.

After a moment, he answered quietly as he closed his eyes again, "I guess it's okay." She reached up, tentatively running her fingers over the edge of the scar. It felt rough compared to normal skin, but Zuko remained still as she continued to run her fingers over the burned skin, so she assumed it wasn't bothering him.

Finally, she let her hand drop away before she inched a little closer, their shoulders bumping together. "It's not that bad, you know."

He opened his eyes, scoffing in disbelief. "Are you just lying to make me feel better?"

"Of course not, I was raised by monks. Lying doesn't come that easily to me." He snorted a little in amusement at that. "I mean it. The scar's a part of you, there's nothing to be ashamed of." He glanced down, unsure how to respond to that, but before he could reply, the door opened and Iroh came in.

"For the last time, Uncle, I'm not playing the tsungi horn," Zuko snapped at him.

"Don't rope me into it, either," Rinzen added with a grin. "I can't carry a tune to save my life."

"No, it's not about that," Iroh told them, an unusual frown on his face, and Rinzen's smile faded at the sight of his somber expression. "There's been a change in our plans."

The sound of footsteps came from behind him and an unpleasantly familiar face entered the room.

"I'm taking your crew," Admiral Zhao said and Zuko jolted to his feet furiously.

"What?"

Rinzen got to her feet as well, surprised. "You can't do that, can you?"

"Well, the order's been given, so yes, I can." Zhao gave her a smile that unnerved her and she unconsciously inched back a little behind Zuko. "I've recruited them for a little expedition to the North Pole."

"Uncle, is this true?" Zuko demanded and Iroh nodded miserably.

"He's taking everyone. Even the cook." He looked particularly dismayed at that.

"Sorry you won't be there to watch me capture the Avatar. But I can't have you getting in my way again," Zhao added smugly.

"You can't do that!" Zuko protested, but Rinzen grabbed his arm when he moved forward angrily to attack Zhao. Glancing at her, he sighed frustratedly and stepped back again.

Abruptly, Zhao's expression changed as he saw something on the wall and Rinzen followed his line of sight to a pair of swords mounted on the wall. She had always just dismissed them as decorations, but clearly there was something more to them than she knew. As Zhao went closer to take one down and examine it, Rinzen felt Zuko's arm tense slightly under her palm where she was still holding it.

"I didn't know you were skilled with broadswords, Prince Zuko," Zhao interrupted her train of thought, swinging the sword experimentally.

"I'm not. They're antiques, just decorative," Zuko answered stiffly.

"Are you familiar with the Blue Spirit?" Zhao addressed Rinzen now, who blinked.

"Uh, no. Should I be?" Realizing she was still holding onto Zuko's arm tightly, she quickly dropped it and stepped a little away from Zuko. He blinked at her, as if only just realizing she'd been holding his arm as well.

"Yes. You see, I had your brother in custody for a while at a stronghold. The Blue Spirit helped him escape." Rinzen's eyes widened, recalling with a sudden flash of clarity the one night Zuko had been mysteriously missing the whole night and had only come back exhausted in the morning with no explanation. "He's a criminal and an enemy of the Fire Nation. But I have a feeling justice will catch up to him soon." Zhao smiled cruelly as he replaced the sword on the wall before turning for the door. "General Iroh, the offer to join my mission still stands, if you change your mind." He left after that, still smirking.

"Get out," Zuko snapped and Iroh was quick to leave the room. "I said get out," Zuko repeated, glaring at Rinzen, who blinked.

"What? Why?"

"Because it's my room! Out!" Blinking in hurt, she obediently left the room and flinched as Zuko slammed the door shut as soon as she was outside. Quietly, she returned to her own quarters, shutting the door behind herself. Honestly, she was a little glad to be alone now. She had a lot to think about.

* * *

Rinzen heard a knock on her door about an hour later and she opened it to find Iroh looking worried on the other side.

"The crew has left now. I thought I would go for a walk, but I feel bad leaving Zuko in such a mood and-"

"Say no more," Rinzen reassured him, "I'll watch out for him."

He looked incredibly relieved. "Thank you, Rinzen. I won't go far in case you need anything." He squeezed her shoulder gratefully before walking down the hallway. Once he was out of sight, she crossed the hall to knock on Zuko's door.

"Hey. Let me in, I want to talk to you."

"Go away," Zuko snapped back, his voice muffled through the door.

"Fine, I guess I'll just have to talk about those swords out here in the open where _anyone_ could hear and golly gee, is that Zhao I hear down the way? Wow, it would be such a shame if he were to overhear that you-" Zuko yanked open the door and pulled her inside, covering her mouth as he shut the door behind her.

"Are you crazy?" he hissed. "You can't just yell about that kind of thing!"

"Well, you weren't going to open the door," she complained as she wriggled out of his grip. "Anyway, I only wanted to thank you."

"For what?" He frowned back down at her.

"You know what. Getting my brother out. You didn't have to."

"I told you. Capturing the Avatar is _my_ destiny," he insisted.

"That's not why you did it," she argued and he fell silent. "And you know that, don't you?"

He stared at her blankly. "No, not really."

"You can pretend all you like, but I know you're a secret softie under all that grumpiness." She grinned back up at him.

"What? No, I'm not. I'm completely grumpy, no softness anywhere." When she only grinned wider, he sighed. "I'm just making it worse."

"Yeah, you kind of are." Impulsively, she threw her arms around him and he caught her, alarmed. "Thank you."

Awkwardly, he patted her back. "You're welcome, I guess." A sudden sound of metal clanging somewhere in the distance startled them and they both drew back.

"What was that?" Rinzen asked even as Zuko went to the door, opening it.

"Uncle?" he called. "Uncle, is that you?" When no answer came, he glanced at Rinzen in confusion before venturing out. She followed him, clutching the sleeve of his robe as she glanced around.

"He went out for a walk," she reminded him, "He wouldn't have come back so soon."

"I know," he answered grimly, "That's what worries me." He headed up to the navigation room, Rinzen close behind, and they heard a screech outside. Rinzen looked out the window to see a familiar reptilian parrot flying away.

"The pirates," she said as she turned back to Zuko, bewildered.

"That's not good." She was about to open her mouth to agree when a deafening explosion rocked the ship violently.

She stumbled back against the window and Zuko fell beside her, grabbing onto her and pulling her against his chest as another explosion, just as loud as the first and even closer to the room they were in, rattled the metal mainframe of the ship. Heat rushed to greet them and before she knew it, they were propelled back through the window by a third and final explosion, crashing through the glass and into the cold waters below.

Rinzen clutched Zuko tightly as they went under, reminded far too much of the storm that had initially sent her and Aang underwater and started this whole mess and really, where was an iceberg when she needed one? From the way Zuko floated limply in the water, she assumed he'd lost consciousness, and judging by the edging darkness on her own vision, she was close to doing the same. She'd inhaled a lot of water when they'd first gone down, and she was sure the explosions hadn't done much good for her current health, either.

With effort, she forced her legs to kick until they surfaced again below the dock. Zuko's head lolled against her shoulder and she could see cuts and bruises already littering his face. She held him tightly, shaking from the cold and pain and trying to keep silent in case the pirates were still around even as her vision swam dangerously. It was all she could do to keep Zuko's head above the water so that he could breathe.

"What about the airbender girl? She was on the ship, too," she heard suddenly and tightened her grip on Zuko protectively. She could feel something sticky trailing down her face and managed to get a hand free to scrub at her face. Her fingers came away red with blood.

"The admiral said he was going to kill her anyway, so what does it matter? They're dead one way or another," the pirate captain's gruff voice responded. "Come on, our job's done. Best leave before the old man comes back."

It felt like several hours before their footsteps finally faded and Rinzen allowed herself to swim towards the shore. She dragged Zuko onto the rocky beach, collapsing beside him once they were both out of the water. Her wet skin stung wherever the salty ocean breeze hit it and her vision was fading in and out at an alarming rate, but she could still see that Zuko wasn't breathing, his chest no longer rising and falling.

She shook his shoulders weakly. "Wake up," she breathed, her voice hoarse. It hurt to speak, her throat tight and aching horribly. She pressed down on his chest, her heart hammering in panic when he didn't respond. "Please," she whispered desperately, pressing his chest again.

Finally, he sucked in a sharp breath as his eyes snapped open and he turned onto his side to cough up the water he had swallowed. In relief, Rinzen slumped against his side and he peered at her hazily.

"Rin?" he rasped. She just burrowed closer, trembling, and felt his arms go around her. "I've got you," he murmured. She finally gave in to the encroaching darkness, too tired to fight it anymore.

* * *

Her head felt heavy as she awoke, hearing hushed voices somewhere nearby.

"-just as I woke up, she passed out." Zuko's voice finally registered in her mind and she jolted upright, groaning as pain shot through her head.

"Take it easy," Iroh reassured her, touching her shoulder. "You've been through a great ordeal."

"The ship exploded. Zhao hired the pirates," she blurted out, trying to make sense of what had happened before she'd lost consciousness. Her voice grated against her throat and she winced a little at the sound of it.

"Yes, I saw. I thought you were both dead." Iroh's grip on her shoulder tightened protectively and she looked over his shoulder to see Zuko lying on a cot near hers.

"Are you okay?"

He nodded stiffly before his expression softened a little. "Thanks to you." His face was covered in cuts and his bruises had darkened into large black and blue patches on his skin, but he was still breathing and relatively whole otherwise, so Rinzen relaxed marginally again.

"Where are we now?"

"Aboard Zhao's ship." Rinzen frowned at Iroh. "Yes, I know, but he thinks you're dead. You're both safest here."

"How'd you even sneak us on the ship?" she asked curiously.

"It's not like I was knocked out this whole time like you were," Zuko grumbled as he rolled off his cot and took a seat on the edge of hers. "I snuck you onboard once Uncle got me some of the crew's armor."

"Oh. Thanks." He nodded, hesitating before he slipped his hand over hers.

"I'm glad you're okay," he admitted, some sincerity slipping into his tone, and she smiled tiredly back at him.

"Glad you're okay, too." He squeezed her hand briefly and she impulsively wrapped her free arm around him. He wrapped his own free arm around her in return and she was actually surprised that he didn't even hesitate to hug her this time.

"Zhao will be expecting me," Iroh said as he got to his feet. "Remember to apply that salve to your bruises," he added and Zuko nodded as he pulled back, still holding onto Rinzen's hand.

"I know, Uncle." Once the door was shut behind Iroh, Rinzen reluctantly pulled her hand away from Zuko's and slid off the cot to examine herself in the nearest mirror.

"Well, at least it'll heal," she said ruefully, examining the deep gash in her forehead near her arrow tattoo and the other minor cuts littering her skin.

"You look fine," Zuko dismissed. "Sit back down before you pass out again, you're still wobbling." Grudgingly, she returned to the cot and sat back down.

"You weren't breathing," she admitted, "I was scared half to death."

"You were scared? You passed out as soon as I woke up," Zuko reminded her.

"Yeah, well, I had to drag you to shore and you're not exactly light as a feather," she retorted. He sputtered for a moment before shoving her shoulder in response and she laughed, still giddy with relief that they were both safe for the time being and doing her best not to think about being on the same ship as the man who had just tried to have them killed.

* * *

**Life. Shovel. In the face.**

**On the positive side, though, I've officially graduated from college and I'm starting my Master's in Computer Science in the fall, _and_ it's my 22nd birthday today! :D**

**I've actually had this chapter written out since I began the story, hence why I was able to get it up so quickly. Apologies for skipping a bunch of episodes between The Storm and The Waterbending Master, but I figured there's no use rehashing the same episodes when the plots really wouldn't be affected much by Rinzen sneaking along to foil Zuko's plots to get Aang.**

**I hope you enjoy it and I'll do my best to crank out more chapters over the summer!**


	10. Espionage and Reunion

**Chapter 10: Espionage and Reunion**

* * *

Life on Admiral Zhao's ship was incredibly different for the obvious reason - Rinzen and Zuko had to be in disguise whenever they left their quarters - and because Rinzen was the only female on board, she had had to borrow the smallest suit of male armor Iroh could find in storage and still stuff it with padding to hide how loose it was on her and keep the metal from clanking as she walked.

Both her injuries and Zuko's had healed for the most part, but there were still ugly splotches of color on Zuko's face and a thin white scar left on Rinzen's forehead where the gash had been even weeks later as they neared the North Pole. The air became steadily colder to the point where Rinzen could see her breath curling out like wispy clouds every time she exhaled and each time the wind picked up, it felt like sharp pinpricks on her skin.

Aside from whenever Zuko and Iroh retired at night, she didn't see them very frequently, and it made her all the more nervous to know that if she was caught, she would more than likely be alone without even her glider to make a quick escape. The few times she ran into Zuko in the hallways of the ship, she couldn't even tell it was him behind the faceplate until he lightly brushed his arm against hers in passing each time, clearly recognizing her from the height difference and perhaps her too-loose armor, despite all the extra padding.

For all their bickering and arguing and his bitterness towards her for keeping him from Aang, something vital had shifted between them since they had escaped Zhao's murder attempt. Maybe it had been because she had saved his life, or vice versa, but there were some things that simply couldn't happen without a bond forming in the process - or perhaps she was thinking too much and he would turn on her the moment Aang was in his sights again. Still, it was the first semblance of friendship she could ever remember having in her life, and she wanted to hold onto it for at least a little longer.

"I checked a map today," Zuko told her as she dabbed salve onto one of the bruises on his back where he couldn't quite reach. "We're only about a day's worth of sailing out from the Northern Water Tribe."

"And then what? We just sneak off the ship with the rest of the soldiers?" she pointed out as she sat back, capping the bottle of salve and passing it over to him to finish applying it himself.

"No, we need to get ahead of Zhao," he answered pensively. "We can take a rowboat to shore before the ship even docks, get to shore before he and his men do."

"Right, because nobody's going to notice a rowboat missing," she said wryly, poking his leg with her bare toes.

"Give me a break, I'm thinking out loud here." He shoved her foot away half-heartedly before she could poke him again, a tiny smile tugging at his lips all the same. "Besides, it's a big ship. What's one little rowboat?"

She shrugged, her lips pursing. "If you say so."

* * *

Sure enough, as they docked just beyond the walls of the Northern Water Tribe, Zuko had a rowboat ready for departure, loading supplies into it as the last of the sun disappeared over the horizon. The ship had reached the Northern Water Tribe in the morning, launching a full-scale assault on the outer wall and damaging it badly. Rinzen had seen Aang and Appa flying overhead to destroy each ship individually, but he had fallen back after defeating at least a dozen of the ships, overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of Zhao's forces. Zhao had only ended the attack when the sun had begun to set, acknowledging Iroh's warning that the waterbenders would grow stronger at night when the moon came out.

"If you're fishing for an octopus, my nephew, you need a tightly woven net, or he will squeeze through the tiniest hole and escape," Iroh advised quietly from the doorway as Zuko set down a coil of rope inside the boat. Rinzen waited anxiously nearby, having lost her armor disguise in favor of a warmer jumpsuit to prepare for the upcoming mission. Her old Air Nomad robes hadn't survived the ship's explosion, which she was somewhat bitter about; not even the clothes on her back had been safe for long, eradicating the one last thing she had from her home.

"I don't need your wisdom right now, Uncle," Zuko answered irritably, frowning as he loosened the pulley holding the boat up slightly to prepare it for launch.

"I'm sorry." Rinzen, hearing Iroh's voice crack slightly, decided to back out of the way to let him approach Zuko. "I just nag you because, well...ever since I lost my son, I-"

"You don't have to say it," Zuko interrupted quietly, his tone softer now.

"I think of you as my own," Iroh finished anyway, swallowing audibly.

"I know. We'll meet again after I have the Avatar," Zuko answered and Iroh hugged him tightly, clutching him close. Rinzen dropped her gaze to the metal floor to give them some privacy. She was startled when she felt Iroh's arms wrap around her next, pulling her in for a tight embrace as she froze in surprise.

"Be safe." He pulled back to give her a watery smile and she felt her heart crack in sympathy for the older man even as she smiled and hugged him back properly.

"We will. Thank you for everything." She let go reluctantly before following Zuko to the boat to climb in beside him.

"Remember your breath of fire. It could save your life out there," Iroh cautioned to Zuko as the prince rolled his eyes, starting to lower the boat.

"I know, Uncle."

"You as well, Rinzen, remember to warm yourself with your breathing. And put your hoods up, both of you. Keep your ears warm!"

Rinzen couldn't help a soft chuckle even as Zuko huffed, calling back, "We'll be _fine_!"

"You don't have to be snappy, he just cares," she teased him as they reached the water and he began to row them towards an outcropping of ice near the damaged wall, turning back to wave to Iroh one last time as the former general watched them disappear anxiously.

"I know, I know. But he worries too much," Zuko grumbled, focusing back on getting them to shore without being spotted.

"How did he know about airbenders being able to warm themselves with their breathing, anyway?" she wondered curiously, but Zuko hushed her as they neared land, a Water Tribe guard scanning the area nearby just as their boat disappeared behind a protruding chunk of ice. Zuko climbed out of the boat, slinging the rope onto his shoulder even as Rinzen followed him.

"What now?" she hissed, nodding to the wall where guards were constantly patrolling. "We can't get past that, even with the damage done to the wall."

"You can," he pointed out. "You're not dressed like a soldier, and you're not Fire Nation. Tell them you escaped from your captors and need to find the Avatar."

"Well, what about you?" she demanded, clearly taking him by surprise at the question as his eyebrow rose.

"What about me?"

"Well, I'm not gonna just leave you here if you don't have a plan," she retorted. "You could die out here."

He pursed his lips in thought, glancing around, before catching sight of some turtle seals diving into a large hole in the ice. "I can follow them," he decided, moving to inspect the inky black water sloshing inside. "They have to be coming up for air somewhere." Abruptly, he turned back to her, his expression softening just the same way it had earlier in front of his uncle. "Be safe."

"You, too." She wanted to wish him good luck, but remembering what exactly his mission was, she bit her tongue, adding instead, "Your uncle needs you back in one piece."

He nodded, his arms lifting slightly before dropping as if he had changed his mind just as quickly as he had made it up. "See you on the other side." He tugged up his mask over his nose and mouth, taking a deep breath before diving headfirst into the water. Rinzen lingered for a moment, trying to catch sight of him in the pitch-black water, before giving up and turning around to begin running towards the wall.

"Hey! Hey, I need help!" Her cries caught the guards' attention immediately and they raised their spears instinctively as a warning, but when she finally approached the wall and shouted up her explanation to them, they ushered her in through the damaged opening. Luckily, they recognized her oddly-colored eyes enough to identify her as an Air Nomad and soon enough, she was being led up the steps of the royal palace, one of the guards' hands placed firmly on her shoulder.

"Chief Arnook," he said as they entered the main hall and the chief looked up, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. "We found her outside the wall. She said she'd been a Fire Nation captive and escaped. Her brother's the Avatar."

Chief Arnook's face cleared as he nodded. "Yes, I can see that. You're Rinzen, aren't you? Your brother has spoken very highly of you."

Rinzen felt her face warm slightly at the praise even as she nodded. "That's me. Is he here? And his friends, Katara and Sokka? They're all safe, right? I saw the attack earlier when I was escaping," she lied, feeling only a little guilty. She would warn Aang about Zuko to make up for it, anyway.

Chief Arnook chuckled. "You can relax, they're safe. I believe your brother and Katara are with my daughter, Princess Yue, on the balcony. You may see them now, if you wish. I'd offer you more hospitality if I could, but-" He gestured a little sadly to the destroyed wall in the distance and Rinzen shook her head.

"No, no, this is enough. Just...just knowing I'm safe now." She glanced back at the wall as well before looking back at the chief. "Thank you, sir." She hurried out onto the balcony, following the long hallway down to where she could see Aang, Katara, and a beautiful young woman with white hair and vivid blue eyes - Princess Yue, Rinzen assumed - gathered together and talking quietly. "Aang!" she shouted and Aang's head lifted abruptly as Katara and Yue looked her way as well, surprised.

"Rin!" He leapt to his feet and ran towards her. She broke into a run as well to meet him halfway and threw her arms around him, clutching him as she buried her face into his shoulder. "Rin, you're _here_!" Aang pulled back to smile widely at her, still holding onto her tightly even as she smiled back at him, unable to help herself. After going so long without seeing her brother, it was overwhelmingly relieving to see him safe and sound.

"Yeah, I got away, but listen, Zuko's here in the city. He's trying to get to you, but I don't think he knows exactly where you are," she admitted.

Aang's smile faded at that, but he nodded, glancing back at Katara and Yue as they approached the siblings. "We actually need to talk to the spirits, see if they have any ideas on how to stop the Fire Nation."

"I had an idea," Yue added, "I can take you to the most spiritual place in the North Pole and Aang can enter the Spirit World from there."

"You can enter the Spirit World now?" Rinzen asked, glancing at Aang with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, I'm kind of the bridge between our world and the Spirit World," Aang said with a sheepish grin. "Surprise? Oh, by the way, Yue, this is Rinzen, my sister. Rin, Princess Yue."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Yue said with a warm smile and Rinzen nodded in response.

"Same to you. Hey, Katara," she added to the other Water Tribe girl, who beamed back at her.

"It's so good to see you, we've been worried sick." She moved in to hug Rinzen and the older girl was surprised that Katara cared so much. Maybe it was just because she was Aang's friend and had only been worried about Rinzen because he clearly had been. She found herself hugging Katara back all the same.

"It's good to see you, too. Where's Sokka?" Inexplicably, Yue blushed slightly at the mention of his name and Rinzen decided she didn't want to know what was going on there.

"He volunteered to help the other warriors fight," she explained, "I believe he's in the armory."

"Then I'll go meet up with him, see if I can start working out a battle plan while you talk to the spirits," Rinzen decided, squeezing Aang's shoulder briefly as he nodded.

"Okay." He looked reluctant to let go of her again and she gave him a small reassuring smile, squeezing him close again.

"I'll be fine, really. Just keep an eye out for Zuko, okay?"

Aang nodded again, looking pensive as he left with Katara and Yue, and Rinzen began to head down to the armory to meet with Sokka, her lips pursing with worry. Something bigger than just Zuko going after Aang was clearly about to happen, especially with the rumors she had heard on the ship, but she wasn't sure what. Whatever Zhao's plan was seemed far more dangerous than just attacking the Northern Water Tribe, and she knew the Northern Water Tribe could use all the help they could get.

* * *

**What? Another update within one year? Sound the alarms! ****Yeah, no, I have no excuse other than writer's block. Rewatching a little of the show helped rekindle my passion for it again, but it took a lot of effort to write even this small amount. Hopefully the next chapter will conclude Book One so I can really get into the second half of Book Two and Book Three, which I'm really keen about!**

**Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!**


	11. Parting Ways

**Chapter 11: Parting Ways**

* * *

As Rinzen reached the armory, she could see Sokka sullenly sharpening a spear and looking distinctly put out, clearly irritated that he wasn't with the other Water Tribe warriors.

"Hey," she said as she entered and he looked up, startled.

"Rin!" He got to his feet, abandoning the spear in favor of approaching her instead. "How'd you get here? Where's Zuko?" He peered over her shoulder as if expecting to see Zuko hiding behind her.

"Would you believe our ship exploded?" she answered wryly and Sokka's eyebrows shot up. "No, seriously. Zhao tried to have me and Zuko killed. We both got out safe and stowed away on his ship to get here."

"Well, that explains the scar," Sokka said, nodding to her forehead, and she rubbed at the thin scar self-consciously.

"Is it that noticeable?"

Sokka ignored her, prompting, "So Zuko's here, too?"

"Yeah. I already told Aang and Katara to watch out for him, but I don't know if Zuko knows where they are," she answered. "Princess Yue's taken them to the Spirit Oasis and-" She broke off at the sight of the immediate red tint that spread across Sokka's cheeks. "Oh, for spirits' sake," she sighed wearily. "If you can't even take the mention of her name, you must be really into her."

"Have you _seen_ her?" Sokka demanded. "Of course I am!"

"Well, good news, buddy, she's really into you, too," she reassured him and he visibly perked up.

"Really? What did she say? How did she look when she was talking about me, happy or annoyed?"

Rinzen rolled her eyes, deciding not to answer him and instead continuing, "Anyway, they're at the Oasis now. With luck, Zuko won't figure out that's where Aang is, but I thought I'd come get you so we could all keep watch over Aang just in case."

Sokka nodded, going back to his bench to retrieve the spear he had set aside. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Chief Arnook wanted me to protect Yue, anyway." He patted the sheath on his back where his boomerang was secured before leading the way out of the armory and down the hall. "So, seriously, Zhao tried to have Zuko killed?"

"Yeah, shockingly, not everybody in the Fire Nation is conspiring together against us," Rinzen answered dryly as she followed him. "Besides, something's different about Zuko these days. He's not as...y'know. Obsessed with capturing Aang."

"Yeah? Then what do you think he's doing here?" Sokka asked, frowning as he glanced back at her.

She chewed her lip before admitting, "I don't know, but I guess I'm hoping he'll change his mind. Or change sides. Or _something_."

"Yeah, well, just don't get your hopes up," Sokka warned her as they rounded the corner to leave the building. "Just because you spent a lot of time with him, doesn't mean he's a different guy than he was before."

Rinzen pursed her lips, unsure whether that was the case or not, but before she could say anything to protest, she and Sokka turned the corner and nearly ran right into Yue.

"Oh, hey, we were just coming to meet you-" She broke off at the panicked look on Yue's face. "What's wrong?" she demanded, her heart immediately stuttering slightly in her chest at the thought that something must have happened to Aang and Katara.

"It's Zuko," Yue answered immediately, biting her lip anxiously. "He arrived at the Oasis and Katara was holding him off, but-"

Rinzen didn't hear the rest of her sentence, taking off at a run towards the Spirit Oasis and skidding around the corners to get there faster. Sokka and Yue were quick to follow, racing after her, but the only thing they found when they arrived at the lush green plot of land was Katara unconscious on the ground and Aang and Zuko nowhere in sight.

She stirred as they approached, taking a moment to collect herself before bolting upright when she realized what had happened.

"Oh, no," she moaned in despair, clutching her head even as the flying lemur Rinzen had seen plenty of times before - Momo - curled up in her lap, chittering anxiously. "Zuko took him. I couldn't stop him."

"It's not your fault," Rinzen reassured her, despite her own heart pounding rapidly with panic. She could see how terrible Katara clearly felt over losing Aang to Zuko and knew there was no point in getting irrationally angry at her. She studied the steep walls surrounding the Spirit Oasis, chewing her lip worriedly. "What's up there?" she asked, glancing at Yue.

"Nothing but ice and snow," the princess admitted. "They wouldn't last a day up there, if that's where Zuko took him."

"They would've been spotted if Zuko took him through the city," Sokka pointed out as Katara set Momo on the grass and got to her feet. "He had to have gone up to the tundra. We can get Appa and catch up to them."

Feeling a spark of hope, Rinzen followed him, Yue, and Katara back out of the Oasis and through the city to the stables where Appa was being held. The bison was already shuffling anxiously when they arrived, clearly aware that his owner was in peril. Rinzen patted his nose soothingly before climbing aboard his saddle.

"I know, buddy, I'm worried about him too," she crooned as she settled on top of Appa's head, picking up the reins and snapping them gently. "Yip-yip!"

It felt good to lift off into the air after months of being grounded, the wind ruffling her short hair as they sailed over the confines of the city walls and up to the icy tundra over the Spirit Oasis. The moment they passed into the tundra, the icy winds nearly knocked Appa off his course, but Rinzen held him steady so that he would obediently push on through the blizzard as they all scanned the snowy ground for any sight of movement.

What felt like hours passed by before Rinzen finally spotted movement near the mouth of a cave, a tiny orange-red light flickering inside and an even smaller orange-yellow being running out of the cave.

"It's Aang!" she called over her shoulder, directing Appa downwards even as Sokka and Katara got to their feet, already prepared to fight. As they landed, Aang spotted them and hurried through the wind and snow towards them, struggling to move due to his hands and feet being tied with rope.

Zuko hurried out of the cave after Aang, spotting Katara and sneering instinctively at her. "Ready for a rematch?"

Katara's expression was stony as she replied, "Trust me. It won't be much of a match." With just a flick of her wrist, the snow beneath Zuko lifted him up before slamming him down into the ground again, knocking him unconscious.

"Hey, this is some quality rope," Sokka said as he untied Aang's ropes, delighted, and Rinzen rolled her eyes.

"Priorities," she scolded even as she helped Aang to his feet and then tugged him into a tight embrace. "Are you okay?" she asked softly and he nodded against her shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm okay." He pulled back slightly to smile back up at her, relieved. "I knew you'd come for me." Katara and Sokka had already climbed onto Appa again and as Rinzen let go of Aang reluctantly, she glanced back at Zuko laying unconscious in the snow. As if reading her mind, Aang blurted out, "We can't leave him, he'll die up here."

With a loud sigh, Sokka tossed down the ropes he had pilfered and Rinzen caught them, moving to tie Zuko's hands and feet before dragging him up into the saddle. It was likely he would burn them off if he woke up, but it was better to play it safe while he was unconscious. Once Aang was settled at the reins again, he snapped them, calling, "Appa, yip-yip!" Just like that, they were airborne again, Rinzen relaxing back in the saddle now that she knew Aang was safe - and secretly, she was a little relieved that Zuko was safe, too.

* * *

"Zhao wants to kill the Moon Spirit," Aang said as they flew back to the Oasis, breaking the tense silence that had fallen on the journey there.

"The Moon Spirit?" Katara echoed, bewildered. "But that means we can't waterbend!"

"I know." Aang's expression was grimmer than Rinzen had ever seen it and she wondered just how much pain and torment her brother had been through while she hadn't been there to protect him. "The koi fish in the pond, they're the Moon and Ocean Spirits. If Zhao kills either of them, it'll throw the whole world out of balance."

As if to punctuate his words, a dark haze settled over the full moon above them, turning the whole world around them a hellish red. Both Yue and Aang clutched at their heads, groaning softly.

"What happened?" Sokka demanded, wrapping his arm around Yue's shoulders.

"I feel weak," Yue admitted, leaning into his embrace.

"So do I," Aang added as Rinzen slid down to settle on Appa's head beside him and wrapped an arm around him to hold him close.

"I get why Aang's affected by the Moon Spirit, but why you?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder at Yue.

"When I was born, my eyes were closed and I was silent. The healers did everything they could, but they couldn't wake me up and told my parents I was going to die," Yue explained, "My parents prayed to the Moon Spirit to give me life and bathed me in the water at the Oasis. The Moon Spirit gave me some of its own life. My hair turned white, and I opened my eyes and began to cry. That's why my mother named me Yue, for the moon."

Rinzen tried not to think about what that meant if the Moon Spirit was dying or was already dead, a chill going down her spine as Aang directed Appa to land down in the Oasis. To her horror, Zhao was already there with a number of his troops, holding a wriggling bag that clearly contained one of the koi fish. The other fish was frantically swimming around in the pond at Zhao's feet, splashing erratically. _If the fish had a voice_, Rinzen thought as Appa silently landed on the grass, _it'd be screaming_.

"They'll call me Zhao the Moon-Slayer," Zhao said proudly to his men, "Zhao the Conqueror! _Zhao the Invincible_!" His boasts were undermined by Momo suddenly jumping off Aang's shoulder where he had settled as soon as they had landed and leaping at Zhao, scratching with his tiny claws at the man's face. Zhao grabbed him, throwing him aside, and noticed Appa with everyone on board, promptly lighting his fist on fire and preparing to burn the bag in his grasp.

"Zhao, don't!" Aang pleaded, sliding off Appa's back onto the ground. "Destroying the moon won't hurt just the Water Tribe. It'll hurt everyone, including you. Without the moon, everything would fall out of balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world." If Rinzen wasn't so afraid of what would happen, she would have wondered how her little brother had become so mature.

"He is right, Zhao." Never had Rinzen been more relieved to see Iroh entering the Oasis, stripping off the hood that had concealed his face.

"General Iroh," Zhao sneered, "Why am I not surprised to see this treachery?"

"I'm no traitor, Zhao, the Fire Nation needs the moon, too. We all depend on the balance," Iroh answered firmly. His expression hardened in a way Rinzen had never seen before and she suddenly knew why he was called the Dragon of the West. "Whatever you do to that spirit, I'll unleash on you ten-fold. Let it go, _now_!"

Slowly, Zhao knelt down, releasing the fish back into the pond. The little white koi fish rejoined the black koi fish, both beginning to circle each other serenely as they had been before. Rinzen couldn't believe it had been that easy as Zhao straightened, but then recoiled in shock as he threw a blast of fire into the water with an angry yell, burning and killing the Moon Spirit. Instantly, the world changed from red to a lifeless gray, all color bleeding out from their surroundings as the moon turned black and left an empty void in the sky. The warmth of the Oasis vanished, too, leaving Rinzen feeling just as cold as she had in the tundra.

Her eyes were on the dark sky above, as were her companions', until she felt the flare of heat as Iroh sprang forward to attach Zhao and his men with a rage she had never seen him exhibit before. The soldiers were easily defeated, but Zhao escaped in the skirmish, disappearing before Rinzen could determine where he had gone. The anger drained slowly out of Iroh's expression as he approached the pond to scoop up the dead koi fish mournfully. Rinzen and the others slipped off Appa's saddle to join him at the edge of the pond, surveying the damage miserably.

"There's no hope now," Yue said bleakly as she knelt beside Iroh. "It's over."

All was silent for a moment, everyone staring at the dead fish, before Aang's sudden voice broke the silence, echoing with centuries of power, "No. It's not over."

Rinzen looked up to see his eyes glowing white and his expression cold and furious as he stepped into the water, mysteriously making no ripples in the pond. The Ocean Spirit slowed its erratic swimming to stop in front of Aang, gazing up at him as its eyes slowly began to glow white as well. As if an underwater current had sucked him in, Aang suddenly disappeared into the water and a bright blue light spread through the pond and out across the Oasis into the city's canals. Everyone looked up to see a giant creature vaguely resembling a fish and made of the same blue light emerging out of the water and slowly making its way into the city, Aang in the center of its chest and controlling it.

Rinzen clambered up into Appa's saddle to try to see Aang better, but the Ocean Spirit - for that was what it must have been - had already gone too far for her to spot her brother. She sighed, sinking into the saddle and chewing her lip worriedly as she studied everyone gathering around the dead Moon Spirit again, before realizing that the ropes behind her were empty, some of the ends burnt away.

"Damn it," she muttered, sliding down from the saddle and doing her best to quietly get out of the Oasis without being spotted. If she could catch Zuko again, she wouldn't have to worry the others when they were already feeling hopeless about the Moon Spirit's death.

As she escaped the Oasis unnoticed, she slid down a broken pillar of ice, clearly having been damaged by the battle raging in the city. She could see Aang and the Ocean Spirit in the distance, waving their large amorphous hands and wiping away lines and lines of Fire Nation soldiers. She tried not to think about all the lives that would be lost and how Aang would feel when he came back to himself as she hurried along the icy paths, trying to spot any sign of Zuko or Zhao.

To her surprise and luck, she found both of them fighting on a bridge, exchanging blasts of fire left and right. As she hurried down to the bridge, Zuko knocked Zhao down just as the world burst into color again, everything no longer gray or red, but a dim pleasant blue.

She looked up to see the moon back in its place against the starry sky, and before she could wonder how that had happened, her attention diverted as Zhao shouted, "It can't be!" Even as he stared up at the moon incredulously, a mass of blue energy slid down the canal below them, forming into the shape of a hand and reaching decisively for Zhao to scoop him up.

To Rinzen's surprise, Zuko climbed up onto the ledge of the bridge, reaching out his hand. "Grab my hand!" he called to Zhao, who instinctively reached out before then retracting it, his expression steeling over as the hand dragged him down into the murky depths of the water below. Rinzen closed the gap between herself and Zuko as the prince climbed back onto the bridge, noticing her presence there and tensing marginally. She couldn't blame him for being nervous of her reaction; he _had_ tried to kidnap her brother yet again.

"You okay?" she asked quietly and the question clearly took him off-guard as he blinked.

"I, uh...yeah. I'm okay." They both turned their gaze upwards almost simultaneously to gaze up at the full moon illuminating the city around them as if it had never vanished. "What do you think happened to bring it back?" The quiet wonder in Zuko's voice took Rinzen by surprise as she shook her head.

"I don't know." Instinctively, her hand slipped into his and he started a little before clutching her hand in return, squeezing it tightly as if to ground himself back to reality. Distantly, Rinzen noticed that the Ocean Spirit had vanished back into the depths of the water and hoped that it had left Aang somewhere safe.

"You should go," Zuko said abruptly and she blinked, looking back up at him in confusion.

"Go?" she echoed, bewildered, and he nodded over her shoulder. She then registered Katara's voice calling her name, clearly searching for her. She flushed slightly, her cheeks warming with embarrassment. "Oh. I...yeah. I should go." She released Zuko's hand, almost wishing she hadn't the moment his warm palm left hers. "What're you going to do?"

Zuko shrugged slightly. "Find my uncle, get out of the city. See what happens from there. We're apparently traitors now."

"So you're gonna stop hunting my brother, then?" Rinzen couldn't help a tiny grin as he leveled a sour look at her.

"I never said that," he muttered, but she could see the wry smile tugging at his lips.

"Be careful," she answered sincerely instead of calling him out on it, moving forward again to slip her arms around him. He froze briefly before awkwardly bringing his hand down to pat her back gently.

"You, too." Rinzen reluctantly let go, moving back a few steps before Zuko blurted out, "Maybe we'll see each other again." He clearly hadn't meant to say it, because his cheeks flushed the moment the words came out.

Rinzen couldn't help a smile in return. "I'd like that," she admitted. She wanted to tell him how he was her first friend who hadn't been Aang's friend first, how grateful she was for all the times he had saved her life and been kind to her, but the moment was gone, and Katara's calling became more insistent and worried. She settled for a quick "Bye" and turned to hurry back along the path to the Oasis.

When she looked back impulsively, Zuko was gone, no trace of him left on the icy bridge where they had parted ways.

* * *

"Did you find Zuko?" Katara asked Rinzen as they sat on the edge of the palace ledge together the next day, swinging their legs as they waited for Aang and Sokka to join them. They could survey the damage done to the city easily from there, some of the buildings still smoking and smoldering while other ice structures had completely been destroyed or melted away.

"No, he got away before I could find him," Rinzen lied, deciding that it was too personal to tell Katara the truth. "But I have a feeling we won't have to worry about him for a while."

Katara nodded decisively. "Good. We don't need him on our tail again." She squeezed Rinzen's shoulder gently. "It's good to have you with us again. Aang's really been worried sick all this time."

"I won't leave him again," Rinzen promised, smiling faintly back at her. "You guys are stuck with me."

Katara's smile was a little teasing now as she nudged their shoulders together. "Well, hey, there's plenty of room on Appa's saddle."

"There'd better be, I'm the one who made that saddle," Rinzen deadpanned, earning laughter from the other girl as Aang landed behind them on his glider. Rinzen decided there was no point feeling a pang of loss over her own staff as she got to her feet, moving to wrap her brother in a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you," she murmured against his shoulder as he clutched her back, his smile evident even as he pressed his face into her neck.

"You're staying this time, right?" He pulled back to study her expression, clearly trying to find some kind of reservation in her face, but she only smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, kiddo, I'm staying. I'm not leaving you ever again." Aang relaxed fully at that, hugging her again tightly. "So where to next?" Rinzen asked as she finally let go, still holding onto Aang's shoulder. It felt good to have her little brother close again and safe where she could keep watch over him.

"We have to go to the Earth Kingdom and find Aang an earthbending teacher," Katara explained as Sokka joined them, a somber expression on his face that hadn't changed since Yue had given her life up to become the new Moon Spirit. "In the meantime, I can finish his training in waterbending."

"Sounds like a plan. Let's hope we don't get chased across the world again this time." As the others laughed, Rinzen wondered if Zuko would really end up back on their trail again, hunting Aang down. She hoped not, but at the same time, she couldn't help but hope that she would see him again, at least for a moment.

* * *

**Aaaand that's Book 1 done!**

**I'm still debating whether I should go through most of Book 2 or just have a giant time-skip to the second half when they reach Ba Sing Se, as that's where it mainly will diverge from the canon, so I'll leave it up to you guys to decide. If I go through all of Book 2, the first half is just going to be pretty much a recap with just a few more lines thrown in from Rinzen, which wouldn't really be fun to either write on my part or read on your part. Let me know what you think!**

**I'm super sorry for the delay, life got in the way and hit me in the face with a huge writer's block-shaped shovel. ^^' Hope you enjoy this chapter!**


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