1. Chapter 1

**This is just something I thought of and decided to write. =)**  
><strong>I've also posted it on ... Go check it out there. =)<strong>  
><strong>And, lastly... I do not own the characters or the setting or the scroll. I only own the story idea. =) <strong>

Chapter 1

There had to be other ways to capture the Avatar. He always got out of his grasp somehow. Force didn't seem to work. Everytime he caught the Avatar, his little_ friends_ would come and rescue him.

His friends... He knew that the Avatar's friends were both children from the Southern Water Tribe, siblings. Would they give away the Avatar's location if they were threatened? The boy... If he remembered right, he was the one who went everywhere with a boomerang. A puny excuse for a soldier. And the girl was a waterbender, but barely.

_He had her necklace._

Would she disclose the location of the Avatar if he offered to give it back to her? Maybe if he separated one of them and caught her brother and showed him the necklace, he'd believe that his sister had been captured and tell him where the Avatar was. If he caught her, then he'd show her the necklace and...

But would that be enough? Would he have to threaten them? Would _that_ be enough?

They were the Avatar's _friends_. He had no idea how loyal they were; he had had no friends of his own, ever. He had seen Azula's friends, Mai and Ty Lee, but he didn't think they would be her friends if it weren't for her power, or how frightening she was.

But how loyal were the Avatar's friends? How loyal was the Avatar to his friends? If one of them happened to be... kidnapped, would he try to get them back?

It would definitely work. All he had to wait for was the perfect oppurtunity.

Prince Zuko walked on the upper deck of his ship with a small smirk on his face. The smirk was wiped off his face immediately as the ship turned abruptly, sending him hurtling onto the edge of the ship.

The first thought in his mind was that _someone_ had bribed the crew to steer the ship and him away from the Avatar. _Zhao._

His eyes narrowed to slits as he strode over to the wheelhouse of the ship and faced the helmsman.

"What's the meaning of this mutiny? No one told you to change the course." He barked at the helmsman, who leaned away from Zuko a little, no expression on his face. No fear, Zuko noticed with some frustration.

"Actually, someone did." Uncle Iroh said, from where he was sitting near a board of Pai Sho. "I assure you, it is a matter of utmost importance, Prince Zuko." He continued, seriously. Zuko's eyes gleamed, _importance_ directly translating to _Avatar _in his mind. Had uncle spotted the Avatar's flying monster and changed the course to follow him?

"Is it something to do with the Avatar?" Zuko asked, his eyes wide.

"Even more urgent. It seems I - I've lost my Lotus tile." Iroh said, placing one hand on his head, rubbing it. Zuko shook his head. It didn't sound at all important. Uncle had changed their course for a _Lotus tile_?

With a stab of annoyance, he realized he didn't even know what a Lotus tile was.

"A Lotus tile?" He asked, frowning.

"For my Pai Sho game. Most people think the Lotus tile insignificant, but it is essential for the unusual strategy that I employ." Iroh said, explanatorily. Zuko's anger rose inside him.

"You've changed our course for a stupid Lotus Tile?" He asked, frustrated at his uncle.

"See, you, like most people, underestimate it's value. Just give me ten minutes to check the merchants at the port of call. Hopefully they'll have a Lotus tile in stock and I can get on with my life." Iroh said, and Zuko shook his head, exhaling loudly, then looking up and breathing out a flame.

"I'm happy to have such an understanding nephew."

* * *

><p>Zuko waited impatiently as Iroh walked around the ship, looking at the wares and occasionally commenting on them. His attention was suddenly caught by something the pirates were saying, standing in the corner.<p>

" - girl and the little bald monk she was travelling with." A girl and a little bald monk? That _had_ to be them. Zuko walked over to the pirates and asked,

"This monk, did he have an arrow on his head?"

* * *

><p>Katara knew she'd said that the scroll was all Aang's, but she just wanted to be able to do that one move. It wasn't fair that Aang was so good at this, even if he was the Avatar. She knew she shouldn't be jealous of her friend, but... It wasn't fair.<p>

And she was just going to try to do that _one_ move.

She unrolled the Waterbending Scroll and placed it on a rock, then turned to face the water. She made slow motions with her hands, willing the water to move with her.

_Slowly... Slowly..._

The water rose, and, just as she smiled, thinking _she had finally done it!_, it fell back in the river with a loud splash.

"Shoot! Come on water, work with me!" She urged, frustrated that just when she thought she had it, she had failed. Again. Just as she was about to try again, she head something that sounded like grinding metal, like...

_No._

Katara ran over to the nearby bushes and parted them, peeking through, and saw a too familiar metal ship and a smaller boat next to it. "Oh no." She whispered under her breath and backed away from the ship, turning to run back to where Aang and Sokka were still asleep - only to be faced with the smirking face of a pirate, who grabbed her.

"No, let me go!" She shouted, creating a succesful water whip without even noticing and hitting the pirate with it, then ran from him, hoping to get to Aang and Sokka for help, running straight into a solid chest.

His hands caught her wrists, preventing her from bending, and Zuko said, smirking,

"I'll save you from the pirates."

* * *

><p>"Tell me where he is and I won't hurt you or your brother." Zuko said, leaning in closer to the girl's face. He wasn't sure what her name was, but by the expression on her face, she was obviously going to take more than that.<p>

"Go jump in the river!" She shouted, and he shook his head, circling the tree she was bound to. He had been right. She had probably seen it was an empty threat; he wouldn't hurt her. He wasn't the kind to hurt a girl.

"Try to understand," he said in the most coaxing voice he could, "I need to capture the Avatar to restore something I've lost: my honour. Perhaps in exchange I can restore something you've lost." He was moving on to his second idea. Maybe it would work. And if it didn't, he had another plan.

He wasn't losing this time.

He slid the necklace on her neck, then moved his hands and the necklace away from her and faced her.

"My mother's necklace!" She said, shocked. "How did you get that?" Zuko turned around, moving the necklace over in his hand, then turned back to face her, smirking. It was working.

"I didn't steal it, if that's what you're wondering. Tell me where he is." He nearly snarled out the last part, leaning closer to her again. Defiance crossed her features. "No!" _Stupid girl_, Zuko thought.

Would there be enough time for them to still have the advantage of surprise over the Avatar, or would they be looking for them already? Zuko didn't want to take his chances; the Avatar with his friends had slipped out of his fingers before.

"Enough of this necklace garbage. You promised the scroll!" The captain of the pirates said, walking forward, and an idea entered Zuko's mind. He smirked. This was suddenly much easier.

He produced the scroll from his back and created a flame in his palm, holding the scroll over it.

"I wonder how much money this is worth?" He said, mock wondering out loud to himself. Gasps and small cries of "No!" from the pirates gave him his answer. "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 said, and a sullen look came on the pirate captain's face.

"Fine." The captain said, and Zuko watched the pirates all walk into the forest, smirking. These pirates were going back without a scroll. He knew there were chances they would find the Avatar, but he didn't want to take chances. He had to be sure of _everything_ this time. The Avatar could get away, he had gotten away before. But if he had the girl, and he did have the girl, then he would have the Avatar too, soon.

_They were loyal friends,_ he thought, almost bitterly.

As soon as the pirates were all out of sight, Zuko burned the rope that had bound the girl's wrists to the tree, and dragged her to the ship. She looked up at him, then back at the forest, then at the ship.

"What are you doing?" She shrieked, and he didn't reply, instead shouting to his uncle,

"Uncle, come. We have to leave before the pirates are back." He said, and Iroh raised his eyebrows, then shrugged and followed Zuko onto the ship. The girl struggled against Zuko, but she couldn't get away; her hands were tied so she couldn't bend, _and_ he was physically stronger than she was.

He smirked as they entered a small room and closed the door behind him.

"Uncle, tell them to start moving. We're leaving."

* * *

><p>"I don't believe it." Sokka said, making Aang blink blearily. He had just woken up to Sokka looking into his bag with a frown on his face. Sokka set the bag down on the grass and shook his head.<p>

Aang yawned. "What's wrong?" He asked, stifling another yawn and sitting up.

"She took the scroll! She's obsessed with that thing. It's just a matter of time before she gets us all into deep - " but Sokka couldn't complete his sentence, because just then, a sling shot from somewhere in the bushes pulled his hands behind him. Sokka screamed as he was pulled of his sleeping bag. Another sling was thrown towards him, which he dodged by rolling away and picking up a spear, throwing it towards the pirate in the bushes.

Aang stood up with a jump and turned to face a beefy pirate firing a crossbow with a net tied in it towards him. He panicked and jumped back, sending an air ball towards the net. _Stupid move, Aang,_ he chided himself in his brain as the air ball passed clean through the net, and he was trapped in the net and thrown to the ground.

Another pirate picked him up off the ground, saying, "I got him, come on!" and all the other's quickly started following them, leaving Sokka alone. Sokka stared after them, looking offended.

"Oh, what? I'm not good enough for you to kidnap?" He said, glaring, when another net scooped him up. And then he screamed; another net had scooped him up and the other pirates dragged him along.

"They're gone!" A pirate roared as they entered an empty clearing near the river.

"Who's gone?" Aang asked, and was answered when another pirate said, most likely not to Aang, "The scarred boy took the scroll and left!"

At this, Aang and Sokka looked at each other. _Scroll? Did that mean Katara? And the scarred boy... Zuko._

''Did they... Did they take Katara as well?" Sokka asked, his voice breaking a little in the end, however much he tried to hide it. One pirate turned to face Sokka with a stupid smirk on his face, as if Sokka's misery made their loss any better.

"They took the girl."

**Review please? Thanks. =) **


	2. Chapter 2

**So, here's the second chapter. I know it's way overdue, but I am on vacation. Which means no internet most of the time. I've had the chapter written (as in written down in a little notebook) since three days, but haven't been able to get it up here yet. Anyways. =)**

Chapter 2

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

She shouln't have even gone to practice her bending. It was because of that_ scroll! _She had got it for Aang, not her! Aang needed to learn waterbending more than she did, especially if he had to master all the other elements as well by Summer Solstice! And now Aang had no scroll, no waterbending master, or as much of one as she had been, and she had been captured by Zuko!

Why did she have to be obsessed with that scroll?

Katara took three angry steps one way and then the other in her prison. She had been placed in a small cell with metal walls, bare of any furnishing. There were metal walls around her, giving her only enough space to pace three steps before she was at a wall. It had no furniture, no water she could bend, no visible way to escape, no... anything.

Not even a window!

She was sure that if she were kept here for too long, she would go mad.

Katara gave a frustrated sigh and kept pacing, not caring that she was wasting energy; she was too angry to care. It wouldn't be long before Aang and Sokka came to rescue her.

_But that was exactly what Zuko wanted. _

Oh no. This was suddenly so much worse than she had thought it was.

She sank to the floor in the inside corner of the cell, burying her head in her hands. All her anger had suddenly faded into a hopeless sort of misery.

Zuko _couldn't _capture Aang, that _couldn't_ happen. She didn't care if she were stuck here forever, or at the very least until _she _found a way to escape, but Aang and Sokka couldn't come to save her. They had to go to the North Pole, find Aang a water bending master, then an earth bending master and then he had to learn fire bending.

But who was going to tell them that?

* * *

><p>"What do we do with these boys, Cap'n?" One pirate asked. Sokka looked miserable, staring at the ground. He didn't even look up. Aang <em>felt<em> as miserable as Sokka looked, but he knew they had to get away from the pirates if they had to rescue Katara.

And they _had _to rescue Katara.

"Throw them in the river." The captain snarled angrily, and turned to leave. Some pirates sniggered and one started lugging Sokka's net towards the river. Aang took a deep breath, preparing to start a huge wave. He had to get them away from the pirates.

Then Sokka looked up.

"Wait." No one even paused for a second. Sokka shook his head, drew in a breath and then said, in a louder voice,

"We can help you." _That _stopped the pirates. Even Aang's mouth dropped open and the wave he had been creating fell back in the river with a splash. Sokka felt a little annoyed at that. Couldn't Aang see that this could be their only chance to get Katara? Force. Zuko had an entire team of fire benders with him, and the two of them might not be able to rescue Katara if she was on Zuko's ship.

"What?" Aang asked loudly. The pirates started laughing, at which Sokka looked angry. _They laughed!_

"I'm serious." Sokka said, looking at all the pirates with an expression that showed how serious he was. He continued, with the most I-mean-business tone he had, "You want the scroll and I and Aang want Katara back. If we work together, we'll both get what we want." He hoped that this would make the pirates see sense. It would work, of course it would.

The laughter faded, and when one pirate laughed again, louder, the captain shot him an irritable look. The captain seemed to be really considering this. Aang frowned, thinking, _This could work._

"How do we know you'll be able to find them?" The captain asked, cocking an eyebrow at Sokka. Aang looked at Sokka, hoping he had a response for this; he did.

"We won't have to, he'll chase us." At this, the captain and most of the pirates looked confused.

"Let's just throw them in the river, captain." One said. A few pirates nodded, but the captain paid no attention. He was obviously interested in it. Good.

"Why will he chase you?"

"Aang's the Avatar; Zuko wants to capture him. He's been following us since we left the South Pole." Sokka explained, and Aang nodded fervently, even though all attention was on Sokka.

The pirates all turned to face the captain, who had a dirty smirk on his face. Sokka looked grimly determined and Aand was hopeful.

_This could be their best shot at saving Katara._

* * *

><p>It was just a matter of time. As soon as the Avatar came to get the girl back, he would capture him. Then he would have his honour back. Father would forgive him and restore him to the throne.<p>

And he'd show Azula. She hadn't believed that he could capture the Avatar, had she? He would capture the Avatar, and he'd _show _her.

"Nephew. Prince Zuko, I have been calling you from five minutes." Zuko blinked out of thoughts and turned to face his uncle. He gave a small apologetic smile and said,

"Uncle! I was just thinking of when I capture the Avatar. I will have my honour back, Father will forgive me." Zuko said, voicing the thoughts that had been running in his mind since a while now, more to himself than to his uncle.

Iroh nodded slowly. He had expected that his nephew's reason for capturing the waterbending girl would be something like that. But he hoped that Zuko wouldn't get his hopes up; it wasn't that his plan would fail. Iroh had to admit that it was a good plan and it could work, but he doubted that Ozai would forgive Zuko so easily.

Ozai was a cruel man. Iroh couldn't imagine what father would burn his own son! No, Ozai was not the forgiving type.

"Don't count your turtle ducks before they hatch." His uncle said. Zuko nodded even though he _knew_ his plan had no way of failing now. Things were finally looking up for him.

"Anyways, Prince Zuko, I have come here to tell you the good news."

Zuko nodded, trying to keep away all thoughts of the Avatar at his uncle's words. It was too soon, and his uncle generally associated good news with tea or Pai Sho. While this frustrated him to no end at other times, at the moment he was too calm, too _happy_, to be upset by this.

"Yes?" He asked.

Iroh gave a very, very wide grin.

"The missing Lotus Tile was in my sleeve all this time!"

**So, I know it was shorter than the first chapter, but that's because of something I wanted to do... Like, suspense of some sort, I guess. There was more in it but I had to cut all that out and keep it in mind for the next chapter. Or maybe the next to next. Not sure.**

**Also, as to the reviews, thank you so much to all of you who reviewed. I got 7 reviews on the first chapter! That's great, really! I did reply to your reviews personally, but here's notes, because I like being thorough. Or because I have OCD. **

**iCraft, sokkantylee, animallover2000, Kariana6 and Cat: Thank you very much. =)  
>CrazyJulz98: I am a Zutarian to the core. Also, I'm guessing you have gotten answers to some of your questions by now, as for the rest you'll just have to wait and see, won't you? ;)<br>CatsGurl98: Thanks a whole big bunch, but I'm really not sure what you mean about being posted earlier and updated sooner... =/ **

**Okay, that's mostly it, apart from this one other thing:**

**I'm looking for a beta. I'd like a beta for this story, and I have no idea how you're supposed to contact a beta reader or something. Therefore, could anyone help me out there? Thanks. =)**

**Okay, I'm done now. I promise to try and have the next chapter up sooner. =)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh, I keep forgetting to do this: I, as sad as that is, solemnly swear that I do not own Avatar. I wish I did, but I don't. Such a pity.**

**Anyways. Here's the third chapter, which, though I'd said would come yesterday at latest if I didn't finish it the day before, well, it didn't. It was because of an occasion that no one knew anything about, where no one refers to me and occasion refers to my uncle's wedding. I was out of the city all day yesterday, so I couldn't finish this even though I had everything written down in my little book. Sorry. **

**Any how, here's the third chapter.**

Ch.3.

Katara shivered in her bare metal cell, her fingers digging into her sides and her forearms wrapped around her stomach. Not only was she cold, but she was very, very hungry. She wondered what kind of bait she would be if she were dead. Zuko had kidnapped her and then forgotten completely about her.

In that metal cell, there was no sense of time. Because the cell had no windows and no way of light entering it, it always looked like the same time of day. An eternal twilight.

So she didn't know how long she had been in there, but she knew that she couldn't go much longer without food or water. Even the air in the cell seemed stifling now, harder to breathe in.

It was odd, but the longer she stayed in that cell, the colder she felt. It got colder as they got closer to dawn, instead of the other way around. It made no sense to her.

Katara wondered whether Aang and Sokka had woken up yet, whether they had discovered that she was gone. Zuko had ordered the pirates to find Aang; had they found him and Sokka? If they had, what had they done with them? Were they okay?

Katara sighed and looked up at the metal door and metal walls of the cell. They looked exactly the same, except for the hinges at the end of the door.

She would go mad if she were stuck in the cell until she found a way to escape. Speaking of which, that was what she should be doing; finding a way to escape. If only she knew the layout of the ship, or had a chance to be outside. Maybe then she would be able to escape. As it was, she was stuck inside a cell where she hadn't been bothered since she had been locked in here. She wished she had been able to escape when they were on the smaller river boat, but then her hands had been tied so she couldn't bend, and Zuko had tied her feet as soon as they were inside it.

Not to mention he was too strong for her.

Suddenly, there was a click and Katara looked at the door, and, sure enough, it opened slowly in a few seconds. An old, very fat man stepped in that Katara recognized as Zuko's uncle. She pulled back a little, hoping he wasn't very much like Zuko.

She watched as he looked at her with an expression she couldn't quite comprehend, though she could make some amount of regret out, and then gave her a wide grin.

"Hello! I'm Iroh, Prince Zuko's uncle." He said. She nodded slowly. She wondered if she should smile to be polite. She decided against it. "I'm sorry for my nephew's behavior. Hasn't he learned any manners from me? A pretty girl like you shouldn't be in this cell." He said, sitting down on the floor facing her, their ends of their feet nearly touching. Katara blushed despite herself. Iroh seemed like a nice enough man; she wondered why his nephew was the way he was, and what Iroh thought of it.

"I think you deserve a better room." He said, and she raised her eyebrows. She had honestly thought he was just joking. He stood up with a grunt and offered her his hand. She shyly took it, hoping he wasn't taking her to a torture chamber, and stood up. At that point, whatever her qualms about Zuko and his uncle and the rest of the fire nation were, she would do anything just to leave that cell. Her stomach grumbled loudly and Iroh shook his head, muttering something to himself that she couldn't hear. She blushed again, from embarrassment this time.

He opened the door to the cell and she put her hand up to shield her eyes; the light coming from outside, though dim, was painful to her eyes, considering she had been in a dark cell for hours. He stepped slowly out of the door, and she followed him out, wrapping her arms around her stomach. She was a little scared, being in a fire nation ship and all, but Iroh just kept walking forward, so she followed him.

Katara had seen the ship only from the outside; when she was being taken to her cell, she had been struggling too hard to have observed it. Now, she observed. The inside of the ship was, unsurprisingly, all metal walls. Every little while, they would pass a red lantern. They were the only source of lighting in the ship.

They climbed up to the main deck and then, because there were so many guards, she didn't make any attempt to escape as she followed Iroh through another metal door, entering the command tower. Then there were many narrow staircases to climb. A few flights of stairs and a huffing Iroh later, they were at another metal door with a cogwheel. Iroh opened the door and let her in. She stepped in gloomily, expecting a slightly bigger metal chamber, an only slightly improved version of her cell.

But when she saw it, she gasped.

The room was no more brightly lit than the rest of the ship was, with red-tinted windows. There was a bamboo mattress on the floor in the middle of the room. Two swords were hung up on one wall above a low table. Four candles were placed on another low table, behind which there was a showpiece that looked like a dragon's head. The same red lanterns that were in the rest of the ship and flags of the fire nation hung on the walls. Small decorative pieces were placed in the corners. There were two rectangular windows high up on the wall, not wide enough for her to get through, even if she did somehow manage to get up there.

It was bigger than her entire home in the South Pole, and while she had slept on softer things than bamboo mattresses, it looked very welcoming at the moment.

Iroh chuckled and smiled at Katara. She smiled back, thankful for him. She might have still been stuck in that hateful cell if it hadn't been for him.

"I'll get you some food. Make yourself at home." He said, and then left the room and shut the door.

_Make yourself at home?_

As friendly as Iroh was, she could never be at home on a Fire Nation ship. She had been kidnapped, used to bait Aang in. She would never feel at home here.

She shot a dirty glance at a flag, and then proceeded to lie down on the bamboo mat. It was bumpy and hurt her back, but it was an improvement on the hard metal floor of the cell.

She was so tired.

* * *

><p>"Why did you -"<p>

"We could get the scro -"

"But the boy said -"

"I was there!"

"Then why aren't you -"

Then the voices hushed and Aang could hear no more. He frowned, confused, at the conversation that was taking place between the pirates' captain and another pirate. It made no sense to him at all. That might be because they kept cutting each other off, though.

"What do you think that was about?" Aang asked, turning to Sokka. They were on the pirates' ship to discuss plans for how they were going to get Katara and the waterbending scroll back. Sokka didn't reply, simply continued staring off into space with a grim expression, much like he had been doing almost all day… _Night._

"Um, Sokka?" Aang asked. Sokka snapped out of his reverie and said, "Sorry, Aang, I was just…" He still sounded somewhat lost in his thoughts.

The thoughts running through Sokka's mind were depressing ones: thoughts and memories of Katara endlessly teasing him, teaching Aang waterbending, being the supportive person she was, shouting at him for being a sexist… And how she had stolen the scroll. He had known nothing good would come out of it! And how had she been stupid enough to get caught?

And then there was failure. When leaving the Southern Water Tribe to fight in the war, Hakoda had told Sokka that his duty was to protect his sister. He had failed. He'd failed Hakoda, he'd failed Katara, he'd failed…himself.

He felt miserable.

"Come on, Sokka, they're calling us in." He heard Aang say distantly and nodded. This was important to him: he knew that getting the pirates' help would be helpful in getting Katara back, and it was important that their plan work. For that, he would have to explain it carefully and make sure the pirates were impressed enough to put their heart into it.

_They should, because they want their scroll too._

Aang and Sokka entered the room where all the pirates had gathered and strode over to the table around which they were standing.

"What's the plan?" One pirate asked. Sokka felt like rolling his eyes, but answered him anyways.

"We have to lure Zuko in. He must have expected us to chase him, walk right into his hands. We won't. So he'll follow us. Then, when he catches up to us, we can ambush him and get Katara back. And the scroll." He added hastily. The captain seemed impressed to an extent, but wanted to know more:

"When we ambush him, how will we be able to find the scroll and the girl?" Aang looked up at Sokka.

"The scroll will be with Zuko: he wouldn't see any use of it, but he would keep it with himself in case Katara got it. She's a waterbender." He swallowed to himself, remembering all the times she talked about the bending and how she needed a master. And how it wasn't freakish magic, it was an ancient art. "Katara will be in… the prison, or something. Aang, when you were captured in the South Pole, where were you being taken?" He asked, turning to Aang, hoping he remembered.

"I'm not sure; I escaped before they could lock me in, but it was below the main deck. There's a staircase on the main deck, and you go down and there are many doors. I was going to be locked in one of them. I remember searching for my staff. I found it in a room in the command tower; I think it was Zuko's room."

"That's where the scroll will be, then, if it isn't on Zuko. And Katara will be below deck. If the rest of you are fighting his crew and his uncle, then Aang and I will have enough time to find Katara and the scroll and get back out of the ship. Katara might even know where the scroll is." Sokka said, looking at the pirates hopefully. Most of them looked impressed, as if they thought the plan would work.

That was what he needed.

And he knew that if everything went right, it would.

"How will scar-face be able to find you?" One pirate asked. At that, the others faces fell into a confused frown. _The pirates aren't very smart, are they? _

"We'll be flying on Appa." Aang looked up at that.

"Appa?"

"Appa is Aang's flying bison. He's an airbender and all, so he has one." Aang gave a small wave and said "That's me." Everyone ignored him.

"Appa is huge; he can be easily seen from the ground if we're not flying too high. That's how Zuko's been following us from the South Pole." At Aang's protest, Sokka continued, "_It is! _If Aang and I are flying on Appa, you can follow us on your ship. Zuko will spot us and follow us on _his_ ship."

"How do we know you won't take off on your own and leave us to fight scar-face?" _Scar-face seemed to have become Zuko's nickname_, Aang thought. Sokka clenched his jaw.

"You'll just have to trust us." Sokka said. The captain shook his head.

"Oh will fly with you on the bison. For… security reasons." He said, and Oh, the pirate who Aang recognized as the one who had referred to himself as a "high-risk trader", gave them a wide toothy smirk. Sokka shrugged; he could see nothing wrong with this idea.

"Where will you be flying?" One pirate asked. "How will we know what course to follow? We should be able to follow you on our ship." He said, and Sokka nodded. At a signal of the captain, one pirate brought a map over and spread it on the table.

Sokka placed a finger on one of the coasts of the Earth Kingdom after studying the map carefully for a minute or two.

"Right now, we're here. If we keep going upriver, you'll be able to sail with us, and Zuko will be able to follow us as well." Sokka said, tracing his finger up the river.

"We'll land somewhere near Gaipan, then?" Oh asked Sokka, and he nodded solemnly.

"Near Gaipan."

* * *

><p>Zuko looked through his telescope at a shape he had come to recognize as the Avatar's flying bison and huffed.<p>

They weren't flying towards him. In fact, they were flying slowly in another direction altogether! What was he doing?

He took deep breaths and shook his head. Maybe the Avatar just hadn't spotted his ship yet. Maybe they were looking for his ship and would follow him as soon as they saw it.

_Darn it! Why weren't they following him! Why wasn't his plan working?_

"Prince Zuko, look at the sun rising. It is such a beautiful view." He heard Iroh say behind him, and exhaled smoke. His temper was, again, increasing steadily. This wasn't supposed to happen! They were supposed to follow him until he captured the Avatar!

He shook his head at his uncle and turned to face him. Iroh saw the angry fire blazing in Zuko's golden eyes and sighed. His nephew was upset again.

"I don't care about the view! Why isn't my plan working?" Zuko shouted, his chest rapidly rising and falling with his anger. Iroh shook his head at his nephew.

"Patience, nephew. Your plan is a good one, it will work." Zuko gave out a loud, frustrated grunt and stormed upstairs, cursing.

"Why can't he just follow me? Doesn't he want his girlfriend back? Why aren't they following? Why can't he just get captured? Stupid Avatar! Stupid Avatar with his stupid flying bison and his stupid -"

He broke off as soon as he entered the room, startled. The waterbending girl was asleep on his mattress, calmly breathing in and out. She seemed troubled, or so her face showed, though she looked calmer than he had ever seen her.

What was she doing there?

He cursed again. This had to be his uncle's doing.

"Uncle!" He shouted, but only after he had left the room and unconsciously closed the door _silently_ behind him.

**Ooh, so Sokka and Aang aren't going according to Zuko's plan. Tch tch, poor Zuko. Hehe. And Katara's asleep in Zuko's room. **

**Okay, so, when I was doing the whole story planning thing on Sunday, the first time I've ever done story planning, and ended up pretty satisfied with myself, I had to make a change in the story. Originally, the pirates weren't going to agree to help Aang and Sokka out... Which was why I left the scene sort of unfinished in the last chapter. Now that they are helping them out... Well, I could have finished it, but I don't exactly need to now. **

**Secondly, thank you for the 6 reviews! You all make me very happy. =) **

****iCraft and Sweetness22: Thank you both so much!  
>JackieStarSister: Well, I didn't plan to originally, I have to admit. But, hey, this works in the Big Picture. Thank you, I think I might need the luck. ;)<strong>****Kiren: Honestly, Iroh is the coolest. He's so nice to Katara, even though she's a hostage and all that. Ooh, he's going to have a problem with those angry pirates, isn't he? ;)  
><strong>**CatsGurl98: You have cleared it all up. =D Thank you!  
>CrazyJulz16: Thank you so much! Well, I was trying hard for the suspense bit... But, seeing as how I don't exactly need that suspense any more. Psh, I feel useless.<strong>

**Okay, so, I'm done. I will update next week again. Thank you all for reading... Review?**

**P.S. I'm still looking for a beta. Can anyone atleast tell me how to message or contact a beta? Thanks. =)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, here's a disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER (unfortunately) OR IT'S CHARACTERS OR LOCATIONS OR WHATEVER. Si? **

**So, here's the next chapter. XD Hope you all like it. =) **

**Hehe, I'm semi-proud of myself for this one. I managed to write it even though I'd only written the Sokka/Aang/Oh part in my little notebook. And that too, only half. That means, mostly with nothing in the book. YAY, PRIDE! XD =P**

Ch. 4.

Katara woke up in the room with an odd sort of pain in her back. She grimaced, rubbing her back with her fingers.

She looked up at the room and wondered whose it was. Iroh's? It seemed more lavish than a room she might have expected from a warship. Not that she had been on many warships…

Apart from that one in the South Pole which she had followed Aang into. She shivered, thinking of it. Would Zuko have found Aang if they hadn't gone into that warship? Would she be here?

_No_, she realized_. She wouldn't_.

_Because she wouldn't even know that Aang was the Avatar. _

Everything would have been different. She wouldn't have gone to Kyoshi or Omashu; she might still be in the South Pole. She knew that for some reason she didn't know, Aang had been upset when he found out he was the Avatar and he had been running away from it. She might never have found out. Aang had only admitted that he was the Avatar to protect her village.

Thinking of that, she pulled her knees to her chest and pressed her chin to them.

_She missed Aang and Sokka. _

And, even though entering that warship had led to them being followed around wherever they went, she didn't regret it. Not _much_.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of a metal churning and sprang to her feet immediately. She knew she was mostly helpless in this ship with no water she had access to, but it wouldn't do her any harm to be cautious.

It was Zuko.

He entered the room and gave her a cold glare. She glared back defiantly.

"What is he _doing_?" He shouted. She frowned. What was who doing? Zuko made no sense to her. And, even though her doubts were placed on Aang, she decided to play dumb. After all, he could have been talking about anyone. Maybe even Iroh; she doubted Zuko was very happy with her having a comparatively comfortable room.

"What is who doing?" She asked, trying not to laugh at his annoyed expression. He was fuming, literally. She could see the steam escaping his nostrils.

"The Avatar. What is he doing?" He shot at her. She fought to control her smile; his latest plan of capturing Aang seemed to be failing. Katara almost grinned.

"How would I know? I'm here, aren't I?" She said. Zuko's anger flared. The girl was _obviously_ enjoying herself. Why did everything have to be that way? She wasn't supposed to be in _his_ room, sleeping, while his plan _failed_!

Why did everything always have to fail for him? Everything, every single thing was so hard for him.

And he had been so sure that this would work! It was a foolproof plan; the Avatar was supposed to chase after the girl. They were obviously good friends, judging by how the girl and her brother had come to rescue the Avatar when he had first captured him, back in the South Pole. Why wasn't the Avatar doing the same for the girl?

_Do not count your turtle ducks before they hatch._

He bashed his fist into the metal wall and left the room, door open.

For a moment, Katara was shocked. _He had left the door open!_ She was sure there were guards outside, but she could take the chance, couldn't she? She waited until she was sure Zuko would be far enough, and then took a small step forward.

And then Iroh popped his head in through the door frame, a wide awkward-looking smile on his face. He said, his smile and cheerfulness audible when he spoke,

"My nephew, he says you will have to switch rooms. He isn't, uh, _comfortable_ with girls sleeping in his bedroom." He said, saying the same thing his nephew had said with a few alterations; such as 'captive'.

Katara's mouth fell open. She had been in _Zuko's _room? Sure, she remembered thinking that it was quite lavish for a warship, but she had thought that it would be, at the most, Iroh's room. Not _Zuko's_!

And he had told her to _feel at home_?

The irony of it all did not amuse her one bit.

"Why don't you come down right now while we, uh, prepare a room for you? I'm sure you must be hungry." Iroh said, and Katara nodded gratefully even as one part of her was wondering what torture weapons they were preparing.

She followed Iroh, again, down flights of staircases. As they entered the main deck, she raised a hand to shield her eyes, nearly setting off a couple of guards. Iroh sent them back to standing in a stiff position with one signal. She saw Zuko looking into the sky with a telescope. Was he looking at Appa? She sighed at the thought. Zuko looked angry, much as he had when he had come into her room. The sun had just risen, she noticed.

She followed Iroh down the same set of stairs they had traveled before she had been trapped in the small cell. Hopefully, she would never have to see that cell again.

As she reached the metal doors which, unlike the rest, had locks with keys to them instead of cogwheels, she followed Iroh, looking straight ahead at his grey hair. When they reached a small room with a low table on a bamboo mat, not too different from the one she had slept on, lit by two of the same red lanterns that could be found everywhere in the interiors of the ship and multiple flags of the fire nation adorning its walls, Iroh stopped walking.

"Ladies first." He said with a grin, and she smiled at him and took a seat at one of the chairs. Iroh sat on the chair adjacent to hers, grinning at the plates that had been set out in front of them; a steaming garnished fish, a bowl of boiled rice next to each plate, and a bun on a plate in front of them. There was also a small container of salt.

"We have a lot of fish, considering we're always sailing." Iroh provided. Katara nodded.

"We used to eat a lot of fish, too, back in the South Pole. And other sea creatures."

"What was your favorite?" Iroh asked.

"Five-flavor soup. And arctic-hen." Katara said after a bit of thought. She'd never thought too much about food, really. That was what Sokka did.

"My favorite dish is roast duck. Not that we get it much here." Iroh said, looking upset at the thought. Katara smiled a little to herself. For the Fire Lord's brother, or so she supposed Iroh was, he seemed to be a very simple man.

There were three plates set, Katara noticed, but didn't pay too much attention; she was hungry.

A few bites in, Iroh started talking again.

"You must be wondering why there are three plates set. You see, the third one is for my nephew. We didn't exactly have dinner." He said. Katara nodded. Of course they didn't have much of dinner; they were too busy trying to capture the Avatar. She wondered, though; did Zuko ever eat at all? He seemed to be consumed by his search for Aang. Didn't he ever feel hungry or tired? She doubted he had slept at all in the night, considering she had been in his room for quite a while. She would have woken up if he, or anyone, had come in.

Not that she cared. She was just curious.

She shook her head and continued eating her fish. She didn't know when she would get a chance to eat again, did she? She might as well dig in.

* * *

><p>"Why are we flying so slowly?" Pirate Oh grumbled. Aang made a frustrated sound at the question.<p>

"Look, Appa's tired, okay? None of us had any rest last night. And he's not used to carrying a fully grown man_ and_ me and Sokka." Aang retorted. Oh grunted.

"So how long is it to Gaipan?" Oh asked. Sokka, who was sitting at the saddle, audibly irritated at Oh's consistent stream of questions, lack of sleep, and worry for his sister, replied,

"We're not landing in Gaipan, we're landing close to there. And, I don't know, okay? Maybe a day. We've just left, and, and we don't want Zuko to reach us before the rest of the pirates do, do we?"

Oh grunted again, and leaned back on Appa's saddle, closing his eyes. Aang closed his eyes too, slowly feeling the drowsiness and lack of sleep making it difficult to open them again.

In a few minutes, Aang and Oh were both asleep, leaving Sokka holding Appa's reins. He was tired too. But he couldn't sleep.

No, Sokka wouldn't sleep.

* * *

><p>Zuko trailed the flying bison's progress using his telescope. He had resigned himself to the fact that kidnapping the girl had obviously not done anything, not yet. It was the same. Maybe he still did have the upper hand, though. He could track the Avatar; he had until now, and he would continue to until he captured him.<p>

The bison was moving consistently north-east. He frowned, pulled the telescope away from his eye and strode into the wheelhouse and pulled out a map. Unrolling it, he frowned. They were near the pier which hosted the junk ships, which was… there. They were traveling North-East, which was upriver. This made no sense to Zuko; there was nothing there. He knew there were a couple of small earth kingdom villages, most taken over by the fire nation a long time ago, and a canyon… But nothing else.

Uncle would know.

"Where is my uncle?" He asked the helmsman, but in his hurry it came out more like a bark.

"Dining, I think." The helmsman replied. Zuko nodded and rushed out of the wheelhouse, still clutching at the map. He rushed below deck and to where he knew his uncle would be, courtesy of the helmsman.

When he got there, he was surprised to see the water tribe girl eating as well. She seemed surprised to see him. He ignored her as well as his uncle's comment about him finally coming to eat.

He wasn't there to eat.

"Uncle! The Avatar is heading North-East." At this, he looked carefully at the girl to see her reaction, but she only seemed a little surprised. Why was that?

He turned his attention back to the map in his hands, tapping their location and then tracing the river. "We're here, and they're going North-East, which is upriver. What could possibly be there?" He asked, frowning. Iroh shrugged.

"I don't know, Prince Zuko. There are only a few small villages and a stronghold." Iroh said, tapping at some points on the map to mark the villages and the stronghold. "Nothing else."

Zuko was stumped. What was the Avatar _doing_?

"I can't understand what he's doing. The Avatar has already proved that he's the master of evasion…" At this, Katara sputtered. Both, Zuko and his uncle turned to face her, Iroh with amusement and mild interest on his face and Zuko with confusion.

"Aang? Master of evasion? You're joking, right?" Katara sputtered, and then started laughing in spite of herself. _That_ was truly funny. She didn't know why Aang was heading upriver, but she did know that everything he was, he was not a "master of evasion".

"I'm not," Zuko said, a little bit irritably. She seemed to be having the time of her life on his ship. She shouldn't be; she was the _captive_. "He is. Do you know where he's going?"

"I already told you. I don't know where Aang is." The girl said, now sounding irritable. Zuko frowned.

"Then do you know his plan? Why he's heading North-East? Where is he going?" He asked, his good eye gleaming.

Katara clenched her jaw.

"I don't know if he has a plan. We didn't exactly expect that I would be captured by you, you know. And, like I told you, I don't know why he's going North-East, because I'm _here_ and _not with him_." She said, her voice laced with bitterness that she hoped Zuko would catch. Maybe he would feel guilty for kidnapping her, though she doubted it. She doubted that he actually had any feelings, really.

She also hoped that he wouldn't notice that she hadn't answered his last question, because, while she had her hopes on Aang flying to the North Pole to find a waterbending master, she wasn't sure, and she certainly didn't want Zuko to find out about that.

Iroh was watching their argument with some amount of wariness, and nearly opened his mouth once to say something, but then closed it. Neither of the two noticed. _He_ noticed, however, that there was a trace of bitterness in the girl's voice when she spoke of the Avatar… A bitterness that wasn't much different from his nephew's when he spoke of his scar… Or the Avatar.

Zuko glared at the girl for a minute. She certainly seemed to be telling the truth.

Then he clenched his jaw, lifted the plate that had been set for him from the table, and, still holding the map in one hand, walked away.

"I was hoping he wouldn't turn up. I might have gotten to eat that fish." Iroh said, sounding upset, making Katara laugh.

"So, um… What's your name?" He asked, realizing that he didn't even know her name.

"Katara." She said, giving him a small smile.

"Again, I'm sorry about my nephew. He hasn't learned any manners from me. Eating should be done in its place, not holding a map up." Iroh said, grinning at Katara.

How was it even possible that Iroh and Zuko were related?

**Not much of Aang/Sokka here, just the general update, I guess you could call it. Zuko and Katara make their first real interaction (sort of). And Zuko is at wits end as to why Aang's traveling north. Haha. **

**Thank you so much to CrazyJulz16 for reviewing. =)**

**To CrazyJulz16: Thank you so much. I really tried hard on Zuko's room's description. Screenshots are a great help. I guess, that is sort of... not usually done. Hm... =/ Thank you SO much, anyways. Everything you (And everyone who reviews) means a lot to me. =D**

**Also, I don't mind or have any issues with constructive criticism. That's very welcome.**

**Also, I was wondering, in case you guys are having any confusion about location and the map and all, I actually take my map references from The World of Avatar map by Felinoel (on DeviantArt) and the key from the Avatar:TLA official wiki. If you search for map in it's search bar, you can get it. I'd give a link, but links don't work on . =) **

**Okay, I'm done. Thanks a lot to all of you for reading... Review? Thanks. =)**


	5. Chapter 5

**So, here's the 5th chapter. =) I was very annoyed while writing this chapter because I've left my notebook at my Grandparent's house... And I had to write it on a long sheet of paper which is supposed to be used to draw. And the pencil didn't even work. Hmph.**

**Hope you like it. =)**

Ch. 5.

Iroh walked up the stairs to a room, followed closely by Katara, with his nephew right behind; Zuko thought that his prisoner would try to escape. And, really, there was no point in arguing with his nephew.

Iroh led Katara to what would be her cabin, and turned the cogwheel, opening the door.

Katara stepped in and looked around the room; it was mostly bare; a few flags of the fire nation hung from the walls, and the cabin was lit with the war ship's customary red lanterns. It wasn't decorative, but it wasn't as bad as her cell had been; it was expansive, and it even had a window she would be able to look through. Unfortunately, that window was red-tinted, and would color her view of the sea. But then, beggars couldn't be choosers. Nor could captives, for that matter.

"I'll send someone to bring up a mattress." Iroh said from behind her. She smiled at the thought of a mattress, and turned around to face Iroh.

"Thank you." She said sincerely. Iroh gave her a smile. His nephew was still standing with his arms crossed, at the entrance.

Iroh kept smiling as he closed the door and turned the cogwheel, effectively locking the door. He could hear a small sigh through the thick metal.

"What's wrong, Prince Zuko?" He asked his nephew, who had been staring off into space with a glum expression. Iroh had an inkling that he already knew what the answer was going to be.

"Nothing, uncle," Zuko said with a sigh, surprising Iroh. It was very unlikely of his nephew to say that nothing was wrong. "I've told the Captain to change course; we'll be heading upriver and following the Avatar." _Just like I suspect he wants me to, _he added in his mind. If he wanted chase, he would get chase. But he would capture the Avatar, he knew _that_. He would use the girl, threaten the Avatar to harm her if he had to.

"You should sleep, Prince Zuko. You've been awake all night." His uncle said, and Zuko nodded, then walked away, going to his room.

Iroh watched his nephew's retreating back until he was gone, and then turned to go up to his own room.

His nephew wasn't the only one who needed rest, after all. And after having that fish, he was drowsy enough to fall asleep quickly.

* * *

><p>Sokka's eyes drooped dangerously low as he held Appa's reins. Aang leaned over from behind, having just woken up.<p>

"Sokka, are you sure you don't want to go to sleep?" Aang asked. Sokka's eyes flew open and he shook his head, trying to stay focused and awake. They had a plan. They were supposed to land somewhere near Gaipan, wait for the pirates, then wait for Zuko to reach them on his ship, and then ambush them and rescue Katara, and the scroll, while the pirates are fighting Zuko and keeping them off the ship. He wouldn't be able to focus if he fell asleep.

He had to stay awake.

"No, I don't." He said firmly, ignoring the snores coming from Pirate Oh. Aang looked at him carefully, observing the very visible bags under Sokka's eyes, and then asked,

"Are you sure?" Sokka nodded.

"Okay, then." Aang said, and went back to staring at the clouds they passed by, still half asleep. Turning his head for a second to see Aang just barely awake, he nodded to himself. It had been a good thing he hadn't swapped with Aang; Aang himself wasn't fully awake, he wouldn't be able to direct Appa.

He turned back front, wincing as the cold wind pierced his eyes and made them water, making him blink a little drowsily.

Sokka tried not to give in to the tempting idea of sleep.

* * *

><p>Katara stared out of the window, looking dreamily at the water.<p>

Since Iroh and Zuko had left her in her room, she'd been sitting in a corner, waiting for that mattress to arrive so she could sit on something softer. It hadn't until now, but she was sure it would. Iroh seemed like a sincere person, and he'd gotten her out of that cell. She trusted him... As much as she could, for someone from the fire nation. Sitting there, she'd fallen asleep. How long she'd been asleep, she didn't know. What she did know was that the red light coming in through her window was now coming from a different direction. That didn't help her, though, for she had no idea which direction was which.

A while ago, she had stood up to go to the window and stare out of it. It wasn't very high up, so she could look out of it if she stood on the floor.

As she heard the cogwheel on her door churning, she turned to face the metal door. _It must be that mattress_, she thought. _Or Iroh. Or Zuko._ She wrinkled her nose at the thought that it could be Zuko.

It was the mattress.

A man entered the room, holding a thick mattress, nearly falling over below it's weight. Katara rushed forward to help him carry it to the corner of the room, where they set it on the floor. Katara smiled.

"Thank you for the mattress." She said to him, and he shot her an odd look before grinning and leaving the cabin. She heard the cogwheel turn outside and plonked onto her mattress.

_It was so soft!_

In a few minutes, her eyes had started to droop.

Then, she heard the sound of metal churning. When the door to her cabin opened, she saw that it was the same man who had brought her the mattress.

She smiled.

Zuko frowned at the muffled screaming and the growls coming from the cabin. Wasn't that the same cabin Uncle had kept the girl in? He clenched his jaw and kept walking, until there was a louder scream, one that was definitely coming from a girl.

And, as Zuko very well knew, his prisoner was the only girl on the ship.

Another scream followed, and this one sounded very male. Zuko frowned and hurried back to the door to that cabin, unlocking the door and rushing in.

Zuko froze.

Yong, one of the men on his crew, was... _molesting_ his prisoner. Her kimono was halfway open, revealing a lot of skin and his hand was untying more of it.

Zuko swore and reached forward, pulling Yong off the girl, who was blushing brightly and looked like she was panicking. There were also signs of moisture below her eyes.

Zuko turned, angrily, to Yong. Yong looked a little scared and, to Zuko's increasing anger, shot a fireball at Zuko, which he dodged, responding with a fire bomb to Yong's abdomen. Yong reciprocated with a fire dagger that would have swiped Zuko's collar bone if he hadn't pushed his forearm away with his clenched fist. Zuko created fire lashes to envelop Yong, making him drop to the floor.

Zuko's breathing was ragged and was coming in short puffs as he dragged Yong out of the cabin by the collar.

He thought he heard a near inaudible, whispered, choked "thank you." from the girl, who was on the floor with her tunic back in place and her face streaked with tears. All of it angered him more.

_How could Yong, or anyone, do something as disgusting as he had been? It was _sick_, and cheap._

He dragged Yong onto the main deck by the collar and shouted to his uncle,

"Uncle. This - this _creature_ was molesting the girl." Iroh shot up to his feet and stared at Yong with disgust.

"This," he said, infuriated, "is to everyone here. There will be no abusing or assaulting the girl. She may be a prisoner, but she is a human. Anyone caught dishonoring her _will_ be punished."

Lieutenant Jee seemed taken aback, and was nodding fervently in agreement with Zuko. Zuko looked at everyone, his jaw clenched, as if to prove his point.

And then he dropped Yong on the floor and walked into the Command Tower, storming up to his room.

He was disgusted; disgusted with himself, because the girl was _his _prisoner, disgusted with what he had seen, and disgusted with what Yong had thought to do. As he reached his room, he decided that something would have to be done to prevent this sort of thing in the future.

**So, this was not something I had initially thought to do. Sorry. *hides* But I find it totally helps further on. Anyways. **

**So, I've got a couple of things to say. First, thank you so much to FlareonRocks who is the new/official BETA on this story. =) So, thanks a bunch for that. =)**

**Second, thank you to everyone that reviewed. =)**

**JackieStarSister: Thank you so much. =) Also, I've made the corrections in the previous chapter, and what I meant when Iroh said that they'd not had any dinner, I meant the previous night's meal. =)**

**Yellta: Thank you so much! That means a real lot to me. =) Well, Oh's name is a bit... weird. I've added in a 'pirate' in this chapter before Oh's name was put in, same in the previous chapter. =) And the line breaks as well. Thank you, once again. =D P.S. I like long reviews. XD**

**FlareonRocks: YAY, A BETA! Haha. =P Thanksss. =D XD**

***anonymous*: Thank you, I have updated. =D**

**Okay, so, I'm done. I'll update soon. =)**


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