Disclaimer: I do not, and never will, own Avatar: the Last Airbender.

"I hate you,"

"You've said that,"

"Well, it's true!"

Zuko sighed as the girl he was sharing a cell with glowered at him from across the room.

"You're a horrible person,"

"I know,"

"You better!"

Five minutes later. "You know this is all your fault, right?"

"Katara!" Zuko said, "Stop yelling at me. I'm really sorry I got us into this mess, okay?"

The waterbender grumbled, then sighed as she plopped down on the single rough cot in the room.

"I know," she muttered as she cradled her head in her arms, "I'm sorry for yelling. I just have no idea what we're suppposed to do now,"

"It's fine," Zuko assured her. "And we'll think of something,"

"Like what? We're stuck in a cell on Zhao's stupid ship with your crazy sister who is hell-bent on killing us all in slow and painfull ways locked in the cell next to us and we're headed straight for the Fire Nation,"

"Well..."

"Shut up, Zuko," Katara growled, her bad mood returning.

Zuko wisely did as she bid him and fell silent. He sank down onto the floor trying to come up with a plan, any plan, while Katara sat in brooding, contemplative silence on the bed.

************************************************************

"We have to go back and find Katara!" Aang said. The young airbender twisted around in his seat on Appa's head to glare at his friends.

"Twinkletoes. I know you want to go back, but that's really not the best course of action right now. Besides, what's Zuko? Chopped liver?" Toph snorted.

"I want to get Zuko back too!" Aang said defensively.

Sokka fixed Aang with a look, unusually serious. "Look Aang, I want to go back and find them just as much as you do. Maybe even more. She's my sister, for goodness sakes! And Zuko is our ally, not to mention friend. But right now, if we go back, we'll just get caught too,"

"We can't just leave them in Zhao's clutches!"

"Yes. Yes we can. And we will," Toph growled.

"Young Avatar, I miss my nephew and Lady Katara as well. But for now perhaps the best plan would be to continue to meet your father at Chameleon Bay. We can intercept the ship there with the entire Water Tribe fleet behind us before the invasion begins," Iroh said gravely. Aang leaned back with a sullen nod.

"Fine," he whispered to the winds that were his, "I'll come for you, Katara,"

Author's Note: Yes, I know I'm supposed to be working on Below Ba Sing Se. But I've hit a major case of writer's block on that. So, after you're done reading this, go to my profile and read Below Ba Sing Se and give me some ideas. Thank you!!!!