Cage Match

Chapter 1: Prisoner's Secrets

What would have happened if Katara and Sokka were captured after the failed invasion and Zuko was thrown in with them for attacking the Fire Lord? Will they be able to work together long enough for them to escape?

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. If I did…Zuko would have killed Azula in the Crystal Catacombs. (Unfortunately, I don't so he didn't.)

"Katara, look out!" Sokka called as a guard came up behind her. Katara turned in time to see the man's face but that was all she had time to do. She was knocked out cold. All she could remember was Sokka calling her and then nothing.

"Katara? Katara, are you okay?" Sokka's frantic voice reached her. She groaned and struggled to sit up but found her hands were tied behind her back.

"Sokka, what happened? Where are we?' Her eyes searched the room frantically but found only darkness.

"I think we're in a Fire Nation prison. A guard knocked us out, I think the others got away. I didn't hear anyone else being put in here." Katara crawled towards her brother's voice and found him leaning against the wall. She could see a small sliver of light coming from underneath the door. She glanced up when a shadow passed over them.

"This is the cell! Bring the traitor over here; we'll put him in with the Water Tribe peasants!" A guard called from outside the cell. They heard a commotion outside and they both listened intently.

"Let go of me!" came the unmistakable voice of Zuko. Katara and Sokka frowned into the darkness although they wondered why the prince was being branded a traitor.

"These are Azula's words so don't blame me:What's the matter, Zuzu? Are you missing Uncle so much that you're trying to pick a fight with Father instead?" Ty Lee's impression wasn't very good but it was close enough to chill the siblings to the bone.

"Back off you little circus reject!" came Zuko's short-tempered reply.

"Azula told me that if you said that I was supposed to say: No, Zuko, you are the reject. Okay, boys, throw him in! You know the drill!" Ty Lee's voice was closer now.

The door flew open; flooding the cell with bright light. When their eyes adjusted they could see Zuko held between two heavily-armed guards. His eyes glared at Ty Lee while she stood there smiling. "Hey there, Cutie!" She addressed Sokka with a large smile and a wink. Sokka grimaced and turned away. Ty Lee laughed then jabbed Zuko in the side causing him to cry out in pain. "Oops, wrong place!" She said cheerily then struck him again, this time he fell to his knees and one of the guards placed a foot on his back, pushing his face into the cold steel floor. The other guard then cut the rope around his wrists then walked over to Katara. Ty Lee jabbed her in the side as well but didn't miss. Katara gasped with the pain and the guard cut her ropes as well. The first guard kicked Zuko hard in the side, sending him across the floor, before exiting the cell. The small room was shrouded in darkness once again.

Zuko sat up, clutching his side and glanced around the cell; taking everything in, from the broken cot in the corner to the burn marks on the walls.

"Why are you in here?" Katara asked icily. Zuko looked at the two figures huddled together in the darkness. "I thought you went back to your dad and Azula." Katara sneered. Zuko looked away.

"I did, but apparently, if you redirect lightning at the Fire Lord you go to jail." Zuko said casually as if it was something everyone should know. Katara gasped and Sokka just stared.

"You killed you're dad!? How come we didn't hear about that!?" Sokka jumped up yelling. Zuko turned to him in surprise.

"No, I didn't kill him!" Now it was Zuko's turn to yell but somehow, Zuko seemed more intimidating than Sokka. He shrunk back into he corner.

"Why not!? If you had killed him, we wouldn't be here and neither would you! You'd be up there"—she pointed towards the ceiling—"being Fire Lord!" Katara shrieked and Zuko only looked away again.

"If I had fought him, I would not be here but you two"—he glared in their direction—"would because I would be dead. The Fire Lord is more powerful than even Azula. I am no match for him." After a long silence, Zuko spoke quietly. "You should get some rest; they don't feed prisoners for the first two days."

"Two days!?" Sokka shrieked and his voice cracked. "I can't go two whole days without food! I'll die!"

"Well, that will be one less for the guards to feed and one more to add to the cemetery." Zuko said coolly from his side of the cell. Sokka gulped and sat back down. Sokka told Katara to use the cot and of course she took that as a way of saying that she was weak so they argued for a few minutes. Katara finally lay down on the cot and went to sleep. When Sokka was sure she was asleep he tried to strike up a conversation; not realizing that Zuko had taken his own advice and was asleep as well.

"Zuko," Sokka called. "Zuko?" A groan came from him and he turned onto his back. "What?" Zuko growled.

"Are you asleep?" Sokka whispered.

"I was." He growled again.

"Sorry," Silence ensued and Zuko thought Sokka had fallen asleep until: "Let's talk about something." He suggested and Zuko let out an annoyed groan.

"Are you truly that bored?" Zuko asked; still hoping he could get some sleep.

"Yes," Sokka admitted.

Zuko sighed but stayed on his back; eyes still closed. "Fine, what do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know; guy stuff? Like food, weapons, and…girls."

"Girls?" Zuko arched and eyebrow but his eyes remained closed.

"Yeah…have you ever had a girlfriend?" Sokka asked curiously.

"Have you?" Zuko countered his question.

"I asked you first!" Sokka exclaimed. Katara shifted, she was about to yell at Sokka for waking her up when she took in all she had heard and now she awaited his answer as curiously as her brother. She almost missed what he said. "Mai," he whispered sadly.

"Mai? You and…Mai?" Sokka contemplated that. Zuko just turned over on his side, presenting them with his back. "She's so…gloomy." The silence became even more awkward. "Did you guys ever kiss?" Sokka's curiosity had obviously rekindled itself.

"What does it matter to you!?" Zuko rolled over instantly to face him; glaring intensely. Sokka shrunk farther into the corner. Zuko looked like a wild animal, ready to pounce; muscles tense, teeth clenched. He finally relaxed and rolled back over when Sokka didn't respond. So that means yes, Sokka thought smugly. If it had been anyone else, he would have said those exact words but he wasn't ready to risk that with Zuko. Sokka sighed and tried to restart the conversation. "So, how are we going to get out of here?"

"I don't know; maybe you could just talk the guards to death and then we could steal the keys. You could rescue your precious friends and leave and then I could…" His rant had sounded pretty sarcastic up until that last part and Sokka was left wondering what he had been about to say.

"You could what?" Sokka asked quietly. Zuko rolled onto his back again and stared at the ceiling.

"Before the eclipse ended, I told Father that the world hated us, that it was the Avatar's destiny to take him down, and that I was going to join him." Zuko stated as if he were reading a prophecy. Sokka's jaw dropped and Zuko's eyes followed and judged every reaction.

"You told your dad you were going to join us?" disbelief caked every word that came from Sokka's mouth. Zuko nodded and Sokka shook his head and moved on to another question. "I've got a question Katara would want to ask you." Katara stiffened in her cot and Zuko glanced at her then turned his attention back to Sokka. "Why did you do what you did in the Crystal Catacombs?"

"What do you mean?" He closed his eyes again.

"I don't know; I guess she meant why did you help Azula? I wasn't there so I don't know the whole story." Sokka was nervous about Zuko's reaction.

Zuko opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling, "I only wanted Father to love me, to accept me as his son. I was confused. Uncle told me that this was the 'crossroads of my destiny' and that I had to choose my own destiny. Then Azula showed up and…I went down the wrong path." Zuko's voice quieted to a whisper and then he rolled back over and soon he fell asleep. Sokka waited for his breaths to even out and shallow and when they did he turned to Katara.

"Well, I know you heard all that and so does he. Katara, we can't blame him for being confused and making a wrong choice. It seems like he's changed." There was silence as the siblings watched the prince sleep. As they watched, he turned onto his back and laid one arm across his chest. His hand rose and fell with each breath and his long hair lay across his face; almost hiding his scar.

"I wonder how he got it." Sokka said in a whisper. "He was pretty honest but I don't think we can ask him that." Katara reasoned and Sokka nodded with a sigh. Sokka and Katara fell asleep soon after that.

Their second day was spent in silence except for Sokka's incessant complaints about his empty stomach. All three prisoners were lost in their thoughts.

Okay, so, first chapter is up. This is a 'what if' story that I just thought of. I had to write it down because the whole story was just right there. I couldn't help it. I know it's moving kind of fast but that's just how it came out. Please read and review. Your comments help a lot.