Okay, this chapter ties into the next one… or leads into it I guess you could say. Though I think I did a better job on this chapter then the first two.

This chapter has recently been updated. Please enjoy the newly refurbished chapter 3 (bows.)

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Chapter 3

'Water bending Scroll'

A day after the incident with Kimiko we were flying parallel to the ocean, over the Earth Kingdom soil. With no sight of the Fire Nation I was finally able to relax a little.

"Hey Sokka, is there a village anywhere? I'm hungry?" asked Kimiko sleepily. She rubbed her eyes and sat up straighter, just awakening from a nap. Sokka pulled out his map and looked at it intently for a few seconds, then glanced at the world below.

"Yeah, about five miles away," he said estimating. We all heard his stomach growl and he rubbed it displeased. Kimiko nodded and I had Appa fly toward the distant village. We followed a river that lead up into the land and, was supposed to, create a harbor for the village.

I yawned and stretched my arms. For the last few nights I'd been having a strange dream. The same one every time. Though it was always blurry, so I couldn't tell, or understand what was going on… but… it looked like a star falling from the sky…

--

As the sun was getting high in the sky we landed in the harbor of the village and disembarked. It was a rather small, modest, village that made its worth on fishing and trading. We looked around.

"Okay there's a market," said Sokka sounding relieved. He pointed toward a few shops next to where the trader ships sold their goods off their boats. "Lets get some food fast. We don't know if the Fire Nation is following us, or worse, Zuko could be following us…" Sokka added.

Kimiko rolled her eyes. I turned may face away so that he wouldn't see my snickering. He thought Zuko was worse then the Fire Nation… somehow I begged to differ. It had seemed that if he were to capture me I would have an easier time escaping then if it were a different Fire Nation general.

"No duh, we already know," said Kimiko and she flicked Sokka in the forehead. She then walked off toward the market. Sokka looked at her back, annoyed. I heaved a long sigh; this was going to be a long and interesting trip to the Northern Water Tribe.

'How am going to live through this?' I chortled inwardly. I ran to catch up with Kimiko.

We bought some buns and apple-oranges for the trip, as they would be able to stay good for a few days. We walked around the town inspecting items as we licked frozen ice pops – we had managed to get them for a good discount, as Kimiko had frozen them herself. As we stood next to a shop selling necklaces I cast my eyes to one of the trading ships that was close to us. A burly man with thick black hair was standing outside it, on the street. He looked over at me and we made eye contact for a split second before he was already walking toward us.

"Hello, lady and gent, would you like to come aboard and see the lovely items we have to trade?" he asked giving us a humble bow. Kimiko glance at the man then at me as though looking for permission.

I gave her a look back, trying to say without speaking, 'is it a good idea?'

"Sure?" she said nervously, making is sound like a question. I shrugged, and we followed him onboard with Sokka joining us at the last minute.

Inside the ship were all sorts of strange and interesting items. Jewels, statues, instruments, shells, books, and many other items that I couldn't even identify littered the shelves. While the man began talking about unique items and prices, my eyes were drawn to a scroll box. I looked closer. One of the scrolls had a Water Tribe emblem on it! I nudged Kimiko with my elbow and pointed toward it. She gasped.

"This is a water bending scroll!" she exclaimed as she took it out of the box. "This could help you and me get better at water bending," she muttered quietly. I nodded, feeling excited. It would be good to learn the basics.

"How much is it?" Kimiko asked the man who had brought us in. He let out a laugh.

"Have a fellow already wanting that, unless o' course you have 200 gold pieces on you," he said, giving a greedy grin. Kimiko hung her head in disappointment.

"We don't have that kind of money," she said dejectedly. "Could we perhaps borrow…?" she started to ask.

"No way!" the man cut her off. "No money, no scroll!" He took the scroll from Kimiko and put it back in the box. She stayed there for a moment staring at the box.

"Lets go Kimiko," Sokka sad behind her. He looked at me and we both sighed. I looked over at Kimiko who turned around and came up to us quickly.

"Okay!" she replied, seeming too happy for just being turned down something important.

--

We walked back onto the cobble stone street. We were heading back to Appa, who was still floating in the harbor. Behind us we heard a furious yell of frustration.

"What the?" Sokka said looking over his shoulder.

"Um… let's get out of here," suggested Kimiko innocently.

"Yeah, before Fire Nation troops come," I added. I had no desire whatsoever to run into any soldiers.

With that, we dashed off to the harbor, and jumped unto Appa. He flew into the air with a splash, and I turned in time to see the trader run around the corner. I noticed that Kimiko seemed to be extra busy with her bag for a few moments. I looked back at the town, now far in the distance.

"That trip wasn't so bad," said Kimiko smiling.

I shrugged; I guess I kinda liked the feeling of exhilaration once and a while… especially when it wasn't severe. "Lets land in the woods next to the river. I want to be the girl that I am for one night," I said feeling a smile spread across my face.

Kimiko's grin broadened. "And we can practice water bending," she said with a sly smile.

--

We landed in a glen inside the woods. The river was close by, though out of sight. I jumped off Appa, landing lightly on my feet. A bird chirped to my left and a second later I watched it fly over my head. I smiled, excited. Kimiko jumped off after me, landing with a loud 'thump'. Instantly she started running off toward the waters edge.

"Kimiko," called Sokka, "we have to set up camp first."

I sighed. "You know he's right," I said. Though, I privately wanted to ditch everything as well and join her. I'm a teen, what can I say? I saw Kimiko pout.

"Fine," she muttered and walked back. As we set up our sleeping bags and a fire pit, I watched Kimiko in amusement. She was doing everything as quickly as possible, almost feverishly. There had to be a reason for her haste… yet I was unsure of what if could be. Did she have some new trick she wanted to test out?

"There, done!" Kimiko exclaimed and she ran for the river again. Skidding to a stop she turned to ask,
"Now we can water bend, right?" Her eyes sparked with anticipation, dearly wishing to be at the waters edge. Comprehension suddenly dawned on my mind.

"You stole the scroll, didn't you?" I said accusingly.

"No…" she didn't make eye contact.

"Yeah, you did," I said narrowing my eyes. Kimiko bit her lip. She was a terrible liar.

"Okay fine, I did, but only because it belongs to the Water Tribe in the first place," She said waving her arms for emphasis. I rolled my eyes, though secretly pleased. To swipe it from under the guys nose, some nerve. Sokka was less impressed.

"Why, am I stuck with an idiot like her?" he mumbled slapping his forehead with his palm. Kimiko took off her shoe and chucked it at his head.

"At least I can bend!" she said haughtily and she walked over grabbing her shoe and shoving it back on.

"Don't worry, I'll return it later anyway. Once we're done, I promise," she added. I rolled my eyes knowing exactly what would happen if she did that.

"Oh, forget returning it. These folk would lock you up, if they didn't kill you first," I said. Them traders could be so touchy about their property sometimes; it was maddening. Putting that aside, I smacked my hands together.

"So, can I get one of your outfits Kimiko? I don't want to wear one of mine in case we're seen… I could pretend to be your sister! Please, I am dying to be a girl," I asked. I could hear the plea in my voice. I so badly wanted to let my hair down and relax! Kimiko smiled and I felt immensely relieved. She ran to her bag.

"There you go, Ayame. How's this?" she asked coming back and handing me something. I held it up. It was similar to what she was wearing, though a much darker blue. The short sleeve dress was simple yet I liked it instantly. I noticed that in comparison to Kimiko's dress the V was a little deeper.

"Excellent!" I said and I through my arms around her in a sisterly hug. "I'll be back in a second!" I grabbed my bag and dashed into the woods. As fast as I could I stripped, removed my constricting band from my chest, and threw the dress over my head. The skirt part came up in slits all the way up to my hip. From my bag I pulled out a pair of tight black pants and put them on underneath. 'Almost perfect.' I reached up to my hair and took out the tie holding it up and took off the headband. I shook my head and the strands fell naturally to their place. It had grown again, now down to the middle of my neck, with my bangs hanging on top of my eyebrows while longer ones framed my face. I shoved my orange shirt and pants into my bag and ran back into the clearing where Sokka and Kimiko stood.

As I entered they tuned to look at me. I saw Sokka's eyes widen and Kimiko smiled broadly.

"You look great!" she exclaimed and she ran to stand next to me. "Do we look like sisters?"

Sokka took a moment to answer; he cocked his head to the side. "Sort of… I guess so," he said.

"Well, hopefully no one will come to see me anyway, as far as we are from town," I said putting my hands into my pockets. My fingers brushed against something smooth. "Oh! Kimiko, there's a necklace in here, don't forget!"

"What if Zuko comes?" asked Sokka uncomfortably. I hadn't really thought about it… well…

"Well, he shouldn't recognize me," I said praying that it was true.

"Yeah, but the burn he gave you, it's still healing and he'd know it was you," Sokka countered pointing to my arm. It had turned into a light, thin scab now. Not invisible. Thinking of an answer, I turned to see Kimiko searching in her bag.

"I don't really have anything to cover it except a piece of cloth," she said and she held up a strip of dark blue material.

"That's okay, that should be enough," I said taking it from her. I ripped it in half and tied a piece over the burn, with the other cloth on the other arm to correspond.

"Okay, better?"

Kimiko and Sokka nodded.

"Yeah, it doesn't look like you're burnt at all," said Kimiko brightly.

"Yeah, now you look like a water bender!" said Sokka. I grinned; I was really happy that they found me in the ice burg.

"Now… shall we bend?" I suggested feeling energized. Kimiko nodded enthusiastically and laughing, we both ran towards the river. I took off my shoes and socks and walked in, feeling cool water brush steadily past my ankles and sand wiggle between my toes. I looked back at Kimiko who was taking out the scroll from her pocket. She opened it up and studied it for a moment.

"Have you ever water bent before?" she asked.

"Don't think so."

Kimiko nodded then stopped, "Wait, yeah you have! When we were escaping from Zuko that very first time!"

I gave her a blank look and she scratched her head. "Oh yeah… never mind… Okay, concentrate on the water and move your hands almost as if they were part of the liquid, like this," she said and she moved her hands gracefully creating small waves on the surface.

"Try to feel the push and pull."

I copied her, moving my arms fluidly in and out. The wave was larger then Kimiko's. I glanced at her and she smiled at me. "Good!"

We practiced on our water bending till the sunset. Kimiko and I walked back to camp, our hair wet, and laughing. Sokka had already created a fire and unrolled the sleeping bags. Kimiko took her sleeping bag, between a snoring Sokka and me. I laid down in mine and stared up at the bright stars above and smiled. I hadn't bothered to change.

"Night," came Kimiko's voice.

"Night…"

--

I rolled over again and sighed with frustration. Kimiko had long ago fallen asleep, but it seemed to be eluding me. My mind swam with the push and pull of water, accompanied by anxiety caused by the Fire Nation. I shut my eyes trying to relax; I needed my sleep. An owl hooted and I gave up, sitting up. I glanced at my sleeping friends, sighed, and stood up. Tip-toeing out of camp, I headed toward the river. I decided to water bend some more, sleep would come eventually.

I moved my arms, bending my knees, and drew some water out of the river. Trying to execute a move called the 'water whip' I tried to flick the end. I over extended and accidentally hit the ground and it seeped into the soil. I growled in frustration.

"Hello Miss," came a voice behind me. A pair of thick, strong arms grabbed my shoulders. I fought the urge to jump and instead drew water from the river and drove it behind me, into the man's face. His grip weakened and I struggled away. I stumbled forward, and began to run away a thought running through my mind, 'Who was that?'

In the dark, I realized too late that someone was in front of me, and stopped right before the tall motionless figure. His arms raised swiftly and strong hands caught my wrists in an unrelenting grip.

"You're not going anywhere, young water bender," He spoke. The familiar deep voice reverberated in my eardrums. The figure of Prince Zuko stood before me, his eyes diving deep into my own. Written within them were victory and an eagerness that I did not understand, yet, somewhere in the deep was a sorrow I had never seen before; I must've imagined it because it was gone in a flash. Swiftly, he covered my mouth, then twisted my arm behind me, forcing me to spin, and drew me in. I became aware that my back was in contact with his chest and felt my knees go weak. His hands remained tight on my wrists.

"Scream or water bend, and you will die," he whispered threateningly into my ear. I felt his warm breath upon my neck and shivers crawled down my spine. I thought that for just this night we wouldn't of had to deal with this.

How did he find me?

As if in answer to my silent question, the man who had grabbed me from behind came into focus. It was the trader that we had stolen the scroll from. I guess that's how Zuko had gotten wind of us. At least he didn't know who he really had in his hands at the moment. He seemed to think I was Kimiko, at least for a moment. My hair was shorter, I was thinner, my hair lighter, and my skin a lighter shade.

Please don't let him recognize me! I pleaded, giving a silent prayer.

"Hm… this isn't the girl… but she must be part of the same group," said the trader. "Better then nothing."

I could almost feel Zuko roll his eyes. I was grateful that they hadn't seen me air bending, that would've been disastrous. I gulped and wondered why I felt so terrified. I knew that I was stronger, and could beat both of them with my bending. Or… was my fear the fear of being discovered and used as Omao had warned me so passionately about?

Suddenly I felt Zuko's arms change positions and he picked me up, scaring me half to death. He started to walk off; my mind felt a little confused.

"Hey! What about my money?" said the trader. Zuko tossed a small bag of coins over his shoulder and continued walking.

It was the weirdest feeling, his muscular arms holding me tight against his chest, unwilling to let me escape. I swallowed, what was I going to do now?

He stopped in front of his ship, and called down a soldier, who came running down the ramp.

"We can use her to get to the Avatar," I heard him say. He passed me over to the guard. There was an immediate difference. The guard's cold steel armor sent shivers through my skin. His arms held me so tightly that is almost hurt.

"Make sure she doesn't escape!" said Zuko with authority in his voice. I watched as his back turned from me and start to walk away. I was thinking about saying something when he stopped. He turned around, and the soldier who was holding me didn't move. I watched Zuko; he seemed to be thinking of something.

"On second thought, tie her to that tree," he said pointing to one of the trees along the forest line. "I want to question her on his whereabouts."

My breath caught in my throat. As the guard walked to the tree I was busying myself with trying to compose my face. 'You don't know where he is!' I told myself over and over. It was pretty much the truth anyway; there was no he in the first place.

The soldier set me on the ground and instantly put pressure against my arms, pinning me to the tree. A second later he stepped aside. Surprised I tried to move my hands, but found that they had been tied around the tree. He was really fast!

Zuko approached then. As he walked out of the shadows and into the moonlight I almost stared. I was reminded that he was incredibly handsome. Tall, straight backed, muscular , dark haired… I looked away. I shouldn't be thinking of things like this! Zuko said something that I didn't catch, but a moment later the soldier hurried back into the ship, leaving him alone with me, on the bank of the river. Behind the tree, my hands feebly struggled against the ropes; I couldn't make them budge. I felt a wave of anxiousness swim over me… what if he recognized me?

Zuko walked up slowly to me, those golden eyes of his inspecting me closely.

"So. Where is the Avatar?" He asked, his voice smooth and calm. He broke eye contact to walk leisurely around the tree where I stood tied.

Closter then you think

"I don't know," I said aloud stiffly.

"Don't play stupid with me. I know you know where the Avatar is. You're one of his traveling companions after all. Tell me where he is," he said, his voice sounding irritated.

"I don't know where HE is," I said softly yet firmly. This was going to be a piece of cake. I wanted to smile, SHE was right in front of him and he couldn't see it.

Zuko came to stand in front of me again. He looked aggravated. He looked at me closely again and then suddenly he looked in the pockets of my dress.

What is he looking for? I thought puzzled.

He smoothly pulled out his hand. Dangling from his fingertips was Kimiko's necklace.

"What's this?" he asked hanging in front of my eyes.

"Hey, that's…" I started to say then bit my tongue. "Mine…" I finished lamely. Zuko's eyes caught mine again, sending shivers down my spine.

"Special to you?"

"…No…" I muttered casting my eyes to the ground. Kimiko liked that necklace… she said it was her mother's didn't she? Would she be furious if I lost it?

"Then, you wouldn't mind my taking it, would you?" He took it away from my face, placing it into his pocket.

"N-no," I said biting my lip.

"You sound, almost, unsure?" he asked, giving another of his searching gazes. "If it is important to you, all you have to do is tell me where the Avatar is. I will give it back to you."

He leaned closer to me, looking intensely into my eyes. He raised his hand and gently caressed my cheek. His hands felt worn and slightly rough, though they were gentle… I was stunned. They were also incredibly warm… Was the just because he was a fire bender? My throat became dry. Even if I had wanted to speak I wouldn't have been able too. Golden irises kept me bound, I was unable to look away. They seemed to look right through me, as though ever secret was open to this strange young man. I could not deny that they were remarkably... beautiful…

"It's not… that important," I said softly finally looking away from his gaze. I would make it up to Kimiko somehow…

"If you say so… Well, since you don't seem to have any significant information…"

I looked back at him. Zuko looked lost in thought for a moment, pondering something I could read. I felt my spirits rise. Perhaps he would let me go! I wasn't of any more use to him anyway. Zuko turned away from me for a second. When he spun around, his hand was aglow with flame. His face had changed; it looked like he was to physically harm me! My hope vanished and I felt something not often felt, fear. I closed my eyes and turned away… preparing myself for the blow…

"You may go."

His voice came from behind me. I opened my eyes. Singed ropes fell off my wrists. He had released me! I stumbled away from him at once. Dashing into the woods, I only looked over my shoulder at him once.

At camp I leaned against a tree, breathing deeply. In the clearing, Kimiko sat up and yawned. She looked around and her eyes locked on me. She seemed confused for a moment.

"Ayame? What are you doing there?"

I watched as her eyes travel over my face and hands. Her eyes widened and her eyebrows instantly formed her expression into one of concern. I realized my hands were shaking. A trickle of sweat slid down my neck.

"What happened?" she said standing up.

"Zuko," I breathed, unable to speak louder then a whisper.

"Sokka! Wake up, we need to leave, now!" Kimiko said loudly. She walked over to him and kicked him in the back.

"Say wha?" Sokka mumbled, sitting up groggily.

"We need to leave!"

I slid down against the tree, feeling strangely weak. How much adrenaline had been flowing through me?

"Ayame…" Kimiko said quietly as she approached. I looked up at her, still in shock. I had never been that close to Prince Zuko. And… I hadn't been in disguise. I watched Kimiko's worried expression.

"H-he… touched my face," I whispered, remembering the feel of his skin.

"He touched your face? How hard? Did her hurt you?!" Kimiko exclaimed, instantly grabbing my hand. I smiled, amused at her concern.

"No, he didn't do anything to me," I said gently. "Let's just get out of here."

Kimiko nodded and left me. I watched her pack everything up in light speed. Shakily I got to my feet and walked over to Appa. Sokka started snoring again and Kimiko kicked him.

--

"Here, I'll drive Appa, I think you need to rest," said Kimiko grabbing the reins once everyone was onboard. I gave a feeble nod.

"Yip, yip," she said snapping the reins lightly.

--

"There's a storm coming," I said as I glanced at the purple and black clouds above us. The static of lightning hung in the air.

"We'll be okay," said Kimiko. It sounding like she was trying to convince herself more them me however. "We can land once we get a good distance away from them."

I could sense the anxiety flashing in sparks from all of us. Not one of us liked the idea of flying into the storm… but what choice did we have? Kimiko kept looking behind us as though thinking we were being followed.

The storm fell, in full swing, while we were still in the air. Appa was buffeted this way and that by the strong wind currents. I was clinging to him so tightly that my knuckles were white. Rain poured down, soaking me to the bone. Lightning flashed dangerously close.

"We need to land fast or we wont survive!" Came Kimiko's frantic voice from the front. I gave her a brisk nod, and thunder boomed. Appa roared in panic and Kimiko tried to head down for land.

I squinted my eyes against the rain, looking for shelter. I thought I could see a black tower in the distance but dismissed it. I spotted some ruins carved into the stone of a hillside, looking over a valley.

"There! Up on the hill, there's some abandoned ruins," I yelled pointing toward them. Kimiko nodded and Appa sped down toward them. He landed with a light thud underneath the cover of stone. I looked up, vines where growing and the rocks were chipped with age. The sound of the storm could be heard outside.

I climbed down from Appa and watched as Kimiko set up our sleeping bags again.

"I swear, Zuko is a stalker!" she muttered furiously. I chuckled.

"He won't find us," I said yawning. I walked over to my sleeping bag and curled up. "He'll think we kept going too…" I mean he wouldn't think we'd stop so soon… at least I hope not.

I must've fallen asleep then, for I had the dream again. Only it was clear and vivid this time. I saw Roku, my past reincarnation. He was old, but tall, with flowing white hair. He was in Fire Nation clothing.

"The comet is coming," he said in a deep voice. I saw it clearly. It was falling from the sky, wreathed in flame and bright like the sun. I woke up shaking in shock, filled by a sudden horror I didn't understand. I took a deep breath and then went back to sleep.

You won't believe this but I have chapters 4 and 5 already completed! I won't post 'em right away though XD

Promise for next chapter: (sorry it's in riddle form)

The secret has been revealed to him unwanted.

Please review!