The next morning was a slow one. The ship had to move slower than usual to get used to the repairs, and Zuko was back in his bad mood. I just smiled when I looked at him. It just seemed funny to me. I couldn't blame Zuko for being in a bad mood, we were going so slow I could have jumped out and swam along with the ship. I don't want to do that, because were still in the South Pole and I'm not sure I want to turn blue again. I was in a particular hyper mood today, so I had already gotten yelled at by Zuko twice. I couldn't help it.

I grinned mischievously, and looked around the deck. It was empty. I did a flip into the middle of it, stood the ready pose and sent a thin stream of fire from my fingertips. I grinned. I turned around in circles and moved my hand in various ways. Then I shot it out of my other hand, and I turned in circles and did flips, all with the thin fire from my finger tips. I did this for about ten minutes, and then stopped to admire my work. Tiny golden spots glittered the air around the ship, and a beautiful golden dragon posed in the center. Zuko stepped out from the 'tower' and right in the middle of it. I giggled at his expression. He looked around at it, and even tried to poke the dragon. After a while he turned to me.

"You did this?" I couldn't hint anything in his voice, so I stuck my hands in my pockets and nervously said yes. He turned back to it and ran his hand along the top of his bald head. I smiled. Zuko sighed and stood by the railing of the ship. I watched as the wind blew my art away. Suddenly Zuko looked up and pointed at something and started shouting. The Avatar! I grit my teeth and frowned. Zuko yelled up to the captain.

"Forget about the repairs, set full steam towards the Avatar!"

I looked at the flying thing that was supposedly the Avatar. It was his shaggy thing, and I could see three heads on it. Riding it. I turned to Zuko. "We need to throw something at it!" Zuko turned to one of the guards, who readied the fireball thrower. I set fire to the first ball of cloth, and it shot upward in the direction of the Avatar. It evaded it. I did about three or four more, but then a guard pointed at something in the distance. Zuko and I ran to the helm, looking over the edge. A blockade. I looked at Zuko worriedly. "That's Commander Shou. He's not going to let us pass." Zuko kept his gaze on the ships. "We'll make it." I held my breathe. We were close enough now. A few yards away and we'll crash into one of the blockade ships. I noticed something. They were shooting at the Avatar also. Uncle ran to Zuko.

"We are on the border of the fire nation! You are banished from there! They'd string you up and feed you to the wild animals if they catch you!"

Zuko shook his head.

"Father will understand." Just when I was sure we were going to have a head on collision with a ship, they stopped and let us pass. We were so close; Zuko, the guards, and everyone and I looked up to glare in the face of Shou. I swear if I had been a cat I would have hissed at him. Instead I mumbled 'fucking bastard of a man' under my breathe.

Soon we were past. The ship left a long stream of soot behind it. I turned to Zuko.

"He's hoping to follow us to the Avatar, Prince Zuko. That's why he let us pass."

Zuko nodded.

"We'll give him something to follow." He strode off. We sailed all day, and everyone was tired. I was lying on the deck, leaning against the prow, watching Zuko train with some guards. All of a sudden the boat swerved right, and everyone rolled to one side. I almost got thrown over board. Zuko grumbled and we strode up to the captains tower.

"What's the meaning of this mutiny?" Zuko yelled at the captain. "No one told you to change course!"

Uncle Iroh spoke up from his game in the corner.

"Actually, I did. But trust me. It is something of utmost importance." Zuko raised his eyebrows.

"Did you find the Avatar?"

"No. I just realized, I can't find my lotus flower Pi-Sho piece." Uncle moved a few spaces on the board. "Just give me ten minutes in town to find another one, then I promise we can be on our way." Zuko stomped his foot and shot fire out of his mouth at the ceiling but said nothing. Uncle Iroh smiled. "I'm so glad I have such an understanding nephew."

It took about a half an hour to get there. When we disembarked on shore, Uncle pointed to a pirate's curio shop ship and ran toward it. We entered the ship, it was dark inside. Uncle was looking at a metal monkey with red gems studded into it. I fingered the dusty bookshelf against the wall. Zuko was standing by a counter, pouting. I chuckled and went to stand next to him. Dang you feelings! We didn't say anything. I heard two pirates talking not very far away.

"We lost the little water tribe girl and the bald monk the was traveling with," the first pirate said.

"We'll catch them eventually." the second pirate. I noticed Zuko stiffen and he went over to them

"This monk, did he have arrows on his head?" The pirate captain nodded. Zuko and the pirate made a deal, of…something, and we went outside to our ship, and we set off down a wide river. I turned around; the pirates were right behind us. The pirate captain was with us.

"Shouldn't we stop and search the forest?" he asked, eyeing Zuko.

"They stole water bending scrolls, right?" Zuko responded. The pirate nodded. "Then they'll be somewhere by the water."

It was getting dark, and I was getting tired and hungry. We sailed with no lead for a while, and then we heard something. It sounded like a girl groaning, and a lot of splashing. Zuko signaled to keep quiet, and told me to make sure no one knows I'm a girl. I nodded and secretly pulled my helmet on; thanking the spirits silently that no pirate saw me at all. We pulled the boats to shore, and the fun began. The girl was the little girl at the South Pole, 'Katara'. She spotted the boats, but when she turned to run she ran into a pirate. She splashed him in the face with her water, then turned and ran into Zuko who took hold of her wrists, glared at her and said, "I'll save you from the pirates." I snickered under my helmet as a he tied her to a tree. She glared around her, especially Zuko; apparently they have some of a history. Zuko picked up the scrolls and gave them to me, then turned to Katara.

"Where is the Avatar?"

"I'm not telling you anything," Katara snapped. Zuko was silent for a moment, and then approached her slowly.

"Let me put it this way. I need the Avatar to regain something I lost, my honor. In exchange I can return something you've lost." He pulled a blue choker out of his pocket and held it to her neck.

"My mothers necklace!" she exclaimed. Zuko pulled back from her. "I didn't steal it, if that's what your thinking." There were sounds of scuffling in the woods, and some pirates returned with Grey Guy and the dude with the arrows, Aang. They were tied up.

"I bet this scroll is worth a lot," Zuko said, taking it from me and holding a flame under it. The pirates stepped forward, shouting their resistance. Grey Guy spoke up.

"Hey, you guys are trading the Avatar for a piece of parchment?"

Everything was silent for a while, then the pirate captain turned to Aang. "Your friend is the Avatar?" Zuko stomped his foot.

"Don't listen to him! He's trying to turn us against each other!"

Grey Guy continued. "Yep. He's the avatar alright." Zuko stepped forward. "Shut up you water tribe peasant." Aang turned to Grey Guy. "Yeah, Sokka, I think you should shut up now."

Sokka continued. "Oh come on. I bet the Firelord will pay a hefty price for the Avatar, you'd be set for life."

The pirate captain turned to Zuko. "Keep the parchment."

He herded his group towards their ship. Zuko glared. "You'll regret breaking your deal with me."

We simultaneously shot fire at the pirates, who jumped. Katara was set free by some weird flying lemur thing and she ran to Aang and Sokka, where the pirates left them to turn on us. They were water bending the pirate boat off the beach. As I went forward to stop them, a pirate threw smoke bombs at us, and we were enveloped in smoke. The fire nation troops and the pirates were fighting, I saw Zuko stick the scrolls in his belt, then duck under a pirate sword. I was about to go stop the Avatar, when a pirate leaped on me and attacked me. My helmet came off and the pirate captain pinned me down with my hands behind my back. I struggled, but he was too strong. I saw out of the corner of my eye the Avatar, Katara and Grey Guy had gotten the pirate boat into the water. Zuko came and tried to get the pirate captain off me, and they started fighting.

Uncle Iroh got in the middle of it and said, "Are you too busy to notice your own ship has set sail?" Zuko glared. "This is no time for your stupid proverbs, Uncle!" Iroh shook his head. "It's not a proverb, look!"

He pointed at the pirate ship which was now sailing away with the Avatar and his friends. Zuko pointed and laughed. The captain shouted "Shut the fuck up!" at Zuko, turned to look at our boat. His pirates were already on it, sailing away. Zuko stomped his foot. "Hey! That's my boat!" The pirate captain grabbed me by the hair. "Well, don't mind us borrowing her. She'll make great pay to the Tortugan games!" he flung me over his shoulder, and jumped into Zuko's small boat thing. I saw Zuko out of the corner of my eye.

"And that's my girlfriend!" he yelled. He took of after the boat with Uncle, and leaped on it. I sat stunned for a minute…girlfriend? Really? Sweet. I snapped to the moment, and kicked one of the pirates in the face. I jumped up, and swung my tied fists at another, hitting him in the jaw. I jumped onto the railing of the boat, and ran along it. Zuko was fighting with the captain. I knocked out a few more pirates and came close enough to the pirate captain that I kicked him twice in the face, and swung my fists at his face, landing them square on the face. He fell over in a heap. There was a lurch and I sprawled on the floor, as everyone else. Uncle pointed at something. Waterfall. Looks like the Avatar had gotten away, but I was still bound and couldn't do much. Suddenly Zuko was standing above me, he picked me up and dove over the edge of the boat, landing on the ground at Uncle's feet as the boat fell over the waterfall. I just laid there for a few minutes, bound and all, just panting and catching my breathe. Zuko was lying on the ground too, his arm still draped over me. I grinned through the gag on my face. Ooh, the feelings were definitely kicking in now.

That moment ended too soon. Zuko helped me up, and untied my hands. I untied the gag on my face and Uncle Iroh chuckled.

"Good news. The lotus flower tile was in my sleeve the whole time! We didn't have to come here at all!"

I kicked a tree in frustration and Zuko grabbed the tile and threw it off the waterfall.

It was a long trudge back to the ship, but we made it. I collapsed on deck, and almost fell asleep if Zuko hadn't prodded me in the ribs with his toes. I stuck my tongue out at him and walked to my bunker, where I changed out of my armor into loose flowing clothes. I tied my long hair back into a ponytail and washed my face. I heard the door to Zuko's room slam and I sighed. I needed to talk to Uncle Iroh. I caught him by the prow. Thankfully no one else was on deck. He turned when he heard me.

"Ah, Salo. Chilly night isn't it?" he rubbed his arms. I rocked back and forth on my heels, which I found out I do a lot.

"I need to talk to you." Iroh raised his eyebrow at me, but relaxed and waited. I took a breathe. "I was told I was the Avatar." Both his eyebrows shot up like rockets and he rubbed his forehead.

"Someone told you, that you were the Avatar?"

I nodded.

"Four weird looking men with long beards."

"When was this?"

"Two or three days after Zuko got his…"

I didn't finish. Uncle Iroh nodded. "Tomorrow we'll take a walk and talk then. I'm going to bed. Good night Salo." I smiled and nodded. He turned and went into his bunk. I turned back to the railing. I leaned against it, gazing into the water. My red robes flapped about me in the night winds.

"Salo." I whirled around. It was Zuko. I smiled somewhat.

"Um, hi." He came over and stood next to me. I didn't take my eyes off him.

Stupid feelings...

After a few silent moments he turned to me.

"Earlier today, when the pirate grabbed you…" he paused, rubbing the back of his head, looking flustered. "I didn't mean what I said. I mean about you being my girlfriend." He gave me an awkward look. I nodded and turned back to the water. I could feel a lump rising in my throat.

"I didn't think you did." We didn't speak for a few minutes, and a few tears dropped from my eyes to my sleeve. I willed them to go away.

"Salo, I hope you know that doesn't mean anything. Were still friends. I just mean…"

"I know what you meant." I cut him off. I looked him in the eyes for a few seconds, then brushed passed him and into my room and slammed the door.

Wow.

Of course he didn't mean that. He's had fire nation girls throwing themselves at his feet, literally. Most of them most definitely prettier than me.

I smacked my forehead, the tears no longer coming.

I am such an idiot.