Hey! First of all, I'd like to thank FireCraker13 and Chelie and co. for reviewing! You're both great people! I'd like to especially thank FireCracker for her awesome advice for this story!
Oh yeah, I wrote the the part with Sokka learning broadswords instead of just one sword before the episode, Sokka's Master, came out, so I didn't know that it was just one sword. I'm going to keep it that way, just because I think it'd be cool to see Sokka and Zuko fight with broadswords. Wouldn't it?
With that being said, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Sokka anxiously paced the center of the marketplace, waiting impatiently. He had purchased his broadswords hours ago, but he soon came to realize that they were the least of his worries. A few minutes later, a defeated-looking Aang came back with his head down.
"Aang! What's wrong? Where's Toph? Have you seen Katara?" Sokka asked in a rush. He was relieved to see Aang, but he became worried about where Toph was.
Katara and Toph can't both go in the same day, can they? Sokka thought, worriedly.
(A/N: Sokka's NOT crushing on Toph. He's just a worried friend. He's more worried about where Katara is, and just doesn't want to loose two people of their group in one day.)
"I'm okay. Toph's going to wait a while before coming back to camp," Aang told him, the usual cheeriness gone from his voice.
"What about Katara? Have you seen her?" Sokka asked.
"I haven't seen her since we parted in the morning," Aang reported, his voice still sad, but vaguely edged with worry.
"Aang, are you okay?" Sokka asked. He usually had the emotional range of a fork, but even he could tell something was wrong with Aang, and if he could tell, anyone could.
"I'm fine, Sokka, I really am,"
"You may be the Avatar, but you're a horrible liar," Sokka shook his head, and went on trying to find his sister in the slowly dwindling crows.
Katara groaned, opening her eyes slowly.
What happened? Katara groaned. Why did she have an aching pain on her head?
Then, like it always did, it all came flooding back to her. Shopping, being knocked out by someone.
Katara moaned, and tried to reach her head, but found that she couldn't. Cautiously, her eyes opened slowly.
She immediately wanted to shut them again. As soon as she opened them, her head throbbed painfully, and all she saw was a bright red and orange blurs.
What's going on? Katara wondered.
"She's stirring, Sir," a male voice spoke up.
Katara risked opening her eyes, and blinking multiple times, her vision cleared up immediately, showing Katara her surroundings.
She was in a small camp, obviously a Fire Nation camp. In fact, she only saw two men, sitting by the fire.
"So, girl, you're finally awake. What's your name, girl?" the man who hadn't spoken first said.
"Um, my name's Ka- Ursa," Katara snapped, but she caught herself just in time.
"Ursa, you say?" the man who had first spoken said, suddenly interested.
Katara nodded.
Both men had particular muscle, but that didn't make her blush, not one bit, Katara noticed.
"She's too young to be Lady Ursa, isn't she?" the same man asked the older man.
"Yes, she is, but we'd better take her in, anyway. Before you get any ideas, I'm the Combustion Man, and this is my assistant, Fire Boy," the Combustion Man introduced them.
"I told you, it's Fire Man," Fire Boy corrected, clearly annoyed.
The Combustion Man waved it off.
"Why am I here?" Katara asked, bluntly.
"We captured you, stupid girl, because we have orders directly from the Royal Fire Nation Family to capture anyone moderately suspicious and take them directly to the capital city," the Combustion Man replied, smugly.
"Why would I look suspicious?" Katara asked.
"You don't look like an ordinary Fire Nation citizen- blue eyes and tan skin. More like someone from the Water Tribe,"
"Why the Capital City?"
"That's what Ozai said!" he burst out, angrily.
His voice would be like ice, if ice had a voice, Katara shuddered.
"Now that the introductions are over, I'll make the rules very simple, and say them very slowly so even dim-witted people like you can understand. Rule One: No escaping. Rule Two: You must call both of us 'Master' at all times, no exceptions. Rule Three: No back talk. Rule Four: As long as you are our prisoner, you are a slave, implying that you do what we tell you, no matter how crazy the task is, and you complete it successfully. Rule Five: The only words you can say around us are: Yes Master, and, No Master. Rule Six: As long as you're with us, you have no free will, because you are a slave and a prisoner, and nothing more. Is that clear, slave?"
Katara was staring at the Combustion Man in utter horror, and almost forgot to say, "Yes, Master,"
She winced inwardly. From what the Combustion Man said, it sounded like she was beginning a living Hell.
What's going to come out of this? Katara wondered, anxiously.
Meanwhile, Sokka and Aang were busy pacing and frantically, worrying about Katara. Toph hadn't shown up, either.
What if something happened to her? It would be all my fault. Aang thought, guiltily, a hollow pit forming in his stomach, his mind focused on if Toph was all right.
"Okay," Aang said at last.
"I'll go find Toph, and we'll go on Appa and search from the sky. Sokka, you stay here in case she comes back. Here, take Appa's whistle. Use it if she comes back. Appa will hear you. Good luck," Aang said.
"All right, I'm good with that. I'll see you later, Aang... please, keep my sister safe," Sokka added, and decided to leave out the fact that Toph couldn't see, and he could, meaning that it would be better if he went with Aang, and Toph stayed here.
"Bye," Aang said, and took off.
"GOOD LUCK!" Sokka yelled after the monk.
Aang raised a hand up to show that he had heard him.
Zuko silently watched the messenger bird fly away, wondering what it would bring back, or if it would bring back anything at all.
Zuko would visit Uncle tonight. It must be lonely, locked up all alone in a cell, day and night.
Uncle still wouldn't talk to him, much less look at him.
Maybe he would bring Uncle some roasted duck and ginseng tea when he visited tonight. That was his favorite meal, and he couldn't go an hour without a cup of tea.
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Later that night, Prince Zuko slipped on his cloak, and pulled the hood over his head. Tucking the package of food inside a secret pocket in his cloak, Zuko slipped out of his window, and into the night.
When Zuko reached the prison cells, he snuck past the guards, which were left unconscience, piled up in a closet, with nothing to do with him.
He had remembered that Azula had caught him after he had went to see Uncle, and if she was right, people would think he was conspiring with Uncle, when he was really just trying to get him to talk, or even look at him.
At this point, he would've welcomed yelling, criticism, anything except the silent treatment. If only Uncle knew what his real plan was... Zuko shook his head in regret.
He loved his Uncle, there was no doubt about it. The big question was, did Uncle still love him? Tonight, he would find out.
Zuko swore as he saw five guards standing around Uncle's cell door. It would be too obvious if he took out all five.
Thinking fast, Zuko slipped out the small window, and using all of his Blue Spirit skills, he somehow managed to cling to the side of the prison wall.
Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down, don't look down, don't look down- Zuko looked down.
Zuko swore again; the distance from the ground shocked him, and made him feel slightly dizzy. Normally he wasn't afraid of heights, but he was willing to make an exception this time.
He scaled the side of the wall, his hands grasping at anything that he could get a grip on. His heart beating a trillion miles a second, he finally reached Uncle's cell window. Using all of his strength, he pulled out one of the bars, and tossed it inside. He did the same for the other four, then slipped through the window, landing lightly on his feet.
Zuko paused for a few seconds, letting his heart beat go back to normal. Taking a deep breath, Zuko lit a fire in his hand, and said, softly, "Uncle?"
He moved closer to the cell door, and taking a deep breath, he did something he would never say to anyone else.
"Uncle, I- I- I'm s-s-s-orry. I-I'm sorry for- everything. But, you've got to understand... In Ba Sing Se, um, well, while I was imprisoned with the water girl, Katara, we um, came up with a plan... Um, it was that I would purposely side with Azula so I could spy for her, and try to turn the Fire Nation soldiers against her. Not all of them, obviously, but there has to be some who want the war to end. I was going to tell you, but then Azula barged in, and there would've no success at all to the plan if I told you in front of Azula. It was only an act, Uncle. I swear it was. I'm not cut out for that kind of thing. I would betray my sister anytime, if I knew she wouldn't kill me in the process, but I would never be able to do it to... other people, like... you,"
Zuko took another deep breath, and in doing so, he realized he was shaking.
Then he remembered Uncle's food.
"I-I-I also brought your favorite meal, some roasted duck and ginseng tea. I figured you must miss it... Don't worry, I didn't make it, but it probably ruined on the way here.
Uncle stayed silent for a long time, and Zuko let him. He had given him a lot to think about.
Zuko silently shoved the food under the cell, and waited.
"Um, you should probably eat it it before it gets cold," Zuko said, uncertainly.
After a few minutes, Uncle turned around, opened the food package, and began to eat. Then, he closed his eyes, relaxing.
After he was done, Uncle looked at Zuko. It didn't exactly seem like a friendly stare, but neither was it an accusatory stare.
He's sizing me up, Zuko realized with a jolt.
Uncle opened his mouth to speak, and he braced himself, but Uncle said, perhaps the most unexpected thing someone could ever say in a situation like that.
"So that's why you had lipstick on your face,"
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Aang sighed with relief. He had finally found Toph. She was on the other side of the town, around the outskirts, sitting by a stream.
Approaching her cautiously, he said, cautiously, "Toph?"
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"So, what's the plan?" Zuko asked.
"You have it," Uncle said in reply.
"You mean the plan that me and Katara came up with?"
"Yes,"
"But that doesn't help you! You don't deserve to be locked up, left here to rot!" Zuko exclaimed, angrily, his hands gripping the cell bars.
"I'm touched that you think that, but--," Uncle began.
"What's going on in there?" a harsh voice called out.
In a flash, Zuko scooped up the food, slipped it back inside his cloak pocket, and leapt up to the ceiling.
When Zuko looked down, Uncle was sprawled across the floor, like a delirious, half-dead, half-crazy man.
The door opened, and a guard appeared.
"What's going on in here?" he demanded.
"Bubble! Pretty birdie! Watch out for that flame! Flame-yo!" Uncle exclaimed.
"Crazy old idiot," the soldier muttered, and he left, luckily not looking at the window, and shut the door behind him.
I don't think that was my best work, but I don't think it was horrible, either. I hope you guys (the viewers) liked it! Please review, PLEASE! Please?
I WILL welcome any advice, just so ya know!