A/N: Just wanted to let you guys know that I got chapter four up in record time! I absolutely love the computer, and my mother threatened to ground me off it, so I just had to get this chapter written. If your not accustomed to violence, the last fewparagraphs may not be for you. There's also a bit of profanity (one word) in here, so beware. Depending on how many reviews I get (from different people), I may or may not continue this story, so those of you who like it, REVIEW! I am getting tired of checking my reviews and, sinced I posted this, only three reviews have come in, two from the same reviewer. So, I am again gonna thank you two! Thanks AirGirl Phantom and Blossom of Death! Also, check out my profile! It's really hilarious! Read and Reveiw Y'all!

Chapter IV: Trouble with Zhao

Zuko walked out onto the deck of his ship. He looked stunned when he saw Zhao talking to Iroh, accompanied by at least ten other soldiers. He looked at Zhao's ships and noticed a figure swipe by one window, but pushed the notion aside.

"Why are you here?" Zuko asked as he walked up to Zhao. Zhao turned his attention from Iroh to Zuko.

"Prince Zuko, need I remind you of your manners?" Zhao asked flatly.

"You didn't answer my question."

"I would like to talk to you about the Avatar. You have two choices. Show me to your galley, or we'll talk on my ship."

Zuko nodded and led the way to his galley, followed by Zhao, his uncle, and the ten or so soldiers that followed Zhao. No sooner had they reached the galley when Zuko turned to his uncle, whispered something to him, and left, pushing a couple of Zhao's soldiers out of his way.

"What was that about?" Zhao asked.

"Prince Zuko needs to take care of something. He'll be right back." Iroh answered. Both sat down, and the cook brought out a tray of tea and two cups.

Zuko walked up to the infirmary and knocked. A faint "Come in" came from the other side, and Zuko thrust the door open, knocking Sokka out of his chair.

"What is going on, and what bug got up your butt this time?" Sokka asked, rubbing his backside.

"No time, Zhao's on my ship. If you don't want to get separated or captured by him, you don't by the way, you'll follow me." Zuko rushed through his explanation, and Sokka looked up at Aang and Katara. Without a word, Sokka got up, walked to Aang's bedside and helped him up, holding him up by his left arm, Katara at his right.

Katara whispered, "Well, lets go", and the trio followed Zuko to the other end of the ship. Zuko pulled out a ring of keys, flipped four or five, and finally stuck one in the key socket. He pushed the door open, and motioned for the trio to enter.

"I'll come back once Zhao leaves. Don't let anyone in. There's an escape hatch under the rug that will lead you to the room below, nowhere else. If you do get interrupted, head down there. I'm the only one with a set of keys to all the rooms, and there's only one key to this room. You'll be safer here than the infirmary. Like I said, I'll be back when Zhao leaves." Zuko finished his warning and returned to the galley.

As Zuko entered, all eyes returned to him.

"Prince Zuko, what kept you?" Zhao asked quizzically. Zuko merely looked at him, his hands beginning to warm. He could feel Zhao's cold brown eyes searching every aspect of him, trying to get even the slightest hint about where he was. Then one of Zhao's soldiers walked in, whispered something in his ear, Zhao nodded, and he then walked out of the galley.

"I'm so sorry, it seems I just had a change of plans. We must make this as quick as possible. The Fire Lord, your father, has instructed me to find the Avatar at all costs. That means taking you out of the picture." Zuko looked stunned. Zhao continued.

"I intend on permanently docking your ship until the Avatar is in chains in the Fire Nation. Then, you will be set free to roam the ocean in your defeated, pitied little wasteful life your going to have. See you around." Zhao finished and left the room. Zuko sat there, not even flinching when his uncle slapped him across the face.

"ZUKO! WHERE DID YOU SEND THE …" he trailed off. "the avatar?" he finished in a hushed whisper.

"The room I keep all my extra stuff in, the one with the escape hatch in the floor under the rug, the one I have the only key to." Zuko replied in the same hushed whisper. He quickly left the room to make sure the trio hadn't been found.

Aang and Sokka were sitting on the bed, just talking about nonsense really, Katara looking down at the unusual rug on the floor when the knob began to glow and melt away. Katara looked up, shocked that someone was trying to melt the doorknob, and then it hit her. Zhao was on the ship.

She threw the rug away from the hatch and opened it just quick enough to grab Aang and Sokka, stuff them in, hush their protests, shut the hatch, and hide it again. Zhao threw the door open just as she ducked behind the bed into the shadows, summoning some water from the nearby bowl to her side.

"I know your in here, Avatar. You and your little water tribe peasant friends." Zhao threw the mattress against the wall.

"You can't hide from me forever!" Zhao threw the tables against the door. Then he walked over to Katara's corner.

"I see you." Katara stood up and threw the water whip she readied at him, knocking him back a couple steps.

"How dare you! That'll be the last time you ever waterbend!" Zhao yelled, he grabbed her wrists and wrenched them in a way that they weren't made to go. Katara screamed in pain, tears welling up in her eyes when Zuko, Shaiya, and Onya all slid into the end of the hallway.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Zuko yelled, shooting a stream of fire at him. He threw Katara in front of him, using her as a shield. Zuko quickly halted the blast.

"If you want me dead, you'll have to kill her, too." Zhao said seethingly. He wrenched Katara around to face his attackers and they noticed her wrists were bloody and bent in a manner not usual to the particular joint. She was crying silently. Zuko was the only one to notice a ripple in the carpet, meaning the Avatar and the other boy were down there.

"Let her go, you bastard." Shaiya hissed. Zuko looked at her, unaccustomed to her cussing.

"Now, now Shaiya my dear, don't talk like a sailor. You aren't one, and your father would be unhappy to know you are becoming one." Zhao hissed in reply. He tightened his grip on Katara's broken, bloody wrists, forcing a girlish grunt and whimper from her terrified, teary face. Tired of his prey not doing anything, Zhao whipped her around and looked at her again.

"Let's have some fun shall we?" Zhao put a death grip on her wrists, forcing blood to spurt out from between his fingers and her to begin sobbing, Zuko lunged. Shaiya and Onya backed him up. Zhao, realizing he couldn't keep Katara between himself and three attackers, backed up to the wall. The trio began their onslaught as soon as Zhao made his move.

It would've been smarter for him to have moved into a corner. The moment he would turn Katara in one direction, two jets of fire would fly at him, and he would move her only in one direction, causing one to go out and another to ignite. Realizing his defeat, Zhao released her, pushed passed Zuko and Shaiya, and fled. Instinctively, the two girls rushed to Katara's side and tried to help her while Zuko lifted the rug and opened the hatch.

"You can come out now. She might like some more familiar faces to comfort her." Zuko said, giving each boy a hand out of the pitch black room and motioning towards the three girls kneeling in a spattered pool of blood.

Once in the infirmary, Katara's wrists were cleaned, bandaged, and her bones reset before the doctor put them in casts to let them repair themselves. Katara was leaning on her brother.

"Thanks for the help you three." Katara managed between slowly ceasing sobs. Zuko nodded, Shaiya smiled, and Onya merely said "Anytime". Iroh brought in a cup of jasmine tea for Katara's nerves and gingerly handed it to her, careful not to bump her hands too much as he did so. Aang was sitting in a chair in the corner trying to come up with a way (or two) to get back at Zhao. Finally Zuko broke the deafening silence that had smothered the room.

"Zhao is such a bastard. The next time I see him, I'll kill him. It may be against my nature to hurt a girl, but I have no qualms about killing him mercilessly." Everyone stared at Zuko, who was in turn staring at the ground. He hated that man, if that's what you'd call him, more than his own father. He hated Zhao more than the man who had scarred him for life, stripped him of his honor, and banished him from his home. He hated that man for one reason . . . He severely injured a defenseless 14-year-old water tribe girl. She's 14 and he is in his late 30's, early 40's. He would pay.

A/N: I think this mught just have been my shortest chapter. How sad. I can't believe I wrote a short chapter. Besides, there wasn't much more to put in this chapter. There will be lots of action in the next chapter, and that's all I'm gonna say! Wait and see, and while you're waiting, R&R y'all!