Chapter 4

The Beginning of a Journey

A/N: Hey everybody! I'm sorry for the suuuuper long hiatus for this fanfic, but my inspiration of this story decided to blow a fuse. But, I'm back on track, so expect more updates from me on this story!

Zuko groaned as he slowly began to emerge from his unconsciousness. He had no clue what had hit him, but his head was pounding. Small drops of water slid down the back of his neck, making him shiver.

His first instinct was to wipe away the random drops of water and attempt to comfort his aching head. He found himself unable to do this for some odd reason.

His eyes shot down to his wrists, seething large chunks of ice encasing his wrists and ankles to the arms and legs of a wooden chair. He glanced around the room, wondering where he was. From what he could tell, he was in a library of some sort.

"Hello?" He called out. "Anybody there?"

"You thought you could get away with it, did you?" a female voice spoke.

Zuko's heart slammed against his chest. Had he been caught by the Southern Water Benders? Were they the ones that attacked him? "Who's there?!" He shouted. "Show yourself!"

From the shadows, a young woman appeared before him. She was obviously of the Water Tribe. Zuko could tell that much by her skin and hair color. Her hair was quite long, from what Zuko could see. Due to the shadows surrounding the room, he couldn't see how long her locks really were.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" He mumbled. "A girl? Seriously? I was knocked out by a girl?!"

"Why are you so surprised?" The girl asked, placing her hands on her hips. "A girl can be just as powerful as you men are."

Zuko groaned. He'd gotten enough of these speeches from Mai. "Yeah. Sure. Listen, I don't want any trouble here. So could you just, um, you know, let m-?"

"Well that's just too bad!" The girl retorted. "You got trouble the moment you set foot in this tower! Now, who are you and who sent you here?"

Zuko looked at her, confusion more than obvious on his face. So she wasn't a part of the Water Tribe's guards. She really didn't know who he was and knowing his luck, he'd have to keep it that way. He didn't want her turning him in.

"My name is Lee." He said, using an alias name he'd grown accustomed to. "I was traveling here on my way to the Earth Kingdom, but a storm ran my boat here. I climbed up the tower to look for shelter. Nobody sent me here, I swear!"

The girl seemed to relax a bit, buying his story. "You were going to the Earth Kingdom?"

Zuko nodded. "Yes, I was supposed to deliver the satchel I'm wearing to my…." He glanced down at his side, seeing that the pack was no longer there. He immediately began to panic. "Where is it?! Where's my pack?! I swear I was wearing it when I got in here! Oh man, what if I dropped it outside?! My boss is going to have my-."

"Um… Looking for this?" The girl asked.

Zuko's gaze shot up to the girl, seeing that she was holding his pack. He released a sigh of relief. "Yes, that's it! Thank yo-."

"Wait!" She interrupted again, pulling the pack away from him. "Before I give this back to you, I want to make a deal."

Zuko's eyes widened. "W-What?"

She nodded. "I'll give you back your pack, if you promise to do one little thing for me."

"Um, ok. Sure." Zuko replied, not seeing any issue with the matter. What was the worst she could ask for?

"So, you know how every year those pretty blue lanterns are lit, right?"

Zuko nodded. "Yeah. They're lit in remembrance of the lost Princess of the Southern Water Tribe. She disappeared about Eighteen years ago, if I remember correctly."

The girl paused, seeming to ponder over his words. "Really? That's really interesting…. But anyways, the reason a brought this up is because you, my good sir, are going to take me to the South Pole to see these lanterns. My birthday is next week, and it's conveniently on the same day they light the lanterns. You take me there, and get me home safely, and I'll give you back your satchel."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down there. I'm not agreeing to this! I'm already in enough trouble with the South Pole, and I don't need you making it worse! There is no way I'm going back there! No way!"

The girl simply smirked. "Fine then. I guess you won't be getting this back." She tossed the pack in the air and caught it again. She then walked over to a nearby table, and opened up the pack. "What's in here that's so important to you anyways?"

"No, stop! Don't do that!" Zuko shouted. "Get out of there!"

The girl hummed as she rummaged through his pack. "Let's see here. Canteen, empty coin purse, extra clothes… Oooh. What's this?"

Her hand came up; holding the one thing Zuko feared she'd take, in her slender fingers.

The necklace.

She held one end of the necklace's ribbon in each hand, cocking her head to the side as she examined it. "It's so pretty…" She whispered. She turned back around, facing Zuko. "Is this what you're so high strung about?"

Zuko's fists clenched and he felt a heat form in his hands. "Yes." He said through clenched teeth. "Now put it back before you break it."

"Aww is Lee mad at me now?" the girl teased. "I'm just looking at it. Calm down!" She turned back around, continuing to sift through his bag. "I wonder what else is in here…" Her fingers grazed across something solid and smooth. Oddly enough, it felt like a mask to her. Slowly, she hooked her fingers around it, and started to pull it out of the pack. "What's this?"

Suddenly, the girl heard a cracking sound and she spun around once again. Two warm hands wrapped around her wrists, forcing her to drop the necklace and release her prize from within the satchel. "That's quite enough." Zuko said, water dripping from his wrists. The girl seemed to shrink in his grasp, realizing what he was and how he'd broken free from her ice.

"You're a Fire Bender." She said, her voice not showing a hint of fear. This surprised Zuko. Most people were afraid of him and his kind.

He nodded, dropping his hands. He bent down to pick up the fallen necklace, but the girl's foot stopped him, coming down on the necklace's ribbon. Zuko cringed, seeing no other way out of this. If he wanted to get to the Earth Kingdom in time, he'd have to play along with her game. "Alright!" He sighed, standing back up. "Aright, you win. I'll take you to the South Pole."

The girl gasped. "Really? You mean it?"

Zuko nodded, knowing he was going to regret this. "Yeah, sure. Why not."

The girl squealed, throwing her arms around his neck. "Thank you!" she shouted. "Oh, I better get my stuff ready! Momo! Come on! We're getting out of here!"

"Wait a second; I'm not going anywhere until you tell me one thing." Zuko said. The girl frowned, expecting him to suddenly change his mind. "What's your name?"

A huge smile broke out on the girl's face. "I'm Katara." She said, simply. "And I can tell you one more thing. This is going to be the start of a really great adventure!"

"Don't get your hopes up Sweetheart." Zuko muttered.

"Don't be so negative Lee!" Katara exclaimed, pinching his cheek. She picked up his bag, and slung it over his shoulder. "This'll be fun! I just know it! Now, where did I put my pack? Momo?! Where is that lemur? Oh man! Did he steal my comb again!?"

As Katara skipped around the room, gathering her things, Zuko smacked his hand onto his forehead. "Zuko, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" he muttered.

"Alright! I'm ready to go!" Katara said, the grin never leaving her face. She gestured towards the open window. "After you."

Zuko sighed, drawing his swords once again, and began his descent down the tower wall.

He only stopped once to glance up and see Katara standing in the window, seeming a bit hesitant. "You coming?" He asked.

He received his answer by Katara wrapping her hair around the hook she used as a pulley system for Azula. She then slid down her yards worth of glowing locks, giggling in a manner that reminded Zuko of Ty Lee.

"This is amazing!" She shouted as she swung back and forth from her hair. Her laughter never ceased, bringing a small smile to Zuko's face. He immediately shook his head, and continued his way down the tower.

By the time his feet were once again buried in snow, Katara had dropped down from the tower and was skipping about in the snow. "I can't believe it. It's been so long since I've touched snow… Was it always this cold?"

Zuko simply shook his head, dismissing her question. "Come on. If we want to make it to the South Pole, we're going to have to cut through the Earth Kingdom."

"Sounds exciting!" Katara gasped. "I can't wait... Oh, wait! One more thing!" she stuck two of her fingers between her lips and whistled.

A chattering noise erupted behind them and a small white creature glided down from the window and rested upon Katara's shoulder. "Lee, meet Momo."

Zuko actually did smile at this point. "A flying Lemur. Amazing! I didn't think they lived this far up north."

"Neither did I, but he's stuck by my side ever since I was little. He's my best friend."

Zuko then cleared his throat. "I hate to cut this short, Katara, but we better get going. I have a boat we can take. The trip to the Earth Kingdom should only take a day or two."

"Right, sorry." Katara said, gathering up her trail of hair. "Alright, you lead the way."

Together, the two found the boat right where Zuko had left it. From there, they began their journey to the Earth Kingdom.

But, little did the two know that a crucial piece of evidence, and two sheets of paper were left behind at the scene. Those sheets held the key to tracking down Zuko for two of the most unlikely people.

Soon, everyone would know the true face of the Blue Spirit.