A/N:
In response to reviewers from Chapter 7:
AnnaAza: "Hm...Ozai can't possibly care about Katara like that. But, I mean, who wouldn't stop a rape if they could? I like to think that Ozai acted on instinct, and when he realized what he was doing, he couldn't just release the man and go, 'Uh, never mind. Go ahead.'"
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Right, it wasn't necessarily an act of caring on his part. He was more pissed at the fact that someone had snuck aboard and intended to get a free ride and on top of that was assaulting his hostage, whom he views as more of his property than anything at the moment (and as another reviewer said, he's very possessive); property that he needs alive and in tip-top shape in order to help him. But from Katara's viewpoint, she was so shaken by the incident and Ozai had been the one who'd intervened, it might be easy to understand how she might want to read into it a little.

ArrayePL: "Nice chapter. Ozai is simply possessive and that's all. Will the rescue team find them soon?"
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Exactly! Ozai is definitely just being possessive. As for the rescue team, you'll just have to keep reading and find out :)

BlueHawk1785: "This a great story.Please keep the updates coming :)"
= = = Thank you! Don't worry, I plan to continue updating regularly :)

BananaSwirl"Suddenly, I feel bad about not reviewing, even though I've read every chapter since my last review...please forgive me? *Puppy eyes* But anyway, stunning chapter! (One of my favorites, even though they are all my favorites) So, either Ozai has a heart and didn't want to see his hostage hurt, or he didn't want the hassle of dealing with a traumatized woman. Either way, he does care! I hope Katara sees that he isn't so bad, soon. I wonder what will happen when we get back to Zuko and Aang, and Mai.. And now I feel bad because this review is so short and I can't think of anything else to say... *Sad face* But, I hope you update soon!"
= = = Don't feel bad! No apology necessary. I'm glad to see another review from you though :) I'm very happy that you liked this chapter! Ozai may or may not have a heart, the jury's still out on that one (hehe), but the reason he acted the way he did was more out of anger at the hobo who invaded his space and violated his "property" as he views her right now. I'm sure that the thought of dealing with a traumatized woman crossed his mind as well and was none to pleasing :)

Thanks to you all of you who reviewed, you guys are super terrific!


Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose as he paced around the center of his throne room in irregular circles. He had been expecting a report on the progress of the two-day search nearly half an hour ago, and he was still waiting for the commander to arrive with the details. He hoped that the delay would warrant some good news, but something inside him refused to give much credence to the notion.

"Maybe the holdup is a good sign," Suki said as though reading his thoughts, her voice breaking the long nervous silence that had pervaded the room. She looked at Zuko with strained optimism from where she stood at the far side of the center aisle, dwarfed by the stately marble pillars that lined its grand walkway to set it apart. A fuming Sokka stood just behind her, shaking with fury as he glared daggers at the young Fire Lord, as though fighting to keep himself from tearing at his throat.

Zuko only responded with a low grunt, never breaking his gaze from the polished black bamboo floors as he continued his restless pacing.

Toph stood closer, nearly arm's length from his trajectory and held out an encouraging arm in his direction as though to slow his erratic movement. "Suki's right," she said, trying her best to sound positive. "Why don't you sit down for a minute, take a few deep breaths before the commander gets here. You're starting to make everyone kinda anxious."

Majestic flames arose from behind the throne and extended along the far wall of the room, sending elongated shadows dancing off the pillars across the floor. Aang stood halfway in the shadows of a far pillar, silent, leaning cross-armed against the cold hard marble and following Zuko's course with a contemptuous glower.

"He can't," Aang muttered in a scornful tone. "His guilty conscience won't let him sit still."

Zuko wanted to pay no heed to the Avatar's derisive comment, but against his better judgment he found himself lashing out in response. "My guilty conscience? You're the one who should be wallowing in guilt; you had a chance to track them down before they got too far, and you didn't even try."

"How dare you blame Aang for failing to clean up your mess!" Sokka finally erupted from the other side of the room. "This whole thing is all your fault! Because of you, my baby sister's life is in critical danger!"

"Sokka." Suki tried to keep her voice calm and composed to temper her boyfriend's fueling anger. "Don't worry, we'll–"

"I'm gonna kill you," Sokka growled dangerously. "I'm gonna kill you, Zuko!" He sprung forward, the fingers of his hands splayed out and arched threateningly like the deadly claws of an elephant tiger. Suki pushed back into him, struggling to hold him from reaching his target.

"Agh! Sokka, stop this!" But her cries only seemed to feed his frenzy and suddenly he broke through her warrior's hold on him to storm toward the firebender.

Zuko dodged to the side just in time to avoid the attack as Sokka skidded past him, turning around and preparing to charge back. Zuko positioned himself into a defensive stance, preparing to absorb the approaching attack, when a loud knock at the chamber's doors reverberated throughout the room. Sokka's focus and momentum waned slightly from the unexpected interruption and he collided into the young Fire Lord just as a venerable man dressed in Fire Nation military garb was escorted through the doors.

The man shifted uncomfortably as he studied the tense scene before him. "Uh, is everything all right, my lord? Perhaps I should come back another time." He shrunk bank, poised to exit at a moment's notice.

"No!" Zuko responded, shoving Sokka off of him forcefully and glaring a warning at him before turning his attention to the man. He cleared his throat and smoothed his robe, attempting to compose himself before continuing. "You're late, Commander."

"Fire Lord Zuko," he bowed. "Avatar Aang," he nodded respectfully toward Aang who was emerging from his place against the pillar toward the rest of the group. "My deepest apologies for–"

"Did you find them?" Zuko brusquely cut in. "My father and Katara, where are they?"

The commander hesitated briefly, appearing to gather his thought before giving his response. "I'm sorry, my lord. My men were unable to locate the ship you described. We had teams searching in every direction, but I'm afraid the storm gave them too great a head start; the odds of catching up to him were against us."

"No," Zuko groaned in despair, rubbing his fingers across his brows, his other arm hugging his chest.

"But I do have word for you from the Earth King and the Chiefs of the Water Tribes. They have received your alert and will be issuing warrants for the arrest along with a reward for former Fire Lord Ozai and a reward for the safe return of Miss Katara, as you requested. They will also issue nation-wide alerts warning citizens to be on the lookout for the two of them. They're doing all they can, sir."

"I understand." He swallowed hard in an attempt to stifle the anguish on his face. "Thank you, Commander."

"I have this for you as well, my lord," he said, holding out a rolled up piece of paper. "It's sealed with the mark of Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe."

Zuko rolled open the letter and quickly skimmed its contents. "Chief Hakoda is bringing a fleet of men here to help with the search. He should be here in a couple more days. He says he greatly fears for the safety of his daughter and will go to any lengths to find her before anything dire happens."

"Well if there's anyone you want on your side in the search for Katara," Toph chimed in, "it's the Daddy-O. Ozai better hope he never catches up to him."

"Thank you, Commander," Zuko said, turning back to the man. "I will be sending further orders shortly." He nodded his permission to leave. The man bowed deeply and then turned on his heel and made his way out through the massive doors.

"If my dad's coming here, then at least there's some hope for Katara after all," Sokka muttered sullenly, shooting a fleeting glare at Zuko before casting his eyes to the ground. "But it's been almost three days and no one's caught sight of them. They could literally be anywhere right now and the more time we lose, the lesser chance there is that Katara will be…" He stopped short, unable to finish the dreadful thought. "Well, we just better hope we find them soon."

Zuko had been thinking the same thing. Everyone had been thinking it. With every passing moment in Ozai's clutches, the chances of finding Katara alive were potentially withering away. The more distance Ozai was able to put between them, the more critical the situation became. He knew they could not afford to wait until Hakoda reached them before taking further action. "You're right. We need to extend the margins of our search now. I'll send multiple fleets of soldiers to scour areas of every nation, including the Water Tribes. It would be so typical of my father to go someplace hostile and unexpected like that. We'll leave no stone unturned."

Zuko paused in thought for a moment before straightening up and glancing around at his friends with an air of fierce determination. "And I think we have a better chance of finding them if the five of us split up. Aang, you and Toph should take Appa now to cover the eastern Earth Kingdom. It's the furthest distance but you'll make the best time traveling there with Appa. Be on the lookout for any ships matching the one Ozai's taken on the way. Then once Sokka's dad arrives, the rest of us will head out with him toward the western Earth Kingdom. Is everyone okay with that?"

The four friends remained silent but nodded vaguely. "Then it's settled. I'll give the orders and we'll head out just as soon as Sokka's dad get's here. Until then, we'll keep our eyes and ears open but we should try to get some rest; we're definitely gonna need it."

.:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:.

The remainder of the day progressed especially quietly, but Katara still felt like she was screaming inside. The earlier skirmish had left her shaken and she had several scratches on her arms from where the man had tried to restrain her. Her dress had been torn from the shoulder of her left sleeve down to her armpit, revealing the top of her bindings beneath. Even if she had the use of her hands, she had no way to mend the dress and nothing to wear over it. It all could have been worse, she kept reminding herself. Not that her current circumstance was a high bar of comparison…

The fragment of sunlight she delighted in had finally dwindled and vanished, snuffed out by the newly rising moon. Katara's stomach was grumbling and aching from want of food. It was past time for her evening meal and she was growing weary with hunger. Had they forgotten? Just as she had begun to resign herself to waiting until morning to eat, she heard the thud of footsteps descending into the hull.

A key turned in the lock and the door groaned open. Katara was surprised to see not Jiao but Ozai step into the room, carrying in his hands the familiar goblet and chunk of bread. She was fairly certain that after this she would be content with never eating bread again in her life. Assuming there would be an "after this." The thought made her spirits sink slightly.

Ozai walked over to Katara and set her meal down as he had before. "Waste not," he said with a subtle sneer as he turned his back and headed for the door. From the way he behaved, it would have seemed as though nothing unusual had transpired earlier.

A rising urge to bring up the incident was growing ever stronger inside her, fueled by his insufferably cavalier manner, and as he reached the exit with clearly no intention of addressing it, she found herself blurting out, "What did you do to that man?"

Ozai stopped just before the door but did not turn around. "That's none of your concern." He paused for a moment longer and then continued to step through the doorway.

"Thank you." Horrified, the words spewed out of her mouth before she had even had time to think. "For what you did," she said more quietly, somewhat embarrassed. "You saved my life."

Ozai turned around to face her now with a stony expression. "Don't read into it, girl," he grumbled. "My actions were not for your sake. You're simply no good to me if you're dead or injured."

His words cut into her like a cold steel blade; she was unable to hide the hurt and anger that darted across her face. It was not so much that Ozai had said it, but more what he said. She had come to expect such a demeanor from him, but she had hoped that somehow, somewhere deep inside he had acted on her account and not on his own selfish impulse. Stupid, she scolded herself. Ozai appeared unaffected by her obvious offense, his stone-cold amber gaze piercing into her a few moments longer before disappearing behind the door as he locked her in solitude once again.

.:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:. .:.

Katara tried to sleep, yearning to put the stress of the day from her mind, but her joints and muscles had withstood all they could and were now protesting with pulses of aching, burning pain. She had tried sprawling out, sitting up, and a number of positions in between but was unable to find an arrangement her body could agree on. The only thing that seemed to relieve her discomfort was keeping herself in constant, slow movement, so she resolved to ambling in circles around the room and trying to keep her mind from wandering too close to the edge of dismay. She was certain that Zuko had people out looking for her. Surely it was only a matter of time before they caught up to her. Everything is going to be fine, she kept chanting to herself; perhaps reciting the words over and over would make them true…

Suddenly without warning a dreadful grating and splintering sound shattered the silence around her. Before she had time to think, Katara's body was lurched forward as the ship quaked violently, reeling from the jolt. With her hands bound she was unable to fight the momentum and her body was forcefully slammed against the wall as her head made contact with a loud thwack. The room began to spin; Katara staggered under the uneven rocking of the ship and darkness began creeping in on her. Her balance finally gave out and she stumbled to her knees, breathing sharply and clenching her eyes shut to stop the spinning. She wished she could bring her bound hands in front of her and up to cradle her aching head. That was when she noticed a slight give in the bindings around her wrists. Despite the pain, she opened her eyes and looked behind her to see that the force of the impact had caused the rope to loosen a bit. With a little maneuvering, she could probably wiggle her hands free. Without hesitation she began to twist and angle her wrists while shimmying the rope down little by little. The twining was rough and jagged, grating against her skin and leaving several small splinters in its wake, causing tears of pain to sting her eyes.

Suddenly another more threatening splintering sound pierced her focus followed by a deep, ominous groaning and creaking from the side of the ship. Katara's eyes widened as she realized the severity of the situation. The ship had hit something, and not a small something judging from the massive jolt, and it was losing the battle. From the way it sounded, the weakening sideboards would not hold out much longer.

Katara quickly resumed her struggle with the rope, picking up the pace and gritting her teeth through the pain, and before long she had successfully cast the bindings from her wrists. She heaved a sigh of relief and gingerly raised her hands up to examine her raw skin when a fissure appeared in the planks of the wall next to her, and then another, and another. And then all at once the sideboards ruptured with a deafening burst, splintering into a thousands pieces as a torrent of water surged violently into the space below deck, enveloping Katara in a flood of icy pins and needles. She struggled against the pummeling waves and managed to scramble to her feet, pushing against the surging rapids. The wooden door to her room was dangling from its hinges, knocked out by the force of the blow.

As quickly as she could, she bent a path in the rising water filling the space and raced out into the main hull and up the steps onto the deck. The ship was tilting sharply to the right and she could see that a good portion of the vessel was already below water and sinking quickly. She hastily scanned the deck for Ozai and Jiao, straining into the darkness, but she saw no sign of them anywhere. Her heart leapt at the realization that she was suddenly within reach of escape. If she could just make it to land, she could flee to safety.

The night sky above was crystal clear and harbored a nearly full moon, lending just enough of its pale light to make out the silhouette of a coastline in the distance. It would be a tiresome swim but with the help of her bending she could make it.

The ship shuddered and groaned once again and the ominous sound drew Katara's attention to several dark shapes protruding from the water and gleaming in the moonlight. Rocks. There were several dark jagged rocks jutting just above the surface of the water, nearly invisible between the black ocean and the midnight sky. The rock that had torn the ship apart was massive but surreptitious in the way it masked itself in the shadow of night. She had only now noticed it.

The ship was now more than halfway swallowed by the sea. She needed to find a safe way down and get to land quickly. She decided she could carefully climb down on to the rocks at the side of the ship which would give her a safe starting-off point. As she raked her eyes along its surface, trying to determine the best route down, an indistinct figure strewn in a heap at one end caught her eye. She realized suddenly that it was a man. Ozai. She studied him for a moment and could see that he was not moving, but she was just able to make out the fact that he was still breathing.

Her first instinct was to quickly dive into the water at the furthest point from him and swim as fast as she could to safety. But despite her inclination, something inside her stayed her steps. She glanced back over at Ozai's motionless form.

He was a terrible man; there was no disputing that. But he had saved her life that morning. Even though he claimed it was for his own purposes, if he had not stepped in she may not have been standing here right now. She technically owed him her life. That did not mean there was anything good in him, but did the opposite mean he was necessarily evil?

Good and evil. Is it really that concrete? she wondered. Certainly there are some gray areas. Good people are capable of doing bad things. But are indisputably bad people, such as Ozai, capable of doing good things? She began to doubt it and contemplated just leaving the man where he lied. The world would be better off without him anyway.

But he's still a human being. Aang's words echoed through her head and she cursed her conscience. All human beings, whether defined as good or evil, are capable of doing good things. They are capable of making that choice. Perhaps his actions that morning provided a glimpse into that possibility. She could not just leave him on that rock to die when he deserved the same chance as every other human being, no matter what he had done.

The ship was almost fully engulfed by the fathomless ocean now. She would need to make her move immediately if she wanted to reach Ozai easily. At last she made her way to the bow of the ship and began climbing down what was left of it. Hanging on to the side, she anchored her foot against the ship and jumped down on to the rocks below, nearly losing her footing on the slick, uneven surface. Cautiously she crept over to the unconscious man and studied him for a moment. He was lying on his side, his arm at an awkward angle beneath him and his breathing was shallow. She touched him lightly, drawing back in anticipation of a reaction; receiving no response, she grabbed his arm and turned him onto his back. He had a large gash in the upper left corner of his head where it had collided with a sharp point on the rock, but luckily the bleeding had slowed and was coming to a stop. She could heal it once they reached shore; until then she would need to preserve all the energy she could in order to get there.

Katara heaved the man up to a sitting position and draped his arm around her shoulder. She would need to utilize her bending if she was going to swim both him and herself all the way to shore. I can't believe I'm doing this, she thought as she jumped into the icy water. He was heavier than she had expected, although not unbearable once in the water. She began to focus what energy she could spare on bending a wave behind them to help them along when she felt a sudden tugging on her foot.

She was pulled down slightly, sputtering water out of her mouth and trying to keep Ozai's head from falling below the surface, looking around nervously. Suddenly something grasped her leg, yanking her down beneath the surface. She kicked and squirmed, trying to free herself. She struggled to the surface and fought to catch her breath before being dragged back under when the entity scrambled up to wrap around her neck and shoulders, flailing desperately. In the commotion, she lost hold of Ozai, watching helplessly as he drifted slowly away toward the black abyss below her.

All at once she realized that the grasp around her was the arms of a man. She could not see his face behind her, but she was certain it was Jiao. He must have lost consciousness when he fell overboard and latched on to her in a desperate attempt to reach the surface when he came to. But amidst his frantic floundering, she was being held under water and sinking under his weight.

With all her might she bent a whip from the water and lashed it out behind her, striking the man just hard enough to force him off of her, and then dived down to retrieve Ozai, dragging him back to the surface. Jiao was beginning to break from his hysteria but still continued to tread the surface frantically, struggling to stay afloat amidst his dying energy. How would she ever make it ashore with two grown men to haul with her? She would have to use the last bit of her energy to create and sustain a wave that would carry them all if not most of the way; it was the only way they could close the distance before they all succumbed to exhaustion.

Summoning what was left of her strength and focus, Katara bent the water around them into a strong wave. The water surged from underneath them, carrying them forcefully toward the shore. Just as they were about to crash onto the rocky land, Katara eased back the water and they rolled onto the shore, suffering only a few minor scrapes. Katara landed halfway on top of Ozai's chest, Jiao landed a few feet away.

Gasping and panting from the exertion, Katara tried to lift herself up but her flimsy arms could scarcely support her and she crashed back down onto him. As she lied with her head on Ozai's chest, trying to gather the energy for another attempt, she became aware that his chest remained unnaturally still. He's not breathing, she realized. With one last heave, she finally succeeded in sitting up and brought her hands to rest on his chest. Closing her eyes and breathing in deeply, she drew her hands up his chest toward his neck, bending a stream of water out through his mouth. She waited for the usual signs of life to return, but he remained lifeless. She rested her ear against his chest again. Still nothing.

Either the spirits really want him to die or they are trying to see how far I'll take this "everyone deserves a chance" concept, she thought. Katara looked at the unconscious man, trying to scrounge up any other option than the only obvious one that came to her. She had seen mouth-to-mouth resuscitation done before in the Southern Water Tribe but had never had to do it herself. And it was certainly the last thing she wanted to try right now. On him.

But she knew time was running out. She could not let him die after going to this much trouble to save him. She would do her part and let the spirits deal with his fate later on if they allowed him to live. At least her conscience would be clear.

Squinting her eyes shut and taking a deep breath in, she lowered her face down slowly toward his. Grimacing, she was within inches of making contact with his lips when he suddenly coughed into her face, spewing droplets of water onto her cheeks. Katara was so startled that she jumped up to her knees and stumbled backward from the force.

After catching his breath, Ozai only stared at her with a grim, somewhat thwarted expression. He said nothing, only focusing his eyes away from her with the scowl she had come to know so well.

"What are you doing?" he asked in a low, debased grumble, keeping his eyes turned aside.

"Saving your life, that's what." She could hardly fathom how anyone could be so ungrateful under the circumstances. "A simple thank you would have sufficed."

"You're wasting your time. I would have been fine," he snapped as he slowly at up. "And if you think that saving me will somehow cause me to miraculously see the light and set you free, you are mistaken."

That was it. She refused to sit back and take any more of his unappreciative slander. "First of all, you wouldn't have been fine," her tone was dangerous, but right now she did not care. "I just bent several pints of water out of your lungs, you were essentially drowning. You would've died if I hadn't helped you. Which leads me to my second point, and that is you owe me my freedom for saving your life. You wouldn't even be conscious right now if it weren't for me."

"Hmm, seeing as how I saved your life back on the ship, I'd say that merely evens the score. Therefore, I owe you nothing." He rose to his feet finally as Jiao staggered over to them.

"Are you all right, sir?" he asked with genuine concern in his voice.

"Yes, I'm fine." Ozai glanced back over at Katara who was lifting herself off of the ground as well. "Everything goes forward as planned, girl, and the same rules apply as before. Don't cause trouble, don't get in my way, and don't cross me or I will make you truly sorry."

With that he turned and began advancing inland toward a dense line of trees. "Come. We'll need to find a place to rest for the night."


A/N: Again, many thanks to all who've reviewed, you really make my day! Many people are adding this to their story alerts, which is great and I thank you for doing so. But please review! I would love to have real feedback from you. Love it? Great! Tell me why! Hate it? That poops! Tell me why! Something in between? … You get the picture :) Any and all feedback, positive or negative as long as it's constructive, is entirely welcome so please don't be shy!

Until next time… flameo, Sifu Hotman!