Oh em gee, drama.

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar

CHAPTER 10

The Demon looked out across the deck of her ship, appearing rather bored. It had been one day since the battle. The deck had been scrubbed, ridding all traces of blood. The other ship had been looted and set on fire, then left far behind. Through the combined efforts of Katara, Dodger, and the one other waterbender on board with healing abilities, most of the crew had been cured of their injuries.

All that was left were the memories, and the four empty hammocks below deck.

She sighed, frowning. On the bright side, the other ship had provided them a great deal of expensive cargo. And her plan involving the Avatar hadn't been damaged at all. In fact, the battle had served to move the plan along a little faster.

The Demon glanced down. Aang emerged from below deck, looking around and stretching.

"Aang," she called. He looked up. She was in the stern of the ship, leaning carelessly against the railing. "Get up here."

Aang did as he was told. "Yes, captain?"

The Demon leveled a shrewd look at him. "You and Katara didn't do much during the fight," she stated.

"We weren't ready," Aang muttered, looking down. "It wasn't what we expected."

"What did you expect?" the Demon asked coolly.

"You didn't kill everyone during the raid," Aang said darkly.

"Those were civilians," she replied with a shrug. "We were fighting other pirates this time. They don't show mercy, neither do we."

"But Keely… and all the others…" Aang continued slowly. "They seem so…"

"Normal?" the Demon laughed. Aang nodded. "It's an act, Aang. They're just trying to get on your good side."

Aang frowned. "Why?" he asked.

"Because I told them to," the Demon said, shrugging again.

"I don't understand," Aang said, beginning to sound angry.

"I'm teaching you a valuable lesson here, Aang," the Demon said in response. "Never trust a pirate, no matter how normal they seem."

Aang stared at her. She had just admitted one of the most deceitful things he had experienced outside of Fire Nation royalty, and she said it like she was discussing the weather. What happened to the laughing young woman he had sparred with just a few days ago?

"So that's it?" Aang growled. "You were just keeping us happy until we get to shore where you can pawn us off on some bounty hunter?"

"Basically, yeah," the Demon said, nodding.

"Why are you telling me this now?" Aang demanded.

"Because you could have helped," the Demon said coldly, looking past him at the quiet deck. "But you didn't. And now you're facing the consequences of disobeying."

"Consequences? What consequences?"

The Demon faced him, holding his gaze dangerously. "You are on a ship in the middle of the ocean surrounded by people you thought you could trust," she said, her voice freezing him more effectively than ice ever could. "If you rebel, if you try to escape, if you do anything at all to compromise my crew or my ship, I'll kill Katara personally."

Aang's stomach turned over and he began to feel violently sick. He clenched his fists in fury but didn't say a word.

"I was trying to treat you like a guest, Aang," the Demon said airily. "I tried to help you out. Make it easier. Tried to make you a pirate. But it didn't work, and now, you're a prisoner."

She walked away without another word. Aang stood perfectly still.

Katara was in danger.

He had to protect her. He had to keep her safe, keep her close. He had to have her nearby at all times.

He had to take some initiative.

0000000

The midday sun was blazing, and Aang was pacing back and forth in front of the mast. He had been for nearly three hours, ever since the Demon had locked herself in her cabin after issuing him a frightening ultimatum. He was driving himself crazy. Katara… she had made him promise… so she must have known what he was going to tell her. She must have wanted him to tell her… or maybe she thought it was something else entirely.

He stopped and banged his head on the mast.

The thirteen-year-old pirate, whose name Aang still didn't know, stopped her slow progress across the deck, staring at him. Despite Katara's best efforts, she was still in bandages. The cut had been long and deep, stretching all the way from her left shoulder to her right hip. She was having a little trouble walking.

"You okay, Aang?" she asked curiously.

He rested his forehead against the mast, staring angrily at the weathered wood. "I'm fine," he grumbled.

"Are you sure?" she pushed, sounding amused.

Aang glanced at her, but all he could see was her stabbing a man in the shoulder and pushing him into the unforgiving ocean. He looked away.

"I'm sure," he said darkly.

She was surprised by his tone, so she walked away.

Aang immediately felt guilty. He groaned in frustration and hit his head against the mast one more time. He shouldn't feel guilty. These people lied to them. They were only nice because they were ordered to be.

But he had more pressing issues to deal with. He had to protect Katara. He had to-

"Aang?"

He yanked his forehead away from the mast and whipped around. Katara was standing at the top of the stairs, looking at him in confusion. He broke into a sweat.

"Hey, Katara," he began, his voice cracking. For a moment, he had sounded like twelve-year-old Aang, which did nothing for his confidence. She smiled at him, looking both amused and curious as she took a few steps toward him

"Wait, don't move," he said quickly, and he jumped forward to stop her, grabbing her shoulders. She stopped, surprised, and he hastily dropped his hands to his sides. They stood facing each other for several moments.

"Aang?" Katara finally asked, confused. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Would you say I'm the kind of person who takes initiative?" Aang blurted. Katara stared at him.

"What?"

"Do I… you know… take initiative a lot?" he rambled on nervously.

"Yeah, I guess," she replied slowly. "I mean, you're usually the first to try new things…"

"Yes, you're right, I do take initiative a lot," he agreed, casting a contemplative look skyward. "But there's one thing that I can't do, Katara. I've been trying for ages to take initiative, but I just haven't been able to."

"Okay…" Katara prompted him after a few more moments of silence. He took a deep breath, staring at her.

"Until now," he said, exhaling loudly. He ceased to look crazed and instead looked a little shy. Much more like the Aang she was used to. "So… so here I am." He placed his hands hesitantly on her waist and tugged her closer. "Taking initiative."

Katara stared blankly at him for half a second, blushing at their proximity. Then, her eyes widened a little in comprehension and she whispered, "Oh."

She didn't get a chance to say anything else, because Aang chose that moment to lean forward and place a warm, cautious kiss on her lips. He pulled away before the shock had worn off and found her still staring at him. He held his breath nervously. She blushed after several long moments, and then, she did the most beautiful thing Aang had ever seen.

She smiled.

His heart skipped a beat. Or several.

A moment later she moved closer, rewarding his initiative with another kiss. This one was much slower, and she had to wrap her arms around his neck to steady herself. The action served the dual purpose of pulling him even closer and increasing the pressure on his lips, something he found he rather enjoyed. She tilted her head slightly to get closer, to get a better taste, and it occurred to him that he was kissing Katara.

He, Aang, was kissing Katara.

Not only that, but Katara was kissing back. Rather roughly, hungrily even. They had let this build up for too long. That was probably why neither of them was surprised in the slightest when, seconds later, he had Katara pinned against the door of the captain's cabin. He had barely noticed they were moving. She certainly wasn't protesting, anyway, as her fingers slid up the back of his head, brushing over the short bristles of hair covering his scalp and sending a shiver down his back.

They both pulled away for a moment, taking in a couple of gasping breaths, and they were back at it.

Luckily for them, none of the pirates seemed to notice. Either that or they just didn't care, which was more likely considering the young Avatar and his travelling companion had now been up against the door for a good five minutes.

Only when the sun burning on Aang's shoulders became oppressive did he pull away, taking several deep breaths. He looked at her and smiled. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes unfocused, her bandana had somehow been knocked askew, and Aang found himself rather surprised by the fact that he was the cause of all of it.

"So…" she said quietly between breaths. "What uh… did you want to tell me yesterday?"

Aang grinned. "I… uh…" he began, still trying to settle his lungs. But before he could continue, he was forced to turn around by the sound of a laugh behind him. Katara glanced over his shoulder, annoyed.

Keely was standing behind them, eyebrows raised, smirk firmly in place. "Wow," was all she said, eyes narrowing naturally.

Aang turned back to Katara, frustrated, and opened his mouth to continue. But Katara stopped him with a finger to his lips.

"It's okay," she said quietly, smiling. "I 'uh' you too."

It took a moment for Aang to understand, but when he did, he positively beamed at her. He couldn't believe it. Everything she did just made her seem more wonderful, and now, she was his.

"So how many public confessions of undying adoration has this ship witnessed in the past three days?" Keely asked no one in particular, pretending to think about it. "Guess it's been a good week."

"What do you want?" Aang asked sharply. Katara and Keely looked equally surprised. Aang backed away from her and turned around to face Keely. Katara stepped away from the wall and took Aang's hand.

"Aang?" she asked quietly.

Keely frowned. "What's the deal?" she asked, sounding genuinely concerned despite her best efforts.

"You can drop the act," Aang replied darkly.

Keely's eyes widened.

Katara looked between the two of them. "Aang?" she repeated.

Aang squeezed her hand. "Come on," he said quietly, tugging her toward the stairs. "There's something I need to tell you."

Katara didn't argue. She followed Aang below deck, aware of Keely's eyes following them.

0000000

The Demon didn't turn around when Keely burst through the door of her cabin. Keely didn't seem to notice.

"Why did you tell him?" she shouted savagely.

The Demon looked disinterestedly at her nails. "Tell him what, Keely?" she asked calmly.

"You told him that you ordered us to get to know them," Keely growled through gritted teeth, clenching her fists. "Why?"

"Don't tell me you've grown fond of the little Avatar," the Demon said mockingly, glancing over her shoulder at her apprentice.

"He's hardly little, he's only two years younger than me," Keely snapped.

The Demon turned around fully, looking Keely dead in the eyes. "Just tell me the truth. Have you become friends with Aang and Katara?"

Keely cast a helpless glance around the room, biting her lip. "Yes," she finally muttered.

The Demon sighed a shook her head. "I was right about you, Keely," she said quietly. "You've got too much heart to be a pirate captain."

Keely stared at her. "What?" she breathed.

"You befriended captives," the Demon said levelly.

"You told me to!" Keely burst out in frustration.

"I told you to act," the Demon corrected. "You became attached."

Keely's eyes widened as comprehension dawned. "You never had a plan," she whispered. "You were testing me."

The Demon didn't respond. She just looked at her steadily.

"You were just waiting to find someone to capture," she continued, sounding mildly horrified. "It has nothing to do with the Avatar. They were just the first people we took as prisoners."

The Demon still didn't say a word. She just crossed her arms over her chest and waited.

Keely's jaw clenched and her eyes narrowed in anger. The Demon knew her well enough to know she was just narrowing her eyes so it was harder to see the tears.

"It's stupid, isn't it?" Keely laughed spitefully, her voice shaking slightly. "I actually trusted you. I thought you were my friend."

The Demon closed her eyes. "You can't trust pirates, Keely," she said quietly. "Lesson number one. I had hoped you would have learned it by now."

Keely turned on her heel and left, slamming the door behind her. The Demon didn't move for a while. When she did, it was merely to wipe her eyes on the back of her hand.

0000000

Katara was silent for a while after Aang relayed the Demon's words to her. They were both sitting in his hammock, one at each end, facing each other. Aang was in the lotus position and Katara had her knees drawn up to her chest as she stared thoughtfully at the ground.

"They were just… pretending," she finally said.

Aang nodded. He hadn't taken his eyes off of her since they had come below deck. He had taken a seat on his hammock, expecting her to sit on her own. But to his surprise, she sat down beside him on his own hammock. As he began to tell her what had happened, they both turned to face each other. Now their shins were pressed together rather uncomfortably, but neither complained. After all, why would they complain about being so close to each other?

Katara finally glanced up at him. He smiled a little.

"So if we try to escape, she'll…"

A dark look came over Aang's face and he looked down. "Yeah," was his only response. But suddenly, Katara's hands were on either side of his face and she was kissing him. It was just a light, gentle gesture, nothing like the kiss they shared on deck, but it served its purpose. When she pulled away, the smile was back on his face. She returned it.

"I'm not worried," she said quietly.

"Good," Aang replied, voice barely above a whisper.

"So is this why you suddenly decided to take initiative?" she asked with a smirk to rival Keely's. "You wanted to protect me?"

Aang smiled sheepishly. "You know me way too well," he muttered. "But I meant it all. It wasn't just… because I needed to or anything."

Katara smiled again. "I know," she replied simply. "But when you said 'I uh,' you did mean 'I love you,' right? Because that's what I meant."

Aang laughed a little, blushing. "I love you, Katara," he said quietly, leaning toward her.

"Well that certainly clarifies things," she murmured as their lips met again.