A/N: That last...Thing: The previous chapter thingy had NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS FIC. I did not write it, my older brother did. This is the REAL chapter.

That last thing had a seperate title for a reason. And to all those whom hate randomness, I am very sorry. Well atleast you got an insite in the co-working of my brother's and my minds. Please don't let...That reck the wrest of my fic for ya.cringes away

Chapter Nine: Getting away.

Ben' strode up the narrow gangplank with the attacker dragging behind her. Irritation shone in her chocolate eyes and her face was scrunched up in anger. She flung the man to the floor at Zuko's feet so that his head slammed loudly against it. The man groaned in pain and Ben' stomped his foot down on his back with her arms crossed. Zuko looked at her with an eyebrow raised and awaited an explanation.

"He attacked us and tried to abduct Katara. I arrested him on account of that. You press the charges." After a moment of silently glaring at Zuko, a random solder crossing the deck caught the ex-pirates attention. "You!" She called over to him. He looked up at her and pointed to himself, mouthing 'Me?' at the same time. "Yes you. Take this thing down to the brig!" The man nodded and scurried up to them and got the attacker to his feet. It felt odd for him to take orders from a younger person -A girl, no less- but he felt like he had to follow it. The sheer, controlled fury in her dark eyes and smooth voice frightened him slightly. Not forgetting, she was raised by ruthless, dangerous pirates- Everyone knew that! The anonymous solder felt those fearless glaring daggers of white fire right through him into the back of her prisoners skull and scurried away faster from her relentless stares.

A few minuets after, the solder returned in a rush. He darted up to Zuko and hastily saluted.

"Sir, Tasper has escaped!" Beside the banished prince, Katara gasped and stepped towards him. In return, Zuko put a protective arm around her.

"How?" He snapped, glaring at the solder.

"He...I..I don't know" Stammered the poor man, shrinking at Zuko's anger. Across the deck from them, Ben' tencened against the side of the ship. She cursed under her breath and turned on her heels.

"Katara will stay in my room tonight." She ordered. "We'll be safer together. Besides, if he does show his ugly face, I want to be the be to squash it." to emphasise her point, she ground her fist against her open palm with an angry, disgusted look on her face.

That night, the daughter of the Night slept sitting up with her club in her hand.

A few days past and there was no sign of Tasper. No one hade even seen so much as a sign of even Katara's brother. It was as if they had vanished off of the face of the earth. But that was the least of Beniko's worries. Her mind had been plagued by recurring nightmares. Normally bad dreams had no effect on her, but these were so real...She couldn't even change the outcome of the dream! The ex-cabin 'boy' sat up on her usual spot on the wall of the ship, and crossed her arms onto her knee, resting her head on them. Her chocolate eyes flashed out to the sea, and met with a familiar site; Black Falcon! She jumped to her feet and smiled. At that moment Iroh approached her.

"You seem happy." He noted.

"It's the Falcon." she smiled at him. "It's ok. Now we can give them a proper burial." She skimmed off her overcoat and stood in her thin under top. Ben' took a few steps back, and took a running jump over the edge. She dove into the water and swam to the nearby ship where she was raised.

On the front of the ship was a low hanging rope. It had always been there, since Ben' had first learned to swim. She grabbed onto it and began to use it the scour the side of the wooden ship. A smell hit her nose the minute she was a few inches above the water. It was a sickening smell that the blue haired girl had never smelled before, but a haunting one that would burn in her mind beyond death. The higher up the young lady got, the thicker the stench was. By the time Beniko was at head level with the wall of the ship, the smell was horrible enough to make a gore lover heave. She paused to pull her salty, wet, grey shirt up to the bridge of her nose and wipe tears of sickness from her eyes. Taking hold of the banister with one hand at a time, Ben' let the rope fall back to uselessly hanging and pulled herself over the edge onto the deck. She nearly scream at the sight that met her. All of the men of her crew was stacked in a messy mound in the middle of the ship, just like in her dream, and, like in said dream, one of the top corpses slid off and landed in a heap on the deck. As it did, Ben' leaped back till her backside and legs were pressed against the side.

"No..." she hissed, the pain of loss rejuvenated in her mind. "...This...cannot be real...but it is..."she closed her eyes and took in several slow breaths. "And my men...My family need a burial in true pirate style." She spoke to no one in particular, but still spoke in a loud voice, as if to convince herself that it was real. Carefully sidestepping the pile of men, she darted below the decks to collect the sheets off of all of the deceased's' beds. These sheets were taken back up stairs and laid out side by side in a specific order. One at a time, she slowly laid each rotting carcass onto its respective bed sheet. The sides of said sheet were folded over the bodies and sewn sealed. Using odd ropes and hoops on the Black Falcon, the created a pulley system to lower one man to Davy Jones' Locker at a time. With ever man, she sung out a prayer to the Keeper of the Spirit world and Sea Spirit, La. Most of all, she pleaded that the Gods and Spirits finally let them Move On (and stop haunting her with endless nightmares). After a final nod of thought, she darted up to the wheel and suddenly turned it harshly towards the shore near Zuko's and beached it a little way up, very close to the other ship. She darted up the furthest back she could reach on the stern and called out to a near by solder. "Go get Prince Zuko!" The man gave her a nod and ran off, Zuko appeared a few minutes later. "Come on board. Take what you want but only want what you take! Oh and I'd mind most of the food, but do get the booze and the biscuits, it's die for! But leave the captain's quarters and my quarters be, I'm getting those."

The firelight danced on Beniko's and made her eyes glow with memories. Memories all to do with the kingdom-less ship inflames before her. She had been born there, grew there, her first kiss, her first love, her first fight and heartbreak; she was sure that she was to die beneath is trustworthy, loyal sails. It was her home, and she was no longer a part of it. Tears began to form unknowingly in her chocolate eyes. A cold hand landed on her shoulder. It was Katara.

"Ben'...I think you should go to bed. You look like you need a good rest." Katara advised. Ben' gave her a soft smile, and placed her hand over the water benders.

"Yeah...yeah I should..." Her attention returned to the burning ship "You know: You never know quite how much you love a place till it's gone, do you?" With that, Beniko walked away, giving just a final glance at the Black Falcon before vanishing below the deck. Now Katara was alone on the deck, in the looming presents of the high flames on the steadily dieing ship. She leaned over the railing of the bow of the ship and began to toy with a wave against the beach.

"Katara" A small whisper broke her concentration. She looked around the deck, but saw nothing. "Down here!" It hissed again. She looked onto the beach and saw a familiar face paint.

"Suki" she chirruped back. The Kyoshi warrior signalled her down, but Katara refused. "Not without Ben'" With that, the water bender darted below the decks. She skidded to a halt before Beniko's door and sneaked in. "Ben'?" she whispered. Said girl was laying on her back, looking at the ceiling. She craned her neck forward to look at Katara. "Come on. We're getting away from here." Ben' gave her a nod, and gathered her few belongings. She then tied a red flag to her shoulders and stood formally and tall with her shoulders back. Ben' gave a nod to assure Katara that she was ready, and the duo left, without a final word the Zuko or his men.

"This is wonderful!" cried out Katara when they were far enough away from the ship. "I finally get to go back to Aang and Sokka." She smiled brightly at Ben' "I think that you'd like Aang, I can't wait to introduce you to all of them!" Ben' simply shook her head.

"I'm not going with you to the Avatar." Stated the boisterous girl simply

"But why, Ben'?"

"I belong at sea. Its all I know. Besides, you don't need me there. I'm going to stay at the dock, and join up to the next crew with sails that'll have me. Hopefully they'll be in the fight against the war, and I can finally do my part. Katara, we will meet again. I promise you, we will." And with that final oath, Ben' hugged her friend, and ran on a head, leaving Katara and the Kyoshi warriors behind her.

When our young water bender was at long last reunited with Aang and Sokka, she was, true to tell, extraordinarily happy. But a small part of her mind still wondered back to her time aboard Prince Zuko's ship, her love and friendship and of the things she saw and learned, so in a small way she regretted leaving. But if she hadn't, would she have ever seen her friend and brother again? Would she ever have that opportunity to master water bending?

And what of Zuko? When he discovered that Katara had ran away, he became angry yet again. Previous feelings of love and trust were erased and replaced with hatred and a will for vengeance. And thus the quest for the avatar began again, and no water peasant was going to get in his way.

This is not the end. There's still a hell load of fun to come yet.

To be nice, I'll give you some spoilers:

Ben' agrees with most Zutara fans, and is not to amused with Zuko's choice in loyalties. She also has changed a little.

Tasper shall return.

A hugefight is dawning.

If you have any more idea's, please say