I'm going to, as my way of helping to flesh out the timeline, reply to Kelly Miley's review here.

I know that their actions towards each other are confusing and probably don't seem right, I really do! But, there are some crucial things to remember. Firstly, you have to read every sentence! Sometimes a vital explanation will be casually contained in a small amount of words – as I've explained before, I don't do the whole "write and write and write about why they're doing and thinking this stuff". I scatter information to avoid boredom.

Secondly, this is NOT set in the canon series timeline. As far as my writing goes, the exact timeline isn't especially important. I know the fact that there is no set timeline will grate unpleasantly with some of you, but it's really not the point to this. To help as much as I can, I'll explain events as far as they are relevant or 'set' to me.

This is set after Katara mastered water in the Northern tribes, but Zuko still has a crew and a ship (no Zhao debacle, he doesn't feature in this). Azula has come to Zuko and claimed that Ozai wants him home etc so forth, and then it turned out to be a lie. The Swamp debacle has happened, and Aang figured out from that and from what Bumi said ("your teacher will be someone who waits and listens") that the blind Earth Kingdom girl from his vision is the one he needs to find – Zuko, as I explained in a previous chapter, assumes that they are simply city-hopping because he's learning earthbending from lots of different teachers in order to not stay in one place for too long. Really, they are searching for this girl. And, importantly, Zuko has been fretfully debating his position in the war and his loyalties to his family for quite some time now. He did not take Katara for the purposes of bait, but that's 'technically' the reason she's still here, as he doesn't know what he's doing with himself or with regards to the Avatar. He's confused (and also much more self-aware than in the series!). He took her to be taken care of, and with the thinking that, depending on what he ended up deciding to do, she could be useful to him. As he thought it through, though, he found no resolution and didn't find himself particularly wanting to carry out his quest anymore.

I think the chronological order of the last chapter was a little confusing: each little section happened at a different time, and you had to just sort of piece it together really. Basically, they docked once during the three weeks which was her flimsy opportunity to escape, which obviously wasn't successful; and Aang and Sokka spotted her by coincidence after about a week from her boarding. The ship had been sailing up and down the coast of the Earth Kingdom without much point or purpose (to the frustration of the crew I'm sure) before Zuko stumbled upon Katara, and that was what they continued to do once she was on board…

If you don't like how Zuko and Katara got to the point that they're at now (or you don't like how you missed three weeks worth of it building up to that) then, again, I'm sorry, but you'll have to just read on knowing that they are at that sort of awkward, surprised-that-they-are-liking-each-other-as-people-but-liking-each-other-anyway stage. Remember that three weeks is plenty!

My apologies if I missed anything, or anything is still unclear, it's hard to keep track of what confuses people and why, when the story makes sense in my head! I'm sure any writers here know that feeling. Anyway, I'll try to clear up any other questions that you guys have, just ask; but it's about time I got on with the chapter, even though it is probably messy! We don't see much of Aang and Sokka in these few chapters I know, but all these events are in a short space of time. Read on!

"This really isn't working," said Katara, frowning out to sea. Zuko's temper was shortening by the minute, so she didn't say anything else when he started kicking fire across the deck in frustration.

"We are not moving fast enough, you are correct," said Iroh, joining her at the edge.

"Let's just go and have something to eat," said Zuko loudly from behind them, cutting them off as they started to discuss what would happen if the storm reached them. "I'm starving. It'll be too late soon, if not already." Katara and Iroh pushed back off the rail and followed him inside.

Zuko had been presented with a platter of roasted meats and Fire Nation vegetables as soon as he sat down, and Iroh had been given some hearty duck stew in a large bowl.

"It's lucky dinner was late tonight," commented Zuko boredly. "Everyone's down here still and there's food left."

"Why does he get more than you?" asked Katara, looking at Iroh's solitary bowl and frowning as Zuko started picking absently at his food. "He doesn't even want it."

Iroh shrugged with a mouthful of duck. Swallowing with some difficulty, he spoke. "This is all I want. And it is delicious! And-... my dear, you must go and get some food," he finished sternly, forgetting whatever else he was going to say as he realised she hadn't been given any. Rather awkwardly, he continued. "You are still… classification… not exactly "guest"… must get…."

"That's okay, normally I have to get it myself anyway, and the great outdoors don't cook it for me, either," she said, a little unsuredly. "Uh, where?"

Iroh, mouth once again full of food, pointed behind her at a long bench. Zuko was staring at his plate and said nothing.

She set off quickly, trying not to look or feel out of place though it was blindingly obvious that she was. She ignored her fearful instincts as she wove through the crowds of people, trying very hard not to elbow anyone for fear of being set alight by an annoyed soldier. Slipping through the final wall of bodies, she saw the long bench right in front of her, and she moved quietly among the men already there to get some food.

There were a few varieties of plate to choose from. There were plates of soy fish and rice, and some other meats with rice. There was also a large pot of soup next to a stack of bowls.

Most of the dishes were essentially the same, but she spied the one remaining plate of sushi and judging from the little shafts of steam coming from the fillings; it was freshly cooked meat inside.

Angling straight for it, she skirted soldiers and picked it up with an air of someone who had found money on the ground. Turning to return to her table, she came face to chest armour to a soldier. Hastily murmuring an apology, she tried to move around him, but he grabbed her shoulder.

Glaring up at him automatically, she caught herself and tried to assemble a more apologetic expression, remembering that she was a prisoner in a room full of soldiers and it would do her well to act subservient, no matter how much it grated at her personality to do so.

"That's mine," he said bluntly, indicating the plate of food she was still holding. She looked at it, then back up at him. Thinking of nothing to say that wasn't rude, she settled for clarification. Instead of asking 'was it made specifically for you' or saying 'I got there first, rack off', she made it simple.

"Why?"

He glared at her. "What do you mean, why? I want it. It's mine."

"I got to it first!" Oh gods you did not just say that.

Despite how stupid she felt for saying that, she could feel in her gut that if this man didn't stop hassling her, she was going to flip. It was okay to be quiet and docile, but it was something else entirely to let someone It was all a bit too much – full moon, being a prisoner, storm coming, and now she couldn't even eat some sushi in peace.

"Hand it over, wench," he snapped, ignoring her comment and making an unsuccessful grab for it, tightening his grip on her shoulder.

"Wench?" she asked, looking him straight in the eye. "What are you, a bully or a pirate?"

"I'm a grown man. And what are you? A little girl," he said, missing her insulting sarcasm and pushing his face close to hers. "Don't make a scene, prisoner. I want the food, I will have the food, and if you keep at this then maybe I'll send for you during the night and see how rude you-"

His tirade was cut off by a large amount of soup to the face. Katara stood in her fighting stance with a shoulder throbbing and some lovely-smelling soup circling her obediently. Normally she would have struggled to control something that was only partly water, but the full moon lent her lots of strength.

There was silence in the entire room for about half a second – long enough for her to realise she was screwed. She breathed a curse, dropping her hands as she realised what a fool she was, while the man let out a roar and lunged at her.

She was still frozen in indecision between bracing herself for the hit, or fighting back despite the idiocy of doing so; and the result of this was that she just stood there distractedly while he grabbed her by the front of her clothes and lifted her up off the ground.

Snapping back to attention at the jerking movement, she lifted the soup up again and made to pound him with it as he cast a furious fire in his other hand, when she was suddenly on the ground again.

Zuko stood between them, looking acceptably angry, with a tightly restraining hand on Katara's sore shoulder and a threatening one in the offending soldier's face.

There was another round of silence in the room as everyone watched the situation. Zuko lit a small fire in his hand and held his hand still, the flame up in the soldier's face. The man appeared frozen in place as he watched it, and suddenly Zuko closed his hand.

"Any questions?"

"No sir," responded the soldier instantly, before glancing in Katara's direction and walking out stonily. Zuko watched him, then cast the room a dismissive look and walked back to their table, Katara in tow.

Iroh was watching from a half sitting, half standing position, apparently having been poised to jump in if things got out of hand. Seeing them returning and hearing the room's conversation start nervously up again; he sat down and happily tucked back into his food.

"Zuko," said Katara for the tenth time since the 'incident', trying to get his attention. He either didn't hear or chose to ignore her, as they reached their table and he pushed her down firmly before taking a seat.

"I left the sushi back there."

"Have this," he said curtly, pushing his plate over. "I don't want it."

"No, you said you were hungry."

"I'm not."

Iroh and Katara both adopted the same expression. "Eat," she said. "You have to eat."

"I don't care if you're not hungry," Iroh continued for her, "but you must eat."

Glancing at them both, he rolled his eyes and picked up a knife. Satisfied, Iroh turned away, but Zuko drew a line.

Not metaphorically, literally – he drew a line in the food. Using his knife, he split the food down the middle of the plate and indicated for Katara to start eating. "You have to eat too," he said blankly.

"The royal food?" she gasped sarcastically, her expression still severe. "Only if you do." He frowned and opened his mouth to say something else which was the perfect opening for her to half-toss, half-bend a piece of meat into his mouth.

He jerked back, but his years of etiquette training kicked in and he quashed the automatic instinct to spit it out. Instead, he stared her down and started chewing slowly. I wonder if Uncle would be angry if I killed her.

"Ah, sweet success," said Iroh in satisfaction.

Minutes later, they were interrupted by the ship rolling slightly, which jerked the inhabitants of the room into stopping nervously. For the third time that night, the whole place was silent.

A loud groan split the air before the ship seemed to buck up – the floor simply fell away on one side and rose up, up, up on the other. The whole world tipped over.

Falling down along the bench she was sitting on, Katara went straight into Zuko's chest and they both flew through the air for what felt like far too long before they struck the wall. The various shouts all over the room began cutting off as other things – tables, chairs, and other people – joined the fray.

The entire contents of the room that weren't secured to the floor – which in their small ship was essentially everything, given that tables and benches often needed to be moved – simply fell away down towards the walls.

It was lucky that Katara reacted before Zuko, because his totally-automatic move would have been to lock his arms around her, thus pinning her arms to her sides. She didn't react strategically, however, it was just that her knee-jerk reaction was faster than his.

Katara threw her arms up in front of her and, with a shout, screwed her eyes shut in preparation for the impact. She heard the tables and chairs striking the walls around her, but nothing else.

No impact came. The smashing of furniture echoed all around her, and she thanked the gods that none of it had hit her.

Realising that there were no screams or shouts anymore, she opened her eyes again. Zuko, behind her, bit back a gasp at the state of the room.

Hovering. Everybody was frozen as they had been when Katara had thrown her arms up. It was one of those moments that seems to stretch out and occupy ten times the seconds that it actually does.

Every single person in the room was just hanging in the air, bodies and faces frozen however they were when Katara reacted. There was one soldier halfway through tripping over right in front of her, face contorted and body braced to hit the wall. Many men in the room were halfway through making a grab for something or someone to hold them up, while many more were on or near the ground and rolling.

They were all just frozen.

Suddenly, the moment ended and the ship rolled back to normal, throwing Katara forwards and back onto her feet instead of against the wall. Her arms dropped, releasing everyone in the room as Zuko crashed into her back and they both fell to the floor.

Standing up shakily, Zuko pulled her up, looking at her searchingly. Iroh got up from beside them, also staring at Katara. In fact, everyone in the room was staring at her.

"You did that?" Zuko asked slowly. She stared at him, then at the room at large, then back at him again.

"Yes... I guess."

"What do you mean you guess? You did that! How did you do that?" he demanded, still holding her wrists where he'd pulled her up. She shrugged awkwardly, looking at the room again.

"It's the full moon," she said evasively.

"And?" Zuko wasn't letting her go.

"I didn't mean to," she muttered. "It did it by itself."

"How?" asked Iroh, fascinated that there was a form of waterbending he didn't know of. "People are mostly water... you were bending?"

"Well…" she said, looking down. "I can... it's bloodbending... but I never wanted to be able to. It was Hama who made me do it in the first place – and it was because of the Fire Nation anyway." She pressed her lips together, having messed up that explanation.

"Who's Hama?" Zuko asked, ignoring the mention of the Fire Nation.

Sighing, she resigned to the fact that she would have to explain herself – it wasn't a choice, and she realised how suspicious of her it would make everyone if she didn't talk. The soldiers would start thinking she was out to get them simply because she had the ability to.

"It only works during the full moon," she began softly. She told them briefly about a Water Tribe prisoner named Hama who had learned it to escape, and how the experience had made her crazy; leading her to force Katara to use the art to save her friends.

"I've never used it again before now, and I didn't mean to," she finished.

"I remember it," one soldier spoke up timidly. "She was the only one ever to escape..."

"Good on her, I would say, if she had used different means," said Katara mildly.

"As fascinating as this is," interrupted Iroh (who did look like he meant it at least), "pressing matters are waiting to be attended to. In case all of you forgot, the storm is still raging and is getting worse – we will roll again soon!"

Snapping back to attention, almost all the soldiers ran out and headed for either the deck or control room.

Zuko went to move, then realised his hands were still clasped around her wrists, and he jerked them back quickly.

"Oh sorry-"

"No that's fine-"

"-didn't realise-" he continued quickly.

"-just distracted, it's ok-" she replied just as quickly.

"-doesn't matter anyway, you're just a prisoner-" he fired off without thinking.

"-doesn't matter anyway, you're just a Fire Nation prince," she retorted.

"Yeah, it's not like we could ever be friiieeends or anything," he replied in kind, stretching out the word.

"Well it's not like I want to be friends," she said scathingly back.

"Well it's not like I want you to want to be friends," he snapped, and as Katara started to reply, Iroh grabbed both their shoulders.

"Well it's not like there's a deadly storm raging outside," the old man said loudly to both of them. "Oh, wait! Yes it is! So let's go!"

Giving each other one last annoyed look, the two turned and followed him up to the deck.