That last one was a really short chapter…wow…

I don't own Avatar.

Chapter Six

"There were over thirty of them," Jay defended. "It wasn't a fair fight to begin with. Then they decided to leave him there in the middle of their town to die. That's inhumane!"

Katara shook her head in frustration, looking down at the Fire Nation Prince bound and gagged at her feet. "He's inhumane! He's a Fire Nation scab!"

"Does that mean he has to die like that?" Jay asked.

"It means that we shouldn't care what happens to him," Sokka said, trying not to sound as angry as his sister. "You should understand, Jay. The Fire Nation tried to kill you."

"I do understand," Jay said, standing up and pacing around the fallen prince. "I understand what it feels like when you're ganged up upon and you have no option but to run. I could, because there were only one or two soldiers after me. This man had over twenty Earth Benders attacking him, and by the looks of his wounds, they were doing it at really close range. There was no way out; there was no chance or hope. No one deserves that."

"Do you know who he is?" Katara asked Jay, still uncertain about his logic.

"A Fire Nation soldier."

"That's Prince Zuko," Sokka said, still struggling to remain calm. "He's been looking to kill us and capture Aang for weeks now."

"…What? Prince Zuko? But why would he be after you three?" Jay asked, his face contorted in utter confusion.

"I'm the Avatar," Aang said. He hadn't spoken since he had woken up to see Zuko lying next to him. "Prince Zuko is trying to kidnap me and present me to his father, the Fire Lord."

Jay looked from Aang to Zuko and back again several times. He let this information sink into his thoughts, trying to digest the horrors of it. But even after all of that, he still believed he had made the right decision. "I still don't think that he deserved to die like that. He has a sense of honor and pride, and men of honor don't warrant such an unfeeling end."

"Jay, you can't just—" Katara started, but she was cut off.

"If you're willing to go to the lengths to ensure that he cannot hurt us, he can come with us. However, if you don't find any way to keep him from killing us, we're going to have to leave at least him behind, if not both of you," Aang said.

Aang and Jay's eyes met in a stare so eerie that Katara and Sokka looked concernedly at each other. It seemed as if an expansive conversation passed between the two boys without any words.

"Very well," Aang said at long last. Katara and Sokka looked at him for an explanation. None was forthcoming.

"I can show you how to make it," Jay said. Katara and Sokka exchanged confused glances.

"Good. Show Katara too. She'll be better an it than I will."

Sokka had had enough. "Excuse me, but was some executive decision made here? What are you two talking about?"

"Zuko is going to be traveling with us," Aang said as he began packing up his sleeping gear.

"What?" The two Water Nation siblings exclaimed in unison.

"I know of a simple Earth Nation potion for disabling bending magics," Jay said, rolling up Sokka's blankets and tying them in. "If we use that and a good set of ropes he shouldn't be able to bother us."

"We're going to have to pick up some medicine at the market in the village to tend to his injuries, then we can leave."

"Aang, do you realize what you're—"

"Sokka, I realize that Zuko is our sworn enemy and that there is a great risk involved in what we're doing. But I also know that Jay's right; he doesn't deserve to die like this; no one does."

"You can't just put all of our lives in danger like this, Aang," Katara argued. Aang turned and looked her square in the eye, his face set and resolved.

"I have to Katara."

"You have no right—"

"I'm the Avatar."

Katara fell silent. After a few moments of stillness between them, the four teenagers began to pack up camp. Katara watched Aang like a hawk, unsure how she felt about his last statement. He was right; he was the Avatar, and the Avatar was expected to make hard decisions like this by himself. But he was also one third of his traveling party, the other two thirds of which weren't pleased with the end result.

I hope you know what you're doing Aang...

/chapter six