Confusing Feelings

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Chapter 4: Aang's Escape

Aang stumbled as the firebender behind him shoved him forward into the warm darkness of the ship.

"Take him down below and place him in a cell. And make sure you keep an eye on him, you remember what happened last time." Zuko said importantly.

"Yes, sir." replied the guards in unison, saluting their Prince. They led Aang away, with one person on each side of him. As if that could prevent him from escaping them.

Aang silently drew in as much air as he could into his lungs. He formed two spinning air balls in each hand and tripped all four of the guards at once. He did a back flip over the fallen firebenders behind him, and when one of them shot a flame at him, he used it to burn the rope off his hands. He summoned his staff from the man that was carrying it and ran down the corridor. He emerged onto the main deck, ready for the small army that awaited him. Prince Zuko smiled.

"It took you less time to escape than it did last time." he noted. "But you will not return to your friends so easily." Several firebenders now surrounded Aang, ready to burn him to a crisp if he made the slightest move.

"I will not help you win this war." Aang said angrily.

"I didn't think you would, but if I have you prisoner then how are you going to make me lose?" Zuko replied with a smirk. Aang just sighed and hung his head. He was right; if he couldn't escape there was no way for him to prevent him from winning. He had to get out of there.

"So what are we going to do?" Katara inquired as Sokka sat trying to figure out how to save Aang from the firebenders.

"Not a clue."

"I should've known." Katara sighed and a single tear trailed down her cheek. Sokka put an arm around her shoulders.

"We'll figure something out. We'll save him even if we have to rush in there without a plan. We're all in this together." Katara smiled at her brother. Even though he was a jerk sometimes, she was glad to be his sister.

"Thanks, Sokka." she said, hugging him. "I'm sure we will save him, no matter what."

Aang sat on the floor of his cell, contemplating how to escape. He didn't know how he would do it, everything seemed hopeless. He could only hope that Sokka and Katara would think of something. Aang closed his eyes and he could see Katara smiling at him. He was sure she wouldn't let him down.

Sokka guided Appa into the chilly waters to advance to the rear of the ship. He had originally planned for an aerial attack, but Katara figured that they wouldn't be as noticeable if they came from below. She stood up and shielded her eyes with her hand and surveyed the ship. It looked pretty quiet, and there wasn't anyone on the deck.

"Sokka, are you going to tell me what this perfect fool-proof plan of yours is anytime soon?" she asked. Sokka got red in face and looked down, scuffing the ground with his foot.

"I don't have one…" he mumbled.

"What!" Katara hissed, trying to express her anger without alerting the crew to their presence. "Perfect plan my rear, this is a disaster! How are we gonna save Aang without a plan?"

"Well…I planned how we'd get on the ship…" Sokka said quietly. Katara just groaned and sat back down.

Aang heard a small noise outside the window in his cell. He got up and looked out to see Appa with Sokka and Katara sitting on his back. He jumped in the air and barely restrained a loud shout. They had come to save him! Just then a guard walked by and looked at him, puzzled. Aang quickly started stretching.

"Just doing some stretches, there's not much to do sitting in the tiny cell."

"Well, as long as you aren't up to something." replied the guard with a suspicious look in his eyes. Aang let out a small sigh of relief once he was far away down the hall.

Sokka took a rope out of one of the bags and handed it to Katara. She tied a loop in one end and tossed it to the side of the ship, hooking it on the railing.

"Bulls-eye!" she exclaimed quietly. With the grace of someone who had climbed ropes all their life, she quickly scaled the side of the ship, while Sokka didn't have such an easy time with it. After several minutes, Katara managed to hoist her brother over the railing, and they tiptoed towards the stairs that led below deck. Suddenly a lone firebender emerged from the stairs and spotted them. Sokka ran at him and knocked him in the head with his spear, and the firebender immediately fell unconscious to the ground.

They rushed down the stairs to below the deck as quietly as they could and tiptoed towards the holding cells. Luckily, the guard was leaning against the wall, fast asleep. Katara stealthily unhooked the keys from his belt loop and clenched her fist around them to keep them from jingling. They walked along the wall looking into each cell and finally found Aang, leaning against the bars of his cell, facing away from them. Katara slipped a hand through the bars and placed it on his shoulder.

"You came to save me! I knew it!" Aang whispered excitedly after turning around to face them. He clasped Katara's hand in his own, and she smiled warmly at him.

"Of course! But somehow this just seems too easy…" she replied uneasily.

"You've got that right!" Zuko smirked, standing in a fighting stance down the hall from them. Katara quickly released Aang from the cell and all three of them turned to face Zuko. Aang let out a loud yell and shoved his hands towards Zuko, slamming him against the wall with a surge of air. Zuko's head hit the metal wall with a dull thump, and when he stood to fight again his balance was so far off that all Sokka had to do was push him and he fell on his behind with a crash. They hurried up the steps and eerily, there were no firebender warriors awaiting them. They took this chance and hurried onto Appa's back. No sooner were they lifting into the air than columns of flame began bombarding the poor bison.

"Oh crap…" was Sokka's only comment before Appa took to the air faster than you would expect a beast that size to go. He and Katara held onto each other as Aang steered them above the low clouds. Once they were safe, Aang crawled back and threw himself at Katara, knocking her from her kneeling position to the ground.

"I knew you'd save me, Katara." He said, snuggling up to her. Katara's only response was to press her lips to his cheek and pull him tighter to her, sitting up and pulling him into her lap. Aang sighed contentedly and they just sat like that for a while.

"Katara?" Aang said, looking down at her.

"Hmm?" Katara raised her head from his shoulder.

"Will you always love me no matter what?" Katara seemed kind of startled by the question.

"I don't know about always Aang, we are really young." Aang looked down and scooted off of Katara's lap. "But," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "right now I love you more than anything in the world." Aang brightened up.

"Really?"

"Really." Katara smiled at him and put her arms around his shoulders, pulling him toward her so that they were sitting side by side. Aang kissed her on the cheek and wrapped an arm around her waist. "I love you, Katara." he said happily. Katara kissed him briefly on the lips and snuggled her head into his shoulder. "I love you too." Sokka just groaned. "Kids…"

End Chapter 4

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