Wow! I've gotten over a hundred reviews for "Close Combat"! This takes me to my happy place! Thanks you to everyone who left a review–you thoughts fuel me like the sweet elixir of life that is Vanilla Coke! THANK YOU!

And so, to show my gratitude, I give you chapter ten–chockfull of Iroh-y goodness! And a female captain too...because after seeing Evil-She from "The Storm", I want to see more female officers, dammit! So, without further ado, onto the chapter!

Chapter 10: "A Convergence"

(The previous night)

Iroh stared out bleakly as Zuko's ship melted into the night. Foolish, foolish, foolish! Iroh cursed himself. In his haste he had been utterly careless. He had let Zhao escape with the Avatar. Not only that, but he had let Zhao escape on Prince Zuko's ship! And now he and his crew were stranded on an island, while Zhao sprinted towards Ozai with the Avatar in his hands. Foolish!

The old general sighed. Well, chastising himself wasn't going to fix anything. He might have made a few mistakes, but he was going to do everything in his power to rectify them. First thing was first...they needed transportation...

Iroh was shaken out of his thoughts when he heard shouts from his men. They beckoned him down the shore, where several of their crew mates had washed up, completely exhausted and freezing. Zhao must have thrown them overboard when he commandeered Prince Zuko's ship. While his men tended those who had washed ashore, Iroh asked the bedraggled soldiers what had happened. Their answers only affirmed what he already knew–that Zhao had taken Prince Zuko's ship and was heading straight for the capital. A quick count was done of the men who washed ashore, and all the men on Prince Zuko's crew were accounted for. Good.

Iroh went back to looking out at the sea, and his thoughts about transport. They needed a boat to chase after Zhao as well as search for his nephew. The old general quickly suffocated a small voice questioning if he should even bother looking for Prince Zuko. Unfortunately, there was no way they could get off this island without contacting the Fire Navy, which...

...Which actually might be an excellent idea.

Iroh thought a moment. Pinning Prince Zuko's death on Zhao would be more than enough to get the man arrested, admiral or no. If he could get himself aboard one of the his nation's ships, and tell them little half-truths portraying Zhao as the one entirely behind this disaster, he was sure he could get the ship to search out the admiral. It would be difficult to locate Zhao, naturally, since Zuko's ship was small and Zhao did not want to be found until he had successfully delivered the Avatar and earned his amnesty...but Iroh was sure if they headed in the direction of the capital, and kept a sharp eye out, they would find him.

Of course, the tricky part would be the Avatar. He somehow needed to keep the Avatar out of the Fire Navy's knowledge as long as possible. The former general would have to somehow see to it the Avatar escaped before the Fire Navy apprehended the boy–while also keeping himself from being arrested. Iroh was wary to take another risk like this after all his previous ones had backfired so disastrously, but...looking at the alternatives and their outcomes, the elderly man deemed it necessary.

Well, time to set to work, then. Iroh ordered his men to start a bonfire–a large one–to attract a Fire Nation ship to their island. His men stared as though he had gone completely mad, but when he told them of his plan, they enthusiastically agreed and vowed they would stay silent under questioning. It wasn't very long before a massive bonfire roared on the island, so big he and his crew had to stand back a ways in order to avoid the uncomfortable heat. The orange glow lit up the beach, and very soon afterwards, its light illuminated the faint outline of an approaching ship.

The ship's horn sounded out, hailing them, and not long after rowboats reached the islands. A group of firebenders approached them, and their leader made a beeline for Iroh, the man who appeared to be in charge. "What is this?" the man asked, "Are you stranded here? Were you involved in yesterday's incident? Who are you?"

When the man finished his string of questions, Iroh calmly replied, " I am the former General Iroh, and this is my nephew's crew." He paused to let this information sink in. The man in charge of the other firebenders cowed at his name, and Iroh heard whispers travel amougst his men. He then added, "I am indeed involved in yesterday's incident. I ask you to please take me to your ship's commanding officer immediately." Almost the instant the last word was out of his mouth, the leader of the other firebenders reverently bowed, and took Iroh and his men aboard the boats and rowed them to the ship anchored offshore. The ship was fairly large–not as massive as Zhao's battleship–but still impressive, nonetheless.

He and his men were made to wait on deck while the commanding officer was quickly summoned. Iroh made a quick scan of the deck before he felt his shoulder tapped. He turned around to find himself face to face with a female officer. Her armor made it instantly apparent that she was the one in charge of this vessel. "I am Captain Himoto. My men informed he you were the great General Iroh. I am honored to meet you," she said quietly.

"Retired general, please," Iroh smiled faintly, "And not so great..."

"You modesty precedes you," she replied politely, "But tell me: what brings you to a deserted island...and my ship?"

Iroh took a deep, dramatic breath. "Well," he began, "it seems a terrible transgression...and tragedy...has occurred."

"Involving Admiral Zhao?" Captain Himoto intoned, "It was his battleship that was reported sunk..."

"Yes. You see, Admiral Zhao had wrongfully arrested Prince Zuko and some of the crew at port Puaga. He was taking Zuko to Fire Nation waters to have Prince Zuko arrested for trespassing."

"Why would Admiral Zhao do that? Such an act is out of boundaries, even for a man of his status."

Iroh looked into Captain Himoto's scrutinizing eyes. He was going to have to be very careful with this woman. Deciding playing ignorant was his best option, Iroh responded half-truthfully, "I do not know what sparked the arrest at the time. I was not with Zuko at the time the arrest was made. I imagine their mutual distaste had a hand in it... When I was made aware of the arrests, I followed after Zhao in an attempt to get him to relinquish my nephew. He, of course, did not comply. But then..." Iroh trailed off slowly.

"Then?" the captain inquired.

"The explosion happened. I...I do not know what happened to cause it...my best guess it some sort of fight was started between Admiral Zhao and Prince Zuko occurred–mostly likely an attempt on my nephew's part to get free..." He paused. "We searched the wreckage for my nephew...but he was nowhere to be found. I...I believe Prince Zuko was killed in the explosion." Iroh swallowed. Even though he was acting, it was hard to say that sentence out loud. It brought the real possibility of it home like a punch in the stomach. After another long pause, Iroh continued. "While we searched the wreckage, we found several lifeboats ashore of one of the islands. We took our own boats and went ashore too, hoping prince Zuko would be aboard the island. Instead, we found Admiral Zhao and his remaining men."

"Did he reveal to you what happened on the ship?" Captain Himoto asked quickly.

"No. Just the opposite, actually. When we confronted him, we demanded what happened aboard the ship to cause the explosion, as well as the whereabouts of Prince Zuko, but Admiral Zhao refused to answer. A battle broke out, which Zhao and his surviving crew quickly fled. Due to my own carelessness, I had left our rowboats on the beach next to his. Zhao took all the rowboats and left us stranded on the island while he commandeered Prince Zuko's ship and sailed off. Your ship, of course, came to our rescue and, well...here we are." Iroh gave a slight shrug.

Captain Himoto stayed silent for a while, considering all he had said. "I see," she said at last, "I'm very sorry for your loss. I'm sure Lord Ozai will be equally pained about his son's death..." I very much doubt that, Iroh thought with a note of bitterness. "We should make a report to the other ships and my commanding officer–"

"No," Iroh said firmly, taking Captain Himoto a little aback, "Zhao has already taken Prince Zuko's ship and is attempting to flee. He is the only one who knows the full details of this catastrophe. We should apprehend him at once."

The captain gave him a curious look. "If we are to apprehend Admiral Zhao, it would be best to report to the Fire Navy at once, to secure better resources for his capture–"

"The best 'resource' for his capture, captain," Iroh countered, "Is quick, decisive movement. Zhao has not had Prince Zuko's ship for very long, meaning he can't have gone far–"

"Meaning we have time to alert the other ships before he makes his escape."

Iroh chuckled grimly. "No, I have seen the navy. We will be so bound up in red tape and questioning, Zhao will be long gone before we finally mobilize."

"Sir," Captain Himoto implored sternly, "I understand you're upset over your nephew's death, but..." Her words wilted under one of Iroh's looks.

"Captain," he said in a voice that offered no argument, "That is not what this is about. Admiral Zhao is the only one we know of who can give a full account of what happened on that ship. If we want to apprehend him, we must act now! We can give whatever reports are needed when we hand him over." Iroh stared her in the eye, waiting her reply.

Captain Himoto considered for a moment, conflicted. Finally, she returned his gaze an answered, "If the Dragon of the West thinks it wise to apprehend Zhao on our own, then I will trust his word on it."

"I thank you," Iroh said warmly, "Your cooperation is appreciated deeply." Wasting no time to employ flattery, Iroh added, "And with such a fine ship and crew, I have no doubts of our success."

Himoto gave a small smile before saying, " You and your men must be tired. I will have them tended for and sleeping arrangements made."

"Thank you again," Iroh said before Himoto gave a small nod and turned to give her crew orders. While his crew was being taken care of, Iroh looked out to sea. All seemed to be going well so far...hopefully their luck–and his lies–would keep up. The former general thought back to one of his fibs...I...I believe Prince Zuko was killed in the explosion. He did not truly believe it...not yet...but the words still stung. He hoped his nephew was alive and well. Very much so.

Crouched in the shadows, he watched and waited. His eyes darted across the deck continually, but always returned to the same person again and again. The boy with the blue mark on his head. Aang. His human. His friend.

Momo's round, green eyes watched alertly, keeping note of all the movement on deck. Last night, when the big fire-fight happened, Momo had escaped his captor and hid, trying to keep as close to his two human friends as possible. When Aang and Sokka were dragged away by the fire-people, Momo had stealthily followed.

Once they had reached the boats, Momo climbed on the back of one of the soldiers, completely unnoticed. Humans rarely noticed anything. He stowed away on the rowboats with the fire-people and his two friends until they reached a strange ship. When they came aboard there was a commotion, which Momo used to quickly hide in the ship's shadows. His human friends were put in shackles and thrown against the wounded bison, who, to Momo's surprise, was already aboard the ship.

Momo stayed in the shadows, watching and waiting, looking for an opportunity to free his friends. Unfortunately, no such opportunity had arrived so far. His human friends were in shackles which Momo knew, from previous prison breaks, needed a special little metal stick to open. The lemur had located a man who was carrying a ring full of them, but the deck was swarming with fire-people. Despite his own natural agility, Momo knew there was no way he could retrieve the little metal sticks without being seen. He would have to wait for a distraction to arrive. Then he could free his friends and they would fly away on the bison.

Momo paused. Where was the girl human? Was she hiding too? Aang had seemed very upset earlier...did it have something to do with the girl? Where did she go...?

Katara sat out morosely on deck, looking up at the overcast sky. There was a storm coming from the west. She could taste it in the air. But that was not what was bothering her. Katara had been in a bad mood ever since she had that spat with Zuko earlier today. To make things worse, Zuko had not spoken or even looked at her since. Not that she really cared if he spoke to her or not; it was just that the tension that accompanied the silence was unbearable.

Katara gazed up at dark clouds approaching in the distance, slowly blocking out the late afternoon sun. Zuko had changed course to move more eastwards in order to avoid them, but the dark clouds were gaining quickly and Katara wondered if they would be able to avoid the storm. Fitting weather for the circumstances, she though glumly with a glance in Zuko's direction.

Zuko tried his hardest to keep his mind focused on the tasks at hand–avoid the storm, find his uncle, capture the Avatar if at all possible. He repeated them over in his head, trying to use meditation techniques to focus his mind. But it was utterly impossible. His brain had mutinied against him and now focused exclusively on two things: Katara and the Water Tribe raid two years ago.

He had been wrestling with the coincidences of her tribe's raid for the better part of a half an hour, trying to convince himself that they were simply that–coincidences. However, the more he thought about their possible connection, the more sure about it he became, until his denial evaporated and left him alone with this new revelation. Zuko stayed numb for a long time, letting things settle and waiting for the anger to arrive. Strangely, it never came. Zuko kept waiting for himself to become furious at Katara and her tribe for being the catalysts of his banishment...but...he never did. This disturbed Zuko. Shouldn't he want to yell at her for being the cause of his banishment? After all, if her tribe hadn't been so foolish and weak, he would have never made his challenge against Zhao...which ended up in a 'battle' against his father...and his exile.

But instead of being angry, he felt...relief, almost. He wasn't alone. He and the waterbender–they were connected. They had both been there, on that same day...the day that changed their lives forever. Zuko had never felt this sort of link with anyone, save his uncle, who had forsaken his home to accompany him into exile. It was unsettling to say the least.

Zuko wished he had time to sort this out, but as he looked at the oncoming clouds, he realized he didn't. He shook his head in another futile attempt to clear up his jumbled mind. Fitting weather for the circumstances, he thought darkly.

As they continued heading further east to avoid the storm, Zuko tried to focus and keep his eyes peeled for Fire Nation ships. A fishing ship out in these waters, especially on the brink of a storm, would raise questions if they came across another ship–and Zuko wasn't looking for a repeat of earlier today. As the wind began to pick up, Katara shivered and headed below deck again. The firebender prince refused to look at her, but kept his peripheral vision locked on her figure. As she went below deck, Zuko wondered, What would she say if she knew? Would she applaud him? Thank him? He had spent the last two years being scorned by everyone for what he did...perhaps she would be different. The thought that there might be someone out there who would be genuinely appreciative of what he had done was...comforting.

Zuko's train of thought was abruptly halted when his eyes came upon a ship in the distance, traveling in the same direction they were to avoid the storm. Zuko cursed himself for letting his mind wander again. Hadn't they already been through enough because of his previous stupidity? He watched the ship intently and wondered whether he should alter course to put some more distance between them. Zuko stopped, and his eyes widened as he recognized the vessel. His!

Zuko cheered inwardly with relief. Finally, they had found his uncle! Zuko let out a long breath and called to Katara below deck, "Hey! Get up here! I've found my ship!" Katara peeked up at him questioningly as she climbed the stairs. When she was on deck, she looked in the direction Zuko pointed and spotted his ship. However, Katara showed no sign of relief–instead, she looked apprehensive. It didn't take Prince Zuko long to guess why. She was worried she would be used as bait. There was a long silence.

"Good. I think I'll stay behind on this ship, and make my own way," she said, averting her eyes.

"No. You're not familiar with Fire Nation boats, plus there's a storm coming–"

"I'll use my waterbending–"

Zuko snorted. "You can't fend off a storm at the top of your abilities, much less in your tired state. It's best to come aboard my ship."

"I'm not going to be used as bait." There. She had finally breached the issue they both had been silent about since forming their truce.

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "Let's discuss that when we get there. In the mean time, it's in both our best interests to get aboard my ship." And with that, he returned his gaze straight ahead and steered the boat towards his ship.

Katara took a few steps back, and watched Zuko's ship with worried eyes. She felt like she was walking into the hands of the enemy, but without any better options, she had no choice. Hopefully, something would turn up that would get her out of this mess...

Zhao scowled at the sky as fat raindrops began to pelt down on him. He wished he had altered their course sooner, but he hadn't wanted to waste any time making detours earlier. Not while he had the Avatar. This decision was now coming back to bite him in the ass, since they would have to deal with the storm creeping over them. Zhao was worried. Not about any damage that Zuko's ship might sustain–he was confident this ship would be able to sail through unscathed–but about whether the Avatar might try to use the storm to make an escape attempt. A gust of wind ripped across the deck, and Zhao shot a suspicious look at the Avatar, who was sitting slumped against his bison. Zhao was about to order the Avatar and his friend to be taken below deck to the brig and put under intensive watch, when one of his men called out to him.

Zhao strode up impatiently and snapped, "What?"

The soldier gestured to Prince Zuko's telescope and said, "Sir, you should see this..."

Zhao put his eye up to the telescope and looked out. Inside the telescope's lens was the image of a fishing boat approaching them quickly. "What import–," he barked, then stopped when his eyes rested on a familiar face at the boat's wheel. Prince Zuko! For a moment, Zhao gaped in utter shock at the sight. Then, slowly, he filled with glee. For the first time in his life, he was truly happy to see Zuko. Now he was free of any retribution for Zuko's death, and he could turn the prince in along with the Avatar! It was as if a gift from the gods!

Zhao straightened himself, absolutely grinning. "Take the Avatar and the other boy below deck. Then signal Prince Zuko. When comes aboard, have only the masked firebenders greet him. Keep everyone else out of sight. Once he's on board, arrest him. Oh," he added after a moment, and gestured to Appa, "be sure to cover that thing up. Understand?" The soldier saluted and relayed Zhao's commands.

Aang and Sokka were yanked to their feet and led below deck by their group of guards, Momo following behind unnoticed, eyes trained on the keys jingling lucratively from one of the soldier's belt.

Zuko heard the sound of his ship's horn hailing them, relieved that he had been spotted. He squinted at his vessel, surprised to find his uncle not waving frantically at him from the deck. Zuko worried if his uncle was hurt or ill. He hoped not.

As they finally came astride of his ship, a ladder was thrown down. Zuko grabbed the ladder, and called to Katara, who had once more retreated below deck, "Come on, let's go." She looked up at him from the bottom of the stairs, but made no move. "I'm not asking you again," he growled, "Let's go." Katara reluctantly climbed the stairs and followed Zuko up the ladder leading up to Zuko's ship's deck..

When Zuko reached the top of the ladder, he was pulled over the ship's rim by two masked firebenders. He found that vaguely odd, since his men usually never wore their masks unless training or going out on a mission. When they pulled Katara over the rim as well, Zuko became alarmed as he finally noticed the insignia on the firebenders' armor.

"Prince Zuko...I'm pleased to find you alive and well..."

Zuko and Katara spun around to find themselves trapped on Zuko's ship...with Zhao!

DUN DUN DUUUN! Oh nooo, what will happen?

Heh! I bet you guys thought I forgot about Momo, eh? I could never forget that forget that furry little head-hugger! (hugs Momo)