Disclaimer: Let's not beat a dead horse, okay?

Note: I wasn't actually expecting to update again until a few days, but... YOU PEOPLE DO SOMETHING TO ME. And yes, I wanted to be a little different and have Zuko be in the tough spot this go-around! I love him to death...he's such a multi-faceted character.

I also hate how Aang and Sokka are left out of a lot of fics. I love Sokka. But that's enough of my babble... Enjoy! And please review! Reviews are my inspiration. You guys give me ideas!

Why the Caged Bird Sings

02

Sneaky Rats and Captured Cats

"Why are we landing so soon?" Katara asked the young Airbender from her seat in Appa's large 'saddle.' She glanced over at her brother Sokka, who was still feigning being angry with them for teasing him earlier. He was leaned back with his arms crossed, and when he felt his sister's eyes on him he peeled open an eye and grunted, wriggling away from her.

"Appa's acting bothered," Aang responded, leaning forward and giving the bison an affectionate pat on top of his large cranium. "He's probably tired."

"I'd be tired, too, if a certain someone yanked on me," Katara muttered, not letting the moment pass. She hid a grin as she heard Sokka cough loudly.

"Besides, there might be a storm soon," the Avatar added. He swiveled his head a bit and grinned at the young Waterbender, wincing good-naturedly. "And I wouldn't want both of you getting sick again..."

Katara's face pulled back into a look of vague disgust, and Sokka shot up at the mention.

"You know Aang, that was just WRONG!" he accused, folding his arms more tightly.

"What was?" Aang asked, playing innocent.

"The frogs! That was wrong!" the older boy continued dramatically. He had made a mental note to never forget that incident, for as long as he lived.

"Don't remind me..." Katara grumbled, touching her nose with a finger.

Sokka, however, saw his chance and scooted closer to his sister, waggling his fingers at her with a big smirk plastered on his face. "Don't remind you? You mean the feeling of little wriggling froggies in your mou-"

"Sokka!" the girl whined, attempting the push her brother away. "At least I wasn't completely delirious!"

Sokka couldn't think of a good comeback at the moment, so instead he scooted away and 'hmph'ed again, turning his nose up in the air.

Aang giggled to himself. As horrible as it sounded he liked hearing the siblings fight. It was pretty funny. It made him feel more at home, like he was hearing students squabbling at the Air Temple again... Like a family.

The Avatar closed his eyes briefly, reflecting on the time he had taken Katara and Sokka to the Southern Air Temple. Pain constricted in the young boy's chest as he couldn't help but remember Gyatso--that image was forever burned into his mind, of his beloved teacher surrounded by the remains of Firebenders in that cave of ice, forever preserved. A moment of history that he was once and could have been a part of...

It was hard to forget, but stronger than the image of that frozen skull was the image of a warm face--the face of the monk and teacher that Aang remembered, back when he was alive. And the Airbender knew that his mentor would not appreciate him shedding happy moments to mourn for the long dead.

But Aang remembered when his Avatar Spirit took him, and when he heard a thousand voices inside of him all speaking at once...

But one voice had cut through the torrent; one out of all of them had been tangible. And that had been Katara. He remembered her words, and her honesty in saying them. We're your family now, Aang...

The young boy turned slightly to gaze at his friends--first at Sokka, who was still playing hurt, and then finally at Katara. He couldn't help but let a smile trail over his features. Family.

Katara looked up, blinking as she felt eyes on her. "What're you looking at, Aang?" she asked curiously.

The Avatar blinked sheepishly, quickly turning around. "Nothing!" he responded cheerily, and Momo perched on his right shoulder, rubbing against the boy's cheek while purring fondly.

Zuko let a string of curses trail through his mind. When were they ever going to stop? This situation was testing his patience in all the wrong ways.

His back was now stiff, pain rippling up his spine whenever he tried to shift his body in attempts to get into a more comfortable position. His arms had long since gone numb, and the Firebender was forced to send small tremors of heat up and down his limbs to keep them awake. It was only a little, though, as he did not want to startle the beast.

How long had it been? With his inherent impatience, it could have just been a few minutes. Zuko closed his eyes, growling deeply within his throat in utter frustration. The Avatar was really going to get it. Once he landed he would have no mercy. This was starting to get embarrassing.

To pass the horridly slow pass of time (or so Zuko felt) the young prince found himself listening to the Avatar's conversations whenever the wind permitted him. He was hoping something invaluable would be leaked--something about their plans, weaknesses, anything.

But no. All Zuko had heard so far was nonsense, not valuable in the least.

However, when the mention of frogs came around, the teenager closed his eyes vaguely. So that's what the Avatar had been babbling about, back when he had helped him escape from Zhao. Zuko didn't question the concept of frogs being a factor in healing, but...

God, he was going to kill someone when he got off this thing!

"We'll land down there," Aang said, pointing below. As he had seen before, there was a small scattering of a dozen or so islands below and around them, of many shapes and sizes. Beyond that he could see what looked like the continent. Having taken everything into account, the Airbender had decided to land on the island closest to the landmass for now. They had long since lost the Fire Nation ship.

"How are our supplies?" Sokka asked Katara, having finally forgotten how he was supposed to be angry. His stomach rumbled in an unforgiving manner and the boy pet it lovingly.

Katara leafed through the small bag, biting at her lip. "We still have some money left over from what that fisherman gave us," she said breezily.

"Who cares about money!" Sokka quickly wailed. "What about food?"

Katara fought the urge to roll her eyes and instead blinked and pilfered through the bag more. "We have a little..."

"Great!" Sokka replied, reaching over. "I'll get some then-"

Katara smacked her brother's hand away, huffing hotly. "You'll wait till we land! We're all hungry, aren't we, Aang?"

"A little," the young boy admitted, rubbing at his own belly.

Sokka glared evenly at his sister, who returned it just as evenly. "Fine," he finally grunted, folding his arms again.

Zuko's heart leapt. Unless he was getting delirious, he had just heard the word land.

Tightening his grip, he drew his eyes down to the world below. Sure enough, it seemed the bison was dropping altitude. Details below became clearer and the young Firebender felt the beast's muscles become taught as it prepared to land.

It was then a vague thought entered Zuko's mind. How was he going to weather the landing?

No matter. It would be simple enough. He breathed another prayer to his stiff muscles and managed to shift his body more until he was more balanced on top of the beast than its side. He froze again, glancing upward venomously to see if anyone suspected anything.

No, seemed not. He smirked again. Too easy.

At least it was until the bison finally suspected something.

"Appa!" Aang yelped as the bison suddenly went steep, picking up speed as it continued to aim downwards. The bison only rumbled in reply to the Airbender, twisting its body into a landing position as the island's beach spiraled closer.

"ARGH!" Sokka grunted, grasping the bag of food and pressing it to him preciously. "What's wrong with this thing today?" He briefly reflected on the fact that Appa's behavior was not his fault this time.

"Are we landing?" Katara asked, clearly confused at what was going on. This was a little more turbulent than usual.

"Y-yeah!" Aang replied, covering up for his lapse of control. "Yeah!" He tugged on Appa's reigns, and with a final drop in altitude the bison landed with a loud, yet relatively gentle, thud.

It would have been an otherwise normal landing, except for then Appa did something uncharacteristic--it flicked its tail to the side with an annoyed rumble.

Sokka, no longer wanting to be on such an erratic 'portable carpet,' nimbly scrambled off first with supply bag in hand. He saw something streak across his vision as Appa flung its tail, and then heard a vague (but smaller) thud.

The young warrior swiveled his head in confusion before his jaw dropped down slightly, his eyes bugging somewhat.

Unless he was seeing things, Sokka's eyes told him that a certain Fire Nation prince was leaning against a tree, groaning to himself.

It was then Sokka's mind flew into an almost erratic overdrive. Katara slipped off Appa, Aang following, and had just barely turned to face her brother before he scrambled off, his hand whipping behind him. "Sokka-" she began in confusion, not used to her brother running off so strangely after a landing.

But the warrior knew he had to act fast. Zuko was slowly sitting up, obviously disoriented and at least in a deal of minor pain. Just as the Firebender's eyes snapped open, filled with fury and fire, Sokka pulled out his marble-white club and swung it down at an arch.

It felt a little unfair for a moment, as Zuko barely had time to respond before the club rammed into his cranium with a dull crack. The prince's eyes went wide for a second in mild confusion and pure hatred before they glazed over and he slumped.

Meanwhile, Katara and Aang stared at what had just occurred, having finally taken notice and analyzed the series of events that had just taken place before them.

Sokka growled, holding his club out to his side, his eyes having taken on a dangerous and darker shade of blue. "Zuko!" he hissed.

Aang raced forward, clothes and arms awry, nearly stumbling before reaching Sokka. "How the..."

"It's him!" Katara breathed in disbelief, stumbling up beside her brother. She looked down at the young prince, having trouble accepting what had just happened.

"How..." Aang mumbled again before kneeling beside the unconscious Firebender. "...You didn't hit him hard, did you Sokka?" he finally asked, meekly.

Sokka's mouth fairly dropped open again. "Of course I did!" he responded. "He's Zuko!" Yet at the back of his mind, a voice told the young warrior it was a lie. He could've hit harder, but he didn't. You couldn't kill in cold blood, his conscience murmured softly.

Sokka brushed that thought away, blaming it on initial shock, yet still felt a bit uncomfortable.

Katara's knees felt weak and she flopped to the ground beside Aang, staring at the Firebender. How did he... she thought disjointedly. His eyes were closed and he was slumped against the small tree, his head lolled slightly to the side, lips barely parted... but something about him still looked dangerous. She swallowed, finding herself leaning back a bit.

Yet at the same time... he looks so helpless...

"He'll wake up soon," Aang finally said, breaking the brief moment of stunned silence. "What're we gonna do...?"

"I'll tell you what we're going to do," Sokka replied gruffly, his eyes narrowed as he tightened his grip on the club. His heart pounded slightly in uncertainty, causing him to swallow uncharacteristically. "We either leave him here, or...take care of him now."

Aang's eyes widened and Katara suddenly shot up, an almost frantic look on her face.

"We can't do that, Sokka!" she gasped, staring wildly at her brother. Was he being serious?

Sokka in turn glared stoically at his sister, a bit of a pained look on his face. "Have you forgotten what he IS?" he asked softly before roughly pointing the head of his club at Zuko for emphasis. "Look at him, Katara! Look at his armor, his face--He's Zuko. A Firebender!"

"We can't do that," Katara mumbled, suddenly feeling choked up. Her heart was beginning to pound as well. "Not like this."

Sokka's face suddenly softened. The young Waterbender felt her spirit breathe a sigh of relief. Good. He understood.

She wasn't so sure why she was suddenly so keen on letting Zuko live...

No, her thoughts suddenly interrupted. You do. It's wrong, it's not honest... not like this. He's not even awake.

And Sokka would have to do it... you couldn't let your brother spill blood like that, Katara. What would happen to him then?

The young girl hugged herself.

Aang was also relieved. "He helped me once..." he ventured.

"You paid him back though," Sokka pointed out roughly. "And he was just looking after his own interests!"

"What if there are more around? More Firebenders? I can't believe he'd be by himself..." Katara added, still a little shaken, as was evident in her voice.

"I don't think he was here to greet us," mumbled Sokka after a minute. Aang and Katara gazed at him curiously. "I think he hitched a ride."

"Hitched a ride... on Appa?" Aang asked in astonishment, placing his hand on the back of his head.

"He was there all along!" Katara asked, just as surprised. She suddenly felt...dirty. How could we not have noticed?

"We need to figure out what we're going to do," Sokka responded level-headedly.

"We can't just leave him here," replied Aang.

"Why not?" Sokka asked, not seeing the problem.

"We don't know where we are! Someone might come up on him..."

"Like Firebenders. He'll be alright!"

"What if it's not? Sokka, the Fire Nation isn't that popular!" The young boy pointed at Zuko, feeling suddenly protective. "He screams 'Fire Nation.' What if..."

"Not our problem," Sokka responded breezily. Aang glanced down at the grass and sand beneath his feet, feeling suddenly helpless.

"Let's tie him up," Katara said after a moment. She couldn't believe what she was saying. "He'll wake up soon." She studied his face, halfway expecting him to suddenly come alive and kill them all in a searing blast of flame...

"With what?" Sokka grunted.

"I got some rope at our last stop," Aang revealed, looking a little embarrassed. The siblings trained their eyes on him. "It's in here." He picked up the bag Sokka had dropped and leafed through it, pulling out a few coils of rope. Katara remembered seeing it when she was pilfering, but hadn't thought much of it at the time. "I thought, you know, if we ran into some bad weather, and we were stuck somewhere, we could use it to build some shelter."

"Good thinking, Aang!" Katara beamed, giving the young Airbender a brief hug. The young boy smiled nervously, rubbing at his nose.

"Uh, hello? Firebender? He'll burn them off!" Sokka responded with a huff, hands on hips. Katara and Aang darkened in disappointment.

"It's worth a try," Aang mumbled, and he scooted towards the unconscious prince.

Sokka sighed in defeat, squatting down. "Feh... Okay. Let's take his armor off, first," he mumbled in mild disgust.

Katara's eyes flew open. "Why?" she demanded, taking a step back, feeling suddenly embarrassed.

"It's less likely he'll try to run if we have most of his clothing," Sokka replied, like anyone would know something so simple.

"Okay, well..." the young girl glanced around before hurriedly walking back towards the bison. "I'll unpack and everything."

Aang watched Katara leave, before turning back to face Sokka curiously. "What's her problem?"

"Who knows?" Sokka asked with a shrug. "Now help me get this off."

As his consciousness returned, Zuko felt the first ebbs of pain stir in his body. His back felt stiffer than ever, and his shoulders were painfully taut. Shots of hot discomfort traced along his ribs and down the back of his legs. His arms felt uncharacteristically numb, and something felt like it was biting into his wrists and ankles. In addition to that, the air felt unnecessarily close and cool.

The worst part was his head. He tried to stir and move his neck, but as soon as he felt the blast of cold, unmerciful pain shoot throughout his skull he stopped, the pain ebbing and fading behind his eyes. The side of his head throbbed like hell, pumping waves of hot and cold agony through his mind.

Zuko let himself ease in tension. It simply wasn't worth moving at the moment. He didn't open his eyes but he thought he heard the sound of vague noises, though they were indeed faint.

Where am I? he thought in confusion but he relaxed, letting unconsciousness slip up upon him again

They had led Appa into the forest above the beach, and there they were camping. Aang was gone, off to fetch some better material to aid in their, eh...

Kidnap? Katara's mind wondered. That didn't sound right...

Sokka had suggested some kind of metal wiring or cord of some sort. It might be hard to find, but Aang had said he would scour the nearest town for some. Since they were by the ocean, and the continent was right beside them, it might actually be plausible that type of wire could be found. Fishermen used it sometimes, after all.

So the Airbender had set off with double the speed and all their money (Sokka had been sure to tell him to pick up more food, as well.) Katara could tell he didn't like leaving them alone with Zuko, and Katara equally didn't like sending Aang off by himself. Especially after his last little incident...

She sighed, kicking at a loose root. Sokka was trying to get a fire going (with Momo's 'help',) as it looked like the night might be cold. She had reminded him to make it small, though. They still weren't sure where the ship was and if it was still tailing them.

Zuko's ship, she added mentally. She glanced from her brother to the said Firebender, who was still leaning against the tree a few yards away. Aang and Sokka had done their best with the rope, using every last bit of it--whether that was overkill or not, Katara wasn't sure. They had bound Zuko's hands together in such a way his palms were touching, and had pulled it extra tight--this might discourage him from blasting fire at them, at any rate. She still didn't feel entirely safe from those fire-spewing hands, however...

They had also tied his ankles together, the soles of his boots touching. And for extra measure they had bound him to the tree he was leaned against.

Sokka had double and triple-checked all the knots, fixing and upgrading them as he saw fit. The young Waterbender couldn't help but smile. Thanks to Sokka, they were safe. If he hadn't acted as fast as he did, well...

She shook her head, not wanting to think about it. However she found herself hesitantly walking toward the bound teen, stooping to look into his face.

She hadn't been this close to him since the time he had taken her captive in the whole Waterbending scroll deal. And even then she hadn't gotten the best look at him.

She leaned forward a bit more, a frown on her face. His head was tilted to where it was difficult to see his scar. It was strange to see him like that, and the girl let her mind wander. What did he look like without it? How long had he had it?

She hadn't seen any other Firebenders with such burns. Katara chewed on a nail, letting her eyes wander over him. His upper body armor had all been removed, so he was left bare-chested. She wondered why they had removed his shirt, but decided not to worry about it.

Feeling suddenly self conscious she pulled her eyes away from Zuko's sculpted chest and instead glanced over his arms. She found it hard to believe he had kept a grip on Appa all that time they were flying. He must have been very tired.

Be realistic, her mind suddenly snapped. This is Zuko. Of course he's strong, he's a prince. And he's your enemy.

Katara's frown deepened and she pulled away, though still trailing her gaze over the Firebender in thought.

How do they use fire so? Being a Waterbender meant she was curious about such things. Besides, Aang had to learn Firebending eventually, right? Her mind drifted off and she smiled to herself. At least since they were on an island, she had plenty of material to practice with in her own bending.

Suddenly Zuko stirred. It was so subtle that she barely noticed it at first, and dismissed it as a trick of the light. That was until she saw his hand twitch and twist a little in its bindings.

Katara blinked in surprise, glancing to his face, not expecting him to be showing any signs of recovering this quickly. At least he won't wake up until a few more hours...

That thought was cut off, however, when two fiery eyes snapped open and bore into her own. Her breath caught and her eyes widened, feeling almost consumed by those heated golden orbs at such a close proximity.

He was awake.

Huzzah! Finally I'm at where I want to be. Now let the Zuko x Katara-ness begin...

starlight child - Aw, thank you. Yeah, I wanted to be weird. I think Sokka's absolutely adorable!

xDreamWishHopex - Thank you!

PranksterPrefect - I like your name. I only hope I can finish it!

AnimeShark - Aw, thank you, too. Now I don't feel as strange with my weird little plot! I thought it might not be accepted well.

PyroJess - Thank you! That's what I thought, but I wasn't sure. I didn't know about the spear, though.