Disclaimer: I'm no longer sick! ...Wait, yes I am. But it's not as bad. Hallelujah!

Edited just slightly.

Wow. You guys brought up ideas that not even I'd thought of. Well, let's just say we'll find out who the eavesdropper is soon enough... though not in this chapter.

...I'll quit trying to be mysterious now. But really, you guys are the greatest.

Why the Caged Bird Sings

05

Pesky Leechers and Testy Shopkeepers

Katara frowned to herself as she felt her head tilt and loll heavily to her right shoulder. She grunted silently and picked it up again, settling it back once more. After that was done she grudgingly pulled a knee up, hearing leaves crunch under the weight of her foot drag.

Then her eyes snapped open and she winced at the sunlight that attacked her eyes. Inhaling deeply, she shielded her face and stifled a yawn while doing so.

She must have fallen asleep. The Waterbender leaned forward and brushed dirt and crumbled leaves from her pants. Wiggling her frigid toes in her shoes, she then reached behind her and picked bark off the back of her robe.

The sound of movement caused her to swivel her head. Zuko was shifting his weight again in discomfort, a frown plastered onto his features. For once, just once, Katara wished he would be happy. He was really starting to run out of angry expressions.

Then the reality of what had happened dawned on her. She pitched forward and scrambled up, still batting at her back. Stupid bark...

Zuko reluctantly peeled open an eye to stare at the girl. "You're very bothersome." He had been enjoying a rather undisturbed nap for once. Without the sound of that Water Tribe boy's grating voice, Zuko found himself quite at ease... given the situation in any case.

Katara brushed off her arms, narrowing her gaze. She had dozed off after tending to Zuko's wounds. Thus, she had woken up with her back against the tree, barely a hand's width apart from the prince himself. She cursed her foolishness. Anything could have happened. Sure, Zuko was chained to a tree in all manner of the phrase, but still... it wasn't wise to leave an eye off their campsite or him.

Glancing over, she noted that even Momo and Appa were asleep (the bison obviously tuckered out from yesterday.) She groaned at their lack of vigor as Momo rolled over and scratched at an ear in its mammalian dreams.

"Whatever," she mumbled back, stifling another yawn. She trudged over to their fire, not really knowing what she was going to do. It's not like they had much left to eat, and she wasn't going to feed Zuko again. Not for a long, long time. HSe still got vague, strange shivers when she thought of that. It left her feeling uncomfortable.

And she couldn't Waterbend. That probably stung the most. Here she was, bored, with no water for her to practice with. The ocean was a short walk away, sure, but she couldn't leave Zuko unattended.

She shot him another indescribable look, placing all her current discomfort on his shoulders. He raised his eyebrow, doing the same exact thing back to her, so she deemed.

That's not entirely true... Katara brightened considerably, her somewhat sour mood lifting. Hopping over some twigs she picked up her water canteen and popped its top off. She returned to the little hallow she had made in the ground with her body, located by the tree, and sat.

Zuko decided he wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep, so he set his jaw and surveyed the area around him. It wasn't that late in the day quiet yet, though time had indeed passed since he had closed his eyes. There was still no sign of the Avatar or the Water Tribe boy. Everything appeared to be untouched and undisturbed--even the giant beast was lolled heavily on its side, snoring soundly.

Katara placed her hand over the top of the canteen before slowly drawing it upwards. A thin stream of water snaked after her movements and she couldn't help but allow a content grin to spread over her face. Something about Waterbending made her feel better about her situation, no matter where she was. It was an invigorating splash of coolness on a dehydrated spirit. She was hungry for it.

She drew the stream farther out of the canteen before setting it between her legs. Using both hands she rotated her wrists just slightly before coiling her fingers, forming a small, shimmering globule. It floated easily, suspended out in front of her, awaiting some other movement from her hands to guide it.

"What are you doing?" Zuko quipped, still slightly groggy. Unlike Katara, he couldn't bend to make himself feel better.

For once Katara swore not to grow angry in response to Zuko's no-nonsense outbursts. Instead she only flashed him a small smile.

"Bending," she replied breezily, as if it were painfully obvious. ...Which it was.

"I could see that," Zuko muttered. The girl shrugged his comment off, instead focusing on drawing the globule outwards and spreading it thin, then pushing it back together.

The Firebender watched the girl play with her liquid toy, noting she wasn't as prone to fight back while bending. He could identify with that in ways--Firebending to him was also a form of stress reliever. It was something he did when he was bothered, but it always left him with a rush of fresh adrenaline afterwards. He had taken to meditating under his uncle's wise advice, in order to counter-act the rush that bending left him.

Zuko's gaze trailed to the water itself. His tongue felt unusually parched, and he admitted he was rather thirsty...

At the same moment Katara drew the water back into its canteen, meanwhile noting his strange look. "...You want some?"

Zuko drew back, his lip curling lightly. "What makes you think I'd want it after you played with it?"

Katara raised an eyebrow, slightly offended by the Firebender's comment. "I didn't do anything to it!"

Zuko only grunted. "After waving it around in the air like a buffoon..."

Katara scowled, standing and tucking the canteen under her arm. "Hmph! Be that way. You won't get any." She stomped away from the tree and back to her bed, plopping down on it huffily.

She knew she was acting like a big baby, and she felt rather ashamed, but at the same time she felt her actions were justified. He just brings out the worst in me! We should've just left him...

Zuko tried to stifle his amusement, managing to hide it under a stoic stare. She was so pathetic, getting upset over things like that.

Not that I have room to talk, per say...

Zuko ran his tongue over a tooth, determining things were just different with him and he was justified for his notorious temperament.

Momo had woken up after Katara stormed by its nap area. The lemur blinked its large eyes before chirping and hopping onto the Waterbender's knee. The girl subconsciously placed her hand on the creature's head and stroked its fur, her gaze traveling out to the trees and brush around them. Her thoughts flew to Sokka and Aang.

"I wonder where they are..." she mumbled to herself. But there was no need for her to grow concerned yet--it hadn't been that long since they had left. Instead she wondered what kind of work they were doing, and if Sokka was making a big drama of everything yet.

Suddenly Momo grew frigid. Katara blinked in surprise, pulling her hand back as the lemur's fur stood on end and it hissed, digging its claws into her leg.

"Momo!" Katara breathed in surprise, reaching out once more to calm the lemur. "What..." Her eyes flickered to Zuko.

He, too, had gone frigid, his entire body stiffened considerably. He was scowling, but this time it was different--it was almost frightening, and definitely menacing. Anger and concern pulsated out of his golden eyes, almost singeing the air in their intense glare. He was glaring toward the woods behind her.

Katara opened her mouth to speak, her mind in confusion, but she whipped around, struggling to her feet as she heard a crash behind her.

"Do you even know where we're going?" Sokka grunted, far from happy. He had determined he was going to be as grouchy, cynical and pessimistic as possible until he saw some evidence of this "free food" that had been mentioned earlier.

Aang walked beside the older boy, his staff and glider tapping against his back as he did. The town wasn't huge, but it was quaint enough, and fairly busy. The sound of voices rose all around them, and people laughed and traveled down the streets, some stopping to speak with roadside merchants. Smoke wafted from a nearby bakery and Sokka sighed as the scent stroked his nostrils.

"Of course I remember!" Aang replied, his gray eyes continually flickering from one shop to the next as they passed. Dust kicked up from under his feet as they continued. So far it seemed no one had taken notice of them, though one little girl had paused to point and giggle at Aang, which made him blush.

Sokka folded his arms, poking out his bottom lip. "Well are we CLOSE?" Everything was beginning to look the same to him. He was also beginning to feel strangely naked with just Aang there. Usually Katara was right beside him, guiding and dragging him to different shops. Aang just pointed and exclaimed whenever he saw something he liked. Heck, Sokka was even starting to miss Momo--and that realization made Sokka realize just how pathetic he was becoming. "The day I miss a lemur..."

"Yeah, we should--" Aang suddenly stopped, grabbing Sokka's sleeve. "There!" he exclaimed, pointing to their right.

Sokka paused and swiveled his head, scrutinizing the store beside them. Rubbing at his chin as he spoke, Sokka replied, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah!" Aang responded as he approached the small store. It was plain enough, decorated modestly with a small potted plant sitting in one of its front windows. The words on the sign overhead were nearly faded and difficult to make out, but the likeness of food on them was unmistakable.

Aang opened the door and as soon as the scent of goodies wafted past him, Sokka was right there beside him. The young Airbender glanced around, taking in the protected shelves of deserts and breads, and the barrels and trays of fruits and vegetables on the opposite side.

Beyond that sat a counter, and beyond the counter sat a withered old lady. Her hair was thin and gray but she still managed to pull it back into two buns, one just above each ear. She wore a modest gray robe with a white sash, and as the newcomers entered she looked up at them through squinted green eyes.

"You," she began, her voice creaky. "You're the boy who broke my vase?"

Aang lowered his gaze, folding his hands in front of him. "Yeah..."

The old woman slammed a stick of celery down on the counter top. The sound made Aang squeak and throw up his hands to shield his face. "Respect your elders!" she continued, waddling from behind the counter.

Sokka seemed to be undisturbed by such violence. He slithered forward, waggling an eyebrow at the woman. "Now, I hear that if we help we get a little something for free..."

The woman pointed her vegetable at Sokka, interrupting him. "You! You helping him?"

The older boy nodded, his mouth watering.

The old woman nodded thoughtfully before turning around, waddling back to her seat. "Good. Now both of you go over there-" She pointed to a dusty corner, lined with labeled barrels. "-and clean up all those stored vegetables. I want them perfect! Perfect! Not a grain of dust or an uneven sheen. Get to work!"

Aang grudgingly made his way over, rubbing at the back of his head in embarrassment. Sokka, however, wasn't prepared to bow down just yet. "Now, about that free food..." he began, ready to talk business.

The old woman's eyes flashed and she pointed at Sokka with a withered finger, then at the corner. "I don't know who gave you the crazy idea about FREE stuff, but you just get it out of your mind! People PAY here!"

Sokka was crestfallen. "But if we pay with our TIME..." he whined.

"GO!" the old woman demanded. Sokka grumbled and glided past her, but not before she slapped him on the rump with her celery stick. The boy yelped, grabbing at his behind and scuttled over to Aang, leaving his pride behind.

The old woman cackled to herself, setting her versatile weapon down as Aang and Sokka reluctantly went to work.

"Ouch!"

Katara stared, dumbfounded, as a small boy rolled into view. He wore ragged clothing, and his hair was a brown mess. He went to rub at his head as he scrambled up, muttering to himself. "Dumb roots..."

He then looked up, taking in the Waterbender, lemur and Firebender that were staring at him.

"What?" the boy asked through a mouth with three missing teeth.

"Who are you?" Katara asked, her heart beginning to slow. Momo had backed up but was still growling; its fur still firmly bristled. She couldn't see Zuko but she could certainly feel his aggravation emanating behind her.

The boy brushed off his knees and held out a grimy hand. "Shu."

The girl reluctantly took his hand in greeting. "Shu?"

The boy's eyes flickered around. "Don't say it too loud."

Katara blinked in confusion as the boy let go and made his way over to their belongings. She studied him carefully--he couldn't be over 10 years old.

"What are you doing?" she asked patiently. She had no idea where he had come from, or why he was there, or how long he'd been around. She didn't recognize him in the least, not even his clothing.

"Lookin'," the boy replied. He suddenly stopped and swiveled his head to stare at Zuko, who was practically vibrating with suppressed rage and embarrassment.

Shu loped over to the tree before squatting down, lifting and lowering his eyebrows in succession. "Are you a Firebender?"

"Yes," Zuko spat out. He did not appreciate being gawked at by some filthy runt, especially when he had a giant bruise on his head and he was bound to a tree. This was embarrassing, shameful and degrading in all possible ways. The Firebender didn't know how many more stabs to his pride he could take before he lost it. "And not just any Firebender, little boy!"

Shu, surprisingly, didn't seem bothered by Zuko's response. He only nodded sagely. Katara appeared behind him, arms folded as she glared at Zuko.

"You shouldn't yell at a kid," she scolded. Zuko's eyebrow shot up. She's going to get it...

However, any angry retort was cut off by Shu. "Why are you tied to a tree?"

Zuko ground his teeth together so hard that it hurt. Pain exploded in his head from his injury but he took not notice.

Katara reached out and gently pulled Shu away from the enraged prince, for his own safety and hers. "Look, Shu, where did you come from? What do you want?"

The boy scratched his nose. Suddenly he beamed and spread his arms out.

"I want everything!"

Katara and Zuko blinked in unison. There was a brief silence.

"So, are you going to give me your stuff?" Shu finished cheerily.

"I'm not sure what you mean..." Katara replied, trying to figure out what the boy was rambling about. He didn't seem to be quite 'all there.'

"It's very simple," Shu continued. "You just walk away and I get all your stuff." He paused for a minute. "I get the lemur, too."

Zuko was starting to get a very uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something wasn't right here. The air around him suddenly felt more weightless than usual and his senses began to tingle in apprehension. "Look, child, go drag your carcass elsewhere!" the Firebender demanded, straining at his binds.

Shu shook his head. "I guess you just don't see things my way. Oh well!" The boy lifted his fingers to his lips and whistled loudly.

Suddenly Katara's mind clicked on what was happening. She gasped in horror and stumbled back as three different men suddenly melded into view from the surrounding brush. Each one looked to be in their late teens, and all were messy in clothing and appearance. One with hazel colored eyes smirked, a dagger held firmly between his teeth. The others only grinned.

"You shouldn't say no to Little Brother," a man with green eyes stated casually.

"They hurt my feelings," Shu whined. Katara felt a chill run down her spine and she dug her feet into the earth. The water canteen was still tucked under her arm.

Zuko was shaking with pent up energy. This was just fabulous. Not only was he chained to a tree, but now he was going to be robbed by a bunch of scraggly, uncultured men. Though true he didn't exactly own anything, besides the armor that was stacked just out of his reach, it was still an issue for him. They dared to trample on his already bad mood?

The Waterbender glanced to Zuko. Judging by the disgusted, aside from enraged, look on his face, she gathered he didn't know these people. That made her breathe a little easier, seeing as being captured by Firebenders wasn't too high on her priority list.

Not that getting robbed by thieves was, either.

Katara set her jaw as the men came closer, treading lightly over the ground.

"So, what do we do with the girl and her pet?" Dagger Mouth sneered through the steel.

"You mean the lemur?" the third guy asked, one who seemed to be missing half an ear. "We take it, I guess..."

"No," Dagger Mouth scolded. "I was talking about the Firebender, you idiot!"

Even Momo cringed from Zuko's enraged growl following that statement.

"We don't have anything," Katara said calmly, still hoping to talk her way out of this situation. "We don't have any supplies, and-"

"Quiet!" Dagger Mouth snapped. He was obviously the leader. Shu ran to stand by Green Eyes while Ripped Ear's smirk widened.

"I see we have a Firebender here," Dagger Mouth continued, rubbing his tongue along the blade of his weapon.

"And an important one, too, judging by how he struggles," Green Eyes snickered. Ripped Ear giggled evilly.

"Should fetch a nice price..." Dagger Mouth continued. "We'll take everything." He shot a look at Katara. "Don't even think about running. Things will just get worse for you!"

Katara swallowed. "Oh, I wasn't..." She suddenly popped the top off of her canteen. Fear fled through her veins and she found it difficult to breathe, but she wasn't about to give up everything to a bunch of common villains!

We've come too far!

She whipped her hand out and the stream of water followed. She planted her foot behind her and shot her limbs outward, the water taking life on its own and lashing out with a crack.

"Waterbender!" Ripped Ears shouted, stumbling back as the whip barely missed him. Immediately the other men went to arms, hands at their weapons and tensions ready.

"That's even better," Dagger Mouth purred, thinking of the profits. "There ain't no other water here. Get her!"

Green Eyes charged forward. Katara stumbled back, almost tripping over Momo.

She was torn. If she ran, she stood a chance of escaping, but if she did, she would leave everything behind. Their supplies, their material, Zuko. And where could she run? She didn't know this place.

Shu scampered over to the tree, drawing a dagger. Zuko snarled, feeling the fire building up in his chest.

"Don't even!" Shu shot, jabbing the knife into the prince's binds that were wound around the tree, a display of strength and ownership. He grinned wildly, caught up in the drama of it all. This was his first time taking part in a raid. "We're gonna take care of you soon enough!"

However, Shu's little display was a mistake. Zuko felt the slight lessening of the tension in the coil that kept him pinned against the bark. He suddenly smirked coyly.

"You don't know much about Firebenders, do you, boy?" the prince asked, his voice low and wry.

Shu blinked in confusion--then squealed as Zuko suddenly threw himself against his binds. Chains snapped, and suddenly gave way. Zuko tumbled forwards, a weight lifting from his chest.

He was no longer bound to the tree. However, he was still bound everywhere else.

The Prince rolled onto his back and arched it, and using momentum, threw himself up and forward. He caught himself and his balance as the soles of his boots hit the ground.

So he was standing now. And if it had been different, he might have looked a little funny. Due to his excellent training, he had little trouble keeping himself upright, despite the fact that his legs and feet were still bound. He growled and strained at his shoulders, hopping to dislodge his wrists and hands. It was to no avail, they were still restrained tightly.

However the sight of Zuko standing, albeit difficultly, was enough to break Shu's nerve. He yelped and scampered away, cursing his wretched mistake.

Zuko heard the crunch of leaves behind him and managed to rotate most of his body around. Dagger Mouth was approaching him cautiously from behind, a predatory gleam in his eyes.

"So, you're up, but obviously not going anywhere..." the man cackled, feeling victorious already. Zuko could see Green Eyes and Ripped Ear closing Katara in from beyond him. He scowled.

"Maybe," Zuko suddenly purred. "But I don't need to."

Dagger Mouth frowned but his expression quickly changed when a river of fire lashed out from Zuko's mouth. The thief squawked, flailing and stumbling backwards. The flames caught him, and though not the strongest, they were still very hot.

They singed his hair and grappled at his clothes. The man shouted angry curses, trying to bat away the hungry element that was creeping up his shirt, threatening to set all of him ablaze.

Zuko struggled at his binds again, almost toppling back into the brush. He hadn't had time to work up a good enough flame breath to kill, but he felt a distraction was all he needed. He grunted. Damn these knots!

Katara was having difficulty of her own. The men were obviously taunting her, straying and circling around her, just out of reach of her whip. She felt naked, away from her element. There wasn't a lot of water left in her canteen. She needed more.

Green Eyes suddenly lashed his arm out at her. Katara cried out in fear and anger, sending her small water whip cracking down on his hand. The thief howled, yanking it back.

However Ripped Ear took advantage of the distraction and lunged forward. He snagged Katara's robe and she pulled back and away from him, throwing her arm to the side. The left over water splashed in his face, causing his grip to slacken just slightly.

She took that moment to run. She stumbled over the remains of their campfire, shouting into the air. "Appa, fly! Yip yip!"

The bison had finally stirred from behind them. It stood up, giving a loud wailing growl. Momo lunged onto its shoulder. The beast was confused, as it heard the command to fly, but there was no one on top of it for it to take anywhere.

"Yip yip Appa!" Katara repeated frantically. She was too far away to jump on Appa. Green Eyes and Ripped Ear stood between her and the bison. However, she couldn't allow them to take the flying animal from them. "Yip yip!"

The bison finally lifted, causing the thieves to cry out in fear and amazement. They had never seen a flying bison, having mistaken it for some large dozing pack animal.

Katara stumbled again. She could see Dagger Mouth frantically beating at his flaming clothes, fury evident on his ragged face. She could also see Zuko, who had somehow unbound himself from the tree. Fear leapt into her throat but she then saw he was still having trouble with the binds everywhere else. She continued to run forward.

"Zuko!" she shouted, catching his attention. It was a good thing she did, since at the very next moment she plowed into him full on.

Zuko, having no way to keep his balance once Katara had flailed into him, toppled back. Shouting a vague curse he crashed into the brush behind them, and rolled.

Katara rolled right along with him. Dirt and plants bit at her and she struggled to stand up. Yet suddenly, in their tumbling, they ran out of ground.

She cried out in surprise as they both fell, crashing down the slope of a small sandstone cliff.

She had forgotten it was there--they had camped in that certain spot because of the nearness of the ocean, and because they were protected on one side by this drop.

It wasn't very friendly now, though. Katara hit the bottom and felt the air knocked out of her lungs and stolen by the wind. Everything ached and she groaned, trying to figure out where she was.

She felt something warm and wriggling beside her. It was Zuko, who had landed beside her. He spat out dirt and made a frustrated noise; trying to upright himself despite his newly acquired aches.

The Waterbender closed her eyes, her mind spinning. She felt the cool dirt beneath her, the sky above her. She could see the small cliff she had just rolled down towering in front of her. She could hear the voices of the enraged thieves from the woods above.

She could also hear the lap of the ocean not far away. She sighed, everything still spinning. She needed a nap. That was it. A nap...

Zuko managed to get on his knees. He swiveled and looked up. He could hear voices above them. Obviously the thieves were trying to find a better way down than they had.

He easily shut out the pain of his fall. He was built tougher than the discomfort some mangy cliff could provide. He glanced around at the sparse trees. The dirt was sandier here. Obviously the ocean wasn't far away. He could hear it.

The Waterbender groaned beside him. Zuko frowned, looking over at her. She'd landed on her back, grass and leaves snagged in her hair. She was obviously heavily disoriented. She wasn't as thickly built as he was.

Zuko sighed. He could attempt to escape, maybe hide somewhere for a while. He could easily leave her behind.

But he needed to get his legs free, and his hands, and there was only one person that could do it.

Besides, leaving her behind to the mercy of the raiders...

It's not honorable.

Instead of fleeing as best he could, the Firebender managed to jab his knee into Katara's side in attempts to wake her up before the men came.

"Whew...we're done!"

"Not yet," the old woman grunted. She pointed. "Carry that barrel of peelings outside."

Sokka blanched. If he saw one more vegetable, he was going to simply curl up in the fetal position and cry.

However it seemed like their work was finally done. The boy grumbled and picked up the barrel, carrying it over to the door to be emptied outside. Aang was sprawled out in the corner, breathing heavily in victory. He had been doing battle with tomatoes for the last hour.

Sokka opened the door with an elbow, but stopped short of exiting.

His eyes bugged as he looked outside.

Two scruffy Firebender soldiers looked back at him.

"...Oh crap!"

Dun dun dun!

I wanted to add a thanks for all your patience. Some people might be wondering where all the fluff is. Well, we're getting there, slowly but surely! I don't like to rush things. I'd also like to add that I've grown addicted to the song "Hallelujah" by Rufus Wainright. It strangely reminds me of Zutara for some reason. Yeah, weird, I know. Weird like jellybeans.

Now for a few responses...

winglessbird - Hehe, your review made me laugh. I suppose that shall remain... a mystery. Yes. A mystery

Lady-Seoh-Phoenix - Um... I'm sure hummingbirds could somehow be applied to chapter four! It rhymed, so I used it. Because I'm sad like that. Maybe it's hummingbird breeding season. Ohh, fun.

Hotspur - It is great how they bring out the worst, and yet best in each other, isn't it? Well, we haven't really seen the best so far... mostly the worst.

MysticAnime - I'm really happy you reviewed again, because your review made me laugh. NEVER trust shopkeepers! Thanks.