Disclaimer: I own...a notebook...a bathing suit...a pair of combat boots...no Avatar. sniff I don't own Avatar.
Intertwined
Chapter 2: The Plans
"K-katara! A-are you a-almost done with m-my shirt yet?" Aang shook from the cold again. After his 'one-sided' fight with 'Admiral' Zhao, his shirt had suffered a lot of burns, so he gave it to Katara for mending. What he hadn't counted on was that, with the Fire Nation following their every move, most of their time was spent among the clouds.
"Just a minute, Aang. I'm almost done…"
"Yeah, Aang. Haven't you learned not to bother girls while they're doing their- OW! What was that for!"
"Haven't you learned to not say stuff like that, especially since I'm the one that fixes all our clothes and does the cooking? Hmm?"
Aang just watched as his friends fought, holding back the laughter that was threatening to come out. That is, until he once again shivered, reminding him of what started this whole argument.
"Um, Katara? Not to rush you or anything, but could I please get my shirt back? It's really cold," he managed to get out through his chattering teeth.
"Oh, sorry Aang! Here it is." Katara handed the shirt back, looking apologetic, much to Sokka's surprise. "I couldn't get all the black out without more water, so I'll need it again after we stop."
"I don't get you, Katara. Only yesterday Mr. Excitable here burned both your hands, and the only reason you can still do anything is because you're lucky enough to have this freaky healing power! And now you're acting as if that never happened and apologizing for making him sit in the cold for a few minutes. While you fix his shirt. Well, you may be that forgiving, Katara, but I'm not gonna be so trusting the next time he tries firebending." Sokka was breathing heavily as he finished his rant, ignoring his companions for the time being.
"Don't worry, Sokka. I'm not going to try anymore firebending, at least not soon. Jeong Jeong was right. I don't have enough discipline," Aang whispered with his head down. Only then did Sokka notice how upset Aang truly looked. Katara just sat there, glaring daggers at her brother for causing such a change in the young monk's attitude.
They sat in an uneasy silence, each thinking about something different. All they knew was that, after what had happened, the last thing they needed was to bring it up in the way that Sokka had. Even he regretted what he did. After more than a few minutes passed I this fashion, Katara finally came up with a way to break the quiet.
"Don't listen to him. He's probably only saying it because his 'instincts' told him to," she joked, hoping the solemn mood. She knew it was successful when a low chuckle came from Aang. Even Sokka cracked a grin, when he would normally be yelling over how 'mature' they were being, happy to have Aang back to normal. She gave them a weak smile, not really wanting to be the gloomy one.
"So… when can we stop for more food? Don't look at me like that! We are out of supplies, aren't we?"
"Only because you ate it all!" Katara teased, silently thankful for her brother's obsession with food. "Still, I guess it would be okay, since we know that was Zuko at the last port."
Both Aang and Sokka had agreed that Katara had the best judgment out of the trio, most of the time (no one forgot about the waterbending scroll and Jet), and with her approval they stopped in a small clearing near the next town. As they stumbled out of Appa's saddle, no one noticed the shadow that darted out from under Appa into the trees.
As they walked back to the town, everything seemed oddly familiar. As the truth dawned on them, their footsteps started to drag as wary glances were thrown at every shadow and soon every unfamiliar sound became a possible threat. Sokka had his knife out and at the ready and Katara had moved closer to the two boys. Aang finally broke the second uneasy silence that day by voicing their suspicion.
"Um, guys? Isn't this…" his voice failed. He knew that by saying it out loud would only make the situation all the more real.
"Yeah, it's his forest," Sokka finished, now fingering the handle of his boomerang. "We better be careful."
"You think he's still here?" Katara asked nervously, opening her waterskin. "Do you think he'd do something to us?"
No one missed her unsaid fear. None of them were safe, that much was obvious, but she would be the focus of any attack. After all, it had been Katara that kept him from following them, or taking revenge on her brother for destroying his plan.
"I'm not sure, but we shouldn't take any chances. Let's try to get out of here as soon as possible. This place still gives me the creeps."
"Great idea, Aang. But once we're in the market, it should be safe enough with all those people there to split up, if only to get out of here faster. Since Katara's the responsible one," here she tried to hit him with a water ball, "-don't do that!-she can take the majority of the money and buy our supplies. Aang, you can do whatever you want. And I'll go have some dinner at an inn-OW! I told you NOT to hit me!" Now Katara did manage to hit him.
"That has to be the stupidest, most idiotic-UGH! What happened to 'not taking any chances'? Huh? Just because you think with your stomach doesn't mean that Aang and I will agree to it, right Aang?"
"Actually, Katara, I think it'd be okay to do that. I have always wanted to try to ride a Hog Monkey. We'll just meet here later."
'Here' was where the solitary forest path went within the city walls. During their conversation, the two teens had pulled up their hoods, while Aang put on his Chinaman Hat, effectively covering his telltale Airbender tattoos. (A/N: Why didn't he use it during the fire festival?)
"Alright, but if anything happens, I blame you two," Katara huffed before walking off to get supplies.
Sokka just stared after his sister, shaking his head. As he turned to search for an inn, Aang could've sworn he heard him mutter 'Girls,' under his breath.
Zuko was sparring on deck with Lieutenant Jee as his ship slowly maneuvered through the harbor. They were once again forced to stop due to Iroh's insistence that he was dangerously low on tea. This ticked Zuko off immensely because he knew for a fact that his uncle still had at least two crates of the stuff hidden away.
"Very good, Prince Zuko. You seem to be finally mastering using the breath," Iroh commented as he walked on deck. Of course, as soon as the words were out of his mouth, any progress Zuko had made disappeared.
"Uncle, must we really stop when both of us know you have an extra supply of tea below deck?" Zuko asked as he allowed Jee to return to his duties.
"Oh, so you know about that," his face looked troubled, then brightened almost immediately. "Well, to tell you the truth, rumor has it that this port has the best trading in the Earth Kingdom," he answered, leaning over conspiratorially (A/N: He's doing that weird hand gesture during all of this). He then plowed on, once again ignoring his nephew's patience, or lack thereof. "It seems that all nations are welcome as well. Lucky, huh? So what do you think, eh, Prince Zuko?"
Just as Zuko was about to tell (by shouting) his uncle exactly what he thought of this idiotic waste of time, an arrow whistled past his head, stopping when it hit the door that led below, and falling to the floor with a dull thunk. Completely ignoring his uncle, Zuko's eyes scanned the trees that lined the shore closest to them.
"Prince Zuko! This is most interesting. A message was attached to the arrow and it is addressed to you!"
As soon as he heard that, Zuko strode over and snatched the paper out of Iroh's hands. Seeing that his name really was written on it, he ripped it open, and was surprised at the information it held:
Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation,
It is widely known that you are hunting for the Avatar. Well, you happen to be in luck. At this very moment, the monk and his friends are wandering the market in this very port and have set up camp in the forest. I believe it's in your best interest to look into the matter
-A friend
"Uncle, have the men ready to disembark the moment we dock," and with no further explanation, left his uncle to puzzle over his change in attitude.
He stood watching the ships go in and out of the harbor his upper body hidden in shadows. If only everything had gone this smoothly the first time around, then he needn't have gone to all this trouble now. Oh, well.
All the more fun.
"I'm guessing he's gotten the message?" He turned as he felt the presence of the boy standing in the doorway, taking care to never leave the darkness of the shadows.
The young archer gulped and nodded, observing the way his leader's eyes glinted with some new, unknown emotion. His own eyes darted around nervously, anxious to get out of the room. His leader's new, slightly obsessive nature was concerning, to say the least, but everyone knew better than to say anything.
"After he finished reading it, the ship started to move faster. Also, his men were seen being assembled on deck, most likely to search the area."
"Excellent. Make sure to pay the girl what she wants." Even through the shadows, no one could miss the cocky smirk that twisted his features. "You can go now."
With one last nod, the boy exited, relieved to be back in the trees. Of course, this went unnoticed since he brought his attention back to the view out his window, making everything was in place for the show.
You'll finally pay for what you've done. This time, there won't be any rescue or escape. There will be two less obstacles in my way. Nothing can go wrong tonight.
At least, that's what he thought.
A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I only really liked that last part. My first cliffie! I'm not really used to making them, so I'm happy with it. Thanks to Lady Amaya, Katara 15, and Dracori for reviewing! Also, I'll only be able to update once a week, maybe more if I'm lucky. Please review!