Dislaimer: I don't own Avatar. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this online.

Intertwined

Chapter 4: Worries

As Zuko slowly came into consciousness, his first thought was that he was still sleeping. There was no way he could possibly be waking up in a forest. It was so peaceful that he just had to be dreaming.

Then he felt the hard chains wrapped his torso and legs.

Okay, so it's not a dream. A nightmare, maybe?

Suddenly there was a mind-numbing throb at the back of his head. That ruled out any form of sleeping, because pain shouldn't be felt in dreams or nightmares. Zuko knew that better than anyone.

Where am I?

"…someone might've done something to Appa's tail. It could take a couple of days to heal."

Zuko's eyes widened. He knew that voice. Slightly shifting himself to get a better look at the source of the sound, he silently thanked Agni that no one was watching him. That much was obvious from the lack of attention when his eyes had first opened. Finally settled, he knew his initial guess was correct.

The Avatar and his companions. With their only mode of transportation injured.

The Avatar himself was looking at the bison's tail with a frown on his face. The girl he had tried to capture before was packing supplies onto the bison's saddle, occasionally stopping to affectionately rub the beast's side. The boy was sitting against a tree, sharpening his knife while his eyes would dart into the trees.

How paranoid. Like Fire Nation troops are really going to come falling out of the trees.

"Well, what's his tail needed for, exactly?"

Yes, and will it give me any advantage over you?

Rubbing the back of his head, the monk answered the girl's question with slight hesitation. "Um, actually, it, uh, is what allows bison to fly."

As the words sunk in, the two teens froze in shock. Zuko, however, was so overjoyed that he almost let out a whoop of triumph.

Perfect. With them unable to leave, I'll finally have the Avatar, and my honor.

Zuko assumed the silence that enveloped the camp was because they were all thinking along the same lines as him, but as he took in their appearances more closely, he just knew it couldn't be that. Hard as he tried, his men had never put the trio in this state. In this much fear… and anger.

The 'warrior's' hand had gripped the knife, while the other took out the boomerang. Both hands were shaking slightly, knuckles white. The Airbender had put his staff in easier reach. Even the girl seemed to move closer to the two boys, most likely for greater protection.

As the girl started to break the silence after a few moments, Zuko decided that that was the perfect opportunity to make his presence known.

"And I am lying on the ground, why?"

Aang was the first to react to Zuko's interruption by jumping onto one of the lower branches, out of the prince's reach. He didn't exactly trust the chains that bound him to do their job.

At least I have one of them wary, Zuko thought with a small smirk. Being Ozai's son meant that he liked feeling in control.

"Why should we answer you?" Sokka, being a teenaged boy in general, was also fond of being powerful. He was gleefully awaiting the firebender's reply.

"If you don't, I'll have to use force," Zuko hissed, not liking the boy's impudence.

This was exactly what Sokka was waiting for. "I'd like to see you try," he managed to get out before bursting into laughter. Only Sokka.

Katara couldn't believe her brother. Yes, this was the same guy that had been hunting them since they left the South Pole, not letting them have any rest. But he was still a person. Besides, she didn't think it would be too smart to have an angry firebender around, bound or not. So she did the one thing she knew would stop his taunting.

She threw a ball of water at the back of his head.

Sputtering, Sokka turned to stare at his sister in disbelief. Zuko's mask slipped, surprise that Katara had done something that could be seen as defending him clear on his face. Even Aang risked coming closer, curious. Katara blushed a little under all the attention focused on her.

"What?"

"Why did you do that! Now I'm all wet, thanks to your fancy 'magic.' Just because you're not as strong as I am, being a girl and a-"

"WHAT! Even after all this- UGH!"

"Uh, Sokka? You might want to run now." Aang advised, chuckling a little. When Sokka started to dodge Katara's water whip, those chuckles became full-on laughter.

Zuko watched all this with his eyebrow raised. At first he had been angry that they could ignore him so easily, but he found that he actually…enjoyed watching them, and even wishing that he could be so carefree. Although he'd never admit it, growing up at sea had left him craving interaction with others his own age.

The moment was ruined when Sokka, attempting to escape from the water following him, tripped over Zuko's outstretched legs.

"Oof!" Sokka grunted, the wind knocked out of him.

"Watch where you're going, peasant!" Zuko spat, quickly masking his face with anger.

Pulled back into reality, Katara noticed that it had grown darker, which was not a good sign. Staying in one place, especially one known by him, made her feel more than a little uneasy. Turning to the boys, she was finally ready to reveal her thoughts from earlier.

Making them listen to her, however, was going to be more difficult than she thought. Being heard over the shouting match between her brother and the prince, coupled with Aang's laughter, was hard enough, but were her words getting through to them? Nope.

"IF YOU GUYS DON'T BE QUIET RIGHT NOW, I'M SOAKING ALL OF YOU!"

That shut them up. When she saw their expressions, Katara almost burst into laughter herself. Aang was giving her the puppy dog look, his eyes widened even more than usual. Zuko looked affronted that she had threatened him, but a look of apathy settled on his features as he remembered the circumstances. Now, Sokka's face was priceless. His mouth hung open, twitching slightly, as his eyes bulged at the thought of getting even more wet.

Knowing that laughing wouldn't be a good idea at the moment, Katara settled for a small giggle disguised as a cough. Glancing at her companions' faces to see if any of them had noticed that, only Zuko seemed to be aware, if his narrowed eyes were any indication.

Don't laugh at me, little girl, he thought, really wanting to be free to scare her properly.

Because that turned out so well last time.

"Fun as it was to listen to your little argument," she started, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "I think we should focus on two things: where we are right now, and who knows where we are. Not to mention that it's getting a little late."

This snapped the two boys out of their quiet almost instantly, both seeing her point. Aang came out of the safety of the tree so the conversation wouldn't travel to unwanted ears. Reluctant as they were, the trio sat within the sight, and hearing, of the bound prince.

"Well, let's see what we know so far. We have Scarface over there," Sokka jerked his thumb back at Zuko, who snarled at the name, "captive, someone knows where we are, that same someone did something to Appa's tail, and now we're kind of trapped in the forest of a psycho. Anything else?" His upbeat tone contradicted with the dire situation.

"Aang, Sokka, have you guys thought about how we got here?" When they shook their heads, Katara continued, speaking haltingly. "Well, if we were here before, and all this time we've been heading…" at a sharp motion from her brother, she remembered who else was listening and quickly changed her words, "in the same direction, then-"

"How did we get here, again," Aang finished, realization dawning in his eyes.

Zuko had been paying close attention to the conversation, interest piqued by hearing that not only the Fire Nation was out for the Avatar. He was also hoping to find out their destination, but that was obviously in vain. Zuko wasn't stupid. He knew the girl was about to say it, but was stopped by the buffoon. Still, hearing the rest made him more alert of the surrounding forest. Whether he liked it or not, he was a part of their group, which meant that any attacks on them would include him as well. Now he knew why they were on edge.

"Exactly. I really don't think it's a good idea to stay here. You remember what he's like." Katara shuddered, which, although she tried to hide it, didn't go unnoticed by the three pairs of eyes focused on her.

"You're right. But where would we go? He knows this forest too well. It seemed like the hideout spanned the majority of it as well. He could have lookouts for all we know!" Seeing his sister's shudder had put Sokka into panic mode.

"Sokka, calm down. I know you're worried, we all are, but we can't panic. There has to be someplace that's safe enough. Soo… anyone have any ideas? And I'm talking to everyone." Aang emphasized the 'everyone', with a meaningful glance at Zuko, whose reply was only a glare.

"I've got it! Aang, do you remember the river that flows into the reservoir?" When he nodded, Katara went on. "Well, there were some decent-sized streams going off into the forest. If we can find a clearing near one of those, then you and I will have the perfect source of water, just in case."

After some contemplation, both Aang and Sokka agreed that that was the best plan they were gong to get, at least in the amount of time they had. As they started to pack everything that Katara hadn't gotten to, Zuko was surprised at how fast and efficiently they managed to get everything done. It now made sense at how they were always able to get away just soon enough.

Once they were done, the three of them stood next to Appa, looking around the clearing to make sure they left almost no trace. Luckily, there had been no need for a fire yet, so that was one less hassle. As their eyes landed on Zuko, however, they realized the one major flaw in their plan.

How were they going to move Zuko with his legs bound?

A/N: Hey everyone! As always, I hope you liked it. There was a little bit of a mistake last chapter on my part, so I want to thank SleepingDragon13 and blufirestar for pointing out the Suave Boogie thing. I had no idea whose story that scene was from. If you're confused, go look at the author's note for last chapter. Thanks to everyone that reviewed! It makes me so happy! Til next time!