AN: Hola everybody! Welcome to chapter two! Please review my story! And thank you to Nera Black for being my first reviewer! I'll try to put more detail in and explain things better. I would give you a cookie if I could, but I can't. Oh well, too bad for you. Thanks!

And thank you to my other reviewers too! Keep up with the suggestions!

Sorry guys, this chapter isn't very good. They'll be better in the future though.

Legal Jargon: Same old stuff… I don't own Avatar…blah, blah, blah….

Chapter Two: Waiting

"No, Zuko, she still hasn't woken up." Iroh replied wearily. That was the twelfth time in the past hour Zuko had asked him. It was getting rather tiresome. Iroh turned to Katara's body, lying on a bed, unconscious in a guest room on Price Zuko's ship. "Why don't you make it easy for me and just wake up?" he asked Katara. Iroh sighed and returned to his tea.

Earlier:

Aang had landed Appa on the shore near Katara's body. Sokka and Aang jumped down and pulled Katara away from the water. But, they weren't the only ones who made it to the shore. Zuko's ship had just stopped and the door was opening.

"Damn it…" Sokka whispered. He stood up and took out his boomerang. "Okay, Aang, you stay here with Katara, I'll take care of the firebenders!"

Prince Zuko emerged, followed by many guards. "On second thought, why don't you handle this Aang?"

Aang sighed, grabbed his staff and stood. The fire benders were advancing on them. He thought briefly about flying away, but he glanced at Appa and saw he was badly burned. He wouldn't be flying again for some time. He used up all of his strength to get them to the shore.

Aang approached the fire benders. "Avatar…You slipped through my fingers last time. Those pirates were imbeciles. This time I won't let you escape." Zuko hissed. The guards surrounded Aang, and the onslaught began. Aang deflected every attack easily. Zuko's words were determined, but his attacks were sloppy. Aang had never seen Zuko like this. He seemed so…desperate.

Sokka noticed this too. Ha ha, finally, I can get an attack in…. he thought to himself. He started to stand, and then glanced at Katara. "I'll only be a few minutes." Sokka, being the ego-maniac that he was, couldn't resist the opportunity to join in the fight.

Aang had taken out the guards easily. That left only him and Zuko. They circled each other, watching each other's movements, studying them. Sokka stopped in his tracks. "Whoa…That's what I call intense…"

Zuko began by shooting flames at Aang, but his shots were sloppy. Aang dodged them and sent a blast of air at Zuko, sending him flying backwards. Aang was happy it had been so easy, but something discomforted him about how it easy it was. This was NOT like Zuko at all. How he had been defeated so easily?

Zuko was wondering the same thing. Lately he had been so distracted, he wasn't sleeping well….

He knew when he had lost. But he wasn't about to leave this fight without anything. While Aang and Zuko were fighting, they had switched positions, so Zuko was now closest to Katara. The girl…. She will lure the Avatar to me… he thought. Quickly, he jumped up and pulled out a knife. Sokka immediately knew what he was doing. He took out his short sword and stood protectively in front of Katara.

"Don't you go near her…" Sokka warned in his coldest voice. He was scared of Zuko, but his sister was much more important. Though Zuko was not exactly up-to-par today, he was still skilled enough to easily knock Sokka out of the way. By the time Sokka stood, Zuko was already holding Katara, with a knife at her throat.

Both Aang and Sokka stood in silence and horror. What could they do?

"Let her go!" Aang screamed, "I'm the one you want! Leave her out of this!"

Sokka was seething with rage. He pulled out his boomerang and pulled his arm back.

"I wouldn't suggest trying anything unless you want the girl to die." Zuko warned. He started backing up the ramp onto the ship, followed by the guards who had recovered. Zuko stared directly at Aang and narrowed his eyes. "If you want her, come and get her."

The door shut, and Katara was gone.

Later:

Zuko sat in his room, meditating. The candle flames pulsed brightly in front of him as he replayed the day's happenings through his head. He had the girl on his ship. For some reason, that made him nervous. That girl… She was the source of all his problems. Why he couldn't sleep. Why he couldn't concentrate… Ever since their meeting with the pirates, her face filled his thoughts. It annoyed him to no end.

As much as he hated to admit it to himself, Zuko admired Katara. She was strong and brave. Even captured, she would not tell Zuko anything about the Avatar. Even when offered her precious necklace. Although it infuriated him, it also drew a begrudging respect for her. She understood honor.

Zuko mused with the idea of going to see if she awakened yet. In then end, he decided against it. Zuko remained sitting in front of his candles, his eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration. The girl would wake up eventually, and then he could interrogate her. But, until then, he would just have to wait…