The Boat Ride

AN: Thanks for all your nice reviews, and here's the new chapter! And I'm so sorry for the lack of updates; I had stupid stuff to do.

Mom: School?

Me: That'd be it.

By the way, I'm going to try to have this story finished by Christmas break, so that could be up to three chapters a day! Enjoy!

Sokka and Aang felt that they were getting close, and indeed they were, but they had just realized that they had no actual plan to save Katara.

Aang had mentioned this a short while, so now both boys were in profound thoughts about any plans.

Minutes past, then hours, and the only plan that had been conjured was to politely ask Zuko for their friend back, and if he refused, and tried to capture him instead, they would just have to fight. That's right—a twelve year old Airbender and mild waterbender and a boy with a sword that has four molars on it against the Prince of the Fire Nation and his firebending crew. Not much of a plan, but it would have to work.

Katara had no idea who this guy was, apart from the fact that he was on one of Jet's wanted posters. He had also been seen in the same poster on the map the time they went to that Fire Nation festival (Did any of you all see the "Blue Spirit's" picture on that board! I did!). Katara thought that he couldn't be ALL that bad if he was an enemy of the Fire Nation and Jet!

He walked over to her, and—PICKED HER UP! Katara was tired of being carried around, and she said to the masked person, "I can walk, you know."

He looked at her—Katara couldn't tell his expression with the mask—and hurried forward without changing her position.

He slid across several tree branches, and was about to reach the string that would bring them both to the ground, when a shout was heard from behind them.

"HEY!" Jet's voice sounded, and Katara looked behind her to see Jet speeding toward them. The masked person, who was under the additional weight of a fourteen year old girl, tried to run, although he knew Jet would catch up all too soon. He set Katara aside, resuming a fighting stance; his hands alight with hot flames.

Meanwhile, Katara had been placing the pieces of this strange puzzle together. This man has every trait of Zuko's! Tall, slim, and a firebender! Oh great—he's rescuing me only so I can be captured again!

Katara backed up a few paces, then ran for it just as ZUKO and Jet had started to battle.

Zuko glimpsed Katara running away out of the corner of his eye, and he did a hard roundhouse kick into Jet's side, along with some flames. Jet keeled over, but by the time he had gotten himself back together, the Blue Spirit and Katara had disappeared to the depths below.

Jet growled, and leaped after them, even though he knew he was too late. His feet hit the ground lightly, as he stared at what seemed to be a blank forest.

"Revenge is imminent." He muttered as he soared back up to the hideout to plan things out, instructing his "Freedom Fighters" to prepare boats, supplies, and food for the journey that lay ahead.

Katara struggled against Zuko, trying to get away.

Zuko wondered why she was trying to get away. I'm rescuing her! And she doesn't even know who I am. Or maybe she does. Yeah, she's probably figured out by now, and I bet the Avatar told her about me when I rescued him! Oh well, she's not getting away. I need her for my plan!

Zuko's grip tightened around Katara, and she tried to call for help, but Zuko's hand came over her mouth.

Katara was dragged all the way back to a small boat This wasn't Zuko's ship! He probably had come here by himself. That was different!

Zuko climbed into the boat, and carried Katara with him.

Zuko thought furiously about what he should do. I need to get her to trust me! At least a LITTLE! So I shouldn't tie her up, but then she could get away. Oh, what the heck, I'll just hold her! At least until we get far away enough from land.

Zuko held Katara's wrist firmly as they traveled away from shore.

"Zuko?" Katara inquired scornfully to the masked person cautiously.

He looked at her, then sighed, and removed his mask with his free hand.

Katara tried to back away, and Zuko let go of her wrist. By now they were far enough away from land anyway that she wouldn't want to swim back in the chilly water.

Katara backed to the edge of the boat while Zuko set the boat's course to go straight, and then he turned around to face her.

"What did I ever do to you?" Katara asked, glaring.

Zuko looked at her, and replied, "I just saved you. This is how you treat me!"

Katara was taken aback at how not unkind Zuko was being! Was he changing? She looked away anyway, across the ocean, still wishing she could just hug her parents, but that was pretty unlikely, seeing as she was about to be prisoner on Zuko's ship—again.

Zuko turned back around, searching for his ship near the island—where had Iroh gone off to? More tea, Zuko answered himself in his head.

"I am like so bored! Are we there yet?" Sokka asked, "I can't believe I trusted you to get us to my sister! Ughh. Maybe we should just turn around."

"No." Aang said firmly, for something told him that they were getting close.

AN: And indeed they are! I know it wasn't that active or great but oh, well. I've also not been not updating as much because I've been drafting the entire story (I'm almost done drafting it!), and I've been watching my taped Avatar episodes to get pumped for my characters.