Hello again! My story seems to be a very typical "Zuko and Zula going after the Avatar who needs to defeat Ozai." It doesn't have too much originality to it. Ah well, next time I'll come up with a plot that has more twists in it. (Hopefully I can come UP with a 'next time'...)

Omashu-

"Two days have passed since Aang was captured! Two, Sokka, TWO! Why haven't we moved yet?" Katara was fuming. "His trail will be stone cold by now!"

"Bumi was hurt in that fight." Sokka said wearily for the hundredth time. "We can't just run out on him after he's taken us in and helping us like he did. Besides, it's not really been an entire two days yet."

"I'm sure he'll understand! This is the AVATAR! The most important thing in the WORLD! Bumi's got tons of people to care for him!"

"I'm not leaving until he at least wakes up, and that's that!" Sokka wouldn't budge a muscle.

"Suki?" Katara turned for support.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Sokka." Suki said. "I was badly wounded, as were you. We can't help Aang if we're all partially crippled."

"UGH!" Katara yelled in exasperation, knowing they were right but unable to do anything about it.

Lower parts of Omashu-

"Have you seen a bald monk around?"

"Oh, you mean the Avatar? Yeah, last I heard he was at the castle..."

Back at the castle-

"Good news!" Introducing... Random Guard #1! "Bumi has awakened!"

"Great!" Katara jumped up. "Let's go search for Aang!"

Sokka and Suki looked at each other, then grinned. "I can heal on the way there." Suki said. All the supplies already gathered, so they all picked up their gear and went outside. They were just about to board Appa when a fireball appeared from nowhere. Suki whipped her fan around and dispelled it (She brought a couple of extra fans). Zuko's foot followed, and he knocked Suki to the ground. "You guys go! I'll catch up!" Suki yelled as she and Zuko sprung apart.

"Yeah, like shit that's what I'm doing." Sokka ran at Zuko with his boomerang raised.

"Zuko! Behind you!" A strange woman jumped from behind a pillar and jumped at Sokka.

"What the crap? Who the hell are you?"

The strange girl had Sokka's arm twisted behind his back. "Just a friends of Zuko's. I'm sorry, I didn't really want to get involved but I kinda want Zuko alive..." Suddenly, Zuko appeared from out of nowhere and pushed Mat from Sokka. "What the hell?" She yelped as Zuko grabbed her and tossed her aside, and began to beat back Sokka.

Water made its appearance as Katara finally found a substantial water source. A huge cascade of it dumped itself on Zuko's head, and as he lay spluttering they clambered onto Appa and took to the skies. "DAMN!" Zuko yelled. "They didn't have the Avatar with them!" He ran back to the ship, leaving Mat behind.

"Wait up, you asshole!" She called, and took off after him.

Zuko's ship-

"Ah, how did it go?" Iroh called, seeing the two returning. "Where;s the Avatar?" They both just ignored him.

"Zuko? Zuko! Wait up!" Finally catching up to him, Mat grabbed Zuko's shoulder and whirled him around. "What is wrong with you? What was your deal back there?"

"What do you mean?" Zuko moodily went down the hatch and into his room, with Mat hot on his heels.

"I mean you just taking over my fight. I could have totally handled that dope, do you not trust me?"

"No. I don't. Get off my back." Zuko demanded. Mat looked him in the eye.

"I've been exercising with you for this past week or so, and you don't think I could handle him? Don't lie to me, Zuko."

"He isn't as stupid as he looks. He could have hurt you."

"Don't lie to me." She repeated. "What is with your sorry-ass attitude?"

"If you don't like it, leave! We're at Omashu, why'd you follow me, huh? Just go already!"

"Maybe I will!" Mat turned and started for the door.

"Wait!" Zuko called.

"What?" She whirled around, fire in her eyes.

"You don't have to leave." Zuko averted his eyes.

"Oh, what? You want more money? Here take it, I'm outta here." She tossed him a few coins.

"No, don't go!" Zuko had panic in his eyes. Mat's own eyes softened.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Ugh. Never mind. Just get out of here already." He looked resigned. Amazing how he pulled off pissed and resigned at the same time.

"Zuko, if you keep your emotions in like you've been doing you're going to explode."

"Dammit, woman! What's wrong with you? I like you, ok? See, I said it. You win. Now get the HELL off my boat!"

Instead, Mat just closed the door. "Why is it so hard to admit that you like someone? What's wrong with wanting a friend?"

Zuko looked royally pissed. "For two years I've only had my uncle and my crew to talk to. Then someone my age actually shows up, and I just screw the entire thing up..."

"You just need to curb that temper of yours."

"This is who I am! I'm not going to change. Get over it."

"It's not your temper I have a problem with. It's your problem with expressing your emotions. There's nothing wrong with feeling love for someone. I know you love your uncle. Why do you always scorn him? He's pained by it. You couldn't even admit that you need a real friend. There's more to life than the Avatar."

"It's been my life for two years. I'm not going to through it away just because I 'need a friend'."

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO THROW IT AWAY!" Mat lost it. "I can HELP you! You can't get rid of everything you love! I consider you my friend, Zuko. I'll say it again. You're my friend. That doesn't mean I'm going to throw away my life and devote myself to you. It means I'm going to support you, and if your head gets too big I'll deflate it when need be."

"You make such a big deal out of being my friend." Zuko said. "You're my first... Friend... In two years. That's why I needed to protect you."

"That doesn't give you an excuse to treat me like a doll. I'm strong, I can handle myself. You can't protect me all the time, there sure as hell will be more than one person to fight if we're going to succeed, and you need to concentrate on your own battles. Now, I have a pretty good bet who took the Avatar and where she's taking him. I don't exactly approve of this hunt, but your reasons are just and I will stand by you. Let's go find that little monk before your sister turns him in." Mat stood up and walked to the door.

"Mat?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for staying."

Mat, knowing how truly hard it was for Zuko to really share his emotions with anyone, just smiled. "I know. Let's go get that SOB."

Wise input from Iroh-"Life is like a painting. There may be a main focus point of it, but it's all the background items and details that make the painting truly great."

Somewhere in the Skies-

"How far do you think they could have gotten in two days?" Katara consulted with everyone else, staring down at the map, as if it could show her where Aang was.

"At best, probably about here." Sokka pointed at a place about halfway between Omashu and the fire nation capital. "At worst..." He gestured towards the capital itself.

"Let's hope that's not it..." Suki whispered, as the gloom of Aang in the hands of the fire nation settled in.

After several hours of nonstop flying, dusk began to set it, and Appa's complaining was now also nonstop. "We should make camp." Suki said practically.

"But, Aang!"

"But nothing!" Suki told Katara firmly. "Appa's tired, and he's our source of transportation. Appa is surely a lot faster than any ship, I bet we've already gained quite a but of ground on them."

"Zuko's ship was always right on our tail." Katara said gloomily.

"Speaking of Zuko," Sokka started, "who was the girl with him?"

"I have no idea... I've never seen her before." Katara replied. "Probably another random firebending extremist."

"She never used fire.." Sokka stated.

"Well, I don't know! You think of something!" Katara snapped.

"There's a good place!" Suki set Appa down in a clearing, interrupting the sibling's fight. "Katara, you get the fire wood, and Sokka, you set up camp."

"NO!" Both siblings shouted, disturbing Momo.

"Ok.." Suki looked confused. "Sokka, you get the firewood, Katara set up camp, and I'll go get us some food."

"Ok." The siblings shrugged and set about their various jobs.

Midnight-

Suki silently stood up and walked into the woods. Sokka, who couldn't get to sleep, followed. He found her sitting on a rock, with her legs drawn up around her chest. He quietly sat beside her. "How are you doing?"

Suki leaned over and kissed Sokka. After a few seconds, she broke it off. "Sokka. I love you. I know you loved Yue, and I don't want to be in her shadow, but I can't help myself!" Suki sighed and looked up at the stars. "What is wrong with me? A warrior is not supposed to be weak like this!"

"Emotions don't make a warrior weak." Sokka told her, just as Mat had told Zuko. "Quite the contrary, they make you stronger." Tentatively, he put his arm around Suki. Stiffening at first, she finally relaxed and put her head on his shoulder. They sat like that for many hours, talking about anything and everything until the sun poked up from the horizon.

A/N-

In case you couldn't tell, I tried to make Aang and Katara's relationship steady and peaceful like water, Suki and Sokka's firm like earth, and Zuko and Mat's (Even though it's not a romantic relationship) fierce and shifting like fire. Cool how that worked out, huh? I just need to find one like air... I suppose Aang and Katara's is like air and water, since the elements are so similar anyway...