Back! This'll most likely turn out to be a not so long chapter, I have two other stories- maybe three, I have to check- that also need updating, so this might not be all the long. Sorry.
Disclaimer- I'll call when i own Avatar
Chapter 2- A New Adventure Part 2
Out of grace, Aang didn't question Sokka about the night before the next morning. It was easy to see Sokka was grateful. Katara was confused, but didn't push it, knowing that if her brother really wanted to talk about it, he would eventually.
Aang and Katara got in an hour's worth of Waterbending practice before they took off into the sky again, but Katara still seemed to think Aang needed more work.
"I think you can do better", she said sternly, "You just don't seem to be trying your fullest. Just because you're the Avatar, doesn't mean everything comes to you so easy"
"I know, I know", Aang said quickly, smiling a little, "I'll practice, more, I promise"
He smiled as Katara turned away. Even though he didn't like having Katara mad at him, at least he was getting a little attention from her. Suddenly, he realized he could get a lot more if he pulled his act together on the Waterbending thing. He quickly resolved to do better.
"Okay, the Appa Transportation Service is taking off!" He announced, jumping onto the flying bison with great spirit, "Last call boys and girls!"
Katara giggled, and clambered onto Appa. Sokka followed suit with a lot less spirit, and no giggle. Aang barely noticed.
"Yip, yip!" he called spiritedly as Momo joined him up front. Appa growled in agreement, and took off into the air. Aang still had a huge grin plastered to his face. He was back in the air, he was getting a little better at Waterbending, and maybe if he practiced more, maybe Katara would like him more. That would be great.
Sokka was looking over Appa's saddle, not really seeing anything. He was more or less thinking about that dream. He'd had plenty of dreams in his like (the strangest one so far being the one that food ate people) but the thing about this dream was, it wasn't strange. More like it was a memory. Like it had happened when he was really little, and was just trying to forget about it. Just like he was trying to forget about it now. It wasn't exactly working though.
Katara kept looking over at her brother. He seemed so upset about something. She really did wish she could help him. Ever since Yue died, he just hadn't been the same. She knew he had loved her. She remember, right after her mother died, her father acting the same way. Quiet, subdued, always seemed to be in his own world. That was why their father had gone to war. To forget the pain. She could only hope Sokka wouldn't try something just as stupid, if not more so. She wondered if she would ever find anyone she loved as much as Sokka had loved Yue, or as much as her father had loved her mother. Suddenly, her eyes darted over to Aang. He was smiling about something, and it was almost as if she were seeing him in a different light…
She shook her head. Aang is practically your best friend, she told herself firmly.
Since when is it against the law to be in love with your best friend? She countered.
Oh shut up, she shot back, wait, I'm talking to myself. Great, now I'm going crazy.
Zuko stirred, and looked around. He was surrounded by Firebenders. Where in the world was he?
"Uncle!" he looked around in a panic; Iroh in a corner far away from him, unconscious. He tried to get up to help him, but was grabbed and held back by a group Firebenders.
"Don't worry", said a devious voice, "The traitor will live…if he's lucky"
Zuko spun around on his spot, "You!"
Azula laughed, "That's right, Prince Zuko. Aren't you happy to see your big sister?"
"No!" Zuko spat, "What do you want!"
"Ah yes…" Azula said cunningly, "Yes, yes, yes, I should of known you would want to get right to the point, very well…"
She paused. "Well then, you must have no clue what your doing!" Zuko snapped, trying to get up. Azula shoved him down, hard.
"Once a weakling, always a weakling", she laughed, " Father has sent me to capture the Avatar, as you have so far failed to do. Yes Zuko", she added, smirking at the look of shock on Zuko's face, "He never thought you could do it, you know. He sent you on this hopeless mission, just because he never wanted to see your pathetic face again. When the Avatar came back, though, he put reliable forces in the job, to ensure you wouldn't be coming home anytime soon. He hoped Iroh-" she jerked her head at their uncle "-would find a way to keep from finding the Avatar, those were his original intentions, and Iroh was ordered to do so. I guess Iroh took a liking to you though. You probably remind him of his son. Iroh betrayed the Fire Lord, none the less, so I was sent to find the Avatar, and bring him in. Father trust me, unlike you, Zuko, he doesn't want me out of the way. That's why he sent you out. So sorry, Zuko, this must hurt so much"
By the time his sister had finished the story, there were tears in Zuko's eyes, but he was determined not to let his sister see she was getting the better of him. He looked away, and managed to say, "If the mission is so hopeless, why did he send his favorite child out to fulfill it?"
Azula growled and kicked him the ribs. He was thrown backwards by the pure force of it, and slammed into the wall, completely winded. Now, to add to every other miserable feeling, a searing pain was shooting through his body; he'd be lucky if he didn't end up with a couple of broken ribs. "The Avatar is back you fool!" she snapped venomously, "You were sent out before he returned, maybe if you weren't do thick-headed, you could work out what I just said! Then again, what are but just a simple, banished prince, after all. I shouldn't expect anything less then ignorance out of you"
"I would expect more out of you", he gasped, pulling himself up, "I will capture the Avatar before you, I can promise you that much"
"How", she asked, going back to her venomously sweet manner, "do you expect to capture the Avatar, when you are locked in a prison hold?"
He didn't have an answer. "Leave him here", Azula said, turning away from her brother, "I want this place ion tight guard, all day, everyday. Make sure my brother and uncle do not escape, I shall bring them back, along with the Avatar. My father can have three for the price of one"
The door to the prison hold, and Zuko's only way out, shut, leaving him in almost complete darkness.
"Not bad Aang", Aang glowed with joy, "But there is room for improvement"
His face fell. Katara, obviously thinking she'd hurt his feelings, added hastily, "Of course, you're still doing great. Better than I really thought you would"
"Well, lets' keep going", Aang said, "If there's room for improvement, I might as well improve, right?"
"Okay, right", Katara said, smiling, her thoughts from earlier almost completely forgotten, "So if you want to try again…"
Aang nodded, and waved his arms around, hoping against hope maybe this time he could get the move down right.
"That was great Aang!" Katara exclaimed as the water flew into the air, and froze. Aang grinned and waved his hand again. The water thawed, and streamed back into the river. "Wow!" Katara was obviously pleased, "That was great, I can't believe you picked up on it so fast!"
"Thanks", Aang grinned shyly, "I only got it because you were helping me, though"
"Oh!" that was the last answer the Waterbender expected, "Well, it's obvious you wanted to get it, I just showed you how it was done…"
"Supper's almost ready", Sokka came along and broke the completely awkward moment, "Not that we have much, some nuts and berries, and a few fish…"
"I'll eat the nuts and berries", Aang said quickly, "You two can have the fish"
"Okay", Katara said, "We should probably think of eating before it gets cold"
"Yea", Sokka and Aang said quickly. They were both starving.
They ate their meal in silence, each kid in his or her own world. Sokka couldn't stop thinking about his dream. Katara was thinking about her friendship with Aang, and wondering if it really would become more than just a friendship. Aang was wondering if Katara shared his feelings about the two of them, and thinking about how Sokka would react if he ever tried to kiss-
Whoosh! A fireball went whizzing past them, missing my two inches, and engulfing trees in a blaze. Aang looked around, obviously freaked, and saw a girl standing maybe ten feet away. She had dark eyes, and dark hair framing her face. She smirked viciously.
"Hello Avatar", she said. Before Aang had a chance, she fired at him. And he had no way to dodge.
"Uncle Iroh?" it was with every amount of insufferable pain Zuko dared try to utter is Uncle's name. The traitor will live…if he's lucky. Azula's words had stuck in his mind. What if Iroh didn't live? What could he do? Iroh was all he had anymore, his father obviously didn't want him, he was hated throughout the Fire Nation, and his sister (some sister) thought he was just a big joke. His uncle was all he had. He couldn't loose him. He simply couldn't.
Well, life pretty much stinks for everyone in this fic right now, doesn't it? I'll update next weekend, like I said before ( I think I said it anyway) I plan on updating on a weekly bases. Oh, and it turns out I have four fics to update, so I gotta hustle, please review! Oh, and one more thing: unless you can give me absolute proof of otherwise, I will continue to call Zuko's sister Azula. Give me proof it's Zula and, or something else, and I'll change it.