A/N Sorry for the wait, guys. I just had a ton of homework. Everyone thank Uncle Gran-Gran for making me update, and my friend Geoff, for changing a project we were working on together so that I didn't have to revise the entire Act 2 of Romeo and Juliet into modern day form, while shortening it so that the entire play lasts forty minutes and can be performed by a bunch of fourteen-year-olds! Also, happy Valentine's Day!

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. However, I do own all the songs in this chapter, as well as Bumi's full name. I don't think I really want to own him. It would be funny, but I think he'd annoy the heck out of me within a few days.

Katara groaned and sat up. It suddenly occurred to her that this was a very bad idea, since her head hurt severly, and started hurting even worse. "My head," she groaned.

"What about your head?" asked a curious voice "Did your head double itself? Is it a nice head, or a mean head? Does it turn green at random intervals? Does it…"

"NO! It hurts, and your jabbering isn't helping."

"Jabbering… Do jabberwockies jabber?"

Right now, Katara's head hurt too much to try to puzzle out that comment, and whether it was cryptic, or just inane.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"My name," the voice said grandly, "Is Bumiernifol Jemscic Zolieneicar III, King of Omashu. But you can call me Bumi."

Oh, no, thought Katara. Not again.

"Who are you?" asked Bumi cheerefully.

"Katara of the Southern Water Tribe," Katara told him absently, wishing he would shut up.

Before she could decide how to politely put that sentiment into words, she heard a familiar voice.

"… I was only three years dead, but it told the tail, and now listen, little child, to the safety rail…"

"It's Aang," cried Katara, straining to hear the faint voice. Bumi scrambled over to one of the rotting walls in the ramshackle room they were in.

"He's singing the Llama Song," Bumi told her, "It's a song we learned when we were children."

Restraining a sarcastic comment, Katara leaned her ear to the wall.

"Is it made of lemon juice, doorknob, ankle, cold. Now my song is getting thin, I've run out of luck. Time for me to retire now…"

"And become a duck!" Bumi sang along. The singing stopped, and they could hear a few voices murmuring in the background.

"I can't hear what they're saying," Katara lamented, sitting back on her heels.

"It's the pitch," Bumi told her. "Because of the way the voice goes when people are singing, you can here it through walls or great distances better than the speaking voice."

"Why?" asked Katara curiously.

Bumi shrugged. "I actually have no idea. I just made that up. Seems plausible, though.

Katara began planning her retort, but was interrupted by another song.

"Bumi, is that you, my friend?

This is your friend Aang.

It seems we can't communicate

Without what we just sang!"

Katara blinked. She now officially had no idea whatsoever what was going on.

"Aang, hello, it's good to see you,

This is indeed Bumi

I suppose we have to sing to hear,

If you can't, so sue me!"

"Is it really necessary to rhyme like that?" asked Katara.

Bumi turned around, and smiled as if noticing her for the first time. "Katara, let your friend know that you're here too!"

Seeing no way out, Katara sung back.

"Hello, Aang, it's me

I'm trapped too, you see,

Looks like there's three of us

This singing will soon cause a fuss."

But she was surprised, and surpassed, by her friend's reply.

"Hi, Katara, good to hear from you,

Although I'm sad to hear that you're trapped too.

There are more than three stuck here,

Prince Zuko the Fire Bender is quite near."

Katara was so startled by that, she almost couldn't sing a response. As it was, her voice squeaked a little as she sung,

"Prince Zuko? Aang, is this a joke?

Keep away from the Fire Folk.

Unless you want to be fried and burned,

Zuko is nasty; I thought that was a lesson well-learned!"

Cheerfully ignoring her, Aang replied with a shrug in his voice, if that's possible.

"Nonsense, Katara, Zuko's not that bad.

He hasn't killed me yet, which isn't sad.

I think he's just misunderstood,

I've been here a while, I'm unhurt, that is good!"

There was a murmuring of voices that Katara couldn't understand, which undoubtedly was Zuko protesting to that last verse. That theory was confirmed with Aang's next song.

"Zuko says it's a matter of time.

Until I die and make no more rhymes.

Hey, do you know where Sokka is?

I've heard a lot of voices; the only one missing is his."

Katara glanced at Bumi, who shrugged and asked, "Do you?"

"No. Actually, I'm getting worried about him. My brother's an idiot: I don't want to know what he'll do on his own."

Bumi raised his voice and sang loudly.

"Aang, we don't know how to find your friend.

Hopefully away, he did himself send.

Katara says she's worried about him.

She seems to think that he's quite dim."

Aang's reply was thus:

"Tell Katara not to fret.

Sokka's fine, on this I'd bet.

What did you mean by the second line?

I didn't get it; maybe you tried to hard to rhyme."

Now Bumi was laughing.

"I hoped that he ran away

That way, he wouldn't be captured today.

There are probably more rooms in this place.

Is Sokka the one with that silly grin on his face?"

Katara thought she could here Aang laughing in his response.

"No, my friend, I think that's you.

I don't know where we are, oh, boo-hoo.

Sokka's the one with the boomerang,

Who always insists on going out with a bang."

Now, Katara decided to add a bit of input.

"Yep, that's my brother, you bet!

I hope he didn't get caught in the proverbial net.

Maybe Sokka will rescue us.

Although, then, he'd never stop his fuss."

There was a bit more muttering, and then Aang called back.

"Zuko's just to shy to sing.

But he has a question, it's this thing.

If Sokka happened to come about,

Do you think he would let him out?"

"Would he?" asked Bumi. Katara shrugged.

"Honestly, if not for you,

I would doubt it, Sokka would too!

But last time you two were caught

You let Zuko out, you helped him a lot!"

"You have a point there, it's true

I'd help Zuko, nothing new.

I'm not sure he'd believe me,

But there's not help, that's just how he be."

Katara giggled.

"Don't you mean how he is?

Your grammar is going, the influence might be his.

Silly Aang, you don't have to rhyme,

We can hear you any time."

The song that Aang replied with was so completely like him that Katara collapsed into giggles.

"But, Katara, rhyming is fun!

How long do you think my song would run

If I didn't have to pause

To make sure I keep within rhyming laws?"