A/N: I don't know about you, but I am getting seriously impatient for September 23 when the new Avatar comes out! I need my weekly Avatar fix…and I'm just not getting it with reruns. Especially since Catscratch (curse those creators!) took over one of Avatar's time slots.

The Violent Tomboy: Thank you SO much! I realized that I had thought of it earlier and forgotten. I'm like that, so thank you so much for reminding me!

Zuko had thought long and hard about what he had done to Katara. Even now, he berated himself for being so stupid. She shuddered at his touch; he revolted her. Either that or he scared her. And he could thank his father for all of this. Before he could think of what to do, he heard her scream. He ran quickly to her cabin, hitting the door with all his force so he would not have to undo the locks. What he saw shocked him.

Aang and Caleb heard the girl scream, but Caleb didn't know who she was.

"Oh no! Katara! What did they do to her?" Aang screamed at his guard. "I've been quiet! Don't hurt her!" The guard shrugged.

"She wasn't supposed to be hurt," he said. "You weren't trying to escape or anything." His words didn't calm Aang, however. They made him angrier. Whether or not she was supposed to be hurt didn't matter. He had heard the scream. There was no mistaking the pain in it. Caleb quickly walked to his cell door.

"What's wrong? Who is that girl?"

"She's my friend. Her and her brother travel with me, and Zuko captured her as well. He promised he wouldn't hurt her…" Aang hung his head dejectedly, and Caleb decided that it wouldn't be a good time to press for more information. He sat back down in a corner, watching Blunk sleep and trying to get some himself.

Once the rest of the Guardians and Sokka had heard Will's plan, they jumped on Appa, conserving their energy for the fight that was sure to come. They had to follow Prince Zuko's ship very discreetly and they flew high above the clouds for cover. Appa only went below them for seconds, making sure they were still following the Fire Nation ship. They had to dock for supplies sooner or later, and Sokka would follow him to the Fire Nation if he had to. Whatever he had to do to protect his sister, he would. They dipped below the clouds for a second, and saw someone being tossed overboard.

"Who is it? Is it Katara? It's got to be Katara! Go save her! Come on, Appa!" Irma stopped him from jumping off the bison just in time.

"Sokka! If they see us, it will ruin our plan! Katara is a Waterbender, she'll survive." Just barely, they restrained Sokka and flew above the clouds again. They waited until Zuko's ship was farther away to fly down. Sokka eagerly dove in, and the Guardians waited with bated breath. He came back up, disgusted, holding the corpse of a soldier. Will looked delighted.

"This is perfect! We don't have to knock out any guards when they land!" She quickly stripped him to his waist, taking his clothes and putting them away safely. Nobody knew what to do with the body, so they threw it back in the ocean. They hurried to catch up with Zuko, and then flew back above the clouds.

Zuko put a hand on Katara's shoulder.

"I'm sorry. The guard…has been dealt with. We need to put you somewhere safer. I have to move you back to my room." Katara looked up at him, tears brimming gratefully in her eyes. He gave her a pair of his old clothes; hers were ruined by that monster. Zuko hated to think what would have happened if he hadn't been trained to respond so quickly. He left the room to give her some privacy, locking the door firmly. She changed quickly, and not knowing what else to do, knocked on the door to let him know she was ready. He came back in and held her arms, firmly leading her towards his cabin. He pushed her down onto the bed, and for a second she wondered what he was going to do, but he just took out some chains and chained her to the bedpost. Briefly, she thought they would have to sleep on the same bed, but he put blankets on a cot in the corner she hadn't noticed before. He left as soon as she was safely secured, locking the door with his own key, one only he had.

Down in the cells, Aang wouldn't keep quiet until he had seen prince Zuko, and made sure Katara hadn't been hurt. He yelled and screamed at every guard, until they finally relented. When the guard changed, the last one went and got Prince Zuko. The prince took some convincing, but finally agreed to see the Avatar.

"What do you want, Avatar?" he spit out.

"What happened to Katara? What did you do to her?" Zuko was shocked. He didn't know she could even be heard down here.

"She was not hurt," he said abruptly, and left.

"What happened? Why did she scream?" Aang yelled at Zuko's back. He didn't get an answer, and became so angry that his tattoos started glowing, and a huge ball of air formed around him, knocking off his shackles and his door. The whole ship started rocking from the force, and Zuko went back quickly.

"Avatar! Avatar! Stop! Do you want the waterbender to be hurt?" Those were the only words he heard, and he calmed down, allowing them to chain his hands to the wall and fix the door.

"At least tell me what happened to Katara! I want to speak to her!" Aang yelled.

"You cannot make commands, Avatar! You are my prisoner!" Aang's hands started glowing again, and Zuko quickly consented. He went into his room and unchained Katara from the bed. She thought she was going to be allowed to roam around the ship, until Zuko held her arms and steered her down into the cells. He motioned the guard away, but stayed to make sure Katara didn't try to help Aang escape.

"Aang!" she cried, breaking free from Zuko's grip. She reached through the bars and gave him the best hug she could, considering the circumstances.

"Katara! You're wearing Fire Nation clothes! What happened? Are you alright?"

"Aang, it's nothing," she whispered. "I'm fine."

"Katara, something's wrong. You can tell me."

"Aang, you heard me scream, right?" she finally asked. He nodded, and she continued, "A guard tried to…tried to…" She started to shake, and Aang quieted her.

"It's alright, Katara. It's alright." Even as a twelve-year old boy, he understood what happened to her.

"As long as it wasn't Zuko who ordered this…or did this to you…" She shook her head. Zuko had finally had enough, and pulled Katara back from the door. He marched her back to his room, chaining her back to the bed.

He had forgotten to call the guard back, and Aang and Caleb took the opportunity to talk.

"Are you alright?" Caleb asked worriedly. Aang nodded.

"I just can't believe someone would try that," he said.

"At least Phobos would have had the honor to not do it."

"I hope she'll be safe with Zuko."

"She will, as long as the Guardians get us out of here soon."

"Do you think they will?"

"They've gotten me out of tighter corners," Caleb told him. The guard, finally realizing that Zuko would not take this long, had come back before he was punished by the prince.

As soon as Prince Zuko had chained Katara back to the bed, he left the room. Since he had taken her prisoner, he had only spoken to her that one time after that guard…he just hated to think about it. He had gotten so angry…angrier than he should have. His Uncle was not pleased when he heard the story, though, and said that he would have just locked up the soldier with the Avatar and Caleb. He was now short a soldier, though that wouldn't really matter. He stayed away from his room all day, managing to find one thing or another to do, even resorting to playing Pai Xo with his uncle and having tea. He trained with his soldiers, putting all his energy into creating the fire. No one could keep up against his rage except Iroh, who managed to merely flick away every attack the prince made.

"Remember Prince Zuko, that you must control your temper while Firebending. Do not put emotion into it," his uncle explained. Zuko ignored him, and angrily threw fireball after fireball at him. Iroh easily sidestepped them all.

"I think that is enough for today," he said. "You must learn to control your temper, Prince Zuko!" The banished prince angrily went to the kitchen and ate his supper. He was so tired that he went into his room early, and stripped to his waist for bed. He sat down on the edge of the bed and heard a slight yelp. He had completely forgotten Katara was on it! The prince stood up quickly, and grabbed his armor. He blushed profusely and put on his shirt. Amazingly, she didn't look frightened that he was going to be the same as that guard; she looked…impressed. Zuko's stomach held no trace of fat. He trained every day, and it showed. Hating himself, he acted on an impulse and leaned in to kiss her. Katara was shocked, and kissed him back. She hadn't realized how much she had wanted to do this back by the river with the pirates. Zuko's eyes flew open when he felt her kissing him back, and pulled back. Katara thought for a second that she had been a bad kisser, but he just took her into his arms, and pulled her in for another kiss. She enjoyed every minute of it, but there was always the thought that Aang was locked up down in the cells in the back of her mind.

"Katara…" he whispered. Before he could finish, there was a knock on the door, and he hastily dropped her back onto the bed. He opened it to see his uncle, holding a plate of food.

"I'm ashamed of you, Prince Zuko. I understand none of your prisoners have been fed."

"None of them can exactly feed themselves," he replied, pointing at Katara's chains.

"Then I shall have to feed her. There are two more trays, take them to the cells and feed the Avatar and the friends of the Guardians." Zuko started to argue, but his uncle put up a hand and pointed to the trays. Iroh shut the door, and then unlocked Katara's arms.

"I am sorry for my nephew," he said. "I am sure that if he had decided to feed you, he would not even have unchained you. You may take your time, I know he will not unchain the Avatar, and will have to spoon-feed him." Katara almost laughed at the thought of this, but the mention of Aang made her sad. She ate quickly anyway, and pushed the bowl back to Iroh. She held her arms out, and once more was chained to the bed. The prince's uncle left, and a few minutes later Zuko reentered his room.

"I am sorry for not feeding you, Katara," he apologized.

"Yes, but are you also so sorry for not feeding Aang, Caleb, and Blunk?" she shot back.

"Yes," he sighed. "Or at least my uncle will make sure I feel guilty." Katara lightened up a little, and Zuko sat besides her. He pulled her in for a kiss, leaning as far as he could because she was restrained by her chains. It felt so good, but both knew it was wrong. Katara pulled her head back, and Zuko looked up angrily.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't do this, not while Aang's downstairs locked up uncomfortably."

"Yes you can," he replied, almost commanding her. He pulled her back in, and she couldn't resist since he was holding her head. Resignedly, she kissed him back, savoring the moment since she could do nothing about it. He finally let her go, gasping for breath.

"I will be back," he told her and left.

He went above deck, and saw his uncle standing by the railing, conferring with the ship's chef.

"Prince Zuko! Just the person we were looking for!" his uncle said cheerily. "It seems we're running low on supplies! There is a port nearby where we can restock, but we need your permission to change course."

"Fine, Uncle. How far?"

"We should be there by morning." Zuko went to tell the steersman, and then went back to his room for the night. He greeted Katara, and stripped to his waist for bed. He lay down on his bed, waiting for the protests that were sure to come. There weren't any. He turned and kissed her, and her eyes flew open when she realized Zuko's tongue was in her mouth. Katara played with it a bit, and finally pulled back. She leaned forward for another one, and Zuko eagerly complied. He put his arms around her waist, moving them down ever so slightly, until Katara started shaking and pulled away.

"No, Zuko. Not again. Not after that guard…I can't."

"You are my prisoner! I can do what I want with you!" He saw how badly Katara was shaking, and decided not to.

"It's alright, I won't, Katara. I won't. Go to sleep." She turned away from him, and he replaced his arms around her waist, scooting up as close as he could and falling asleep himself.

Prince Zuko awoke to a loud knock at his door. He quickly disentangled himself from Katara and threw on a shirt. In case it was his uncle, he ruffled the blankets of the cot, making it look like he had slept there. The Prince opened the door, and it was indeed his uncle.

"Good morning nephew!" Uncle Iroh said cheerfully. "We have arrived at the port city, so you need to start supervising purchases." Zuko nodded and left.

"They're stopping! Taranee, grab the Firebender uniform!" Irma yelled.

"Remember, find Aang, Caleb, Blunk and Katara and get out of there," Sokka reminded her. Taranee nodded and quickly grabbed the uniform then put it on over her Guardian outfit, adding the mask as the final touch. Appa carefully kept out of sight of Prince Zuko's ship, and landed behind a shop selling fresh vegetables. Taranee flew out from behind the store because the guard's uniform was a little too big, and grabbed a box to load onto the ship. She followed the other guards nervously, always afraid that someone would discover that she wasn't one of them. The Fire Guardian overheard two guards talking about guard duty, and paused.

"What about it?" she asked, disguising her voice.

"We're tired of it," they replied. "Not much to do."

"I'll take it; I'm tired of carrying these boxes in." They quickly agreed to let her go, and she was amazed it had been so easy to find her captured friends. Taranee hurried down to the cells to relieve the previous guard. Once he was gone, she locked the door and pulled off her mask.

"Caleb? Aang? Blunk? Katara?" she asked nervously.

"Taranee!" Aang and Caleb yelled at the same time. She motioned them to be quiet. She came over to them, and counted.

"Wait, that can't be right," she said. "Where's Katara?" Aang hung his head.

"Prince Zuko has her upstairs," he explained. "As leverage. I can't try to escape, or he'll hurt her." Taranee was shocked, but managed to keep her face calm. Thinking on her feet, she asked, "Alright, how long am I supposed to be guarding you?"

"We figure you have about two hours," Caleb said.

"Okay, I'm going to leave you guys and take the key to this door with me. If Prince Zuko or anyone else comes down, say that I fell asleep, alright?" They nodded, and at that moment, Blunk woke up.

"Guardian!" the little pasling yelled, quieting down when everyone turned and glared at him. Taranee quickly put her mask back on and left, locking the door behind her. She went to the kitchen and asked for a tray of food for a prisoner.

"That Waterbender has been moved so much I forget where she is," she said, taking a guess and hoping she was right. "Where do I bring this to?"

"Ever since the incident, Prince Zuko has been keeping her in his room," the chef told her. At that moment, Iroh came in looking for a tray of food for Katara, too.

"I already have one," Taranee told him.

"Good, grab another tray and take it down to the prisoners in the cells." Taranee had no choice but to obey his orders, and took the two trays of food downstairs to her friends. She unlocked the door and went in, bracing herself to tell them what happened. She unlocked Aang's door and his shackles and gave him his food, then did the same with Caleb and Blunk.

"So where is she?" Aang asked as soon as he saw her. "Is she alright? Did you see her? Does she know you're here?"

"I can't get in to see her," Taranee explained. "Ever since the incident, whatever that is, she's been kept in Zuko's room. Apparently only he has the key. I tried to deliver food to her, but this old man told me to take it down here instead. What happened that Katara had to be moved to the Prince's room?"

"One of the guards tried to rape her," Caleb explained, noticing that Aang was getting angry again. "Aang, calm down, or they'll hurt Katara!" Lately, these were the only words that would calm the Avatar's wrath.

"What just happened to you?" the Fire guardian asked, noticing his glowing tattoos.

"My Avatar spirit activated," he explained. "But if I use it, Zuko will hurt Katara for sure."

"Not if we surprise them," Taranee said, pulling out Aang's bison whistle.

"My whistle! I knew that would come in handy!" Speaking quietly, they came up with a plan to rescue Katara. Taranee put the shackles back on Aang's hands, making sure they'd fall off when it was time, and put loose ropes around Caleb and Blunk's wrists. She put back on her mask, and unlocked the door, leading them to Zuko's room. She hated this part of the plan the most, but she had to do it, so she whispered into Aang's ear, "They almost raped Katara." Aang's avatar spirit activated almost immediately, and Taranee was thrown back. Zuko's door didn't stand a chance and blew off, almost hitting him. The prince quickly grabbed Katara and put a knife around her throat, but Aang just blew him away. Taranee melted her chains, and broke the window, and they all jumped out into the water. Aang finally calmed down and grabbed his staff, then flew out after them. The Fire Guardian blew the bison whistle, and Appa arrived on the chaotic scene, dodging arrows and fireballs with relevant ease. Aang carried Katara onto Appa, and Caleb and Blunk climbed up his tail.

"Katara!" Sokka yelled, embracing her in a bone-crushing hug.

"Caleb!" Cornelia said joyfully, kissing him.

"Aang!" Hay Lin shouted, hugging him.

A/N: Woohoo! My lengthiest chapter yet for this story. Now that I read it over I see it's very fluffy, but I like it. Hopefully, you will too. Now scroll down to that little purple button and press review! You know you want to…