Gah...I had 26 uploaded and didn't realize I hadn't put it up until my little sister, known from this point foreward as "Choir VP", saw me saving this chapter and asked if 26 was up yet. (She's the only reader who can reveiw without sending me an actual review via internet.) Anyway, here's chapter 27.
Ty Lee had to restrain Sokka so he didn't kill Zuko for making Katara cry. The Water Tribe warrior was out for Zuko's blood.
Zuko ignored Sokka and headed to his cabin. "Just like I don't know what I thought when I said I love you!" Did Katara really mean that? Once he reached his cabin, Zuko collapsed on the bed. He closed his eyes and fell into a fitful slumber filled with dreams of Katara, crying, repeating that sentence over and over again.
Hours later, Zuko woke up with a gasp. Someone was on top of him, someone larger than Momo or Shi-Shi. "Who the heck is there?"
"Shh, it's me, Zuko," came Katara's whispered reply. Zuko breathed a sigh of relief.
"I thought it was one of those street women of the crew." (Every pirate crew had its perverted people, and mixed crews usually had some men and women like that.) "Look, I'm sorry-" he started to say; Katara's lips covering his stopped him.
"Shh. I'm the one who should be sorry. I miss my mom so much and sometimes forget that there are people who have had a worse loss." Zuko sighed and wrapped his arms around Katara's waist, pulling her off his chest slightly.
"Let's just say we forgive each other and leave it at that?" Katara nodded and snuggled closer to Zuko.
"I didn't mean I don't love you, you know. I do," she murmured. "And did Sokka threaten you?"
"He tried, but Ty Lee stopped him from leaving his cabin," Zuko replied. Katara nodded again.
"You know what my dad always said about fighting? The best part was making up," she whispered. Zuko smiled in the dark.
"In that case…" Zuko pulled Katara's head up to his and kissed her, putting one hand behind her head to bring her closer. Katara moaned softly into the kiss, rubbing Zuko's chest softly.
"You sure know how to make up with someone," she whispered when the broke apart. She wrapped her arms around Zuko. "We need a bigger bed if I'm going to stay here all night." Before Zuko could answer, he felt Katara's breathing slow down; she had fallen asleep. Holding her tighter against him, Zuko soon followed suit.
BAM!
The sound of something hitting something else woke both the sleeping beauties at sunrise. "What the…?" Katara muttered, moving off Zuko. "What was that?" Another boom rocked the ship.
"I don't know, but I know a way to find out." Zuko got up and raced out, Katara is his wake.
Everyone else was out on deck, yelling. "What's going on?" Katara asked a crewmember.
"The Avatar hit that wench's ship with Airbending! They're abandonin' ship! We think." Zuko rushed to the side and looked to his sister's vessel.
About half the crew was in lifeboats, as were Mai and Jun. The remainder of the crewmembers were trying to convince Azula to abandon ship. It wasn't until Aang and all the Waterbenders (Katara included) sent a large wave at them did Azula leave. Everyone started cheering and hugging who was closest. (In Sokka's case, he kissed Ty Lee, who happened to be closest.) Toshi held his hands up and halted the celebration.
"Who wants t'comandeer the Royal Sea Palace?" The crew cried in unison and started heading for the lifeboats. Toph frowned.
"Isn't that illegal?"
"Hun, we're pirates. Our life is illegal," Ash reminded her. "Besides, if we want to get to the Fire Nation discreetly, we're gonna need a Fire Nation ship."
"What better ship than Azula's?" Lakai added. "You guys wanna come check it out while the crew carries any personal belongings over?" The group nodded and allowed themselves to be lowered into the boats. Katara stared at it wide-eyed as they neared it.
"Whoa."
Sokka nodded. "That is one big boat."
"It's a ship, Sokka," Zuko corrected. "I remember hearing plans to build this when I lived in the Fire Nation. There's the captain's quarters, four Royal suites, and the crew cabins, and a huge galley."
"Suites?"
"Suites. Each one has a sleeping cabin, a personal washroom, a meditation chamber, and a sitting cabin. One was for the Fire Lord, one for me, one for Azula, and one for Uncle. In the case of a guest, Uncle and I would share. Azula always got her own cabin," Zuko said. "The captain's quarters are just as lavish, only a little smaller. The crew cabins are supposed to be like the regular cabins on the Mainmast."
Lakai whistled as she steered the boat with her Waterbending. "Whew boy. So, I assuming you guys are claiming the Royal suites?"
Ty Lee nodded. "Yeah! The bed sheets are real silk! I haven't slept on silk in…a year."
Iroh laughed. "Three years." Ty Lee giggled. "I hope it feels as good as I remember."
"If it was Azula's ship," Toph pointed out, "it'll probably be softer." Iroh nodded in agreement.
"True. My niece is a spoiled brat."
"Saying Azula is spoiled is like saying that Chen's 'breakfast' was bad," Zuko and Sokka said in unison. The little boat shook with laughter.
"Silk!" Katara flopped down on the bed and giggled. "You were right, Zuko. Silk is wonderfully soft. And it's soo beautiful."
"Of course it is. I think this was supposed to be my father's suite," replied Zuko. "It has the biggest bed."
"I noticed. Now you can't hog the blankets!" Katara laughed. Zuko nodded but walked over to her. Before she stop him, Zuko had Katara pinned under him. "Get off! You're heavy!"
"Having more than enough blankets for both of us wasn't all I had in mind," he whispered. "Nothing…explicit," he added when he saw Katara's face.
"You're a bad influence on me, y'know?"
"So what?" He leaned down to kiss her when…
A knock sounded at the door. "Hey, youse two! Git out here! Cap'n needs to talk t'ya." Zuko rolled his eyes and got up. Katara giggled and took his hand.
"Come on, it's probably about our plans." Zuko rolled his eyes again.
"Who cares about the plans right now? Just once I'd like to have the whole day to do whatever I want."
"Maybe when we win you can. Come on." Katara pulled Zuko along, ignoring his mutters.
Sure enough, Toshi wanted to elaborate on the plans. By the end of the meeting, they had decided that, should they be stopped, they would pretend (using the Firebenders on the crew and Ty Lee) that Azula had captured Zuko, Iroh, and Aang. If someone wanted to know where Azula was, they would say she was sleeping and not to be disturbed.
"If we see ships in the distance an' they're Fire Nation, we can throw some ropes around Appa to prove Aang's be 'caught'," Lakai said. Aang started to protest, but Toph silenced him.
"Temporarily, unless they want to escort us or somethin'," she assured him. Aang consented.
"Well, then, until we get near the Fire Nation, everyone's dismissed." Toshi ended the meeting; everyone went off to do whatever he or she had been. Zuko went out on deck.
He had never actually been on this ship, he had just seen it and heard the engineers talk nonstop about it. It was bigger and better than he had heard talked about. His only regret was that he was sailing it as a fugitive and friend to the Avatar, not the Fire Prince he once was.
He didn't regret joining Aang, quite the contrary. He just wished he was still the Fire Prince, or under the illusion he was still Fire Prince. Then maybe he could be a little more help to his…friends.
That was really the first time he had ever thought of Aang, Toph, and Sokka as friends. (He thought Katara was much more than "just a friend", and the feeling was definitely mutual. Someone blinder than Toph could figure that out.) But Zuko had never considered the others his friends before. He supposed even Lakai and her husband were friends, seeing how both husband and wife had helped them before they knew them.
He wondered if this feeling, this feeling of belonging, came with having actual friends. If it did, he knew why he would always out of place at the Fire Palace
Warning: The next chapter will have them nearing the Fire Nation. I don't have time to write X-amount of chapters, and that would drag out the story out too long.