Disclaimer- I need a leprechaun. Anybody got one? Cuz, you know the wishes right? The cloak of invisibility, the flying horse, and the pot of gold. But to wish I owned Avatar, I would need to get rid of one. Which one? The cloak could get me out of geometry (because it's EVIL!) and the flying horse could actually get me to school on time without having to ride the bus and maybe I could sleep at night (because high school is EVIL! And makes you get up at 4:30 in the morning) and with the pot of gold I could… revelation I COULD BUY NICKELODEON, AND THEN I'LL OWN Avatar: The Last Airbender! That's what I'll do! I just need a plane ticket to Ireland and the patience to find a leprechaun. Anybody feel like making a donation?

Chapter 6- Fighting Friends or Foes

Three days passed on Zuko's ship. As they neared land, Katara grew anxious. She was waiting to get off the ship to buy some more ship-friendly clothing, a dress or two and some sleeping clothes. She had been sleeping in her clothes as she had when she traveled with Aang and Sokka, but since Iroh was buying her the outfits, she could afford to get something comfortable. Not that this robe isn't comfortable, she thought before she remembered whose it was.

She stood on the deck watching the strip of land getting slowly closer as the sun climbed higher into the sky, when she remembered she hadn't practiced her waterbending in weeks. Katara drew a stream out of the water and began to bend it around her slim figure. She practiced the water whip and changing its state from liquid to snow and then to mist, back to a liquid and then to ice. Back and forth it went, until a hand grabbed her wrist and turned her around violently.

"What are you doing!" Zuko yelled, making her drop the water onto the deck.

"I'm waterbending, or are you blind?" she demanded as she looked into his golden eyes. Not blind. Definitely not blind. You can't be blind with those eyes. She mentally slapped herself for think of the enemy as having nice eyes.

"I can see that you are waterbending. Why are you doing it on my ship?"

"I need to practice. I can't get better if I don't practice."

"Why bother?" he asked as he dropped her arm and started to stroll towards the other end of the ship. "The fire nation will rule all the land someday and your waterbending won't help anybody," Zuko told her coldly and turned to face her again.

Katara couldn't stand him anymore. She unconsciously balled up her fists and they shook with rage. I'll show him. Even if I lost to him before, I won't lose now.

Before the young prince could react she brought a water whip out of the ocean and flung it at the side of his face where it contacted with his jaw. He glared at her, rubbing his chin, and brought fire to his palms.

Katara brought more water up to knock him over when he threw a barrage of fireballs at her. She used the collected water to make a frozen shield, protecting her from his attack. She took the moment behind the ice to send a wave at Zuko, knocking him over. He stood up and attacked her with just as much energy as ever.

This went on for a few minutes, fire and water, steam and ice, back and forth, neither gaining ground, as soldiers gathered around them to watch from a safe distance, until Iroh came out to break up the fight. He, fully expecting to find two brawling shipmates, was amazed when he entered the circle, to find his nephew fighting the young waterbender.

"STOP!" he bellowed.

Zuko immediately called back his fiery orbs from their path of destruction, but Katara was not so quick, and another, larger water whip hit the boy in the face again, this time giving him a bloody lip and Katara gasped, clapping her hands over her gaping mouth. She hadn't expected to draw blood.

He did not retaliate, only stood there, pressing his hand to his bleeding mouth, although his eyes cast her an evil glare.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"Alright, men! Back to work!" Iroh yelled, hoping to take some of the attention away from the two teenagers.

"I can fix that," Katara whispered and walked towards him as the sailors and warriors dispersed.

"How dare a stupid water wench such as yourself think you can even approach the prince of the fire nation!" Zuko spat spitefully.

"Zuko!" the old mad scolded. "It was an accident. If Katara can heal you, and she is willing to, then you should let her." Iroh was trying to talk some sense into his stubborn nephew. "Swallow your pride for just a moment. No one is here. Just let her help!"

"Please?" Katara asked. The prince sighed and she took that as a defeat. She called up enough water to cover her hand and concentrated on healing him. He took an unsteady step back as her hand began to glow with an unearthly blue. "Don't worry," she coaxed and placed her hand upon his cheek, wiping her thumb across his mouth, taking both blood and injury away from his handsome face. Handsome? Where did that come from?

"I- I'm not worried." He was lying even to himself.

Her hand on his cheek was cool and refreshing, his skin knitting itself back together. It felt so kind and loving that he leaned into her hand before he realized it. She didn't notice for a moment either and they stood there and would still be there until the reached the port if Iroh had not cleared his throat.

"All done?" he asked happily and Katara's eyes took on the size of saucers and Zuko pushed her hand off his face, turned and walked to his room.

"I'm going to meditate." Red-faced, he hurried away, as Katara watched him go, with the same red splash across her cheeks.

Dusk was fast approaching as the ship pulled into port. Iroh led the young girl off the ship towards the shops where they would buy clothing and other oddities that the old man found interesting.

"What is the name of this town?" Katara wondered.

"Cidade da Terra. It's a small earth nation town. We will be here for a few days at most. The men are gathering supplies while you and I can go shopping!" the old man said happily.

"Wonderful! Oh, here's a nice shop!"

The two of the stopped in many different shops but couldn't find exactly what they were looking for. Iroh was always pulling her into trinket shops and they would stay in there until Iroh found more completely useless odds and ends.

Meanwhile, Prince Zuko walked out onto the deck, searching for his uncle. "Uncle! I need to speak to you!" he called. "Where is my uncle?" Zuko asked one of his soldiers.

"He's gone into town with the… uh, prisoner. They've gone shopping."

Zuko growled and headed off his ship, mumbling things like "I should have known" and "shouldn't have brought her" and "what is he thinking" and "he took her shopping." It wasn't a long walk to the town. But it will take forever to find them with all these shops! Zuko thought irritably. He began to wander through the streets, looking in shops through windows, trying to find his dear uncle before he enough trinkets to sink their ship.

"It's a little stuffy in here. I think I'll wait outside." Katara was silently begging to be let out. As kind as Iroh was, this crazy old man was totally obsessed with shopping and was practically suffocating her.

"Alright. I think I will look around for a while longer. I'll meet you outside," Iroh said while examining a little figurine. Katara bounded out of the store and leaned against the wall, and watched the sun begin.

"Hey there, cutie." Next door to the shop was tavern, and this man was obviously drunk as he stumbled out and wobbled over to her. "What are you doing out here all by yourself? You should have an escort and I will happily escort you home."

"I-I don't live around here." She was getting nervous. His breath smelled of alcohol and she was afraid he would get violent soon. She just had to be wearing this skimpy little robe of Zuko's!

"I don't care, as long as you get home. How about my home? I'd take good care of you there." His words slurred and she could smell the alcohol roll off his breath.

Now Katara was becoming scared. Water! Water! Water! Doesn't this town have any water? Katara began to slowly back away as she searched for some source of liquid she could bend to protect herself. We shouldn't have come out so close to dark. Why couldn't Iroh have waited until tomorrow? Most people had gone home by this time, although a majority of the shops were still open. He kept advancing on her as she reached the corner of the street and she was about to run around the corner when a hand shot out and grabbed her arm from behind.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Zuko!" Katara ran around beside him, using his arm as protection from the drunk.

"What are you doing out here by yourself?" Doesn't anyone know how to treat a prisoner?

"Iroh's inside that shop over there," feeling more secure with him around. Where did that come from? What is going on with me? "I was going to wait outside for him and this man came over and began bothering me and I can't find any water."

"Have you been bothering her?" Zuko asked gruffly turning his attention to the man.

"No. I was just offering to take this young lady home," he said.

"Yeah! Yours!" Katara yelled before shrinking back behind Zuko again.

"She was askin' for it!" he hiccuped. "Girls shouldn't go around wearin' sexy little dresses if they don't want anybody lookin'! And why do you care? You have no claim on her!" the man argued.

"She's my… uh, girlfriend." Zuko was tempted to say prisoner but thought a girlfriend was more believable.

"Well, do you think I could borrow her for the night?" the drunk asked slyly.

Zuko fought to keep his glowing fists under control. "I suggest you go home now or you will regret it in the morning," he ordered in his princely voice and pointed one hand past the man's ear.

"Who do you think you are, a firebender or something?" the man scoffed.

Zuko lit the hand next to the drunk's face. "Yes. I do believe I am a firebender. Now leave." Had the man's eyes been opened any wider, they would have popped out of his head. He turned tail and ran as fast as his drunken body could carry him.

Katara, who had been silent until now, not caring what Zuko said, as long as it made the man go away, now spoke up. "Thank you, Zuko. That was very kind of you. But don't ever call me your girlfriend ever again," she threatened.

"Just get back to Iroh and don't leave his side again until you have found more appropriate attire," he said in a tired voice.

Katara turned to go back inside, but was surprised when Zuko followed. Zuko caught her confused look and said, "No one treats you like a prisoner. I'm coming to make sure at least one person does." Yes, that's why I'm following her. It has nothing to do with me caring for her well being. Or wanting to protect her. I want to make sure she is treated like the prisoner she is. Right?

Iroh searched the shops until they closed at sundown with Katara following obediently behind him and his dear nephew after her to "keep her in check." As the last shop retired for the night, Iroh led the way back to the ship with an extra officer carrying his newly acquired treasureswith the teenagers in tow.

"Thank you again. I probably couldn't have outrun him for very long. My side still hurts quite a bit," Katara said quietly once the old man walked himself out of earshot.

"Why did Uncle even let you out of his sight? I told him to bring a guard along," Zuko asked, annoyed.

"It's not his fault," she defended.

Zuko sighed. "I guess not. But next time be more careful."

"Why should I?" she asked playfully.

This question caught Zuko off-guard. Again! She did it again! How does she do that? "Because… because you are my bait for the Avatar," he explained after a moment's thought and he pushed her forward. "Come on. Uncle will probably leave without us if we take much longer."

If only I couldn't find the problem with that.

Yeah baby! Now I bet you're all wondering who thought that last part! (At least you should be thinking that.) Wouldn't you like to know! And here's a little tidbit of information I thought you might like to know- Cidade da Terra means earth city in Portuguese! I couldn't find anything in Chinese so you will just have to make due! And you knew they were going fight. They just had to. And then Zuko comes to the rescue! Yay!

I am trying really REALLY hard at getting more Iroh and Zuko conversations. It's just really hard!

But, I have noticed that this story might be moving a little quickly. But that's just me. What do I know? Could someone out there just pop in, gimme a lil review, and correct me if I'm wrong? Or right? Or just say "hi, nice story?" I quite enjoy that!