A.N.: Wellp, here's Chapter six! I'm proud to announce that PetertheChameleon, a long-time reviewer of this story has agreed to Beta read for me! That means chapters from now on will likely be easier to read, Grammatically Pristine, and just all around better. I'd like to thank him for the hard work he put into this chapter and for future ones as well!

Chapter Six: Plans and Trust

The third night in the prison for Zhi and the first night for Suki, with someone to talk to, had passed slowly. During the day both captives had told each other stories of their escapades; Suki told Zhi of the many interesting and sometimes frightening encounters she'd had with different refugees at the Ferry landing. Zhi related tales of different battles he'd participated in, from fierce house-to-house urban warfare to quietly trying to flank the enemy in a dense forest at night.

Eventually the serving guard returned. Despite the young soldier's best efforts, he was unable to get the guard to speak.

As soon as the guard had left, Suki made it clear that she would accept no more food for the day, from her neighbor, based on the claim that if he starved then she'd have no one to talk to. Zhi sighed dramatically and emphasized Suki's use of the phrase "for the day."

After eating they decided that it was getting late and wished each other a good night. Suki curled up under the cloak and Zhi lay on his back as before, his left hand beneath the back of his head to keep the bump, from his impact with the statue, from hitting the floor.

Both captives looked forward to the morning so that they might learn more about the other, and because of this, the night seemed to drag on. But once they had both fallen asleep, the morning arrived shortly.

Before she drifted off, Suki had thought back to Zhi's outburst. He'd, albeit indirectly, insulted Sokka, sort of, the young woman thought. She found it difficult deciding just how to react to what he'd said. Do I agree with him? How did he even… why did he say that? I may have just met him, but… he doesn't, or didn't, seem like one who would be so… abrupt.

Sokka's no fool. He still… he still cares about me… right? Suki pushed the thoughts from her mind, pulled the cloak tighter around herself and closed her eyes; she was soon asleep.

On the other side of the bars Zhi had tried to sleep, but his mind kept going over everything that had happened that day. He thought about his family, as well. How long until word gets back home and they send my family that K.I.A. letter everyone fears? They'll be devastated….

Zhi tried to think of other things, as imagining his family mourning him was not pleasant in the least. He soon remembered his "comment" from earlier that day. Why did I say that? That was rude… I shouldn't have said that. Well… maybe. That guy would haffta be a fool. She is really interesting and…

The young soldier grunted and shut his eyes, trying to imagine a blank white wall to silence his thoughts. Within the hour, he, too, was asleep.

The next thing Zhi was aware of, as he awoke, was the familiar hand shaking his right foot. The Fire Nation soldier smiled, opened his eyes, and sat up to face his neighbor. "Good morning Miss Suki."

"Didn't want you to sleep all day and miss your chance to yell at the guard… and what's all this 'Miss Suki' business?" she asked, furrowing her brow.

"Oh, I dunno… just trying to be polite," said Zhi with a shrug. "Thank you for waking me. I wouldn't want to miss out on hearing that Earthy's voice."

"You still haven't given me a very good expla…" Suki was cut off by the creak of the cell block door. They both turned in unison and looked toward the source of the sound; there was the guard, trudging up the cell block, their food in his hands.

As the guard got closer they could make out a scowl upon his face. Suki quickly looked over to Zhi. He was grinning menacingly at the approaching guard. The guard grimaced as he caught sight of Zhi sitting at the ready, in front of the tray slot. He delivered Suki's food, shoving it indifferently through the slot with his foot before carefully approaching the cell occupied by the young soldier.

Zhi leapt to his feet, eyeing the guard with contempt. "There you are, Earthy! It's about time you showed up," he said, venomously.

With a quick motion the guard bent down and shoved Zhi's tray through the slot. He stood back up and gave the young Polearmsman a cold stare; the two were nearly the same height with Zhi only a bit shorter.

"Don't you dare say a word, Fire Scum. Or so help me, I'll dump your food on the ground from now on!" spat the guard, snarling at him.

Zhi bowed, stepping back from the bars, and, in a sarcastic tone, said, "As you wish, honorable Dai Li man."

Suki watched the guard threaten Zhi. It was barely noticeable but she could see him turn his head slightly and give her a sly smile as he bowed. The guard nodded a bit, his face still scrunched up in a scowl. He then turned and briskly walked away, slamming the iron door behind him, as always.

Zhi stood before the bars for a short while. "Don't you dare say a word, Fire Scum. Or so help me, I'll dump your food on the ground from now on!" he said, mimicking the guards voice; a quite accurate imitation.

"You wanted to learn to mimic him?" asked Suki.

"Yep," He had a satisfied look, "that is exactly what I wanted to do." Zhi sat down and placed his tray on the floor in front of him. However, he didn't look down at the food; instead, he looked right into his neighbor's eyes.

"Miss Suki, how would you like to get out of this prison?" he asked with a grin.

"What do you think?" replied the young warrioress, giving him a funny look.

"I mean it! I think I've got an idea. I mean… part of one, anyway. What do you say?"

"Well, of course I want to get out of here!" she said, raising her voice a bit. "I'm just not… sure."

The young soldier in the other cell gave her a curious look. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean, Miss Suki."

She hesitated before speaking. "Well… you said you only had part of the plan. What about the rest of it? And what happens once we get out?"

Zhi seemed taken aback by her rapid questions and tone. What if this is a trick? She thought, That's possible. He could just be trying to use me to escape and after we're out… then what? He lets the Dai Li know where I am and then runs off? No. Would he do that? No… he's been more than kind to me… maybe too kind.

"I… I'll come up with the rest, and after we're out we could… escape into the city, of course, then…" said Zhi, in a less than confident tone.

"Then what? You don't know, do you? Or maybe you do." snapped Suki, tugging the cloak tightly around herself.

Zhi sat and looked over at her, with a mixture of confusion and defeat. "What did I do? You don't think I can come up with something? You… don't trust me any?" asked the young soldier, trying to make sense of his neighbor's reaction.

Suki gave a small sigh. "Zhi… how long have I known you?" she asked with a softer tone.

"Two days, but…" replied Zhi, his voice trailing off.

She gave him a slow nod. I shouldn't take any chances, even if that means hurting his feelings.

"I understand," said Zhi, dejectedly. The Fire Nation boy sat cross-legged, his back bent over and rested his chin in his left hand, left elbow resting on the ground. Suki could clearly see how her words had affected him. She had known what would happen, but that didn't make it any easier.

She tried to think of something to say, but he'd turned to face the torch on the wall outside his cell. The young warrioress shook her head slowly. Was that the right thing to do? I don't know. If he was really going to… trick me, would he look that upset?

Zhi sighed to himself. He'd thought that she was beginning to trust him; he'd believed things were working out. Just yesterday, things were so… nice. Why… what did I do wrong? I mean… I guess she's right, two days isn't that long. I just wish… he shut his eyes for a moment, lost in thought.

The hours passed slowly for the two prisoners; it seemed as if the silence and tension of the first day had returned to haunt them. Suki gave her neighbor a quick look. He was still sitting there, his large gray eyes peering out beyond the bars of his cell, seemingly beyond the iron wall.

Should I trust him? If we work together we might actually be able to get away. I could get out of here, out of the city, maybe… I could track down Sokka, she thought, weighing the consequences. I know he wants me to trust him, that's clear and obvious. I have yet to feel that he's lying, but… a trick is still possible, right?

Zhi tried desperately to put his thoughts elsewhere. The disappointment he felt, just when things seemed to have been going so well, was disheartening. Eventually a strange little memory from months before crept into his mind, softening the feelings that plagued him.

Suki was still stewing in her conflicted feelings when the humming caught her attention. She turned slowly to face the source of the sound. The humming was coming from her neighbor; she could just barely make out the tune. He's humming some little song?

"Something… hmmmm… secret tunnel, secret tunnel…" Zhi half-hummed, half-sung the repetitive tune.

"Zhi?" asked the young warrioress, softly. "Zhi?" she said again raising her voice. He finally heard her and turned his head, looking over his shoulder.

"Mmhm?" he replied. His gray eyes still seemed to posses a mournful quality.

"What're you singing?" Suki asked, trying to reinitiate their conversations from before.

"Oh," said Zhi, thinking a moment, "well… it's just part of some silly song. All I remember is the chorus." He sounded uninterested.

Doesn't seem like he really wants to talk to me, thought Suki, frowning a bit, I suppose he has a right to feel that way, though. She decided to try another approach with her neighbor. "Zhi, please tell me where you heard that song. I'd like to hear a story," she said, trying to entice the boy. She knew by now how much he enjoyed telling tales.

"You really want to hear about it? It's nothing special," said Zhi, turning slowly to face Suki.

"I asked, didn't I?" she replied.

"Okay," said the young soldier, lacking enthusiasm. "It was a couple of months before we were sent here to Ba Sing Se. We were in a small town on the Hu River, that's southwest of here." Suki nodded, urging Zhi to continue with his story.

"Anyway… I was with two other soldiers from my unit on a patrol through the town's eastern marketplace. We passed this group of…" he paused, trying to come up with the right words, "I guess you could call them nomads. There were… five of them."

"Were they musicians? Or street performers?" asked the young warrioress, with an interested look.

Zhi paused for a moment, thinking. "They were… hmm, that's tough. They weren't really performing for anyone in particular. They were just sort of… there."

"Anyhow, their leader, if they were even led… yeah, I think he was the leader, he had one of those pipa string instruments, and he'd play and sing and the other nomads would dance or… I think one had a drum but I can't remember," said Zhi, relating his tale in a slightly more lively tone.

"Oh, I see. So you picked the song up from them, huh?" asked the girl, nodding him on.

"Yup," replied Zhi, returning the nod. "They sure were an odd bunch, gave us all flowered leis… I think I've still got mine… put it between the pages of one of my books. You know, flatten out the flowers until they dry out and such?"

"I don't think I've ever done that, to be honest," replied Suki, giving her neighbor a curious look.

Zhi shrugged a bit. "I have this bad habit of keeping things and not getting rid of them. For the longest time I kept this little flute that I'd found in a bombed out building."

The young soldier went on to describe the flute and how he'd eventually given it to a scruffy looking Earth Kingdom boy; a refugee who'd been moving with his family farther north. Suki had to smile at him. Looks like I've got the old talkative Zhi back.

Eventually the conversation drifted back to the nomads from before and Zhi had told her how they had asked about his uniform, wondering if it was uncomfortable to wear. He'd told them no and tried to explain how well made the uniforms and armor were, but they had insisted that it limited one's individuality, likening the situation to a small bird trapped in a cage that longed to fly freely.

Zhi explained how he'd eventually given up and bidden them farewell before continuing on with his fellow soldiers. Suki knew the feeling; she'd had her fair share of encounters with odd people, too, since leaving her home.

The young soldier soon thought of something to ask. "Could you tell me about your home, Miss Suki? I know you said you lived on an island but I'm interested in hearing more if you're willing to tell me."

"I suppose I could describe it some for you, if you like," replied Suki, changing her seated position to be more comfortable.

"I certainly would like that," he said, and before she knew it, Zhi was sitting right by the bars waiting for her to share with him tales of her home island.

She explained how the island was created and how it earned its name. She described the climate, the people and their town. Zhi seemed fascinated, especially when Suki mentioned the regular snow that the island received. Zhi had never seen snow, at least not close up, and he'd pressed the young warrioress with questions regarding the alien atmospheric phenomenon.

Suki went on to explain the island's major export, the Elephant Koi, as well as the fish's natural predator, the Unagi. He had never seen an eel-like sea monster before but he was more than willing to share with Suki tales of large carnivorous whales that lived off the coast of his home city back in the Fire Nation.

The captives' conversation had shifted away from sea monsters and back to Kyoshi Island. Suki described the island's natural beauty, her eyes taking on a quality of longing as she spoke of her home. Zhi had stated that he hoped to see the island someday, then quickly added that he meant a peaceful visit.

Eventually, Zhi remembered their previous conversation. "I'm curious," he said, leaning forward a bit. "Why did you ask about that song? Just trying to get me talking again or something?"

"I… wanted to know, really. I think I may have heard that song somewhere myself, once," Suki said, folding her arms over her chest. I also didn't want him to feel so down, she thought to herself.

Zhi smirked and sat back. "Okay, just wondering." There was a pause before Zhi spoke again, softly. "Miss Suki, I understand if you don't trust me, considering my nationality, you probably shouldn't. But… I doubt either of us are going to escape this place without the help of the other. Besides if I got out, I'd let you out too," he said, matter-of-factly.

Suki sighed softly. "I never said that. It's just… well, you can't exactly go about escaping with your arm in that sling," she said, pointing at Zhi's arm. "You'll need to wait a few more days until that heals." Her words were followed by yet another pause and she could see that the young soldier in the next cell was deep in thought.

"You know… that is a really, really good point," replied Zhi, seemingly pleased to be defeated. Suki sat back, rather relieved that another tense moment had been avoided. "Miss Suki, there's something I'd like to do right now. Could you please come a bit closer and bow your head in front of the bars here?" asked the young soldier before scooting over to the bars that separated their cells.

"Why? What are you going to do?" she asked, a bit worried at his request.

"You'll have to wait and see, but I promise I won't harm you… I just want to show you that I trust you," he said, with certainty.

"I don't know…" replied Suki, becoming noticeably nervous.

"Please? Have I ever done anything to harm you?"

"Well… no," she said, still uncertain.

"Come on over here," said Zhi, making a motion with his head, beckoning her over. "I swear I won't harm you. I wouldn't dream of it." Suki reluctantly made her way over to the bars and bowed her head as Zhi had asked.

If she looked up, she could still see most of the young soldier in front of her, but she was only able to see up to his arm in its sling. What exactly he was doing she could not say. The next thing she knew, something had been looped over her head and around her neck.

She jerked backwards and away from the bars, soon out of his range. When she looked up at him, he seemed just as surprised by her action as she'd been of his. Suki soon became aware that the object was still around her neck and immediately raised her hand to discover what it was.

She took hold of the thin golden chain and followed it down. "Your… necklace?" she said, peering down at the flame pendant she now held in her hand. Suki looked up from the pendant and over at her neighbor, a bit shocked.

Zhi was smiling nervously. "I can't think of any better way to tell you that I trust you than to let you hold onto the most valuable possession I own, at least until we get out of here and such…" said the Fire Nation soldier sheepishly.

"I… well, are you sure you want to do this?" asked Suki, the pendant still clasped in her hand.

Zhi gave her a nod. "I'm absolutely sure. I know you'll keep it safe… won't you?" he asked, still seeming a bit nervous.

She ran her thumb over the golden flame-shaped piece of jewelry; the pendant seemed warm to the touch. Whether this was due to hanging around her neighbor's neck or caused by some strange Fire Nation heat source, Suki could not say.

"Of course, Zhi. I won't let anything happen to your necklace. I appreciate that you feel it's safe with me," she said, in a reassuring tone. She watched as Zhi sat back and relaxed a bit, a smile upon his face. I can't say I exactly like wearing this thing… but I understand what he's trying to express. He's odd, but he's nice too.

"Hey Zhi?" asked Suki. "Do you really think we can get out of here?"

The Fire Nation soldier did not hesitate to answer. "I know we can."

"You mean, once you've got the rest of your plan worked out, yeah?" she asked with a smirk.

Zhi chuckled softly. "Yeah, once it's all worked out," he said with a grin, the faint color rising in his cheeks.

A.N.: I hope, as always, everyone who read this chapter enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think.

Chapter Seven in nearing completion though I'm having a tid bit of trouble with it so I can't give an exact date that it will be up.