Chapter 4: Left Behind Or Lies

Continued…Shouts were heard from the deck and people were scurrying around frantically above them. The sound of their heavy boots clunking was magnified when the sound travelled below deck. Katara and Zuko shot a questioning glance at each other unable to figure out what was going on only metres away from them. Could this be our chance to escape?

Zuko turned to Katara, his amber eyes meeting her cerulean ones and asked seriously, "Katara, if we get off this ship, is it possible for you to take us to shore?"

"Uh, I think I can," she said a little uncertainly.

He nodded in reply and retrieved his pearl dagger from the compartment behind the fire nation flag. Zuko stared intently at its blade and in one swift movement he swiped at the hinges on the door continuously until they became loose.

Before he opened the door he looked back to Katara. "I don't know what's going on out there, but as far as I'm concerned they are all our enemies. So just follow my lead and keep alert!"

Keeping her determined demeanor, Katara nodded. Zuko slid the dagger under the bed and opened the door and it fell inwardly with an amazingly loud crash, but it was drowned out by the fighting that had just commenced on deck and the shouts of distress and anger that were heard.

Zuko began to race upstairs and as he did so he distinctively noticed that pirates had boarded the…his ship and were engaged in combat with Zhao and his men. But to Zuko's dismay the pirates were losing, and to make it worse Zhao had glimpsed his two prisoners escaping.

He began to chase the two teens, following the blue clothing that Katara wore swishing in the wind as they dodged and maneuvered random attacks that were unleashed by either the pirates or fire nation on their enemies. As they were running for their lives, to Zuko's astonishment, Zhao skidded to a halt in front of them, his arms outstrecthed ready to unleash he's deadly power on the two.

Zuko pleaded to Agni that he had retained his bending as he shifted into his offensive stance. Without hesitation he unleashed volleys of fire at Zhao from his fists before he could return one punch. Zhao was caught off guard not expecting Zuko to be able to bend and the blow of the attack sent him flying backwards. Without a backward glance the duo began running again in the opposite direction, anywhere where they could get off the ship and away from Zhao.

Water ascended from the ocean that lay beneath them and that girt the ship as Katara what whipped a few people and continuously sent jets of water behind her at random, not caring who she hit. But in unison Zhao, who was hot on their heels, had sent a fire blast at the two, which enveloped her water jets and hit Zuko's shoulder. He suppressed a scream at the pain in his shoulder and kept running, stumbling with his first few steps.

"You're not getting away from me!" Zhao shouted from behind. "You have nowhere to go! And are you really going to leave your friends behind?" He smirked.

Zuko slowed down a bit but nonetheless kept running. "Zuko," Katara breathed; sadness in her eyes.

"I know," he responded solemnly.

He slowed down even more and motioned for Katara to stand behind him. Zuko grunted and created a wall of fire in front of him, blocking off everyone on the ship from himself and Katara. As he kept the flames of wall burning he asked seriously, "Katara, what do you want to do?"

She pondered her decision and closed her eyes that were shining with more tears. "We'll stay. We don't even know where to go from here." I only hope Aang will get here quickly to save us.

Zuko bowed his head in acknowledgment to her decision and lowered his arms diminishing the wall of fire as he did so. Zhao stared at them, evilness crossing his face as de ja vu struck when two Yu Yan archers hit Zuko and Katara knocking them out cold. Zhao smiled to himself and continued finishing the battle with the pirates.

The morning of Zuko and Katara's disappearance.

The sun's beam showed its face through Sokka's window and shone on his sleeping eyes, which he attempted to keep them closed. He mumbled, "Just five more minutes."

Until there was a loud crash that caused him to jump out of bed a little reluctantly and grab his boomerang, slinging his sheathed machete over his shoulder that clung to his back. There was another crash and he sprinted out of his room heading toward the noise. He got outside and looked around frantically for the cause of the disturbance. He held his boomerang above his head and yelled out a loud war cry when a rock came soaring toward his head.

"You missed me Toph," Aang said triumphantly.

"I wasn't trying to hit you Twinkletoes," she replied with a smirk pointing a finger to something behind him.

Aang turned around to find Sokka slowly standing up rubbing his head where there was a red mark forming. "Hey, what was that for?"

Toph shrugged nonchalantly and replied, "Dunno, felt like it."

Aang laughed at Sokka's expression as he stared at Toph in disbelief. Nonetheless he regained himself and asked, "Hey, where's the meat? I'm starving."

"I don't know, I can't find Sugar Queen or Sparky."

"Wait! Are you saying that my sister and Zuko are missing?!...And that there's no meat?" He questioned waving his arms in the air dramatically.

"Calm down Snoozles, I'm sure they've just gone to collect some fire wood or food or something."

"Or maybe they've gone to practice airbending," Sokka said sarcastically, his eyes wide in annoyance at their being so oblivious.

"Sokka, I'm sure Toph is right. Before you know it they'll be back and you will be eating your meat," Aang told him reassuringly, although upset at Sokka's obsession with meat.

Sokka relaxed slightly and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right." He stretched and yawned. "Well while we're waiting for them to get back I'm going back to bed."

"But Sokka how can you go..." Aang trailed off noticing Sokka had already disappeared back into the house.

Two hours later...

"Ok, now I'm really starting to get worried about Katara," Aang said panicky.

"I knew it! We couldn't trust Zuko!" Sokka exclaimed throwing his arms up in the air in annoyance.

"Well we don't know that for sure. Anything could have happened," Toph said knowingly.

"Oh yeah, maybe a badger mole came along and ate them," Sokka told her sarcastically.

Toph gigled slighty and explained, "Enough with the sarcasm Snoozles! Let's just go and investigate. I know that every morning when the sun has been rising Zuko's gone out to sit on the beach, maybe you should go check there."

Aang and Sokka scouted the beach looking for clues, but to no avail, and just as they were about to give up Sokka called motioning with his hand, "Aang over here!"

Aang ran over to Sokka with the help of his bending and looked at the indentations of the footprints left behind in the sand. Although, there was more than just Zuko's footprints.

"So if that's Zuko's footprints and that's Katara's..." Aang started slowly, indicating to the different footmarks.

"Then those other two sets is definitely someone else's, and my intentions are telling me they aren't good," Sokka finished Aang's sentence grinning with pride at his new found discovery.

They looked at each other with grief stricken faces and ran back to Toph to tell her the news.

The trio discovered ostrich footprints along the rough road where the footprints on the beach had lead them.

"Well to my knowledge of this place and its roads, this one follows right to the other side of the island," Aang said inspecting the footprints.

"So you're saying that we follow the road until we get to the other side?" Sokka questioned.

"Well that depends if they took Katara and Zuko right to the end. So we will take Appa and every now and then go lower to check if we're still following the path."

Sokka and Toph nodded in agreement and they went to saddle up Appa.

After five minutes of getting Appa ready they were in the air, following the rough terrain.

A long, boring and uneventful hour had passed and Aang dipped Appa again to check that they were still following the ostrich horses footprints.

"Need food," Sokka moaned.

"I brought some berries that we can eat," Aang said brightly.

Sokka laid sprawled out on his back in the saddle. "I'm so sick of berries, we need some meat," Sokka whined.

"Well I'm sorry Sokka, but we have more important things at hand than meat!" Aang told him, annoyance in his tone.

Sokka sighed. "Fine, give me some of those berries."

Aang spilt the berries between the three and they ate in silence.

Eventually, they reached the edge of the island where the road came to an abrupt end and stared out over the ocean shielding their eyes from the sun's rays. They jumped off Appa, and Sokka looked where the footprints ended and announced, "Well either they started to swim or they turned around and stayed on the ostrich horses."

Realisation hit Aang, "Wasn't this the place where Zuko docked his ship?"

Toph laughed, "Maybe they had enough of you two and ran away to be together."

They both shot a disapproving look at Toph but she took no notice of their irritated attitude.

"Come on Appa, we need to go find Zuko's ship," Aang told his friend whilst petting him. They jumped back onto Appa and Aang called, "Yip, yip!"

The last half was so irritating to write, I had to change it a few times. I think too much dialogue not enough description..maybe? Well I hope you all liked it! Thank you once again to all my reviewers, I wouldn't have kept this fic going if it weren't for you!
Note: Katara & Zuko distinctively think that the gaang is all on the ship except for Aang as Zhao wanted to capture Aang and they would know about it...Just in case anyone was confused. Review please.