Avatar the Last Airbender: Wherever You May Be

A/N: Yo people! So, here's the next installment for the story for everyone who has swing by and checked out the story (even without the reviews, I'm getting about 200 hits/visits a chapter which makes me just as happy as a review!! Not that I don't like reviews, but still, I'm not a constant reviewer myself so I don't get offended or whatnot).

I have to send a 'Hi' out to Goddess of the Dark. Glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks the SDK anime is a total bomb. What about Chrono Crusade? They deviated pretty big in that as well. You get cheated form the kiss you wait the whole series for!

Anyways, read, enjoy, and see you sometime in March.

Wherever You May Be

Chapter 3

~sSSs~

It took her a few times of being conscious to realize something had changed. The cell was colder than before and she was constantly shivering due to the fact she had only her regular clothing to give her warmth. Whoever was holding her captive didn't even give her a blanket to sleep with, making the short periods of wakefulness pass miserably. The third time she was awake she finally realized that even her cell had changed. It was smaller than the other one had been and now consisted of earth walls as well as metal and her bed was placed so that any light that came in through the small window shone on her face.

One time she fought the fog in her head long enough to finally stand on weak legs and shuffle over to the door, nearly falling over when she tripped on a stool hidden in the darkness next to the bed. Peering outside the cell she couldn't see anything more than a large rock face across from her with some wall sconces flickering due to a faint breeze.

Feeling the floor suddenly tip, Katara couldn't stop her slow slide to the ground, blinking at the shadows dancing on the wall before slipping unconscious again, a pain-filled sigh escaping as her head fell forward.

sSs

Chengdu was much larger than Zuko expected it to be.

After thanking Fa again for taking him to the Earth Nation city, Zuko had gone and spent the first day at the docks, trying to find workers who on the ships and stores who would talk to him. No one remembered a girl from the Water Tribe asking about boats going to Ba Sing Se or to anywhere else for that matter. He even talked to the inns along the ports and no one had records of her sleeping there.

That night, he slept in one of the sleaziest inns he had ever seen before, beating anything he and Iroh had dealt with as exiles, and was more than happy to leave at the crack of dawn. Leaving that part of town he worked his way into the market area and spent the day talking with the merchants, hoping that anyone had seen Katara when she had been here.

Glancing up at the darkening skies as night approached Zuko ducked into one last shop, stomping the snow from his shoes before looking up to blink. It appeared to be a pawn shop from the ecletic mix of items on the walls and shelves, though Earth Nation items seemed to dominate the selection he noticed as he made his way deeper into the store. Despite Iroh's love of pawn shops and a good deal, Zuko had always avoided such shops himself during his banishment, at least until that one time with the pirates.

Frowning at a statue of a lion-snake with rubies for eyes, he shook his head in bewilderment before moving deeper into the store, in search of the owner. He passed briefly through the books and scrolls without taking anything in before moving towards a case that appeared to hold jewelry. He was glancing at some pearls for Toph before looking further down the case, a strip of blue cloth catching his attention. Curious he took a step closer only to freeze in surprise. The worn, carved stone attached to blue cloth by a golden clasp was the same one he had held onto as if his life depended on it when he had found it on the destroyed Earth Nation prison, yet rather with its owner as he knew it should be, it was resting amongst other unwanted jewlery.

"Interesting piece, eh?"

Startled, Zuko turned quickly to see an old, hunched over man staring up at him from under large bushy eyebrows, accompanied by an equally bushy beard. Eyes that had once been green were faded, but still sharp, as they looked up the foot separating the two before returning to the case with a short nod. "Not worth much as it's a common stone, but I was told it comes from the Water Tribe. They are a people that keep their items close to them I have heard, so it's a rare piece to get here of all places."

"Why take something so worthless?" Zuko asked slowly, almost unable to tear his gaze from Katara's necklace. She would never trade her only connection to her mother, never.

"It was only an item amongst several. I figured with all the other items they traded it was worth taking as well, simply because of its origin," the man explained casually before frowning. "All of the items were rather common place, but of high quality. The only other odd item was a golden Pai Sho piece."

"A Pai Sho piece?" Zuko asked, feeling panic run through him. There was only one other item Katara would keep on her before her mother's. "Can I see it? Please."

"Of course," the man said and Zuko followed him over to a counter where he pulled out a large metal box and, producing a key from within a sleeve, unlocked it. Opening the box he pulled out the Pai Sho piece and handed it to Zuko. It was identical to the one he had tucked snugly in his own clothing and by that one piece he knew Katara was in trouble. He was the one who had ordered the pieces to be made after the war and it was one of several hundred scattered throughout the world. Katara would have never gotten rid of the piece as it could have gotten her help just about anywhere.

"Interesting that it is made of gold. Wood is the most common for Pai Sho pieces," Zuko commented casually as he sat the piece down on the counter.

"The seller said it had belonged to a set that had been taken during the war," the man explained and Zuko frowned. "I didn't trust him about that, but I bought the piece off of him because of the craftsmanship. It is one of a kind."

"Right. The seller, what did he look like?"

"Hmm…well," the old man murmured, tugging on his beard as he looked to think it over before shrugging. "He was young, probably a few years older than you, but younger than the rest of my usual customers. Scrawny too, from the looks of him. He did buy some warmer clothes from me though. Looked like he was more suited to be in the Fire Nation than this far north."

"There wasn't a girl with him?" Zuko asked, frowning.

"No, he came to the shop alone," the man said slowly before looking up at Zuko, his eyes glinting in the lantern light. "Why you so curious?"

"Those items, the Pai Sho piece and the necklace, belong to a very good friend of mine," Zuko told him honestly. There was no other easy explanation on why he would take such an interest in two different pieces that wouldn't sound fake and he had never excelled at lying. "Those pieces were - are - very precious to her. I couldn't see her without them."

"Oh," the man said. "I usually don't make small talk with people looking for quick trades. If these did belong to the girl, she wasn't with 'em. I did spot the man later though, with some other men. They were very pale, like you, so I figured they were refugees. Now I am not so sure."

"Thank you for your help," Zuko told the man and grabbed his bag. "I will buy those pieces off of you, if I can."

"I'll give 'em to you. If they were stolen I don't want them," the man said but Zuko shook his head and quickly paid the man for the two items. After he retrieved the necklace, Zuko thanked him again before leaving the pawn shop.

His thoughts were distracted as he wove his way through the streets and when he finally took notice of his surroundings he found himself standing outside of a busy tea house. Looking at the sign, he casually passed over the name before turning and stepping inside. It was several degrees warmer than outside and Zuko ordered a cup of tea as he sat at an unoccupied table. There were a dozen other customers gathered around a few other tables and Zuko casually took them in while waiting for his tea.

One man sat alone in a corner and it took a few glances at him to realize the table he sat at was actually a tall Pai Sho table. Quickly rising from his seat, Zuko went and approached the table, bowing low when the old man looked up.

"May I play a game to pass the time?" Zuko asked softly and gently sank into the chair across from the man when he nodded. The waitress appeared with his tea and Zuko quickly bought more for the man across from him who nodded in thanks.

"You seem far from home," the man said as the two laid out the pieces along the wooden board.

"I am traveling, seeing the world," Zuko commented before pulling out Katara's golden Pai Sho piece. "Would you mind if I play my own piece? It brings me good luck."

"Of course," the man said and Zuko laid the piece in the middle of the rest of his pieces. "I see you favor the White Lotus gambit. Not many are left who cling to the ancient ways."

"Those who play can always find a way," Zuko replied softly as the two settled into play. They were silent as they played, to which Zuko was thankful. Despite the years of living and playing with his uncle he had never quite learned the intricacies of the game and if this man had any information he needed to make sure that he played it right.

As the game moved slowly forward he was aware of people coming and leaving the tea shop and that it was late in the night as he finally slid the last piece onto the design. Zuko exhaled softly as he stared at the board, hopping all the training had helped him this time. The lay on the board was a knotwheel, one of the hardest designs to make as it required so many pieces. Not only that, but Zuko had three pieces on the board set in specific locations within the knotwheel that let the man know who he was.

"Welcome, Brother," the man said as he started to slowly collect the pieces. "We have long since closed; please speak freely as to why the great Fire Lord has paid me a visit."

"I am looking for another member of our Brotherhood," Zuko explained as he slowly collected his lotus tile. "She would have passed through here two and a half months ago, a member of the Water Tribe. She would have been wearing this."

The man stared at the necklace Zuko produced before nodding, tucking the collected pieces away. He rose and motioned Zuko to follow him and the two went to the back of the shop where Zuko saw a woman in her later years cleaning up the small prep area. He was well acquainted with the workings of a tea shop and he was surprised when a pang of nostalgia washed over him of the times in Ba Sing Se with his uncle.

"My name is Hun, Lord Zuko," the man introduced himself, bowing. The woman joined him and bowed as well and Zuko returned the gesture. "This is my wife Li Hua. She was serving the night your friend came here."

"The Water Tribe woman?" Li Hua asked as Zuko showed her the necklace again. "Yes, I remember her."

"Did she mention where she was headed?" Zuko asked as Lu Hua went and continued to clean.

"Into the Daiyu Mountains," Li Hua said softly. "She was looking for a guide to take her."

"I heard that they are nearly impassable," Zuko asked. "Was she trying to reach Ba Sing Se quickly?"

"You cannot get to Ba Sing Se through the mountains," Hun told him as he sank into the table in the room. "The one pass that lets you out of the Daiyu Mountains is only open for around two months in the summer. It would have been completely sealed off by the time she entered the mountains."

"That doesn't make sense," Zuko sighed, rubbing his neck. "If she wasn't going to Ba Sing Se, why would she go into the mountains? Is there anything else in there?"

"She may have been trying to find it," Li Hua told him as she joined the two men. Zuko looked up to see the two tea shop owners sharing a look before Li Hua turned to him again. "There are rumors that run through this town that there is village hidden in the Daiyu Mountains. Nobody has ever seen it or knows where it is located, so it is simply a rumor."

"So, there's no clue to where she went," Zuko groaned. He knew Katara could take care of herself in the mountains if she went that way with her bending, but if Ba Sing Se was her destination it still would have been quicker to take a boat along the coast than cut through the mountains. However, if the town did exist - and he knew of too many places that existed when they shouldn't - then that could have been her destination. "If she did plan on going into the mountains, was it possible she found a guide to take her?"

"It would be difficult and rather expensive," Hun told him. "Not many locals would be willing to go out, even two months ago."

Sighing, Zuko stood up from the table, bowing to the couple.

"Thank you for all of your help, it is greatly appreciated," Zuko told the couple. "Can you direct me to the nearest inn? It seems like I will be spending a few more days in Chengdu."

Following their instructions Zuko went to an inn at the end of the street, happily finding the room in better condition than the one he had spent the previous night in. Changing out of his dirty clothes he stretched out on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Katara had been attacked, that much had become clear between the pawn shop and the tea house. However, if she had been attacked it looked like she had also been kidnapped. If a local had been the one to guide her into the mountains, then they hadn't returned either and their disappearance would have been noticed.

"That means she either attempted it by herself, or who ever kidnapped her tricked her into thinking they were a guide," Zuko reasoned to himself before rubbing his face.

"I hate puzzles!"

sSs

Rising with the sun the next day he quickly wrote several missives to be sent around the world then headed out into Chengdu. He bypassed the tea shop, instead going into another restaurant where he had breakfast. He asked his waiter about locating a guide into the Daiyu Mountains, saying he was worried his friend from the Water Tribe might have tried to pass the mountains and he was looking for her, making sure to stress he was looking for someone. He was given an odd look and told no one would be entering the mountains for another six months and that his friend had most likely found another route of travel. Nodding, Zuko quickly ate breakfast then departed, heading to the messenger hawk outpost he had spotted the day before.

Once his missives were sent he wandered through the shops again. He asked every local he came about his searching for a female waterbender and in finding a guide into the mountains to find her, getting the same response but not letting it prevent him from asking. When he returned that night the inn keeper made mention of the futility of his asking, to which Zuko nodded absently as he went up to his room.

The next morning started out the same, but he had his gear with him as he left the inn. He returned to the messenger hawk outpost and sent several more missives to follow those he had sent the day before, knowing he would rather be safe than sorry with his sending of duplicates. The owner was disgruntled when he left, having lost over a dozen birds in two days, well over half of his normal number available. Zuko dismissed the man's grumblings knowing he had paid well for the services and had even dropped a hint of their importance. Upon hearing that several were headed to the palace in the Fire Nation Capital, Ba Sing Se, and the Avatar the man was placated, grinning as Zuko left the shop.

Weaving his way through the new part of town, Zuko repeated his action of the previous day, asking every local about guides into the mountains, always making sure to mention a female waterbender was the goal of his search. By the end of the day he knew his plan was working as several locals had already heard of him and had answers before he could even fully ask the question. At lunch he could hear people laughing at him in the tea shop he ate in, but Zuko ignored them, not actually caring about what they thought of him. All he needed was for them to keep mentioning him until everyone knew what he was looking for.

It was the middle of the afternoon when Zuko headed towards the inn, his breath puffing in the air as the snow fell softly around him. It had been snowing off and on since his arrival so the ground crunched under him as he walked down the street, making sure his hood was up as he shivered. He could hear someone behind him so he slowed his walking, his hands drifting towards his dual swords on his waist as they approached.

"Hey, you the one looking for a guide into the mountains?" someone called and Zuko stopped before turning to face them. It was a group of five men, heavily layered against the cold, the lower half of their faces covered by fabric to fight the cold. Even across the distance separating them he could see how pale they were and the light color of their eyes, something that stood out in Chengdu where most of the locals were of a darker skin and eye color. "People around here saying you're looking for someone."

Zuko glanced at them before plastering a bright smile on his face, trying to picture Sokka's in his mind. His Water Tribe friend always had a grin on his face and it usually made people think he was harmless.

"I am! Can't miss her, really pretty. She's Water Tribe so she's always dressed in blue –makes her eyes sparkle!—and around my age. I heard she had come through here and I'm just trying to track her down."

"She a friend of yours?" one of the men asked, Zuko placing him as one of the inner men.

"Not personally," Zuko commented, reaching up to scratch his hair under his parka. Agni, he was actually having some feeling of respect for the Ember Island player that had played Sokka all those years ago. Being this cheery just felt unnatural. "I was just sent to find her by the man higher up, ya know?"

"And who's that?" another voice asked and Zuko glanced at the one on the far left as the men started towards him. His hand twitched, wanting to grab his broadswords, but he ignored it as he kept the idiot smile on his face.

"Fire Lord Zuko," Zuko boasted, nodding as the men formed a loose half circle in front of him, only a few feet away. He prayed his scar hadn't identified him instantly otherwise he would be pissed about having to act like this.

"Fire Lord Zuko, you say? She must be really important if he's trying to find her, then. She a runaway concubine?" the man on his right said and Zuko resisted the urge to hit the man with a blast of fire.

"She's a friend of the Avatar," Zuko told them and didn't miss the looks sent between them. "So, are you guides? I fear she might have tried to go through the mountains."

"We might be if the price is right," the middle man said and Zuko nodded.

"Name your price and I'm sure I can match it," Zuko said, tensing when he heard more people approaching from behind him. He wanted to turn and see if it was more locals, but at the same time didn't want to turn his back on the men in front of him.

"Looks like we have a deal then," the middle man spoke again and Zuko finally turned when he heard those approaching him come close enough he could hear them breathing. There were five more men and he quickly scanned them, noting the similarities in appearance. A quick glance at their feet also confirmed their affiliation: the Fire Nation shoes unmistakable.

"Friends of yours?" Zuko asked lightly, turning back to the men only to freeze as they either slipped into firebending stances or pulled out weapons until then hidden.

Reaching for his broadswords, he quickly drew them and split the weapon, sliding into a fighting stance. When the first of them attacked he was ready, blocking their attacks and sending them back at their friends. He was constantly moving in a circle, not wanting to leave his back open but knew he was fighting a loosing battle with the odds so against him. Slicing through a fireball suddenly sent his way, Zuko twirled only to swear as he lost his footing in the snow, sending him crashing to the ground.

Uncle always said I never thought things through, Zuko remembered trying to push himself off of the ground only to fall unconscious as he was hit on the back of the head by one of the men.

sSs

Zuko's wake-up call was a rather sudden and uncomfortable meeting with the ground. The snow helped to take some of the impact off the fall, but he still groaned as he rolled over onto his back, his body hurting all over. His neck throbbed where they had hit him and from the pain of his stomach he figured they had draped him over the buffalo-yak next to him when they had taken him from Chengdu. Moving to sit up his head snapped back with an audible crack as a punch caught him on his scarred cheek and he fell back to the ground in surprise, his vision double as he stared up the sky.

"Well, this is a surprise," someone commented and Zuko looked up to see a group of men surrounding him. He recognized the group of men that had attacked him in town but it seemed that they were only a mere fraction of the group. There were at least twenty men close to him, but there was more movement in the background, showing that the group was even larger than that. "A Fire Nation noble this far north is a curious thing indeed."

"He's been asking about that Water Tribe girl you had us pick up," someone muttered and Zuko closed his eyes, struggling to keep his face impassive. He had finally found Katara, or at least found whoever took Katara. "We figured the Avatar went to the Fire Lord to help find his waterbending teacher once they realized she was missing."

"Where is she?" Zuko asked them as he pushed himself up again. "The Fire Lord sent more people after me and the Avatar will be arriving as well."

"The Avatar is too busy to come here," someone scoffed in the crowd and the other men nodded. "We made sure he'll stay nice and tied up for another month or so."

"And we can take anything the Fire Lord throws at us," a younger man boasted behind Zuko. "After all, we use to serve under the Phoenix King."

"So, you are a group of deserters?" Zuko sneered only to wince as someone cuffed him on the head again.

"We are not deserters, noble," an older man growled as he bent down. The heavy coat he was wearing was undone allowing Zuko to see the Fire Nation uniform underneath, however threadbare and worn it was. "We remain loyal to Phoenix King Ozai and Fire Lord Azula. When they return to the throne we will be the first to re-concur the world."

"They have been stripped of all their bending powers forever," Zuko scoffed. "How do you expect them to lead armies, let alone reclaim their lost thrones?"

"What would some low-class noble know?" someone yelled and Zuko struggled as his arms were grabbed and he was hauled to his feet. Before he could brace a soldier stepped forward and punched him in the stomach, knocking the breath out of him. It was the first of what seemed like endless hits and they didn't hold back on where they hit him. By the time the blows stopped he was gasping for air and his vision was double from the head-shots they had taken. He felt blood running down the right side of his face as well; one of the soldiers wore a large ring that had cut him after a rather harsh hit to the temple.

"Take him to a cell. If the Fire Lord sent him to find the waterbender, he must be important."

As four of the soldiers moved him, Zuko struggled to clear his head, knowing he had to act before he ended up in a cell next to Katara and just as useless. They obviously didn't think he was a firebender as his feet and hands weren't secured yet or they weren't worried about him attacking with so many people around, something he planned on using to his advantage once he could see straight again. Keeping his head down he looked around the area with his good eye to figure out just where they were. They were still outside at the moment and he could see the sun sinking behind some of the shorter mountains before they pulled him through a metal door attached to the face of a mountain.

It was almost colder inside the cave despite the hallways that were lined with lit sconces. They came to a split in the corridor and took him down the left side but Zuko could hear more voices coming from the right. It must have been an old Earth Nation stronghold, Zuko figured, to support both barracks and cells. As they moved further away from the fork the ground started to tilt down and the air changed, becoming heavier and smelling faintly of must, water, and something he couldn't identify.

There was something in it, Zuko realized as the guards paused to pull their clothing up to cover their noses, giving him the opening he had been waiting for.

Straightening up from his slumped over position, Zuko stepped and brought his arms together, pulling the two startled guards with him and slamming the two together with enough force they stumbled apart after hitting each other. Grabbing the one to his right, he tossed the man into the guard who had been standing behind them, blocking the fire attack that had been heading towards him and knocking both to the ground at the same time.

The one in front had finally heard the commotion and turned in time to have Zuko's fire attack catch him on the chest, knocking him into the wall. Zuko used the time the guard was trying to rise to knock the man out, a solid punch to the head more than enough to do the trick. Spinning, he kicked out with his left leg, sending another wave at the two who had finally gained their feet again with a kick, sending them both to the ground where they didn't move after falling this time.

Grabbing the one guard left conscious, Zuko held him pinned to the wall while he pulled up his face guard to cover his nose and mouth. His head was swimming from whatever they had in the air - some type of sleep inducer from how heavy his body felt - after only a few minutes of deep breathing. The thought that Katara was somehow exposed to this wasn't a happy thought, so he wasn't gentle with the guard as he slammed him back into the wall and lifted him clear of the ground, see the man's eyes wide in surprise at how quickly the situation had changed.

"Where is the waterbender?" Zuko growled out slowly with barely restrained anger and the man pointed further down the hallway instantly, shaking so hard Zuko could feel it. "Good. You'll show me."

Nodding, the man quickly made his way past his fallen comrades, well aware of the hand holding a large ball of flame following him. Zuko was surprised at how far they went into the fort; by the time the guard finally stopped the temperature had dropped several degrees and there was a thin layer of frost over everything.

"In...in that one," the guard gasped, pulling out a key ring. Zuko grabbed the ring then swiftly hit him on the back of the neck, letting him collapse on the ground in an undignified heap. The third key worked and Zuko cautiously stepped into the cell, only the light from the hallway that it past him shining on the floor.

"Katara?" he called, wondering if she would be awake from the drug or not. When he didn't hear a response, he formed a fire ball to see in the poorly lit space, the light immediately showing him a figure dressed in blue sleeping on the bed.

"Agni," he swore softly as he knelt next to the cot finding Katara curled up in a small ball. Though she was dressed in Water Tribe clothing she was shivering constantly, the thick material not enough to fight this penetrating cold he could feel through his parka. Laying his hand on her cheek he flinched when he felt the ice cold skin and welcomed the rush of anger that raced through him.

She didn't rouse as he tried to wake her up, not even reacting as he put his parka on her to give her some heat. It was a combination of the drug and the fever she had he figured as he went and took the guards parka to replace him before picking up Katara, instantly noting how light she felt.

He made his way quickly back up the tunnel and when he came across the three down guards, he didn't deny himself the pleasure of making sure that they would stay unconscious for a while longer. At the fork, Zuko quickly extinguished the lit sconces on the wall, sending the hallway into darkness and hiding him and Katara from sight should anyone look out from the barracks.

He was surprised to find that the entrance into the fort was unguarded, but when he slipped outside he could see all the men gathered around large fires, more interested in staying warm than their surroundings. Off to the side the buffalo-yaks were tied together in a small corral and he found his bag and broadswords were still tied to one of the saddles, obviously not having been randsanked by them yet. That probably saved his life; if they had found the medallian stashed in there with the Fire Lord crest, they would have known who he was and most likely have killed him immediately. Grabbing his stuff he secured it before pulling one of the buffalo-yaks away from the others and gently laid Katara on it.

He guided them away from the camp as quickly as possbily, looking behind him more than in front just to make sure they wouldn't get spotted, sighing in relief once they had cleared out of the area. Using the stars to help guide him, he headed them back east to where Chengdu should be located. Swinging up onto the buffalo-yak behind Katara, he quickly rearranged her so she would be lying against him to gain the most warmth. He raised her facemask to stop the cold from reaching her, but she remained unresponsive to his actions. What worried him more was the fact that she was sweating despite the cold, meaning she was sicker than he had thought and Zuko prayed to Agni that he could find Katara help before she got worse.

sSSs

Ending A/N: So Zuko finally found Katara, of course! Also, most of you are probably thinking, "That was too easy, wasn't it?" and you're right. But, Katara getting kidnapped was just the catalyst: it allows the story to continue faster without being used up (and you're parents say you don't learn anything reading fanfics!). Anyways, there are a ton of 'Zuko rescues a kidnapped Katara and ends up in trouble' stories, so I just skipped over everything. The whole point was so they ended up where they ended up, which sets up the setting for the next four chapters.

Also, sorry about the delay. This was suppose to be posted last Friday, but I had a killer mid-term to do over the weekend that I worked on until Tuesday, then Tuesday night I got drunk, so I forgot about posting it, so here it is!

Facts: 1) 'Daiyu' means 'death' (I think, I can't find the website I got the translation from...) in Chinese. I figured it fitting for mountains that get closed off for several months of the year and that locals wouldn't want to go into. And 2) Chengdu is an actual town in China.

Does no one know the mistake I made in Hundred? Has anyone read Hundred? Anyone?

Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender belongs to Nichelodeon and its creators. I just play in their world.