Thanks for the comments! I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's a lot more interesting…but remember that it was written before TBR ;)
Chapter Three Return to Ember Island
"Will it be easy to find?" Katara asked Zuko from the front of the saddle, trying to forget their conversation last night.
"Huh?" Zuko sat up and looked at Katara.
"I asked if it would be easy to find!" she snapped at him.
"Well…" Zuko looked away, debating whether or not he should lie to her. "Maybe."
Katara glared at him. "Maybe? What do you mean, maybe?"
"That's it. Maybe. If only this bison would hurry up…"
"First of all, 'this bison' has a name. Appa. Ah-puh. And he's going as fast as he can."
Zuko groaned and looked down at the water. When he left home on the day of the eclipse, he hadn't really planned on returning to the Fire Nation until the next, and hopefully final, invasion. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of any other places to find the plant they needed…
"There it is," he said, pointing at the large island in the distance. Even though it was still far away, Zuko recognized it instantly.
Katara stood up. "I need you to take Appa's reins."
Zuko panicked. "What?"
"I need to make us a cloud covering, and you need to keep Appa steady so we don't get spotted."
Zuko unwillingly got up and trudged to the front and tried to do what Katara told him to. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Katara surrounded them with a cloud. He could barely make out the island through the covering, but somehow, he felt more at ease, knowing nobody would be able to see them.
"Okay," Katara took the reins as he carefully crawled to the back of the saddle; slightly nervous of the fact that Katara could easily push him off at any time.
"Go to the back side of the island. There's a secret cove on the beach where we can stay."
Katara carefully guided Appa- as well as keeping the cloud surrounding them steady- and they finally landed. The ocean mist splashed them with surprising force.
Katara looked around, but couldn't locate the cove. "Where is it?" she yelled over the crashing waves.
"It's under the beach!"
"Under the beach?" Katara asked in disbelief. Zuko nodded, so she bended a path through the water and lead Appa through the funnel.
Indeed there was a secret cove under the island's north beach. There wasn't anything in there as far as Katara could see, except for sand, but at least it was big enough to hold Appa.
As soon as Appa was completely inside the cove, she sealed the entrance and looked at Zuko. He was trying to start a small campfire from dried ocean debris.
"How did you know about this place?" Katara finally managed to ask.
Zuko didn't look up. "I…used to come here."
"Not the island, this place. You couldn't possibly have gotten here by swimming…"
"A lot of things are possible when you're trying to get away from Azula," Zuko muttered under his breath.
"So, where are we going to find these plants?" Katara asked, trying to change the subject.
Zuko stiffened at the idea. "Oh…well uh…why don't we wait until tomorrow?"
"I didn't ask when, I asked where are we going to find them?" Katara snapped.
Zuko's eyes widened in the firelight. "Well…we have to go to the main side of the island…"
Katara reached in her bag and pulled out her old Fire Nation clothes. "Well, we shouldn't have a problem, then."
"Uh, sure…" Zuko bit his lip, remembering his last visit to Ember Island. He doubted he could get by unnoticed after that incident…
xXxXxXxXx
"Okay, just follow me." Zuko crept past an older looking home and looked towards the island's main beach. There were several people on the sand, but nobody noticed Katara and Zuko hiding behind a large pillar.
"The place is up there," he pointed to a shabby-looking bungalow on the hill, overlooking the sand.
Katara looked up. "That's it? It's someone's home!"
"Not exactly…there shouldn't be anyone here. They left at least a month ago."
"How do I know if this is all a trap?" Katara asked suspiciously.
"It's not!"
Katara rolled her eyes, but continued forward; reminding herself that she was doing this for Aang. She would put up with Zuko for Aang...oh, and Sokka and Teo, too.
Even with Fire Nation clothes on, she didn't feel as safe as she did before the first invasion. Before, the Fire Nation hardly knew who she was; now, it was like she was a wanted criminal.
"Here," Zuko whispered as he climbed up to the balcony. He tentatively started to offer his hand to help Katara up, but she promptly ignored it and climbed up by herself.
"I thought you said we were looking for a plant."
"We are," Zuko hissed angrily as he tried to pry open the door. "It doesn't actually grow here."
"So it's not here?"
Zuko pulled out his swords and slashed open the door. "It's here. It's hidden, though."
They quietly walked into the main room; it was all too familiar for Zuko…
"What exactly are we looking for?"
"They're in a black box."
However, Zuko couldn't remember what it really looked like. It had been years since he had actually seen it…
"Mom? What's in there?" Zuko asked, pointing to a black leather box that had the Fire Nation's symbol printed in gold.
Ursa's eyes widened as she looked up. "Zuko, don't touch that. It's not yours."
"But what's in it?"
Ursa sighed. "Sapphire lilies."
"That's it? Why would Li and Lo keep some flowers in a fancy box? What's the big deal?"
Ty Lee, who had been playing with- or rather jabbing- her dolls in the corner, looked up. "Sapphire lilies save you from dying if you get sick and your chi gets really messed up."
Zuko snorted. "You can't be serious…"
"She's right," Ursa stated calmly.
"But how to they stay alive in there? Don't they need to be planted?"
"These are special lilies Zuko; most of these flowers are extinct, and they don't wither away like other flowers until they're used to treat someone's sickness. They give life."
Behind them, Azula laughed.
"Mom, you don't need to lie to Zuko," she looked at Zuko. "You can't possibly believe in 'magic lilies' can you?"
Ursa frowned upon her daughter. "Actually Azula, I wasn't lying to him…"
Azula wasn't listening anymore; instead, she had stolen one of Ty Lee's dolls and was threatening to burn it.
Ursa immediately got up and disciplined her daughter; leaving Zuko alone to wonder about the mysterious lilies…
"Is this it?" Katara's voice brought Zuko back to reality. She was holding up a small black box, the same one Zuko saw all those years ago…
Zuko nodded, and took the box from her. It had the strangest patterns on it, and there wasn't a lock on it.
"It can't be opened by a key," Katara commented. "How do we open it?"
"Firebending," Zuko whispered.
"Don't be ridiculous, that will just burn them; if there are plants in there anyways," she looked at Zuko skeptically. "What is really in there?"
Zuko pressed his hand on the Fire Nation symbol and before Katara could stop him, he lightly released a small flame.
"Sapphire lilies," he said as the box unlocked.
How was it? I really should mention that "Sapphire Lilies" are different than the lilies from "The Puppetmaster" (just clearing that up for you). I hope you enjoyed it! Next chapter will be pretty interesting, so stay tuned!