Disclaimer: Pilar: Who hasn't done this in a while?
Aang: I haven't!
Pilar: I'll go with Katara (Katara cheers and Aang cries)
Katara: Pilar does not own the Avatar!
Pilar: What the hell was that? It sounded like a cheerleader. Anyway, someone reviewed me and asked why some of my chapters are shorter than my disclaimer.
Sokka: Why?
Pilar: Shut up! I don't have to answer to you!
Zuko: Why?
Pilar: Well Zuko, I like writing the head and foot notes. It makes me feel like I'm the director, and you guys are the actors getting ready. It's like a story from behind the scenes.
Iroh: You should shut up and get to the story, yo
Pilar: Fine! Now, on with the story!
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Three figures appeared from the darkness. The sun had long settled, and the chill in the night air had come quickly.
Iroh had his hands tied up behind his back. Two pirates (Katara and Sokka in disguise were leading him) to the pirate ship. Zuko and Aang on the other hand followed them in the shadows. Aang followed Zuko, copying his agile ninja movements in the trees.
Zuko and Aang had been left out of going under cover due to Zuko's unmistakable scar, and Aangs bald head with tattoo arrows. The two of them shared a brief silent grief. No matter where they went, they could hide who they are. Zuko and Aang watched Katara, Sokka and Iroh walk to the ship at a safe distance.
"You think this is a good idea?" Zuko whispered. The plan was that Iroh would hopefully find Ping and Zuko and Aang would help them break out.
"Don't worry, they'll be fine," Aang reassured, and the two of them waited for their plan to unfold.
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"How can you look so calm, especially when we have you tied up!" Sokka criticized. Sokka took one of the Earth Kingdom pirate's clothes. He had an eye patch over his left eye, and let his hair down.
"Sometimes, you just need to enjoy things." Iroh replied calmly. He had taught Zuko, that keeping a level head no matter what, was a good sign of a great leader. Being able to act was also another sign of a great politician.
"You sound too much like Aang." Katara whispered. She was only left with the Fire Nation pirate clothes, because it was the only one that seemed to fit her. She made her braid into a bun, and wrapped a bandana around her head, covering the bun. She smiled at the memory of the tree pirates, two of them striped to nothing but socks and underwear, roped to a tree.
They continued walking in silence, until they reached the pirate boat. Katara stiffened, hoping her brother's plan would work.
"Hey! We've been waiting for you! Where have you been?" A pirate dressed in green demanded, his long brown hair swung wildly behind him.
Sokka spoke first, lowering his voice. "They got away, but we were able to capture one of them," Sokka shoved Iroh in front of him. Iroh put on a sad, hopeless face.
"We were asked to take care of the Avatar and the Prince," the pirate yelled. "You know, the one with the arrow on his head, and the teenage brat that has that ugly scar on the left side of his face!" The green pirate was gesturing wildly. "Well, I guess he might make good bait…"
"Hey, I wouldn't count on that selfish brat Prince to rescue you!" a chubby pirate yelled out. "He's probably out in the ocean now, doing whatever he does!" The pirates laughed with him. Iroh growled on the inside, but then hoped that Zuko wasn't listening. Zuko might blow their whole plan with his short temper.
"Bring him this way!" and Katara, Sokka and Iroh obediently followed the green pirate, boarding the wooden ship.
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Zuko signaled to Aang. It was time to move. Zuko silently moved from the trees onto the ground. He had left his armor in a hiding place. It felt funny without his protection. Zuko sprinted for the barrels that were on the side of the ship. Aang did the same in pursuit.
"So what-" Aang started to ask, but Zuko cut him off with a hush. He spotted a tall thin pirate, with dao swords. Zuko eyed them, and whispered to Aang. "Stay here,"
Before the pirate even boarded the ship, Zuko attacked silently. He stifled the man's scream with his hand, and he hit his temple, and his solar plex. The man fell silently to the ground, losing conscious. Zuko stole the pirate's two daos and retreated back to Aang.
"What are you doing?" Aang whispered wildly.
"We take out those five pirates in the front quickly and quietly, do you understand?" Zuko ordered. Aang nodded, and they attacked.
From the shadows, Zuko attacked a pirate by slitting the throat of one of the men. He made sure that he wasn't cutting too deep, or the jugular artery. Blood dripped from the dao sword. The second pirate started to protest when Aang shot an air ball at him, knocking him into the sea with a splash. Zuko slashed the knife out of one of the remaining pirates' hands. He gave a low sweep, and they fell to the ground. Then quickly, Zuko and Aang entered the boat.
They kept dodging between corners, and shadows. Zuko knew that they would have to be quick, because it wouldn't be too long before they find the unconscious pirates. Zuko noticed a door being guarded by two pirates. Zuko grabbed Aang and they peeked around the corner at the guarded door. Zuko and Aang eyes met in a glance, and understood what each other were thinking. Iroh or Ping might be guarded in there.
Aang noticed a piece of coal by his foot. He picked it up playfully and smiled. Zuko was about to ask when Aang threw the rock. Fool! Zuko thought as he watched horrified as the rock clunked on one of the pirate's heads. The pirate turned stupidly to his companion on his left, and hits him.
"What the hell was that for?" the other pirate protested rubbing his arm.
"For hitting me!" The stupid pirate said slowly.
"I didn't hit you, you stupid idiot!"
"No one calls me and idiot and stupid!" and the two pirates started fighting, eventually knocking each other out. Zuko and Aang stared dumbly at the both of them, and then at each other.
"Wow, how did you know that would happen?" Zuko asked, jerking his thumb at the two unconscious pirates.
"Actually, I was hoping that they would run away," Aang replied scratching his head in surprise. Zuko shook his head, and walked casually towards the now unguarded door stepping carefully over the two fallen pirates with Aang following close behind him.
Zuko opened the wooden door as it creaked in protest. The room was in darkness. Aang was about to step in when Zuko held out his arm to stop him any further. Zuko closed his eyes, and listened while Aang did the same. After a while, all Zuko could hear was a slow and shallow breathing. It seemed there was only one person in the room.
Zuko held out his hand and ignited a flame in his palm. The light showed them a fairly empty room with a few scattered chairs and a little rug. Zuko and Aang started to walk further into the room, the shadows dancing around them.
When they came into the middle of the room, something caught Zuko's eye. It was a very small shadow clumped into a ball in the corner of the room. Zuko walked hurriedly towards it and found Ping curled up in a ball. Zuko picked Ping up and saw his face streaked with tears. The little boy started to protest, but after feeling the similar warmth, he settled and fell asleep against Zuko's chest. Zuko stood up holding Ping close to him.
"Great! Now all we have to do is find Katara, Sokka and Iroh, and we can leave." Aang cheered. They started out the door when they heard voices.
"Hey! Your not allowed in there!" a pirate yelled.
"Run!" Aang shouted, and made a leg sweep as wind knocked back a pirate.
This time, Aang was the leader as Zuko tried to keep up with the fast boy. The weight of the little boy was slowing him down, especially with the two daos in his other hand. Eventually he tossed one of the daos leaving him with only one sword. About a few seconds later, a signal sounded in the air, and both Zuko and Aang ran a little faster.
They continued to sprint when they found a mini fork with only two passageways to lead inside the ship. One to the left, and one to the right.
Zuko and Aang arrived at the fork.
"This way!" they both shouted at the same time and they took different directions without noticing it. Aang sprinted to the right as Zuko sprinted to the left.
Zuko ran through the hallways, when he suddenly noticed that Aang was missing. He stopped for a second.
"Where are you?" Zuko muttered. "Great! Just what I need." Zuko continued to run. He soon found a door at the end of the hallway and hastily opened it and ran in. Zuko realized his mistake too late. Instead of finding himself in another hallway as he expected, Zuko found himself in a closed room with the pirate captain blocking their only escape.
"I knew you would be back matie." The old pirate captain croaked. His gen sword pointed at him. "But you won't be getting off this ship,"
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Pilar: Wow! This took me so long with this chapter with the writers block, and tests, but I'm finally done! I'm done with school!
Aang: This calls for a celebration!
Katara: Now we can really get this story on!
Zuko: You just had to stop and make a hang cliff
Pilar: Thus making the dramatic story more dramatic. Life is like a box full of surprises
Iroh: You mean chocolates
Pilar: Whatever, it's filled with many things. I just want to thank FireChildSlytherin, storm-of-insanity, Lionessmon, and Insane Elvish Vampire Pirate.