A/N: Because so many people wanted me to continue this and because of the movie coming out, I'm going to put up a little continuation. Hey, I might even have a little plot in mind. Also, I don't know what characters can swim and who cannot, so don't flame me. T_T

Zuko watches her sleep. At night, floating in the peacefulness of water, beyond the prying eyes of his inferiors, he could stare at her all he wants. She is a short and wiry little girl, but there is definitely a royal grace to her fine, adolescent features. She looks like she might make a decent queen, if she had the dedication to her own lineage, rather than taking off on this foolish errand to serve the Avatar.

Her dark, cropped hair has fallen into some disarray; it looks cuter on her, he thinks. Her skin is pale and soft to the touch. Her cuts still bleed, but with a little field doctoring, he helps staunch the flow of blood from the restraining cords which cut too deeply. His eyes take in the soft round features, the hard calloused on all her knuckles, her palms, her fingertips. For all her fine features, her body seems as rock solid and stocky as a boulder. There is nothing curvy or girly about her. He has no idea how old she even is. But, as a noble, he can recognize another purple-blooded person. Her hair is too fine, her skin too unmarred otherwise.

It's been several hours since they started their journey in the boat. He takes the middle road, where the water is deepest. He has a bag of jerkied meat and chews a piece contemplatively. Eventually there would have to be consequences for his actions - particularly when he runs out of waterways to navigate on his own. In the distance, he can very well almost see the glowing lanterns of his ship. There he will bring her aboard, anchored just beyond the delta of this little river where he could tie her up in the prisoner's bay and question her further. But until then, the river floats them along at a steady pace. He isn't even angry at it being so slow. Overhead, the stars remain unextinguished in the night sky, blazing and filling Zuko with a giddy excited well-being. The eternal, steady glitter of them comforts in some way.

"Guess it's just you and me for a little while longer," he says to her sleeping form. He slowly slides her short, cropped hair from her eyes.

In a split-second, his fingers smarted from the bite of her teeth.

"Let me go," she snarls, wriggling.

"If you want something to bite, I'd suggest having something to eat," Zuko replies with an acid sneer.

She coils underneath his gaze like a particularly aggressive silver cobrat. At any time, she could still strike. Her hands are unbound, and she very well could land a solid blow that might leave him stunned enough for her to jump for the water.

However, hearing the same smack of the water against the wooden boughs and she remains frozen. "Sure. I could go for some chow," she accedes almost under her breath.

The firebender pulls a piece of jerkied meat from the bag, tearing off a piece. He's ashamed to admit that he's afraid she'll bite his fingers off. But as soon as the seasoned meat's scent touches her nose, her stomach seems to erupt with a snarl of a cat. She bites down and nibbles at it.

Kind of cute, Zuko thinks once again. His belly flutters. Then she belches and huffs. "Is that it?"

Zuko fetches another piece. She munches, huffing and puffing noisily as if she had been starving. Ironically, she doesn't make any comparison about the faire on this unlikely little loveboat. She lays back again, actually kicking back and crossing her bare ankles and tucking her hands behind her head to point her face at the sky.

"So, I guess you're pretty comfortable, huh?" the Earthbender says soothingly. "Bet you think you've got me all figured out. 'Poor blind little earthbender girl, stuck in a boat. Oh, what's a girl to do?'"

Zuko stares at her with his arms crossed, heat dancing beneath his breastbone like dragonfire. "I don't care what you think you know," Zuko whispers quietly so his voice doesn't carry across the water. "I've only just gotten started with you."

Toph shivers once, but conceals her expression. The first hint of movement would give her away, and Zuko, though a little tired, was still aware of her trembling in the presence of so much water. Was she wondering when Aang was going to find her? Was she wondering if they would able to see this small dark boat floating silently with the current? Or is she remembering the delicate stings of the touch of fire on her skin?

His fingers spasmically clench, as if he was almost ashamed of the person that had nearly burned her. He promised himself he would never become like his father, but somehow he wants to dominate her, but it was completely beyond his scope what she was feeling. Her face, although it was oddly animated now and then, had the most natural emotions written all over it. She's hiding them now, though. As if she wants to leave him wondering; it was the only game she could play without losing.

Her face points to the stars, and the Fire Prince merely pouts, glad she could not see.

This boat is older, Zuko and his crew having gone through many replacements since the chase for the Avatar began, replacing the old model which ran on coal. It runs on simple mechanics; a mongoose dragon in the engine room turns a simple engine that was similar to older-style paddle-boats, using kinetic energy to fuel the boat's motion. It is anchored, hidden, closer to shore than Zuko would have liked. Before they come within sight of the glowing little circle windows, he grabs the Earthbender girl and quickly shackles her again with more tightening bonds. Her frosty gaze stares straight ahead, though he can feel her taut, hard muscles tighten with the effort to break the hold.

"Sorry, princess," he whispers in her ear as he secured her wrists. They would be tender and sore for awhile. It can't be helped; her fighting spirit would give him trouble as they board the bigger ship. But, surprisingly, she remains utterly docile as he carries her over his shoulder, climbing the ladder and leaving the little wooden vessel behind and bidding it an overly fond silent farewell.

Fire Nation troops, under the cover of dark, lit by the underglow of Firebending, circle around, heavy solid iron shackles sliding along the boat for her ankles and wrists. Burnished by the light, the irons became wristlets of gold. Bit gaudy, he thinks.

She feels them approaching; the collective heat of their bending and the sound of iron making her skin grow hot. But she forces herself to stay calm, her muscles not quite relaxed but firm. She manages to swallow the smile and hysterical laughter crawling up from her belly. She can almost smell the tangy, coppery odor of the metal. They cut the ropes first, holding her arms at bay; the irons come closer, chains dragging.

Zuko's left foot shoots forward to loop her ankle, sensing a very small movement. A tension in her shoulders that spread down her back; he would never have seen it if he had not been so completely absorbed in her-

The chains suddenly snap up from the deck with a sudden ringing of links. The shackles become handles; Fire Nation soldiers jump back with cries as the shackles transform into a whirligig of twirling pain. It's an awkward movement; she's used to pummeling things with her fists. However, with these shackles, the accuracy importance shrinks to almost nothing.

The metal links make a heavy, deadly whooshing noise as they whip about noisily, trying to catch anyone in their heavy, bone-breaking coils. Unbelievable how such a small body could heft such things! She can't see Zuko but she can almost feel him, and hears the dull thud, feeling the resonation of bodies being struck as soldiers go flying left and right with broken bones and bruised pride.

"Get away from me, you animals!" she shrieks, turning the momentum of the whizzing chains into motion. She makes her way backwards, then slows the chains down and wraps them around her forearms like heavy metal bars. "Go ahead. Get closer if you dare!" She doesn't know why; she doesn't know what she plans on doing on a boat in the middle of a body of water. But she grasps the concept that if she fights, she's buying time. For someone - anyone - to come and save her.

Zuko ducks as one of them barely takes off what was left of his topknot. Having spent a reasonable amount of time with her, he's beginning to understand why he left her unconscious. When she stands before his men all the same with fire in her stance, her entire demeanor blazing like dragon's breath, tension rippling over her, reaching for her talent... but there was no earth near here. Not even coal to dredge up from the depths of the boat.

But using her bare feet to feel the earth was the only way to accurately make judgments about the fight ahead. And without completely solid ground, he realizes she's mostly (maybe completely) at a disadvantage.

"Easy, men," he says calmly. "She's just like a blind rat in the bottom of a well." He steps forward quietly. "Come on, now, little girl. You don't want to get hurt, do you?"

Those who were smart enough to get out of the way of the chain flails now begin to circle in again, silently. Zuko motions them to quiet their Firebending. Then he draws closer to the Earthbender, whose hair hung down over her sweaty forehead. It was suddenly becoming a very humid night, even on this little pathetic ship.

"I think we should try again," Zuko says calmly. "This time, I'm willing to offer you some of the comforts of home. Maybe a bowl of dust to keep you company?"

Toph hisses; he's pleased he can still get under her skin. He draws nearer, within ten feet or so. Fire drips from his fingertips. He draws back his hand, and fire blossoms from his palm like an orange flower and roars toward her. The sound of it lapping up oxygen in the air must have tipped her off.

And tipped her over backwards and into the water.