Author's note: Sorry guys, I haven't updated in awhile. Please, I won't feel better until you flame me for taking so long! I have reasonable and truthful reasons as to why it's been awhile, but I refuse to make excuses. Virtual cookies for anyone who will make up an excuse for me, and no lying! Ta ta!

The Bridge

"Oh my goodness," she breathed.

Her attention was focused entirley on the beautiful landscape portrayed in front of her.

There were wildflowers, and a waterfall, and rabbits, and, oh! How lovely it was! Mist sprayed from where the waterfall met the small creek at the bottom of the ravine, birds sat atop the branches, mocking the ground that the flightless were forever bound to, hummingbirds were beating their small wings to the rythym of it all, and, in the very center, beyond all of the flowers, all of the animals and glittering water, lay a bridge.

Not a bridge, the bridge. The most magnificent walkway man or creature had ever lain eyes on, and the fact that her and Zuko had been the lucky ones to stumble upon it was no accident. At least, it didn't seem that way.

"How- when did you- oh my!" Katara stuttered. She was speechless, and talking was usually one of her strongpoints.

Zuko tried his best to keep from laughing. Her expression was priceless. He noticed the water, and then his smell.

Bath. Bath, bath, bath, bath, bath. Can't forget to take a bath. Need a bath, I stink, I really need a bath. Bath, bath, bath, bath, bath, bath, bath, bath, bath, bath, bath, bath, bath-

"Zuko?"

He looked up from his deep thought.

"Are you okay? You're just staring out in space..." Katara asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, sorry." Zuko looked around for a good source of water. His eyes kept falling into the green ditch that was the ravine. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Anywhere but there, not in that smelly, stinky, swampy, slimy, gross, disgusting, filthy excuse for a river. Never gonna happen, not in a million-

"I smell bad," Katara said self-critically, "I think I'll go bathe now."

She worked her way down to the water and Zuko sighed. I guess I have no choice. He followed her.

She was very far ahead, and he seemed to stay that way. Whenever she looked back she'd see him struggling against the weeds and dead branches to follow her.

She'd giggle, occasionally yelling things out to him,like 'I can't beleive you're so slow!' or 'I'm beating you!'. This annoyed Zuko to no end, until he finally gathered up his gusto to call, "Just you wait! When I catch up with you you won't be making fun of me much longer!"

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" she called.

"It can be!" Katara laughed and kept walkeing, or at least, she tried to. It appeared her foot was trapped on something, and it wouldn't let her leave. She tugged at her leg, balancing her concentration with her leg, and balancing itself. Her efforts of staying upright were fruitless, and she tumbled over, rolling until she reached a part of a trail they had apparantly missed earlier.

Zuko never noticed her fall, for he had turned around in a particular area to make it down safely, but when he finally caught up with her, he almost died laughing. The girl was slightly rumpled, and her hair was sticking out in odd places. Her leggings were torn and dirty, along with the rest of her, and she had several scattered cuts and bruises everywhere he could see, not to mention where he couldn't.

His laughing rewarded him with a glare from Katara, which encouraged him more.

"Be quiet and help me out, would you?!" He laughed even harder, so hard, in fact, that he began to cough.

"Serves you right!" Katara called while wrestling with whatever was entagled in her legs. "If you won't help me I'll do it myself!" She tugged as hard as she could, only succeeding in making it worse. Zuko doubled over.

"I-I can't-can't beleive you-you did that!" His voice rung throughout feilds, echoing back to them

Katara stopped wrestling long enough to glare at him

"Gee thanks, wise guy, you just woke up the whole town! Now your sister's gonna find us for sure!" zZuko stop laughing immediately at the mention of his sister.

Katara rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I thought so."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Aang and Sokka looked as though they were going to cry.

"I don't know what to do! She's been missing for more than a week! Where could she be?!" Sokka shouted exasperatedly. Yet another day of fruitless searching had gone by, and they were getting really worried.

They had forced themselves to avoid talking about the possibility of her being dead, but it was no use. The thought ran through their minds every single day.

It wasn't as if nobody had seen her, oh no. There had been countless claims of seeing a 'brown-haired, blue-eyed woman in the company of a strange man'. Sokka thought they were lying though, especially sincehe knew for a fact Katara had no one to travel with, unless she ran into Haru or something, and one of the witnesses turned out to be the bratty toddler's mother. Since everyone seemed to know her, Sokka felt they were being set up by the entire island.

"Why won't you beleive me?!" The woman had once complained to Sokka, "I'm telling you, I know exactly who you're talking about and she's with some guy in the woods! I saw her go there with him just a few days ago! She could be in danger right now if you don't listen to me!" Sokka had shrugged her off.

Now he desperately regretted that. The woman wouldn't talk to him or Aang at all, they already tried. Besides, after so long, Katara could have reached the Earth Kingdom by now, her information would probably be dead.

What worried Sokka was that his sister, his sweet, loving, baby sister, was in the company of some guy he didn't know all alone, and, oh no! Why hadn't he seen it before? Katara must have been kidnapped!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Azula! What happened?!" Ty Lee asked her worredly. She had just returned to camp wet and absolutley covered in filth.

"What's that smell?" Mai complained, earning Azula's trade mark death glare.

"Things came out rather ugly," Azula said trying to keep her anger under control. Having been beat by he inferior brother and some water peasant did not sound like it would do well in pleasin her father. At least she had one thing.

"How has he been treating you, girls?" Azula asked. She needed an outlet for her anger. Practicing would give away their position, thus was out of the question, but punishment should do nicely, especially since she got to punish him.

"He was great! He made us tea! The best I'd ever tasted! It really calmes the nerves!" Ty Le exclaimed.

"You...let...him...out?" Azula questioned tentively. Today was not her lucky day.

"Well, umm..." the young acrobat started.

"It was Ty Lee, not me, so whatever the punishment is for whatever she did, don't include me," Mai cleared her name before retiring for the night. She didn't need to wake up to Ty Lee telling her they had to go out and capture the avatar on their own or something to pay back for letting the tea-obsessed old man out of his cell.

"Ummm...Goodnight!" the girl called desperately, hinting she needed help. Sorry, Mai thought, I don't see how i can help you out of this one.

Taking one last glance at the circus girl cowering at the mercy of the princess, the warrior sighed and walked into her tent.

Sorry! I'm sorry! I really, really, am! I swear! I took so long it was funny, then not funny, then side-splitter! Flame me! FLAME ME!!!!! NOW!!! (oh, and I finally added Aang and Sokka back into the story, I shoulda done that awhile ago...)

I know, this chapter is far too short for my long delay. Luckily, it's winter vacation and I plan on catching up over the next two weeks!

Chau! or Chow! or Chou! or however you spell it!! okay, you know what, i just think 'goodbye' is easier, so, goodbye!

Zutara-Princess