So, here's the 5th chapter. =) I was very annoyed while writing this chapter because I've left my notebook at my Grandparent's house... And I had to write it on a long sheet of paper which is supposed to be used to draw. And the pencil didn't even work. Hmph.

Hope you like it. =)

Ch. 5.

Iroh walked up the stairs to a room, followed closely by Katara, with his nephew right behind; Zuko thought that his prisoner would try to escape. And, really, there was no point in arguing with his nephew.

Iroh led Katara to what would be her cabin, and turned the cogwheel, opening the door.

Katara stepped in and looked around the room; it was mostly bare; a few flags of the fire nation hung from the walls, and the cabin was lit with the war ship's customary red lanterns. It wasn't decorative, but it wasn't as bad as her cell had been; it was expansive, and it even had a window she would be able to look through. Unfortunately, that window was red-tinted, and would color her view of the sea. But then, beggars couldn't be choosers. Nor could captives, for that matter.

"I'll send someone to bring up a mattress." Iroh said from behind her. She smiled at the thought of a mattress, and turned around to face Iroh.

"Thank you." She said sincerely. Iroh gave her a smile. His nephew was still standing with his arms crossed, at the entrance.

Iroh kept smiling as he closed the door and turned the cogwheel, effectively locking the door. He could hear a small sigh through the thick metal.

"What's wrong, Prince Zuko?" He asked his nephew, who had been staring off into space with a glum expression. Iroh had an inkling that he already knew what the answer was going to be.

"Nothing, uncle," Zuko said with a sigh, surprising Iroh. It was very unlikely of his nephew to say that nothing was wrong. "I've told the Captain to change course; we'll be heading upriver and following the Avatar." Just like I suspect he wants me to, he added in his mind. If he wanted chase, he would get chase. But he would capture the Avatar, he knew that. He would use the girl, threaten the Avatar to harm her if he had to.

"You should sleep, Prince Zuko. You've been awake all night." His uncle said, and Zuko nodded, then walked away, going to his room.

Iroh watched his nephew's retreating back until he was gone, and then turned to go up to his own room.

His nephew wasn't the only one who needed rest, after all. And after having that fish, he was drowsy enough to fall asleep quickly.

Sokka's eyes drooped dangerously low as he held Appa's reins. Aang leaned over from behind, having just woken up.

"Sokka, are you sure you don't want to go to sleep?" Aang asked. Sokka's eyes flew open and he shook his head, trying to stay focused and awake. They had a plan. They were supposed to land somewhere near Gaipan, wait for the pirates, then wait for Zuko to reach them on his ship, and then ambush them and rescue Katara, and the scroll, while the pirates are fighting Zuko and keeping them off the ship. He wouldn't be able to focus if he fell asleep.

He had to stay awake.

"No, I don't." He said firmly, ignoring the snores coming from Pirate Oh. Aang looked at him carefully, observing the very visible bags under Sokka's eyes, and then asked,

"Are you sure?" Sokka nodded.

"Okay, then." Aang said, and went back to staring at the clouds they passed by, still half asleep. Turning his head for a second to see Aang just barely awake, he nodded to himself. It had been a good thing he hadn't swapped with Aang; Aang himself wasn't fully awake, he wouldn't be able to direct Appa.

He turned back front, wincing as the cold wind pierced his eyes and made them water, making him blink a little drowsily.

Sokka tried not to give in to the tempting idea of sleep.

Katara stared out of the window, looking dreamily at the water.

Since Iroh and Zuko had left her in her room, she'd been sitting in a corner, waiting for that mattress to arrive so she could sit on something softer. It hadn't until now, but she was sure it would. Iroh seemed like a sincere person, and he'd gotten her out of that cell. She trusted him... As much as she could, for someone from the fire nation. Sitting there, she'd fallen asleep. How long she'd been asleep, she didn't know. What she did know was that the red light coming in through her window was now coming from a different direction. That didn't help her, though, for she had no idea which direction was which.

A while ago, she had stood up to go to the window and stare out of it. It wasn't very high up, so she could look out of it if she stood on the floor.

As she heard the cogwheel on her door churning, she turned to face the metal door. It must be that mattress, she thought. Or Iroh. Or Zuko. She wrinkled her nose at the thought that it could be Zuko.

It was the mattress.

A man entered the room, holding a thick mattress, nearly falling over below it's weight. Katara rushed forward to help him carry it to the corner of the room, where they set it on the floor. Katara smiled.

"Thank you for the mattress." She said to him, and he shot her an odd look before grinning and leaving the cabin. She heard the cogwheel turn outside and plonked onto her mattress.

It was so soft!

In a few minutes, her eyes had started to droop.

Then, she heard the sound of metal churning. When the door to her cabin opened, she saw that it was the same man who had brought her the mattress.

She smiled.

Zuko frowned at the muffled screaming and the growls coming from the cabin. Wasn't that the same cabin Uncle had kept the girl in? He clenched his jaw and kept walking, until there was a louder scream, one that was definitely coming from a girl.

And, as Zuko very well knew, his prisoner was the only girl on the ship.

Another scream followed, and this one sounded very male. Zuko frowned and hurried back to the door to that cabin, unlocking the door and rushing in.

Zuko froze.

Yong, one of the men on his crew, was... molesting his prisoner. Her kimono was halfway open, revealing a lot of skin and his hand was untying more of it.

Zuko swore and reached forward, pulling Yong off the girl, who was blushing brightly and looked like she was panicking. There were also signs of moisture below her eyes.

Zuko turned, angrily, to Yong. Yong looked a little scared and, to Zuko's increasing anger, shot a fireball at Zuko, which he dodged, responding with a fire bomb to Yong's abdomen. Yong reciprocated with a fire dagger that would have swiped Zuko's collar bone if he hadn't pushed his forearm away with his clenched fist. Zuko created fire lashes to envelop Yong, making him drop to the floor.

Zuko's breathing was ragged and was coming in short puffs as he dragged Yong out of the cabin by the collar.

He thought he heard a near inaudible, whispered, choked "thank you." from the girl, who was on the floor with her tunic back in place and her face streaked with tears. All of it angered him more.

How could Yong, or anyone, do something as disgusting as he had been? It was sick, and cheap.

He dragged Yong onto the main deck by the collar and shouted to his uncle,

"Uncle. This - this creature was molesting the girl." Iroh shot up to his feet and stared at Yong with disgust.

"This," he said, infuriated, "is to everyone here. There will be no abusing or assaulting the girl. She may be a prisoner, but she is a human. Anyone caught dishonoring her will be punished."

Lieutenant Jee seemed taken aback, and was nodding fervently in agreement with Zuko. Zuko looked at everyone, his jaw clenched, as if to prove his point.

And then he dropped Yong on the floor and walked into the Command Tower, storming up to his room.

He was disgusted; disgusted with himself, because the girl was his prisoner, disgusted with what he had seen, and disgusted with what Yong had thought to do. As he reached his room, he decided that something would have to be done to prevent this sort of thing in the future.

So, this was not something I had initially thought to do. Sorry. *hides* But I find it totally helps further on. Anyways.

So, I've got a couple of things to say. First, thank you so much to FlareonRocks who is the new/official BETA on this story. =) So, thanks a bunch for that. =)

Second, thank you to everyone that reviewed. =)

JackieStarSister: Thank you so much. =) Also, I've made the corrections in the previous chapter, and what I meant when Iroh said that they'd not had any dinner, I meant the previous night's meal. =)

Yellta: Thank you so much! That means a real lot to me. =) Well, Oh's name is a bit... weird. I've added in a 'pirate' in this chapter before Oh's name was put in, same in the previous chapter. =) And the line breaks as well. Thank you, once again. =D P.S. I like long reviews. XD

FlareonRocks: YAY, A BETA! Haha. =P Thanksss. =D XD

*anonymous*: Thank you, I have updated. =D

Okay, so, I'm done. I'll update soon. =)