I wanted to try something new with the whole "Zuko brings Katara on his ship" plot line. Every chapter is already written; five reviews gets the next!

(If anyone wants to help Beta PM me :))

Zuko was incensed. He was stuck in a stupid flea market, where he had periodically seen his soldiers walking by with increasing mountains of junk in their arms, waiting for his uncle to find the dumb lotus tile which was the reason for this time wasting venture.

With his jaw set and arms crossed, Zuko finally saw Iroh approach him through his glare. "I've checked all the markets on this pier. Not a lotus tile in the entire marketplace."

That was the final straw. Zuko's temper finally released itself. "It's good to know this trip was a complete waste of time for everyone!"

Iroh wasn't discouraged by his nephew's outburst. "Quite the contrary. I can always say the only thing better than finding something you were looking for, is finding something you weren't looking for at a great bargain!"

Some of the soldiers walked by the two, their arms filled with useless junk. One such piece caught Zuko's eye. "You bought a tsungi horn?!"

"For music night on the ship! Now, if only we had some woodwinds." Zuko fumed silently as he and Iroh continued down the dock until Iroh spotted another useless item, this time a creepy looking bejeweled monkey.

"Ooh, that is handsome! Wouldn't it look magnificent in the galley?"

But Zuko wasn't listening to his uncle. Instead, a couple of pirates who were talking about an earlier incident piqued his interest.

"We lost the Water Tribe girl and the little bald monk she was traveling with."

It can't be. He was never that lucky. Even still, Zuko decided the best thing to do was take a chance as he walked over to the two. "This monk, did he have an arrow on his head?"

Katara was being restless. As Sokka snored and Aang peacefully slept, she kept tossing and turning in her bag. Finally, the temptation was too great. She quietly snuck out, grabbed the scroll from Aang's bag, and walked toward the river. Momo almost blew her cover, but soon enough she was at the bank trying to make a successful water whip.

"Shoot! Come on water, work with me here!"

This was getting ridiculous. She had been waterbending since she was three, how could she not get something before Aang could?!

"Okay, Katara, shift your weight through the stances…" Just as it looked like she was getting somewhere, the water collapsed. "Ugh!"

She was about to draw another stream of water when the sound of grinding metal reached her ears. She ran to the hedge, only to see a Fire Nation cutter that had been brought up on the riverbank.

Katara was turning to run, but as she did she ran straight into one of the pirates from at the market. Shoot!

"No, let go of me!" An almost perfect water whip to the head allowed her to get out of the pirates' grasp. She turned again, this time into hard armor. This man grabbed her wrists and held them between the two of them. Katara looked up to see the golden eyes of Prince Zuko. His words chilled her, but sent a certain thrill through her body.

"I'll save you from the pirates."

True to his word, Zuko took Katara as his captive, and kept her away from the pirates. Though this meant he took the scroll and tied her to a tree. A tree. He couldn't have just tied up her hands and kept one of his on the knot. No, he has to tie her nearly head to toe to a tree. And now he was circling around her, probably trying to figure out how best to approach her inevitable interrogation.

"Tell me where he is and I won't hurt you or your brother." Oh, so he was going with the ultimatum route.

"Go jump in the river!" She was feisty, the prince gave her that much. And as much as he was thinking of other things, his temper clouded his teenage thoughts.

"Try to understand," he pleaded smoothly. "I need to capture the Avatar to restore something I've lost. My honor. " He was doing his circling thing again, ending up by bringing his mouth down by her ear. "Perhaps in return I can restore something you've lost."

She could feel the heat from his arms radiating as they circled her body. His hands stopped by her neck, and she looked down to see her most prized possession before he withdrew his hands and walked away with a smirk.

"My mother's necklace! How did you get that?"

"I didn't steal it if that's what you're wondering." Katara narrowed her eyes at his entendre. "Tell me where he is."

"No!" Her insolence was wearing Zuko thin. While he understood and nearly admired the loyalty the girl was showing the Avatar, he was getting annoyed that she was standing in his way to get the boy once again. Just as if his nerves weren't getting pushed as they were, the pirate captain decided he needed to open his mouth, too.

"Enough of this necklace garbage. You promised the scroll!"

Zuko had uncharacteristically already thought this through. He grabbed the scroll from his belt and lit a fire in his hand underneath it. "I wonder how much money this is worth?" After gasps and a few "No!"s from the pirate crew, he had his answer. "A lot, apparently. Now you help me find what I want, you'll get this back and everyone goes home happy. Search the woods for the boy and meet me back here."

The pirates dispersed into the woods before Iroh turned on his nephew. "Prince Zuko, have you thought about your actions at all? About what you are going to do if this doesn't come to fruition the way you expect?"

"I'm working on it, Uncle."

"What about Miss Katara, is it?" The older man turned to the Waterbender, who was surprised someone who was always so jovial and polite could be related to Prince Hot Head.

"Oh! Uh, yeah." He smiled at her kindly before his gaze became questioning to his nephew.

"I just need to be absolutely sure of something regarding her and the Avatar."

That didn't sound good to her. Iroh's mouth was open to ask Zuko what he was planning, but the pirates came back with Sokka and Aang. Zuko watched the monk and gauged his reaction when he saw the girl tied up. Perfect.

"Nice work."

Katara was in full on mother mode when she saw the two captured, all because she wanted that stupid scroll. "Aang, this is all my fault."

Of course, Aang had to be self-righteous. "No, Katara it isn't."

"Yeah, it kind of is." As much as his opinion wasn't needed in that moment, Katara couldn't help but find Iroh's interjection to be well needed comic relief.

Zuko approached the pirates, his usual set look of determination on his features. "Give me the boy."

"You give us the scroll."

Katara could see the gears grinding in her brother's head. Please, Sokka, please don't say something stupid.

"You're really gonna hand over the Avatar for a stupid piece of parchment?" Like that.

Zuko understood exactly where his train of thought was headed. Don't listen to him! He's trying to turn us against each other.

"Your friend is the Avatar?"

Shut up, Sokka. Shut up, Sokka. Shut up, Sokka. But when had her brother ever done what she wished?

"Sure is, and I'll bet he'll fetch a lot more on the black market then that fancy scroll."

Zuko voiced Katara's opinions, only a bit harsher than she would have. "Shut your mouth, you Water Tribe peasant!"

"Yeah, Sokka, you really should shut your mouth..."

Katara prayed that it was the end of her brothers' stupidity, but clearly he had only begun. "I'm just sayin', it's bad business sense. Just imagine how much the Fire Lord would pay for the Avatar. You guys would be set for life!"

Zuko knew his transaction was over by the look on the pirate captain's face. "Keep the scroll. We can get a hundred with the reward we'll get for the kid."

His temper finally broke as the captain walked away with the two boys. "You'll regret breaking a deal with me!" Zuko and two of his soldiers kicked their legs and let fire flow towards the pirates. Chaos ensued as the Firebenders and the pirates fought, especially after the pirates let their smoke bombs loose.

Katara was initially concerned for her brother and Aang as the sound of metal hitting metal continued from the smoke cloud. Her fear was dissipated after Aang airbended the cloud away so Sokka could find him, and then saw him jump from the smoke. After a while she got bored with listening to the fight. She looked around pointedly, then saw Iroh calmly watching the debacle with his hands in his sleeves.

"I knew this would happen. As I try to tell my nephew, there's nothing new under the sun."

It wasn't the first time she had heard one of his proverbs, but she knew he was right. Zuko was foolish for thinking that everything would be okay when dealing with pirates.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Zuko extricated himself from the fight and walked over to the two bystanders. "Your brother and the Avatar are trying to push the pirate's boat into the river." She looked over towards the bank. Sure enough, Zuko was right. The pirates were retreating from the Fire Nation soldiers and running along the bank to watch their ship go downstream.

"Uncle, go get the cutter."

"But Prince Zuko-"

"Now, Uncle! Before they decide to take it!" Iroh ran through the bushes and Katara could hear the engine starting. The pirates were running in that direction now, but were visibly dismayed to know someone else got there first. They walked back towards the forest and disappeared from sight.

"Look at you, being all right!" Katara faked praised.

"I have my moments," Zuko replied simply. He walked toward the bank where his uncle was pulling up in the cutter. Iroh came out as Zuko was about to go in.

"Prince Zuko, what about Miss Katara?"

"What about her?"

"We can't leave her here!"

"Her friends will get her."

"Prince Zuko, listen to me. It could be a long while before they are back. They went towards the waterfall. They are sure to be injured."

Katara had no idea what exactly they were saying, but she knew it was about her. She saw Zuko hang his head and steam come from his nostrils, but he made his way towards her tree with an expressionless face.

"You're coming with us."

"I'm what?! No way. Uh uh. Nope. Not gonna happen."

Even as she spoke, Zuko was undoing her ropes. They fell away from her arms, but as she started to rub her wrist he caught one. "Look at me. I know you don't want to and I don't really want to either, but you have to right now."

"But what about Aang and Sokka?!"

"They can come get you when they're ready." He kept his hand around her wrist and started to guide her towards the cutter.

"Oh, I already see where this is going. The heroic prince saves the damsel in distress, but then the 'heroic prince' façade leaves, and it ends up he captures both the damsel and her friends! So what, you're using me as bait so that Aang will come and get me?! No way. There is no way I am going to let that happen. Absolutely not. Who do you think I am, Zuko?!"

Finally he snapped. "Listen to me! The way your friends are headed is to a waterfall. Our ship can go against the currents, but that pirate ship can't. My uncle thinks they're hurt because there was no way for them to avoid it, so he wants you to come with us so he knows you're okay and not starved to death while they're healing. No, I'm not using you as bait. No, I'm not taking you prisoner. I'll admit I was thinking about it, but that would only inconvenience me. I am bringing you to my ship, allowing you to use one of the rooms, be fed, be clean, be safe while they're incapacitated. Or, you can stay here and fend for yourself in the wilderness. I don't care either way! Which do you want?!"

Katara was quiet for a moment. It was true that she hadn't seen Appa come flying their way, and she hadn't heard Sokka or Aang. She closed her eyes and allowed Zuko to guide her to the cutter. She couldn't believe what she was doing; how stupid could she be, voluntarily going on a ship that was commanded by the Fire Lord's son?!

As the ship loomed closer, Katara could only think that Zuko was right. At least she would have a place to stay and an actual hot meal for the first time in who knows how long.

The bow lowered into the ramp Katara had seen before. The sound of metal on metal reached her ears as the cutter was guided up the ramp and it closed.

"Uncle, I'll leave you to get her set up," Zuko mumbled before walking off.

The old general was very kind, showing Katara where the galley and onboard library was, and how to get to the upper outdoor deck so she could practice her Waterbending.

"And this will be your room, Miss Katara. If you ever need, Prince Zuko's is right down the hall."

She thanked him and went to lie down on the sinfully comfortable bed. She couldn't help but think of Sokka and Aang, worrying about whether they were okay, were being taken care of, and whether Sokka's insatiable appetite could live without her for a few days.

Katara had never been without her brother before. The thought was strange that she wouldn't wake up to his snores only a few feet away. Maybe this was a good time to get used to it, though- she was almost the accepted marrying age in her tribe, anyway.

She sighed deeply as she thought about the events that brought her to this red clad room. And Zuko, how he was being almost nice- for him, anyway- about letting her stay. Her thoughts turned back to Sokka and Aang quickly again. Her hand reached up instinctively, and with that she was broken out of her thoughts and narrowed her eyes toward her metal door.

The jerk still has my necklace.