Xiaodan watched as Aang paced around Appa's saddle, panting heavily, from her spot on Appa's neck, her lips quirked in amusement as Appa flew through the mountains.

"Would you sit down!?" Sokka demanded from his spot on Appa's head, the reins in his hands as he turned to glare slightly over his shoulder at the fretting Airbender, "If we hit a bump, you'll go flying off. What's bugging you anyway?"

"It's what Avatar Roku said." Aang replied, standing at the front of the saddle and looking down at Sokka and Xiaodan, "I'm supposed to master all four elements before that comet arrives."

"Well, let's see. You pretty much mastered Airbending and that only tool you a hundred and twelve years." Sokka stated sarcastically as he looked at Aang over his shoulder with a slight smirk, "I'm sure you can master three more elements by next summer."

"I haven't even started Waterbending and we're still weeks away from the North Pole!" Aang panicked as he began pacing again, clutching his head, "What am I gonna do?"

Sokka gave a quiet yelp when he felt the familiar stinging sensation of Xiaodan's hand connecting with the back of his head, the smirk on his face being wiped off as he pouted.

"You're not funny, Sokka." Xiaodan grunted as she Airbended herself up onto the saddle and walked over to where Aang was standing next to Katara.

"Calm down, it's going to be okay." The white-haired girl soothed as she pulled him down to sit beside her and in front of Katara.

"Yeah," Katara agreed, taking Aang's hands in hers, "If you want, I can try to teach you some of the stuff I know."

"You'd do that?" Aang asked the dark-haired girl, a smile appearing on his face.

Katara nodded with a sincere smile, then looked over the side of the saddle, "We'll need to find a good source of water first."

"Maybe we can find a puddle for you to splash in." Sokka quipped with a grin, chuckling when Xiaodan raised her fist at him mock threateningly.

"Nice puddle." Sokka grumbled, looking at the large waterfall and river they had landed by while Aang and Katara looked at it with ecstatic expressions and Xiaodan just looked amused.

Appa suddenly flew down and belly flopped into the river, creating a huge splash that drenched Momo and nearly knocked him off the rock he was perched on. The lemur chittered in annoyance and shook himself rapidly to dry off, Appa rolling over onto his back and floating happily.

"Yeah!" Aang cheered with a grin, having already stripped down to his underwear and ran towards the water, "Don't start without me, boy!"

"Remember the reason we're here." Katara stated drily from behind the boy.

"Oh right." Aang grinned sheepishly at the dark-haired girl and pulled his pants back up, "Time to practice Waterbending."

"Great..." Sokka drawled sarcastically, "So what am I supposed to do?"

"You could...clean the gunk out of Appa's toes!" Aang suggested with a slight smile as he held a branch with a bushel of leaves on the end.

Sokka crossed his arms with a frown, "So, while you guys are playing in the water, I'm supposed to be hard at work picking mud out of a giant bison's feet."

"Mud and bugs." Aang said with a smile, still holding out the branch.

"Okay." Sokka said with a shrug, grabbing the branch and walking over to Appa, who's still floating on his back in the water.

"What are you going to do, Xia?" Katara asked as she turned to Xiaodan, who had watched the whole scene with an amused smile on her lips.

"I'd like to watch you and Aang Waterbend if you don't mind."

"Sure!" Aang agreed enthusiastically with a nod as he beamed up at his older sister, more than happy to let her watch him learn to bend, just like she used to back at the Southern Air Temple when they were younger.

Xiaodan laughed and nodded her head in appreciation then found a rock to sit on.

Zuko grunted as he practiced his Firebending with one of his crew members, launching fire blast after fire blast at the man until he and the crew member were thrown to one side as the ship turned.

"Someone's changing our course." Zuko growled as he glared up at the navigation room.

What is the meaning of this mutiny?!" Zuko demanded from the captain as he charged into the navigational room, "No one told you to change course!"

"Actually, someone did." Iroh stated calmly from where he was playing Pai Sho with one of the crew members while the others stood behind them, "I assure you, it is a matter of utmost importance, Prince Zuko."

Iroh scratched his beard as he looked at the Pai Sho table in front of him.

"Is it something to do with the Avatar?" The banished prince asked hopefully as he took a step forward.

"Even more urgent. It seems I-" Iroh sighed and rubbed his forehead in distress,"-I have lost my lotus tile."

Iroh looked up at his nephew then back to the table, moving a piece forward across the Pai Sho board.

"Lotus tile?"

"For my Pai Sho game." Iroh clarified at his nephew's confused question as he moved another piece across the board, "Most people think the lotus insignificant but it is essential for the unusual strategy that I employ."

"You've changed our course for a stupid lotus tile?!" Zuko demanded in disbelief as he looked at his uncle in exasperation.

"See, you, like most people, underestimate its value." Iroh stated after flicking his fingers in Zuko's direction then looked at his nephew imploringly, "Just give me ten minutes to check the merchants at this port of call."

Iroh's face and tone became excited as he continued, "Hopefully, they will have the lotus tile in stock and I can get on with my life."

Zuko closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose, then tilted his head back and fire spilling from his mouth and at the ceiling, smoking filling the room.

"I'm lucky to have such an understanding nephew." Iroh said with a close-eyed smile on his face.

"Yeah, don't get too happy." Sokka stated as he stood on Appa's stomach and brushed the branch between the bison's toes, "You've got to do me next."

Appa merely moaned happily as he floated on around the river and wiggled his other toes.

Xiaodan giggled quietly at the scene then turned her attention back to where Katara was starting to teach Aang how to Waterbend.

"This is a pretty basic move, but it still took me months to perfect. So don't get frustrated if you don't get it right away." Katara stated as she moved into her stance and began moving her hands back and forth, creating small waves in the water, "Just push and pull the water list this. The key is getting the wrist movement right."

"Like this?" Aang asked as he stood and mimicked Katara's hand movements, but nothing happened.

"That's almost right." Katara praised kindly, "If you keep practicing I'm sure eventually-"

"Hey, I'm bending already!" Aang exclaimed excitedly, accidently cutting Katara of mid-sentence as he created bigger waves than the ones Katara made on his first try.

Xiaodan couldn't help but giggle at Katara's stunned expression. The white-haired girl remembered feeling like that when Aang surpassed her in skill when they were first learning how to Airbend.

"Wow, I can't believe you got that so quickly." Katara stated in surprise, "It took me two months to learn that move."

Aang shrugged and smiled over at Katara, "Well, you had to figure it out all on your own. I'm lucky enough to have a great teacher."

Katara smiled at his praise, "Thanks."

"So, what's next?" Aang asked eagerly and Katara smiled again.

"This is a more difficult move. I call it streaming the water." She said and moved her hands, a stream of water from the river rising into the air as Katara began moving it around, "It's harder than it looks, so don't be disappointed if-"

Katara paused and frowned, dropping her own stream of water when she noticed Aang already controlling a stream of water as he moved it around and above his body then neatly coiled it back into the river. Xiaodan applauded from her spot on a rock, smiling at Aang encouragingly when he glanced over at her.

"Nice work." She complimented, a bit grudgingly then frowned, "Though the over-the-head flare was unnecessary."

"Sorry." Aang apologized then looked at Katara excitedly, "Well, don't stop now! Keep 'em coming!"

"Well, I kind of know this one other move, but it's pretty hard." Katara said, shifting a little bit away from Aang, "I haven't even totally figured it out yet. The idea is to create a big, powerful wave."

Aang and Xiaodan watched as the dark-haired girl moved her hands up, shaking slightly from effort as a big mass of water started to rise out of the river, but it popped before it could form into anything substantial.

"So, like this?" Aang asked as he copied her movement, creating a massive way that towers over their heads.

"Whoa..." Xiaodan muttered and tilted her head back in surprise while Sokka, who was still cleaning between Appa's toes turned around and stared up at the crashing towards him and Appa in fear.

"Uh, Aang?" He called out a moment before the wave crashed into him and threw him off of Appa and into the water, his head slowly appearing above the water with an annoyed expression on his face.

Xiaodan started laughing loudly, clutching her sides as she fell off the side of the rock she was sitting on.

Aang smiled happily and turned towards Katara, "Looks like I got the hang of that move! What else you got?"

"That's enough practice for today." Katara snapped slightly, turning away from Aang with an irritated expression on her face.

"Yeah, I'll say." Sokka called out from the water with a peeved look, "You just 'practiced' out supplies down the river."

Xiaodan stopped laughing and looked down the river, watching as their bags floated away.

"Uh, sorry." Aang apologized guiltily then gave a slightly worried smile, "I'm sure we can find somewhere to replace all this stuff."

"My life was hard enough when you were just an Airbender." Sokka grumbled then sank back into the water, much to Xiaodan's amusement.

Xiaodan looked around the port's market place warily, taking in the rather intimidating people surrounding the stalls. Sokka and Katara looked just as wary as the white-haired girl but Aang was looking around in wonderment, his gray eyes wide and a huge smile on his face.

"We've got exactly three copper pieces left from the money that King Bumi gave us." Sokka stated as he walked back from the alleyway he had disappeared into with a back slung over his shoulder, "Let's spend it wisely."

"Uh, make that two copper pieces, Sokka." Aang said sheepishly as he reached behind his back, "I couldn't say no to this whistle!"

Xiaodan quirked an eyebrow at the white, bison shaped whistle in her brother's hands before watching him curiously as he took a deep breath and blew into the whistle, barely making a sound.

"It doesn't even work." Sokka stated after pulling his fingers from his ears, having expected a loud noise and Aang stopped blowing on the whistle when Momo squawked at him in irritation, "See? Even Momo thinks it's a piece of junk."

"No offense, Aang, but I'll hold the money from now on." Katara stated, holding her hand out and Aang handed her the copper pieces with a pout.

Xiaodan giggled slightly and rubbed her brother's head then the group began walking around the market some more.

"Earth Nation! Fire Nation! Water Nation! So long as bargains are your inclination, you're welcome here!" A man with brown hair dressed in green and standing in front of a ship, called out to the passing people, "Don't be shy, come on by!"

Sokka, Katara, Xiaodan, and Aang walked past the man but he ran up them, "Oh! You there, I can see from your clothing that you're world-traveling types. Perhaps I can interest you in some exotic curios?"

Aang walked back to the man with a grin, "Sure! What are curios?"

"I'm not entirely sure..." The man muttered then grinned and steered Aang towards the docked ship behind him, "But we got 'em!"

Xiaodan, Katara, and Sokka exchanged exasperatedly looked but quickly followed after Aang and the man to the ship.

Xiaodan looked around the inside of the ship curiously for a moment then folded her arms over chest and leaned against a table, keeping an eye on the other three as they looked around.

Aang grinned and leaned down to look closely at an object on a shelf before becoming confused, "Huh?"

Katara stared eerily at an ornate monkey statue with red gems for eyes on another shelf before shaking her head and walking away from it. Xiaodan watched her for a moment then looked back at Aang as he walked beside another shelf, pausing to look at another object.

"I've never seen such a fine specimen of lemur." A man suddenly spoke up, startling the four as he walked into the light with a colorful reptile-bird perched on his shoulder, "That beast would fetch me a hefty sum if you'd be interested in bartering."

Aang grabbed Momo from his shoulder and held him protectively to his chest, "Momo's not for sale."

Xiaodan moved forward, placing her hand on Aang's shoulder and scowled at the seedy looking man. She didn't like the way he was looking at her brother's pet.

Meanwhile, Katara had wondered further into the ship and paused when she spotted a shelf where a couple of scrolls were kept, grabbing one that had the Waterbending symbol on it. The dark-haired girl opened the scroll and gasped quietly in surprise when she saw diagrams and writings for Waterbending.

"Look at this, Aang! It's Waterbending scroll!" She called over excitedly with a smile as Aang walked over and peered over her shoulder, "Check out these crazy moves!"

Aang turned to look at the man excitedly, "Where did you get a Waterbending scroll?"

The man slammed his hand on the scroll and snatched it from the table, rolling it back up, "Let's just say I got it up North, at a most reasonable price, free."

Xiaodan's eyebrows rose and she narrowed her eyes at the man as he placed the scroll back on the shelf.

"Wait a minute... Sea loving traders, with suspiciously acquired merchandise," Sokka spoke, his eyebrows raising his voice rose, "And pet reptile birds?"

The young man turned around to face the hawker from the street, nearly spitting in his face, "You guys are pirates!"

The man put his arms around Sokka's shoulders, "We prefer to think of ourselves as, high risk traders."

Xiaodan's eyes narrowed and she walked over to Sokka and the man quickly, plucking the pirate's arm from Sokka's shoulder.

"I'm sure you do..." She drawled sarcastically then tugged Sokka away from the smarmy pirate and over to where Katara and Aang were leaning against a counter with the captain standing behind it.

"So, how much for the, uh, traded, scroll?" Katara asked somewhat sarcastically after looking at the two copper pieces in her hand.

"I've already got a buyer, a nobleman in the Earth Kingdom." The captain said coolly then his voice turned less serious as he looked down at the two, "Unless of course, you kids have two hundred gold pieces on you right now."

Aang turned and whispered quietly to Katara, "I know how deal with these guys, Katara. Pirates love to haggle."

Katara quirked an eyebrow but placed their last two coins into the bald boy's hand.

"Watch and learn." Aang said with a smirk as he sauntered over to the counter then leaned against it and began talking in a pirate-like voice, "Let's say to the price of, one copper piece!"

Aang smiled and dramatically presented a single copper piece, causing the captain to laugh hysterically.

"The price is two hundred gold pieces. I don't haggle on items this rare."

Aang smirked confidently and continued talking like a pirate, "Okay, two copper pieces!"

"It's not amusing the second time, boy!" The pirate captain snarled, leaning forward slightly to glare at the Aang.

Katara stepped forward and touched Aang's shoulder, whispering quietly, "Aang, can we get out of here? I feel like we're getting weird looks?"

Aang snatched his staff up from where it was leaning against the counter and still talking like a pirate said, "Aye, we be casting off now."

Xiaodan sighed and grabbed the boy by the arm, dragging him from the ship after Sokka and Katara.

"What was that all about, Katara?" Aang asked the dark-haired girl curiously as they walked down the ramp and back onto the street with Xiaodan walking behind him.

"Yeah, I was just starting to browse through their boomerang collection." Sokka complained slightly.

Xiaodan watched as Katara shrugged and hugged her arms to her chest, her expression looking slightly worried.

"I'll just feel a lot better once we get away from here?"

The white-haired girl looked at the young girl curiously but didn't comment as the four continued down the street and away from the pirate ship.

"Hey you!" The hawker from before suddenly shouted at them from the front of the ship, "Get back here!"

Aang smirked as he turned around, "Well, well, look who's come to their senses. Told you the haggling would pay off."

Xiaodan quirked an eyebrow when she saw Katara's expression turn fearful and she began to back away slightly. The white-haired girl looked back at the pirate ship and her eyes widened when she saw the armed pirates jump out of the ship and rush towards them.

"I don't think these pirates are here to trade with us!" Katara cried out as she, Sokka, Aang and Xiaodan turn around and run away, the pirates chasing after them.

The four ran through the market, turning a corner sharply and Katara froze a puddle behind them, causing one of the pirates to slip. Sokka and Katara ran down an alleyway, bumping into the cabbage merchant while Aang jumped through the small space between the top of the cart and the cabbage and Xiaodan merely flipped over the cart. Xiaodan and Aang each sent a blast of wind at the cart, throwing it into the pirates that were right behind them.

"My cabbages!" Xiaodan heard the merchant shriek, "This place is worse than Omashu!"

Xiaodan yelped slightly as another group of pirates leapt out in front of them and began chasing them back down the street the four had just come from.

"I hope that lemur of yours has nine lives!" One of the pirates shouted as they chased the four teens around a corner and into a dead end.

Xiaodan gripped her staff tightly as she and her friends whirled around to face the pirates cornering them.

"Now, who gets to taste the steel of my blade first?" The hawker from before asked sinisterly as he twirled his knifes around expertly.

"No thanks!" Aang stated and spun, hurling a blast of air at the pirates that send them backwards, then he and Xiaodan snap their gliders open and run towards them.

"Grab on tight!" Xiaodan shouted over her shoulder as she ran.

"I thought we were running away from the pirates, you guys!" Katara yelled but jumped onto Aang's glider as Sokka leapt onto Xiaodan's they lifted into the air.

"Just hang on!" Aang called out as he and Xiaodan flew over the pirates' heads and away from the port, back to where they had made their camp.

"I used to kinda look up to pirates." Aang commented as he snapped his gilder shut after they had landed back at their camp and sat on the ground, leaning against a rock, "But those guys are terrible."

Xiaodan grunted in agreement and snapped her glider shut, flopping onto her back on the ground and tossed her arm over her eyes with a slight groan.

"I know. That's why I took..." Katara said, her mischievous tone causing Xiaodan, Aang and Sokka to look at her curiously then in shock when she held out the Waterbending scroll, "This."

"No way!" Aang gaped in surprised and lurched to his feet.

"Isn't it great?" Katara asked excitedly, stepping back slightly when Sokka appeared in front of her.

"No wonder they were trying to hack us up!" Sokka yelled angrily," You stole their Waterbending scroll."

"I prefer to think of it as high risk trading." The dark-haired girl joked, causing Aang to laugh.

"Good one, Katara."

Xiaodan groaned and flopped back onto the ground, "This is so not good."

"Sokka, Xia, where do you think they got it?" Katara asked rhetorically as she looked between the two older teens, "They stole it from a Waterbender!"

"It doesn't matter." Sokka snapped back seriously, "You put all of our lives in danger just so you could learn some stupid, fancy splashes!"

"These are real Waterbending forms." Katara stated in an attempt to justify her actions, "You know how crucial it is for Aang to learn Waterbending!"

"Whatever." Sokka muttered, and shook his head, walking away.

"Well, what's done is done." Aang said calmly, "We have it, we might as well learn from it."

Xiaodan sighed again and sat up, crossing her legs and leaning against the bottom of her staff as she watched Katara and Aang. She had a bad feeling that Katara's actions were going to come around and bite them in the butt.

"I've checked all the shops on this pier." Iroh said exasperatedly to his nephew, "Not a lotus tile in the entire marketplace!"

"It's good to know this trip was a complete waste of time for everyone!" Zuko snapped angrily at his uncle, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

"Quite the contrary." Iroh commented, unaffected by his nephew's temper, "I always say, the only thing better than finding something you are looking for is finding something you weren't looking for at a great bargain!"

Zuko's eye twitched slightly as he watched the crew members walk past him and his uncle, carrying all of Iroh's many purchases.

"You bought a tsungi horn?" The banished prince asked in bafflement as he looked at his uncle.

"For music night on the ship." Iroh stated with a happy smile before cupping his chin as he began to walk around the market again with Zuko following reluctantly, "Now if we only have some woodwinds."

"Oh, this place looks promising!" Iroh stated excited as he pointed to the ship as he hurried on board, Zuko trailing behind him.

"Oh, that is handsome!" Iroh exclaimed as he looked at the bejeweled monkey statue, "Wouldn't it look magnificent in the galley?"

The pirate captain's lieutenant stood in front of the captain near the back of the ship, "We lost the Water Tribe girl and the little bald monk she was traveling with."

Zuko turned around when he heard the pirate and stepped forward, "This monk, did he have an arrow on his head."

No one noticed the way Iroh made a similar facial expression the monkey's when he picked it up.

"I just want to try this one move first and then it's all yours." Katara said, then handed the open scroll to Aang, "Here, hold it open for me. The single water whip. Looks doable."

Xiaodan, Aang, and Sokka watched as Katara attempted the move but only ended up hitting herself in the forehead, leaving a red mark.

"Ow!"

Sokka started laughing hysterically at her and Xiaodan giggled behind her hand, ducking her head when Katara turned to glare at the two of them.

"What's so funny?" The dark-haired girl demanded.

"I'm sorry, but you deserved that." Sokka stated mirthfully then turned to Aang, "You've been duped. She's only interested in teaching herself."

"Aang will get his turn once I figure out the water whip!" Katara snapped angrily then attempted the move again, only this time she smacked Momo's backside, causing him to screech angrily at her, "Ugh! Why can't I get this stupid move?!"

"You'll get it." Aang said reassuringly as he put the scroll on the tree stump and walked closer to the river, not noticing the glare Katara is giving him, "You just got to shift your weight through the stances."

Aang mimicked the moves on the Waterbending scroll and created the water whip on his first try.

"There, see?" Aang said with a smile, "The key to bending is-"

"Will you please shut your air hole?!" Katara screamed angrily as she loomed over Aang, "Believe it or not your infinite wisdom gest s little old sometimes. Why don't we just throw the scroll away since you're so naturally gifted!"

"Hey!" Xiaodan barked and jumped to her feet, her orange eyes flashing dangerously as Sokka glared at his sister.

"What?!" The dark-haired girl demanded then turned to look at Aang, who was staring at her with tears in his eyes, making Katara instantly feel guilty, "Oh my gosh, Aang, I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me. But you know what, it won't happen again."

"It better not." Xiaodan muttered as she sat back down on the ground, watching through narrowed eyes as Katara picked up the scroll and handed it to Aang.

"Here, this is yours." Katara said softly as she put the scroll in Aang's hands, "I don't want to have anything to with it anymore."

"It's okay, Katara." Aang said forgivingly with a smile.

"What about Momo?" Sokka asked with a slight grin as he gestured to the lemur rubbing his backside, "He's the real victim here."

Xiaodan snorted quietly and covered her mouth to muffle her giggles at his words.

"I'm sorry Momo." Katara apologized, kneeling behind the lemur and rubbing his ears.

"And what about me?" Sokka asked gesturing to himself, "There was that time you-"

"No more apologies!" Katara snapped at her brother, giving him a dark look while Xiaodan continued to laugh off to the side.

"Shouldn't we stop to search the woods?" The pirate captain asked the young prince he was standing beside on the prince's boat.

"We don't need to stop." Zuko stated firmly, "They stole a Waterbending scroll, right?"

"Mm-hm." The captain hummed in confirmation, looking at the scarred prince.

"Then they'll be on the water." Zuko said confidently as he looked at the sun setting before them as the captain comes to stand beside him.

Katara looked around the camp quietly as she checked to see if Sokka, Aang, and Xiaodan were asleep. Breathing quietly in relief, the dark-haired girl quietly slipped from her sleeping bag and walked over to bag where the Waterbending scroll was, carefully pulling it out. Katara then silently backed away from the camp until she thought she was far enough way, then she turned only to come face-to-face with Momo, who chattered at her.

"Shh, Momo! Go back to sleep!" Katara whispered firmly to the chattering lemur as she walked past, "Shh!"

Xiaodan eyes popped open then she rolled to her feet noiselessly and stared in the direction Katara had gone in.

"Silly girl." The white-haired girl murmured to herself as she quickly followed the girl to the river.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! Shoot!" Katara grumbled when the water didn't do what she wanted it too, "Come on water, work with me here! Okay, what if I just, ow! Stupid scroll!"

Xiaodan giggled quietly, causing Katara to whirl around and stare at her with wide eyes.

"Xia!"

"Having trouble sleeping, Katara?" The older girl teased lightly as she picked up the scroll then hopped up onto the rock it had been resting on, an easy-going smile on her lips.

"Uh..."

"Ow! Stupid scroll!"

Zuko tensed when he heard the Water Tribe girl's voice and he and the pirate captain shared a knowing look.

"You need to relax." Xiaodan advised as she sat on the rock with the Waterbending scroll in her lap, after assuring Katara she wouldn't tell the boys what happened,"You're too tense and it's affecting your ability to bend."

Katara nodded and brought up another stream of water, muttering to herself, "Okay Katara, relax and shift your weight through the stances."

A sudden noise caused Xiaodan to lift her head and turn to look at the river warily

"Did you hear that?" She asked just as Katara dropped the water again then groaned in aggravation.

The sudden sound of metal scraping against sand caught both girls' attention and they moved towards the bushes to check what the noise was.

Katara and Xiaodan gasped quietly upon seeing the small metal ship on the river bank and they turned to run away only to run straight into the arms of a large pirate.

"No! Let go of us!" Xiaodan snapped angrily then kicked her foot up over her shoulder, hitting the pirate in the face with a blast of air causing him to let both her and Katara go.

The two girls ran forward only for Xiaodan to run right into the banished prince himself and he grabbed her wrists as Katara ran into Xiaodan's back and was grabbed from behind by another pirate.

"I'll save you from the pirates." Zuko sneered down at the white-haired girl as she glared furiously up at him.

"Tell me where he is and I won't hurt you or your brother." Zuko stated persuasively from in front of where he had Katara and Xiaodan tied to a tree.

"Go jump in the river!" Katara snapped back angrily as she glared at him before looking away.

He had been questioning the two girls since he had captured them over an hour ago. He had tried interrogating Xiaodan first but the white-haired girl had spat in his face then kicked him in the ribs so he had her gagged and her ankles tied to the base of the tree. Now he was questioning Katara.

"Try to understand." Zuko said after a moment of thought as he approached the bound girls, though he was talking only to Katara as he gave the white-haired girl a somewhat wide berth, "I need to capture him to restore something I've lost, my honor."

Zuko came around to her side and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Perhaps in exchange I can restore something you've lost."

Xiaodan's eyes widened when she saw Zuko hold up Katara's mother's necklace to the Water Tribe girl's neck briefly, the necklace she had lost when they had freed the Earthbenders from the Fire Nation prison rig.

"My mother's necklace!" Katara exclaimed, looking down at the necklace as Zuko dangled it in front of her for a moment then walked back over to his soldiers with a smirk.

"How did you get that?!" Katara demanded, straining slightly against the bonds around her and Xiaodan.

"I didn't steal it if that's what you're wondering." Zuko taunted as he turned to face the captured girls, "Tell me where he is."

"No!" Katara shouted defiantly while Xiaodan growled in agreement around the gag in her mouth.

The pirate captain suddenly stepped forward, "Enough of this necklace garbage! You promised a scroll!"

"I wonder how much this is worth..." Zuko said as he took the Waterbending scroll from behind his back and held it over the fire dancing in his other hand, smirking when the pirates gasped in fear, "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 back here."

"Fine." The pirate captain growled as he turned around, scowling darkly as he and his men began doing as the banished prince ordered.

Xiaodan glared darkly at the smug prince as he watched the pirates leave, wishing she could make his head explode with her eyes.

Sokka rolled over in his sleeping back and yawned as he began to wake up.

"Huh?" He muttered when he noticed that Katara's sleeping bag was empty, "Where did she go?"

The Water Tribe boy crawled out of his sleeping bag and reached into the satchel he had bought at the market, digging inside for the Waterbending scroll only to come up empty handed.

"I don't believe it." He muttered in irritation as Aang sat up with a yawn a foot or so away from him.

"What's wrong?" Aang asked, rubbing his eyes tiredly then frowned when he noticed Xiaodan wasn't sleeping on her pile of leaves, "Where's Xia?"

"She took the scroll!" Sokka stated exasperatedly as he dumped out the bag, "She's obsessed with that thing. It's just a matter of time before she gets us all in deep-AH!"

Sokka cut himself off with a yell as rope wrapped around his wrists and yanked him onto his stomach. Sokka quickly rolled away as the pirate in front of him attacked him again then grabbed to his club as he jumped to his feet and charged the pirate with a battle cry.

Aang got into an Airbending stance then glanced behind him and spun around when he saw another pirate with a net attached to the end of two crossbows standing amidst the trees. The pirate fired the net and Aang tried to stop is using a blast of air but the air merely passed through and landed on Aang, capturing him. The captured boy is rolled to another pirate who grabbed him and began dragging him away, while another knocked Sokka off his feet then ran after the pirate dragging Aang.

"Oh, what?" Sokka shouted as he got to his feet, "I'm not good enough to kidnap? AH!"

Sokka yelled as the net was shot at him and he was dragged in the same direction Aang had been taken in.

"Nice work." Zuko praised as he stood in front of where the pirates were gathered with the Avatar and the Water Tribe boy tied up in front of them.

Xiaodan gave a muffled yell when she saw her little brother and began struggling against the rope keeping her tied to the tree with Katara.

"Aang, this is all my fault." Katara said sadly as she looked at Aang.

"No Katara, it isn't." Aang stated with a slight smile of reassurance.

"Yeah," Iroh countered with a slight nod of his head, "It kind of is."

Zuko took a few steps towards the pirate captain, the Waterbending scroll in hand, "Give me the boy."

"You give us the scroll." The pirate captain retorted without moving.

Sokka looked up at the pirate captain in surprise, "You're really gonna hand over the Avatar for a stupid piece of parchment?"

"Don't listen to him," Zuko ordered, glaring at the Sokka heatedly, "he's trying to turn us against each other!"

The pirate captain ignored Zuko and looked down at Aang, but addressed Sokka, "You're friend is the Avatar?"

"Sure is," Sokka confirmed with a sly grin, "And I'll bet he'll fetch you a lot more on the black market than that fancy scroll."

"Shut your mouth, you Water Tribe peasant!" Zuko snarled angrily as he pointed threateningly at Sokka.

"Yeah, Sokka, you really should shut your mouth." Aang whispered at his friend.

Sokka shrugged his shoulders, "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."

Xiaodan renewed her struggles against her binds as she glared at Sokka, noticing the greedy look that appeared on the pirate captain's face as he looked down at Aang.

"Keep the scroll," The pirate captain sneered at Zuko, "We can buy a hundred with the reward we'll get for the kid."

Zuko's eyes narrowed as he watched the pirates turn their back on him, "You'll regret breaking a deal with me."

Zuko and two of his soldiers send a blast of fire at the pirates causing them to jump back while the hawker ran out and threw a smoke bomb, jumping onto the cloud as the fight between Zuko's men and the pirates ensued.

Sokka and Aang began to struggle with their ropes when three soldiers began running towards them only to be stopped when four pirates jumped in front of them and surrounded Aang and Sokka, throwing a smoke bomb and covering the area with the gray haze.

Meanwhile, Momo climbed down the tree Katara and Xiaodan were tied too and hurriedly chewed through the rope binding Katara's wrists.

"Thanks, Momo. Get Xia free for me." Katara said as she raced towards the fight, "I owe you a bushel of apples."

Momo chattered happily and began chewing on the rope keeping Xiaodan tied to the tree, freeing the girl moments later.

"Thanks, Momo." Xiaodan stated gratefully as she wrenched the gag from her mouth and began working on the knots keeping her legs bound to the tree, "I owe you two bushels of apples. Now go help the others!"

Aang coughed as he looked around the smoke, yelping quietly as he dodged a knife that cut through his ropes at the same time. Then he dodged a spear that with another yelp and began to quickly try and find his way out of the smoke.

Zuko stumbled out of the smoke cloud and hid the Waterbending scroll behind his back, glancing behind him and whirling around just in time to dodge the pirate captain's sword. The young prince scowled and took a Firebending stance while the captain prepared to attack with his sword. The two began to fight, Zuko sending out blasts of fire while the captain tried to slice him with his sword.

The banished prince growled when he felt the scroll get yanked away by the pirate with the rope only for the Avatar's lemur to snatch it out of the air, catching the attention of the pirate captain's reptile-bird.

Momo gave a screech as the reptile-bird dove into him and caused him to lose his grip on the scroll which went tumbling into the smoke cloud before.

"Aang, are you there?" Sokka shouted as her crawled on the ground, jerking back when a blade landed in front of him before he used it to saw through his binds.

"I'm over here!" Aang shouted back, "Follow my voice!"

"Where?" Sokka called back, "I can't find you!"

"I'm right here!" Aang yelled then scowled and Airbended the dust away, revealing the pirates surrounding him and he immediately Airbended the smoke and dust back around him, "Never mind, I'll find you!"

Sokka crawled out of the smoke cloud on his hands and knees, Aang vaulting over him a moment later in a full sprint.

"Run!" the young Airbender shouted over his shoulder as Sokka jumped to his feet and ran after Aang.

"Katara, you're okay!" Aang shouted happily as he and Sokka found her trying to push the pirate ship back into the water.

"Help me get this boat back in the water so we can get outta here." Katara ordered briskly and the two boys joined her in trying to push the boat, but they aren't able too.

"We'd need a team of rhinos to budge this ship." Sokka stated as the three stepped back.

"A team of rhinos," Aang started as a he looked over at Katara, "Or two Waterbenders."

Katara smiled at him and the two moved so they were standing across from each other, then they began to push and pull the water until the boat rose up.

"Everybody in!" Katara commanded quickly only to pause when she noticed they were one person short, "Where's Xia?"

Aang jerked as if he'd been electrocuted and spun around when Katara's words processed through his mind.

"XIA!"

Katara grabbed Aang's arm and pulled him after her and Sokka onto the ship.

"Aang, we have to go!" She shouted, "Xia will be fine, I'm sure she's gone to get Appa!"

"Are you so busy fighting you cannot see your own ship has set sail?" Iroh demanded after shoving Zuko and the pirate captain apart.

"We have no time for your proverbs, Uncle!" Zuko snapped as he turned to his uncle in annoyance.

"It's no proverb." Iroh stated drily as he pointed towards the pirates' ship that was sailing away.

"Bleeding hog monkeys!" The pirate captain cursed and ran after the ship.

Zuko pointed and laughed at the captain only for his laughter to dissipate when he saw the pirates had hijacked his own boat, the pirates taunting him as they sailed after the Avatar and his friends.

"Hey! That's my boat!" Zuko shouted and began chasing the stolen boat.

"Maybe it should be a proverb..." Iroh mused as he watched the boats sail downstream while his nephew raced after his stole boat.

"C'mon, Uncle!" Zuko shouted and Iroh sighed as he hurried after his nephew.

Xiaodan raced through the trees towards the area she and her friends had made camp before Katara and she had gotten kidnapped, hoping to get to Appa and fly him to her friends. She had seen them hijack the pirates' ship but had been too far away to join, so she had decided to get Appa instead.

White hair whipping behind her as she ducked beneath branches and jumped over roots, Xiaodan ran towards the camp then cried out in pain when a she felt a sudden blast of heat against her back which sent her flying to the forest floor below in a crumpled heap.

Groaning, Xiaodan pushed herself to her knees and looked up with wide eyes as she was surrounded by the familiar masked Firebenders, each of them poised to blast her with another fireball. The white-haired girl moved to climb to her feet when suddenly her vision went dark and she collapsed to the ground again, having been stuck in the back of the head by the Firebender behind her.

"Sokka, can't you make this thing go any faster?" Aang asked worriedly as he looked at the pirate'sgaining on him and their friends.

"I don't know how." Sokka called back as he tried to steer, "This thing wasn't made by the Water Tribe."

Suddenly the pirates pulled Zuko's boat even with the ship and jumped aboard but are quickly swept away by Aang Waterbending a large wave onto the boat. One of the pirate's managed to stay on and as he got to his feet, Katara pursed her lips in determination and performed a perfect water whip, throwing the last pirate off the side of the ship.

"Hey, you did the water whip!" Aang congratulated her happily.

"I couldn't have done it without your help." Katara stated and she smiled up at the bald boy.

"Would you two quit congratulating each other and help me out?" Sokka demanded from where he was being pinned by two pirates.

Meanwhile Momo is once again being chased by the reptile-bird and the lemur quickly began to scale the top mast, leaping and flying around it before entangling the reptile-bird in the flag.

"Ah!" Sokka yelled as one of the pirate's launched him at the sail before Aang appeared behind them both and Airbended them off the ship and into the water.

Aang quickly leapt down to Sokka's side and helped him just as Katara gave a terrified shout.

"Aang, look!"

Aang looked up and blanched slightly when he saw that the ship was heading towards a huge waterfall.

"Oh no..." He muttered then spun around when he heard the sound of knife leaving its sheath, coming face-to-face with the hawker who was holding his knife threateningly at Aang.

Aang took a step back then whipped out the bison whistle and blows on it. While the pirate stood there staring at Aang in confusion, Sokka came up behind him and pushed him off of the ship.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Sokka demanded, "This is no time for flute practice!"

Aang ignored him as he and Katara stared in horror at the rapidly approaching waterfall.

"We can stop the boat!" Katara shouted suddenly and turned to Aang, "Aang, together, push and pull the water!"

The two stand with their backs to each other at the front of the boat as they began to push and pull the water, creating a small whirlpool that stopped the ship from going over the waterfall.

"It's working, it's slowing down!" Katara shouted happily, "We're doing it!"

"But we have another problem." Sokka yelled as Zuko's boat with the pirates in it sailed straight toward them.

The boat rammed into the ship, sending the three tumbling towards the edge of the ship.

"Jump!" Aang shouted, grabbing onto one of Sokka's and Katara's hands as they leapt off the boat and over the waterfall with a simultaneous scream. Suddenly Appa appeared and the three landed on his back as the ship and boat fell to the bottom of the waterfall with a resounding crash.

"I knew a bison whistle would come in handy. Thanks, Appa." Aang stated with a grin that quickly fell when he realized that Xiaodan was not sitting on Appa's head, holding the reins like he had hoped.

Suddenly he began to panic and he whirled around to face Katara and Sokka with stricken eyes.

"Xia's not here!"

The Water Tribe siblings' eyes went wide and the three stared at each other with terrified eyes as the possible reasons for Xiaodan not being on Appa.

"My boat!" Zuko shouted in dismay as he and his uncle arrived at the edge of the falls.

Iroh bent over and panted with his hands on his knees then straightened after catching his breath, slipping his hands into the large sleeves of his robe. He blinked in surprise before starting to chuckle lowly.

"Prince Zuko, you're really going to get a kick out of this." Iroh stated as he chuckled then pulled his missing lotus tile out of his sleeve and showed it to his nephew, "The lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!"

Growling, Zuko snatched the Pai Sho piece from his uncle's hand and tossed it over the waterfall. Iroh frowned and looked over the edge forlornly before straightening when three of Zuko's men appeared.

"Prince Zuko," The Firebender in the lead stated, "We have news."

"What?" Zuko snarled as he angrily whipped around to face the three Firebenders.

The Firebender moved out of the way, revealing the other two Firebenders behind him and a familiar white-haired girl clutched between them, unconscious.

"You..."

Zuko looked down at the unconscious girl the two soldiers were holding up and a slow smirk appeared on his face.

"Aang," Katara whispered as she moved closer to the grief-stricken boy sitting atop Appa's head, "Aang, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. If I hadn't been jealous of how good at Waterbending you were, I would have never stolen that scroll and Xia would have never been captured with me."

Aang turned his head and gave the dark-haired girl a watery smile, the tears still running down his face.

"It's okay, Katara." He said with a surprising amount of determination as he looked forward again, "I have to believe that Xia is going to be alright and that she'll find her way to us. I mean, she knows we're going to North Pole after all."

Katara and Sokka exchanged a sad glance but the Waterbender couldn't find it in her to crush the young Airbender's hope, so placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a gently squeeze in a small attempt to comfort him.

Aang wiped the tears from his eyes again and stared out at the sky sadly as he thought about his sister. He knew Katara and Sokka doubted the possibility of ever seeing her again, especially if she was in that Fire Nation prince's hands, but he had to believe that she was okay and that she was going to find him. She always found him whenever he traveled with around the four nations with the other Nomads and he had to have faith that she would be able to find him this time. She had to, she just had to.