When Worlds Collide: Book Three, Fire

/////Sam's POV\\\\\

The next evening, all of us were sitting next to the fire, and I watched nervously as Zuko made tea. I had tasted his tea before, and quite honestly, I wasn't looking forward to it again.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" I asked again, earning an annoyed look.

"I got it," he told me, pouring the last cup. "No one can make tea like uncle, but hopefully I learned a thing or two. I did work with him at the Jasmine Dragon in Be Sing Se." I could tell he directed that last part to me, but I just rolled my eyes. "Would you like to hear his favorite tea joke?"

Everyone nodded, and Zuko looked excited as he passed out the tea cups. "Okay," he smiled, kneeling down to give Haru and the Duke their tea. "Well, I can't remember how it starts, but the punchline is 'leave me alone. I'm bushed!'"

We fell silent, giving him odd looks, and Zuko blushed slightly and shrugged. "Well, it's funnier when Uncle tells it."

"Right," Katara sighed, taking a cup when Zuko kneeled down between her and Aang. "Maybe that's because he remembers the whole thing."

Aang laughed, and Zuko gave a soft smile as well, as he made his way to Teo and Toph.

"It's nice to get a chance to relax a little," the blind girl said, accepting tea as well. "It hardly ever happens."

"It's probably because we don't have to worry about this royal pain the neck," I teased, taking my tea as well.

Zuko stood up to walk over to Sokka, who had seperated himself from our group. As he passed behind me, I felt a small shove on the back of my head, and I smirked.

When he was out of ear shot, I scooted over to Toph. "Is it drinkable?" I asked.

Midsip, Toph spat out her tea, and gagged. "Why?" she asked. "Did he do something to it?"

Laughing, I shook my head. "No. It's just, last time he made tea... it just wasn't good."

"Well, it tastes fine..." She seemed hesitant to take another drink, and I just rolled my eyes.

When I finally mustered up the courage to taste the drink myself, Zuko had plopped down next to me.

"What's up?" I asked.

His eyes were on Sokka, and he shook his head. "Nothing."

Raising my eyebrows, I nudged him in the side. "The tea isn't terrible, so I applaud you on that."

Glaring slightly, his eyes shifted to Sokka again. "Can I talk to you?" he asked, and stood up, leaving me no time to answer. By the time I set my tea down, and stood up myself, he was already heading over to the fountain, out of hearing range from the rest of the group.

I scrambled to catch up, and ignored Katara's questioning gaze when I passed.

"Sokka's wanting to find his father," he said softly, leaning against the fountain.

"But... we don't know where he is," I pointed out. "What does he plan to do? Fly around the Fire Nation until he finds something?"

Zuko ran his finger on top of the water, and I gasped. "You told him?" I asked. "He's going to go searching for him now. And knowing Sokka, he'll get himself killed while doing it."

"I'm going to go with him," Zuko stated, turning to face me. "If I'm right, his father is in the highest security prison in the Fire Nation. And if I'm wrong... he'll still be in a lot trouble if something goes wrong."

"So you're going to risk your life too?" I asked. "Here's an idea - talk him out of it."

"I can't do that." He shook his head, and took my hand. "It's his father, Sam, and his troops."

"Well, we can all go, and there'll be a better chance of-"

"Sam," Zuko stopped me, and raised his eyebrow. "He feels responsible, and if we tell everyone, how do you think that would make him feel?"

I stared at him for a while, and finally sighed. "Fine. I won't say anything." He sighed, and I smirked. "Look at you, becoming part of Team Avatar."

Zuko just rolled his eyes, and stared at our entwined fingers.

"I have a question, though," I told him, leaning against the fountain as well. "Why did you tell me? I mean, if you didn't want the others to know..."

Even in the dim light, I could see Zuko blush a dark red. "Well, I mean, I had to tell my girlfriend what I was doing, didn't I?"

I blinked, and had to remind myself to breath. "W-what?"

He blushed deeper, and dropped our hands. "I mean, if-if you don't want-"

Giggling at his shyness, I kissed him softly. "I guess that would make sense for my boyfriend to tell me he was sneaking off."

He grinned, and took my hand agian.

"But what am I supposed to tell the others?" I asked. "You can't just disappear for a few days and not expect them to not notice."

"Just tell them we went fishing or something. We're running low on meat anyway, so that should be pretty believable." He shrugged, and ran his thumb across my knuckles. "And make sure Aang doesn't get lazy while we're gone. I'll give him a list of things to do."

I laughed, and nodded.

/////\\\\\

"Sam! Sam, wake up!" Someone shook my shoulder, and I grumbled as I sat up.

"What?" I huffed, rubbing my eyes.

"Where's Sokka and Zuko?"

I looked up to see Aang, Katara and Toph circling me, all looking worried.

"Oh, um, they went fishing," I rushed. "You didn't hear them? They left early this morning, saying they wouldn't be back for a few days."

"Nice of them to leave a note," Katara sighed, as Aang trudged back to his sleeping bag.

"They were in a rush," I said. "You know Sokka and his meat."

I saw Aang close his eyes, and I almost felt bad about what I was about to say. "Oh, and Aang? Zuko said he wants you to practive fire bending while he's gone. Something about twenty sets of fire fists and ten hot squats everytime you hear a badger frog croak." I thought he ignored me, until a weird noise that I had grown used to made him cringe.

With a frustrated sigh, the monk stood up. "Nobody else has homework."

Katara stiffled a laugh. "That's not true," she told him. "I'm sure Sam has stuff to do too."

Stretching, I shook my head. "Sleeping. That's it."

"Well, if Zuko didn't leave you homework, then that means you have plenty of time to practice water bending." Katara chuckled as I groaned.

Aang was up to his eighth hot squat when I stumbled passed him, and he stuck is tongue out at me. Smirking, I pushed him, and the monk fell over.

"Looks like you have to start over," I said, laughing.

"Awe, man!" he cried.

/////3rd Person\\\\\

Zuko had been found out, and was now facing the warden. He was older, with long dark hair, and a wide mouth.

"Well, well, well," he said, stepping into the room. The bright light made Zuko wince. "Never thought I'd see you in here, Prince Zuko." His tone was mocking, but Zuko ignored it.

"How do you know who I am?" he asked, his arms crossed.

"How could I not? My niece never stops talking about how you left and took that 'legend' with you. Apparently, she had a soft spot for you two."

Zuko blanched. The only person he could think of was... "You're Mai's uncle?"

"Quiet!" the warden shouted. "You're my... special prisinor now. And you best behaive. If these criminals find out who you are - the traitor prince, who let his nation down - well, they'd tear you to shreds."

"So what's in it for your?" Zuko asked, standing up straight. "Why don't you just tell my father and collect the reward?"

"In due time, believe me, I intend to collect." And then he marched out the door, letting it slam shut behind him.

Zuko glared after him, but stayed where he was. He would follow the wardens advice, for now. At least until Sokka came up with a plan.

/////\\\\\

After their first failed attempt at escape, Zuko was locked back up in his cell. But, they had found Sokka and Katara's dad, so that was a plus in this dreary place.

"Zuko?" he heard, and the banished prince stood up. "Are you there?"

He walked to the door, and peeked out the small hole to see Sokka, still in his gaurd outfit. "I'm here," he answered, but he thought it was kind of pointless. Where else would he be?

"I just got done talking to my dad," the water tribe boy whispered. "We came up with an escape plan together."

"What are you doing here?" a new voice called, and Zuko could see Sokka wince.

"I was just telling this dirty low life what I think of him!"

Zuko groaned internally. Just play cool, Sokka.

"Well, you'll have to do that later," the same voice said. "He's coming with us."

There was a pause.

"Why?" Sokka asked.

"Because we have orders straight from the warden, that's why," a different voice snapped. It was a woman, and it sounded like the one Zuko had fought earlier that week.

"Can I just get ten more seconds to rough him up a bit?" Sokka asked, and Zuko strained to see what was going on outside his cell door.

He heard the other gaurds agree, and Sokka quickly entered the cell. Zuko held up a pillow, and the younger teen punched it, while Zuko grunted, giving the sound effects of Sokka beating him.

"We have a new plan, but it's gonna need a big distraction," Sokka explained, in between punches. "Be in the yard in one hour."

The door opened, and Zuko dropped the pillow, surprised. Sokka tackled him, instantly locking him in a choke hold, and Zuko was so surprised, he actually struggled for air. The kid was quick, and stronger than he looked.

"Alright, that's enough," the male guard sighed, pulling Sokka off while the female grabbed Zuko off the floor.

"What are you doing?" Zuko demanded as he was led down the hall. "Where are you taking me?"

The two didn't answer, instead, stopped at a door and threw him in. Zuko landed awkwardly on a chair, and turned back around. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"Come on, Zuko," a figure in the shadows said, "we all know that's a lie." Mai stepped out, and Zuko stared at her, shocked.

"Mai," he gasped. "How did you know I was here?"

He sat in the chair with his head bent. Mai leaned against the wall, glaring.

"Because the wardon's my uncle, you idiot," she snapped. "You didn't even write a letter to tell me one of my only friends was leaving. I bet you didn't even tell Sam either, did you?"

Zuko gave her a confused look, and Mai rolled her eyes.

"I may not have showed it, but I did like Sam." She paused, and shrugged. "She made me feel like I wasn't the most depressing person in the room."

"Mai, I'm sorry, but-"

Loud noises could be heard from outside, and Zuko shot up, both of the Fire Nation teens looking confused.

A gaurd skidded into the door way and adressed Mai. "Ma'am! There's a riot in the yard," he explained. "I'm here to protect you."

"I don't need any protection," Mai told him, and Zuko chuckled.

"Believe me, she doesn't."

Mai sent him a dirty look, which he shied away from.

"I'm sorry, but I'm under direct orders from your uncle to make sure nothing happens." The gaurd stepped forward, and Zuko took this chance to shoot fire at his feet.

Immediatly, the gaurd went to protect Mai, and Zuko dashed out the door, shutting and locking it behind him. Mai glared at him through the peep hole, and Zuko apologized. "I'll tell Sam you said hi." And then he was running, out to the courtyard, in search of Sokka and the others.

When he reached the yard, the riot was in full swing. Zuko spotted his friends lining a wall, and he rushed forward, dodging prisoners and pushing them out of his way. One grabbed him from behind, so Zuko threw him off and took the last few steps towards his escape mates.

"Zuko, good, we're all here," Sokka grinned. "Now, all we need to do is grab the wardon, and get to the gondalas." He pointed up along one of the main towers, and Zuko raised an eyebrow.

"And how do we do that?" he asked.

"I'm... not sure."

Zuko groaned. "I thought you thought this throught?"

"I thought you told me to not think everything through!" Sokka shot back, looking panicked.

"Maybe not everything, but this is kinda important!"

"Hey, uh, fella's," Chit Sang interrupted, pointing back up at the tower. "I think your girlfriends taking care of it."

They watched as Suki jumped on the other prisoners heads, reaching the base of the tower, and easily swinging upwards, and dodging every gaurd that came at her. In seconds, she had reached the wardon, and threw him against the wall.

With the gaurds out of the way, it was easy for the men to follow and reach Sukki. "We've got the wardon," she grinned, "now let's get out of here!"

The men gasped for breath, and Hakoda smiled, still panting. "That's some girl," he told his son.

"Tell me about it," Sokka smiled.

They took off running again, and when the gondalas were in sight, Sukki looked back with a triumpant grin. "We're almost there."

Two of the gaurds sent sent fire balls at the group, and Zuko broke his way to the front, instantly blocking their attack. Two more joined the first, and Zuko stepped aside, showing their hostage.

"Back off," he warned, "we've got the warden."

The gaurds stared in shock, and once their recognized their boss, stepped aside.

"Let's go," Zuko said, and walked through the line of enemies. He waited for the others to board the gondala first, watching to make sure none of the guards made any moves, and when he was satisfied, he joined them, after pulling a lever to start the machine, and breaking it to ensure their escape.

"Wait," Hakoda called. "who's that?"

Zuko and Sokka went to the window, searching for what the Water Tribe chief had seen.

"That's a problem," Zuko said, seeing his sister glaring after them. "It's my sister and her friend."

Ty Lee ran across the wire, seemingly effortlessly, while Azula grabbed a pair of handcuffs, and latched onto the same cable, using her blue fire to push herself forward.

"This is a rematch I've been waiting for," Suki seethed.

"Me too." Zuko, Sokka and Suki climbed onto the roof, waiting.

Sokka's sword was unsheethed, Zuko was in a bending stance, and Suko looked calm. Ty Lee landed on the other end, while Azula landed with a dull thud in front. While Suki faced the circus runaway by herself, the two boys faced the fire bending princess.

It was happening.

/////Sam's POV\\\\\

It was late at night when I awoke to Aang and Katara shaking my shoulder.

"What?" I grumbled, burrying my face into my blanket. I could faintly hear Toph complaining as well.

"Sam, wake up!" Katara said. "A Fire Nation balloon is here."

I leapt up, tripping over my blankets and falling back down. I could hear Toph laughing at me, but I ignored it, untangling myself, and rushing over to where the balloon was landing.

"What the...?" I trailed off, seeing Zuko and Sokka step out.

"What are you doing in this thing?" Katara asked. "What happened to the war balloon?"

"It kinda got destroyed," Zuko shrugged.

"Sounds like a crazy fishing trip," Aang pointed out, and I laughed.

"Did you at least get some good meat?" Toph asked.

"We did," Sokka said, smiling. "The best meat of all: the meat of friendship, and fatherhood."

On que, Sukki, Hakoda, and a man I've never seen before stepped out of the balloon.

"I'm new," the new guy said, smiling and waving. "What's up, everybody?"

Katara ignored him, and I could see tears in her eyes. "Dad." She ran to hug him, and Hakoda stepped foward to greet her.

"Hi, Katara."

"How are you here?" Katara asked. "What is going on? Where did you go?"

"We... kind of went to a Fire Nation prison," Sokka said sheepishly.

Katara pulled her brother into the hug, and I smiled as Zuko wrapped an arm around me.

"At least you guys are back home, safe," I said, grinning. "Although...," I trailed, taking in Zuko's new clothes, "you'll have to tell us everything that happened."

Zuko chuckled.

"Seriously," Toph interrupted. "You guys didn't get any meat?"