WANTED

AU - The Avatar's return has been kept a secret for the past three years. As the comet nears Katara and Sokka enlist the help of Iroh as Aang's firebending teacher. But no one really knows who the other is. Can they keep their secrets wile on the run?

10/11/2009

Chapter 1

Encounters

The air was dusty.

She didn't like it when the air was dusty. It meant the moisture was all but gone from the air, which meant it was going to be that much harder for her to defend herself if the need would arise. It made her resort to tactics she'd rather not even admit to knowing about.

"You're not making this easy." she retorted dryly as her brother bumped into her for the nth time.

"We'll you're just grumpy because there's a drought and you don't like carrying water pouches."

"No, I'm grumpy because you're a klutz and we've been walking in circles for two days."

"We're not walking in circles Katara, I know exactly where we're going." Sokka huffed, kicking a rock forward a couple of paces.

"I want a bed."

"And I want a steak. But we can't have everything we want, now can we?"

"I hate you."

"And I love you little sis." Sokka fake smiled. "Now hurry up before it gets dark, we should be there soon."

The town was not what she was expecting. Half a dozen buildings lined either side of the single street that split itself down the middle of the town. Dry wind whipped it's way between the equally dry wood of the buildings. She had to squint her eyes against the course sand that batted against her tan face. The sun was just starting to set, taking the heat of the day with it and casting a furious red blush across the desert landscape.

"You realize," she sighed, coiling her long braid under the hat she carried and checking her chest wrappings, "that if this is the wrong town we're screwed."

"We're not screwed." Sokka replied almost too quickly. "It's the right town. I'm positive."

"But if you're…"

"I'm not."

They walked the rest of the way in silence.

Zuko was tipping back a shot of fire whiskey when the double doors of the saloon thumped open and the two newcomers walked through. The dusty color of their skin declared them as Water Tribe. He watched their reflections from the bar's backsplash mirror. To his surprise they made his was over to his uncle at one of the game tables. The bigger one bent down and whispered into the General's ear while, to his curiosity, the smaller one stood to the side in a semi-defensive position.

He couldn't make out much from where he was sitting, but he figured the larger tribesman and his sword would be a much better match for whatever trouble they could meet in the bar. The smaller one, in comparison, looked weak and distinctly feminine. But whatever, it wouldn't be his problem if the local 'sheriff' decided to make a call. His uncle could handle himself, and if the need arose, they'd disappear before anyone ever really realized they had been there.

He half-heartedly watched as his uncle stood, bowing polity to the strangers. They both bowed in return before the General ushered them over to an empty table. Once again the larger one took the lead while the smaller one assumed guard duty. It was as if they were expecting trouble.

'But Uncle can take care of himself.' He reasoned internally, signaling the bartender for another round.

"We seek a master." Katara heard her brother whisper into the soft ear of the bearded man.

A second passed before the old man, The General, responded.

"I see." He sighed. "Then lets begin the lesson." The old man stood and gestured to an empty table on the other side of the room. To Katara's surprise he grabbed the table's tea pot before moving.

Katara couldn't help but feel uneasy as her brother and their prospective teacher sat down. She never sat down in strange places. It left her with her back exposed to attack and unfamiliar territory to contend with. And while her brother was under the impression he was protecting her, she had long ago suspected that it was quite the reverse scenario. But she'd let Sokka think what he'd like so long as they kept themselves alive and focused on their mission.

The saloon looked harmless enough as she leaned against a nearby wall. Despite that, she felt as if something bad was about to happen. Naturally she'd suspect the General. He was already considered a traitor by his own country and no matter how many good things Kiyan had to say about the old firebender and his 'cause', she would always suspect that of his nature. But the feeling of unease didn't originate from the old man. Instead she concentrated on the front door and the wall of bottles lining the mirror backsplash of the bar.

"We seek a master." She heard Sokka repeat.

"So I've heard." The old man replied, sipping at his teacup. "But for whom?"

She could hear Sokka gulp from where he sat. They never said his name in public. It taboo this late into the war. "We seek a master for the Avatar."

To Katara's mild shock, the General seemed un-phased by her brother's declaration. "So he's mastered the other elements already?" the old man finally replied after drain his cup of tea.

Sokka's mouth flapped open a few times before he found the words to respond. "We've been in the Earth Kingdom for two years, and year in the Northern Tribe before that."

"So he is an airbender." The general sighed almost happily and poured himself another cup of tea and two more for the Water Tribe siblings. "I was afraid that great race had died."

"It did." Katara replied quietly from her place against the wall.

The General turned his gold eyes on her at her words. "Then how?"

"It's a long story." Sokka replied for her, giving her a glare of disapproval. He didn't like her drawing attention to herself. There was a reason they were disguising her as a boy, and her pitch of voice would not help her cause. She was already at a disadvantage in this dry climate. "But that's not the point. We're running out of time and we need a master before…"

"Before the arrival of the comet." The General finished for him.

Both siblings' faces paled at the name. "So it is still known amongst firebenders."

"Yes." The General admitted. "It would be a great time for my people if not for the great destruction it will bring."

No one said anything in response to the old man's words. The moment of silence continue before he spoke again.

"I will agree to be his master." He replied, setting his cup down with and air of purpose. "But I have a condition."

Katara didn't like the sound of this man having a 'condition.' She didn't fee like he had quite earned her trust enough to bargain with them. She stared at the backsplash mirror waiting for the general's response.

And then the door of the saloon slapped open and a raven-haired young woman stepped through. The saloon's atmosphere immediately died; withering up and blowing away with the breeze that swept momentarily through the room. Katara didn't get to hear what the general wanted because he didn't have a chance to say it before the raven haired woman's gaze settle decisively upon the old man's face.

Katara could feel the old man freeze next to her and then the unmistakable sensation that the temperature was rising despite the coolness of the night.

"Uncle." The woman's clear and cold voice rang through the stillness of the room. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"I have no doubt about that Princess." The general responded, giving his niece a look that said he believed nothing she said.

It took everything within Zuko not to spit out his third shot of whiskey as he watched his little sister walk through the doors of the saloon. Up until that point he had been watching his uncle and his exchange between the strangers. Up until that point his uncle was starting to act a little more like he used to and the new comers had seemed to start relaxing. And then Azula had walked in.

Zuko's blood had run cold as he watched her cruel gaze rest upon the old man. It took everything within him not to bolt across the room and whisk him as far away from evil Princess as possible. But after all his years of running, he knew that the best way to deal with Azula was to avoid dealing with her period. He felt that no matter how many years his uncle trained him, his firebending would never reach the same levels as his sister's. So in the end, running was always the best course of action.

But Azula had only noticed Uncle. Her ignorance of his presence was giving him in the advantage and he'd be damned if he'd squander it. He probably only had one chance to get away from his sister's ruthless clutches. He'd fought for years to remain out of her grasp; out of his nation's grasp; out of his father's.

Azula snapped her fingers, her version of "seize him", and the two figures behind her moved deftly towards his uncle. He threw himself from the bar, hoping to reach Uncle before Azula's cronies did. But in the time he'd made that decision and acted upon it, someone had already beaten him to the punch. As he swung around he could see the bigger of the two stranger's pushing his uncle towards the back door and the smaller one forming a deadly cloud of ice daggers between his uncle and his new companion.

"A waterbender!" Azula laughed manically. "Why I haven't seen a waterbender in years! Father will be disappointed to realize that you're not all rotting at the bottom of the poles." And then she turned sharply to her left and settled her gaze on him. "And Zuko, my dear brother. I see you're becoming a bit slow in protecting our dear uncle. You'd think after all the times I've battled you, you would've gotten better at figuring out when I was near."

"What do you want Azula." He replied, feeling the fires begin to lick between his fists. A look of realization from the waterbender caught Zuko's attention. He motioned for him to follow his uncle. The waterbender nodded and slowly began to retreat towards the back, still keeping the ice daggers aimed and at the ready. He had no idea who the waterbender was, or what they wanted. All he knew was that a man willing to put themselves between Azula and his uncle was a man to be trusted. Azula didn't miss the interaction and motioned for her own companions to move to follow.

"AZULA!" Zuko roared, attempting to get his sister's attention back on him and not on his uncle's retreating back. "What do want?" he repeated.

Azula's face twisted up into a sinister smile. "Oh Zu-Zu, you know exactly what I want." She replied, calling forth her own blue flames. "Your death."

Katara tried not to trip as she kept her front towards the town and her suspected attackers. She had no doubt the Fire Nation Princess would send someone after them, and running backwards was causing her to concentrate on something other then keeping on the defensive. She didn't know whether or not her attackers would be benders or not and she struggled to keep her attention focused on the signs of a bending attack and her brother and the General.

"Katara!" she heard her brother shriek as two figures stepped out of the darkness.

"I hate fighting in the dark." One of the figures, a young woman dressed all in black, complained dully as she pulled something out from her sleeves. Katara didn't recognize the long, thin blades of iron gripped between the young woman's fingers. But she immediately understood their purpose.

"Oh Mai." The other figure giggled. "But it's such a challenge. Besides they're both kind of cute."

Katara rolled her eyes. Up until that point she didn't think her 'male' disguise was all that convincing. She stopped, stood her ground and accessed the situation. While the girl dressed in black presented deadly looking weapons, the girl dressed all in pink stood there practically blinking at her. This worried Katara slightly. Either this innocent looking girl was going to get herself killed or she possessed something that didn't need a weapon. She didn't look like a firebender and she didn't possess the physical form of an earthbender.

The whistling of one of the dark girl's iron darts announced the first attack, and before Katara could think about anything else she was battling two fronts and praying to the spirits that Sokka would get Aang the firebending master he so desperately needed.

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A/N: This is kind of a weird amalgamation between Avatar and a John Wayne movie. I'm not really one for westerns, but the whole western theme in "The Chase" during Season 2 got me kind of thinking... and this is NOT a modern AU. I'm just, you know... going out on a limb. Let me know what you think. If things seem kind of vague, I did that on purpose. I'll open up the explanations to why things are the way they are in future chapters. Also, this story was written and edited by me. So any mistakes and/or typos are solely my own and I take full responsibility for sounding like an illiterate fool. Thanks for reading and leave a message/review if the fancy strikes you.

And yes you read right. This is a Zutara story.

Why?

Because I can.