Hi everyone! This is an expansion that was sparked after I wrote a one-shot. So if you've read it, some of the areas may sound so family, they're word for word. Yeah. I tried to change some of it up and corrected some errors and expanded a lot. I hope you enjoy. Please review with any criticism (or praise, I like that too!) =]

Zuko and Katara sat on Appa's saddle. They were not talking or even looking at each other, just staring ahead, mentally preparing for what would come. Taking on Azula would not be easy. Zuko straightened his back and started to meditate. He let his breathing slow and focused on the feel of the sun, and the heat within himself.

Katara watched him relax himself, and sighed. She knew she should be meditating, focusing her energy. This evening. When the moon is out. I'll meditate then. She looked over the side of the saddle and saw the expanse of water beneath them. Flying didn't bother her, but she wished she could be closer to the source of her bending. She was getting ready to rest when a fireball flew past her head. Zuko jumped up and extinguished the flames.

They flew lower to the water and Katara lifted a wave to dump on the three ships firing at them. Zuko tried to stop their blasts while Katara tried to flip the boats. The soldiers fired huge cables at the bison. Katara and Zuko couldn't stop the fireballs and the cables and Appa was dragged down to the largest ship.

Appa roared and they muzzled him, Katara and Zuko fighting their hardest to not get taken by the Fire Nation soldiers and rescue Appa. They were greatly outnumbered and didn't have a ton of time, although they knew when leaving this could be a possibility. Katara brought water up over the edges of the ship, freezing men left and right while Zuko fought hand to hand with his fire daggers. The bending was taking its toll on her and she could tell Zuko was getting overwhelmed with the four soldiers attacking him. She glanced over once again to see how he was doing, and that's when they took her down.

"Zuko!" Katara cried out as she was dragged down some stairs. She could feel the water slipping away and bent some to her to attack the men dragging her down the hallway, around different twists and bends. They let go in surprise and she stood, crouching low with water around her. Simultaneously, the two soldiers sent huge fireblasts her way. She couldn't make it all turn into steam, though, and the smoke filled the passageway. She could hear more fire blasts as she tried to escape this fiery hell. She stumbled forward, the smoke filling her lungs. She could feel herself becoming dizzy and then something solid was in front of her. She saw golden eyes right before she passed out.

He had taken a wrong turn and was in the small engine room on the ship. It was quickly becoming smoke filled as he fought the men. He was bruised and tired as it was after trying to get down the passage and find Katara. The five men had on masks and were unbothered by the conditions of the room. He mentally thanked his uncle for all the training in the basics of firebending, when he could only go on instinct and fight his best without strategizing. He ducked to dodge a punch, and got caught in the gut with a kick. He fell, and wielded his flame daggers, attempting to fight on the ground while struggling to rise back up.

He never got a chance, the fight too far in the soldiers' favor. He curled up, trying to protect his skin from the flames and his organs from the painful kicks the men were delivering. He used his bending to deflect the worst of the flames but could feel some mild burning. He finally passed out from a kick to the head.

Katara woke up, realizing she was in a small holding cell and handcuffed. She couldn't see much, the only light coming from the cracks around the door. The cell wall was very cold and she shivered. She tried to move herself out of the corner she was in, only to discover her legs were cuffed as well, with a small amount of chains to allow slight movement. Starting to panic, she closed her eyes to meditate, hoping that by centering herself she would discover a solution to her predicament. She regreted not doing so earlier while Zuko had, knowing if she had done so, she would have been able to fight longer. After a few deep breaths, she opened her eyes to find she could see a little better.

The waterbender tried to figure out where everything was in relation to the metal door. She was in the back left corner compared to the door. She was able to discern a small cot on the right wall, without a blanket or pillow. She turned her head and saw a tray with some bread and what appeared to be tea sitting by the door. Looking finally to the left corner next to the door, across from her, she saw a large lump. The lump shifted a little and moaned. She gasped and jumped a little, causing her to lose her delicate balance and hit her head. Grumbling, she resituated herself and watched the lump go back to not moving.

That's a person, Katara! A person who is obviously in pain… Katara started to squirm and inch herself to move closer. She finally got near enough to clearly see the outline of the person, curled up in on himself, unbound. Although she thought that was peculiar, seeing how she herself was bound hand and foot, she did her best to bend the tea over to her. This task required all of her concentration and abilities, but the cuffs had enough links between them to allow her hands small movement, luckily her healing was so instinctual she could do it with her hands behind her back. As the tea became drained of its color, it started to glow.

Using this light, Katara saw the cuts and bruises across the back of this other prisoner. The clothing was torn apart, leaving shreds in the place of what had been a shirt. Her heart broke for this battered man. And it is most certainly a man, she thought as she admired his muscled back. She used the little amount of tea to try to heal the worst of the wounds. The cuts started closing and the bruising went from a sickly yellow to dark blues and purples. The effort caused sweat to break out on her lip, but she didn't stop, her breathing labored and uneven. She continued on the man's back until the tea water had run out. She bent the little amount of sweat off herself to continue, growing lightheaded by the effort. He had only made noise a couple of times while she worked on healing him, soft groans or moans, barely audible. This is what kept her going until she thought she would faint. She then used what little energy she had left to drag herself onto the cot, where she passed out in blissful, although uncomfortable, sleep.

Zuko woke in pain, and moaned. He flashed back to the fire that seared his face, scarring him. He blacked back out.

Something felt nice. Zuko distantly wondered how much time had passed. He sighed as he felt the pain lift, and groaned when it stopped. He fell back asleep almost instantly, a relief from feeling the pain.

This time Zuko woke up to quiet footsteps outside the door. He felt very stiff and wondered how long he had been lying on the floor. The room was dark and he tried to bend a small flame to see. All that came out was a little puff of smoke. He gasped, and then it hit him how cold he was. It's like the coolers at the Boiling Rock! Not quite as cold but with me so weak, it wouldn't take much. Besides, who knows how long I've been in here. He was able to think clearly, although he could still feel the pain of all the cuts, bruises and burns.

Zuko sat up, and his head went spinning, everything going black. Gasping for air, he tried to focus. He knew that if he focused, he could come up with some heat, even in such a cold room. I am strong! I can do this. Focus Zuko! He sat there, taking deep breaths for almost twenty minutes before he tried to produce a flame. The flame he produced was small and shaky but he was grateful for it. Thank Agni.

Slowly, he used one hand to raise himself off the floor to a standing position, recalling earlier when he had sat up. He was unsteady and the pain still threatened to make him pass out. The hand not holding the wall held the tiny flame and he used it to see around the room. He was in a corner by the door and a tray sat next to it, holding an empty cup and some bread. He puzzled over the empty cup before moving closer to the other side of the room, which held a cot. He knew that would help him rest and prepare to break out of this place, as long as he wasn't asleep too long. He couldn't lose sight of the fact he needed to get Katara and get to the palace. As he neared, he saw a young woman lying in it, her hands hand cuffed behind her and her legs loosely chained together.

Her blue dress had slid up while she slept, revealing her long tanned legs to him. He felt himself going hard despite the fact she was chained up and asleep. He carefully knelt down next to the cot to see her face, which had been hidden to him by her long brown hair, which had fallen out of a ponytail. He gasped and fell backwards, the flame going out when he realized it was Katara. Her face was soft in sleep, but he felt his heart constrict at how he saw her treated.

Katara woke up at the noise and saw dimly the shape of a young man rubbing his back and struggling to get up. "Don't! You'll hurt yourself!" She struggled to get off the bed, causing her dress to slide up more. Zuko groaned as he felt himself harden more, even though he could no longer clearly see her. The knowledge that it was Katara in here with him was too much for him. He thought back to the time they were together in the cave, how wonderful it felt when she touched his scar. How much he wanted her. They frequently denied their attraction for each other but now… now he could feel how obvious it was.

Katara heard him groan and started to fret. "I'll be off here in a minute, don't worry, it'll be okay. Stupid chains…" She started squirming more, and Zuko couldn't take anymore.

"Katara! Stop!" He voice was heavy with desire and Katara froze.

That body… those muscles… it was him? Katara shook now. "Zu-Zuko?" She stopped struggling to get off the cot and looked at him. She coughed. "Are you… um… are you okay?" Her voice was caught in her throat. She couldn't deny that they had chemistry, but they both kept it well hidden. She thought about how much her heart broke over him in the caves under Ba Sing Se. She thought she could never trust him again. But now… now she realized she did trust him.

She heard him moving around and grunt every once in a while. "I'm, uh, fine. A little sore. Can't bend." He tried to hide his desire but couldn't. He just hoped there would be no light for her to see what happened.

Katara shifted a little more, still uncomfortable. "Here, come sit by me on the cot. Why can't you bend? And why aren't you chained up?"

Zuko sat next to her, feeling some warmth off her body. He scooted closer, and was able to smell her and decided it was the best smell over… soft and earthy. "It's too cold for me to bend, I think. They used these things called coolers at the Boiling Rock, a frozen room to take away firebending. It's not that cold in here, but I'm weak enough it affects my bending. That's probably why I'm not shackled as well." Zuko's words rushed together, and he hated that he had never been good with words, but he felt Katara nod at his explanation.