Zuko felt dejected. His plan to lead Zhao away with smoke had merely worked for a few moments, buying him less than an hour before the commander found his way onto the small island and apprehended everyone outside of the great door separating them from the Avatar.

"You're too late, Zhao! The Avatar's inside and the doors are sealed." Zuko shouted in defiance at Zhao who just stood there smugly.

"No matter. Sooner or later, he has to come out. "Zhao retorted with satisfaction and Zuko snarled.

Everything remained quiet as Zhao paced about, thinking things over.

"I should return the favour for that Agni Kai." He suddenly stated, "I don't know how but word got out that I lost, even though no one should have been there at the time."

The two water tribe siblings shared a glance at each other as Zuko sneered again.

"If you're looking for a rematch I'll beat you again." Zuko suggested as he glared at Zhao.

"I wasn't talking about an Agni Kai but a show of respect!" Zhao retorted as he marched up to Zuko with every intention of torturing him.

"Sir, the Director stated that attacking Prince Zuko would be see-"one of the guards started saying before a flame of fire interrupted them.

"I don't want to hear about that brat!" Zhao roared before straightening himself, "but unfortunately you're right."

Zhao groaned before turning back to face Zuko.

"I don't know why that brother of yours does what he does but mark my words one day I'll get my revenge."

The two water tribe siblings gave each other an incredulous look as Zuko stared back at Zhao, challenging him with his eyes.

"Leave him out of this, I don't need anyone to help beat you!" he challenged.

"So you say," Zhao retorted, "but look where you are now."

As the two firebenders continues to argue the firebender who had spoken out earlier walked off to the side and approached the chained water tribe siblings.

"What brings the Avatar to the fire nation anyway?" he asked the male in a low voice.

"That's none of your business!" Sokka answered, giving his chains a tug for good measure.

"Well if you don't want to escape then fine…." He trailed off, pretending to walk away.

"Wait…what?" Katara asked in a slightly shocked voice. "Why would the Fire Nation help us?"

"I don't represent the Fire Nation, my master would prefer that you aren't in Zuko or Zhao's hands so if I have a chance to do anything then I will." The soldier stated, glancing at the others to see if they had heard.

"That still doesn't sound plausible," Sokka stated, "how exactly do you plan on helping us?"

Without batting an eyelid the masked soldier threw a flame that almost melted the chains holding Sokka and Katara. He had made sure that the area affected was out of sight of any of the other guards and without needing to test the strength of the chain the two siblings could tell a simple tug would break the weak point.

"You see?"

"Fine….." Katara answered in reluctance.

"Katara!" Sokka whispered loudly with an alarmed look on his face.

"Quiet!"

Everyone froze as Zhao shouted.

"I didn't say you could talk" he roared, clearly annoyed by Zuko's insistent retorts.

"And you, back in line!" Zhao shouted, pointing to the masked soldier standing near the two siblings. "When those doors open, unleash all your firepower!"

The firebenders, along with Zhao, lined up in front of the large doors and got into a basic stance. The masked soldier glanced towards the siblings who seemed both worried for the Avatar's sake and troubled about their own predicament. All of a sudden a large noise could be heard and a white flash came from the cracks around the large door that the Avatar had been hiding behind. As the door slowly unlocked smoke began to release from the room, a sign for all the firebenders to prepare themselves.

"Ready... Fire!" Zhao shouted as the doors opened.

Unfortunately for the commander the person standing to intercept the flames wasn't the 12 year old boy from all the reports but the figure of a fully realised Avatar, Roku. The man that stood before them emanated a fearsome power, eyes glowing with the power of almost 10,000 years' worth of fighting experience. With simple control the Avatar controlled the heat in the room with ease, blasting ferocious plumes of fire in so many directions that the other firebenders had no choice but to scramble for cover. Amidst all the chaos the water tribe siblings had freed themselves, Zuko seemingly vanished and Zhao decided that now would be a great time to temporarily retreat.

The moment Aang regained his body he felt weaker than expected, the toll on his body enough to put him out of commission. Fortunately the two water tribe siblings were there to support the boy as the trio escaped on Appa, who had conveniently known it was time to save his spiritual partner. As the group left the island Aang was left in a state of unease, the information he had been told was still something he could barely come to terms with.

"Do you really think that firebender was helping us?" Sokka questioned out of the blue.

"Well he did loosen our chains." Katara answered as she attempted to comfort Aang.

"What firebender?" The boy asked, having not been there to witness any of it.

"I don't know." Katara admitted, "A masked firebender said he was working for someone else and that he was helping you to stay out of Zuko's and Zhao's hands."

"I think there's more to it," Sokka added, "But we were able to easily escape thanks to the guy so he can't be all bad right?"

"Weird," Aang said, "Roku told me that help from all the nations would be key to beating the Fire Lord, could he have meant that firebender or his master?"

"Perhaps, but that's something we can worry about another time" Katara said, bringing their conversation to a close.

Fate was always a fickle deal, easier than dealing with the spirits, but still troublesome. For the 19 year old Sikumi who had been lost at sea for three weeks there was nothing she wouldn't have objected to, even capture by the Earth Kingdom would have been welcome. Days upon days of staring at nothing but Deep Ocean, no land and the same sky were starting to play on her mind, the idea of being saved slowly fading away.

Sikumi was born in Kassuq, a small sea village close to the Northern Water Tribe capital. Around 5 years after the Fire Nation had wiped out the Air Nomads the capital city had ordered all citizens to cut-off ties with the rest of the world, however their village decided to ignore those orders and continue trading with the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation. As a neutral town they expected no harm to come to them but the capital didn't see things that way, for refusing to listen to the cities chieftain and according to tradition the town was officially exiled, no aid or trade would be condoned between their sister villages and Kassuq. This was a common practice for the Water Tribe, it had happened hundreds of years ago with a tribe that disappeared, rumour has it that they settled somewhere within the Earth Kingdom.

But Kassuq was quite unique in that regard. The village was never officially in a single position, because the ice that it had been built upon shattered thousands of years ago and the village would continually move with the Northern sea currents. That had made the village quite popular with tourists as one of the only large amounts of land to continually move. 40 years after Kassuq had cut ties with the Northern Water Tribe a tragedy struck them. A skirmish was fought between a fleet of Fire Nation ships and Earth Kingdom dignitaries. The Earth Kingdom traders were big merchant owners who were given permission to contact the Northern Tribe in order to gain better naval equipment. During this time a fleet of ships, one in particular that would later become the southern raiders, had corned the Earth Kingdom dignitaries into Kassuq who found refuge with the people of the village. Unfortunately for those in the village it wasn't the Fire Nation that had caused the destruction of their village but the Earth Nation who invested quite a large amount of forces to rescue their delegates.

Within mere hours the villagers were forced to leave their homes. Kassuq, floating on a chunk of ice 1 mile long, was destroyed. However all wasn't lost for those that had lived there. The chief in a fit of desperation had used their best Earthbenders to secure enough boats for everyone, leaving the Earth Kingdom dignitary behind as a peace offering to the Fire Nation in an attempt to escape with their lives. Fortunately the commander in charge that day was indeed generous and the people of Kassuq escaped, mostly unharmed.

Ever since that day the people of Kassuq drifted. They built their new lives on the sea, trading as they sailed from port to port, their hatred of the Earth Kingdom stifled but settled deep within their hearts. Soldiers, Pirates and even the common man were all customers for the drifters who shared stories throughout the years, selling wares they found on their travels. As a general rule Earth Nation were never allowed to stay with them, anytime someone of Earth Kingdom original traded with them the drifters would unconsciously raise their prices in anger, their minds still thinking of the time they lost their home. The water tribe, lost souls from any home would be welcomed with open arms, sheltered by the families and eventually given a boat to become part of their extended family. It became customary for small groups to leave on their own, trading with the land and coming back at the same time every year to meetup with the rest of their tribe. For a week they would stay together, remember the times they were once united by land, share stories and pray to the spirits in a grand festival of many colours. Afterwards they would disperse, back to their trading routes where they would tour the world again.

During the early period of the people becoming drifters the villagers came into the wreckage of a Fire Nation ship, seeing survivors struggling to float on the ocean. Without a word they saved those men, taking them in and guiding them back to land, perhaps in a gesture of good faith but in their hearts to repay the good deed that one general had done for them many years ago. Ever since then the Fire Nation had been on good terms with the drifters, trading with them and gaining valuable Intel from them whenever possible. That's how it stayed for many years, the steady pace of life quickly accepted by the people who once lived in Kassuq, the pacifist like attitude past down onto their children and the praise they saw for the Fire Nation over the Earth Kingdom remained. Over time the almost prejudiced attitude to the Earth Kingdom subsided, the parents that lived during the tragedy too old to care or long passed from this world.

Sikumi and her parents were sailing towards Gao Ling. It was almost time for the annual meetup, happening during the Winter Solstice. The other 8 boats that travelled with them belonged to other families, mostly water tribe members from Kassuq but one Earth Kingdom family had been welcomed into their arms too. Trade had been good that year and Sikumi had felt the benefits of good food and a warm shelter for the season. Her parents were in good health and her siblings happily playing with the other children from the other boats.

Everything was as it should have been for a drifter but within mere seconds she lost it all.

A Unagi, massive in size, had swam into the warmer waters of the central ocean and had swam into the small fleet. Before anyone could react it had sank three boats and dragged two more to the ocean depths with its large teeth. There was no time for cries of despair, shouts of desperation or roars of anger as the Unagi attacked the entire fleet, ensuring that no one had survived except for one lone female.

For Sikumi who had lived her life with a love for the ocean it came as an ironic shock to her that it would claim her life. The light in her eyes daring to fade as she struggled to keep her strength, her waterbending not strong enough to overpower the currents and hardly enough to capture a small fish. Those she caught were eaten raw in fear that a simple wave would take her meal away from her. It was a pitiful existence that threatened to overwhelm her mind till her saviour finally appeared. The image of large vessel clad in green, blue and red took a hold of her weak vision. The sound of voices that were aware of her presence beaconed like praise from spirits themselves.

"Quick, hoist her up before the sea claims her!" a female voice shouted.

For the first time in three weeks Sikumi felt relived, her tears had long been spent but the need to cry rose up again as the men aboard the ship hoisted her by the arms and brought Sikumi aboard. It was quickly found out that Sikumi had an intense fever, her waterbending nature was the only thing that saved her life. Tadashi had personally taking it upon himself to ensure the female was constantly heated. Her legs showed signs of bacterial infection, the skin breaking down due to too long exposure of water. It was a heavy decision for Tadashi but he had ordered the boat to be sailed to the nearest port to gain medicine, the stores they currently kept weren't enough to deal with the girl. The ships doctor had did their best to cure the watebenders legs and due to the girls strong spirit she had healed well, falling into a cycle of mere exhaustion and fever.

One particular day Tadashi was out admiring the sun after a morning spent training. Their water tribe guest had considerably healed and was up and about, more upbeat about her situation then what appeared natural. Having insisted that she stay with them as a repayment for their kindness, Aki asked the girl if she thought staying with Pirates was the best idea. In turn they eventually found out what had happened to her and her family. Tadashi, whilst understanding, had elected to send her to the nearest water tribe settlement whether they were drifters or tribes' people. Sikumi however rejected the idea, stating that a waterbender like herself could be useful.

"But you don't know any real waterbending!" Tadashi retorted.

Sikumi had been given standard gear to wear over the clothing ruined by the sea. Her arms were decorated with multi-coloured bands of fabric, each one depicting various locations around the world. She had indeed travelled a lot.

"I'm still learning," she stated, "I will be useful eventually…."

"It wouldn't hurt to have more females aboard, we're severely lacking in that department." Aki commented, trying to imagine how combative the water girl could be.

Tadashi sighed, knowing that having benders of multiple disciplines would ultimately be more useful than anything else but it also went against everything he had been taught. These people were the enemy, if they attacked then the Fire Nation took them out. But even Tadashi had heard about the good relationship drifters shared with navy. He wondered if this meant that inducting waterbenders wouldn't be frowned upon.

"Ok, say we do keep you then how would you hold up in a fight?" Tadashi asked, Aki nodding in agreement.

Sikumi shifted about uncomfortably. Her face dropping as memories of her parents came to mind.

"I was taught to never fight, that we should get along with everyone….even the Earth Kingdom," she said unsurprised to see Tadashi's confused face. "You see, my parents' home was destroyed by the Earth Kingdom so there has always been this aura of resentment towards them but more recently we've been accepting of Earthbenders, that's the drifter way after all."

"Even so, wouldn't that make you useless?" Tadashi asked, "I don't mean to disrespect but a waterbender that doesn't use her bending to help in battle won't be of much use in a pirate ship."

Sikumi frowned, looking Tadashi in the eye as she prepared to defend herself.

"I can heal!" she exclaimed, "My mother taught me how to."

"What do you mean heal?" Aki asked, this time it was Tadashi who nodded in agreement.

Noticing that Tadashi had a light cut on his forearm Sikumi brought about a small amount of water and approached Tadashi who looked at the girl wearily.

"It's ok," she said soothingly, "I know what I'm doing."

With a weave of her hand the water gently kissed the wound on his arm, moving about with an ethereal glow as it slowly healed the wound, leaving no trace behind that he had been cut.

"That's amazing!" Tadashi almost shouted, beaming at the girl who tried to hide her blushes as Aki inspected the wound.

"No trace at all, very impressive." She said before turning to Tadashi. "Should we?"

This time the look the two shared was serious. Tadashi nodded before turning back to Sikumi who was slightly confused.

"The first thing you should know is that we're Fire Nation." Tadashi stated.

"That's obvious right? Anyone can tell from looking at your eyes." Sikumi replied.

"That's not what I meant, we're not pirates but undercover Fire Nation soldiers in the army. I am Prince Tadashi of the Fire Nation." He said slowly, watching Sikumi for any change in her eyes.

Aki was also cautious. Although she didn't move much, she was ready to strike the moment the girl did anything that may harm Tadashi but was instead shocked by the almost reverence that could be seen in Sikumi's eyes.

"Really!? That's amazing! I've always wanted to see the Fire Nation. What's it like? Does that mean you're the Fire Lords son? Is it always hot in the Fire Nation? I heard the Fire Lord is responsible for the sun coming up every day is that true?"

As Sikumi continued to ask stranger questions Tadashi couldn't help but laugh. Aki mentally felt exhausted watching the girl as she decided that she couldn't be much of a threat with that mentality.

"Welcome to the team…..I guess." Aki said before deciding to deal with other matters.

Fortunately for the captain a message just came in from their informant network. The Avatar was heading to a popular trading village in the Earth Kingdom.