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It was hours later and it was night fall. The Avatar gang sit around the camp fire that Zuko had made awhile ago, when he boiling tea.

“So, you guys want to hear Uncle’s favorite tea joke?” Zuko asked, while passing around the tea cups. Sakura and Naruto grab theirs and took a sip., Sakura flinch at the tea taste, but she shake it off in heart beat. She really doesn't like tea or any kind of tea much now days.

"Sure why not" Toph said.

“Okay, so I don’t remember how it starts, but the punch line is ‘Leaf me alone, I’m bushed,” Zuko said. His face was blank as he saw everyone staring at him weirdly.

“Um… funny…” Sakura said, unsure.

Then he saw Naruto falls down laughing.

Zuko face light up when he saw Naruto laughing, but it disappear faster than it comes, when Naruto said,

"I-I never heard a J-Joke this bad in my life." Naruto said between giggles of laughter. Uh-oh,

"NARUTO! BAKA!" Sakura shouted, grabbing Naruto by the collar of his orange jump suit and started to bitch slap Naruto back and forth.

Screams of pain can be heard coming from Naruto, as he tried to say sorry to Sakura, but he got cut ten off with each slap.

“funnier when Uncle says it,” Zuko said sadly.

“Right, maybe that’s because he knows the whole thing,” Katara said mean. Aang, Sokka, and Toph laughed while Zuko cringed.

Sakura drop Naruto and stop her pounding and look at Katara disbelieving. This girl can survive in the ninja world being hateful like this.

"KATARA!" Sakura shouted, holding her self down from jumping the poor girl.

Zuko made his way toward Sokka side, when Sokka stand up and drag Zuko off from the group and into the woods out of the gangs hearing.

“Hey Zuko, do you have a second?” Sokka asked.

“Sure,” Zuko answered uneasy, walking deeper into the forest with Sokka.

“Well, if someone was captured by the Fire Nation, where would they be taken?” Sokka asked, he went straight to the point.

“What do you mean? Who was captured?” Zuko asked suddenly.

“When the invasion plan failed, some of our troops were taken. I just want to know where they might be,” Sokka said honestly.

“I can’t tell you,” Zuko said after a moment of silent.

“What? Why not?” Sokka asked. “Because, you wouldn’t want to know,” Zuko said, “knowing it would just make you feel worse.”

Zuko turned away to leave, but Sokka put his hand on his shoulder stopping Zuko, and saying, “It’s my dad. He was captured.”

Another second of silence had passed till Zuko speak. He sound regretful.

“My best guess, would be, the Fire Nation took him to the Boiling Rock, the highest security prison. It’s in the middle of the Boiling Lake. It’s in the middle of a volcano that we’ve passed on the way here.”

“Kay, thanks Zuko. Knowing that makes me feel better,” Sokka said in fake relief, while walking back to the group.

“Yeah, sure it does,” Zuko said sarcastic, following him back to the camp sight.


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Sokka got out of bed, and glance around. He saw Aang, Toph, Katara, Momo asleep. He saw Sakura, Naruto and Zuko, with the sleeping bag pulled over their heads. Sokka sighed in relief when he saw pink strands of hair sticking out from Sakura’s sleeping bag, telling him that she is asleep.

He crept over to Appa, and started to climb up him, when he heard, “Not up to anything huh?”

He screeched and fell off of Appa.

“What are you two doing here?” Sokka asked, looking at Zuko, sitting on Appa, Zuko's arms folded.

“Staying warm, catching you, sitting on Appa,” Zuko said non chantly.

“Fine, you caught me, I’m going to go save my Dad, happy now?” Sokka asked in annoyance.

“I’m never happy,” Zuko said shortly afterwards.

"Hey what are you two doing?" They heard a voice right behind Sokka. Sokka and Zuko head turns and were soon face to face to Sakura and Naruto. They were wide awake.

"Now what you two doing up? You both really aren't sleeping." Sokka hisses out.

"Well, I heard that you're going to the Boiling Point, so seeing that you both need help Naruto and I decided to come along." Sakura said and both Zuko and Sokka knew that they can't change Sakura and Naruto minds.

"Fine you both can come, but don't get in our way." Zuko said with a smirk coolly. What the hell?
Sakura shot daggers at Zuko.

“Listen it’s my fault that my dad’s in prison. I’m going to go save him,” Sokka said, brushing himself off, expecting cries of protest.

“Fine, we’ll take my War Balloon,” Zuko said next.

Sokka smiled glad that he had friends to come along. Sakura, Naruto and Sokka followed Zuko to his War Balloon.

Wait a balloon in the boiling point? The balloon will not last long.

Sakura thought and she took a glance at Sokka.

And he knows too


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“Good morning,” Aang said as he petted Momo.

“Hey, what are you holding Momo?” Katara asked as she took the paper he was holding.

‘Run out of meat, went fishing. Sakura and Naruto needs new clothes.

Zuko, Sokka, Sakura and Naruto

P.S.

Don’t forget to practice fire bending. Do twenty sets of Fire Hot Squats and 10 Fire Crouches. Every time you hear the badger frog croak.

Katara finished reading, with a huge sweat drop behind of her head. She could feel the tension behind the letter.

Then they heard a badger frog croak in a short distance. Aang walk a little ways from the group.

"Aw man, why do I have homework? No one else does." Aang complains, while doing crouches.


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Sakura stared at Zuko, watching him keep the War Boat’s flame going with fire bending, can't keep his eyes off of him. She admit that she does have a small crush on the fire bender, but she hope that will not grow into something big like Sasuke.

Taking all of her might, she tore her eyes off.

“Do you want to take a break?” she asked worried, if he is tired she could get Naruto to try air bend instead fire bend to keep the balloon going.

“No, I’m fine,” Zuko said calmly. Naruto just look out and watch as trees and buildings passes and the height. He loved high places and Sakura didn't know why. Naruto is still a strange kid.

“So, pretty clouds,” Sokka said, trying to strike up a conversation.

“Yeah… fluffy and… wet,” Zuko said.

"Amazing." Sakura said in a fake day dreaming state.

“So, a friend of mine actually created these War Balloon. Yup, true story,” Sokka said.

“If there’s one thing my dad’s good at, it’s causing war,” Zuko said bitterly to Sokka and everyone turns to him and listen.

“Yup, runs in the family,” Sokka said.

“No! Not everyone in my family spreads war!” Zuko yelled angry all of a sudden. He really does have anger problems at times.

“I know, you’ve changed,” Sokka said suddenly, realizing his mistake.

“No, I meant my uncle. He was more of a father to me than my own father,” Zuko said, quietly. Sakura felt bad. Something must have happen between them. Sakura thought.

“I wanted to make him proud, but instead I betrayed him,” Zuko said, putting his hands down.

Sakura gasps and Naruto turn around from them.

"Are you two okay?" Sokka asked Naruto and Sakura seeing their reactions.

"W-We fine." Sakura said.

"Someone close to us did the same thing. .. " Naruto said, changing the subject just a bit. Sakura look at Zuko sadly.

“I’m sure he would be proud. You left your home, people you cared about to help us. It must have taken a lot of courage,” Sakura said heartily.

Zuko smiled at her but said, “No, it wasn’t that hard.”

“Really? Didn’t you leave behind anyone important to you?” Sokka asked.

“Well, I had a girlfriend whom I had to leave,” Zuko said slowly.

Zuko quickly put his hands up, and started bending the uncontrolled fire.

“I wonder why the fire got so wild all of a sudden,” Zuko said. He didn’t notice the angry Sakura who wanted to punch a hole in something and Naruto trying to hold her down.

“Her name was Mai. Everyone in the Fire Nation thinks I’m a traitor, I couldn’t drag her into it,” Zuko said, looking up to the sky.

“It sounds like you care about her,” Sokka said.

“Yeah, I did,” Zuko said.

Sakura was heart because of this, but she hide it.

“My first girlfriend turned into the moon,” Sokka said, laying back, his arms folded.

“My first boy friend is a jerk. He always nagged me and push me around." Sakura said with a huff.

"Who?" Sokka said with sudden interest.

"Some dude name Tain."

"Later the same day I kick that guy's ass when I find out, believe it!" Naruto said madly, still remembering the memory of Sakura ex.

“I do the same thing too,” Sokka said.

The day passed by quickly, and Zuko soon found that it was night. He looked at the wide awake Sakura and Naruto. Who feel and saw that the balloon is slowly going down.

“Hey, we’re here,” Zuko said lightly, kicking Sokka body to wake up.

Zuko led the War Balloon through the Volcano’s steam.

“We’re going down! The Balloon is sinking!” Zuko yelled.

"WHAT DO YOU EXPECT! TOO MUCH HEAT!" Screamed Sakura, while she putting her hand out of the basket. Sokka is wide awake now.

"What happening?" He asked, panicking. A slid of earth made its way.

"JUMP!" Sakura shouted, they all jumped on the earth and slid down. The earth behind them disappear after them. The War balloon, crash silently by their surprise in the lava.

They reach ground minutes of sliding and holding in screams.

“How are we going to get off the island if the War Balloon crashed?” Zuko said.

“We’ll find a way. I suspected it’d be a one way ticket,” Sokka said.

“You mean you expected this to happen?” Zuko asked.

Sakura knew this and she can't believe that Zuko didn't expect this. She understand Naruto, but him, he can be pretty dense at times.

“Uncle always said I never thought things through… but this is just crazy!” Zuko yelled.

"Quiet! Do you want to get us spotted?" Sakura hisses at the group of small people.

The four made their ways into an extra storage room, changing into their armor. Sakura use a genjutsu to make her hair brown, putting it in a messy bun on the top of her head. She told Zuko and Sokka that she just die it.

They ran outside the prison, after looking at the other soldiers running out.

They saw a man named Chit Sang.

“I didn’t do anything! I’m going back to my cell,” he said, turning around and walk away than ask again.

“What did I do?” he asked.

“He wanted to know what he did, isn’t that cute?” the soldier asked the four.

“Cute, very cute,” Sakura said.

“You didn’t bow down when I walked down,” the soldier said.

“Make me,” Chit Sang said bravely.

The two had a small fire bending war, until the soldier said with a smirk, “Fire bending is prohibited.”

“You, help me with the prisoner,” the soldier said to Sokka. The two dragged Chit Sang into the cooler room, a room for misty snow.

After whispering to Zuko, Sakura and Naruto to meet up in a hour.

“Prisoners,” Sokka said, shaking his head.

“Am I right?” he asked with a goofy grin.

“Tell me about it,” the other soldier said annoyed.


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“Hey, newbie!” a man called out to Zuko and Sakura in the lounge. Naruto looked around somewhere else for information.

“I know that we’re supposed to wear our helmets at all times, but this is the lounge, loosen up a bit,” the man said to Zuko. Sakura already took off her helmet at the entrance of the lounge.

“So, can I ask you a question?” Zuko asked to the guy and the girl with his helmet still on.

“No, you can’t date the female guards,” the female sitting across from the man said, folding her arms.

“Yeah, but you don’t want to… unless you talking about the young lady next to you,” the man said, grasping Sakura’s hand.

Sakura blushed.

"S-Sorry, I'm happy being single." Sakura said, snatching her hand away.

“Well, that’s not the question. Does the Boiling Rock hold war prisoners?” Zuko asked.

Sakura mentally hit her forehead, he just come out blurting it.

Her inner just rolled her eyes.

But you got to admit it, you like it Inner Sakura said with a knowing smirk.

Shut up Sakura said to her inner in her mind.


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After thirty minutes talking to the other soldiers, Sakura excuse herself. She put her helmet back on and walk out, leaving the prince behind. On the floor at the cooler she met another soldier.

"Hello, there." Sakura said. The soilder grabbed Sakura arm hard, she look at him surprise snatching her arm from his grip.

"Its me Sakura-chan."

"Oh Naruto." Sakura said, relaxing. No one was in the halls now.

"Do you find any information?" Sakura whisper. Naruto shake his head.

"I find out nothing, except that the fire nation princess Azula is coming later on. Gossip. Don't know its true or not" Naruto whispered. Sakura nodded her head.

"Let go meet the rest of gang." Sakura said, as they both started walk toward the meet spot that they choose earlier.\

They decided to keep that information, just in case its false.


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"Hey, Lee…” Sakura said to Sokka.

“Huh?” he asked.

“Your name… is Lee,” Sakura said, her teeth clenched, how stupid can this guy be?

“Right… so… Mushi and I along with Leo were asking round questions . There are no Water Warriors here,” Sakura said glumly.

“Did you double check?!” Sokka asked, banging his hands on the wall.

“Yeah, after Saku left I double check." Zuko said.

“I came here, to fail again!” Sokka yelled upset/

“Um… what would Uncle say?” Zuko asked himself.

“Sometimes clouds have two sides. A dark and light, and a silver lining in between. It’s like a silver 

sandwich, so when life seems hard, take a bite out of the silver sandwich,” Zuko said.

“Maybe we haven’t failed after all!” Sokka yelled, looking over the rail.

“That’s the spirit! I can’t believe that worked… I didn’t even know what I was saying!” Zuko exclaimed.

“No, what you said, made no sense whatsoever… but look! Suki!” Sokka exclaimed, pointing over the rail to a girl in torn red dress.