"Let me go right now! Don't touch me!" I was being dragged onto a Fire Nation ship by two huge men. My hands and feet were tied with rope so i couldn't fight my way from them. They dragged my down to the bottom of their boat and throw me into one of the cells.
The walls and floors were made of metal and it was very cold. I stood and hopped over to the small bed in the corner. I noticed a small sink on the wall next to me, and water dripped from it. I was able to move my hands just enough to water bend the droplets onto the ropes, freeze the water and break them. I rubbed my sore wrists, then i heard foot steps coming down the hall.
As the steps grew near to my cell i stood and faced the bars of my tiny new room. A tall boy in Fire Nation clothes stepped infront of me along with an older short man and three Fire Nation guards. I smiled at them.
"Hello boys, how are you today?"
"What's your name?" The boy demanded. It was dark in my cell and i could hardly see their faces. I stepped closer to the bars and notices that the boy hard a scar on his left eye. His hair was up in a ponytail and he had golden eyes. He's eye's were beautiful.
"That's none of your concern." I said as i stepped closer to the boy.
"I said WHAT IS YOUR NAME!" He yelled at me. His face became a bit red and he look angry. Wow! This guy had a bad temper!
"Zuko do not yell at the young lady, it's bad manners to yell at a pretty young woman." The older looking man said.
"Since you want to know my name so badly, it's Kieyo. Now its my turn to ask a question. Why did you drag me on your damned ship and put me in this cell?" I said in a pissed voice.
"She's a wanted criminal sir." The guard on Zuko's right said. The guard pulled out a wanted poster with my face on it. Zuko took the paper, read it, then stared at me. He look confused.
"You can bend two elements?" He asked in surprise. I laughed at the look on his face. His golden eyes were huge!
"Yes i can, most people are as surprised as you are when they find out!" I smirked at him.
"Uncle is that even possible?" He turned to the older looking man who seemed very calm.
"Anything is possible young Zuko." The man put his hand on Zuko's shoulder and smiled. "Would you like to get out of that cell? It seems very tiny, and your not our prisoner." He unlocked my door. "I would love it if i had someone to have tea with too." He smiled at me in a friendly way. I was about reject his offer on tea when i saw the kindness in his eyes.
"I would love that just as long as grumpy face isn't there." I smiled and point to Zuko.
"What? How dare you speak to me like that you little girl!" Zuko yelled at me and i giggled.
"I was talking to.." I look at the man as if to ask Whats you name?
"You can call me Iroh." He smiled.
"I was talking to Iroh, not you." I smirked at my joke and at how angry Zuko was.
I stepped out next to Zuko. His was a bit taller then me but not by much. I could see the scar on his left eye clearly now, it went all the way around his eye and up to his ear. It looked painful.
Zuko noticed that i was staring at his scar, so he turned and walked away.
Iroh took me by the hand and lead me to the top deck of the ship. The fresh air felt amasing and sun light warmed my skin. i smiled out into the open sky.
"So what were you doin in the that small merchants town?" Iroh asked as he handed me a cup of tea. I took a sip of the tea, it was amasing.
We were sitting at a small table on the deck of the ship. The sun was shining and there was a light breeze that lifted the ends of my hair. Iroh was serving me a tea that I had never tasted before, and it was great. I hadn't seen Zuko sence he stormed off, and I was wondering what he was doing.
"I was looking for someone." I said then took anouther sip of tea.
"And why are you on those wanted posters?"
"When the Fire Nation attacked my village I took my little brother and ran. A Fire Nation soldier followed us and when he tried to hurt my brother so I used my fire bending. Then while the soldier was on the ground i ran to the river with my brother. The soldier followed us and I was getting tired of fighting so i used the water from the river to freeze his feet the the ground. I guess when he got un-frosen he told his general about how I could bend two elements, and now im wanted! Im just glad I could get my brother to my grandfathers home!" i laughed a little then took anouther sip of my tea. Iroh nodded in reaspons and sipped his tea.
We began to talk about many different things, i learned that Zuko was the Fire Lords son and he banished him from the Fire Nation and was not aloud to return intil he had captured the Avatar. I asked how he was supposed to find the Avatar if he hadn't been seen in a hundred years and Iroh explainded to me that the Avatar was a young boy named Aang.
"May i ask you a question?" I ask him as he poured me anouther cup of hot tea. He nodded and handed me my cup. "How did Zuko get that scar on his left eye?"
Sadness fulled Iroh's eye's as he stared into his cup.
"You do have to tell me if don't want." i said and stared into the steaming cup of tea for a long time.
I was about to say something to Iroh when the ship changed direction very suddenly. I fell over and the hot tea fell into my lap.
As soon as the ship stopped turning i stood and laughed at the spilled tea the covered my pants.
"Oh well that won't do you any good." Iroh laughed. "Zuko may have an extra pair of pants you can borrow."
"Ok thanks you sir." I smiled and waved to him as i went to look for Zuko's room.
Finding the room wasn't to hard, i just walked to where the shouting was. When i rounded the last corner i saw Zuko yelling at one of the guards. I walk up to him and put my hands on my hips. Zuko eyed me.
"What?" He asked in an annoyed voice. Guess he doesn't like me very much.
"Why are you yelling?" I looked at the guards who i could tell were scared even with his helmet on.
"That's doesn't concern you." He said even more annoyed.
I turned to the guards and smiled. "You can go now." I smiled brighter, then turned to Zuko. I pulled him into his room and closed the door.
"What do you want?" He asked looking confused.
"Pants."
"What?"
"Pants. When the ship turned my tea spilled onto my pants," He looked down at my soaked pants.
"I don't have any girls' pants." He said in an annoyed tone.
"I wouldn't expect you too, any pair of pant will do."
"Im not letting you wear my clothes!" He yelled.
"Would you please stop yelling at me." I said calmly.
"Why should i? Your a filthy peasent!" He yelled even louder. Only one way to get him to stop yelling i guess. I walked up to him and put my hands on his shoulders. He looked at me in surprize. I pulled him into a tight hug and when he tried to say something i just hugged tighter. It wasn't that i liked him i just guess he hadn't had a hug in a while and that's why he was so angry.
I was surprized when he put his arms around me and hugged me back. A slight blush crept across my face as he hugged me as tightly as i was hugging him.
When we finally let go of each other, i looked at his face to see he was blushing too.
Oh well this just got awkward!
"Umm...?" Zuko looked at me with a confused look on his face.
"What? You seemed like you need a hug, so I hugged you! I hope you didn't mind. Anyway I still need a pair of pants." I forced myself to look away from him and stop blushing.
"Yea sure, ok." He walked over to a chest in the corner of his room. I looked around, and it was a pretty cool room. The walls were metal, and there was a rug on the wall with the Fire Nation sign on it. He had a desk with scrolls and loose papers all over it, and he had a rack on the wall with swords mounted to it.
"Here." Zuko tossed me a pair of red long pants. "I dont really like those so you can have them." He walked passed me to the door and opened it. Right as he was leaving the room he stopped. "Thank you for the hug." He almost said in a whisper, then he left.
"Your welcome." I called after him, but he didn't hear me. I walked out into the hall with the pants and looked around. I saw a guard at the corner of the hallway to my right and I walked up to him.
"Do you know where i could get a sewing kit?" I asked. He stared at me for a second then nodded. He lead me to a room the was full of fabric and a man with a funny looking outfit on.
"Can I help you young lady?" The man asked.
"Yes please," Then I turned to the guard. "Thank you." He nodded and walked away. Then I turned back to the man. " I need to make these pants fit me, could I barrow a niddle and thread?"
" Why do it yourself? I will do it for you! It is my job after all! Now come here and i'll take your measurments!" The man said cheerfully. I walked over to him and her begain to measure my legs. The he took my pants and began to work on them.
After about 10 minutes the man jumped up. "Perfect! Just wonderful! Im so proud of myself!" He walked over to me and handed me the pants. They were now designed to fit me and had black trim on them. They became skinnier near the bottom of my leg and looked amasing.
"Thanks so much!" I said then ran out of the room. Right when I did I ran smack into Zuko. I fell backward and hit my head against the door, and everything went kinda fuzzy.
I felt Zuko left me to my feet as I tried to figure out what just happened.
"Are you ok?" Zuko said to me. I nodded and tried to regain my balance. But when I did i just fell into Zuko's arm. "Ok lets go find you a place to lay down." He said then picked me up and carried me. I was so dizzy I closed my eyes. The I drifted into sleep.
In my dream I was sitting in a tree, and I looked out at the mountains and the sky. I would sit in that tree all the time cause I thought it had the best view of the mountains. I loved the forest. I was raised in a forest tride and everyone was nice. Our tribe was part of the Earth Kingdom.
I smelled smoke and I look down to see that everything was on fire. I looked up and the mountains were aflame and I started to cry. I jumped down from the tree and began to run to my village. I hear voices behind me and I tunred around to see Fire Nation soldiers behind me. I tried to run fast but the fire was coming way to close and everything was burning and hot. I couldn't breathe and i tried to scream. But I knew no one would hear me...
I shot out of my dream and sat up right, I was laying on a bed in Zuko's room. I touched my forehead and felt a bandaged rapped around it. My head began to thump with pain. I cried out and let a tear fall from my eye, that ran down my face and to my chin.
I wiped the tear away just a Zuko entered the room with a small bowl and a towel.
"What's wrong with you?" He asked, then walked over next to me and sat down. "You should probly still be laying down, you hurt your head pretty bad." He dipped the towel in the water and ringed it out. Then layed it on my forehead and layed me back down. It felt nice to have the cool water on my thumping head.
"Nothing, just had a nightmare." I closed my eyes and relaxed.
"About what?" His voice sounded very mature.
"Fires were burning down my village, and I tried to run and get help, but there was no where to go. And all I remember it not breathing and trying to scream, but i couldn't." Images of the fire flashed through my head and I shook my head to make them go away.
"Was you village really burned down?"
"Yea, about two years ago. The fire took from me everything I had left other then my brother." I remember my kid brother, Rin, and how he would climb trees with me and play childish games with all the kids of the village.
"How did the fire start?"
"Some Fire Nation soldier was bored I guess and desided to have a bit of fun."
"Im sorry." His voice sounded sad so I opened my eyes to see him staring right back at me.
"It's fine, I know one day things like this won't happen anymore, and the world will be at peace. Just as soon as the Avatar defeats the Fire Lord." I whispered the last part because I knew that Zuko was the Fire Lords son and I didn't want him to be mad at me.
"Hopefully your rightKieyo." He got up and walked to the door. " Dinner is soon. The dinning hall is the last door to the left. And your pants are on the foot of the bed." He opened the door and left.
I got up and changed into the pants. The fit perfectly and made me look pretty good. I walk over to the mirror on the wall. My light brown hair was kinda a mess so i smoothed it out. I brushed a bit of dirt of my black blouse and smiled at my reflection. My extremely bright blue eyes shined from the light of all the candles in the room.
"Time for dinner!" I anounced to myself.
As I entered the dinning hall I was ingulfed by the scent of food. I then realized how hungry I was, because of the growling coming from my stomach. I hadn't eatin in three days.
I looked around and saw Iroh and Zuko and a few other men sitting around a table near the back. As I got near the table everyone but Zuko stoud and welcomed me. I was kinda embarrassed that I was being treated so well, when this wasn't my ship, and I was a wanted criminal.
I took the seat between Zuko and a man who had a white beard and grey eyes. He sat with his back straight and looked very proper. I tried my best to sit up straight but it was kinda hard because im not proper at all.
"And who are you young lady?" The grey eyed man asked me. I didn't know what to say so I just looked around. I was about to tell him my real name when Iroh spoke.
"She's a young travelar we are letting board with us for awhile. Her name is Ming."
"Yep that's me!" I smiled at the man with all my teeth showing.
"Well it's nice to meet you Ming. My name is General Lo." He did a slight bow and i bowed back as well as I could while sitting down. Then dinner was served and I piled my plate high with duck and rice. Everyone gave me wierd looks as I ate my mountain of food, but I was to busy eating to really care.
After I was done I stood and thanked Iroh and the chef for dinner and said good bye to everyone. Iroh walked with me. We walked around the ship and he told me who all the men were at dinner and what they did.
The it hit me, why was I still on this ship?
"When will I be aloud to leave?" I was wondering why I was still on the ship if I was not their prisoner.
"When we get to the next port. We'll be arriving their in three days time. In the mean time you will be rooming with Zuko." He chuckled.
"Why will I be staying with him?" I was confused why I had to sleep in the same room as him when this ship was big enough for there to be an extra room.
"Because I beleive you and your good mode might rub off on him." Iroh smiled.
"What did Zuko say about this?" I asked knowing he was probley angry.
"He was mad and when I told him there was no choice he just said fine and stormed off. That's why he was so quite during dinner."
"Oh." We turned the corner and we were standing in front of Zuko's door.
"Night." Iroh hugged me and I smiled.
"Night!"
When I opened the door, I walked in on Zuko with no shirt on and he was untieing his ponytail. I turned and looked away, knowing I was already blushing. He was very muscular and tan. He was kinda hot. The candle light was shining off his musles and I couldn't help but want to walk up to him and touch them.
"Im sorry!" I yelp and was about to run out the door when he call out.
"For what? Its not like im in the nude." He sounded like he was laughing at my reaction so I turned around and laughed.
"Sorry! I didn't know if you'd be mad that I walked in on you changing. Anyway where do I sleep?"
"There." He pointed to a small bed near his, it was the one I was laying on earlier when I hurt my head.
I walked over to the bed and layed down and stared at the celling. The candles in the room gave off a dim light that flickered across the walls and roof. I watch the light dance around till Zuko came up next to me.
"Yes?" I asked.
"I had some clothes made for you cause you have none. Here." He handed me a bag with many different types of clothes inside.
"Thanks!" I through the bag on the floor next to my bed and the wind from it blow out one of the candles. "Crap!" I stood up and walked over to the candle. I took in a deep breathe then blow on the candle making it light fire again.
"So you really can do fire bending, can't you." Zuko said from right behind me which made me jump. I turned around and almost squicked cause of how close to me he was. He look down at me and smiled. "That's really cool that you can do that. Only the Avatar can bend more then one element and then you come along and you can do it too."
"Yea but being about to bend two elements isn't always a good thing." I said. "People track you down all the time, They want to use you for some kind of experiments to find out how you do it. Now im wanted because of it. It really isn't that great." I looked down at the floor.
"Well I think it cool." Zuko said. I looked up and he seemed kind of happy. Then right before I knew it he was hugging me. And when I tried to say somethinfg he hugged me tighter. I didn't know what to say so I hugged him back. I closed my eyes and took in the hug as a way of saying it's gonna be ok.
When we pulled away from each other we were both blushing lightly.I smiled up at him but didn't know what to say. I stared into his golden eyes then I realized that even thought his left eye was burned and scarred he was still cute.
"Do you hate the Fire Nation for what they did to your village?" Zuko asked and it cut me off guard. I stared at him for a moment then looked away.
"No, not all Fire Nation people are like them. But most the army is. Their cruel and mean, and will take anyone's life for the stupidest reasons. Their the reason we are at war." I felt something cool slide down my cheek and to the side of my chin. The Zuko reached out and wiped the tear from my face. I looked up and he looked at me sadly.
"What happened to your parents?" He asked.
Without meaning to I began to cry and all I could say was "Fire Nation." Zuko rapped his arms around me and I cried into his chest. I felt kinda wierd crying on a guy I only met today and who had no shirt on, but after a minute I didn't care and kept crying. He held me close to him and rubbed my head to make me feel better.
"Im sorry I asked." Zuko whisper to me as I cried. Then He picked me up and laid me on my bed. I stop crying and wiped away the last of my tears.
"Im sorry about that. It's not like me to cry. I always feel weak when I cry." I stood up and walked past Zuko.
"Where are you going?" He asked.
"A walk." I walked out the door, and I was to embarrassed to even think about looking Zuko in the eye.
I walked to the deck of the ship. It was night and a full moon and millions of stars hung above me. I walked to the side of the ship and stared down into the water, watching the waves crash against the side of the ship. I thought about what Rin was doing right now and if he likes stay]ing with grandpa. I wonder how he's doing with all the new children in grandpa's village, anf if he still plays childish games and climbs the highest tree he can to see if he can see the mountains.
I think about if Rin will remember me when he gets older, or if his memory of me will fade like a dream. I wonder if Grandpa will tell him I was a great big sister and that I saved his life, and tell him stories about me and how I would climb to the top of the highest tree and look into the skies. And how I was blessed with the ability to bend two elements. Or he'd stay quite about me and let him grow up thinking he never had a sister. He's so young that after awhile he would forget about the fire and about me.
I hated the hought of Rin never knowing that I was his sister, and me never getting to see him again. But it was for his own good.
I bended a small amount of water from the ocean and twirled it through my fingers to keep me busy. I could face Zuko after breaking down like that. I didn't want to face an awkward moment with him and make my three days on this ship worse.
I began training my self to pass the time, I practices using water as a whip and turning the water to ice annd shotting through the air. I took deep breathes and breathed fire into the air the punched my fists forward sending fireballs flying. I know that I had to train really hard if I was to complete my goal, and I was going to complete my goal no matter what.
After a few hours on the deck training I walked back down to Zuko's room and opened the door. When I walked in Zuko was sleeping in his bed but a few candles were left lit.
Was he leaving them on for me?
I walked over and blew out the candles then laid down in my bed and fell fast asleep.
The three days on the ship with Zuko weren't that bad. After the awkward moments I had with him, everything became pretty normal. Zuko trained most of the day with Iroh and I watch what he taught Zuko. And at night I would try all the moves out myself. Most of them I got right away, but a few like redirecting lightning I couldn't even try.
When Iroh wasn't training Zuko, he was teaching my how to brew the perfect cup of tea. Iroh would smile at me everytime he tasted the tea I made, even if it wasn't great.
On the third night I went out to practice my training and I started with fire. I practiced all the moves I learned for watch Zuko and Iroh for an hour then I went to the side of the ship and bended a huge ball of water and practices making the huge ball of water into smaller balls.
" Your good for a girl." I jumped and turned to see Zuko standed about three fett from me. I almost dropped the huge ball of water so I throw it back into the ocean.
" And what's that supposed to mean?" I asked and put one hand on my hip and stared at him.
"Just that your a good fighter for a girl." Zuko laughed a bit. His golden eyes sparkled in the moon light.
"What are you doing out here so late?" I asked. He walked to the side if the ship and stared out into the sky.
"I could ask you the same thing." I walked up beside him at stared out into the pitch black waters the crashed agains the sides of the ship lightly. "I waas wonder what you were doing so I came looking for you. Then I found you out here training. Is this what you do every night?" He looked at me.
I smiled, "Yea, im training to become stronger so I..." I trailed off. I was training so that I can help fight back against the Fire Nation but I could say that because Zuko was a Fire Nation Prince.
"So you could what?" He looked down at me.
"So that I can defend myself." I made up a quick lie and stared up at the stars and tried to make pictures from them.
"Beautiful." Zuko said and I turned and looked at him. "The stars I mean. Their beautiful."
"Yea." I light wind blew throught and played with the ends of my hair and tickling the back of my neck making me giggle. Zuko looked at me and laughed as my hair danced around my neck and cheeks. We both laughed for a while, then the laughter died down and we stood there, shoulder to shoulder, smiling at one anouther. His eyes sparkled in the moon light and reminded me of the flames on candles, flickering back and forth. Before I could stop myself I reached up and placed my hand on his face, right on his scar, and smiled.
Zuko looked over at me hand, then smiled. I wanted so badly to know how he had gotten the scar, but I didn't dare ask. He'd probly get mad and walk away, and I wanted him to stay there with me. All this time I was thinking, I didn't notice that Zuko had stepped cloder to me and had put his hands on my shoulders. He begain to lean in and so did I.
His smell was intoxicating, and all I wanted was to lean forward a bit more and kiss his soft lips. As our faces got closer his eyes slowly closed and so did mine.
We were so close, I could feel his breathe on my skin.
Closer...Closer...
"YIP,YIP!"
Me and Zuko shot back and stared blankly at each other. TheN turned our gazes to the sky were the voice had come from. A huge white, fluffy creature was flying throught the air above the ship. When I looked back to Zuko he was gone, I looked to see him running to the captions courters and yelling, "Its the Avatar! Follow him!" I looked back to the sky. Could that really be the Avatar up there?
We followed the flying bison to the next port, the port I was getting off at. Zuko was to busy to wvwn notice I was leaving. Iroh walked me into the city to say his good byes.
"It was a great pleasure meeting you." He smiled at me, "Here take this, it'll help you on your journey." He handed me a small bag filled with money.
"Thank you so much for everything!" I smiled and bowed to Iroh. Then turned and went to go find out what lied ahead for me.
I was walking throught the woods about 15 miles outside the mercants town Iroh and Zuko had left me in. I kept thinking about the night before and how I almost kissed him. I remember what he smelled like and how he leaned in first. And then I remember how he didn't even say good bye to me when I left. I kinda hurt.
I know I was getting feelings for him, I just wish he would have at least said good bye to me. I couldn't stop thinking of him for hours, I just kept walking forward.