All right this is my first FanFic so please don't chew me out for inaccuracy or something, but reviews are welcome!
This particular chapter takes place during episode 13 of Season 2, City of wall and Secrets, it starts as Zuko and his Uncle are walking down the lower ring marketplace.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own A: LAB, just Nyikani and Cado.
Nyikani: Beg your pardon? You don't own me, I own me!
Ammypaint16: I made you so technically I own you; now let's get to the story.
Nyikani: WHAT? *pulls out sai daggers*
Ammypaint16: OK get to the story before I'm diced into hash! *to Nyikani while running* I'm SORRY!
The Girl in the Shadows
Zuko was surveying the marketplace on his way to his and Uncle's new apartment, hmph, he thought, it disgusted him. Him, the Fire Prince, reduced to living in this lowly place among peasants and refugees, refugees, just like me, he hated this place.
Uncle had caught up to him, he was carrying a painted vase with lovely orange flowers in it, Zuko looked at him disdainfully, "I just want our new place to look nice in case someone brings home a lady friend!" Uncle replied, nudging Zuko jokingly. Zuko frowned and looked away, "This city is a prison, I don't want to make a life here"
"Life happens wherever you go," Iroh told him, "Whether you make it or not." Zuko was only half-listening, when something caught his eye, he saw between two buildings two shadows hop from one roof to the next, then they were out of sight.
"Uncle! Did you see that?"
"See what?" Iroh asked as he turned to look at his nephew.
"Those shadows!"
"I didn't see anything, now come on, I got us both jobs and we start this afternoon." Zuko took one last look at where the shapes had disappeared, then walked off with his uncle.
Aang and the gang were still getting their tour from Ju Dee, (I don't know if that's how you spell it), and were stuck in the carriage while she went on and on about who lives here and what they do.
"Why do they have all these poor people blocked off in one part of the city?" Katara asked. "Ba Sing Se has many walls," Ju Dee answered, "There are those on the outside protecting us, and those…blah blah blah, there she goes again… Katara stopped listening and looked outside, she studied the decrepit buildings sitting next to new ones, the men working on clay or wood, then she froze as she saw two black figures running from one roof to the next, one on two legs and one on four, then vanished, Katara was so surprised that she gasped out loud.
"What's wrong Katara?" Aang asked, a worried expression on his face.
"Did you guys see those shadows?"
"No" Toph answered sarcastically.
Katara frowned, "Never mind." And looked out the window again, but the two shadows were long gone. What am I getting so worked up about, they were just two strangers!
Time Skip!
This is when Zuko and Iroh begin working in the tea shop.
*Crash!* "Oh dear I'm so sorry!" One of the customers had dropped a teapot and it had shattered on the ground.
"It's nothing; I'll get you a new pot of tea. Nephew, could you take this broken pot out and throw it away?" Iroh, (now deemed Mushi), asked Zuko, (now deemed Lee).
"Fine." He said with an unenthusiastic face, anything to get me out of this boring tea shop! He thought to himself. He dropped the pot in a nearby barrel when he hear a noise in a nearby alley and ran to investigate, what he came upon he had to make sure he was seeing correctly.
Three Dai Lee agents were fighting with a young girl dressed in all black, she had a black mask covering her face from the nose down, and a black headband tied around here forehead, her dark reddish-brown bangs hanging over it. Zuko watched for a few minutes, the girl was a good fighter, she was fast and agile, breaking the agents' rock-hands with a strange instrument on her right hand, it was a glove, but what were those claw things on the knuckles? And that wasn't her only weapon, she was also wielding two ninja sai daggers, (no, not kunai! Sai!), but as equipped as she was Zuko could see she was losing her ground, when all of a sudden she put her fingers to her mouth and let out a very high-pitched whistle. Quit staring like a scared rabbit and HELP her!
Just like that Zuko was in the fray, an agent shot a rock at him but he quickly dodged and knocked him off his feet, rendering the Dai Lee agent unconscious. Zuko was about to engage the second agent when out of nowhere a large animal came and seized the Dai Lee agent by the arm and tossed him aside with ease, landing him in a nearby trash barrel. Two down, one to go, the masked girl made short work of him, as he shot another rock-hand at her she jumped high into the air, and clung to the wall with her claw-glove, then while coming down gave a full power kick square in the head, and the Dai Lee agent was down for the count.
The girl got up and dusted herself off, Zuko took a few steps towards her when the large animal roared and pinned him down, the lupine face wearing a threatening snarl, the thick mane and tail bristling, and the sharp claws un-sheathed, A lionwolf? Zuko just stared wide-eyed at the dangerous beast when a single voice sounded out, "Kuacha! Kutolewa, Cado."("Stop! Release, Cado.")(P.S. Zuko doesn't understand the language she is speaking.) It was the girl. To his surprise the lionwolf got up immediately and trotted over to the girl, who scratched it behind the ears, she looked around and Zuko realized she had dropped one of her sai daggers during the fight, he quickly found it and picked it up, and she took it with a silent nod of gratitude. Zuko began dusting himself off, "So, who are y-", he looked up to see the girl and her pet had disappeared.
Another Time Skip!
This is during Jett and Zuko's fight.
Geez, this guy just won't quit! Zuko thought as he blocked another swing from the hook swords, this Jett guy was good, ButI'mbetter! But Jett had a trick up his sleeve, he hooked his swords together and swung them, Zuko blocked it but lost one of his swords in the process. That was it, Jett had him, *clang!*
Zuko whirled around to see one of Jett's hook swords pinned on the ground, by a sai. Now it was even, one sword on one, and this time Zuko wasn't playing it safe, and swung his sword so close it sliced Jett's piece of straw in half, the Jett jumped back. "You see that? The Fire Nation is trying to silence me! It'll NEVER happen!" Jett shouted and leaped at Zuko, and the fight went on.
"Drop your weapons!" Two Dai Lee agents had heard the commotion and investigated. "Arrest them! They're firebenders!" Jett demanded. "This poor boy is confused," Iroh said, "We are just simple refugees." Pao the tea shop owner spoke up, "This young man wrecked my tea shop, and assaulted my employees!"
"It's true sir, we saw the whole thing." A guard added, "This crazy kid attacked the finest tea maker in the city!"
"Oh that's very sweet!" Iroh said smiling.
The agents went up to Jett, "Come with us, son." But instead of complying Jett swung his sword at them, but they caught it and disarmed him, then took him away in a carriage.
As the onlookers looked on, (wow that was redundant) Zuko picked up the sai dagger and looked at where it came from, and stood rigid as two glowing gold eyes stared back, then faded into the shadows. Later that night he took the sai and stuck in the wall outside the tea shop, he went to check the next day, and it was gone.
I tried to keep to the original plotline as much as possible; I'll fix the little tweaks later. But basically this is the introduction of my OC, and there will be more of her in coming chapters.
So, does Zuko ever find out who the masked girl and her pet lionwolf are? Will Katara ever discover who was behind the 2 shadows? WILL you tell me if you liked it or not? I'll update the next chapter hopefully soon!