Title: Untitled
By: Aeden Hale
Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender/Sailor Moon
Pairings: Zuko/Serenity
Description: The killing of the Moon Spirit doesn't just affect the battle between the Northern Water Tribe and the Fire Navy, but neither side knew who else their fighting affected. Fate and Destiny have decided to send in their own representative: Princess Serenity of the White Moon Kingdom. What will happen when she falls upon a tired, injured and unsuspecting Zuko?
Disclaimer: All standard disclaimers apply; I do not own Avatar or Sailor Moon. I also used the episode transcripts for some parts. I got those from I also do not own Ai no Senshi.
Author's Note: The time passage for this chapter is about a month. Zuko, Iroh, and Serenity are traveling in an attempt to escape Azula. This chapter also takes place through the episodes: The Cave of Two Lovers, Return to Omashu, The Swamp, and Avatar Day. I mentioned the Starlights as a reference as to how the Moon Kingdom got their information about chaos. I'm still unsure as of yet if I'm going to actually put them into the story. If I decide not to have them enter the story, I'll go back and edit my story so that it is slightly different from the original with the Starlights coming to Earth to search for Serenity after this story is finished, thus having two versions of Martyr. I kind of smashed Sailor Moon Stars into the Moon Kingdom Era. Sorry. Anyway, there is a bit of Zuko/Serenity fluff in this chapter, though not much yet. The later chapters will have more. There isn't really any fighting in this chapter, as I'm still trying to set up the story and whatnot. Please bear with me. Also, I decided to have all of the Sailor Senshi brought into the plotline thanks to the review from Geminia. Kudos to you for the idea! Thank you to all of you that have review! Keep up the good work. Also, if anyone would like to do fan art for the story, feel free. I love me some fan art. I'd do it myself, but I can't draw as well as I used to. Anyway, read and enjoy!
Chapter 2: Evading the Enemy
Serenity scratched at her arms through the deep forest green wool tunic she was wearing. Their blending in with any other citizen of the Earth Kingdom was crucial to their survival. Zuko had blatantly pointed out that a white-haired princess in a matching gown would stand out like a sore thumb. Iroh had agreed with him, thus rendering it the most plausible solution for Serenity to trade the gown for something a bit more subtle. They'd stolen the garments they now wore from some unsuspecting housewife's drying laundry and sold Serenity's gown for money that they could use along their journey. Zuko had been happy to be on their away and as far from his psychotic sister as possible.
Said fire prince was now ahead of them with his dual swords strapped to his side. He refused to part with them except when he slept, but they were never far from him. The forest they were currently in managed to hide them from most prying eyes. There was no road that traveled through it that she had seen and so far, they come across nothing but animals. It was then that Zuko stopped, resting his pack on the ground.
"We'll stop here for a while. From the way Serenity's stomach has been growling, I gather that it's time to eat."
An embarrassed flush lit her cheeks. "I can't help it! It's been a while since we've stopped. I'm tired too!"
"I must agree with Serenity." Iroh commented. "We've been walking for nearly the whole day. We've kept the same pace for weeks now trying to outrun Azula. It does indeed get tiring after a while."
Zuko huffed in aggravation as he cast a quick glance at Serenity. "Do what you like. We need something to eat and since we're nowhere near a village, we can't buy supplies. It looks like we're fishing." He said as he began to sharpen the end of a branch he'd found lying on the forest floor. "Uncle, what are you doing?"
Iroh was bent over a delicate-looking flower, smelling it with a dazzled look in his eyes. "You're looking at the rare white dragon bush. Its leaves make a tea so delicious it's heartbreaking! That, or it's the white jade bush, which is poisonous."
"We need food, not tea." Zuko told him, rising to his feet with his spear in hand. "I'm going fishing. Come on, Serenity."
Serenity glanced to Iroh from under her hat before removing it and laying it with her pack. She worried about the old man's love for tea and his inability to confirm the plant to be harmless or deadly. She sighed as she reached up to fix her bun before following Zuko. When it came to patience, he might need more help with the fishing.
The two of them sat on the bank in utter silence. Zuko was watching the water intently for any sign of the fish that swam beneath its surface. Serenity sat quietly on the bank, brushing her newly freed hair of the tangles it had acquired during their travels. As she stared at the sparkling water, her gaze was held by the flashing of the sun, hypnotizing her. Her life on the moon seemed like a lifetime ago. Her friends were like shadows in the back of her mind. The only thing she knew now was that she had to find this growing darkness and crush it in one swift motion. She had to survive long enough to kill the threat to her mother and her kingdom. The moon princess blinked in surprise at her own thought pattern. Zuko was definitely wearing off on her.
How long had she been traveling with Zuko and his uncle? It had to have been more than a month now. There was something about the young fire prince that she couldn't describe. A fierce power of will kept him from giving in. There was also a compassion that he held for his uncle and, she'd noticed, he was developing for her. Serenity felt her cheeks turn pink as she felt her gaze shift to his turned back. Zuko was a good man, though he didn't want anyone to know he was. He kept his rough exterior to convince everyone he met that he wasn't capable of being nice.
Gazing back out at the stream, Serenity allowed her thoughts to stay on the fire bender. He was very handsome, even more so since she'd healed his scar. His ebony had started growing back in all over his head, even though it was short at the moment. They'd taken to talking to one another about their homes when they couldn't sleep at night. Somehow she felt closer to him than she had before. She glanced back at Zuko, who was still intent on catching fish for their dinner, and felt her heart start to beat faster. A sudden fear of something happening to him filled her so quickly that she felt she might be overcome. Then she shook her head. She only saw him as a brother, right?
It was then that Zuko looked back over his shoulder and caught her staring. His eyes twinkled with something akin to merriment. "Am I making that much of a spectacle of myself?"
Serenity shook herself from her thoughts, having been interrupted. "Of course you are. I think you know how to fish about as well as I know how to fire bend."
Zuko smirked. "Would you like me to teach you?"
"What?" a confused Moon Princess asked. "How to fire bend?"
"No, idiot, how to fish." Zuko laughed.
Serenity smiled at the sound of his genuine laugh. It was beautiful, if a laugh could be such. "No, I think I'll leave the hard work to you."
The banished prince made his way up the bank and sat down beside her. "That figures. You and hard work don't mix."
"Ha ha. You're a comedian, Zuko."
Zuko let out a low chuckle. "What were you thinking about so deeply? I saw you blush. Were you thinking about that Earth Kingdom prince? What was his name? Endymion?"
"What!" the white-haired moon child exclaimed in an abashed tone. "Certainly not. Why would I be thinking about him. I've met him once."
"Oh come now." The fire bender egged on. "I thought all you girls believed in love at first sight."
"Hardly!" Serenity protested as she drew her knees to her chest. "I believe that you have to know someone to love them, to accept them for who they are and realize that you can't change them. Endymion sees me for my power, my throne, and my…my body." She told him, blushing at the end of the sentence.
Zuko nodded. "I understand that and I feel the same way on the matter. If you can't accept the person for who they are, then you don't really love all of them. If you only love parts of them, then you don't really love them at all."
Serenity hid her face in her arms, her shoulders trembling. "You know, I don't want to return. This duty, I can't stand it. I don't know how to fulfill it without sacrificing myself. I'll have to marry Endymion. There's no mistake about that. My mother has already made the agreement. I can only hope that he's like you, Zuko. That he'll understand me to some degree, if not totally."
A strange rush of emotion passed of him as he saw Serenity sobbing and pouring her heart out to him. It wasn't fair. When this whole thing, as she'd put it, was over, they'd take her away from him, leaving him alone once again. He'd finally found a friend; someone who could identify with him. He touched her shoulder gently, causing her teary silvery-blue eyes to focus on his amber ones.
"Hey. Why don't you just stay here with me? If they can't find you in the beginning, they'll give up looking, right? I'll look after you. I promise." Zuko told her, pulling her into a comforting hug.
The smaller girl sniffled, hardly believing the care that Zuko was showing. "I can't. I can't put you in that kind of danger. You don't know my guardians. Haruka is the most overprotective. She'll rip this planet apart until she finds me. Her name means King of the Wind and she'll do all she can to live up to it."
A snort escaped him. "Wind only feeds the flames." He told her.
A soft laugh fell over Serenity's lips. "That's true. Then you'd only have Rei to contend with. She's the guardian of the planet of fire and war, Mars."
"Who are your guardians? You've only ever mentioned them as your friends. You've never told me of their powers. I'll have to know them if I plan to keep you here."
Serenity sighed, knowing that this was only a ploy to make her feel better, but she chose to ignore that and rested her head on Zuko's shoulder. "First there is Ami, Senshi of wisdom and ice, guardian of Mercury. There's Rei, who I've already told you about. Then there's Makoto, Senshi of protection and thunder, guardian of Jupiter. There's Minako, Senshi of beauty and love, guardian of Venus. The outer system Senshi are a bit tougher to deal with. Those are Setsuna, Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru. Setsuna, Senshi of time and revolution, guardian of Pluto. Haruka, Senshi of wind and strength, guardian of Uranus. Michiru, Senshi of water and grace, guardian of Neptune. Hotaru, Senshi of death and rebirth, guardian of Saturn."
"It looks like I'll have my work cut out for me then." Zuko replied. "You have nothing to worry about. I told you I'd keep you here. I always keep my word. I promise."
Serenity nodded. Then a different thought passed through her mind and her eyes widened. "Zuko, I think we should check on Iroh."
"Uncle? What? Why?" he asked, completely baffled.
"Do you remember that plant he showed us that he didn't know whether it was poisonous or not?"
"Agni!" Zuko exclaimed. "Come on! We have to get to him before he does something very stupid!"
The two of them panted at they entered their camp as quickly as they possibly could without scaring the old man. They'd managed to enter from behind, so he wasn't facing them.
"Zuko, remember that plant that I thought might be tea?"
A horrified look captured Zuko's features. "You didn't!"
Iroh turned around, revealing his red, swollen face. "I did; and it wasn't. When the rash spreads to my throat, I will stop breathing." He told them as he revealed a bundle of berries he'd procured from somewhere. "But look what I've found! These are bacui berries known to cure the poison of the white jade plant. That, or macahoni berries that cause blindness."
"We're not taking anymore chances with these plants!" Zuko exclaimed, losing his patience. "Serenity, can you help him?"
She shook her head quickly. "Poison wasn't in my training! I can only heal wounds!" she gushed in a panic.
Zuko cursed aloud. "We need to get help."
"But where are we going to go? We're enemies of the Earth Kingdom and fugitives from the Fire Nation." Iroh pointed out, scratching his face.
His nephew seemed to muse over this for a moment. "If the Earth Kingdom discovers us, they'll have us killed."
Iroh thought on this as well. "But if the Fire Nation discovers us, we'll be turned over to Azula."
Serenity shivered as the two of them nodded to each other. "Earth Kingdom it is." Zuko decided.
"You three must not be from around here. We know better than to touch the white jade, much less make it into tea and drink it."
Iroh laughed sheepishly at the young woman's comment. "Whoops!"
Zuko sat behind the examining table that his uncle was now sitting on. Serenity was standing patiently beside him, grasping his hand out of worry. Both wore coolie hats to hide their identities.
"So where are you traveling from?" the young healer, asked.
"Yes, we're travelers." Zuko told her somewhat stiffly as he rose to his feet, forgetting that he still had Serenity's hand.
She studied him, much to Serenity's displeasure. "Do you have names?"
Zuko was ready to throttle the girl for her stupid questions. "Names? Of course we have names. I'm Lee, this is…Selene, and that is my uncle, Mushi."
Iroh gave a look of displeasure at the name his nephew had given him and quickly came up with a remedy for it. "Yes, my nephew was named after his father, so we just call him Junior."
"Selene, Mushi, and Junior, huh? You three look like you could use a good meal. Why don't you stay for dinner?"
"Sorry, but we've got to be moving on." Zuko protested, making to head out the door, Serenity still in tow.
Song looked a bit disappointed. "That's too bad. My mom always makes too much roast duck."
Iroh perked up at the words 'roast duck.' In fact, those words alone made him feel much better. "Where do you live exactly?"
Iroh, Zuko, and Serenity were all seated around a small table with Song as they awaited their meal. Song's mother carefully brought out the roast duck and placed it on the table before taking her seat and smiling at all of her dinner guests.
"My daughter tells me you're refugees. We were once refugees ourselves." She said kindly.
"When I was a little girl," Song began, "The Fire Nation raided our farming village. All the men were taken away. That's the last time I saw my father."
Zuko lowered his gaze in response to Song's story. Serenity caught it and placed a hand on top of his underneath the table. "I have not seen my father in many years."
Song lowered her gaze as well. "Oh. Is he fighting in the war?"
The fire bender was silent for a moment. Iroh watched him tensely to see how he would answer. "Yeah."
"What about you, Selene?" Song's mother asked. "Where are you from?"
If it were possible, Serenity attempted to hide beneath her coolie hat, which she was still wearing. She hadn't wanted anyone to see her white hair for that would surely give them away. "My story? What do you mean?"
"Come now, dear. Why don't you take your hat off? I'm sure it would give you more room."
With a guarded glance to Zuko and an equally guarded nod, Serenity slowly untied the strings and removed her hat, sitting it on the floor behind her. Song stared obviously at her white hair, which was pulled back in a loose bun.
"Wow." She murmured.
"Song! Forgive my daughter. She's not been exposed to much of the outside world. Though, I must admit, your hair color is quite strange." The mother said.
Serenity fidgeted with her noodles while she thought of an answer. Why not tell the truth? "My mother said that it was I was favored by the goddess of the moon. I was born at night under a crescent moon. She told me that the moon goddess saw my future and saw that my destiny was one of protection, so she placed her mark on me, which was my white hair and this birthmark on my forehead."
Song giggled at the story. "I wish there was a tale like that behind my name. I was named after my grandmother. Junior is Mushi's nephew. What relation are you, Selene?"
The Moon Princess was caught off guard by the question, so Iroh opted to answer it for her. "Selene is my nephew's fiancé. She decided to travel with us rather than be left behind." The old man fought a smile as Zuko choke on the contents of his bowl, which was raised to his lips. Serenity managed not to scowl at the explanation.
"How romantic!" Song's mother chirped. "It's very brave of you to accompany them, Selene."
"Thank you, ma'am." She answered quietly. She pushed back her dishes and stood, aware that all eyes had turned to her. "If you don't mind, I think I'm going to get some fresh air."
Song's mother smiled gently at her. "Of course not, dear. You go right ahead."
Zuko rose as well before taking her hand to keep up the act. "I think I'll join you, dearest."
The two of them retreated to the front porch. Everything was dark outside of the glow of the lanterns. Both of them sat down staring off into the night. Zuko released her hand and sighed as Serenity folded her hands on her lap.
"How much longer do we have to keep doing this?" she asked him softly.
"Doing what?" Zuko queried, quirking an eyebrow.
"Lying." Serenity specified. "I hate lying to these nice people."
Zuko sighed in a tired manner. "I know you do, but we have no choice. If they knew who we really were, they'd inform the Earth Kingdom's soldiers. You know that."
"I know. I just hope that we can leave soon. Lying isn't something I'm fond of."
"I know. Neither am I, Serenity. We will be leaving soon. As soon as uncle's ready, we'll leave."
"Thank you, Zuko." Serenity sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. From her angle, she was unable to see the blush that lit the banished prince's cheeks.
Song and her mother stood out in their small courtyard. Before them stood Selene, Junior, and Mushi. The three of them were ready to continue their journey. Iroh bowed graciously to them both as Zuko and Serenity bowed slightly.
"Thank you for the duck. It was excellent."
"You're welcome." Song's mother said, handing him a packaged of the leftovers. "It brings me joy to see someone eat my cooking with such gusto."
Iroh patted his stomach. "Much practice. Junior where are your manners? You need to thank these nice people."
"Thank you." Zuko uttered quietly. Couldn't his uncle see that they had to leave quickly?
"I know you don't think there's any hope left in this world," Song called quickly as they were leaving, "but there is hope. The Avatar has returned!"
"I know." Zuko told her as he continued walking away. Instead, he made his way over to a couple of ostrich horses that he'd spotted once he was out of their sight. His uncle had an appalled look on his face as he watched Zuko take the reigns in his hands.
"What are you doing? These people just showed you great kindness!"
Zuko helped Serenity onto the back of the first ostrich horse while he handed the reigns of the second to his uncle. "They're about to show us a little more kindness."
The young fire bending prince mounted the beast behind Serenity, his arms on either side of her taking the reigns. Iroh also mounted the second horse. Without another word, the three of them took off into the forest. It was then that Serenity began to realize the severity of their situation and just how tired she actually was. She felt her eyelids drooping as she leaned back against Zuko's chest, unconscious of the act. He did make a good pillow. Through groggy sight, she looked up at the stars. For some reason, it looked like a darkness had covered the shine that she'd been accustomed to seeing every night. Her brow furrowed as she stared at the anomaly, trying hard to figure it out.
"Something's coming." She murmured to herself. "I have this growing feeling of dread. Chaos will finally unleash its attack on the universe."
"What's coming, Serenity?" Zuko asked, feeling her shift her head to the side slightly so that she could look up at him. "I don't see anything."
"You could see it if you knew the sparkle of the stars like I do. The shine of the heavens has been dimmed. It has already begun. Chaos is going to unleash its shadow on the universe very soon now and is merely preparing. My mother will soon send the Senshi to locate me and determine if we can uncover anything here about Chaos's origins." She explained in a weary tone.
"What is this Chaos that you're referring to, my dear?" Iroh asked her. He'd become genuinely curious.
Serenity sighed as her head lolled to one side, leaning up against Zuko's cheek. The prince blushed but did not move his head or look anywhere but ahead of him. "Chaos is the hatred manifested from everyone's hearts. Usually it finds a host to carry out its will. It's currently hiding on this planet's surface. It's already attacked and conquered several other planets before coming here, so we have some idea of how it will attack. There are several creatures working for it that attack people at random, searching for true star seeds to gain power for their master. Once a star seed is taken from the body, it loses its light and the person becomes a phage, a monster."
Iroh cocked his head to the side while Zuko remained silent, taking in the new information. "Serenity, could you explain to me what a star seed is?"
"Every person contains the light of a star. The star seed they contain has been given to them since birth and they cannot live without it. Most people with true star seeds, we've discovered, merely die and fade away rather than becoming phages." She explained as she felt herself begin to doze off.
"How have you gathered this information?" Zuko asked. "Have there been survivors?"
Serenity yawned before she answered. "Yes. Three of the members of the royal guard of Kinmokusei had managed to escape. Taiki, their most brilliant mind, gave us this information in hopes that we could find a way to use it. He came with his two brothers, the other members of the guard, Seiya and Yaten."
The fire bender was about to ask another question, but remained quiet when he felt the small girl leaning against him breathe in a heavy manner, signifying that she was asleep. A calm affectionate smile curled his lips. Iroh chuckled from beside him. His nephew looked over to him, the smile instantly disappearing.
"What's so funny, uncle?"
Iroh merely chuckled again. "It would appear that someone has become quite fond of our little princess here."
Zuko turned to look forward once again, resting his cheek on Serenity's hair. "I won't deny it this time, uncle. I have become quite fond of our princess. I wouldn't dare tell her my feelings though." He confessed, taking the reigns in one had and wrapping his free arm around her.
"Why not, Prince Zuko? It is always wise to tell a woman your heart."
A sigh escaped the dark-haired prince. "I know she's leaving us. Besides, she doesn't feel the same way. I'd be wasting my affections."
Iroh grinned. "How do you know? Besides, what can telling Serenity possible do? The worst possible case would be that she denies your affections."
"I know." Zuko said in a sad manner. "I can't take anymore damage to my heart. I don't think I could survive it."
Several days later, the trio made their way into an Earth Kingdom village. The dust from the dirt streets blew around them as they headed to a vendor to buy supplies. After a month and a half, their gold supply was running low and Zuko was unsure of how much longer it would last. Iroh had proposed performing for money in the street to add to their money supply. Serenity had reluctantly agreed, but Zuko refused. Thus he made his way to the vendor's stand while Iroh and Serenity made their way a little further down the street to begin their performance. The old general was currently singing an old war song that was earning him some copper coins. When he finished, he smiled and turned to Serenity.
"Well, it's your turn, Selene. Do you have something in mind?"
Serenity sighed. "I have maybe a little something in mind. It's a song that I used to sing back home because it was Rei's favorite song." Clearing her throat, she began, unaware that she'd gained Zuko's attention.
My hair bursts afire into the sky
My body is like a flame.
Oh no! Why is it turning out this way?
Now I'm really burning up inside.
While I'm in love and heart renderingly so,
I want to have sweet dreams, but
They won't allow it; it's their fault.
As I thought, it's up to me to do this.
With my own hands, I shall smash evil into defeat.
That's right! Until then, I must persevere.
Awaken, oh pale soldier!
No matter how bad a person you are,
If you love me, I will believe in you.
You shouldn't try to take advantage
Of something like that!
I always want to protect you.
For your sake, I'll go leaping forward.
Love alone is unlimited energy.
Come on, it's up to us to do this.
We'll show them the pure hearts that girls have!
We must persevere in everything we do.
Vowing in our hearts, soldiers of love!
Come on, it's up to us to do this.
With our own hands, we shall smash evil into defeat.
That's right! Until then, we must persevere.
Awaken, soldiers of love!
The few people that had gathered around them clapped and tossed coins into Iroh's hat. Iroh himself was clapping happily. Serenity blushed at the attention she was getting.
"Wonderful job, Selene!" Iroh praised. "You have the talent of a performer!"
"Not really. It comes from singing in the bath." She said, blushing heavily.
"I think it was wonderful." Zuko told her quietly, causing her to blush even more.
"Thank you, Lee." She replied quietly.
"I think the lady should do something other than sing for her coins." A man from the crowd said with a smirk as he stepped toward her. "You know what I mean, honey."
Serenity's blush disappeared as her eyes widened in fear. Her Senshi training had taught her how to deal with monsters and negative energy, but she knew nothing about how to deal with lustful men.
"N-no. I don't work for a brothel. I won't do that." She protested, trying to hide the shaking in her voice. Zuko was fuming to the side.
"I think you misunderstand me. I didn't give you a choice." The man said as he lunged forward, knocking her hat off, and grabbing her by the hair.
Serenity cried out in pain as the man jerked her toward him. Tears of horror filled her eyes as she gave Zuko a pleading look. "Lee, please. Help me."
"Let her go. I won't say it again." The young fire bender growled, his eyes narrowing in anger.
"What are you going to do, boy? Cut me?" the man barked.
With a speed so fast that no eye caught it, Zuko grabbed his dual swords and made two slices. His cuts resulted in the man's sash falling from his waist, which made him quickly release Serenity. The sobbing girl shot and into Zuko's arms, where she hid her face in his chest. He held both swords in one hand, his other resting on the back of her head, his fingers gently roaming through her freed hair.
"If you ever touch her again, I'll cut more than your sash next time."
The man grumbled as he disappeared into the crowd. The rest of the citizens that had gathered around cheered for Zuko's heroic deeds. Zuko merely lifted Serenity's chin to gaze at her tearstained face. He kissed her gently on the forehead before lifting her gently into his arms and carrying her to there ostrich horses.
"Come on, uncle. We have our supplies. We're leaving."
Iroh quickly gathered up his hat and bowed to the crowd before hurrying after his nephew. Mounting his ride, the old general followed quickly after the fire prince and the moon princess as they moved out of the village.
After safely leaving the village, Zuko had taken Serenity to a nearby stream so that she could drink something. The slight girl had yet to speak since the incident with the man in the village. She held a blank stare as she gazed out over the water. Zuko had grown worried about the Moon Princess. He took one of her hands in both of his even though she didn't look at him.
"Serenity, I promise you that I'll protect you. You won't have to go through that again."
Serenity turned her face to him, her face hidden by her hair. "It was…horrible." She said, choking back a sob. "I-I didn't think that anything like that would happen."
Zuko leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her as she tucked her head under his chin, weeping quietly. "It does happen. I'll be around to make sure it never happens again."
"Always?" the Moon Princess asked, her mind a whirling pool of thoughts.
"Always." The fire prince replied, tightening his embrace a bit.
Serenity pushed away a bit and looked into his eyes. She saw some unknown emotion swirling in his amber eyes. Biting her lip, she looked away. "Can I be by myself for a while? There are some things I want to think about."
Zuko unknowingly recoiled from her question, unaware at how obviously he was hurt. "Sure. I'll be with uncle if you need anything."
"Thank you." The white-haired girl said as she watched him rise and walk away. When she was sure that he was out of hearing distance, she crumpled forward and cried to her heart's content.
Iroh looked up from the tea he was sipping to see his nephew coming toward him. Was that a look of pain on his face? He gently sat down his cup as Zuko sat down across from him. When his nephew remained silent, he cleared his throat to gain his attention.
"I know we've had some difficult times lately. We've had to struggle just to get by." He said, placing a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "But it's nothing to be ashamed of. There is simple honor in poverty."
"There's no honor for me without the Avatar."
The old general sighed. "Zuko, even if you did capture the Avatar, I'm not so sure it would solve our problems. Not now."
"Then there is no hope at all." His nephew replied as moved to get up.
"No, Zuko! You must never give in to despair." Iroh told him urgently. "Allow yourself to slip down that road and you surrender to your lowest instincts. In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength."
Zuko looked at his uncle for a moment before disappearing into the trees. It didn't matter to him. If he couldn't have his honor, he had nothing, for he couldn't even have Serenity. She didn't feel the same way he did. Why was it that nothing ever went as he planned, ever?"
Eight shooting stars fell to Earth as the sun began to sink. With all the other problems on the planet, they didn't notice such a rare occurrence. Eight young women stood in an open field as they glanced around them.
"This planet really is quaint."
"Come now, Uranus. You shouldn't judge it before you've experienced it."
"But Pluto, they have nothing that we do." Uranus replied.
A female with long raven hair huffed as she crossed her gloved arms. "What does this really have to do with our mission? We're here to find the princess."
"We know, Mars. That's why I'm doing a scan on the area to see if we can't locate the Ginzuishou." A girl with short blue hair told her as she typed furiously on her miniature computer.
"Thanks, Mercury. We appreciate it." A tall brunette thanked her.
"No problem, Jupiter. It'll take a few minutes."
Uranus gave an irritated sigh. "We're losing precious time."
"Come now, love. Be patient."
"But, Neptune—"
A blonde in an orange and white uniform giggled. "You heard her, Uranus. Be patient."
"Shut up, Venus."
"I've got two power lock ons." Mercury informed them. "Though I'm not sure which one is Princess Serenity's."
A small girl with chin-length black hair and violet eyes blinked as she held her glaive tighter. "That means that we're going to have to split up."
"That's right, Saturn." Pluto said. We'll break into two groups."
"Alright then." Venus said, switching into leader mode. "Makoto, Setsuna, Hotaru; you three come with me and we'll head east. Rei, Ami, Haruka, and Michiru; you four head west. We'll keep in contact as best we can. If we can't find the princess within a month, we'll all meet back at Ba Sing Sei. Any questions?"
"I have a suggestion." Mercury said timidly. "Our uniforms will attract unwanted attention. We should find disguises."
"Mercury's right." Venus said. "We'll have to confiscate some from the nearest village. Remember that your main goal is to locate the princess. She's been through most of the Senshi training, so she knows how to protect herself. Remember, meet back at Ba Sing Sei in a month's time."
With nods all around, the eight broke into groups of four; one group heading east and the other heading west.
Serenity entered their camp slowly. She'd felt eight familiar shines enter the planet's atmosphere and that worried her. Iroh was sitting alone drinking his tea when she found him. He poured her a cup as she sat down across from him. The Moon Princess accepted it as she looked around the camp.
"Iroh, where is Zuko? Didn't he come back?"
"Yes, he did. He seemed a bit out of sorts, though."
The slight princess took a sip of her tea. "I see."
Iroh sighed as he sat his cup down. "He really is fond of you, Serenity. He's just afraid."
Serenity shook her head. "He's just protecting the weak princess like any good prince should." She lied to herself. "Besides, he knows I'm leaving."
With the cracking of twigs, both of them looked up to see Zuko re-enter the camp with a serious look on his face. Serenity gazed on him with worry. He seemed to look through her to his uncle. The Moon Princess lowered her eyes in a hurt manner.
"Uncle, I thought a lot about what you said."
Iroh's face lit up. "You did? Good, good."
Zuko averted his eyes. "It's helped me realize something. We no longer have anything to gain by traveling together. I need to find my own way."
Iroh lowered his eyes. Serenity however began to panic. Zuko was leaving them? Would he leave her with Iroh? Why wouldn't he? She'd been practically useless so far; a burden. She clenched her skirt in her fists as Zuko made his way over to his ostrich horse with his pack in tow.
"Serenity, you can come with me, if you'd like, or you can stay with my uncle. The choice is yours."
Serenity's eyes lit up as she quickly rose from her sitting position. Hugging Iroh goodbye, she picked up her pack and smiled at the old man, who also returned her smile. She made her way over to Zuko, hugging him from behind. Zuko's eyes widened as he felt a smile creeping over his lips. He mounted the ostrich horse, pulling Serenity on in front of him.
"Goodbye, uncle. We'll meet again someday."
Without another word, they rode off through the trees in silence. Serenity was smiling broadly as she stared at the path ahead of them. "Thank you for taking me with you, Zuko. I would've missed you too much if you'd left me behind."
The fire bender smiled, though she couldn't see it. "I would've missed you too, Serenity. I'm glad you decided to come, though I'm pretty sure things are going to be harder from now on."
"I know. I'm ready for it."
Well, there you have it. That was chapter two. I hope it was up to par with your expectations. You know what to do. Read and review! Thanks and I'll see you in the next chapter!
Aeden