Wow I got so many fantastic reviews which surprised me completely! I'm glad there are a lot of Iroh 2 fans out there! I didn't know how the public would react to an iroh/oc story. Anyway as promised I am continuing this thought I don't know how long it will be.
Please review! It inspires me to write more!
Enjoy!
General Iroh, the name itself brought girls to their knees and men in a jealous fit. He was the Fireladys'son , a true and natural leader that descended from a line of royalty. Being an inheritor of the legendary Firelord Zuko, she should have known getting involved with him was nothing but trouble. The man could charm your bending right out of you, literally. It soon became the one thing she hated most about him in their earlier years.
Nikkota stepped into her quarters, her eyes adjusting to the dark lighting as the soft snores of her companions reached her ears. Although, she had only known them for a month she managed to get along with most of them. This fleet, she realized, had a definite lack of women. Hoshi, an earthbender from one of the old firenation colonies, stretched out on the bunk above hers. She was a short woman, with choppy brown hair, edgy earthbending style and an attitude to match. There was no questioning why they got along so well.
Nikkota pulled the drawer open next to her bunk. Inside under a stack of papers was a handmade bracelet. Red threads had been carefully woven into a fire lily in the center of it. The waterbender pulled it out and clenched it tightly in her fingers. She remembered the good old days, when the gift was given to her.
.
.
.
(8 years ago)
Nikkota was twelve when she arrived at the United Forces Academy, and never before had she seen so many different benders and non-benders in one place. In Republic City she was used to big buildings and wide open spaces because her family lived in a mansion, but since she was homeschooled by her mother she had never had the opportunity to make friends.
Looking around the large foyer she joined other kids around her age in one of several lines. Even then NIkkota looked like one of the boys. Her hair was jet black, short and layered against her face. Her large eyes were gray and seemed to be looking at everything at once. Her freckles splayed across her nose and cheeks. How having freckles with tan skin was possible she had no idea; gifts from her father no doubt. She was taller than most girls, but shorter than most guys standing around her.
Her eyes caught a poster on the wall of the United Forces, distracting her from the kid in front of her. Her nose bumped into his back causing him to let out a small 'oof'.
"Hey!" the kid turned around. He was a couple inches taller than her and no more than at least a year older. His dark hair was neatly combed to the side, matching the fine pressed quality of his outfit. Amber eyes stared down at her with a mix of curiosity and annoyance. "Watch where you're going bud".
"I'm not a bud", she bit back.
The kid turned around again, looking her up and down. She was surprised when he smiled and stuck his hand out, "Name's Iroh". He said in a low voice.
Her eyes widened. She was talking to THE Iroh! The fireladys son? No wonder she reminded him of the infamous Firelord Zuko on the poster on the wall. Her father told her stories about him when she was little. A couple kids around them glanced their way at the sound of his name and whispered.
"You're the Fireladys son? Why are you- mphhhh", a hand covered her mouth.
"Don't say that out loud", he whispered. He let her go once the crowd had moved on down the line. He glanced around and pulled them to the back of the room "Sorry. You have no idea how annoying the attention can be".
He gestured for her to rejoin their place in line. They filed in at the very end as kids were being placed in their companies. "I don't mean to sound weird, but you look like a boy". This kid doesn't dance around the edges.
Nikkota blew some hair out of her face, "Don't mention it. I get it all the time". She smiled, tilting her head up to look at him, "Daddy wanted a boy actually. He took me hunting with the other boys when I was little. I didn't do so well, but he kept teaching me. Have you ever been on a watertribe hunt?" She didn't know she was rambling until he cleared his throat.
The line moved forward and they moved slowly along with it, "So what's your name?" He asked.
"Nikkota".
"Nice", he replied with a charming smile even for his age. "Can I call you Nikko? It sounds way cooler"
It was what her father called her, but she didn't mind if the Fireladys son gave her a nickname too, "Sure. Why not?"
When it was Irohs turn in line they asked him what type of bending if he was a bender. She wasn't surprised he was a firebender. He was taken to company fourteen and he gave her a small wave goodbye as he walked over to his group.
The man at the desk in front of her scribbled on a paper, "Name?"
"Nikkota", she replied quickly. The man quickly looked her up and down; probably to make sure she was a female.
"Bending style?"
"Waterbending", a proud smile spread across her face.
"Company 15 to your left", he gestured meagerly and gave her a pin with the number 15 on it. Nikkota walked over to the bunched up group of kids and teens with the number 15 attached to their shirts. They were a rag tag group. Some of them looked like they were in good physical shape while others looked like they'd never seen sunlight in their life. Nikkota couldn't say she looked better than most of them, but at least she ran the streets a couple of times when her father wasn't looking. There were always fun kids to play with there.
"Alright you bunch of sorry street rats! Stand at attention like these fine gentleman here!" A large man, probably late forties with huge gray sideburns gestured to the statue like soldiers in front of him. Nikkota the twenty companies all quckly mimicked them.
The elder looked around, scrutinizing with every flick of his eyes, "We'll work on that later. Now as you all know this is the United Forces Academy! You will spend the rest of your miserable lives here until you deserve to be commissioned as officers!" He started pacing in front of us, his cold eyes boring into each individual. "You will learn your talents and be deployed in that field, and if you don't like it work harder! I am not your baby sitter nor do I care about your sorry sob stories that brought you here. Is that understood?"
Everyone shouted "Yes sir" in unison.
"Now your companies have been divided into twenty, but each company will work against another company just for the sake of competition. You will learn to work as a group or you will fail!".
Nikkota could listen to this man all day. He reminded her too much of her old waterbending teacher her father hired. Only he didn't make her want to pee her pants like this one did. Minutes later of banter and inspirational speeches the companies were paired with another company, and it just so happens that 14 was paired with 15.
Filing in a perfect line they were taken to their quarters and introduced to their bending masters. Nikkotas waterbending teacher was an older lady, with streaks of gray lining her perfectly pinned up hair. She wore a blue tank top, and uniform black pants and boots. On her neck was a whistle which she would come to hate later in her visit. The older recruits were housed on the other side of the compound where more advanced training took place. Nikkota could remember the excitement that built up in her chest when she looked around at her new home.
The instructors let the companies practice in the court yard to get the feel of it their first day before turning in to begin anew tomorrow. It was then she saw him again standing by a tree and practicing his firebending form. His amber eyes found her and he gave her a wave.
Nikkota grinned but before she could return the wave she tripped on the slab of concrete separating the earth and waterbending yards. Iroh rushed over and helped her up, "Boyish and a klutz, boy the spirits really blessed you didn't they?"
"You could say that again", she mumbled dusting her gray pants off. They walked over to a bench and watched the benders and non benders practice their forms and spar with eachother.
"So why were you by yourself over there? Don't you want to practice?" Nikkota asked propping her feet up on a stump in front of them.
He just waved her question away, "We'll have plenty of time later. Besides.." he cast his gaze down at his finely made boots, "..no one really wants to talk to me".
"Why?" She found it hard to believe that a kid as good looking not to mention royal didn't have any friends.
Iroh shrugged, "They're afraid of me, or intimidated either one. It's always been that way though".
They both looked back out over the yard, sharing an awkward silence. "I'm sorry", Nikkota finally said turning back to him, "I like talking to you".
He returned her words with a crooked smile.
(Present)
Nikkota pinched the bridge of her nose and tossed the bracelet back in the drawer. Two days until they reach Republic City and she was reminiscing on old and dead memories. They were going to be in for the fight of their lives and she had to be prepared not distracted.
Grabbing the top bunk she swung herself in bed. Her eyes flickered all over the room, trying to find a comfortable spot to stare at as she fell asleep, but something wasn't right. Nikkota couldn't explain it, but all of a sudden she felt very uncomfortable. She was about to sit up when a sudden shift of the ship caused her to fall to the floor. The waterbender groaned as her head smacked on the wooden boards, but was silenced when Hoshi toppled from the top bunk right on her back.
"What the-", the woman on top of her struggled to stand as the ship realigned itself. Jin a warrior and Leah another waterbender both jumped down from their own bunks, fighting through their thick hazes of sleep in confusion.
"What the hell is going on?" Hoshi shouted as another vibration hit the ship. This time the distinct sound of metal grinding on metal hit her ears. They were being boarded.
Nikkota ran out of the door and up the stairs onto the deck. The lights were all off and only the moonlight aided her in seeing. Everything happened so fast she barely had time to roll out of the way as a net shot out at her. Jin was caught off guard and tumbled back down the stairs in a tangle as the net wrapped itself around him.
When she regained herself Nikkota realized that men, dressed in rag tag clothing, were boarding the starboard side of their ship. She knew who these men were, only too many times had they been reported in this area. Pirates. In their grasp they already had the several night watch crewmen captured in nets. They must have taken them by surprise.
Nikkota ducked in time as twin blades flew over her head from behind. A lanky pirate wielding double swords lashed out at her. Panic in her eyes from lack of her element was evident. Dodging the blades by mere centimeters she ran to the edge of ship. Using her practiced moves she bended a huge stream of water from below. Bringing it around in an arc she knocked at least two of them overboard.
Hoshi was using the earth disks provided on deck against an entire group of pirates advancing on her and Jin. The blade wielding pirates were only able to slice through a couple before their breaths were knocked out of their chest as Hoshi let out a devastating string of attacks with the disks. Jin used a stream of water left over from Nikkotas attack to send a hail of ice daggers at the last few.
An arc of fire caught the corner of her eye, and she somersaulted out of the way just in time for a huge fireball to explode beside her. Another blast caught her off guard and threw her back against the railing of the ship. Regaining focus through the thick haze of smoke and fighting she saw a huge, muscular man dressed in a blood red overcoat. His smile was chilling enough to shake her top to bottom; flashing his cold tooth at her as he did so. His face was tattooed and pierced in every possible way giving him an even more intimidating appearance.
Before he could launch another fireball at her Nikkota called the water forth with a sweep of her feet and using the momentum she twisted her body up using her arms as leverage she sent the water straight at him like circular razor blades. For a moment she saw Iroh dealing his own battles against a large group of pirates. The other ships were within listening distance and she instantly knew from the metal clanging on metal sounds in the air that the other ships had been boarded too. Where the hell did they come from?
Hoshi and other members of their fleet were also having their own struggles against pirate water and firebenders.
"Hrygahhh!", the firebender captain retaliated by surrounding himself in an inferno shield; dissolving the water instantly. Nikkota furrowed her brows. It was way too damn late for this! She took a breath, concentrated, and summoned the water from the sea, winding her hands through the air as she had done so many times before. Settling it in a ring around her she curled her fingers and brought up four octopus arms, blocking a new stream of fire from the pirate.
He backed up slightly, sending more bolts at her with a flurry of kicks, but Nikkota blocked them all. Furrowing her brows she grunted as she shot the arms forward and picked him up before he could roll out of the way. Jerking her arms to the left she sent the man overboard into the sea below. A small smirk played on her lips in in victory. By the time she had dispatched a couple more of the pirates the turned on her the rest were fleeing.
Iroh sent one last attacker overboard before they sped off with their speed boats. Nikkota watched them disappear onto the horizon before dropping the water in her hold. It was the first time she remembered that she was only in her night wear and it was freezing cold. Iroh rushed over, "Are you okay?"
She shrugged, "It's a bit past my bed time but yeah". Her eyes traced the last known location of the pirates, "Where did they come from?"
"I wish I knew", he replied.
After looking around to make sure everyone was accounted for, the General and Nikkota made their way to the bridge of the ship to contact the others.
"Do you think they were summoned by Amon?"
Iroh set his jaw, his eyes narrowed ahead, "I don't know, but whatever the case we need to be extra careful".
After Iroh had settled everyone down, enforced new night watch men and began repairs to the ships hull it was nearly sunrise, and Lieutenant Nikkota had barely had any sleep in the past 48 hours. But for some reason she didn't feel tired. Her body was tingly like adrenaline from the fight was still kicking in.
She was busy stressing on the repairs to the hull and the injuries to some of their men her eyes just couldn't seem to close. If those pirates were going to come back she was going to be ready for them.
General Iroh walked into the ready room while she was staring at a map of republic city. She saw his red suit out of the corner of her eye.
"I think those pirates were sent to slow us down", Nikkota said not taking her eyes off the map. Her matted hair hung down in strands around her face. "They purposefully ruptured our port side fuel cell when they were boarding us".
"Lieutenant".
"We've been delayed an hour, but I've got a plan for when we enter Republic City's harbor", Nikko ignored him tracing her fingers alongside the map.
"Nikkota", he said more desperately.
She waved at him, "Just listen to my plan. They'll be ready for us when we get there so I was thinking.."
The General put a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to turn away from the map and look into his eyes. "Nikko", he said more sternly. His usually soft amber eyes turning hard, "You've been awake for over twenty four hours. You need some sleep".
Her blood shot eyes rolled, "I'm fine. There are more important matters-"
"-Those matters can wait a few more hours. I need you to be ready tomorrow. I'll handle everything else". Iroh pushed her toward the exit, "Now go. That's an order Lieutenant".
The waterbenders mouth opened slightly as if she was about to protest but closed. Once again he was looking out for her when she was at her worst; even when he is faring no better. She could see the sleep calling to him by the dreary look in his eyes. It almost reminded her of the good old days.
"Yes..General", Nikkota frowned slightly and nodded. She felt his eyes following her on the way out, but she did as she was ordered to like any good soldier would.