Memory Lane

Chapter Two: Naiveté


"All big things in this world are done by people who are naive and have an idea that is obviously impossible." –Frank Richards


Katara was exhausted. She had no idea what time it was, but it seemed as though she had been gnawing at the ropes constricting feet for hours, to no avail. She was beginning to think that she would never free herself from her compromising situation.

"Who does that guy think he is?" she muttered softly.

"That," said the silky smooth voice, "is none of your concern."

It was a wonder how he was able to get into the room without her noticing. "Really now? I get tied up in thrown into an unknown location, and you don't think it is any of my concern?" she scoffed, "So I'll ask you again: who the hell do you think you are?"

He didn't respond and she continued, "Do you like your job, Zuko?" she said in a mocking voice, "Do they pay you hefty sums to murder innocent people?"

"Don't call me that." he seethed, "No one is allowed to call me that., especially you."

She laughed dryly, "Is that so? Then what do I call you? Asshole has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

His blood was slowly reaching the boiling point. This girl was walking on razor thin ice. "You will call me Blue Spirit and nothing else, understand?"

"Blue Spirit, huh?" The name sounded foreign to her ears, almost soothing. "What a lame pseudonym. Couldn't you come up with anything better?"

She was starting to give him a headache. What was with her? "Why aren't you afraid of me?"

She looked up at him, startled. "Well," she said, her confidence getting the best of her, "I'm not afraid of cowards."

"I am not a coward." he hissed, walking slowly towards her, "You don't know anything about me."

"Let's keep it that way, shall we?" she said, "I don't want to hear any sick and twisted stories about the people you've killed for selfish reasons."

He lunged at her, grasping her collar in a tight fist and lifting her slightly off the ground. "Do you have any idea who those people are?"

"Do you?" She whispered as she stared directly into his masked eyes for the first time. They were striking bright gold, beautiful and deadly at the same time. "All I know is that they are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers… and daughters of loved ones that will surely miss them. Of people who have to go through life without them, facing the harsh reality of their deaths… of…of…" she trailed off feeling tears welling up in her eyes.

Zuko chuckled, "Too weak."

He dropped her on the ground, albeit roughly, and continued to laugh. "Let me tell you something, brat. No one in this world is truly innocent. Everyone commits crimes; everyone has dark secrets; everyone tells lies.

"No one is exempt from this. The perfect world you live in is nothing but a child's fantasy. Your self-righteousness is nothing but hypocrisy. You're just a little girl who doesn't understand-"

"Shut up!"

Although her eyes were glazed with tears, hatred burned within them. "You don't know anything about me! You-" she paused, understanding that he had beat her at her own game.

"Let's keep it that way, shall we?" he said, his voice was laced with venom, "I don't want to hear stories of your obvious stupidity."

"I hate you," she hissed, "You're a monster…"

"Don't worry," he whispered, "The feeling is mutual."

Before she had time to utter a retort, his cell phone rang. He flipped it open for the umpteenth time that day. "Yes?"

"Spirit," a deadpan voice said, "You sound agitated. Is something wrong?"

Zuko sighed, "Nothing, Mai. Just a minor inconvenience."

Katara glared at him, a gesture that he promptly returned. "Good. Get to the agency as soon as you possibly can. We're going to discuss the future of your prisoner."

"I'm on my way."

He flipped his phone shut and reached into his pocket for something. Katara immediately tensed, preparing herself for the worst. Something red flew through the air and landed at her feet. "Here," he said with a smirk, "Good luck eating without your hands."

She looked down at the apple, wondering how something so normal could exist in her surreal circumstances. For once, she was going to stay quiet. This was the opportunity that she had been waiting for in the length of her captivity and she wasn't about to screw it up so soon.

He turned to her, an irritating smirk on his face, "Stay here, brat, and try to find a way to …entertain yourself while I'm gone."

"Sadistic bastard…" she muttered darkly.

He didn't seem to hear her comment as he walked out of the room and locked the door. Darkness clouded her vision once again, but she didn't let it disconcert her. She was amazed, and relieved, that the so-called "assassin" didn't bother to check her for weapons. Regrettably, she didn't think to bring anything with her when she went to work, however; the hairpins that she had decided to wear to school would hopefully do the trick.

She arched her back so that her head tipped back towards her hands and groped for the sharp accessories. As soon as she got a hold of them, she lifted her head up to its usual position and began slowly cutting the rope.

There had never been an explanation as to why she decided to buy the hairpins a few years ago. They were plain, long, and old fashioned with a single blue orb on one end, the only one of their kind on the shelf. The only characteristic that made the pins distinguishable was their sharpness. She could remember wondering why such things were sold in stores. The vendor didn't even recognize them as she walked to the counter to purchase them, so she was told that she could have them for free.

When the rope binding her arms was severed, she began working on her legs in a similar fashion. She couldn't wait to escape from this place. It seemed to cause feelings of fear and nausea to rise in her chest. It wasn't only her location that roused such feelings; her captor did as well. When he leaned in close to mock her, she could see traces of dried blood on his clothing, reminiscent of his last murder. The fear that she felt had no relation to death, despite the circumstances. She couldn't quite explain its origins.

She smiled in the darkness at her resourcefulness as she stood up for the first time in hours, relishing in freedom. She would escape, and once she had done so she would make the people responsible pay dearly.


Zuko sat in his car, enjoying the few moments of silence granted to him. He didn't blast music from the radio like a stereotypical teenager; he was as far from the status quo as possible. He didn't know how normal teenagers acted and, quite frankly, he didn't care. He didn't like to be put in any category; he lived for himself and only for himself.

He parked the car with ease in a random location as not to rouse suspicion. As soon as he had gotten out of his car, he began his walk to the Agency.

The Agency was an obscure, seemingly run down building located in the emptiest section of the city. Light failed to illuminate or emanate from it, giving it an eerie aura. Boss had declared it the best location for their organization because most people went out of their way to avoid it. He had said that as long as mankind allowed fear to grasp their hearts and shut out the voice of reason, they would never be discovered.

Zuko rapped twice on the door and waited to be let in. Though they could surely afford them, there were no retina or fingerprint scans. The simpler their actions, the less obvious their motives.

The door creaked slightly as it opened, a dim light shining from the building's interior. A young boy with a round face and glassy eyes eagerly motioned him through the doorframe. Zuko wasn't at all surprised at the boy's enthusiasm; they all started out like that. Once he had been exposed to death, the smile would be wiped off his face.

He proceeded to walk down the long dimly lit hallway until he arrived at the last door. This time he knocked only once before waiting for a response. As the door opened, someone launched themselves into Zuko's arms, almost knocking him off his feet.

"Spirit!" said the muffled voice, "I haven't seen you for-"

"Two days." said an amused voice behind them.

"Two days!" the figure launched herself into the other's arms, "You're so smart, Mai!"

Mai rolled her eyes, "Ty Lee," she attempted to peel the young girl off her to no avail, "you really need to stop doing that."

She put her arm behind her head sheepishly, "Old habits die hard I guess."

Mai shook her head and motioned for Zuko to follow. Ty Lee hooked her arm with his and the three walked through the doorframe. Zuko shook his head as well, copying Mai's previous gesture. It was odd that Ty Lee always seemed cheerful, despite her occupation.

They entered a room with a long black table in the center. Several chairs were pulled out, most of them occupied. The walls were painted crimson, an appropriate color for their line of work. Several heads looked up and nodded in Zuko's direction, waiting for him and his companions to take a seat. He unlatched his arm from Ty Lee's before sitting down at the corner of the table.

"So the prince finally decides to grace us with his presence." said a brown-haired teenager with a cigarette in his mouth, "It is truly an honor."

Ty Lee punched him hard in the arm, "Shut up, Jet."

Zuko paid him no mind, "This meeting concerns my prisoner, Boss?"

Most members in the agency were afraid of Boss. He seemed to know everything that happened at any given time. No one was able to fool him. Many had tried any they had been disposed of promptly. He had the eyes of a falcon, bright gold and unrelenting. It was believed that he was able to look directly into someone's soul with a single glance.

Zuko wasn't particularly bothered by his mannerisms. At times he thought some of his actions were a bit outlandish, but he felt no fear towards him. He was among a scarce few that were able to willingly look him in the eyes without flinching.

"Yes, Spirit." Boss said, looking at him across the table, eyebrow raised. "Your prisoner is very special."

Special? Zuko resisted the urge to roll his eyes; he had no idea that his boss had such low standards, "Enlighten me."

"She's the one that got away." Boss said, barely above a whisper.

Zuko knew he wasn't going to get any more information. Boss loved to know things that others did not. "I sincerely hope that the purpose of this meeting is to take her off my hands."

"Not at all, " Boss smirked, "I said we would keep her alive, correct? Why not leave her in the hands of the most capable? That is, unless you have a problem controlling her. If that's the case, I'll give the job to Azula or Jet-"

"That isn't necessary," Zuko interrupted, "I can handle her."

"I must warn you," Boss said, his gold eyes narrowed, " we are under the impression that others may be after the girl as well. Your job is to make sure they do not succeed in their attempts. However, you will still be responsible for carrying out your missions"

Zuko nodded.

"Also," he turned to the rest of the assassins, "Azula's assassination attempt failed."

Everyone, save Zuko, was shocked. Azula was one of the Agency's top assassins. She never failed to carry out an assignment, even if she had to take the life of a comrade in the process.

"The target somehow knew he was going to be assassinated and hired someone to protect him." Boss continued, "He managed to defeat her."

"I don't see how this is significant." Zuko muttered, "Assassins often fail in their attempts."

"Sometimes I wonder why you are praised so often, Zuko." A girl with long black hair said with a smirk, "Stupidity isn't a very endearing quality."

Zuko narrowed his eyes, "What are you trying to say, Jun?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she said with a mocking tone, "Our victims are very ignorant men. The chance that he would be able to know his fate is slim. Someone must of informed him."

Ty Lee cocked her head to the side, "Which means?"

"It means we have an enemy, idiot." Jet scoffed.

Ty Lee folded her arms over her chest and huffed, mumbling a rather colorful string of curses under her breath.

Boss nodded his assent, "Several, in fact."

"Wonderful." Mai mumbled darkly.

"Spirit," Zuko looked up at him, allowing a rare contemplative look to grace his features, "I suggest you get home quickly lest the girl tries to escape."

Zuko smirked arrogantly, "That would be impossible."

Boss shook his head, "How truly …naïve of you."


Katara cringed as she rammed herself against the door for what felt like the thousandth time. Knocking down the door was proving to be an impossible feat. She was beginning to think that her escape efforts were futile.

She slid to the floor dejectedly, clutching her throbbing arm. What was she to do now? There were no windows to escape from, no objects to aid her in escape. This room must have been cleared for the sole purpose of containing prisoners.

She crawled to the other side of the room, using the wall to lift her body off the ground. This was going to be her last attempt. After that, her body wouldn't be able to withstand the pain

She pushed herself off the wall and ran as fast as she could towards the door. 'Please work!' she though desperately before turned sideways and rammed herself into the hard polished wood.

It was then that something extraordinary occurred. Katara didn't feel the excruciating pain in her arm as she rammed into the door. Instead, she fell right through the doorframe as though there had never been a door at all. Puzzled, she opened her eyes to find that the door had disappeared entirely, leaving only water in its place.

When she looked down to find that her body was drenched in water as well, she shook her head. Whatever had just happened was definitely not normal. Hours in the darkness had definitely driven her to insanity.

She stood up and looked around the apartment for an exit. She felt her heart soar when her eyes landed on the front door. Her feet began to move quickly towards the door on their own accord. She was finally going to escape captivity. She was…

Her heart sunk into her stomach. The doorknob was different than any doorknob she had ever seen. Most modern doorknobs could be turned to operate a locking mechanism that held the door closed. However, this door had a lock built into the doorknob, locking her inside the house.

The door seemed to be four times as thick as the door she had just escaped from, making it impossible for her to knock it down. She sighed exasperatedly. Spirit was more than just an assassin; he was a psychopath.

She turned from the door and walked down a hallway directly across from it. She opened the first door that she laid eyes on and flipped the light switch to turn it on. It was a bathroom. Katara rolled her eyes as she took in her surroundings, 'He's the most boring psychopath I've ever met.'

Everything in the bathroom was completely white save the mirror and the window. She walked towards the mirror to evaluate her appearance.

'Ugh. I look like I've never used a hair brush before.' She shook her head. Her appearance should be the last thing on her mind. Her eyes scanned the bathroom once again for something that could aid her in escape. They landed on the window directly above the toilet.

She walked towards it and stood on the tips of her toes to measure the distance to the ground. Her heart lurched once again; the pavement was at least six stories away.

"Damn it!" she cursed, walking out of the bathroom in anger, "This isn't a house, it's a labyrinth!"

There were no more options available. She would have to wait for the cold-blooded bastard to return.


As Zuko walked to his apartment door, he couldn't help but think of what Boss had said. The Agency had enemies? For so long he had believed that they could complete their assignments without any interference. Despite what he had declared in the meeting, he still found it hard to believe that Azula could be defeated so easily. The strangest part was that the person responsible had kept her alive, as if warning the rest of them not to meddle in their affairs.

He smirked as he dug in his pocket for his key. A challenge was just what he needed. His life had become quite boring as of late. He unlocked the door and stepped inside. His apartment was as immaculate as he had left it. Perhaps Boss had been wrong about-

Before he had time to react, an incredible force brought Zuko to his knees, knocking the wind out of him.

TBC…


Andi-Chan here! Chapter two is finally finished, as you can see… I'm really excited about this story. I have many ideas that I wish to incorporate before I finish. I really want to know what you think about it so please review! Questions and constructive criticism are welcomed, but flames are not. You don't want to know what happens when I get a flame… : )

Andi-Chan