Chapter 04: Almost Conclusive
Rating: K
Ah, here is chapter 4. The apparently long awaited Zuko vs. Sokka fight. I don't think there was any way it was going to be as good as it should, so I will just let you all judge how it came out for yourselves. There will, at some point, be another example of it, but probably not in this story. After this chapter, it will pretty much be all building the Zuko x Suki bits of the story, so hope you are all ready for that. That said, enjoy the story.
Looking at the surprised looks on the faces of the rest of the group, Zuko had an idea that maybe he had said something strange, or flat out wrong. Sokka let his blue eyes rest on the object of his affections, clearly finding the prospect difficult. The scarred teen let his eyes ret on the auburn haired young woman, the girl with whom he had spent the last few days sparring (or more like fighting) with, and her face showed a distinctly different expression than Sokka's.
While his was locked in disbelief, and distinct apprehension, Suki's lips curled into a look of almost predatory delight, excited at the prospect of getting to test her skills on someone she might stand a chance of beating.
"Zuko, what's the big idea?" Katara asked, breaking the odd tension that filled the courtyard after his suggestion. The older boy turned towards the water bender, his eyes shimmering in the traces of light from the torches scattered around the group's meeting area.
"What do you mean?" he asked seriously, hoping he wasn't going to have to really explain his motivations and reasoning.
"Well, they're… you know, together, so wouldn't that make it difficult?" she asked, motioning her hand from her brother to his girlfriend, the boy's wolf tail swaying in almost relief as he nodded his head in affirmation. Aang and Toph joined the others in waiting as Zuko went silent for a moment, seemingly gathering his thoughts on the matter.
"So what?" he asked seriously, the near finality of his tone increasing the sense of apprehension throughout the group.
"How can you just suggest that two people who are in a relationship just fight like that? I mean, not everyone is as serious about things as you are," the water bender said, her soft brown hair jumping about as she nearly leapt to her feet, her almost motherly concern for her friends' safety coloring each syllable.
"Like I said, what does that matter? It's just practice, so it's not like anyone's going to be killed," Zuko explained, his volume increasing a bit as he spoke, irritated that everything he tried to suggest or do seemed to be met with questions and accusations.
"W-well, that's true," Katara admitted, backing just a bit away from the seemingly suddenly irritated fire bender.
"Look, I didn't mean to raise my voice, but let me put this another way. Sokka, you're looking for someone strong to fight against, to practice your skills, right?" he asked, his eyes warming just a bit as he considered the younger boy.
"I guess so," the dark skinned boy answered almost hesitantly, his tone drawing a click of the tongue from the fire bender.
"That's not the right attitude, Sokka. If you want to be the best you can be, then you have to give it all your effort, not be really half assed about it. You can't 'guess so', you have to KNOW so," he said, implying that if Sokka were to even spar with Suki that he would hold back, not go at it with his full effort.
"Hey, I'm motivated!" Sokka shot back, taking the older boy's words as an almost afront to his male pride. "But that doesn't mean I should fight my own girlfriend. Not everyone is crazy like the Fire Nation," the blue eyed boy said, almost dismissing the notion entirely. Watching the young man's reactions, Zuko knew that he only had to push him a little bit more to get him to agree.
"Oh, so you're just afraid of losing to a girl," the banished Prince suggested, his lips pulling into a heavy smirk as Sokka's breath all seemed to rush from his body at once. Toph, Katara and Suki each leaned a bit closer, interested to hear the sometimes idiotic boy's opinions on that matter.
Looking around him, Sokka took particular note of his surroundings, memories of previous instances of him putting his foot in his mouth rushing to mind. Coughing into his hand as he cleared his throat, he looked seriously at the young royal.
"I am not afraid of losing to a girl. I am willing to do whatever it takes to get better with the sword, but I don't want to hurt the girl I love to do it," Sokka said seriously, only a hint of his occasional sexism in his voice as opposed to full on chauvinistic pride that he had exhibited at times in the past.
"Well, if you're that serious about it, then I guess I can't change your mind. If you're still interested in the morning, then I'll give you a match. But, if you lose, then you'll have to train with Suki instead of me," Zuko said, handing Katara his used dishes. "Thanks for the meal. I'll be heading to bed early," he added gently, bowing respectfully towards the young water bender.
As he passed the young Kyoshi Warrior, he gave her a knowing smile in passing, one that only she managed to catch. The girl felt a sense of gratitude for the young Prince, his efforts to help her connect further with her boyfriend apparent to her, even if Sokka probably wouldn't think of it that way.
"What do you think Zuko is trying to get at by trying to get me and Suki to fight?" the boy in question asked, his eyes passing over the rest of the group as he rested his chin on his opened palm.
"Maybe he's just tired from training Aang then having to basically train Suki at the same time," Toph suggested, shrugging her shoulders as she spoke.
"You think so? I don't know, he seemed pretty into it tonight," Aang said, flashing back to the short display he had seen the two put on as they rushed into the courtyard of the royal beach retreat.
"Maybe he's worried that he'll end up hurting Sokka," Katara suggested, a double meaning behind her words that only Toph and Suki seemed to notice. The blind girl felt a small smile grace her lips as she thought about the moody teen's awkward attempt to help the relationship of two of his friends.
"That certainly sounds like something Sparky would do," Toph said, hiking her thumb towards the Water Tribe warrior. "He certainly doesn't know how to hold back, so it'll be something to see," she added, sensing Sokka's indignation at the simple suggestion.
"So, what, you think I'll lose? Or that I hold back in my training?" he asked directly, curious as to what the opinion of him was among the group, as a warrior.
"I'm saying that you care a lot for those around you, so sometimes you just relax a little, expecting that nobody will get hurt. But I don't think Zuko has that problem," Toph explained, the meaning obvious behind her own statement. The group each felt a shiver run through their bodies at the implication, each trying to shift their minds from thoughts of the evil Princess.
"Well, that doesn't count. That's like real combat in the shape of sparring," Sokka suggested, earning no argument from the others. "But, I can see what you mean. That would certainly make anyone take even sparring seriously," he added, offering his bowl to his sister for a fourth helping of their meal.
"So, you should be careful, Sokka. You're great with the sword, but Zuko's style is way different," Aang said, sliding his plate towards Katara before offering her words of thanks for the meal, as Zuko had done.
"What kind of style is it?" Sokka asked, the thought occurring to him that he had never witnessed Zuko's use of his dao swords before, whereas Aang had apparently witnessed it somewhere.
"It's kind of weird. It doesn't seem like any style I've seen, but he can swing them really fast, with sharp, precise cuts," Aang explained. As he spoke, Suki and Sokka both leaned in, listening intently for any valuable clues on his style that either might be able to use against the young man.
"Whoa, it sounds like he was doing us a favor by only using his fire bending all those times he attacked us," Katara said, wondering how she might have fared against him if he had made use of the agility and speed he seemed to either forget about or ignore during his fire bending attacks.
"So, you should be careful Sokka. Even though I don't think he's got a master at it, he is really good with his weapons, so you can't take it lightly," Aang cautioned, not wanting to see his friend get hurt.
"Ah, thanks Aang," Sokka said simply, leaning back a bit as he took the information in. From what the young air bender had told him, Zuko seemed quite skilled with the blades, using them as an extension of his fire bending enhanced martial arts. The information filled him with a mixture of fear and excitement. As a fellow warrior, it was obviously exciting to fight someone skilled, one who could push him to his limits.
But he knew that Zuko was not one to hold back, and if he wasn't careful, one or both could end up hurt… or worse. He shook that thought from his mind, knowing that even with the young man's lack of taking it easy, he still had a good deal of control. The fact that Suki was uninjured after their spars was proof enough of that.
As the conversations died down, the group gradually returned to their rooms to rest for the night, each holding a slight anticipation and excitement to see the outcome of the seeming duel between Sokka and Zuko.
As Suki slipped into her own bed, she found sleep oddly difficult to reach, her mind a flurry of activity as she tossed beneath the red linens lining her bed. After tossing a few times (or maybe a few dozen), she simply lay on her back, locks of auburn hair fanning out beneath her head as she stared mindlessly at the ceiling.
No traces of the moon's soft glow entered her quarters, leaving her alone in the dark with her thoughts. She felt a sense of excitement about the upcoming match between Sokka and Zuko, but something else along with it. Her blue green eyes narrowed only a bit, trying to pin down the strange thought that seemed to be disturbing her rest.
Sure, it was exciting to think about two of her best friends fighting, displaying amazing skills and all that kind of stuff. But she found her allegiance torn a bit, not sure who she should be rooting for. Sokka was the guy she had waited for in prison, held faith in for her rescue and had left her beloved Kyoshi Island to be with.
But while Sokka always sought to fulfill her as a woman, to make her smile and feel happy inside and out, Zuko offered something she figured Sokka couldn't. It wouldn't be fair to expect him to. Zuko pushed her as a warrior, gave her a goal to reach towards with the entirety of her skills and determination. He offered simple companionship, with no strings attached.
He wasn't looking for anything from her, wasn't asking for anything, but offered whatever it might be that she wanted. A sparring partner, a sympathetic ear, advice from a guy's perspective, someone who could understand the pressures of leadership and being looked up to.
Shimmering bluish green eyes hooded closed as she thought about the Fire Prince, a soft warmth creeping across her cheeks. Suddenly the shimmer disappeared, replaced with a sense of something akin to panic. What was she doing? It should be obvious that she would root for Sokka… shouldn't it?
"God, I must be really tired," she muttered to herself, closing her eyes against the darkness surrounding her, eager to let sleep claim her, to allow her to straighten out the traitorous thoughts roaming in her mind. She focused her mind on the handsome boy from the Water Tribe who had visited her island all those months earlier, how silly he had seemed when he first sought out her training. How arrogant he had seemed at first, and how frustrated he was after being defeated by a girl.
But as the shroud of sleep passed over her, the image of the laughing, prankster of a boy slowly changed to the determined, proud face of the future Fire Lord, her soft lips curling into a contented smile as she fell to the soft invitation of slumber.
**********
As the group assembled in the courtyard the next morning, Sokka sought out the traitor Prince, his hand tightening almost painfully around the grip on his sword. As much as he wanted to prove himself to the entire group, he had to admit a bit of nervousness. His only other encounter with a master type swordsman was his own master, Piandao. While they had fought harshly, he had come out the loser in that encounter.
But Zuko was not Piandao. He didn't know the meaning of holding back, and worse yet, he was only one year Sokka's senior, as opposed to several decades. Sokka was aware that the scarred teen seemed to hold a great amount of natural agility, and strength that likely surpassed his own. Looking over at the scarred teen, he was a bit angered and more than a little jealous at how relaxed the older boy looked.
On the staircase lining the opened hallway, the rest of the group sat, eager to see the carnage and mayhem that was about to occur. All except for Suki, who had for whatever reason chosen to sleep in that morning. Ever the responsible one of the group, Katara opted to retrieve the young girl as the two warriors began their warm-ups.
"She better not be sleeping in Zuko's room again," Katara mumbled sarcastically, sliding into the girl's simple, almost Spartan room. Any woven hangings had been discarded, tossed to the sides of the room. But the inherent quality of the material used to construct the room remained, giving a distinct feeling of royalty throughout.
"Come on, Suki, they're about to start, and I don't think Sokka will be as enthusiastic if he can't show off for you," the water bender said, pulling the red blanket from atop the older girl's sleeping form. Blue eyes rolled a bit in frustration as she watched the girl smile in her sleep, lips smacking together every so often as she breathed. Quite an unladylike appearance as she slept.
"Mmm, Zuko I can't take any more," she mumbled, the words sending Katara's heart racing more than a little bit. Straining her ears, she listened for any hints that she had simply misheard the sleepy mumblings. "Can't… beat you…" she murmured, sending relief washing quickly over the young bender.
"God, is that all you warrior types can think about," she said, reaching out to shake the older girl's shoulders. As she came face to face with the blue green eyes of the young Kyoshi Warrior, Katara felt a smile cross her face. "Come on, they're about to start, and I think Sokka really wants you to be there," she said, the other girl nodding weakly.
"Alright, I'll be out in a minute," she said, shivering a bit as her feet came into contact with the cool wood of the floor. Stretching her arms out in front of her, she felt the blood truly begin to pump through her slender frame, the haze of sleep disappearing into the brightly lit morning air.
Slipping her sleep attire off, Suki quickly dressed, pulling the crimson clothing tightly over her slender frame. Fixing her hair into the Fire Nation styled topknot, she quickly followed after the young water bender, fully excited to witness the simple exhibition between the two skilled warriors.
Shielding her eyes momentarily from the brightness of the Sun, she blinked a few times, becoming acclimated to the shift in brightness. Settling into a seat at the right of the group, she looked over at the two warriors, almost giggling at the sheer differences in their approach to the matter at hand.
Sokka's tension was obvious, either from having to perform in front of a group, or simple fear of the skills of his opponent. But Zuko was calm, stretching out his muscles properly before settling down, taking a few calming breaths.
"Uh, Sokka, shouldn't you stretch or something?" she said, the boy tensing up a bit as she seemed to catch him off guard a bit.
"Oh, yeah, that's right," he said nervously, eliciting a few laughs from the assembled group as he dropped his sword before settling into a warm up routine. After a few minutes, the young man finished his warm-ups, picking up his sword's scabbard as he stared ahead at the young fire bender.
Part of him underestimated the skill of the scarred teen, always associating him with his element and discounting any possibility of him as a skilled swordsman. After all, that just wouldn't be fair, for one to be a master of two completely different forms of combat.
But a much larger part of him knew not to underestimate any opponent, to treat even a spar as a potentially deadly game. He watched as Zuko gripped the seemingly single sword, pulling it from its scabbard at his back. For a moment he wondered if Zuko was only going to use one sword, before the young man pulled the blades apart, the silver sheen of the twin swords shining in the sunlight.
"Sokka," the older boy spoke directly to the younger boy, catching the tension in his body. "It's not that big a deal. Just relax. You can't do anything if you're all stiff and tense," Zuko spoke, almost chuckling at having to give advice on relaxation to the young Water Tribesman.
"Ah, you're right," Sokka admitted, closing his eyes as he breathed in a few times, calming himself down in the process. Once he felt more relaxed, he pulled the darkened blade from its sheath, discarding the simply carved holder for his blade. Pulling the hilt up towards his face, he held it level with the ground, the dark metal reflecting the Sun's rays off into the sky aimlessly.
"Any time you're ready, Sokka," Zuko mildly teased, pointing one of his blades at the younger boy, twirling the lightweight weapons a few times to get a better grip on the now well worn handles.
"Oh yeah, and give you the-" he was cut off mid statement as the older boy lunged quickly forward, bringing his blade to the younger boy's throat. Blinks of surprise on the faces of all but Suki showed their shock at the quick outcome, before Zuko pulled away from the young warrior, a confident smirk on his face as he flashed the blades through the air again.
"Looks like I win. That's not quite what I was expecting, but it was quite interesting," Zuko said, teasing the young man a bit as he let the edge of the blades rest on the ground.
"Hey, that doesn't count. You just ambushed me!" Sokka complained, pointing his sharpened blade at the young fire bender.
"In a battle, not everyone is going to try and fight you fair and square," Zuko cautioned, Sokka wincing a bit at having forgotten such a basic premise of combat.
"Ugh, I know that. Rematch," Sokka said, his eyes narrowing in determination as he stared at the Fire Nation Prince. He hadn't expected Zuko to act in such a way, to strike so quickly while he was unfocused.
"Ah, I get it. But this time you better pay attention," Zuko said, moving the blades in front of his body, seemingly in a defensive maneuver. Golden eyes flashed above the shining edge of the blades, seemingly piercing into Sokka's very soul.
Not wanting to give the older boy any chances of a sneak attack, Sokka lunged forward, thrusting his blade directly towards the other teen's chest. A clang of metal reverberated through both bodies as Zuko swung down with one of his blades, diverting the attack as his second sword came straight at Sokka's head.
Pulling up his sword, he managed to deflect the attack, rolling his shoulders as he thrust the blackened sword forward once again. A quick upward slash from the fire Prince deflected his heavy stroke once again, the sound of metal on metal ringing heavily through the small courtyard.
Pulling his sword back, Sokka slashed from his left shoulder down across Zuko's body, the older boy using both swords to block the heavy strike. A look of confidence on his face, the young bender slid his conjoined blades along the edge of Sokka's sword, the tanned teen pulling back just before the blades reached the guard of his blade.
Small sparks could be seen as their blades continued to clash, each pushing the other around the small courtyard, each leaping off of steps in an attempt to gain the upper hand. Sokka felt his confidence growing as the match continued, wondering what he had been so worried about.
Catching the increase in Sokka's confidence, Zuko decided to take it up a little bit, sending a single blow towards the younger boy's head while the other thrust directly towards his stomach. Eyes widening in a bit of panic, Sokka twirled his sword as well as he was able, attempting to divert both attacks simultaneously.
Placing his black sword near his right shoulder, Sokka then slashed it downward, diagonally over Zuko's entire torso. He watched almost mesmerized as Zuko backflipped away from the heavy slash, the blades clanging against the stone ground as his hands landed on the hard surface.
Fingers tightened around the handles as Zuko leaned back onto his feet, smirking confidently as he stared at the Water warrior. Turning his shoulders slightly away from the young man, Zuko used the increased distance to gain a bit more power on his slash, the younger boy barely able to block the attack.
He felt the coldness of his blade press against his bared arm, Zuko sending his leg straight towards the now opened hand grip on the larger sword. Pulling his sword down, he pressed the butt of the weapon against the older boy's knee, sweeping out with his own leg as he pulled the blade away. His body spinning a single time, he held the blade against his back as he watched Zuko circle in place as well.
Blades seemed to almost disappear as Zuko swung them in separate motions, Sokka struggling to deflect each strike. The precision was apparent, as was Zuko's natural athleticism, giving Sokka the impression that he really needed to train harder to keep up with the young man.
Pushing forward, he swung his blade from Zuko's left side, hoping to catch him in a blind spot. The Prince ducked beneath the wide strike, rolling away from the young man before jumping to his feet. But Sokka's attack was relentless, the straight edge heading right for Zuko as he came upright.
As the blade came towards his face, he leaned back a bit, his head turning away from the solid strike. Falling to one knee, Zuko struck out with one of the blades, the lighter colored metal nearly coming into contact with Sokka's exposed right shin. But he lifted his foot, clasping it down on the metallic weapon against the stone ground.
Zuko kept his grip firm on the weapon, tensing his arm muscles as he tried to pull it harshly from beneath the younger boy's foot. He could sense that Sokka felt he had the upper hand, something he found a bit irritating. Loosening his grip on the blade a slight amount, he sent the other blade hurtling straight towards Sokka's foot.
The warrior had no choice but to move his foot, leaving Zuko an opportunity to reclaim his weapon. Sensing a momentary opening, Zuko leapt as quickly as he was able to his feet, his eyes only an inch from Sokka's deep blue spheres. He watched as Sokka tried to swing his sword in their close proximity, but finding the feat quite difficult to manage.
But as the blade approached, Zuko pulled his own weapons between them, blocking the heavier blade causing both combatants to back away for safety. Zuko was the first to recover his stance, lunging forward just as Sokka got back steady.
A heavy clang of metal on metal sent Sokka's sword sailing helplessly through the air, the blade inserting itself into the well carved ground with an audible thunk. Zuko smirked as he placed his blades at Sokka's neck, mimicking a scissors gesture at the boy's helpless face.
"Damn, you are good," Sokka said, raising his hands in defeat, watching as Zuko clasped the two blades together before slipping them into their scabbard. Once the blades were secured, Zuko offered the younger boy a hand, which he took with the humility of the loser of an honorable duel.
"Well, when you're a fugitive in the Earth Kingdom, it helps if you can fight without using your bending," Zuko explained, thinking back to his time in the Earth Kingdom.
"Wow, that was great you guys," Aang said enthusiastically, bringing the two back to the present. "It is great to have two sword masters in the group," he added, his youthful enthusiasm getting the better of him as he came up to the pair of warriors.
"Yeah, that was pretty interesting," Katara admitted, a nervous yet relieved smile crossing her face as she watched the two boys head towards the staircase to take a seat and relax after the tiring encounter.
"So, still think I should train with Suki?" Sokka asked, curious as to the other warrior's evaluation of him. Zuko thought for a moment, his eyes darting back and forth from one to the other.
"I think it would be useful for you to build some hand to hand skills as well as swordsmanship, so, yeah, I think you should train with Suki," he said after thinking a moment, Sokka's face showing something akin to surprise and disappointment.
"What? But what good does it do if he gets trained by someone who can't beat you?" Suki asked, pained at having to admit his superiority to her in the martial arts.
"You almost beat me last night. I don't think it'll be too long before you're as good as me, or better," Zuko said simply, wiping the thin layer of sweat from his brow.
Zuko is so modest, he doesn't want to admit that he's just that damn good. Guess that's just another thing that separates him from Azula. Anyway, how did I do at the sword scene? Really lacking in confidence on it, so any thoughts on how it could be better are welcome. As I said, from here on it pretty much focuses on the romantic angle, so look forward to that, loyal readers. Until next time (hopefully tomorrow).