Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

A/N: Well, here's the next part of The Iris and The Lily! Sorry I broke it off so abrubtly in the last chapter, I explained why at the end of that one. Well, this starts right where the other one left off, and I'm so sorry Zuko hasn't made his appearance yet. He will, I promise! I'm just trying to take things a little slow with the whole relationship stuff.

And I read this amazing story (actually I'm still reading it hehe) and it's Zujin/Jinko, which I love now! Even more than Zutara I think! hehe Well it's called The Girl of Ba Sing Se, and it's by ba77ousai. You should check it out, it's amazing! (though slow at times, sorta like mine!)

Well, here it is! Please don't forget to review!

The Iris and The Lily

Chapter Four

A New Trick Or Two

The silence was overwhelming. I stood slowly, anticipating something, anything, to happen, but the silence just stretched on. My footsteps seemed like they echoed throughout the world, grabbing everyone's attention. Anyone that was conscious was certainly looking at me right then.

I stood in the middle of the deck, surveying the damage. A few soldiers were on their feet, trying to help those in the water as best they could, two men hoisting up one while the rest floated in the ocean, looking very dead. I tore my eyes away from them, feeling my heart plummet at the sight. I closed my eyes tightly, resisting the urge to cry. Yes, these men were Fire Nation, but they were only following orders. They had been kind to me, in a sense; they had not deserved to die.

I sniffled quietly and opened my eyes again, blinking away the tears. What's done is done, I thought, clenching my fists to combat the feeling of emptiness in my chest. I had more important things to deal with. Like the injured who were still very much alive and needed help.

My eyes rested on a man holding his shoulder, his mask slipping off his face and his eyes shut tightly in pain. I walked over to him quickly and knelt beside him. "What's your injury?" I asked, all business.

He grunted, wincing before answering. "That girl cut me with her water," he said, moving his hand to reveal an ugly, bleeding wound. "It's-... It's pretty deep. I don't even know how that's possible."

I frowned before moving his arm back over the wound. "Keep the pressure on it," I instructed, and he did as he was told. I grabbed his other arm and pulled him up to stand, his weight making me want to fall over myself and never get up. Why were men so heavy?

I took a deep breath and hooked his arm around my shoulders, then exhaled, shifting the air currents to run underneath his feet, hovering him not even a half-inch above ground. His weight was instantly featherlike, and I grinned to myself. Ah, the perks of airbending.

In no time, we were in Zhao's office, and I took him to the back room, laying him on a cot and pressing a towel to his wound to temporarily soak up the blood.

"Now keep that towel pressed against the cut," I told him, and he regarded me with listening eyes. "I don't want you bleeding all over the place." With that, I returned to the deck to bring down as many soldiers as I could. Those that were healthy enough to move around by themselves helped me, or stayed behind tossing ropes to anyone in the water who was still alive.

I stepped back onto the deck and sighed. Two men were helping one of the last of the injured under the deck, and I stepped to the side to allow them to pass. I spotted a man at the end of the ship, seeming to lean over the edge. Seasick perhaps?

I walked over to him, taking my time so as not to sneak up on. "Um, soldier?" I asked, trying to get his attention. "Are you alright?" I put my hand on his shoulder, then drew it back quickly, my eyes widening. Lately, it'd been brought to my attention that firebenders had a much higher body temperature than everyone else who was not. So I obviously wasn't expecting the icy cold that resonated from this man's body.

I grabbed his shoulder again, ignoring the shiver his lack of heat gave me, and turned him around, until his back hit the rim of the ship squarely.

My hands shot to my mouth, bile rising in my throat, and I turned away, shutting my eyes tightly to prevent any tears from escaping. A thick, deep line of blood was all that remained of his eyes and the bridge of his nose. Blood ran out of his mouth and nostrils, even out of his ears. His helmet fell off his head with a clang, and his body hit the metal floor, thumping behind me.

My eyes opened wide and I breathed through my nose, shallow and quick, refusing to open my mouth lest I vomit. My thoughts were racing even as my heart stopped cold. How could this have happened? The Avatar was supposed to be the savior of the Four Nations! So what was he doing? Did he just expect that if he killed all the people that opposed him then the problem would disappear?

The Avatar was just a boy, trying to take the easy way out. Doing anything to achieve his goal, whether it was right or wrong.

I heard footsteps in front of me and lifted my eyes, letting my arms fall, and stood up straight. There was one man coming straight for me, and another behind him, saw the scene and followed.

I cleared my throat and wiped my eyes, taking a breath through my mouth before saying anything. "Take him to his room," I ordered. "Get him ready for a proper goodbye."

The first man looked behind me, his eyes shocked, then nodded. "Yes, ma'am," he answered.

I knew that voice. I'd heard it when the attack started, when he and another man ran from their rooms to the deck. "Did you know him?" I asked as he and the other man grabbed his arms and hoisted him up off the floor.

He nodded, looking away. "He was my best friend," he said, his voice breaking slightly, and he cleared his throat loudly.

Then it hit me: it was the man with the green eyes. The only eyes that reminded me of home, and now they were gone, covered with the blood red of the Fire Nation.

I set my jaw and nodded low. "I'm sorry," I said, my voice just above a whisper as they walked past. I was almost sure I heard a sniffle from him, but he was gone by the time I turned around.

I sighed. Time to confront a room full of agony and blood. And I wasn't sure I was even ready.

xXxXxXxXxXx

I sighed and sunk down in a plush red chair just outside of the temporary medical room, exhausted. I'd used a thread and needle more than I had in my entire life, even on my clothes, and pricked myself so much that I'd lost feeling in my left index finger, which was now residing behind my lips, its blood dripping onto my tongue.

I leaned forward until my elbows rested on my knees, staring tiredly at the wall in front of me. I still couldn't believe that the Avatar did this. It all felt like a bad dream, but I didn't see how I was possibly going to wake up from it. Perhaps it was a dream. Maybe I was lucky, and I was still at home, dreaming about the Fire Nation and a young and murderous Avatar.

"You look tired."

I jumped at the deep, masculine voice, and looked up, my finger popping out of my mouth and my hands hanging off my legs, elbows almost glued in place. My dull, gray eyes met blazing gold, and I couldn't stop myself from glaring. I looked away quickly, hoping he didn't notice. "Admiral," I acknowledged, crossing my arms and leaning against the back of the chair.

He nodded to me, then turned and sat down on the edge of the bed, casually leaning forward, resting his arms on his legs like I had done before. His eyes didn't leave mine, and I was slightly surprised at this. The entire time I had been here - which wasn't really that long but still seemed like an eternity - he hadn't laid eyes on me for more than thirty seconds, and now suddenly he seemed to take an interest in my existance.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Yes?" I asked, my voice strangely robotic. This place is sucking the life out of me, I thought, heaving a mental sigh.

"You are not a liar," he said matter-of-factly.

My eyes narrowed and I straightened, immediately on the offense. "Of course I'm not!" I snapped. "If anyone's a liar in here, it's you!"

The corner of his mouth rose in a smirk and he muttered something to himself, before continuing as if I hadn't spoken. "When you offered to take your grandmother's place, I figured that you were just trying to protect her. You seem like the typical Earth Kingdom girl; living with her elders, parents killed by the Fire Nation, and you have a pathetic grudge against us because of it." Oh, how he hit the nail on the head. It only made me angrier. "But you've proven your worth, Natsuki. You even seem to have won over most of the soldiers on my ship!" he added with a gesture to the curtain and a smile.

I scoffed. "Glad I have your approval," I sneered, turning my head away from him, glaring ahead of me.

He chuckled at that, though I couldn't imagine how my anger could possibly be humorous. I stood up swiftly and turned back to him, pinning him with an angry stare. "What is it about me that you think is so funny?" I asked.

He looked back at me evenly, having to lift his head to meet my eyes. "You remind me of someone," he finally admitted. "Someone who seems to think it's their job to get in my way."

He was scowling, his eyes clouded over with memories of this person. I cocked my head a little, growing confused. "But you don't think that person is very funny, do you?"

He didn't answer. Simply narrowed his eyes, but that was all I needed.

"So why do you laugh at me but not him?" I put my hands on my hips, hoping the action looked formidable instead of childish.

A tick worked in his jaw and he stared at me for a moment longer. "Because there is nothing holding me back from killing him," he answered, his voice hard and merciless. "You, on the other hand, I have to look after." He stood up, towering over me, and I swallowed, resisting the urge to take a step back. "Believe me, there is nothing humorous about you," he growled, then turned away from me, the air heating up considerably. "Just be thankful that I laugh instead of silencing you."

I clenched my teeth and knew the conversation was over. I turned on my heel and stomped out, slamming the door behind me and walking up the steps to the deck.

I huffed the cold night air and made my way to the end of the ship. I placed my hands on the edge, gently, trying to adjust to the cold, and lifted my head to look at the moon. It glowed softly among a thin layer of clouds, illuminating the night sky beautifully.

But I found no solice in the moonlight. That was a waterbender's comfort, not mine. I lowered my eyes and watched the water flow around the tip of the ship. An airbender from the Earth Kingdom... Where did I belong? Where do I go for comfort?

Certainly not the Fire Nation, that was for sure. I could only imagine what that place was like. The air would be smoky and the earth would be charred. None of it would provide comfort for me. Even the warmth of the fire would be a lie, a symbol of false hope.

I brought my eyes up and looked out to the horizon. We would most likely arrive in the Fire Nation Capital by tomorrow.

I sighed. I needed to airbend. I needed to full-blown airbend. Not a sneaky breath, or a little air current. I needed a big tornado, something to blow away all my troubles, blow me back home, out of this nightmare.

What was that one move the Avatar did? The small air vortex whip that he had used against the last batch of soldiers. He'd used a staff, but maybe I could just use my hand...

I breathed, in my nose, out my mouth, inhale, exhale, fists together, and let everything fall away from around me. I felt every molecule of air around me, loosened my muscles, and slowly straightened my arm out to my side, opening my eyes. I brought the air around my hand, then held it up above my head, making the air circle around my wrist. I waved it in front of me, then flung my arm out to my side.

All the air flew out into the night, abandoning me and shaking my mind. I closed my eyes and breathed, gaining my focus back. Okay, hand wasn't going to do it. But what else could I do? I had not staff, no glider...

When in the Fire Nation, do as the firebenders do.

Not exactly a quote, but it made sense. I stuck my arm out again, this time folding all my fingers into my palm except my thumb, index and middle finger. It felt tense to me, odd and controlled; while most of the moves in airbending were fluid and natural, this felt cold and detached. How was one supposed to connect to their element with a feeling and stance like this?

I shut the feeling away, bringing the air around my wrist again. It was worth a try, wasn't it?

I raised my arm above my head, reveling in the feeling of the air swirling around me, lifting my hair and drying my tears, blowing away my troubles and replacing them with contentment.

I swung my arm to my side again, the air following faithfully, and quickly swirled my fingers. The air followed suit, twisting and contorting until it became a vortex whip, just like I'd seen the Avatar use.

I smiled wide. I'd learned a new trick.

xXxXxXxXxXx

My eyes opened slowly. I had stayed up pretty late, practicing the air whip, and when I finally went to sleep I had to sneak into Zhao's room yet again and fall unconscious in that plush red chair near the curtain of the temporary medical room. No one had any problems during the night, but that didn't stop me from waking up nearly every hour.

It was the same dream. Every single time, I ran from the fire, the flowers burned, and I was comforted by the strong arms of a pale man. And every single time, I went back to sleep with the same question: who was he?

I sighed. Zhao was gone, his bed empty, the sheets ruffled and nearly falling off the mattress. But there was something odd about that morning...

Perhaps it was the fact that I woke up warm when I'd been sleeping in the cold.

I brough my arm out from underneath the thick red blanket and lifted it off my body as I stood. I gazed it as if it were an enigma, wondering what it was doing on me.

This was a blanket from Zhao's collection. I furrowed me brow, balling it up and tossing it onto his bed before leaving the room.

Had Zhao given me a blanket?

xXxXxXxXxXx

Oooooooo does Zhao have a crush? lol sorry for the Zhaoness in this chapter. He's just a fun character. And omg the Avatar is evil? What's up with that? Stay tuned! ;)

Next Chapter: The Fire Nation Capital