The Pirates
Kai sucks in a deep breath of the shore air. From here she can see the trees in the distance, their lush leaves swaying in the gentle sea breeze. It smells fishier than the open ocean and the humidity crawls up and down her skin. She tugs at her uniform's collar and narrows her eyes at Zuko and a guard, Jaro, dueling beneath the bright sun. Fire zings off metal, leaving black marks all over the deck. They get closer and closer together, working on close range combat. Kai winces, wondering if using fire in practice at that close a range is a good idea at all, but she doesn't care to say anything. And if they want to pass out from heat exhaustion in this humidity, let 'em knock themselves out.
Zuko breathes heavily. He ducks and swings his leg at Jaro's feet. Jaro jumps and keeps his footing. Growling, Zuko rolls backwards and springs to his feet, lifting his arms just in time to block a barrage of punches from Jaro.
Conscious of Kai's presence and watchful gaze, Zuko tries an advanced move. It's one she taught him. Perhaps if he executes it right it'll be an invitation to talk—perhaps they can begin some more combat training.
Movement catches his eye. Zuko glances toward her. She turned away.
He falters. Jaro opponent knocks him over. Twisting, he manages to land on his arms and push himself back up to his feet. Jaro pulls his mask up, face red and sweaty. "What was that?" he demands. "You can't use dirty street moves like that in a duel!"
Sheepish, Zuko stands, ready to fight, and the ship veers. Both he and his opponent fall against the railing. Kai hangs onto her railing, managing to keep herself upright, and smirks at Zuko. He ignores her. Anger smarts in his chest—why did he believe anything she told him about fighting? She obviously grew up as a peasant and fought like a peasant, not like the warriors Zuko grew up around.
"Why are we changing course?" he shouts, storming off.
Kai watches him go before turning to Jaro and asking, "Do you know why we changed course?"
Jaro shrugs, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Nope. But I'm happy for the break from dueling. Kid doesn't know when to stop." Only two years older than herself and three than the prince, it still put a considerable age gap between him and Zuko. Enough for Jaro to see Zuko as an annoying child most of the time, save for in duels—Zuko stands as a considerable figure, then.
"Need some water?" Kai questions, noting Jaro's red face.
Jaro smiles and nods gratefully. Kai steps toward him. His eyes go wide. "Ha! No, no, no—not this time, Kai," Jaro yelps, laughing. "What did Lieutenant Jee say about throwing people overboard?"
"Can't recall. Something about how much fun it is to dive in and swim after them?"
"Yep, word for word," he says, rolling his eyes. They lean against the railing, Jaro enjoying the breeze sweeping across his skin. The ship swings around, making a line for the shore and the lovely green trees. Kai perks up. Finally, a change in pace from the constant, steady waters. Jaro seems to perk up, too. It's been a while since they set foot on land, and docking meant music night.
After a minute of comfortable silence, Jaro rubs his knuckles and hesitantly asks, "So… why's the prince mad at you?"
"When isn't he mad at me?"
"Well, uh… You got me there. But this seems different."
Kai shrugs. "I think his mind's just on the Avatar."
Jaro fixes her with a strange look. Kai frowns and tilts her head. He laughs and shakes his head. "You just make so many excuses for him. There's always something on his mind, something holding him back, something from his past haunting him... You're just… It's too kind, really."
"Can't help it," Kai murmurs, barely loud enough for Jaro to hear. It's true, truer than even Iroh realizes. She can't help looking out for the banished prince, but it has little to do with her oath to Iroh and Ursa.
Kai and Jaro lapse into comfortable silence, watching the shore approach. Having sailed together for three long years, the entire crew has become good friends. There's very little that doesn't go unnoticed, from subtle moods to words not said. They would never call themselves a family—nearly all of them have an actual family that they miss dearly—but they do consider each other dear friends. So when Kai rests her chin on the railing, he knows to say nothing. When Kai is ready to step from her pensive mood, she will. Not a moment sooner.
Once the ship docks, Kai leaves alone to go do… whatever it is women do, Jaro thinks. He wishes he could see into her skull and decipher the thoughts and emotions tumbling within. For now, he settles for watching her disappear into the market. He wrings his hands together and glances at the market. An idea occurs to him and he perks up.
A bit further away, Zuko watches Kai wander away. She speaks to no one, and guilt flickers in his chest. He should speak with her. Apologize. Tell her that he misses her incessant chatter and annoying pranks. Pride smothers the guilt, and he turns his head back to Uncle Iroh, who aimlessly chatters with the crew. All of them heartily laugh. For a moment, Zuko wonders what joke he missed. Then he reminds himself that he's above all this. If Uncle Iroh doesn't find his stupid tile within the hour, then they're boarding the ship and sailing back toward the North Pole.
Marketplaces are useful, a voice says in Zuko's head. You never know what rumors you may hear, what tidbits you'll pick up. Dismayed, Zuko places Kai's face to the voice. He scowls, remembering the other time Iroh had forced the crew to dock at Yu Dao, the Fire Nation Colony, and search the entire marketplace for his favorite brand of flute. Kai had whispered that into his ear, accompanied by a wink, before slinking off to do whatever shadowy things she enjoyed doing. More than once he's found her drunk and/or deep into a fight with a group of men over some gamble and/or debt. Not for the first time, he wonders about her past. Before she came to serve aboard his ship.
"Come, nephew! Let's hunt down that lotus tile!" Iroh says. Zuko grumbles a few choice words to himself but follows Iroh all the same.
Idiot.
You're just a sack of idiot.
You can't do anything right.
Kai presses her forehead to her knees and lets the sun warm her shoulders. Up here, above the chatter of the marketplace and away from the constant thrum of the ship, she finally has her thoughts to herself.
First you let Lu Ten get close, and look what you let happen.
He wasn't the first. What about Avatar Singh? Did you forget about him so soon, you cowardly piece of crap?
You're the reason they're dead.
You're the reason for Iroh's misery.
What are you going to do to Zuko?
What are you going to do?
Kai grunts and springs to her feet. She looks left, right. Everything feels too close. Is the sky getting darker? Panicking, she takes off running along the rooftops, springing into the forest and running until the woods look like any other woods. Her burning lungs shut her brain up.
Zuko paces back and forth, glancing at the crewmembers lugging Uncle Iroh's purchases onboard. Everyone is here. Except for Kai. Who is damn near always late. His hands flex and unflex. Why is everyone so bent on delaying his capture of the Avatar?
"Yo ho, me hearties!" someone calls.
Zuko breathes a plume of flame. There she is.
Kai drops from the roof like a monkey and joins the gathering crew, lopsided grin on her face. But she looks tired. Very tired. "Did any of you steal anything?" she asks.
"We're not pirates," the captain. "If another mercenary comes after us looking for you, we're handing you over."
"That was one time," Kai protests.
"It was twice," the captain argues.
"I don't remember the second time," Kai states.
"Selective memory," he mutters.
Jaro interrupts them. "Hey, Kai. Look at this," he says, gesturing for Kai to step away from the crew.
"You stole something? I wouldn't have guessed you would, of all people," Kai tells him. He reveals a simple leather necklace with the Fire Nation emblem etched onto a polished pebble at the end of it. "Oh, no. This was almost a panty raid, but you backed out. You've become a classy raider."
"No, I actually bought this for you," Jaro shyly says.
Kai blinks stupidly at the necklace, then at Jaro. "For me?"
His face flushes. "Yeah, for you."
Across the dock, pretending to watch the line of men loading Uncle Iroh's junk aboard, Zuko scowls as he eavesdrops on Jaro and Kai's conversation. Why doesn't anyone understand the gravity of their situation? The Avatar is actively trying to overthrow Fire Lord Ozai, and here they are shopping and flirting and singing.
Pathetic.
Turning his head away, he eavesdrops on other conversations.
"Can you believe she said that to me? Her own flesh and blood?" a teenage girl babbled on to two other girls. "She is just such an attention-seeking—"
Zuko focuses on a group of men. "Can't believe they had the guts to steal from us."
"Or the skills to get away!" another exclaims. "Did you see the way that monk jumped?"
Zuko zeroes in on the conversation, pushing all else from his senses. A third man says, "We should 'ave seen that water comin'—obviously one of them was a waterbender, since they was after the scroll."
Zuko marches toward them. "Was the waterbender a girl?" he demands. "And the monk, were his tattoos arrows?"
The men exchange a glance. "What's it to ya, shorty?" the skinniest one asks, his thin facial hair a ragged mess.
"Were they?" Zuko growls.
"Yeah, they was," one answers, He scowls at Zuko and plays with the piercing in his ear. "What're ya gonna do 'bout it?"
"Help me find them, and I'll help you get your scroll back."
The men exchange yet another glance. "We 'ave-ta talk to our cap'n."
"Why not follow us, boy? See what deal we can strike."
Zuko nods. He turns and shouts, "Uncle! Kai! We have a lead!"
Kai turns away from Jaro. The young man frowns, disappointment blossoming in his chest as she scurries to the prince, necklace forgotten in Jaro's hands. He rubs the back of his neck and glances at his feet. Really, he should have known better.
Aang is restless. He flips from one side to his other, then flops onto his back and sighs. His mind is too full. All he can think about is mastering the elements in such a short amount of time.
A blue glow catches his eye.
Aang pauses in his flip-flopping, glancing up at the soft blue glow in the trees, but he can't make it out. When he blinks, the glow vanishes. Only the shadows remain, the bushy leaves dark in the night. Disappointment fills him. He thought maybe Roku was trying to contact him again.
Kai releases her breath, relieved that he didn't seen her. Obviously his connection to the spirit world isn't strong yet—if it was, he would definitely see her crouching there on the branch, watching their campsite. Instead, he slowly turns away. "Katara?" he calls.
Kai crawls down the branch. It sways beneath her weight.
Bound near the riverbank, Katara wriggles in vain. A pirate presses a hand over the gag in her mouth, completely muffling her shouts. Kai pauses.
Aang scratches his head. "Katara?"
Kai moves a bit farther, using Aang's voice to cover the noise of her movements.
The lemur screeches a warning.
Kai leaps. On Sokka.
The sleeping water tribe boy grunts, all the breath pushed out of him. Kai yanks him to his feet, hands behind his back, and puffs a plume of fire by his ear. He yelps. Wide awake now.
"Don't hurt him!" Aang shouts.
A net comes down around him. Kai and the pirates drag the two boys to the riverbank, where Zuko, Iroh, and the crew waits. "Katara!" Aang gasps. A pirate kicks him in the gut.
"If you want your girlfriend back, you best behave," the captain says.
"Otherwise I'll have her," another pirate says, grinning like a wolf. He has a gold tooth.
"Should have thought twice before you stole that scroll from us!" a pirate cackles.
The pirates take up the jeering, shouting and laughing at the Avatar and his friends until even Zuko's cheeks dust a bit red. Kai winces at a particularly degrading crack about Katara's figure and age. "That's enough!" the captain orders, still chuckling. "You got the girl and her friends, prince. Give us the scroll."
Sokka, with his rampant mouth, splutters, "You're just going to hand the scroll over for the Avatar? Doesn't seem like a fair trade to me."
Zuko grits his teeth. "Shut him up!" he hisses. "He's trying to turn us against each other!"
Kai shoves her hand in Sokka's mouth. His tongue passes over her knuckles and drool bubbles around her hand. She gags and pretends to throw up on him. He glares at her. She slightly opens her fist in his mouth, making his eyes widen in panic as his mouth stretches a hair too wide. "Just be still," she says. "Be calm."
But it's too late. The damage is done.
"I think you can keep the scroll," the captain says. His bird squawks in agreement. "We'll just take the boy and his companions. Think of how many scrolls we can buy with the Fire Lord's reward!"
Zuko lights fireballs in his hands. "You'll regret breaking a deal with me!" he growls.
"Attack!" the captain shouts.
Fighting erupts. Kai lets go as a blade whips by her head. She kicks the attacker in the knees. He yelps and falls over. When she looks back down, Sokka is gone. He's a caterpillar inching away.
"Get back here!" she yells.
A pirate nearly guts her with a spear. Kai grabs the end and redirects it into a tree. The pirate goes tumbling into the bushes.
A smoke bomb explodes.
Kai curses. She takes a couple steps back from the fighting mass, setting her back against a tree. If she sees any of the Avatar's group scuttle out of the smoke mass, she'll know. From here she can hear Aang and Sokka shouting to each other. For a moment, Aang splits the smoke.
Fighting stops. Everyone looks dazed, as if being able to see again was dazzling. Kai's blood runs cold. The captain has a sword to Zuko's throat. Jaro has a spear pointed at his stomach, but most of the pirates look frightened of the armored firebending crew. Jaro moves first in that split second of clarity. He brings his hand up to swat the spear away.
Aang realizes his mistake and sweeps the smoke back in. Two seconds later, and the Avatar gang spills out of the fight. "Let's go!" Katara gasps, helping Sokka to his feet.
Without hesitation, Kai leaps into smoke, aiming where she last saw Zuko and the captain. She hits someone. A quick graze of their left eye tells her that yes, it's Zuko. With a grunt, she wraps her hands around him and throws him out of the smoke.
"What the hell, Kai?" he growls. Blood trickles from a gash across his chin.
Kai scowls at him. "You're lucky that pirate didn't rip your frickin'—,"
The captain erupts from the smoke and plows his fist across Kai's face. She drops, pain shooting up her jaw. Steel flashes over her head. For a moment the world wavers. Heat bursts over her head. The world hovers on black. Then it plunges over the precipice.
Two blue faces swim in front of her.
You promised.
Don't break the oath.
The world fades back into focus.
Zuko kneels in front of her. "Are you okay?" he asks. Concern warms his golden eyes. His gaze flickers between her and something beyond her. The Avatar, Kai bets. And yet he paused to check on her, first.
Some guardian she is, she thinks.
Kai screws her eyes shut and nods. "Yeah. I'm fine. Let's go."
She tries to stand, but the world spins. She stumbles. Zuko steadies her with a hand on her shoulder and waist, just in time for her to lean to the side and throw up. A concussion, really? "Jaro," Zuko orders, "Take care of her. I have to go."
"Yes, sir," Jaro replies. He wraps and arm around Kai's shoulder and leads her to the riverbank. "Let's get you some water."
"What's going on?" Kai asks.
"The pirate captain punched you and tried to take off your head while the pirates stole our ship. Zuko and Iroh are running after them."
"Our ship!?" she yelps. "No, our poor girl!" With a good amount of flailing limbs, she gets to her feet and breaks into a sprint along the riverbank. As she runs, the world falls back into place. It pulls at her spirit a little, to use her precious energy for such a mundane injury, but she doesn't think it'll do to wander around and be a guardian with a concussion.
"He jumped ship!" comes the unmistakable shout of Zuko.
Suddenly a wild Avatar appears in front of her. She skids to a halt, fist raised.
She holds it there. Aang just stares. "Run, you idiot," she hisses.
Understanding flickers across his face. "Thank you," he whispers. He creates a wind, just enough to knock Kai on her back and make it look convincing, and then he leaps up and onto Appa. They fly away into the night, leaving Zuko, Iroh, and the pirates to go careening over the waterfall.
How did they manage to get back on the ship? Not important, Kai decides.
With inhuman speed, Kai flashes onto a tree overhanging the river and lashes out just as the boat starts to go over. Iroh clings to Zuko, eyes on Kai. Zuko and Kai lock eyes and he reaches out.
She grabs Zuko's arm.
The boat falls out from underneath them. Groaning, the branch dips, but it holds.
Zuko breathes in relief and hoists Uncle up first. Iroh clambers up, surprisingly nimble, balances on Kai's branch, and scrambles to the bank. He turns and watches his nephew and Kai, wondering if they'll finally reconcile their dispute—both of their prides stand too strong, he thinks. Even if they reconcile today, he has a feeling there will be more arguments down the road.
Chances for growth.
Zuko clasps Kai's hand with both of his. He sends her a grateful smile. She grins, but instead of pulling him up onto the branch she starts hooting like a monkey and jumping, moving sideways back up the branch. It sways dangerously beneath her.
Did that punch knock something out place?
She swings him up onto the bank, more strength in her limbs than Zuko ever realized. "Ooh, ooh!" she hoots, leaping back onto the bank and jumping around him.
"What's wrong with you?" Zuko snaps, throwing a pebble at her. She dodges, swipes mud up, and chucks it at him.
"I'm Zhao!"
Zuko rolls his eyes, but his mouth twitches. "Let's find a way down. We have to get the ship in order."
"We could sure use a waterbender right about now, huh?"
"Shut up."
Kai bounces around the Fire Prince as he and she descend to the bottom of the river via trees and mossy slopes. Iroh follows, smiling. He really didn't need the junk he bought, anyway.
A big thank you to everyone who's been reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Feel free to let me know any of your thoughts on it, as well. RIP the Lotus Tile.