AN: Now the fun begins, and I take full advantage of being an AU author.
I don't own the characters.
7.15.08 - slight edits for continuity.
Chapter 10
Based on Jet's tracking ability and calculations, the group had decided to be on heightened alert, but to go about their activity as usual for the day. The rogue Captain predicted the intruders wouldn't appear until sunset at the earliest. There wasn't time to worry about the two interlopers when important training was necessary. In order to stay on track for their departure from the beach, Jet needed Toph's help, and both went out in the morning to do final checks and alterations on the Spirit, leaving Zuko and Katara to spar with Aang. Suki and Sokka were nearby keeping an eye on the area in case the unknown pair arrived early. In case the duo arrived early, the group had encouraged Aang to cover his telltale arrows and warned him against using his airbending skills in front of others. They didn't need anyone else knowing the Avatar was on Fire Nation lands.
In an open clearing behind the cabin and out of sight from the beach, Aang shifted nervously from one foot to another at the intense stares of his waterbending and firebending instructors. He scratched his headband and idly wished he was back at the Southern Air Temple.
Zuko cracked his neck, rolled his shoulders to loosen up, and said, "Aang, we need you to fight with your full strength, using whichever of the elements necessary to defend yourself. You've been trained in all four elements, but we need to make sure you can use them all together …"
"And don't worry, because I can heal someone if we get carried away," Katara interjected, looking at Zuko with narrowed eyes.
"What? Why me?"
"Fire? C'mon, your element is so much more prone to harm—"
"You almost drowned me two days ago! Where were you're healing properties then?!"
Aang rolled his eyes, and ran a hand through his short hair. He guessed if Toph was here, her down-to-earth attitude would be able to stop the pair. Raising his voice slightly, he said, "Guys? Can we please just fight? You know, like, for real?"
Katara looked away, angry that again Zuko had managed to provoke her into an argument. Without hesitation, Zuko sprinted forward, flipped off of a small boulder and sent a burst of flames in an unsuspecting Aang's direction – who managed at the last minute to throw up a sheer face of earth to deflect the fire, only to turn around and have a wave of water coming in his direction. The Avatar quickly turned Katara's element against her, switching the water to ice and freezing it in place. Aang blew himself a ball of air and quickly used his staff to float himself a safe distance away from his frustrated teachers.
"You can't stay up there forever," shouted Zuko.
"He can if he wants," retorted Katara, "Sometimes the best offense is a good defense."
From high up, Aang could just make out a disturbance in the forest below, rapidly heading in their direction.
"Uhh, guys?" The airbender attempted to interrupt their argument.
"Is that what you were doing the other day? Is straddling someone considered offense or defense? I'm a bit confused, Sifu Katara…"
"You…!" Katara burst in a shrill voice, "You're despicable."
"Katara! Zuko!"
"Yes!" They both answered at the same time, responding to the urgency in Aang's voice above. Swooping down, the Avatar landed on the beach, and stowing his staff, stated, "We've got company."
Out of the trees a giant furry beast came crashing through. Katara had not faced the animal previously, but remembered her studies and the stories from her fellow Resistance members. Thinking quickly, she said, "Aang – work with me – I need you to concentrate a ball of wind…I'm going to add water, can you pick up some sand and focus it at the creature's nose?"
The waterbender was already in motion as she shouted, "Just do it!"
Zuko followed behind them, "What do you want me to do?!"
"Act as bait – and whatever you do, stay away from that thing's tongue!"
Zuko picked up his swords and cut a path in the opposite direction of Katara and Aang, hoping the beast would follow him. From directly behind the shirshu, Sokka and Suki came running out of the undergrowth. Suki and Sokka simultaneously wielded their respective throwing weapons and flung them – knocking off both of the creature's riders, but not before one of them snapped off a cracking whip – hitting Sokka in the arm and ripping open a slash on his arm.
Suki immediately pounced on the woman who had been steering the animal and wielding the whip. The two clashed while Zuko sent a wave of heat at the raven haired woman attacking his friend. Simultaneously, Sokka was at the ready, sword raised at the young man who had also hit the beach, blood dripping down his injured arm.
Katara and Aang rendered the beast incoherent, deftly avoiding the long and dangerous tongue, while they focused muddy and sandy water on the animal's overdelicate snout. Finally giving up, the shirshu dashed back into the woods, howling wildly.
Zuko, Suki, and Sokka took advantage of their positions and quickly overpowered the two stunned intruders. Zuko and Suki were each about to deliver a killing blow, when Aang noticed what was going on and stepped in, hesitated for a moment - tempted to use air, but then sent a giant wave of water in their direction, knocking everyone to their feet and yelling, "STOP!"
Aang, who Zuko had never truly seen angry before, appeared to be reaching his limit, as he stated forcefully, "We've had enough violence so far. We can't just go around killing people without justification – I will not allow it."
Zuko and Suki looked down at the ground, obeying Aang's command. For so long, life had been a kill or be killed world. How were they to change things if they didn't start somewhere?
Aang pointed his staff at the woman and asked, "What is your name?"
"Jun."
Calming down, he asked in a more controlled tone, "Why are you here?"
"None of your damn business."
Zuko stepped up to speak, but Katara was first to talk, "Who do you work for?"
Jun, if that was her real name, yawned delicately, eyed her whip, which Sokka was stepping on, and declined to answer. Zuko changed the tactics, and focused his attention on Jun's traveling companion. He was in far worse shape than the red-lipped Jun – having hit the beach at a difficult angle – his arm hung awkwardly at his side, and his color was very pale. Zuko paused and noted there was something oddly familiar about the man. He looked to be close to thirty, had a lean build, and long, shaggy black hair. What stood out was his eye color – Zuko thought he recognized it, and then realized the golden tone wasn't too dissimilar from his own.
But golden eyes only run in the royal family…
"Who are you?" Zuko asked cautiously.
Jun spoke up before the dazed young man could speak, "It won't help, because he doesn't know."
"What do you mean?" Suki questioned.
"I found him awhile back. The best I can put together, he was injured during the Siege of Ba Sing Se and has lost his previous memories – including his name and where he came from. He was a solider, and is trained in weapons, but that's as much as I know. I've called him Kai because he reminds me of someone I used to know…"
"Do you know which side he was fighting for?" Zuko asked, arms crossed.
"No. I only know that, unlike you, he is trustworthy and honorable. He saved my life in a misunderstanding at a tavern, and we've been together ever since. Even his accent is difficult to place."
Zuko looked again, at the man, who seemed to have a difficult time staying conscious, but couldn't put together who he was…
"Where are you headed?" Aang asked.
"Sorry, but that's privileged information."
Katara picked up on the fact that Jun, whoever she was, was fiercely protective of the injured young man and sensed there might be more to the story that she was neglecting to tell them. However, she had to respect that anyone who cared for another's safety and well-being could not be that bad a person. She sighed and wished Toph was around so they could get some real answers out of the pair. The earthbender's ability to read people was a truly valuable skill. At that moment, it seemed the injuries overcame the man, and he passed out cold, groaning slightly. The healer in Katara overrode her skepticism, and, holding her hands up peacefully, she asked quietly, "I think he may have a concussion, can I try and help?"
Sokka let out an exasperated sound and said, "Sis? Hello? Kind of bleeding here?"
"Oh honestly." Suki retrieved one of the towels from nearby and, ripping it into two portions, quickly tied a neat bandage on his arm, and used the other strip to bind June's wrists firmly behind her back, stating, "Until we know what to do with you."
While Suki efficiently took care of business, Katara looked at Aang and said, "Could you raise him up? Maybe get a roof over us."
Aang quickly raised a pillar of stone so that Kai was laying flat in front of Katara. The Avatar then slid his feet in a pattern, and after a few quick movements, was able to shield the pair from the early morning sun that was beating down.
Katara let the liquid loose from her waterskin and began working over the injured man. Using her water, she could feel old wounds, those that hadn't healed properly, and a curiously blocked mind. Leaving those injuries for a later time, she promptly mended his cracked collarbone and dislocated shoulder, while the group looked on patiently.
Wiping the sweat from her brow, she stretched, and said, "We shouldn't move him for a day, at least. More than anything, he needs rest."
Jun had been watching the entire 'surgery' and had been impressed by the young woman's compassion and talent. With the odds stacked firmly and obviously against her, the woman stated softly, looking at the ground, "We're on our way to the capital."
The group exchanged meaningful looks with each other, and Aang asked, "Why?"
"I can't be certain, but I think that's where Kai is from." She looked away again, continuing in a defiant tone, "Everyone should have a chance to connect with their family. Someone out there cares about him, and it's my job to make sure he finds them."
As Zuko's views on family were quite different, he scoffed, "And the fact that the Fire Lord's coronation ceremony has nothing to do with that?"
"No. I mean, we had heard rumors, but…" June looked over at Kai's face, who was now sleeping peacefully, "Sometimes, when he's asleep he mumbles about a comet. Is that what you're talking about? Is Ozai going to do something completely over the top? Because after all I've heard, I personally wouldn't put it past the man."
Zuko's eyes narrowed and he felt like he had been punched in the stomach. The legend of a spectacular comet, which would hypothetically arrive and produce firebending unrivaled had been told to countless generations of royal children. It was allegedly a secret, but at the same time a fairytale…a myth foretelling the great strength of the Fire Nation. Could Kai be a fortune teller? What if he was predicting the future? What if his father had learned something that predicted the exact date of the hypothetical comet? Was that the trigger for his decision to become Phoenix Lord?
Katara looked over and saw Zuko paling beneath his tan, and vowed to ask him later why Jun's comments would mean anything to him. Sokka looked up at the sky, and asked, "Hey guys, it's been awhile – shouldn't Jet and Toph be back by now?"
The warmth seemed to be sucked out of the area as June's grey eyes narrowed and she asked coldly, "Jet?"
"Whatcha' think they're getting up to on land?"
There was something about Toph, that reminded Jet of one of his favorite crewmates – Smellerbee, and he was glad for her company. They were below beck, working on finally repairing the temporary fix that Katara and Toph had put together.
"Don't think we need to worry about that, mon petit ami. They can take care of themselves." Jet looked on, while Toph expertly twisted the metal into a permanent replacement. He had seen many kind of bending throughout his travels, but nothing that rivaled the blind girl's skills. She could pick any lock, and get out of any prison…
"How do you do that?" He asked, fascinated.
Toph shrugged and replied, "I didn't know I could until I was on the ship."
Jet looked at her blankly, and the young woman had to remind herself that Jet was not a bender. She spoke slowly, "Without earth, I can't see. I was frustrated, and intensified my energy to react to the elements in metal that come from the earth. I'm sure you've been in a situation where you needed to try something different. It was the same for me."
Jet could think of too many examples where he had gotten into trouble and had to change his plan of attack…they happened all too frequently. Still, it put a smile on his face that people of such different backgrounds could have something in common. He could never have predicted that his life would end up repairing a fellow Captain's ship with a blind earthbender who was also nobility.
With that realization, Jet stood up, dusted his hands, and said, "I'm going to see if there's anything left in the galley – you want anything?"
"Check if there's any rum left – we'll bring it back with us to celebrate. I'm almost finished here."
Jet walked up the stairs, and blinked his eyes to adjust to the bright morning light when he realized he wasn't alone on the deck. Surrounded by a company of intimidating Fire Nation soldiers with sharp blades pointed squarely in his direction, he said the first thing that came to mind, "Parley?"
The leader of the soldiers, a hulking brute of a man at least a head taller than Jet, squinted and eyed the young man warily. He asked gruffly, "What do you mean?"
Jet backed away slowly, and took the piece of grass out of his mouth. He had been in a similar situation early in his career, and had an idea how to handle things. Showing complete calmness, he strolled around the deck and, brown eyes twinkling, questioned, "Surely, seafaring legends such as yourselves understand the concept of parley?"
The guards began to waver in their stances, looking at each other.
Jet grinned, and said, "The code of the sea?"
He was met with blank stares.
Toph, who had been listening in from the darkened stairs, walked out to join Jet, not missing a beat, "Even I know."
The leader spoke up menacingly, "Then enlighten us."
Jet put himself between the soldiers and Toph, then spoke clearly and without fear, "You are not to harm us until we have had word with your Captain, savvy?"
The snide answer came, "Fine. We'll take you to Zhao, but I don't know much how it will help you. You'll probably wish we had killed you."
While the soldiers laughed, Toph reached out and quickly squeezed Jet's hand in a nervous gesture, which was returned with a reassuring squeeze. When the guards clamped heavy metallic chains around their wrists and ankles, the earthbender had to supress a smile. It was more difficult to swallow her grin as they were led aboard the Azulon - a solid piece of metal.
AN: C'mon, this couldn't be a pirate story without parley…
Betcha' can't guess who Jun's friend is – I'll give you a hint, it's not an OC…
No shirshus were actually harmed in this chapter.