I'm truly sorry that it took me so long to update, it just that I've had tons of trig and physics homework. But I hope you will cherish this chapter because it took me forever to type. So, for the hundredth time, Please Review, I don't care if's it a couple of words just please review. I have over a thousand hits and only five reviews (which I thank you very much), Anyways that's not adding up, and I should know, I'm freakin taking trig.
Enjoy
xXXx Chapter 11 xXXx
"Do it again" Zuko yelled. "I can't," Leena yelled back, aggravated.
It was early in the morning and they were in the meadow practicing how to shoot fire balls, but Leena has having a difficult time keeping her flames ignited, they would fade away in a mater of time.
"You're doing it wrong" he replied as he observed her. "I know that" she said underneath her breath, getting irritated by his orders. She was burning up and getting irritated by Zuko's yells and commands.
She stood still and concentrated on her breathing once more but the only thing that was coming to her mind was Zuko making her frustrated. Within an instant she felt the burning intensity of the fire flowing though her body; she could practically feel her body temperature rise as the fire flowed though her arms. She then ignited her hands into small fire balls but they keep on growing to the size of a small meteor. She then threw them, but to her surprise her hands were still lit with fire.
"It didn't fade" she replied in a low tone as she looked down at her hands.
They kept on repeating the same moves over and over again until Leena had total control of the her fire. "That's enough for today" Zuko replied as he crossed his arms and starred at her.
Leena didn't want to stop, not now, she was finally getting the hang of it, but seeing that Zuko was stubborn she sighed in defeat and walked toward him.
She lifted her hands and bended a rock from the ground so she could sit on it. "Lightning is a pure expression of fire bending, without aggression. It's not fueled by rage or emotion the way other fire bending. It is precise and deadly. To perform the technique requires peace of mind. That's why we played tag yesterday, to make you loosen up." she smiled.
This was sounding familiar to Zuko, he had heard this lecture before from his uncle, but he had failed to bend it correctly.
"There is energy all around us. The energy is both yin and yang; positive energy and negative energy. Only a select few fire benders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance and in a moment the positive and negative energy come crashing back together. You provide release and guidance, creating lightning." she lectured as she starred at him.
Leena held out a hand, signaling for Zuko to step back. She held her right hand to her side and with two fingers extended begins to create lightning by rotating her arm in a circular motion around her body. She then did the same to her left arm. Leena then brings her two hands together and then lunges forward with her right hand extended and shoots lightning into the distance.
"I tried to learn how to shoot lightning before, but it exploded in my face" he replied looking away. "The same happened to me" she replied as she sat down near him. "I was never fully concentrated when I tried to bend lightning, some how my emotions would find a way to spill in to my head and break my concentration...I felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders"
"Lounge, my fire bending teacher saw this, and suggested one day that we play tag. I was a little stunned that an elderly man would want to play such a game during a serious time of war and suffering, but when I gave in and played, all of my worries and doubts disappeared, through a simple game of tag." she replied as she pulled her knees to her chest. "I just needed to do something that would leave me speechless" she whispered.
Zuko would have never guessed that she went through the same thing as he did. She was such a good bender when it came to lightning. But he too felt the same emotions when he tried to shoot lightning. He felt like his life was falling apart, and that there was no hope for him to regain contentment in this world.
"But I the guess good will always follow the bad" she replied. At that moment something inside of him sparked, telling him that this time would be different.
"I'm ready" he interrupted, as he got up. "Are you sure" she asked as she watched him stand up and walk a few feet away.
"Just make sure to clear your mind" she replied as she stepped back. "Once you separate the energy, you do not command it. You are simply its guide" she replied.
Zuko took his stance and repeated the same moves as Leena but, right when he was about to extend his fingers, an image of Azula came into his mind. A moment later it exploded in his face as it had done before, causing him to fall backwards a couple feet.
Leena was expecting him to get angry and storm off, but to her surprise he didn't. He got up and did it again. He got into the same stance, this time blue static came from the tips of his fingers, but when he lunged forward it exploded again leaving behind a cloud of smoke.
"You almost did it" she replied, trying to encourage him as she saw his face tighten.
"But I didn't, it exploded in my face, just like it did before", "It's just another disappointment added to my life" he yelled as he walked over and faced her. "My whole life has been nothing but disappointments. My own father banished me, I lost my honor, and my sister is a living nightmare. Now I'm wondering though life and I don't know what to do anymore." he yelled as he looked into her eyes.
Leena just starred up at him the whole time he yelled at her. As she looked into his golden eyes she could see a broken life full of misery and lost, she had never seen anyone so angry before. "He's so focused on all the things he's done wrong in his life. Every thing he does is a failure in his eyes...I feel sorry for him."
Right when he was about to yell some more, Leena grabbed his shirt and pulled him forward into an ever lasting kiss. She didn't really know why she chose to kiss him at that moment, her body just acted on its own. All their thoughts seemed to vanish. Zuko eyes widen as he realized that she was kissing him, he didn't know what to do.
"Now, will you stop felling sorry for yourself" she yelled at him as she departed from his lips. "Now do it again" she commanded as she walked a couple of feet away.
Zuko had a blank expression on his face; he was still recovering from their kiss. He was speechless; he couldn't get it through his head that they just kissed.
"I said do it again" she yelled with a stern face as she sat down on the soft grass.
Zuko's body began acting on it's own as it turned around and repeated the movement she instructed him to do. His mind was blank because he was still stunned, but as lunged forward a weak bolt of lightning escaped from the tips of his fingers, off into the distance.
"I...I did it" he said underneath his breath, starring down at his fingers. "I did it" he yelled. "I know" Leena yelled as she ran and hugged him. It was the happiest Zuko had been in awhile, so he spun Leena in his arms and continued to yell "I did it"
Zuko had got too caught up in the moment and lost his balance, causing him to plummet down to the ground with Leena. Luckily she landed by his side with a huge grin on her face." I can't believe you did it "she replied as she starred up at crystal clear sky. "I can't either" he replied as he got up and starred at her laying on the ground. He then extended his arm to help her up. Leena grabbed his hand and pulled him back, just like he did to her before. "Ha, that's payback for what you did to me" she laughed. Zuko couldn't help but smile at her slyness.
As he stood up he turned to Leena with a serious face. "What's the matter" Leena asked. "Don't tell my uncle that I have been learning how to shot lightning...I want to wait till I get better before I show him" he asked. Leena knew how important this was to him, and it shocked her that he would want to hind this away from his uncle, but she guessed he had his reasons.
"Okay, your secret is safe with me" she smiled as she led the way into the woods.
The whole time they walked, Zuko couldn't keep his mind off of Leena. The image of her kissing him still ran in is head. He couldn't help but stare at her as she walked, never taking his eye off her swaying body.
When they made their way back to the tent they saw Iroh sitting down next to a fire, pouring a cup of tea. "Ahh I see you both have returned" Iroh smiled. "Did you manage to bring any breakfast" he replied in hopes that they did because he was starving.
"Sorry" Leena replied "But I can get you some" she smiled as she walked over to still river. Leena walked toward the river's edge, and began scanning the water. When she spotted something in the water she lifted her hands up, causing a sphere of water to rise up with a large fish inside of it. Iroh clapped his hands as the bubble of water made its way over to him. He then grabbed the fish inside but it slipped from his grasp and began to flop around the floor. Leena laughed as she watched him try to grab it.
After Iroh was done eating his fish, Zuko got up and stood in front of the sitting pair. "We need to leave" he commanded as he walked toward the tent and gathered his things. Leena and Iroh did the same. When they were finally finished, they loaded their belongings on the ostrich horses. Leena jumped on her ostrich and so did Zuko and Iroh. They then made their way through the thick forest.
As they walked Leena's mind began to wonder. "What I'm I suppose to be doing, where is the avatar? What do I do when I find the avatar? Do I leave Zuko and Iroh or do I..." Leena was stopped in mid-thought as she began to hear mumbling voices in the distance. When she looked up she saw that they were entering a village.
The village was thriving with people, as far as the eye could see. It was filled with tons of shops ranging from every thing you could think of. Leena was intrigued by all of the trinkets she had never seen before. Most of the people were earth benders wearing the usual tan and green robes, as they shopped for their goods. As Leena and Zuko continued to make their way through the main road, Leena noticed that an immense amount of people were starring at her. But Leena shook them off as she followed Zuko down the crowded road.
As they walked over a small brick bridge Leena saw a couple of girls her age wearing beautiful kimonos, as they walked passed her. She glanced down at her stained dress, it wasn't even white anymore, it was more of a light gray from all the dirt she had gained. "What am I wearing, I look hideous compared to them" she thought.
From the corner of Iroh's eyes, he saw Leena admire the young girls' clothes, and look down at her dress with disgust.
"I think we need to find you some new clothes" Iroh said as he looked over at her. Leena turned to him and gave him the biggest smile. "Thank you" she replied. When they finally stopped at an Inn Zuko went in side to get their rooms while Leena and Iroh disappeared through the crowd.
"Ahh, this looks like a promising store to buy clothes from" Iroh said as he pulled her into a large store filled with a variety of fabrics. He then walked over to the counter where a middle aged woman stood. She had jet black hair pulled into a bun and she wore the most beautiful kimono Leena had ever seen. It was a whit kimono made from white silk, with many golden markings embedded on it.
"I need to find some clothes for my dear friend" Iroh said as he pointed to Leena.
"Oh, she is a beautiful one" the woman said as she starred at Leena's gray eyes and her silver hair. "I think that we can find something in here for her"" the woman replied as she walked out from behind the counter.
The woman then snapped her fingers, signaling four other women to emerge by her side. "We need to measure her and find robes" the head woman replied to the others.
Leena was dragged into a room filled with mirrors. The women circled her, three of them were measuring her while the other woman fixed her hair into a pony tail, letting some of her long bangs fall by the sides of her face. Iroh sat down and in moments was asleep.
When they were finished, Leena and Iroh walked out of the store with three new robes. She got a light blue robe, a dark grey blue robe that had white lining, and a dark blue robe. Leena couldn't help but admire her clothes as she walked down the road behind Iroh.
"After all of that shopping I think I could use a cup of tea" Iroh exclaimed as his stomached growled.
"How about you Leena" Iroh asked, as he contiuned walking toward the Inn. "Won't Zuko be mad that we aren't back" she replied. "It wouldn't be the first time" Iroh laughed. "Well, I guess so" she said weakly.
As they walked down the road, Iroh spotted a small dinner. "I bet they have tea" Iroh replied as he sniffed the air in front of the small shop. When they walked through the wooden doors, they saw that it was a small tea shop. It had a large counter at the back of the room, where an old man with white hair sat down as he counted some money. Next to the counter was a large shelf packed with a diverse selection of tea. Iroh's eyes began to glisten as he took in the heavenly sight.
Out of no where appeared a man, who she guessed was the waiter. He was a middle-aged man with a bald patch at the top of his head.
"May I help you?" he replied.
"Yes, we need a table for two" Iroh exclaimed with happiness. "Right this way" the waiter replied as he motion for them to follow him.
As Leena followed she looked around the small shop. It had a few tables filled with people who were enjoying a warm cup of soothing tea. As she walked passed a table she noticed that there were two boys in their late teens that stopped in mid-sentence to stare at Leena. Leena smiled and kept on walking. Leena and Iroh were seated at a table on the left side of the room, next to a window that viewed the busy road.
"What can I get for you two?" the waiter replied. "I'll have a cup of ginseng green tea with some honey" Leena replied. "I'll...have some gin- no...ahh...no okay I'll have a cup jasmine tea" Iroh said, trying to make up his mind.
"Okay, I'll be back in a minute with your order" the waiter replied as he walked off toward the kitchen.
Leena looked up and noticed that the room was giving off a golden orange glow from the windows surrounding all sides of the walls. She turned her head to look around the room, as she did she caught a table of people starring at her. But they quickly turned away acting as if nothing happened. These annoying stares were starting to bug Leena.
"Is something wrong" Iroh asked as he saw a troubled look on her face.
"...I guess, I feel out of place" she whispered. "I know that I appear different from every one else and I guess that's why I am getting all of these annoying stares...but I feel like I don't belong here." she whispered as she looked down, letting her long bangs cover her face.
"People, have a hard time taking in things they've never seen before" Iroh said with a comforting smile. "They are also starring at you because you happen to be very beautiful" he replied. Leena looked up and gave him a weak smile. "Thank you"
"Here you go, one ginseng green tea with honey, and one jasmine tea" the waiter interrupted as he set down two bowl sized cups.
With both hands they grabbed their warm cups and drank the mouth watering tea. "This is delicious" Iroh replied after taking a large gulp of his tea. "Like wise" Leena replied as she set her cup down.
"So...um, what exactly happened to you two? Why are you running away from this Azula person?" Leena asked, trying to start a conversation. It was something she was dying to know, and she dared not ask Zuko.
"Almost three years ago, Zuko was banished from the fire nation from his father, and he wasn't allowed to come back until he captured the avatar. We had been searching for almost three years and almost gave up, but recently we found the avatar. This was Zuko's only chance to return home and receive his honor back from his father. But we were branded traitors and Azula; my niece, was sent to capture us and return us back as prisoners. Not to long ago, Zuko allied with Azula, while I was prisoner to the Earth Kingdom, but when Azula betray Zuko, we escaped, and that night we found you." he finished.
"May I ask you a question?" He replied to her. Leena nodded. "Where were you from?"
"I'm..." Leena started.
"THIS IS WHERE YOU TWO HAVE BEEN, I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR HOURS, AND I FIND YOU HERE, DRINKING TEA" Zuko yelled. He was fuming with rage and breathing hard as he looked at the both of them with angry eyes.
"Nephew, you have come to join us" Iroh replied with a smile. "NO" he yelled.
Zuko couldn't believe that his uncle and Leena had run off, to go drink tea, while he was waiting for them like an idiot. He was so irritated he could hardly think straight.
"Leena was just telling me where she was from" Iroh replied.
Zuko saw that his uncle wasn't going to leave this stupid tea shop, until he had finished his precious tea. Zuko threw his hands to his side and sat next to his uncle as he frowned at both of them.
"You were saying Leena" Iroh urged her on.
"I...I was from Ba Sing Se" she said as she looked down at her lap.
"Ah, Ba Sing Se, we just came from there. It is a wonderful city" Iroh replied. "Yes, it was" Leena replied. "Is something wrong" Iroh asked as he noticed that she wouldn't look at them.
"...do you remember when I told you I died when I just turned seventeen." she asked as she kept looking down.
"Yes, you said you were dreadfully sick" Iroh said as he lifted up his eyebrow, wondering why she would bring up such a question.
"I...I didn't tell you everything, because I didn't know you that well, but I guess I can't keep hiding who I really am" she replied.
"What do you mean" Zuko replied as he suddenly became interested in the conversation.
"I was hire to the Earth Kingdom" she whispered.
"What" Zuko replied, as he looked at her. He couldn't believe that she was of royalty, and to the Kingdome that proved strongest against the fire nation.
"My father died a year before I got sick and my mother died when I was little, the only person I had left was my younger sister. My sister was a year younger than me but she was evil and spiteful. The day my father's advisor told us that I would become Queen of Ba Sing Se, my sister became terribly jealous. She was furious and argued with the kingdom's advisors. She said that I wasn't strong enough to lead the capital, but the advisor's ignored her. A couple of days later, I got painful head aches and I could hardly do anything without enforcing pain on my body. During this time my sister was unusual, she insisted on bringing my food and medicine. I thought nothing of it, until the guards caught her pouring and strange liquid in my food." Leena stopped; it was hard for her to retell her life.
"She...she poisoned me, my own sister." she replied as she looked up at both of them, with watery eyes, but she refused to let her tears fall. "The guards took her away and imprisoned her for life. But it was already too late, I had a sever fever that refused to lower...after that, I never woke up." she whispered.
Zuko couldn't believe what he was hearing. She was an Earth Kingdom Queen while he was a Fire nation prince, two people from completely opposite lives, but they had a great deal in common. Their lives were so much alike; they held betrayal, lost, misery, and unbelievable hurt.
"Would Azula go that far on me?" he thought.
"There are no words, I can say to make you fill better but maybe this will help" Iroh said as he got up and gave Leena a huge. Leena felt like bursting into tears as he hugged her, she had never had any one care for her besides her father, but something inside of her sparked that suddenly brought a smile to her face. Silent tears rolled from her eyes." Thank you Iroh" she whispered as she hugged him.
xXXxXXxXXxXXxXXx
"Aang, do you think she would be here?" Katara asked, as they flew over a small village.
It was nightfall and they were all on Appa looking down at a small Earth village.
"I don't know, but the only way to found out is if we look there" Aang replied. "I guess your right" she replied.
"I bet they have tons of food there, and meat, oh sweet meat" Sokka replied. "WHAT, how can you be thinking of food at a time like this" Katara yelled as she smacked her brother on the head.
"I'm hungry, I can't help it" "Your always hungry" she scold.
"I think we should make camp on the outskirts of the village" Sokka interrupted.
"Why" Aang asked. "Azula and Zuko could be looking for us. I thinks its best if we camp in the outskirts of the village until morning." Sokka informed.
"That's the smartest thing you've said all day" Toph replied sarcastically.
"Yeah, I know." "Wait What! What is that suppose to mean!" he replied. They gang just laughed at how dense Sokka could be.
