Chapter 11: Dragon of the West
It had been long, too long of a day for ex- general Iroh. He sighed as he once again felt the nerve-racking feeling of defeat. It had been at least two and a half weeks since he and his nephew had departed from each other. He didn't know what Zuko thought of the situation, but he did know that he wanted to reunite with him, soon. It hadn't surprised him when he had discovered Zuko's rescue and escape from the prison in Aki Son, but how he had escaped, and when, was all a mystery to him.
Originally, he had thought his nephew to run off, away from the prison, so he started off, looking for where he may have run. When he realized that Zuko had been caught in the prison for about four days, he returned only to see that it was later that he had broken free. He lacked and idea of where the boy had gone, and the only clue he did have, was one from the woman, and her son Kyo, from the inn they had stayed at. They had told Iroh that they last saw Zuko leave with a man who looked to be a pirate. This information only worried him more. Iroh knew that Zuko had engaged with pirates, and he didn't want to find out that they had killed the only family that even remotely understood him.
He wiped his forehead with his sleeve using the back of his hand, and looked down at the ground. He was standing on a stone path, leading away from a popular pirate port called Sakura. He had questioned for his nephew's appearance nearby, but he received no more clues. A drunken sailor had mentioned a boy with a scar on his left eye traveling with the famous Captain Toshiro of the Black Swan, but Iroh only doubted the man. He hoped to know his nephew well enough to strike the idea of him being with a wanted, bloodthirsty pirate. One that everyone knew was more deadly than the most poisonous of snakes or scorpions.
He continued his way from the port, and hoped to ride the ostrich-horse that Zuko had left behind, to the location of the teenage boy. He fed the animal some oats that he had bought with the little money they had, and pet his hard, smooth beak as he spoke in a gentle tone, "How far could he had traveled? He is on foot, I hope. If he is going by sea, I may never find him." He sat down on a nearby stone and said with a groan. "Where do I go now?"
The ostrich-horse looked to the town, but it seemed to be gazing further behind it. "I see," Iroh said, as he stood up, "If he is traveling on a ship, we should stay by the coast." With that, he began to lead the animal toward the water, toward the southwest. "Hopefully, we can only get closer."
"Zuko!" a young boy called as he ran up to the teen. Akira and he were looking on shore for anything the crew could consider food. He looked over his shoulder, away from the ocean view, and saw Akira waving a pouch in the air.
"I found some berries," he told him as he ran closer. He opened the bag to show Zuko, and explained that they were called snow berries, "Because they are some of the only berries that still grow when it snows, but they never grow in places where it does snow."
Zuko laughed at the ironic statement. Then looked back at the berries. He recognized them from when he sailed on his own Fire Navy ship. They were served with his uncle's favorite dessert, Snowballs. They were snow berries dipped in melted sugar and butter, and then frozen. The snow berries he was looking at though seemed smaller than the ones he remembered, he thought of them as just out of season.
It seemed funny how Zuko had told Toshiro, just plainly, that he didn't trust her, because she was a pirate, yet here he was, with a younger pirate, laughing and somewhat enjoying himself. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Zuko couldn't help but think that he did trust Akira, Saburo, Ling, and even more he hated to admit, Toshiro. They were pirates, but they had a human nature to them. They seemed even kinder than most other people he had met in the past. The only thing that made him think otherwise was their tendency to steal. If not for that, trust may not be an issue.
The boys walked back on board the Black Swan, and they walked into the captain's stateroom. There a demanding Toshiro greeted them.
"I want all men available talking to locals! I want a full report on past weather, where it went, how fast it was gone, how fast it came! I will not be set off course, AGAIN, by some storm!" She commanded. Ling stumbled out of stateroom, over the boys' feet, and ran to the main deck to gather men.
Akira and Zuko looked through the ajar door leading to Toshiro, who was a mix between frustrated, aggravated, and just tired. She had yet to have slept in three days. Ling and Saburo had tried to convince her to take a break, but it seemed that she wanted to be at least fifty miles away from the Fire Nation as much as Zuko. Just as she was with every task, she was determined to finish it. She sat behind her desk, her forehead resting in her hand. She sighed, and shook her head as she mumbled cures to herself.
Akira entered, handing her the pouch of berries. She looked up to him, and looked over to Zuko, her eyes were dark, obviously showing her lack of slumber, and her hair falling in her face from her braid, which was even messier than usual. She seemed to be silently asking why the boys were there.
Zuko stepped in and walked up to attempt in convincing her to either sleep, or take a break form her chores. As always, she seemed to know what he was going to say before he said it.
"I'm fine, Zuko," she said, forcing a smile. She saw Akira giving her a worried face. They cared for her, and she was glad of that, but she never let their cares for her being, interfere with her work. She pushed the loose hairs out of her face, and told them not to worry. They left, and continued their day.
That was the last time the boys saw her, or anyone on board did. Ling had told them that she was working on finding a safe, quick way away from where they were. That was believable, but as the day went on, Zuko couldn't help but think that she was thinking about their new route the whole day. He tried to ignore it, and succeed, but as it got late, and the stars were shinning, the moon glowed over the water, and the men were asleep, he wanted to make sure.
He doused the lights on board, all except for the one at the crow's nest, and the one at the helm, just as he was told. He then made his way quietly to Toshiro's stateroom. He looked to make certain no one else was awake, and slowly opened the door, hoping not to surprise her, or wake the crew. He walked in, closing the door behind him, and stepping up to her desk, where he smirked and shook his head.
On the desk was Toshiro, asleep. Her hair was spread out over papers, no longer held back, but her hair tie was tangled in the loose hairs. He teeth were visible through her slightly open lips, and her face was covered in black. At first he wondered how the black came to be there, but then he noticed a piece of charcoal that she used for writing. He let out a silent chuckle as he realized the black must have got there from her rubbing her face as she fell closer to her deep slumber.
She looked less like the captain he had said not to trust, hated, feared, and more like a young child. He gazed at her face, becoming aware that she didn't seem to be peaceful in her sleep. Her eyes were tightly shut, and her expression showed tension. She appeared upset, or stressed. He knew he couldn't help, but he thought to make a nice gesture. He took off his green robe he wore over his clothes, to keep him warm when doing his night duties, and placed in lightly over Toshiro's shoulders. She left out a slight moan as she turned her head.
He smiled at her, then noticed her notebook under her left hand. She must have fallen asleep while she was writing in this, he thought. He looked and the book, and read:
"Captain's log,
"Today we have tried to set a safe route back to Sakura. I plan to return Jasmine and Hana there, and return to my previous task of searching for the ex-general Iroh, Zuko's uncle. I pray we find the old man soon. Any longer on this ship and Zuko may not live to see him again. Zuko's presence seems to be becoming a nuisance."
Zuko was about to put the book back, when the next section in the journal caught his eye.
"I want to get him off my ship before Zans and his group of babbling buffoons try to kill him. The sooner we get him away, the better. I can only do so much, without the assistance of Ling, Saburo, Akira, and myself, he probably would be dead by now.
"We are about a day's trip from Sakura. Let us hope for the b"
The rest was a line across the rest of the paper, revealing that she had fallen asleep before she had finished her entry.
He put the book back, and started out, but before he closed the door behind him, he took a last glance at the sleeping Toshiro. It may have been the only time he would ever see her in a calm state.
The nest morning, Toshiro was more awake than she had been in days. Her smirk once again spread on her face, and looking out toward her familiar horizon. Through the nigh the ship had traveled smoothly, making them only about half a days sailing until they arrived at Sakura.
Toshiro was excited, thrilled, and more pleased than ever at the idea of getting her extra crew members off her ship. Less people to feed; more food for the rest of the men. No more complaints, no more girls on board not knowing what they are doing, the ideas and perks ran through her head as Ling walked up to her. He reported their traveling time, how well the ship was going, and how close they were. Toshiro had nodded at the positive report, when a crash took her attention to the lower deck.
Zuko was moving crates, but had dropped one as he made his way to the stairs leading toward the lower deck of the ship. Ling was shocked to see Toshiro's reaction. Normally she would yell at the boy, make snide comments, laugh, or roll her eyes in annoyance, but she didn't. She seemed to be slightly smiling at he boy as she looked down at his struggles, with a kindness in her eye.
"Captain, are you all right?" Ling had to ask. He would have blamed the lack or reaction on sleep, but it had been he that had walked in that morning to find her asleep on her desk with a green robe over her shoulders. Thinking the robe was hers, he removed it, then shook her shoulders to wake her. Captain of he Black Swan or not, she was still a teenager that would sleep in until she was woken up.
"I'm fine," she responded, looking to her first mate with eyes that seemed to be seeing something other than what lay before her. She cleared her throat, and commanded him to continue his hourly reports on the old ship. If there was a problem on board, she wanted to know first thing.
Ling did as he was instructed, and quickly made off toward the main deck. The ship continued it's smooth trip back toward Sakura, and was actually early on their docking at the port. The crew left the ship to do as they usually did. Some went to find whores, other bars, and as for the group that traveled closely to Zuko, they where going to bring back the girls to their home. After a long, and tear filled god-bye from Jasmine and Hana, they left them, making their way back to the Black Swan for a night's rest.
Zuko rolled over on his hammock. Once again, he couldn't seem to sleep. He turned over once more, hoping to make himself comfortable, when a noise made him look around the lower deck. The noise was a light set of footfalls walking amongst the hammocks. He tried to pull the old, large rag he used as a makeshift blanket over his head. He hoped it was just a restless pirate walking to his hammock.
He felt his stomach churn slightly as the steps grew closer. Whoever it was, they were coming toward him. He held his breath. The ship was dark, if there as no sign of life were he was, may be they would go elsewhere. The foot falls stopped. He let out a sigh, thinking whoever it was had left, and then uncovered his head. As he began to turn over again, the whole hammock flipped, making Zuko fall to the floor, letting out a slight yelp. He looked up to see a dark figure standing over him. As he was about to yell at the intruder, a hand was thrown over his mouth. The hand was cold, soft, except for some places that seemed to have calluses from work. Another hand pulled his left arm back, and squeezed his wrist. Who ever this was, they were strong, and Zuko was afraid to see who it was.
Who has Zuko, and is Toshiro growing closer to Zuko, or maybe Zuko to Toshiro? R&R.
Remeber 5. It took a while for the last five. After 16 hits, I got the five reviews. I'm not updating unless I get them. And for the peaple who don't have accounts, and think you can review, you can. Just go the review page, type in a name for yourself, and type the review. Easy as... I'd say pie, but I've made pie, and it isn't easy. Hmm... Idon't know, all I know is that it's easy.