Grey eyes glanced nervously at the girl. The left side of her face was pressed tightly against the steel, one golden eye peering through a grimacing slit. Her teeth were clenched tightly together but her bottom lip quivered to release another soft whimper. The Lieutenant crumbled at her pain.

Zhao smirked. He knew that his Lieutenant would break when he saw the young girl crying out in agony; Leo was a good and humble man, which is why he hadn't advanced through the naval ranks. One had to be strong and ruthless to earn respect and rewards…and Zhao excelled at ruthlessness. And because the Admiral was cruel, he didn't just want the Lieutenant to break, he wanted him shattered.

"Jeong Jeong saw her," Leo admitted.

Zhao's coarse fingertips dug into Koori's skull and she released another pained sound.

"I'm aware," the Admiral snarled. "She was right behind me before the deserter managed to escape."

"No, Zhao," Leo sighed, "when she rushed off into the woods, he saw her. And he confronted her."

Murderous eyes glanced at the slave. "What did you do?" Zhao twisted her arm so that her wrist wound unnaturally backward. But he was careful; he didn't want to break her wrist, he only wanted to make her uncomfortable.

Tears prickled the edges of her eyes. "I healed a tree," she moaned.

Leo stopped breathing; he had only seen Jeong Jeong try to take her away and he didn't know that there had been anything more than that.

"You healed a tree?" Leo asked, perplexed.

After a slight nod, Koori screamed as Zhao whipped her head back and toward his chest. Her back arched across the corner of the table to alleviate some of the pressure, but it didn't help much.

"What happened next?" Zhao growled.

"He wanted to take me away!" Koori shouted. One of her hands was free and she pushed it behind her back for support. "But the Lieutenant stopped him."

"And you both decided to keep this from me?"

Leo's head bobbed rapidly. "He wasn't a threat…and after a brief conversation, Jeong Jeong retreated."

Scowling, the Admiral released Koori's wrist but continued holding her black locks over his chest. Reaching across the table, he calmly grabbed his teacup and—as if he wasn't holding a teenage girl awkwardly over the corner of a table—he sipped the watery liquid and returned the cup to its place.

"Jeong Jeong has more than enough skill to defeat you, Leo. You must have been convincing for him to leave quietly."

Zhao tugged his slave's hair and, after rolling her injured wrist, she placed her remaining free hand on her Master's armored thigh. Finally feeling somewhat supported—albeit uncomfortably so—the slave's breathing eased and she opened both eyes to stare guiltily at the Lieutenant.

"I promised that I would protect her," Leo whispered. He looked at the girl, noticed her hand placement, and then returned his gaze to the metal table, revolted.

Snorting, Zhao released Koori's hair and she fell to the floor by his side. Unsure if she should move, the girl remained still.

"Is that all?" Zhao asked after glancing at his unmoving slave.

"No," the Lieutenant mumbled. Hazel eyes narrowed, and Leo, after rubbing the back of his head, sighed. Everything he was about to say from this point out would destroy his integrity. "I've been trying to convince her to run away…and she keeps refusing."

The Admiral smirked. "Is that so?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

Zhao calmly took another sip of tea. And after returning the cup, he gripped his slave's forearm and forced her into a sitting position. Koori didn't resist; she merely moved at his suggestive tugs. Once satisfied, Zhao stared at the officer.

"You do realize that your…disapproval…of my methods is why I trust you, correct?"

Gulping, Leo nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Then," Zhao picked up his chopsticks and swirled cold noodles across his plate, "I suggest you take your three weeks of leave this year. And I demand that you take them immediately, in succession."

"But—"

"And while you spend time with your beloved family, I want you to think about your dishonorable decisions." Hazel eyes flashed with amusement. "And before you leave, I need you to do something."

Confused, Leo carefully examined his superior officer. Cautiously, he asked, "What do you need?"

Zhao smiled, but it wasn't a happy look; his face was monstrous, filled with a cruel enjoyment about what was going to happen. "I want you to burn her."

"Excuse me?" Leo screamed, back straightening and eyes widening. Nervously, he looked at Koori, but she was eyeing the teapot, golden eyes resuming their tearful look.

"Burn her," Zhao ordered.

Slamming his fists on the table, Leo stuttered, "A-absolutely not!"

"Refusing a direct order from your commanding officer will result in a court martial. Do you want to return home, disgraced and without a job? I'm sure that your family will appreciate and understand your weakness when they're living on the streets."

"Zhao—"

"You know what she can do; it won't leave a lasting mark."

Eyebrows pulling up, Leo looked at the merciless Admiral. "Yes, I know what Koori can do. I've known for years. But-" he glanced at the half-empty teacup on the table, "she can still feel pain, Zhao. What you're asking for is torture—both for her and me."

"I consider it to be more of a…lesson," Zhao responded lazily. "You have three seconds. Burn her or get out, forever."

Leo considered his options for a moment before reaching across the table and unleashing a small, controlled flame across the slave's forearm. She screamed and the Lieutenant visibly shattered at the sound. His eyes filled with tears, but he refused to let them fall.

"Koori," Leo said in a hushed whisper, "I'm s-sorry…I'm so sorry."

Whimpering and unable to look at the Lieutenant, Koori clutched her forearm. At her touch, her arm glowed white and the smell of burned flesh quickly dissipated while the skin healed.

Zhao's smile shifted into a smirk and he motioned for the Lieutenant to leave.

Flustered, Leo cautiously stood from the cushion. He didn't leave, though. Instead, he glowered at his commanding officer and opened his mouth. "I'll take those three weeks, Zhao," Leo huffed. "But, the last time that I left, she almost died. Guarantee me that she will be safe, and I'll go."

"Oh," Zhao grinned, "she'll be safe. Koori and I are going to the Western Air Temple to learn about airbending." He stabbed a piece of grilled fish and brought the meat to his lips. Before chomping down, he said, "The Avatar will not elude me a third time."

"Well then…best of luck to you, sir."

Leo took one last glance at the slave, but her head was down and he couldn't see her face behind a thick wall of black hair. Frowning, the disgusted Lieutenant turned on his heel and rushed out the door, slamming it behind him.

After swallowing the bite of lukewarm fish, Zhao looked at his slave. "I'm waiting," he murmured.

Golden eyes, still prickled with tears, looked desperately at her Master. "I didn't mean…I didn't know…" She looked at the newly-healed skin on her forearm. "I'm sorry, Master. I didn't mean to keep secrets from you. Please don't blame the Lieutenant. I'm just as guilty."

Snorting, Zhao leered at his slave. "Hardly," he snarled. "You were following orders." He took another bite of fish and pushed the cold dish across the table, displeased. "But you were following the wrong orders, my little concubine."

Koori leaned forward and pushed a strand of black hair behind her ear. "Master, I—"

"If you ever take a command from anybody but me again, I'll be sure to punish you—severely. That little burn from the Lieutenant was nothing compared to what I can do."

"O-of course, Master," Koori whimpered.

Satisfied that his slave had learned her lesson, Zhao tapped his empty teacup and she scurried to the teapot. She poured the amber liquid and watched her Master slowly lift the porcelain to his thin lips. He sipped, slowly and deliberately, and palmed the cup on the edge of the table.

Eager to ease the tension in the room, Zhao pressed his slave. "What was your impression of my old teacher?"

Golden and hazel eyes met. "He seems crazed," Koori admitted softly.

Chuckling quietly, Zhao nodded. "He is crazed," he smiled.

The slave scooted closer to her Master and he watched, mildly intrigued.

"You never mentioned him before. And I realized," she bit her lip and quickly released the fleshy tissue, "I hardly know anything about you…before me, that is."

With a screech, the door to the kitchen opened and the cook entered. The red-clad individual hurried about and collected the dishes. Peering at the half-eaten plate before the Admiral, he bowed.

"Is the fish over-seasoned, sir? If so, I could prepare another dish that is more to your liking."

Zhao glowered at the cold meal and waved the cook away. "My dinner had better be flawless," Zhao snarled.

"Oh! Of course!" the cook squeaked before rushing out of the room, leaving the half-filled teapot behind.

Releasing the cup on the end of the table, Zhao reached for his slave's face. She winced at his touch and fearfully gasped when she felt his coarse thumb caress her cheek.

"I'll tell you about my adventurous youth in time," Zhao whispered. His thumb rested on her bottom lip and his gaze softened. "We should be at the Western Air Temple in a few hours. We'll spend a week or two there before heading to North Harbor."

"North Harbor?"

Zhao nodded and released his slave's face. "If everything goes as planned, I will initiate the beginning my invasion plans at North Harbor. I suspect that we will be there for a week or so in order to recruit a large enough fleet. But once that is done, we will begin our two-week trek into the wild tundra of the Northern Water Tribe."

"So soon?" Koori mumbled.

"Not soon enough."

Zuko paced his room. He had tossed the engraved piece of bone on his bed upon his return, but he couldn't look at it. Anger was overcoming the teen as he made another round, back and forth. Snarling, he stopped at his bed and stared at the pendant.

"What was Uncle trying to teach me?" he whispered.

Zuko's pale hand reached to the back of his head and he felt the smooth surface. Pausing at a small twinge of pain, he remembered the slave who had smashed into him with a thick book.

Eyes widening, he dove under platform of his bed and rummaged for a chest. He hadn't opened this chest in weeks—why hadn't he made the connection when he mentioned Zhao back in the village?

Soft fingers tore the box open and he tossed the Blue Spirit mask and black tunic to his bed. Finally finding what he was looking for, he grasped the piece of parchment and laid the paper flat. He gazed, first to the little girl, and then at the woman—the suspected mother.

Golden eyes squinted, picking apart the details of the image and he gasped after seeing the pendant around the woman's neck.

"That was her village," Zuko mumbled, reaching for the bone jewelry. He palmed the cold piece of engraved bone. "This was her mother's necklace."

Though the ship had made it to the Western Air Temple Islands before sundown, Zhao and Koori had spent the night in the vessel, awaiting daylight for their departure. Packs filled with supplies strapped to their backs, they ventured into the deep into the woods, remaining silent as they walked. And although the pair was silent, the forest was not; bugs released shrill calls of their approach, leaves—killed by the harsh winter nights—crunched underfoot, and animals scampered to their homes. The air was filled with the smell moisture and dirt, and the cold threat of a morning frost nipped at their reddening noses and cheeks.

They walked until noon, only pausing to collect water from the side of a stream. And after an additional jaunt, Zhao and Koori paused at the edge of a cliff.

"Finally," Zhao huffed.

"We're here?" Koori asked slowly, scanning her surroundings. She squinted, unable to locate a single building that would supposedly house a massive amount of nomadic people.

With a smirk, Zhao nodded and pulled a long rope from his pack. "There's another entrance to the Air Temple a little further back, but I thought that this would be the most…breathtaking."

"But there's nothing here, Master."

Ignoring his slave, the Admiral wrapped the rope around a sturdy tree and pulled it as a test. He flung the remainder of the rope off the cliff and Koori watched, confused.

He reached out his hand. "I'm going to need you to hold on tight," he urged.

Still perplexed, Koori grabbed his outstretched hand and Zhao pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her waist while still clutching the rope. Realizing that they were going to scale the cliff, the slave flung her arms around Zhao's broad neck and shoulders. She clutched onto his armor and they swiftly propelled down.

A terrified scream was trapped in her throat, but the slave did not allow it to escape for fear that her fright would startle the man holding their lives in his hands.

Expertly descending, Zhao watched, humored, as the Air Temple came into view. Koori let out a small, impressed moan at the sight and the Admiral smirked at her reaction. He started to stare at his slave, intrigued by her enthusiasm.

Golden eyes opened wide at the upside-down buildings hanging dangerously off the underside of the cliff, hidden from the world except for those who knew its secret location. Stone carvings were etched beautifully into the sides of the buildings, depicting not only landscapes and animals, but historical nomads and nuns. In the center of the upside-down buildings was a large platform where water pooled gently before following a channel and plummeting off the cliff. Greenery wrapped around the half-destroyed pillars, acknowledging that the temple was abandoned and rotting slowly off the face of the earth.

Zhao slowed their descent and Koori clutched tighter to his armor, awestruck.

"Master," she said breathily, "this is beautiful."

Chuckling softly, Zhao quickened their decline and he swung to an overhang. They landed gracefully on a stone walkway and immediately, the slave ran toward a trio of stone statures that were engraved into a nearby wall.

Still excited, she ran from one side of the walkway to the other in search of more carvings and additional rooms.

"Koori!" Zhao screamed when he lost sight of his slave. "Stay near me!"

Poking her head around a pillar, Koori frowned and then perked right back up. "Keep up, Master!"

Scowling but amused, Zhao ran after his slave, and after catching up, he wrapped his arms around her waist; she stilled at the touch.

"I've been here before," Zhao mumbled into her ear. "This temple is old and some of it has fallen into disrepair. If you go too far, there's a chance you could fall off into the canyon and plunge to your death."

"That…is terrifying."

Smiling, Zhao released his slave but reached out for her hand to guide her through the Air Temple.

Together, they toured numerous rooms in various upside-down buildings while trekking across crumbling stone staircases that were meticulously carved into the side of the cliff.

They walked through several buildings before coming into a large room. Sunlight poured through the opening in the ceiling, dripping down in powerful waves over a stone figure who was meditating, pensive and stoic.

"Avatar Yangchen," Zhao said.

Koori looked up at the woman and squinted in the sunlight for a better view. They took a few moments to admire the large statue of the deceased female Avatar before heading off down another stone hallway filled with individual dorms.

At the first room, Zhao paused and tossed his pack to the ground. The room was sparse; no decorations hung from the walls and the only thing that made it feel like a bedroom was the large stone structure in the corner, which was big enough for comfortably fit one person—or in Zhao and Koori's case, two. Quickly, Zhao unfurled his bedroll on the stone platform and motioned for his slave to start unpacking their supplies.

"You knew this was here," Koori smiled. "You stayed here before."

Without looking up, Zhao nodded and continued unpacking. "I came here as a teenager before I joined the navy."

Koori slid the pack around her shoulders, placing the bag on the floor; she watched Zhao move expertly around the room, adjusting things to his liking.

"How long did you stay?"

Calloused hands paused against the newly-padded bed. "A few weeks." Hazel eyes glanced up and he admired his slave's subtle and curious smile. "I stayed long enough to grow bored of the place and joined the navy the first chance I got."

"Well," Koori whispered softly, "what were you doing here?"

"I was young, adventurous, stupid, and a little lost, actually. I thought that coming here would help me solidify my destiny."

Feeling adventurous herself, the slave asked, "Did it?"

Zhao started peeling off his armor; he wouldn't need it for the next week or two and figured that a break from the sheer weight of it—figuratively and literally—would be a nice reprieve. "I suppose I did. I'm a successful man in one of the highest positions I could possibly achieve as an officer." He placed the last piece of his armor on the ground and admired the intricate gold breastplate, which was a symbol of his rank.

"Can we be done unpacking? I want to go explore again."

"Slow down, my little concubine; we have plenty of time to look through everything."

Zuko stalked through the halls of his ship. He needed to see his uncle. He needed to know why the old man had a sudden obsession with a teenage girl—correction, he thought angrily, a teenage slave.

Knuckles paused against his uncle's door, he scowled and turned around.

What am I doing, he thought indignantly.

Turning once more, he smacked his uncle's steel door, very aware that he should have knocked instead of smacked.

After a moment, the door opened and Iroh smiled at his nephew. "Prince Zuko," Iroh boomed, "what a lovely surprise. Did you want to join your uncle for dinner? I hear the cook is preparing something special."

Zuko, suddenly forgetting why he had rapped on his uncle's door, paused and then regained his scowl.

"No, Uncle." The exiled prince clenched his teeth together. "I want to talk about our ridiculous excursion to Yu Dao today."

Still grinning, Iroh stepped aside and the teen walked into the room. He sat in front of a Pai Sho board and curiously questioned how many of the infernal game boards were aboard his ship.

After sitting at the other side of the table, Iroh asked, "What troubles you?"

"That village," Zuko started, "was destroyed because of Zhao."

Iroh nodded hesitantly. "Yes, it was."

"You said that Zhao destroyed it thirteen years ago…and you mentioned that his slave—"

"Koori," Iroh interrupted gently.

"Koori," Zuko repeated with a snarl, "was enslaved thirteen years ago. That was her village, wasn't it?"

Beaming, Iroh nodded again. "Yes, it was."

"So," Zuko tapped the Pi Sho board, "I have to ask: why did we go there? Why are you curious about Zhao's slave?"

Sighing, Iroh shook his head. "Prince Zuko," he huffed while grabbing his beard. He tugged, gently pulling the strands downward. "Do you remember the inscriptions on the shrine?"

"Yeah," the prince scoffed. "There was something about embracing what you fear and a girl who could heal—"

"With fire," Iroh finished.

"But that's impossible, Uncle. Nobody in the world can do that. Fire burns, it doesn't heal. The shrine had to have been for a fairytale."

"Prince Zuko," Iroh boomed, frowning at his young nephew, "I've seen her do it."

Running through the stone halls, Koori quickly disappeared from her Master's view.

Annoyed, Zhao barked, "Koori!"

She turned, sprinted back to the unarmored man, and settled. "I just want to explore," she pouted.

Zhao sighed. "You can explore later. We came here to learn about airbending."

Together, they continued walking down the hall, rounding corners when Zhao thought it was necessary.

"How much of this place do you have memorized?" Koori asked innocently.

Glancing at a painted wall, Zhao responded, "All of it." His hardened fingertips pressed against the painted stone, and though the image on the wall had faded over time, it was clearly a depiction of an individual learning from an air bison: the first airbender.

Multiple painted pictures lined the hall. In total, thirty-six images were displayed, each exemplifying a different airbending technique. Knowledge of the thirty-six moves represented a mastery of the art and Zhao smiled while viewing the last form. Koori, on the other hand, paled at the image.

"Asphyxiation?" she whispered, staring at the white painted wisps pouring out of drawn man's mouth. "That doesn't sound peaceful to me."

"It's an airbender's last resort," Zhao smiled. "Though…during the invasion, they didn't use it here; they only used it in the Southern Air Temple, where the fighting was surprisingly fierce." Zhao's smile turned murderous. "Monk Gyatso," he said with jealous relish, "was able to kill an entire tent filled with firebenders without standing from his cushion." Hazel eyes glanced at the slave who looked absolutely terrified. "But don't worry, fatigue killed him almost instantaneously."

"Well," the slave gulped, "that's comforting."

Uncomfortable with Zhao's excitement at the horrid painting, Koori's golden eyes scanned the end of the hall where a final image rested gently against the stone. A woman, bald and wearing glorious orange robes, sat displaying her newly acquired tattoos. Airbenders were the only people who acknowledged a mastery of their art with a physical representation and the blue markings were beautiful against the woman's pale skin. Suddenly, the slave felt a twinge of jealously at the woman's calm, knowledgeable existence.

Beyond the final painting was a room; it was huge, cavernous in every way. In the ceiling on each end was a tube that forced a strong breeze into the center, where an assortment of doors spun in fixed circles.

"Spinning gates," Zhao muttered softly. "It's a training tool. Though," he paused and examined the rapidly rotating doors, "it's very complicated."

"How is it a training tool?"

Grimacing at the unpleasant memory of getting pummeled by the device in his youth, Zhao stepped closer to the doors. "The idea," he grumbled, "is to enter the contraption and weave your way through the other side without getting hit. It's all about spiral movements."

"Well that doesn't sound too hard."

Smirking, Zhao gestured for his slave to enter the training tool. She stepped forward and with a smile, she pushed past the first door and was then smacked back out by the second and third gates. Rubbing her sides, she huffed and tried again. This time, she concluded, she needed to be quicker; rapidly, she entered the spinning gates and once again, she was pushed out. With a groan and a pout, she sat on the floor to scrutinize the horrid device.

"Harder than it looks," Zhao said.

"That thing," the slave alleged while pointing, "is evil."

Late at night, Koori lay clamped in Zhao's embrace. Her left cheek was pressed tight against his chest and she sighed, thinking about the spinning gates and her horrible failure. How was she to help Zhao understand airbending if she couldn't even maneuver through something that seemed so simple.

Wriggling, she managed to get out of Zhao's grasp and she dressed before walking out of the room, into the darkness of the stone hall. Lighting her hand with a small flame, she lit her way down the corridor until she could see the familiar thirty-six paintings explaining airbending. She stopped to examine the first image.

"An air ball," she whispered, scanning the instructions. The motions seemed simple; a flick of the wrist and the air could be manipulated into a sphere. Concentrating, but knowing that air wouldn't form from her palm, Koori attempted the motion. She flicked her wrist delicately in a wave, embracing the circular movement.

Feeling that she understood the concept, she moved on to the next image.

Down the line, she continued practicing until she was satisfied with her brief understanding. She knew that she couldn't fully understand each movement because she wasn't an airbender, but still, she wanted to learn. She also knew that she couldn't master an ancient art in a few hours. But the practice would be worthwhile and determination filled her spirit.

Zhao needed to learn how to fight against an agile airbender and if she could mimic the movements, she would be useful.

Feeling the sun peek through the horizon, Koori snapped the fire from her palm and entered the blustery room with the spinning gates.

Each rotating device mocked her and she planted her feet solidly in the ground. She took a confident step into the training tool and swirled past the first gate, beyond the second, and away from the third until the fourth, fifth, and sixth gates pummeled her in rapid succession, kicking her out of the mechanism.

Flustered and on her stomach, the slave glared at the instrument and smacked her palm against the stone floor.

She rolled to her back and stared at the ceiling, enraged and confused.

"You made it farther that time," a voice echoed.

"Yeah, but it's still evil," Koori replied as she stood and dusted her clothes off.

Zhao neared and extended his hand; inside his enclosed fist was a piece of fruit. Reaching, the slave took the moon peach and ate it with a calm vigor.

"How long have you been awake?" he asked.

Still staring at the spinning gates, Koori answered, "A few hours. I couldn't sleep."

"And you came out here to get yourself beat up?"

"Well," the slave blushed, embarrassed, "that wasn't the intention."

"And your goal is…?"

"The whole purpose of this mission is to learn about airbending. I figured that if I could learn it in a little more depth, you and I could fight." Zhao's eyes narrowed. "I mean spar," Koori corrected. "Like, I try to evade you as much as possible until you get a winning edge. Maybe then, you could catch Aang."

"Aang?"

"The Avatar," the slave said. "That's his name."

"I don't need to know the boy's name," Zhao snarled. "He's the Avatar. He's the enemy. Once you start naming it, you start feeling for it. Dissociation makes life easier so I suggest that you never use his name again."

"O-okay," Koori whispered, feeling a little hurt by her Master's words.

Zhao turned and started walking away. But before leaving the room, he said, "Keep doing whatever you're doing. I'll come back after a while and we can spar and see what you've learned."

The slave nodded vigorously and Zhao left to reexamine the painted airbending movements in the hallway.

Facing the spinning gates once more, the slave rushed into the device. Promptly, she was spit back out.

After a few days at the Air Temple, Koori slept peacefully, exhausted from her training and her intense spars with her Master, when suddenly, a spasm of pain shot up her leg and she tore herself away from her sleeping captor. She stretched out the cramping limb and hastily dressed.

She had spent the entirety of the past few days getting punched and beaten by the spinning gates. So today, instead of going to the cavern with the rotating torture device, Koori walked out onto the giant platform with the pool of water and the crumbling pillars. She sat on the pool's edge, skimming her fingers across the smooth surface as she stared across the canyon.

On the edge of the cliff, nestled into a variety of green rocks, was a peach tree that jutted from the wall at an unusual angle. Smiling at the sight of her favorite fruit, she stood and grabbed a low-hanging branch where a few peaches dangled. Delicately, she grasped the orangey-red fruit and then released the branch. While biting into the sweet flesh, she walked back into the dark hallway until she reached the cavern.

Once more, she eyed the device while she ate. And when she was finished with her fruit, she stared at a small leaf which was dangling from the stem and seed. She picked the green growth from the stem and released it into the breeze.

Golden eyes watched the leaf enter the spinning gates. It weaved through the training device in intricate, beautiful circles until it reached the other side, unscathed.

Holding her breath, Koori dropped the peach pit and planted her feet before the gates. Slowly and hesitantly, she adjusted her stance and stood deftly on the balls of her feet. Standing like this felt very foreign—very un-firebender—but it felt right.

A breeze swept through the air, spinning the gates into a frenzied, circular movement. Mimicking the motions of the leaf, Koori spun past the first, second, and third gate. She paused between the third and fourth gates, weaving her body between the two. For the past few days, the fourth, fifth, and sixth gates used to spit her onto the floor where she started, but this time, she moved around the three evil gates. Her movements were swift, focused, and centered, but filled with freedom. And while eyeing the end of the device, she maneuvered through the final few gates and she exited, unharmed.

Excitement overcame her and she jumped into the air, expelling her joy with a girlish squeal.

After returning her gaze to the spinning doors, Koori smiled and rushed off down the hall in search of her Master.

Finding him proved difficult, however. He wasn't in the dorm, he wasn't on the platform, and he wasn't in the room with the giant statue of Avatar Yangchen. Panicking, Koori ran through each upside-down building until she saw a familiar uniform bobbing through the hall.

"Master!" the slave called. The figure turned, but it wasn't Zhao.

For my guest reviewer: thanks! I'm happy to hear that you've been enjoying the changes. However, I have to admit, writing Zhao is hard. I have to make him cruel because that's how his character is written in the show. But...I can't make him cruel all of the time. I mean, he's been with Koori for thirteen years. That girl has softened him up during her captivity, whether he likes to admit it or not. This is why I think Zhao goes through weird spurts of being an okay dude to an absolute monster within a few seconds.

I hope that you enjoyed the first section of this chapter because I wanted to illustrate how Zhao isn't just a monster to his slave, but to Leo, somebody that he supposedly trusts. And I really hope that you enjoyed learning a little bit more about Zhao's past. In future chapters, I want to allude to his parentage, but I'm not really sure how I want to connect the dots there...at least...not just yet. I'll have to come up with something really good.

As for Koori and her Mary Sue-ness. I have no idea how to stop that. I've given her fears and dislikes as a way to avoid perfection. But in a way, isn't every character perfect in some form? I mean, Mr. Miyagi was BOSS in the Karate Kid. No faults there. So, how comes nobody ever says anything about that? Probably because Pat Morita was just as bad-ass in real life...

Anywho, please review. I'm still eager to hear what you have to say. And for those of you who have read the mini-comics, Relics is coming up in the next chapter. I have a feeling you're going to be very happy with it. So, read up. I'll be posting another update soon.