xXx Chapter 21 xXx

xXx The Dagger xXx

Even though her heart wasn't in it, she gave him a fixed glare, "Actually, there is something I want to talk about."

He raised an eyebrow, slightly interested, "What would that be?" he had a feeling that the conversation was about to swerve away from his goal.

She made a sweeping gesture to the room, "Where did you get this?"

He knew what she was referring to, but decided to ignore it, "Well, a week or so ago, a girl wandered into my cell and unwittingly left the key-"

A furious red tinted her cheeks as she cut him off, "I meant the submarine!"

He crossed his arms in annoyance, "That is my secrete."

"One of many, I'm sure."

He gave a taut smirk, "Yes, one of the many that you will never know."

Her face flared further, "This is one of the submarines that we used on The Day of Black Sun, where did you get it?"

"If I recall correctly, that attack was a failure, and you left the submarines behind."

She felt a tinge of frustration, "After the war ended, Zuko gave the ships back to its creator. So how did you get this one?"

"I don't see how it matters."

"I say it does matter."

He decided that he wasn't going to encourage a headache over this, "One of my men, Jin, acquired it."

Her surprise was overtly evident, "Acquired… by what means?"

He took a step closer as he studied her suddenly rigid body language, "Not friendly, I assure you."

Silence spread across the room, the only sound coming from the gentle creaks of the ship as it moved in the seawater. The too and fro motion of the submarine became rhythmic and maddening as the reticently between the two took control of the situation. Surely, this was just another lie, but why would he lie about this? Unless he knew that Jin had had contact with her. There were way too many possible situations for her count, and attempting to do so only made her head spin. She needed time to sort out her thoughts and to then to find Jin. Ozai needed to leave.

She tried to keep her newfound wariness at bay, "I asked you to leave."

His stare continued to burn her, "Yes… I heard you the first time."

She frowned when he made no move to leave, "And yet you're still here," she shook her head, "will you just leave, please?"

With calm indifference he said, "I think not."

"I don't want you here, just get out." she didn't scream, but it seemed that way in the small room.

He took a step toward her, "It's my ship, so I'll go where ever I please," his grin spread, "and I want to be here."

She averted her eyes and muttered, "This isn't your ship, and I want you to leave."

His eyes narrowed threateningly at her words, but he quickly recomposed himself, "what you want…" an indescribable glint shinned in his eyes as he spoke slowly, "tell me, Katara, when do you think someone else's desires have ever been of any importance to me?"

That caught her off guard, because it was a completely valid point, and it caused her to stumble over her words as she looked back up to him, "I.. t-that not the…"

Her response, which was going nowhere, was cut short when he pushed her back against the wall behind her; his eyes never left hers, "If you think I care what you want, then you're not as smart as I thought you to be. Unless," he leaned closer, " you have become too… comfortable with me."

She could feel the blood rushing to her face, but she didn't move, "Don't flatter yourself." she said through gritted teeth.

"So, you're saying that you're not smart?"

She immediately responded with a loud, "No!"

He raised an eyebrow, "Then you are comfortable with me?"

"No!"

"It's either one or the other, Katara."

She squirmed, but his hand was placed heavily against her shoulder, "No, it's not." she hoped that he couldn't hear the doubt in her voice.

He let his lips hover above hers, "Then why don't you tell me what it is."

A little bit of confidence came back to her as she saw a chance to use his own words against him, "My reason doesn't matter, remember? Since my desires don't mean anything, then neither do my opinions. Right?"

The grip on her shoulder tightened painfully, but it went away just as quickly, "It matters when I demand an answer."

Once again, silence stretched across the room.

xXx Jin xXx

An old, cracked painting of a woman and a child stared up at Jin from the withered parchment, which was held lightly in his hands. The woman, Chi, was his wife. The stare painted-Chi gave him was cold yet beautiful, like a cloud hidden sun. He wished that it was only the quality of the painting. But it wasn't. His wife, despite living in the Fire Nation all of her life, did not approve of the actions of the Fire Lords. She was against the war, and he was part of the army. Of course, she had hidden the truth from him, for fear of her own life.

However, he had eventually discovered her true feelings. One night, in her hast to comfort their crying child, she had left her journal open. By accident, in passing by, he glimpsed at the words. Since he thought Chi had nothing to hide from him, he saw no harm in reading her thoughts on the day. With a heart-wrenching discovery, he realized that he had been wrong. Thoughts like those, the ones Chi was having, were not allowed in the Fire Nation.

Out of love, he did not turn her in, but their relationship suffered. Chi became fearful and distant. The child in painting, Ren, saw how her mother kept her distance, and did the same, even though she didn't know why. Perhaps it was a mistake on his part; he never let Chi know how much her actions were hurting him. Even after the war, things didn't get better; the damage was done. The paranoia wouldn't go away. Not to mention the fact that he had imprisoned shortly after the war's end.

"Here you go, Jin."

Two metal trays were dropped down in front of him, so he quickly put the picture away and took up the trays of gray food. He muttered his thanks to the cook and walked out of the small eating area. His let his thoughts roam freely again as his solitary footsteps echoed down the cramped hallway. Being here, trying to stop Ozai, was a way of making up for his past mistakes. And even though he knew it was unlikely, he hoped that he would be reunited with his family after this was over.

He cast his wistful thoughts aside when he reached the door to Katara's room. While balancing a tray on his forearm, he knocked on the door and pushed it open when no response came. His eyes feel on Ozai's back, which he was surprised to see, and even more surprised to see that there was no Katara. As Ozai shifted to glare at him, a red-faced Katara was revealed. He glanced between the two of them nervously.

Ozai pushed himself away from the blushing girl, "Jin, what are you doing here?"

He flinched but quickly stood at attention, "I was bringing the girl food, my Lord."

Ozai gave him one last fixed glare, "Very well."

As Ozai left the room, he heard the sigh of relief that came from Katara, and he gave her a worried look, "Are you alright?"

When her eyes met his, they were clod and hard, like the eyes of his wife, "I'm fine."

He moved closer as she slumped down into a chair, "What was he-"

She cut him off, desperate to change the subject, "Where did this ship come from?"

He didn't want to let his question drop, but he knew what point she was making, "Why do you ask?"

She looked him directly in the eye, "Ozai said that you got this ship."

With a sigh, he dragged a chair towards him and sat down in front of her, "Yes, I did." he ran a hand through his hair in a nervous manner.

""How did you get it? I know the man who made these ships, and I doubt he would have given one of them to an ex-Fire Nation soldier."

He placed his elbows on his knees and stared down at the floor, "No, he didn't."

"What did you do?" she whispered hoarsely.

He quickly looked up, "I didn't hurt the old man, or his kid, I just took it as quietly as I could. I didn't want to, but you have to understand, if someone else had been sent… those two would have been killed."

The conversation between them died as she looked away from him. He wanted to explain more to her, to make her trust him, but he couldn't let his earlier worries go, "Katara, whatever game that man is playing, you can't let him win."

Without looking at him, she answered, "I know."

He didn't want to push it, since it was making her uncomfortable, but he couldn't let her deal with Ozai alone, "You do know it's just a game, right?"

Her blue eyes snapped up to his, "Of course I know."

"Are you sure? You seem confused and… affected by what he's doing. Just now, and on the beach."

A blush covered her cheeks again, "He isn't getting to me."

He put his hands up in defense, "I'm not trying to upset you, I'm just trying to help. Look, you're still so young, I don't think it can be easy for you to deal with what he's putting you through.

She averted her gaze again, "It's been worse than this, hasn't it?"

She wrapped her arms around herself, "It's nothing I can't handle."

There was a moment of silence, "If you're dealing with it by ignoring it, then you're not doing much.

She didn't reply, "Katara, let me help you."

"I don't need help because he's not getting to me," she rose from her chair, "please leave. I want to go to sleep."

With some hesitation, he rose and grabbed up his tray of food, "Alright, but eat before you do… good night."

Even though he knew he should do more to help, he respected her wishes and left the room with a heavy heart.

xXx Katara xXx

The tears swelled in her eyes as the door closed behind Jin. He was trying to help and she had pushed him away. She slumped down onto her bed. Ozai was not getting to her. She didn't help with dealing with him. Did she? No, certainly not. She wasn't stupid, she knew Ozai wasn't sincere. Regardless, the tears rolled down her flushed cheeks. Sniffing, she tried to send them away. This couldn't go on much longer, Aang would find her soon. She knew he would. She closed her eyes, hopping that would stop the tears, but instead, she was pulled into a deep sleep with the tears still trickling from her eyes.

xXx Dream xXx

"Just a little longer, child."

The darkness swirled around her like steam, lightly caressing her cold skin. She shivered and searched for the Lion Turtle, but could see nothing. Even though she didn't open her mouth, her voice echoed eerily in the vast emptiness, "Where are you?"

"Fear not, young one. You need not see me, but I am here."

Her voice rang out again, "Why have you come to me again?"

"You are troubled. I am here to tell you that you need only hold on a little longer."

"I don't know if I can." this time, her voice bounced softly about her.

"You must, the fate of the world depends upon your resolve."

"But I-"

A new, but still mystical voice, tried to cut her off, "Waterbender…" the voice was far off, but strong.

She gasped, and looked around blindly once again, "What…?"

The old voice immediately interjected, "Ignore it, young one, do not listen."

"What was it?" she strained her ears to hear it again.

"One that would deceive you."

"Don't listen-"

The world around her began to fade, "Remember what I have said, just a little longer."

The dream faded, as did both of the voices.

xXx End Dream xXx

xXx The Lion Turtle xXx

His attempt to reach the Waterbender had failed. His counterpart had prevented him from entering her dream. Somehow, he was always prevented. He could not reach the girl, or the Avatar. Somehow, his counterpart was getting stronger, even though the world's balance was in the Lion Turtle's favor. If he could not reach the girl, or the Avatar, in time, then a catastrophic battle would ensue between himself and his counterpart.

He had to keep trying, or all could be lost.

xXx The Next Day xXx

xXx Katara xXx

As her blurry eyes blinked away the sleep, a soft pounding drummed through her ears. She rubbed at her eyes as she dragged herself up, and the pounding came again, this time louder and quicker. Lazily, she looked over at the metal door, which shook in its frame as someone tried to force it open. Without saying anything, she dragged herself over to the quaking door and unlocked it. The door swung open, but she had purposely stood far enough back to avoid being hit. As she expected, Ozai stood on the threshold, with his cloak on and hood up.

He grabbed the cloak and bag that hung from the coat rack and shoved them into Katara's still-numb-from-sleep hands, "Come, it's time to go." he turned away from her and proceeded down the narrow hallway.

As she walked, she fumbled with her cloak and bag until everything was situated to her liking. Once that was no longer her primary task, she noticed that they were nearing the porthole that lead to the surface. Trying not to act concerned, she looked around for Jin, but saw no sign of him. He said they were going to the Fire Nation, but they shouldn't be there if that was the case. This must be one of the other stops he had mentioned. Regardless of their destination, she kept an eye out for him, but by the time they reached the ladder, she had still not seen him.

As the hatch was opened by an unknown man, the smell of ocean water and flowers fluttered into the metal ship. Ozai ascended the ladder first, so she glared down the dim hallway in search of Jin, but to no avail. She would have continued to wait if the unknown man had not told to go up the ladder. As she did so, she gave one last glance down the hallway, but the outcome was the same. When she stepped out into the blinding sun, the hatch was closed behind her.

"Down there, Waterbender." off to her side, a man stood, with a finger pointed down the side of the ship.

When she peered over the side, she saw Ozai and another man sitting in a boat. For a moment she thought the other man was Jin, but it was not. With a sunken heart, she gripped the ladder at the side of the ship and made her way down to the small boat. She stumbled as she landed down but managed to recover before falling over the side of the boat.

Once she was seated, the man, who had a brown goatee, started rowing the boat. Without much effort on her part, she found their destination; an island directly in front of them. After a few minutes of silence, the boat finally made its crunching contact with the sandy shore of the island. Ozai abandoned the boat, and without being told to do so, she followed him. When she looked for Goatee-Man, she found that he was already rowing away from them.

She turned to Ozai, who was facing the forest line, "No one's coming with us?" she was unable to hide the surprise and unhappiness in her voice.

Her turned and gave her a spectacle look, "Why does it matter? We haven't had another person traveling with us for a few days now."

She shifted from side to side in the grainy sand, "I just thought that you would bring another soldier along."

He cast his gaze back to the forest, "This is an uninhabited island. There's nowhere here you can wander off to."

She looked out to the ocean; the Earth Kingdom was barely visible in the horizon, "What are we doing here?" she got his typical answer: silence and the sound of him walking away. Reluctantly, she paced him, trying to keep a reasonable distance between them.

After what seemed like an hour of trekking through the dying foliage of the woods, something made them both stop in their tracks. The chanting, like she had heard in her dreams, sounded through the chirping and scampering of the forest animals. Silently, and cautiously, Ozai moved forward. Just as silently, she followed, even though she felt like screaming for joy. Could the Lion Turtle really be somewhere near? Was it going to take Ozai's powers away again? She bit her lip in order to keep her excitement in cheek.

However, her excitement seemed to die away on its own, and after a few more moments, she began to tire. Wordlessly, she watched as Ozai moved farther and farther away from her, for she was moving slower. Even though she had woken only an hour or two ago, sleepiness washed over her. She slumped from tree to tree, and noticed that Ozai's pace was slowing as well. The chanting came in a slower, even more rhythmic melody. With each beat, she slowed more and more. As the tunes started to echo around her, she found herself falling to the forest ground, the leaves crunching loudly under the weight of her body.

A calming, yet terrifying darkness surrounded her, and the island around her disappeared from view.

xXx Later xXx

Just as the chanting had put her to sleep, it woke her up. An orange and red sky, boarded by green leaves came into view. She groaned and rolled to her side, and pushed herself up from the green ground. As she rubbed her head, she heard a groan that belonged to Ozai's voice. She looked off to the side, some distance away, and saw Ozai waking up in the same manner. She looked away from him and took in her surroundings; they were still on the island. At least, that was her first impression.

She ran her hand through the green grass below her, and when her hand pulled away, so did a clump of the grass. Out of curiosity, she placed her hand back on the bare surface of the ground. With a jolt, she jerked her hand away once she realized what it was. She remembered from Aang's description. She stared down at the dirt, which wasn't dirt. They must have left the island they were on to begin with. The Lion Turtle. Her heart lifted.

"Katara?"

She turned to see that Ozai was standing, and running a hand through his disheveled hair, "What?"

He gave her an annoyed glare, "What happened?"

She spun on her heals and let her eyes wander over the scenery, "How should I know? You wouldn't even tell me where we were."

Before he could respond, a familiar voice echoed through the woods, "You have come."

Ozai looked around in alarm, ready to fight if it was necessary, but Katara remained calm, "Come for what?"

"Be quiet, Katara."

Her aggravation was never voiced, "Follow the trail…" the voice faded away, and a trail of dully glowing dust lined the side of the island's incline.

She waited impatiently for Ozai to move, knowing that if she followed the trail before him, he would never follow. After a few more moments, he finally did move, and started to moved up the steep hill. She kept close to him, wanting to at least see the top of the island at the same time he did.

As she moved, the air around her became colder, and her hope and calm seemed to be melting away. A sense of foreboding came when their surroundings started to change. To morph. On all sides, the tress started to die. Their bark darkened and cracked; the leaves turned brown and fell from the branches. They landed on the ground, which was now muddy and unwelcoming. The light from above dimmed into a faint glow until it was only as bright as the trail they were following.

Something wasn't right.

With a thick voice, she whispered, "Ozai, what's going on?"

They reached the top of the island, where the shell of the Turtle would be seen if it wasn't so dark. Or course, she was starting to think that this was not the Lion Turtle. Ozai stopped, but he leaned forward, squinting at something. She followed his gaze and saw a tiny boulder, on which sat something that shinned dully. Out of the corned of her eye, she saw Ozai stretch out a hand. It was almost fully extended when something zapped the tip of his fingers. He jerked his hand back and glared at it; thin trails of smoke came from his burnt fingers. She had been curious about the item, but not so much now.

"Only one may collect the dagger."

She was confused, since Ozai had tried to go forward without her, "Only one? What does that mean?"

A dead wind blew, and pushed her closer than Ozai had gotten, "Only one."

She remained still, wishing to go no further, but Ozai called out to her, "Pick it up, Katara."

She shook her head, "I don't think I…"

The voice spoke again, inside her head, "Trust me, take hold of the dagger."

She let her thoughts respond to the voice, "But, everything seems so wrong. Everything seems dead. This isn't the Lion Turtle Aang described to me."

The voice had a response ready to go, "We must trick the Fire Lord, he must think this is a place of darkness."

She swallowed hard and cautiously moved forward, not entirely certain of her decision. A moment ago, she thought this thing wasn't the Lion Turtle. As she continued forward, she debated about the Lion Turtle's identity. What other being, besides the Lion Turtle, could do this? More importantly, it wasn't letting Ozai letting near the so-called dagger. It must be something for her. Maybe something that could beat Ozai.

With that belief, she closed her fingers around the hilt of the dagger. It shinned dully for a few seconds, and then she could see it clearly. The crystal dagger was light in her hand, and it seemed to vibrate with power. As the energy moved through her body, an unpleasant thought came to her.

Was this what Ozai was after?

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