I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I am also giving you guys a surprise at the end of this chapter. I know that you will all like it!
Koori woke with a scream. She searched her bed for the lotus tile that she had lost during the dream. The spirits had gotten angry when she had reported it missing and she cringed when she realized that it was only a dream. The face-stealing spirit was not after her. She breathed a sigh of relief and Kuro ran into the room. He stared at her.
"Bad dream?" was all he said. Koori nodded. He left the room, rubbing the back of his neck. He returned to his room with a slam of the door, and Koori laid her head onto her pillow. She took in a deep breath and then felt something cold on her shoulder. She looked down with a squint, not really looking and she thought she saw a hand. She looked at her shoulder intently and waited. Nothing happened. She heated up her shoulder and it would not return to its warmth. She thought that it was a spirit, but she could see spirits. What was it?
She pulled her shoulder out of the aurora and covered up her shoulders with her blankets. She closed her eyes and started another dream.
It hurts, she thought, everywhere. Master has only been with me for six years, how am I going to do my daily chores lying in bed ill? Master would probably let me die if he had the chance. I am not that important to him.
The doctor entered his clinic. They were in the confines of Zhao's ship. He was commanding it for the Fire Nation blockade. He had often been transferred from a ship in the blockade to a commanding post in the Earth Kingdom since he was given the Commanding Officer position. The doctor felt her forehead and shook his head.
"You have a really high fever, young lady," the doctor told her. Koori said nothing, as she was trained to do. "You are a firebender, correct?" he asked.
Koori nodded her head and he turned to complete his work. A nurse came in. She had a light red hat with steel-tipped boots. She wore a skirt that went down to her mid thigh and an intricate red and gold top on. Koori stared at her. She was beautiful, and she had not seen many other girls on the ship. The nurse saw Koori's eyes. She looked down on Koori and smiled. "And who do you serve?" she asked.
The doctor finally noticed his nurse. "She's Commander Zhao's. She won't talk. He says that she is very shy around strangers," the doctor said. Koori laid her head back on the pillow, closing her eyes.
"Does she know about her condition?" the nurse asked a few minutes later when they had thought that she was asleep.
"She does not know. Neither does Commander Zhao. I do not think that it would be wise to tell him what we have discovered at this time."
The nurse looked at the doctor. "What if he already knows?" she asked.
"Then, that it even more of a reason not to tell him," the doctor said. He felt her forehead one more time. "Cold as ice," he said.
The nurse felt her forehead. "It is weird to see a firebender with this ability." The doctor nodded. He had never seen anything like this child before. She was hotter than a furnace one second, and then colder than the South Pole the next.
The nurse opened the door and the face in front of her frightened her. "Commander Zhao!" she said, startled. "We were not expecting you until the late afternoon."
"Change of plans," Zhao said. "How is she?" he asked.
"She is doing better than before you brought her here," the doctor said.
Zhao looked at the nurse. "Leave," he told her. She nodded and left the room. Zhao's warm hands felt Koori's forehead. He removed his hands quickly, feeling the cold beneath his fingers. The doctor returned to his desk prepping a bandage for another soldier. "She is colder than the catacombs of the Southern Water Tribe," Zhao remarked.
The doctor continued on his bandage. "I have realized that, Commander Zhao," the doctor said. Zhao smiled.
"What else have you found out about her condition?" Zhao asked.
"Other than the fact that she switches temperatures rapidly, nothing," the doctor said, studying his bandage. Zhao nodded. The doctor looked up, thinking that he said the wrong thing. "She does have a severe case of the flu though."
Zhao looked at Koori and rubbed his hand over the top of her head. She nuzzled deeper into the pillow at his touch and he turned his back to the doctor to smile. He gazed at the soft features on her face. She was still a child and he felt his fingers twitch. He returned to face the doctor and rolled his eyes.
"I will be taking her from here," Zhao said.
The doctor looked at Zhao, astonished. "She needs to be monitored!" the doctor said. Zhao put up his hand.
"I understand. But she also requires a comfortable place that she recognizes to overcome her illness quicker," Zhao retorted.
The doctor nodded and then pulled a container out of his desk. "If you would like the job, give her one of these every four hours," the doctor informed. Zhao held up the bottle and analyzed it. He nodded and grabbed Koori at her neck and behind the knee. He picked her off of the bed and she changed her position to suit her new sleeping arrangement. Zhao nudged his head to the door and the doctor opened it. The doctor followed Zhao down the hall and to his quarters. The doctor opened the next door and Zhao walked in. The door shut and Zhao continued to walk to his bed. He laid his slave down on the sheets and sat down beside her. He grabbed her hand and held it. She was still colder than ice and at once, her body temperature shifted. He could feel her hand warming and she opened her eyes.
"Master?" she questioned. Zhao frowned at the loss of energy in her voice.
"Shush, Koori," Zhao whispered, smiling. "You're back where you belong." Koori closed her eyes at the soothing sound of his voice and smiled weakly. Zhao stood from the bed, knelt down to her level and kissed her forehead. He left the room after he turned out the light.
Koori woke up with the feeling that she had just been kissed on the forehead. She felt her brow and laughed at herself. Her dreams were starting to feel more real. She cringed when she got out of bed. The chill of the air brought her to her senses and she took off her nightshirt, pulling on a new shirt to wear for the day. When she finished putting on her clothes, she looked into the mirror and felt something cold swoop over her body. She shivered and then left her room, closing the door tightly.
She sat down in the window of the kitchen and looked to the sun. It was rising slowly and she breathed in, letting the warmth of the sun heat her. Kuro walked up to the window behind her. "It's beautiful, is it not?" he asked.
Koori looked out. "It brings back memories," Koori said without thinking.
Kuro looked interested. "Of what?" he asked.
Koori turned around and stared at her brother. "The memories do not matter."
Koori was not telling her brother the truth. She had been thinking of Zhao's soft touches in the morning and the warmth of his body against her skin. Koori pushed her gaze to Yumi. She had walked into the kitchen to prepare her tea and she clutched her stomach.
"The baby kicks regularly now," she said, informing them about the pain lining her face. Both individuals nodded and Koori grabbed the teapot. She put some water into it and lit the stovetop without using the spark rocks. Kuro grabbed her hand.
"You know that you cannot do that outside of this house, correct?" he asked. Koori nodded. "If they caught you, you will die."
Yes, die.
Koori turned around to the voice and saw nothing. She gulped and Kuro finished helping his wife.
Die.
The voice was clear and Koori continued her search. What was it? She forgot her search and closed her eyes, smelling the rancid tea. Yumi smiled at Koori. "Would you like to come to the teashop with me today?" she asked. Koori nodded.
She wanted to ask Zuko for a favor.
Guess who is going to come back slightly? I have realized that he should be included and I shall bring a good argument to the table later in the storyline. I love his character. Guess who it is and you get a cookie!