Conquest: Part 25
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I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender, or any of the names or characters of the show. I merely control them for my own twisted pleasure from this point in my story on.
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"Where is she?" Zuko hissed, knowing that worry was making his voice harsh. He wanted to see Katara, and he thought she'd be here when they arrived. If she was in danger… disappointment mixed with anxiety, making his head pound. He heard his uncle sigh, and when Zuko turned to look at him, the older man was shaking his head.
"I told Rin in my letter that we would be arriving shortly," Iroh paused and looked up and down the empty dock, "but maybe he misunderstood." Zuko growled, but some of his worry melted away. If Iroh was calm, then things were at least okay.
Looking down, he saw Hanae walk off the ship quickly. She hadn't spoken to him or her crew at all that morning, and Zuko could see it was affecting the other men just as much as it was affecting him: they were all shifting nervously, but they followed after her anyway. Zuko, now off the ship as well, narrowed his eyes, seeing Hanae stop far ahead.
Zuko noted that the village looked familiar as he walked down the deserted docks behind the Firebenders. He'd been to so many ports like this one, and maybe they were all jumbling inside his head, but this one looked familiar.
He turned to ask his uncle if the older man remembered anything, and found Iroh staring at one of the closed buildings..
"This looks very familiar," Iroh mumbled under his breath, taking a step towards it. He stood there looking at it for a few more seconds, and Zuko was about to ask him about it when the older man exclaimed, "Oh!" Drawing the attention of half the men around him, he spun to Zuko excitedly. "Lord Zuko, this is that town we visited for All Spirits Day with Lady Katara! You remember?"
Surprised, Zuko took another look around the eerie place, trying to insert all the people and the decorations from that night into this empty area, and as he looked, he too recognized the building his uncle was staring at. It was the small tea shop they'd slipped into to hide from the Fire Nation soldiers that had followed them into town. This place was familiar!
"You're right," Zuko stated, stunned for a second. Then, remembering what had happened directly after their escape, he was filled with affection. He and Katara had been dragged into that contest, and then… Zuko's faced heated just thinking about it, and he gave his uncle a sideways glance, making sure the older man hadn't seen his reaction. Wondering vaguely why that memory still made him blush, he smiled into a hand.
But the happy memory didn't take him out of the now, and the smile didn't last long: he had to find Katara.
Filled with renewed energy from the memory of her love, Zuko once again looked out on the town with vigor, and suddenly, something dawned on him. He looked left to right, noted vacant doorways and closed windows. Narrowing his eyes, he looked further and further down the street. More of the same bareness.
Something was definitely wrong here. This was where Rin lived? It seemed so… empty. There were plenty of buildings but there were no people; where were all those people they'd seen during the festival? The population of this small town could not have dropped that much in four years! If anything, it would have increased due to the town's peaceful image.
"It shouldn't be like this," Zuko whispered to his uncle as he paused, waiting for the armed guards to walk ahead of them and into the heart of the city. "Where are all the people? You don't think that…we're too late?" The idea sent a chill of horror down his spine.
His uncle stopped slowly, the mirth of his discovery melting from his face: it was replaced by a hard look. Zuko stepped back as Hakoda joined the older man from behind them.
"This is very strange," the Water Tribesman muttered, not looking at either of the other men, but, instead, all around them. "The way the admiral spoke of the city, you'd think there'd be people everywhere."
Zuko's uncle nodded restlessly. "You are both right," the old general said slowly, his eyes following Hanae as she went further into the city. "There is something wrong."
Suddenly, the old man rushed forward and Zuko followed after him a split second later, the panic rushing around inside of his body as he put two and two together. There should be people all over in this town, and if there wasn't, that meant something had happened to them. He was so worried about finding Katara that he'd completely forgotten why he was worried! As he ran through the town, Zuko noted with relief that the ground was clean: his fear of a battle seemed far away, now that he knew there was no blood.
But something was still a little off.
They arrived at Hanae's side moments later, and his uncle held out a hand to stop him. Confused, Zuko looked at Iroh, who merely motioned to Hanae. Zuko turned to give his older cousin a closer look and recognized the parting of her feet and the straightness of her head and shoulders as a warning sign.
"Captain," her commander asked from beside her, looking uneasy, "where is everybody?"
Zuko jumped when Hanae did. "Commander," she snapped, "take half the men to search the town and surrounding forest. I want these people found." She spun on him, and Zuko saw the other firebender stiffened under her hard gaze.
For a split second as she turned, Zuko thought he saw a flicker of fear in her eyes, and then it was gone. Suddenly overcome by alarm, he felt his insides run cold. Hanae was afraid? Was that even possible?
"Frighten no one," his cousin continued, her voice firm. "This town is peaceful: I'd rather not ruin it if it hasn't been already."
The commander saluted quickly and rushed off, but Zuko didn't follow him with his eyes. His attention was on Hanae: she seemed so strained.
Then his uncle took a step forward, and said his cousin's name quietly. Zuko watched her, knowing something was wrong almost immediately after her name had been said. Then, Zuko could only stare in shock when Hanae bolted. What was she doing? Her sudden rush had him and her remaining men going after her a split second later.
"Halt!" came Iroh's deep voice and the men stopped, staring back at him. "The Admiral gave you no orders to follow. You men stay here. Zuko," the old general called turning to face him, "Go after your cousin."
"But—" Zuko started, confused. Hadn't he just said to stay?
Iroh took a step forward and sad softly, "Go after her: I will not be able to catch up with her now." He put a hand on Zuko's shoulder and smiled at him sadly. "Just make sure she doesn't do anything stupid," he whispered.
The look in his eyes had Zuko believing his words, even though Hanae doing something stupid was the silliest idea he'd ever heard. He knew there was always logic to Hanae's actions, but he also knew that Iroh understood her a lot better. Zuko nodded and rushed after Hanae's retreating form.
She had long legs and a head start, but he caught up to her a few yards past the border of the buildings and partially into the forest. Hanae was running with her head down and barely dodging past the trees she came in contact with. He realized then why his uncle had sent him out after her: there was something just as wrong with Hanae as there was with the town.
Coming up on her, Zuko captured her arm with a hand, stopping her and spinning her around to face him. In any other situation he would have balked at the idea of reaching out and grabbing Hanae, but now wasn't the time to be afraid of the repercussions. Iroh was worried, Hanae was scared; something was wrong with everything; his cousin's reactions toward him weren't so important anymore.
The thought had barely registered when her fist flew out and her knuckles flew passed his eyes.
"Hanae!" he yelped in reflex. He'd been half-expecting that, but he still wasn't sure if she'd done it on purpose or accident. He grabbed her shoulder with his free hand, and held in her place. His cousin quickly freed herself, and pushed him, hard. He fell back into the dirt on his butt, stunned. Staring up at her as she glared down at him, he didn't move.
"Don't touch me, Zuko," Hanae growled in warning, her emotions all over her face. Her angry eyes bore into his, and he recognized his own panicked worry reflected in them. He sat up slowly as she stood there, panting heavily.
Suddenly, it wasn't about asking for Iroh anymore. "Are you alright?" he inquired cautiously from the ground, and Hanae all but snapped her teeth at him.
"You ask me that again and I will kick your ass," she snarled. He couldn't help but think, Well, at least I know she's okay, before anger replaced worry for her. He'd be damned to just let her get away with pushing him down like a child.
"And if you don't answer the damn question, Hanae, I'll kick yours!" he yelled back; temper didn't allow him to stop the words from flying out of his mouth even thought he knew that had been stupid. It took her a second, but she did move: she took two big steps towards him and hefted him up by the front of his armor roughly, forcing him to his feet.
"What?" she asked, her eyes flashing dangerously, her nose not two centimeters from his.
Zuko chose to ignore her obvious threat and, instead, took the offensive. "You heard what I said, Hanae," he told her, pulling away from her-- surprised when she let him go. "I asked you a question, sincerely concerned, and I expect it to be answered."
He stared at her and watched as her eyes turned hard. "You're my cousin!" he exclaimed when she didn't answer, and then shook his head vigorously. "No, you're my sister, and there's something wrong." She looked away and he made a frustrated sound deep in his throat. "Are you going to tell me what it is?" he asked angrily.
She looked straight at him when she said, "No," and her eyes were blank.
There were no openings in her shields now, Zuko told himself. You'll have to fight your way through. And he would, because now that he knew something was wrong, he was going to help, no matter what Hanae wanted.
"My personal life in none of your business, Zuko," Hanae continued when he merely glared back. She wasn't right, Zuko thought sadly, but until she realized that it was his place to worry, there'd be no changing her mind. She was as bad as Katara! Zuko could only watch as she started to talk away again, and then something hit him.
She'd used his first name without the title. She'd done it twice, and for the first time in his life, it gave their conversation a different feel than anything they'd discussed before. Maybe if he did the opposite…
Zuko wasn't finished yet, and he was sick of slamming his head repeatedly into a wall that he wasn't allowed to break. He watched her and made a decision: if she was going to shut a door in his face, he'd just have to go around it.
"Admiral Hanae," Zuko stated, and tensed as she stopped dead in her tracks. She turned to face him slowly, and not even her mastery of self-control could mask the shock in her eyes, and Zuko couldn't blame her.
Never, not even once in their many years of knowing each other, had he ever pulled rank on Hanae. He'd never had to; he'd never found anything this important to argue with her about. Hanae had always been a rock of self control, something Firebenders rarely were, and a wonderful tactician. Her mastery of their element was legendary, and her mind was sharp; he'd been her opponent more than enough times to know both. He trusted her with her own life.
But this was different. She'd been scared when she'd run from town, and now she was defensive in her actions. She'd been acting so strange the pass few days, and he knew it had something to do with their arrival here. As one of the three most important people in his life, Zuko refused to back down where she was concerned.
Hanae straightened and turned towards him fully, her glasses lowered in the sunlight and hid her eyes. "Yes, my Lord?" she answered, barely suppressing her angry tone and bowing slightly at the waist.
Zuko knew it was treading into dangerous waters, but he continued anyway. "Your personal life is none of the Fire Lord's business," he agreed, and Hanae raised her head to look at him. "Therefore, it means nothing to me that you ran off and left both your father and brother with not a word of explanation," he snipped, barely suppressing his anger.
"However, when these personal problems of yours affect the way in which you serve me, it becomes a problem I have to deal with." He knew that was half a lie, but this was the only way she would listen to him. Her eyes were lank when he continued again. "Leaving your men without orders and running off by yourself without knowledge of wither or not there are enemies is both irresponsible and dangerous."
Zuko paused, hoping desperately that he'd done nothing permanent to their relationship. "Do I make myself clear, Admiral?"
"Perfectly, my Lord." She bowed again and he sighed.
"Hanae," Zuko started gently, and she held up hand to silence him.
"Shut up," she said harshly, not looking at him and began to turn away.
Anger once again took hold of him, and he rushed at her. "No, I will not--"
Abruptly, she jumped at him, warping her hand around his mouth and pushing hard. "I said, be quiet!" she snapped, glaring at him for a split second before turning away, as if looking for something.
Suddenly understanding, Zuko stopped struggling. "What is it?" he asked through her hand and she furrowed her eyebrows.
"Do you hear that?" she asked quietly, releasing him none to gently and walking slowly to their right, away from the city.
"Hear what?" Zuko asked, and stood, listening for anything out of the ordinary.
"Music," she said, and once again bolted.
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Hanae ran in the direction of the music, hope alight in her mind; she refused to think the small quiver of emotion came from her heart.
Lord Zuko followed after her quickly, and she was glad to see his earlier anger took a backseat to their current problem. His concern for her was a pleasant surprise, but its arrival had been unfortunate. Right now, there was only one thing that could make her feel any better.
Hanae ran through the forest, stopping every once in a awhile to check her ears, and then continue. They ran on through the tree for maybe three minutes before the music was so loud she knew it hadn't been her imagination. She broke though the underbrush and straight into a clearing so large it took her completely by surprise.
What was in the clearing, however, made her halt in disbelief.
The large space was full of afternoon sunlight and laughter, for the people of Lodomi had filled it with games, food and dancing. Zuko came to a halt beside her, and she glanced over at him: the look of shock on his face told her what she was seeing was real.
Taking another look back at the people who were completely oblivious to her and her lord's presence, she took a deep breath and slipped silently back into the tree line, hiding herself and Zuko from anyone who could look.
Just a festival, she told herself, and an Earth Kingdom one. If it had been a Fire Nation celebration there would have been fires everywhere, and she would have come into the damn town knowing there'd been one going on and wouldn't have panic like a newly enlisted gunner!
"A festival?" Zuko's confused voice whispered from beside her, and Hanae nodded slowly.
"It seems so," she answered softly. She still felt that small tug of fear and, looking out into the crowd, she tried to pick out Rin's face. It was futile, though, because most of the townspeople were wearing masks, and many more were running about. A hundred yards from where she and Zuko stood, past the tables holding a massive amount of food, was a makeshift dance floor that held a large group of dancing couples. Beside it was the band that played the cheerful tune she'd heard in the forest.
"There was no mention of it in town," her cousin stated, and she sighed.
"Most likely the whole town is here," she said, and rubbed her aching forehead slowly. "Also, this place is very private: they probably didn't think anyone would show up at the docks today." But that didn't mean Rin hadn't been expecting them. He should have at least sent a message to warn them about this!
"Katara!" Zuko took a running step from beside her and she grabbed him hard, hauling him back into the trees. She couldn't just let him rush out into that bodyguard's nightmare. With all those people, all wearing masks, there was no why she could see a threat before it arrived. She may be worried about Rin, but she'd rather keep Zuko safe then have to save him too.
"Where?" she asked hurriedly, and Zuko pointed toward the dance floor.
"She's dancing with that guy in the orange mask, towards the middle."
Hanae looked hard, her eyes straining through her glasses until she thought she saw Katara's darker skin tone amongst the dancers. "In the purple mask?" she asked.
"Yes," he growled, glaring at her. Hanae understood why he was angry-- she was holding him back from his lover when the girl was this close-- but she didn't know if this was safe. Just because the townspeople were okay didn't mean the bastard after Katara wasn't hiding in there somewhere, waiting for Zuko to arrive.
Zuko growled again quietly. "Who is that, anyway?"
Hanae sighed, realizing that if he was okay enough to be jealous then he was okay enough for her to let go of him. "Stay here," she told him and half-turned back towards the forest. "I'm going to go get my men." She'd find them and tell them to wait in town, preferably on the ship until the festival was over. She just couldn't think of a way to let the people know they were there without scaring them.
"Hanae…" Zuko voice called from beside her, and she turned to see him take a step into the sunlight. "I think they've spotted us."
Hanae rushed to his side, and looked to see Katara's dancing partner point her in their direction. As Katara turned toward them she was laughing as if the man had told a joke, and then paused when she faced them. She lifted her mask, staring at them for a full minute before taking a hesitant step in their direction.
The girl said something, and her companion responded. He lifted his mask as well and Hanae sucked in a breath.
Rin smiled at her from beneath the orange fabric, and bowed slightly at the waist. The assassin stood and looked right at her, and Hanae immediately felt the panicked worry leave her body in a painfully slow release, only to have the feeling be replaced by a sudden longing that she really didn't understand. Rin was alive and safe, so why did it feel like there was something missing?
Hanae turned away quickly, refusing to look into that emotion any further, and came face to face with her father.
She took a surprised step back, then getting a hold of herself, straighten and stared hard at him. "General Iroh," she said respectfully. "It seems the Fire Lord and I have found the townspeople." She motioned behind her and her father walked passed to look at the gathering of people.
"They seem relativity unharmed," he said, the relief in his voice was tangible.
"It would appear so." Hanae coughed, and Zuko moved restlessly from beside her. At least the boy trusted her enough to not move when she's told him not to. "Also, we've found the Lady Katara…" When Iroh gave her a knowing look, Hanae continued quietly, "… And her bodyguard."
Iroh smiled up at her and took a step backwards, a mischievous look on his face. Confused, Hanae turned to just in time to see Katara lunch herself into Zuko awaiting arms.
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Rin spun her around expertly as the music surrounded them. Katara smiled up at him through her mask and laughed as he stuck out his tongue. Rin had asked her to dance only five minutes ago, after dancing with both Kirin and his sister for most of the night. She'd been busy with many of the other men from town, all of whom were good dancers, but Katara found to her delight that Rin definitely knew how to handle a beginner like her.
Things between them had been much better the last week or so, and Katara never wanted for anything. If she became lonely, Rin would be there, or Akemi would appear. She was never bored; there was always something to do around the house, and the children demanded constant attention.
Katara liked it here, immensely, but… the more she was here, the more she missed home and the more she wished Zuko could be here to share it with her.
Suddenly, Rin winced at the same time she felt his foot beneath hers. "Oh, Rin," she cried, stopping and grabbing an arm to help him stand. "I'm so sorry!"
He laughed and rubbed his foot with a hand. "No, no: I understand. You're new, I can't get mad for at least another two foot treads." He looked up at her, his eyes gleaming with humor. Suddenly, he looked very serious. "But after that, I get to dunk you in the river."
Taken aback by the sudden change in voice, she stared at him. "Really?" she asked, worried. She didn't want to step on him again, but being dunked in the river because of it?
"Yep, it's tradition." He smiled brightly.
"You're lying," she said, only half sure of herself.
"Yeah," he said, "I am." He laughed when she glared at him. He didn't stop laughing until she joined him. "Oh look!" he said suddenly, and she looked at him through her laughter. "I think someone is here to see you," he pointed out toward the side of the dance floor, and she turned, expecting to see Little Rin or his sister waiting for her at the edge.
But when she turned, a flash of red caught her eye at the edge of the clearing and she focused her eyes on it. She lifted her mask, just to get a better look.
Shock filled her and warmth spread all over her body: she would recognize that person anywhere. "Zuko?" she said quietly, not willing to believe her eyes. She took a step forward, but paused.
"And company," she heard Rin whisper from beside her, but his voice was a little strange.
Katara ignored him for the moment, focusing all of her thoughts of the man she'd been waiting forever to see again. Suddenly, happiness welled up inside of her until she couldn't contain it anymore. She rushed off of dance floor at a dead run, not caring that she'd been dancing non-stop for such a long time.
He was so close, and she didn't know what she'd do when she got to him, but she needed to hold him. By the time she got out of the crowd, her side hurt, but she continued running at him, willing him to see her. She was feet away when he opened his arms to her and she leaped into them.
The next thing she knew he was beneath her on the ground, and she was looking down into his joyful amber eyes.
"Hi," he said softly, lifting his head to kiss her tenderly on the mouth. "Found you."
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This is where my Author's notes go. Enjoy!
OMG! This chapter gave me SO much trouble! I must have rewritten it like four times!
Anyway, more Rinae and Zutara next chpater. I hope you like it!