DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NICKELODEON'S AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER OR ITS CHARACTERS. I just hope all my chakras are open!
How had it gone so wrong? How had she let it get so out of her control?
Lan looked behind her in the dim light of the street lantern, and, although she saw no one, she could hear their shouts and the thundering of their running feet.
She darted into an alley on the left, between two squalid, low buildings that smelled of rotting vegetables, and prayed that it was not a dead-end.
Her prayers were answered; only a rickety fence barred her way – feeble enough that a shoulder against it splintered it and allowed her to squeeze through.
She found herself in an empty lot; the shell of a burned-out building lay in front of her, and she began picking her way over collapsed walls to reach the other side. She thought she heard voices again, closer this time, and she quickened her step.
The port was in the direction she was heading – she was sure of it. She would be safe there. Safe on Zuko's ship...
If she could only reach it before her pursuers caught up to her.
Earlier That Day...
I've never been here before." Lan stood next to Zuko on the bridge as the ship entered the harbor of Changsuo Shui. The city, which was on the southern coast of the Earth Kingdom, was the closest Fire Nation port to Whale Tail Island.
It was here that Zuko had chosen to stop to send a message to Tao Xing.
"Me neither, although I don't know why. It is fairly close to the Southern Air Temple, after all." He turned to her.
She smiled. "Well, we're here now."
He gave her a small smile in return, but had to resist the temptation to take her hand. Crewmen were everywhere, readying the ship for arrival – and he did not know when Iroh might pop up to interrupt them.
As if conjured, his uncle came to stand behind Lan Chi. "It has been years since I was in Changsuo Shui. Twenty, I would say, to be exact." He put a hand on Lan Chi's arm. "I came, believe it or not, with your father. It was right before he met your mother, as I recall. He left here to patrol the northern seas. And found her." He smiled kindly.
Lan covered his hand with hers, although there was a lump in her throat that prevented her speaking.
Zuko was again torn by the desire to touch her; instead, he cleared his throat. "I am hoping that they will have some information on the Avatar."
Iroh was jerked back to the present. "Yes. As am I. I wonder," he mused, "who the garrison's commander is." He smiled at Zuko. "Perhaps I know him."
Zuko nodded. "That would be – helpful."
Jee came up and bowed. "Your Highness, we should be tied up within a half hour."
"Than you, Jee. As soon as we are, send a messenger to the garrison to inform them of our arrival." He turned to Iroh. "Uncle, have you prepared the message to be sent to Tao Xing?"
"Ah, well, not quite, Prince Zuko." At Zuko's dark look, he blushed. "I will do so now."
"Please do." He watched as Iroh rolled his eyes and left them.
Lan gave Zuko a sly look. "I could have written the message."
"Let him earn his keep."
She moved closer to him, although not so close that it would garner attention. "And how should I earn my keep?" She murmured.
One side of his mouth lifted, although his eyes remained fixed on the city as it grew nearer. "If you meet me in the hold in five minutes, I can show you."
"Uncle, really?"
"Just one more moment, Nephew. I am certain that it rolled under here."
Iroh's voice came from somewhere near the floor, where he was crouched, his head under the bank of instruments that monitored the vital systems of Zuko's ship.
Zuko folded his arms over his chest, and shot Lan an aggrieved look.
She shrugged. "Shall I help, Uncle?"
"No, no, I am – ah! Found it!" He scooted from under the counter, a pai sho tile in his hand.
"Must you drag your pai sho set along?"
"Prince Zuko," Iroh said patiently as Jee assisted him from the floor, "I have not see Zheng Liu in thirty-five years! Of course we are going to play pai sho." He walked over to the low table, where his pai sho game waited for its final piece. "He was quite a good pai sho player in his day. I wonder if he had kept it up?" He looked hopeful.
"I could not care less if he can juggle the pieces. And you along with them!" Zuko snapped.
Iroh laughed. "That would be quite a feat."
"Can we go now?" Zuko straightened his armor.
"Of course. Lan, would you do the honor?" He extended his game set to Lan.
"Of course, Uncle. I'll carry it like an adored child." She smiled.
Zuko rolled his eyes. "We've already kept the rhinos waiting a quarter of an hour. You know how hard it is to get the animals moving if they have been just standing around for too long."
"Let's go, then." Iroh said, leading the way to the ladder.
Zuko took the pai sho set from Lan, and she tucked her arm through his. "Thank you, Cousin." She smiled at him, hoping that none of the men on the bridge would notice the gesture.
He shrugged. "You shouldn't be his servant."
She descended the ladder first, followed by Zuko.
At the base of the ladder, Iroh waited for her. "Oh, has Zuko the set now? Zuko!" Iroh called up. "Be careful not to tip it to the side."
"I won't." He indicated the door. "Now, please, let's go. I want to talk to the Major General about the Avatar."
His uncle smiled at him. "We'll have dinner, and, over a nice game of pai sho, we'll ask."
"Joy."
The major general's home was only two blocks from the harbor, and it took little time to reach it.
"Oh, does the major general not live in the garrison?" Lan asked with interest.
"Some do not, you know. Changsuo Shui is almost entirely Fire Nation. There was no town here before we settled it. So there was no need for the governor of the town to secure himself within the garrison. Ah, here we are."
After Iroh scrambled from the carriage, Zuko followed and helped Lan Chi to alight, an appreciative gleam in his eyes at a flash of her knee between the edges of her robe.
"Thank you, Zuko."
"No, thank you, Cousin."
She tugged her robe back together, and he shook his head mournfully.
"Iroh! Is that you? Can that really be you?" A delighted voice interrupted their conversation, and a tall, thin man rushed from the house, which was tall and stately, with two soldiers at the gate.
He bowed deeply before them, and Iroh laughed, and threw his arms around his old friend. "Liu! You old flame beater! How are you?"
Zuko and Lan looked at one another, and Lan mouthed the words 'flame beater' with her eyes wide.
"You look well!"
"As do you!"
"Bah." Iroh pounded on his belly. "Old and fat."
Zheng did the same. "Old and skinny."
They laughed together, until Zheng turned to Lan and Zuko. "Prince Zuko, I presume." He bowed deeply. "I am honored at your presence in my home."
Zuko returned the bow silently, and Iroh stepped in to introduce Lan. "My niece, Lady Lan Chi Sun."
"Don't tell me! Yan Sun was your father!"
She smiled and nodded. "Yes, Sir."
"A wonderful man – and leader. We miss him terribly."
"Thank you."
He gave a sad smile, and then seemed to shake it off. "Come inside, please. Dinner will be served soon."
Dinner was jolly, with Iroh and his old friend swapping tales of past exploits, and Lan and Zuko, seated next to each other, secretly holding hands beneath the table.
After the meal was cleared and tea served, Zuko cleared his throat. "Major General, Sir, I was wondering what legends there are surrounding the Avatar in this region."
Zheng's brow raised. "Ah. I was wondering if you might ask, Your Highness. I am aware of your mission, of course. But I am afraid that I can be of no help – unless of course you might take advice from an old man who advises you to give up such folly."
Zuko's face drained of all color. "I – I beg your pardon?"
He smiled kindly. "The Avatar is long dead. Dead with the rest of his kind, I'm afraid, and the cycle broken." He turned to Iroh for support. "How can he not be? The world is out of balance, and with no chance of regaining it. No," He nodded at Zuko. "You would do best, Your Highness, to spend this time learning as much about the world as possible. That will be your chance at returning home. Your father will see worth in a young man who has traveled extensively and learned much. Real knowledge of the world, and wisdom. That is worth as much as ten Avatars."
Zuko's face reddened. "But I have been tasked with finding the Avatar, Sir."
"Yes, I know. But, as I said, I doubt that is possible. And," he held up a finger, "I think perhaps the Fire Lord knows that. So take it as a lesson, and listen to your uncle, and to your people scattered throughout the world, and take that knowledge and return to Royal Caldera in triumph." He looked at Zuko with great consideration. "I have something for you, Your Highness." He stood. "Please, come with me. Iroh, you, as well – and, you, too, Lady Lan Chi."
Puzzled, the three of them followed their host up two flights of stairs to a room with a wide balcony, the doors of which were thrown open to the cool night breezes.
It was obviously the major general's office, with a desk, and, of course, a portrait of Ozai on the wall.
Zheng removed the portrait to expose the safe beneath, and Lan's pulse jumped.
Zheng took a key ring from a pocket of his robe, and removed the lock, laying it on the desk.
He pulled open the door and rifled through the papers inside, until he drew out a small, thick book, which he handed to Zuko.
"What is it?" Zuko asked quietly.
"It is an account of Avatar Roku's journey to become a fully-realized Avatar. He was not much older than you when he left home, you know."
Zuko shook his head, and leafed through the book wonderingly.
"And it is right that you should have it, Your Highness. After all..." He trailed off when Iroh shook his head slightly, something that Lan saw, although Zuko did not.
She frowned at her uncle, but he shot her an expression of warning.
Zuko finally looked up at his host. "After all, what?"
"Um." He sent a quick look at Iroh. "You are the crown prince, after all." He smiled.
Zuko gave a small smile, and bowed. "Thank you, Sir. I am most – grateful."
Zheng smiled, and turned to Iroh. "I saw that you brought pai sho, Iroh. You still play?"
"Do I play?" Iroh was scandalized.
Zheng laughed, and the two men left the room, chatting companionably about the game, leaving Zuko and Lan behind.
Lan's eyes could not help but stray to the open safe.
"Lan! Zuko! Are you coming?" Iroh called back to them.
She reluctantly followed, pulling Zuko, who was reading the book, along with her.
As she walked, she planned. The safe was open, and accessible – but for who knew how long? She couldn't just abandon Zuko and go steal some papers. And, even if she did, she would have nowhere to hide them for a long period of time – they could be here hours while Uncle and Zheng played pai sho!
An idea came to her as they settled down on a small sofa in the major general's salon, and the two older men began setting up the playing board.
She looked at Zuko, who was intent on the gift that Zheng had given him, and opened her mouth to speak. "Zuko –"
"Listen to this, Lan." Zuko interrupted her without realizing it, and turned to her slightly. "This account was supposedly written by a contemporary of Roku's," he pointed at a page, "and it references a small island in the northern ocean where Roku did the majority of his earthbending training. An island about a mile off the mainland."
"So?"
"It was unoccupied." He looked at her. "A perfect place for someone to hide for a hundred years. Especially an earthbender."
She frowned at the passage. "That's interesting." Despite her desire to leave the house immediately, she found herself intrigued.
"And, if the current Avatar had access to Roku's memories –"
"Does he?" She interrupted.
"I don't know. Perhaps. Even if he only has access to Roku's journals..."
"He might have had those – unless they're at Avatar Roku's shrine. Have you ever seen his journals?"
Zuko sighed. "On Crescent Island? In the Fire Nation? Not likely."
"Oh." She realized that any clues that were in the Fire Nation were beyond Zuko's reach.
"But we can go to this island. Lan – it's outside the mouth of the Pohuai River."
"Really?"
He smiled and nodded. "This is a real lead."
Like the lead at Nanzhou? Her treacherous mind asked, but she subdued it.
She smiled. "Yes."
He gave her a brief, grateful smile in return. "I'm sorry, Lan, I interrupted you earlier. What were you going to say?"
She brought her thoughts back to her mission. "Oh. I – I was going to tell you that – I'm not feeling well."
He had gone back to the book, but tore his eyes from the page to look at her, concern on his face. "What's wrong?"
"I – I'm feeling –" she shrugged, "out of sorts. I have a headache, and I feel – flushed."
He peered at her. "You look a bit red. Have you a fever?" He touched her cheek, and she was sure that her pulse jumped, if not her temperature. "You do seem a bit – hot." He closed the book. "I'll take you back to the ship."
"What? No!" She protested, a bit too strongly, and he appeared surprised. "You – you don't have to cut your evening short."
He looked at Iroh and Zheng. "What does it matter? The major general has no information for me, and those old coots will be playing pai sho all night." He stood. "I'll just tell Uncle that we're going. Besides, I –"
"No!" She said again, and he looked at her with alarm. "I – don't want to – make you leave and – miss whatever else the major general has to say."
"What else could he say? He's already made it clear that he doesn't even think that Avatar is alive." He held up the book. "The fact that I found a clue in this book is a coincidence."
He rose and walked over to Iroh, and, with a sigh of frustration, and a reminder to herself to appear sick, she dragged herself after Zuko.
He and Iroh were deep in conversation, and her uncle looked at her in sympathy. "Lan, are you not feeling well?"
She shook her head. "It's nothing, Uncle. Just a bit of a headache. You – all needn't interrupt your evening. I'll just go back to the ship and see you in the morning."
"Nonsense. Zuko will escort you."
Zuko bowed to their host. "Thank you for dinner, Major General, and for Roku's book. I shall treasure it."
Zheng bowed in return. "Will you stay in port much longer?"
Zuko shook his head. "I think not. The tide comes very early tomorrow, and I am anxious to get back out to sea." He shot Lan a look that cautioned her to be silent on his discovery, and she gave an imperceptible nod.
"Oh, that is a shame! I had wanted to chat with you a bit longer, Your Highness. There are so many people who support your cause – even if you do not realize it, and I was hoping that your uncle and I – and you, of course, could discuss it over tea."
Lan saw an opportunity, and she laid a hand on Zuko's arm. "Oh, Zuko, do stay. I'm just going to go back to the ship and go to bed. Really. I don't need a nursemaid."
"I'll call for tea. We can talk about it over the game, can't we, Iroh?" Zheng smiled at his game partner.
"Of course. Perhaps we can even get Zuko interested in pai sho."
"Doubtful, Uncle." He looked at Lan uncertainly. It seemed obvious to her that he wanted to stay. "I'll walk you to the carriage anyway." He made up his mind, and smiled and bowed to the two older men.
Lan gave a silent sigh of relief, and made her farewells.
"I don't have to stay, you know." Zuko said as they walked out to the carriage.
She gave what she hoped was a wan smile. "No. I want you to stay."
They reached the carriage, and she turned to him. "The major general is a very important man in the colonies, Zuko. If he has taken an interest in you, it – bodes well for your future."
He smiled, and brought one of her hands to his lips to kiss it. "Our future." He corrected quietly.
She nodded, and touched his cheek briefly. "Yes. Our future."
He saw her into the carriage and closed the door. "I'll see you in the morning. I hope that you feel better."
"I'm certain that I will. I'll just take a hot bath and go to bed."
He nodded, and stepped back, raising his hand as the carriage pulled away.
Lan breathed deeply and settled back for the short ride. She had a job to do, and not a lot of time to do it.
Once back in her cabin, she ran a bath while she dressed in her thief's clothes, and, after the tub was filled, turned off the water. She wanted to maintain the fiction that she was in the bath, in case anyone happened by, and, after locking her cabin door from the inside, she assembled all that she would need for the caper: a rope, several corked metal scroll tubes, and a flagon of water, which she affixed to her waist.
She opened the window and tied the rope to the frame, and, leaning out, peered down to the deck. In the dark, she could see no one, and felt safe throwing the end of the rope out of the window. Her window faced an empty ship berth rather than the dock, for which she was grateful – it would allow her to go and come without being easily spotted.
She put the opera mask in place and lowered herself, hand over hand, down the rope, grateful for the gloves that she wore. The rope, however, ended about ten feet up from the deck, and, with a prayer skyward, she dropped.
She landed heavily, and, although she staggered against the wall, she was unhurt.
Adjusting her mask so that it fit snugly over her face, she ran along the ship's tower until she was opposite the gangplank down to the dock.
With a quick glance around her, she stole across the deck and raced down the ramp. At the bottom, she sprinted to a large coiled pile of rope, where she rested for a moment, and spied to see whether there was anyone near.
A small group of sailors were gathered around a fire pot at one end of the pier, far enough way that she could avoid them, and she made her way in the opposite direction until she was off the docks, crouched in the shadow of a building.
She stayed a long moment to set her bearings, then, with another watchful look around her, she made her way from shadow to shadow, trying to remain out of the light of the street lanterns.
She found her way back to the major general's house easily. There were still two guards at the gate, but none patrolled the perimeter, and it took Lan little time to find a tree whose branches reached over into the courtyard.
She dropped quietly to the paving stones and dashed to the house, where she waited in the shadows for sound of her discovery.
No noise came to her other than that of water in the courtyard's fountain, and she breathed more easily.
Now to get up to the third floor.
It was simple: drag a chair from across the courtyard – quietly, so no one could hear, and climb from it to the first balcony. Peer over the railing to determine if anyone could see her, and, after determining that there was no one in sight, balance on the precariously small lip that ran around the balcony.
From there, climb onto the railing and leap upwards to the balcony above.
All while Iroh, Zheng, and Zuko sat in the room...
She accomplished it, though, and, on the third floor balcony, she took a moment to calm her erratically beating heart before dashing over to the desk and the safe, still unsecured.
Pushing away the thought that she was betraying yet another person who had shown her kindness, she rifled through the papers inside the safe and chose several that spoke of strategy and troop numbers.
Rolling the parchments up, she secured them in the scroll tubes she had brought, and secreted them inside her shirt.
Now it was time to escape.
It had all been relatively easy to this point, and she hoped that it continued.
She was doomed to disappointment.
"You should know, Prince Zuko," Zheng's eyes slid to Zuko sideways as he moved a pai sho piece, "that I am a very loyal citizen of the Fire Nation."
Zuko looked at him quizzically, then shot his uncle a confused look. "I – I am certain that you are, Sir."
Zuko was seated on a cushion near the two older men, a cup of tea at his knee. He had listened to them swap war stories and reminisce about friends lost along the way, and was nearly ready to make his excuses to his host and go back to the ship.
"I have seen much, Your Highness." Zheng indicated Iroh. "As has your uncle."
Iroh nodded as he contemplated his next move.
"And I want nothing more than for the Fire Nation to fulfill its destiny."
Zuko nodded slowly, not knowing the direction in which the major general was going. "Of – course."
"We have been at war my entire life." Zheng said solemnly. "Our entire lives."
Zuko nodded again in acknowledgment.
"The people are tired of war."
Zuko bobbed his head briefly.
"Our men are born to be raised into warriors and to die on the battlefield. I know this. Your uncle knows this."
Iroh looked sad, and Zheng continued. "The Fire Nation requires a strong leader."
Zuko's brows drew down. "We – we have a strong leader. My father is – strong."
"Strength does not come from muscle, but rather from wisdom."
Zuko paled. It sounded like – sedition. "I – I don't understand, Sir."
Zheng gave a small smile. "The Fire Nation is stretched thin, Prince Zuko. Too thin. We cannot control all of the land that we have conquered. Some of our people live in poverty because we are devoting resources – valuable resources – to a war we cannot win."
"But, I – we..." Zuko trailed off, and looked pleadingly at Iroh.
Iroh sent a look at his old friend, and then at his nephew. "Zuko, there is no shame in the Fire Nation re-evaluating its position on the war."
"Re-evaluating its position on the war?" Zuko repeated his uncle's words. "You mean retreating, don't you?"
Zheng looked at him sharply. "The future of the Fire Nation is at stake, Your Highness. And I think that you will be the one to pull us from the quagmire of this war, and lead us into the future."
Zuko paled visibly. "Wh – what are you saying?"
Zheng gave a small bow. "I am saying that I am your man, Your Highness, if you have need of me."
Zuko looked at Iroh, who was silent, although his eyes soberly stared at the prince. Zuko stood abruptly, and walked across the room, He stood at the open balcony doors for a moment, then stepped through, and walked to the railing. He could hear, from below him, the calming sound of water in a fountain, and he drew in a deep breath.
What had Zheng just said to him? What had Iroh said, in saying nothing?
He closed his eyes.
Why was everything in his life so complicated?
Lan perched on the railing of the third floor balcony, and, still holding onto the banister, slowly lowered herself so that she was dangling between the second and third floors.
She kicked her foot gently to find the railing on the lower balcony, and, not finding it, glanced down.
And saw Zuko standing right in front of her, his eyes wide, staring at her as if she were a specter.
Her instincts took over, and, with one foot finding stability on the balustrade, she kicked out with the other, connecting with Zuko's chest, sending him sprawling backwards.
She dropped down onto the railing, and exploded off it into the courtyard, with sounds of Zuko yelling, and with sounds of voices in response.
Although she landed heavily, she sprang to her feet quickly and took off. She found a tree near the wall and climbed into it, even as she heard the sound of running feet behind her.
A few more seconds and she was over the wall and running in the direction of the harbor.
Zuko's eyes opened, and opened wider, when he saw something dangling in the air before him. Something in human form, but with a grotesque face – blue and white, with jutting fangs and bared teeth that, he assumed, was meant to be a smile.
His jaw dropped in shock, and he watched, almost in a daze, as one of the creature's legs raised and came at him, sending him flying back into several potted plants and wrought iron furniture, which crashed in a cacophony of shattered pottery and the screeching of fallen chairs.
He lay there stunned as the apparition perched in front of him for a moment, and then disappeared.
Iroh and Zheng, in a flurry of voices, rushed out to the tableau that he formed, and stood staring at him, stupefied.
Zuko's face reddened, and he jumped up. "Don't stand there! Something just attacked me!" He dashed to the railing and saw the creature running away – escaping.
"There!" He pointed after it.
Soldiers and servants, drawn into the courtyard and into the room by the noise, stared dumbly at Zuko for a moment.
"Get after it!" Zuko yelled, and vaulted over the balustrade, landing gracefully on the cobbled stones.
He led the way, directing some of the soldiers out the front of the building and around, while he and several others followed the wraith up the tree and over the wall.
How had it gone so wrong? How had she let it get so out of her control?
Lan looked behind her in the dim light of the street lantern, and, although she saw no one, she could hear their shouts and the thundering of their running feet.
She darted into an alley on the left, between two squalid, low buildings that smelled of rotting vegetables, and prayed that it was not a dead-end.
Her prayers were answered; only a rickety fence barred her way – feeble enough that a shoulder against it splintered it and allowed her to squeeze through.
She found herself in an empty lot; the shell of a burned-out building lay in front of her, and she began picking her way over collapsed walls to reach the other side. She thought she heard voices again, closer this time, and she quickened her step.
The port was in the direction she was heading – she was sure of it. She would be safe there. Safe on Zuko's ship...
If she could only reach it before her pursuers caught up to her.
Before Zuko caught up to her.
She came to another fence, and squeezed her way through broken boards, but she knew that would not stop her pursuers. Firebenders could make kindling of a wooden fence.
She came around a building, and skittered to a halt. Zuko stood ahead of her, backed by two soldiers.
She turned to retreat, and heard the pounding of footsteps.
A building with a low porch overhang was her only escape route, and she ran towards it and, jumping, grabbed onto the metal roof, even as Zuko and the others started to enclose her.
As she was pulling herself up, she heard the roar of a flame, and felt it scorch her shoulder.
She gave a cry of pain, but, ignoring the searing in her flesh, desperately climbed onto the roof and ran along it.
She turned only briefly to see Zuko following, his steps sure and light, and she was certain that he would catch her.
A gap in the row of buildings loomed in front of her, and, without thinking, she leapt the opening, and, although she succeeded in reaching the next building, she landed on the burned shoulder and rolled down the slope of the roof.
She hit the ground hard, but, a hand to her mask, she managed to scramble to her feet even as she heard Zuko hit the roof of the building from which she had just fallen.
She heard a crunch of metal as it gave way beneath him, and, although she was tempted to stop to assist him, she ran for the ship, which she could see in the distance.
A few minutes of running, and she was on the docks, and, although she could hear footfalls far behind her, she was fairly sure that no one was close by.
As she headed for the gangplank of the ship, a small group of soldiers appeared ahead of her, and she faltered.
How could she board the ship in full view?
She changed direction, and, with only a moment to think, she launched herself over the side of the pier.
"It's going in!" She heard someone shout, and her head broke through the water.
She called on all the waterbending spirits that she could think of, and on her own skills, as she submerged. Pulling the mask from her face, she spiraled down, the water twisting around her as she surged forward.
She could feel the ship's shape in the water, and she propelled herself towards it in a corkscrew.
She knew that she must come up on the far side – the side that her cabin was on – and that she would have to shoot from the water with enough velocity to reach the railing.
She had never done that before – had never launched herself from the water, and she wondered if she had the strength and the ability to do it.
With her eyes closed, she concentrated as she slid along the hull, and, with a tranquility of mind that she did not know that she possessed, and ignoring the stinging in her shoulder from the sea water, she swam up and up until she broke free from the water. The benevolent water did not desert her, surrounding her in a spiral wave. It carried her up until her hand found the railing of the ship, and then she shot past it, and, as she opened her eyes, she saw the end of the rope dangling from her window, and she grasped it.
The water snaked back down into the ocean, and she was left clinging to the side of the tower.
As she began the difficult ascent up the rope to her window, she could hear the voices of the searchers still on the dock.
"It was a water spirit!"
"Did you see it?
"Where did it go?"
"Where is it?"
"It disappeared!"
"It's gone behind that ship!"
The sky lit up with a burst of fire, and she knew, suddenly, that she had been seen.
"The spirit is climbing a wall!"
"No, it's not! It's floating! Or flying!"
The last words caused Lan Chi to try to increase her speed up the rope, and, despite the fact that her burned shoulder screamed at her, she managed to get herself up to and through her window.
Soaking wet, she ran to the armoire and yanked out the bottom drawer, shoving the scrolls, the rope, and the mask within.
Then, with a few flicks of her wrist, she pulled all of the water from the floor and tossed it out the window, and ran to her bathroom.
She stripped from the clothes from her body, tossed them in the waiting tub of water, and then followed, submerging herself and rinsing the ocean from her hair.
She heard a pounding on her cabin door, and, knowing that her time alone was limited, she quickly gloved her hand in water, and, reaching around, healed the burn as best she could.
"Lan! Lan, are you all right? Can you hear me?"
Zuko! What was he doing at her door? Had he seen her climbing into the window?
She unbraided her hair even as the clamoring at her cabin door continued, and she stood and leaned over, grabbing for a towel that lay on a stool next to the tub.
Suddenly, the door burst open, and Zuko stood there, his eyes wild.
She turned to him and let out a scream, dropping back into the tub, on top of her discarded clothing, and covering herself with the towel.
"Zuko! What are you doing in here?"
He gaped at her for a long moment, and then pointed impotently out towards her cabin. "There – was a – water spirit that – we saw – climbing into your room."
"Have you lost your mind?!" She shouted at him. "Get out!"
"But, I – saw – or – at least I think I saw..." He trailed off, and his eyes went to the wet towel that drifted on the top of the water. "Why – why are you still in the tub?"
Why was she still in the tub?
Well, obviously she could not tell him the truth.
"Excuse me for falling asleep in the tub! Is that against some obscure Fire Nation law that I don't know about?"
He couldn't seem to take his eyes off her body, even distorted by the water. "I – no. No. Not that I – know of."
Iroh appeared behind him suddenly. "Prince Zuko! What is the meaning of this?"
Zuko turned to his uncle in a daze. "I thought that the spirit came in here."
"Well, the spirit is surely not hiding in my niece's bathwater!" He yanked Zuko from the room by his arm, shutting the door behind them both.
Lan stared at the door for a long while, shaking. That had been close.
Very, very close.
He was going to catch it. He knew that he was. It was just ahead of him, only feet separating them. He had singed it earlier with fire, and he now saw that its gray skin was burned away, leaving a rawness behind. He could do that again, and perhaps bring it down.
A long gap between the buildings came up in front of it – and he was certain that the spirit – whatever it was – would have to stop.
Or fly across, he thought suddenly. Or fly away.
The wraith hurled itself forward and landed poorly, rolling down onto the ground far below.
Got it now! He smiled to himself and made the same jump, landing well.
He heard the buckling of the metal roof beneath him, and found himself crashing through, and sitting, dazed but unhurt, on a pile of twisted metal.
He shook his head to clear it and, ignoring a pain in his knee, got to his feet, and, breaking through the door, burst into the street to see the phantom disappearing around a corner.
He called for the soldiers who had been following him, and, as he saw them come up behind him in the distance, he took off in pursuit of his quarry.
He turned after it, and realized that it was leading him to the piers.
"Don't let it reach the water!" If it was truly a water spirit, it would head for the ocean.
He saw another group of men, and ordered them around the other side of the port. If they could catch the apparition before it reached the docks, there was a chance that they could head it off.
As he reached the wharf, he heard the shouts of the men, and he skidded to a stop.
"It dove into the water!" One of them shouted, pointing to the churning waves near – his ship!
"Find it!" He shouted. "See if it has surfaced!" He ran to the edge of the dock and sent a fireball into the air, throwing light into the surrounding area.
With the sky lit by fire and reflecting on the water, he peered into the depths, but saw nothing.
The men called to one another, shouting sightings or questions.
"It's gone behind that ship!" Someone called out, and Zuko's head snapped up.
His ship. It was behind his ship.
He darted farther along the dock and saw a huge wave swell up from the surface of the water, and, in the middle of the long finger of water that reached out, he saw the grinning, ghoulish face looking out at him.
The water suddenly retreated, and the creature was there, clinging like a leech to – his ship!
He sent a fireball out to illuminate the scene, and someone pointed to the creature. "The spirit is climbing a wall!"
"No, it's not! It's floating! Or flying!" Another soldier cried out.
It seemed to hang in space for a moment, then went scurrying up the side of the tower, towards...
Lan Chi's window!
With a panic born of fright, he stumbled back, but recovered and sprinted up the gangplank of his ship.
He did not know what spirits could do to a human – he had heard tales, as a child, of malevolent spirits stealing the souls of the unwary.
He did not want to think of losing Lan. Not to the spirit world. Not to anything – or anyone.
He climbed the tower ladder with a speed that came from fear, and raced down the corridor to her cabin.
He wrenched at the wheel, but it would not budge.
"Lan!" He pounded the door. "Lan! It's me, Zuko! Open up!" There was no response from within, and he pounded harder.
"Lan Chi! Let me in! Lan! Lan?!"
He stepped back, and, with a well-aimed kick at the lock, the door burst inward, and he entered.
The room was empty, although the window was open. He ran to it and, leaning through, searched for the wraith, but saw nothing.
Truly afraid now, he pulled his head in and turned.
The bathroom! She might be in there!
He ran to the door and flung it open.
She stood with her body turned slightly away from him, bending forward to retrieve a towel, completely and utterly nude.
He stopped, his hand on the knob, and stared, his jaw slack.
He had never seen a woman without clothing before, and he realized, at that moment, that women were – perfect. At least Lan was perfect. The curve of her buttocks, the dimples above them, the swell of her breasts, which he saw only briefly, the pale softness of her back – were apparently all designed by a benevolent, gracious god who appreciated beauty.
She saw him, screamed, and dropped back into the water. "Zuko! What are you doing in here?!" Her voice was shrill as she covered the top of the water with the towel.
He gaped at her for a long moment, his body responding to her nakedness, and then pointed lamely out towards her cabin. "There – was a – water spirit that – we saw – climbing into your room."
"Have you lost your mind?!" She shouted at him. "Get out!"
"But, I – saw – or – at least I think I saw..." He trailed off, and his eyes went to the wet towel that drifted on the top of the water. "Why – why are you still in the tub?"
She reddened. "Excuse me for falling asleep in the tub! Is that against some obscure Fire Nation law that I don't know about?"
He tried to make out, despite the distortion of the water, the shape of her body, and realized that his own body was starting to become uncomfortable. "I – no. No. Not that I – know of."
Iroh appeared behind him suddenly. "Prince Zuko! What is the meaning of this?"
Zuko turned to his uncle in a daze. "I thought that the spirit came in here."
"Well, the spirit is surely not hiding in my niece's bathwater!" He yanked Zuko from the room by his arm, shutting the door behind them both.
"Have you gone mad? What were you doing in Lan's bathroom, when she is bathing?" His face was mottled with rage.
Zuko blushed fiercely, the color reaching even his ears. "I – I saw the spirit climbing up to her window!"
Iroh's eyes narrowed. "Did you, indeed?"
Zuko's eyes widened when he realized that his uncle did not believe him. "Yes! I did! Ask the men! They saw it, too."
Iroh looked unconvinced. "Hmmm. Did you find it in here?"
"What?! No! Of course not! Does it look like I found a water spirit?"
"No. It does not." Iroh was still skeptical. "Perhaps we should look elsewhere, Prince Zuko. Someplace other than Lady Lan Chi's bedroom. Or bathroom."
Zuko gave an aggravated groan and stomped from the room, angry at his uncle's insinuations.
He had seen the spirit enter her window!
He had!
Hadn't he?
Author's Notes: I hope that you liked this chapter. The story is progressing nicely, I think (and hope).
PLEASE review so that I can reach my goal of this story being amongst the most reviewed!
Thank you SO, SO much!