((Well his is my first Fan fiction. I will update every saturday ifI can. I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. Nor do I make any money off of this or any fan fics to come. Please R&R. Have fun.))
Zuko looked at the clouded sky with a worried frown. The storm looked like a killer and he didn't feel like fixing his ship again, not so soon after his run in with the commander. But finding the Avatar was his number one priority.
Mentally struggling with what he should order his helmsman to do, he looked out over the vast expanse of, stormy blue gray, open ocean around him. His golden eyes scanned the waters looking for any form of shelter. Even the commander wouldn't be fool enough to sail in this weather. Not this far away from any fire nation port, at least.
Hie eyes widened as he finally allowed his gaze to rest upon a small dot in the distance. After two years at sea, he had learned to tell land when he saw it. But to make sure he wasn't sending them on a wild goose chase this time he grabbed the spyglass from the table his uncle was playing his game on and raised it to his good eye.
The focus of the glass was off and it took him a few moments to fix it so he could see if it was really an island. Or land of any sort for that matter. Slowly he turned to look in the direction of the dot, his mind already spinning if what would happen if this weren't an island. What would happen if they didn't find a safe place to anchor in?
His fears where dispelled when the dot grew larger and closer in the spyglass. The trees, popped up from the ground that seemed to start in open-ocean. A small smirk seemed to flow onto his lips for a moment before it vanished when he realized what he was doing.
"To the island," he called up to the man at the wheel, knowing that one of the men had been watching him. After he heard a response that sounded like 'yes sir' did he moved to the bow of the ship. He kept his face smooth of any joy at having found a place to keep his men and ship safe for the storm. He just prayed that the commander didn't. And that the men ended up at the bottom of the sea.
Gradually the ship turned and headed to the distant shore, the currents seemed to be fighting them. If he didn't know any better he would say that a strong water bender was on the island and was determined as heck to stay alone. Or perhaps just didn't want a fire navy ship hitting their shore.
Tossing the thought out of his head he glared at the approaching island. His good eye squinted to the same amount as his bad one. But the scar wouldn't let it get any smaller. His glare only seemed to get worse as his thoughts turned to the person that had ruined his life. The fact that his honor would never recover haunted him as long as he was awake. Yet, the fact that the scar had given him the chance to fight the Avatar already seemed to start the evening of the balances.
"Prince Zuko, please come sit down and join me for a game," came the voice of his uncle. The old man was always trying to get him to forget the scar, act as if he was not a banished prince. But, those things where not easy to forget. In fact they where impossible. If he weren't banished then he wouldn't be here. He would be sitting in his palace and be training to take his father place one day, training to rule the world.
"Uncle, we have to get to that island," Zuko said after a moment's pause. He hated that he was guarding what he said even with his uncle. But, ever since his run in with the commander he had been a little more careful with what he said to anyone. After all lying was a fine art that he had never really had to practice before.
"And you standing there will not get us there any faster," his uncle said in his simple even voice. He knew that what had been said was the truth. Thought he didn't like to admit it, his uncle almost always was.
Opening his mouth he snapped it shut when he found that he had nothing to say. As angry fire poured through his veins he moved away from the bow sitting down next to his uncle and watched the fire master play the rest of his game.
After his uncle finished he once again offered to play a game with him, he declined and went back to the bow to watch as the island finally came into normal view. A self-satisfied smile tried to worm its way onto his lips, but his years as his fathers' son kept it far from his face.
"It will only be a few minutes," his uncle said coming up behind him, slightly startling him.
"Yes."
"Will you have us camp on the shore or here?"
"The men have been on the ship for to long. A stop will do us all some good," he said after a slight pause. He knew it to be true but didn't think that he would have justified his actions to anyone. He never would have had his father not banished him.
His uncle didn't say a thing as he moved away slowly. The soft sigh that escaped him reached the ears of the young prince but did little to easy his already troubled mind. In fact both of them where in need of something out of the ordinary. Required something that would, for a time, get their mind off of the failed attempt to capture the Avatar.
He didn't move from the bow until long after they had placed most men ashore. They wouldn't let him off until they knew the island to be safe, in other words until they had checked to see if any earth benders where on it. And despite knowing that he did have to live for his people to draw some form of hope, most of the masters had already forgotten that he was still alive.
"My prince? Prince Zuko, the boat is ready to take you to the island," one of his men said, effectively breaking his ugly line of thought. Yet he didn't reply as he normally would have. Giving the man a nod he moved quickly to the side of his ship and over the rail. The rope ladder was slick with sea foam already but it didn't slow him down.
"Prince Zuko, slow down," his uncle said harshly as he glanced up to see why the men had such tight frowns on their faces.
Once more the boy ignored the words of his elder and allowed his weight to slide down the ropes and into the boat, gently rocking it. As soon as he was seated the men at the oars started to pull it away from the ship, heading to the island.
The waves seemed to be pushing the tiny boat back, trying to keep it from the shore. Yet for all the seas might the fire nations' men where stronger. And for once in a great while, things where as they should be in the young princes mind.
Yet despite the men's best efforts the boat made little way. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by his uncle.
"Looks like a water bender at work. Are you sure that no one else is on the island?" he asked looking at the head guard, his dark eyes challenging. The fire that Zuko had often seen in the eyes of men much younger had come back, yet the old man kept it under lock and chain. It was truly as his uncle had said over a year ago, "Fire is a deadly force, but the deadliest is what you don't expect."
"Sir we made a thorough search of the land. There is no place for anyone to hide except the trees," the man said is defense of himself. And even though his legs shook with fear he kept his voice and face level, a task that Zuko had yet to master.
His uncle nodded but kept a slightly grim look to his face to show his displeasure at the words that had been used. The head guard had not said that no one else was on the island. And, the fact that they where now being pulled to shore, by that same ever disagreeable current, meant that matters where out of his hands.
While his uncle was unhappy with the prospect of enemy benders being on shore, he was ecstatic. He ad beaten the commander but, he had yet to truly prove his metal against a true bender. His uncle usually dealt with any of them that came into the picture. Not that many of them would, but there had been a few.
"Zuko…ZUKO!" his uncle said louder this time around after realizing that his nephew was no longer with them in the boat.
"Yes uncle," he replied not bothering to look at the man teaching him the proper basics of fire bending.
"You should not leave camp until the men have made a better search," the old master said giving the boy in front of him a small frown.
"Understood," Zuko said after a moment. He did understand his uncle, knew why he wanted to keep him safe. But the fact that he was a teenager, one that had fairly defeated the commander, meant that he could take care of himself. No matter what anyone said.
The men in the boat passed along worried glances to each other when they didn't think the old man was looking but he didn't miss them. How could he? The silence hanging over them had all but destroyed any comfort of getting of f the ship even for a day's time.
Silently two jumped out as the boat came within feet of the shore and pulled it up out of the waters reach. They acted as if the waves pounding on their legs didn't feel like they could break even the strongest of bone. Both acted like the proud warriors that they had built themselves up to be.
When they had finished getting the boat to a safe place the rest of the men got off and formed two lines to wait for their prince and the brother in law of their high lord to get off and claim the island as their own.
Zuko rose but allowed his uncle off first, a sign of respect after his rude treatment of him earlier. After both of them where on solid ground the paused to look at the land that would claim in the name of the fire nation. In the name of the man that had banished his own son. And that fact touched at hatred so deep inside of Zuko that even he was not aware of how far it went.
"How large is it?" his uncle asked as he kept looking around.
Both had been more then pleasantly surprised to find a type of tree that the earthers called palm trees. They had them at home, but they really didn't last long, not with out water. Yet the trees on their own where not enough to truly get the worried reaction that both had. The tall hills that rose, moving higher to the center, would be perfect places for people to hide. And the fact that moving from one to the next
wouldn't be too hard, at least by the look of things, meant that the guards had more then likely over looked a bender of some sort, just waiting to get even with them for some horrible wrong that had been committed.
And the plane on this part of the island, the place they would be staying, had almost no protection except the sea and earth kingdom ships could attack that way without a second thought. Maybe it would be better not to tell his father about an Island that had almost nothing to give to them and all advantages for their enemies to use. Maybe it would be best to never tell him that they had been in this area again. Zuko knew such thoughts where only dreams of ignorant fools. They would tell his father, and it would be used, if only as a port for ships to stock up in.
"Only hiding place is in the trees?" his uncle asked with a raised brow after not receiving and answer to his previous question. He seemed relaxed enough; though he claimed the tea gave him that. But in truth he was stewing at the thought that the men had barely even glanced around to see what it was truly like.
The men looked properly ashamed of themselves but didn't say a word to make things worse, a fact that would not be over looked. They had not done a job and where going to be punished in some way. Though Zuko wasn't sure what would be a proper punishment he did have some ideas that would get them to think twice before simply lying to him again.
"You will build shelter strong enough to hold during the harsh rains to come. If your shelter does not hold, you will not be coming with us," he said. His voice was far to calm and level for his liking but he was not going to say it again.
"Yes, Prince Zuko," the men said in unison as if some invisible commander was looking on with a whip.
"Get to it, he snapped when he saw that they were just going to stand there. As the men jumped to do as bid he looked at his uncle to see if he had done the right thing. After all he did have to be harsh with these men didn't he?
The simple nod from his uncle was all that he needed. But the proud smile on his lips assured him that he had done well. His uncle let his face go blank once more as he turned to look back at the vast island before them. He held himself in perfect form but there was stiffness in his body that told of his age.
"I will go check for a source of fresh water," Zuko said to ease the old mans mind. He turned to walk deeper into the island when he turned back to look at his uncle. He hadn't moved or uttered a sound even after he had said he was doing just what he had been told not to do.
His golden eyes gazed traveled behind his uncle as he spotted something sitting on the distant horizon. Though straighten his eyes as he might he couldn't make out what it could be. Letting his mind tell him it was just storm clouds he turned and trotted to the nearest hill.
As he came to the crest he looked down the other side only to find another plane much like the one hey would use for camp. The similarity between the two planes was more then a little unsettling. Taking a deep breath to calm his screaming nerves; he trotted down the other side slowly making his way to the next hill between him and the center.
Several hills and matching planes later he gave a sigh of defeat. He had already been to the center, had looked as far as his eyes could see, and not one clue as to a river, spring or any other form of fresh water had been found. Looking at the hills on the other side he could see the same pattern that he had just jogged and was grateful for the shape of the island, for the easy of seeing what it held. Yet the fact that there was a bit of a forest, thick enough to block his view of all the land did nothing to ease his mind.
"Zuko," his uncle called from a few hills back.
"Coming," he muttered knowing his voice was to low for anyone but him to hear. But he had at least proved to himself that there was no large group of people on the island. And that was all that mattered. Water could simply be taken from the stores on the ship and more collected from the rain that would undoubtedly come during the night.
His glare could have turned the bright green grass a deadly brown. He let his mind turn over the current and the lack of hiding places on the island. Was it possible that this island just had a strong natural current? Things like that had happened before. He just couldn't get his mind to accept that for a fact. Some where deep in his gut he knew that there was more to the current then he had given it credit for.
It took him about half an hour to reach the hill his uncle had been on, his mind kept his feet slow. But his uncle was still there waiting for him to rejoin the group. The fact didn't surprise him, not after his failed attempt to get the Avatar, even though his uncle never seemed to care about that.
"Yes uncle?" he asked as soon as he could clearly see the odd look in the elder mans eyes. That look put his nerves on an even higher level.
"It looks like we will not be the only ones to stay on this island," he said turning to look down at the beach just barely in sight from their lowered hill.
"Commander Zhao?" he asked glaring at the fire navy ship that had moved up next to his. He hadn't expected to be in the same waters as that man ever again. Though in reflection he knew just how babyish that sounded.
"He needs shelter as well. And as small as the cove is, it's better then open ocean," his uncle said in his normal informative tone, the one he had learned would always be there for his firebending basics lessons.
Zuko said nothing but fire crackled along the fist his right hand had made, giving his anger a most real form. He moved to start out for the beach only to have his uncle place an arm in his way. "School your temper. If you deny him this shore then you have lost," he said before moving on himself, with a slow deliberateness that worried the young prince for a moment before his temper once again came flaring back.
Like always he felt he had a grip on it and started to move only to find that his uncle wouldn't let him pass again. "You will never master firebending if you can't channel your passion," he said simply before moving at his normal pace to great the commander as he landed on shore.
Zuko thought about that for a moment and gave a small smile, one full of hate and malice. If his uncle wanted him to channel his energy and passion then he would. Right into the commanders' face if he got his way. With a nod at the idea he started down to the shore in a better mood for dealing with the arrogant man that would make this a night all of them would love to forget.