Disclaimer: If I owned the rights to Avatar, why would I be writing this?
So sorry this took so long to get out.
Praetor
Chapter Four: Agreement
"Uncle Iroh…" Prince Zuko repeated a few moments after Kei fled the room.
"I know, I know, you want answers, Zuko." Iroh sighed as he replied, turning to face his ward. "Now, what would you like to know?"
"This… praetor, will she have the same power as the Avatar? Could she defeat him?" He asked carefully.
"No." Iroh stated firmly. "The Praetor's power cannot match that of the Avatar. They have an average power level over all elements. It is their control, strategy, and the use of all four elements that place them second only to the Avatar. Although, I do not doubt that she could defeat the Avatar now due to the experience he lacks." He added as an afterthought.
"How was she… dormant for a hundred years?"
"I am not sure. I can only assume that the Praetor and the Avatar are linked and whatever sent the Avatar into a stasis affected her as well." Iroh's face became thoughtful and his eyes sparkled as he smiled at Zuko. "I think that we should take her with us."
"What!" Zuko yelled, throwing a confused look towards Iroh. "Isn't she the Avatar's ally?"
"I suppose so, but I'm sure she's looking for him and, since she has no animal guide, we're her quickest route." Iroh stated confidently. "Yes, that will work out nicely; I can train the both of you…"
"Uncle, stop! What are you thinking?" Zuko asked as Iroh stood up and left the room, oblivious to his seething nephew.
'Deep breaths, deep breaths' Zuko repeated as he attempted to remain sitting in the room and not chase after his eccentric uncle. 'He's a wise fire master; he has to have a plan, right?'
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Kei cracked open an irritated eye as she heard a cough behind her. "What?" She snapped.
"It seems that you have much work ahead of you." Iroh stated as he came to rest upon the rail she was balanced on and gaze out towards the horizon. Taking her silence as a signal to continue, he turned to look at her schooled mask. "I imagine that your first instinct is to find the Avatar."
"Yes." She stiffly agreed. "I must find him."
"You are aware that he has just recently returned form a hundred year absence as well?" Iroh stated, keeping a light tone.
"I suspected as much." Kei admitted, glancing at Iroh for a moment. "I know that he doesn't have much experience, which only worsens our situation."
"You don't have much experience either." Iroh stated firmly, noticing her grimace.
"I have more than the Avatar." She curtly replied.
"But you have not yet mastered all of your powers." Iroh countered, turning to face the girl fully. Taking her silence as an agreement, Iroh smirked. "Well then, I believe that I have a proposition for you."
"What?" Kei asked, caught off guard.
"I propose that you travel with us for the time being. My nephew has been trailing the Avatar for some time and we are bound to run into him soon. In the meantime, I will train you, if you let me."
"That is a very generous offer…" Kei stated, sliding off the railing to consider Iroh's offer. "But why does the Prince chase the Avatar? Is he working for his father? What does he plan to do once he captures him?"
"Those are questions to which I think even Prince Zuko cannot answer." Iroh stated with a slight smile. "I can, however, tell you why he chases the Avatar; he wishes to regain his honor."
After a moment of silent deliberation, Kei gave her decision.
"I accept your offer, for the time being. Once we catch up to the Avatar, however, our agreement is void."
"Very well, then." Iroh stated with a content smile. "We shall begin immediately. Come with me."
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
"Zuko!" Iroh's voice rang through the flames and both Zuko the solider he was sparrign against halted their practice.
"Yes Uncle?" The Prince asked as he turned around, immediately noting Key's presence as well.
After dismissing the solider Zuko was sparring with, Iroh faced the Prince and beckoned for Key to approach them as well.
"I have given you both an opportunity to increase your training to the levels only masters attain. Before I begin, I must first take a measure of your knowledge. You two will spar in one hour. Until then, I suggest that the two of you meditate to prepare. Ready your body and mind for a challenge because this will be a physically and mentally taxing experience. You have one hour." Nodding to his pupils, Iroh smiled and approached a nearby solider, asking him if he would enjoy a small game.
Zuko growled as he clenched his fists and marched over the starboard side of the ship, and sat cross-legged on the floor. Closing his eyes, he fell into a deep meditation; a place in his mind where he could freely examine his strengths and weaknesses and prepare for the fight.
Kei cracked one eye open from her perch on the railing on the opposite side of the ship as she examined her opponent. Although they had clashed during the night, she had no real inclination of his power or style of fighting. Emptying her mind, she examined what she already knew. First, he was a fire bender, so he would probably fight aggressively and directly as a fire bender typically would. Second, his Uncle, who was obviously a Fire Master, had confidence that they would be easily matched, a fact that she would have to be wary of…
The hour passed quickly and both opponents were napped out of their thoughts as Iroh's voice carried over the tranquil sound of the waves. Both opponents stood and approached the center of the deck, neither one noticed the crowd of eager soldiers peering down from the Captain's cabin.
"All right, you two." Iroh stated, standing in between them. "I expect you to give this your all, but I will have to instate a few rules. Do not allow your fight to seriously damage the ship, you may not force your opponent below deck nor up into the upper deck or cabin, and the fight will cease either when one of you surrenders to the other or I declare it so."
"You may begin." Iroh declared as he backed away from the two.
Both Zuko and Kei gave a short bow to each other before they slid into a fighting stance. Zuko firmly planted his feet on the ground, bent his knees slightly, and held his hands stiffly in front of him. Kei shifted her weight backwards, extended her left foot and lifted its heel off of the ground, her hands raised and each finger curled slightly as she began to shift her weight lightly and sway in place. They remained in place, each waiting for the other to attack. After a moment of waiting, Kei moved swiftly, charging Zuko's right side before flinging a blast of air into his face, which was blocked with a wave of flames. Using Zuko's slight distraction to her advantage, Kei leapt over Zuko to land on his right side and send a blast of fire towards his torso. Zuko slid to the floor and slid his leg into an arc towards Kei's knees as her fire blast flew over his head.
Up in the Captain's cabin, Iroh looked on with an unreadable expression. Ignoring the bets being placed behind him, he concentrated on the two fighting below. As the fight continued, his expression grew more and more content…
Back on the deck, the clash between the two teens raged on for hours. They continued with an amazing intensity, never pausing for a break for either food or drink. Both were determined to continue the fight, and, although they both could feel the strain placed on their bodies, both reveled in the thrill of battle and were secretly impressed with their own performance as well as their opponent's.
The deck had become covered in black scorch marks, sported many deep scratches, and had water in numerous puddles all around it. Neither opponent registered those aspects of the deck, however. All they could see was their opponent and, after so many hours of secluded combat, they had become a part of an intimate ritual to which the spectators could only imagine. Panting, both figures, their silhouettes dark under the shadow of the cabin, continued to move, wiping the sweat out of their eyes and ignoring all but their opponent's next move. Their battle was no longer a spar for Iroh; they had become two nameless fighters who embodied a warrior's spirit. Their bending transformed from weapons to a true extension of their bodies as they battled on.
Iroh tore his eyes away from the fascinating battle to glance at the slightly pink sky. He sighed as he exited the cabin and emerged onto the deck.
"Enough!" He boomed as he sent a fireball in between the two teens.
As he approached the two, he could feel their urge to fight consuming the air. Looking down at the exhausted teens, he smiled; neither would have lasted much longer. Although they presented a spectacular fight, they still had much to learn and, to Iroh's experienced eye, it became apparent that after the first hour of fighting neither truly wished for the fight to end so they did not fight to their fullest.
"Come you two." He said, walking towards the stairway, "It's time to eat."
Both fighters remained stationary for a moment longer, panting, before Zuko shook his head and followed his uncle. Sighing, Kei took a deep breath and cleared all of the water off of the deck before following in the suit.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
A/N: Ok, sorry that took so long to get out and it was so short, but I'm sick at the moment. Hopefully I'll get this out soon, but it'd make the process a lot easier if I had a beta. Any takers? If you're interested, please e-mail me at be sure to include the word beta in the subject.
Ja Ne!