Notes: Sorry it took a while. My birthday was yesterday (July 10th) and I was busy, busy. Story of my life anymore, I guess. Well, I'm still trying to get my chapters out there for my fans and I hope you can have the patience for me. I'm not worthy! -bows-
Also! If you check out the homepage in my profile on you'll be taken to the MySpace of Mari Star. There, look at the pictures. Ignore the one of me, but pay attention to the fan art some good friends made for me. They're great and I'm encouraging others to do fan art as well. I absolutely love it!
Almostinsane: I cannot help when I do that. Please just ignore it. Sometimes it's that does it and I have no control so just ignore it. Please continue reading, though.
Randomgirl: Wow. Such enthusiasm. I hope you like this chapter as well and I would love some cyber chocolate.
Disclaimer: View Chapter 1.
Where we left off…
Kali just looked at him and then looked to the side. It appeared she had a bit of sadness in them. It was like she didn't want to answer. After a bit she let out a small laugh and said, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me. I'm an old man and have been around for ages. Seen many things and nothing too surprising." Iroh said giving her a smile that said she could trust him.
She let out another laugh only this one sounded a bit nervous. Still looking away and refusing to meet their gaze she let out, "I'm from the Shadow Nation." At these words, the two men looked at her with wide eyes as if she were insane.
Chapter 7
After a few moments of eye gawks, they decided to take the conversation inside the meeting room of the ship. Kali left Midnight on the top deck, where she sat herself down and would caw loudly at anyone who'd try to come close to her. They sat at the table in the small room and a servantbrought them some tea. Iroh then dismissed him and he closed the door on his way out. "So… I hope you like ginseng tea. It's one of my personal favorites." Iroh said trying to break the cold atmosphere of silence. Kali just took a small sip and nodded. "It's good, but my personal favorite is peppermint tea." She then looked at the old man and gave him a soft smile.
"So… Kali, was it? You have me quite intrigued. You say you're from the Shadow Nation?"
"That is right, sir." She said and nodded at him to confirm her answer. She sounded as if she had a bit of fear in her voice.
"My uncle told me that the Shadow Nation is nothing but a myth. How do you expect us to believe you?" Zuko said with a tone of arrogance.
"I never expected you to. In fact, it was the first thing I mentioned before I told you what nation I was from." Kali responded.
"You're nothing but a liar! I can see right through your little charades!"
"They're not charades! It's Shadowbending and it's no different than any other bending!"
"I don't know you well enough to even begin to believe that!"
"Enough from the both of you!" Iroh interrupted in a forceful voice. "You both fight instead of trying to discuss!" The man let out a sigh and turned his gaze back to Kali. "Please. Explain what you mean." Kali looked at the man and sighed herself. "Where to begin…" she muttered unsure of how to start. "Maybe it will help if I asked you questions and you could go from there?" Iroh insisted to which Kali nodded and said with a smile, "That would help a lot."
"Well, for starters, according to myth the Shadow Nation disappeared hundreds of years ago." Iroh started, but got cut off. "About 500 to be exact." Kali said, but seen the old man give her a blank stare. "Sorry…" she mumbled and held out her hand as a signal for him to continue. "Now… It just vanished by what the myth said. How could a huge land mass vanish, people and all?" At this question Kali closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. "No turning back now and telling you I was lying, right?" She asked with a small grin. "Pretty much." Iroh replied and let out a small chuckle. Zuko just sat and waited for her response and was very intrigued to what she had to say.
"My people were tired of being persecuted of our powers and our rights of passage to earn our powers. Unlike the other benders, we aren't born to Shadowbend. We have to go through trials and rituals. Some easy and some very painful. The other nations considered it more as witchcraft than as an actual talent. What they never learned, or tried to, was that you had to be part of the Shadow Nation to be a Shadowbender. The tests and trials awaken the power that lies dormant in our blood."
"So… Everyone in your nation is born to be a Shadowbender, but only if they choose to be one?" Zuko asked.
"Yes. Unlike the other nations where there's so many who are born to be benders and so many who aren't... Like you. You're a Firebender, yet there are people of the Fire Nation who can't be. In the Shadow Nation, everyone's born with the capability. It's just whether or not they choose to use this capability."
"That's very fascinating. Please continue, though. You have my curiosity probed." Iroh stated.
Kali nodded and looked up towards the ceiling as she continued. "After years of being tortured and attacked, the elders of the nation found a way to conceal our country. It was a spell that we usedand it turned the land into one huge shadow, if you could imagine that. It can't be seen and if boats would travel near it, they'd just keep sailing through it. You people call it the Dark Sea because the water there looks so dark."
Iroh's eyes widened at what she said. "I have sailed the Dark Sea before. You're telling me that the Shadow Nation's spell is what makes it dark and I sailed through a concealed landmass?" At what his uncle said, Zuko as well looked at the girl with his eyes widened. "You can't be serious…"
"I am." Kali responded and looked at them both. "That's where the Shadow Nation is. The Dark Sea is the shadow of the entire nation. I'm sure you've also heard tales about that Sea being 'haunted'." She said this last part with a humorous grin.
Iroh then thought back to the time he was sailing the Dark Sea. He thought about how he heard voices the whole time, but thought it was only paranoia because of the rumors of the haunted Sea. He looked at her and laughed. "Yes. I did hear those tales. I also heard the voices said to be the ghosts."
Kali grinned. "Those are the people who live in the Shadow Nation. The faint voices you can hear through the illusion. The spell is supposed to be sound proof, but it didn't turn out that way. Guess those old timers need to sharpen their skills or something."
Zuko and Iroh just stared at her in astonishment. They didn't know what to think. She was weaving a tale to them that seemed unreal yet so real at the same time. Zuko couldn't think clearly on the subject and Iroh was still shocked on the fact that the Dark Sea contained a secret of great magnitude. Many thoughts ran through the elder's mind. The girl. Why did the girl leave? Iroh thought. He eventually asked. "I left because I wanted adventure. I was tired of being on that island and I wanted to see the world. I wanted to see what we locked ourselves away from all these years." She looked down. "I wanted the other people of my nation to see it. The elders made a deal with me. I would be able to leave and travel, but I'm not able to come back. It would be a risk for me to come back, they said. The only way I could come back is if I brought good news of this world and enough for the elders to let the spell down. There hasn't been much good news in the years I've been traveling, though." She then tried to give a lighthearted smile.
"You mean because of the war?" Zuko asked.
"Pretty much." Kali responded looking at him.
"You're against the war?" Zuko inquired and Kali could feel the temperature of the room changing.
"I'm against anything that will keep the Shadow Nation in hiding. Including this quest for power." Kali said and gave him a small glare.
"Then you are nothing but the enemy!" Zuko stood up and pointed a finger at her.
Kali stood up on this and her glare became more noticeable. "I'm the enemy of no one! It doesn't matter what's right or wrong for someone else! I follow my own heart and decide! I don't like this war! I don't like it for many reasons! That doesn't keep me from hating people of the Fire Nation, though! As long as they treat me right then I'll treat them right, but until this war stops I can never go home!"
Zuko lowered his hand to his side and his glare went soft. All she wants to do is go home. Like me… "How do you travel nation from nation if you do not declare where you're from?"
"I lie. I can't really tell people where I'm from. They wouldn't understand. If I'm in the Earth Nation, I say I'm from there. Same with anywhere else." Kali responded quietly.
"Why did you tell us the truth then? Or have you been lying this whole time?" Zuko responded and raised his eyebrow as he was sitting back down.
"It's kind of hard to lie to someone who seen my bending with their own eyes. I had to tell you the truth." Kali then sat back down and grabbed her cup to take a sip of tea. There was silence for a good few minutes. They just all sat peacefully and drank their tea. Once Iroh could sense Kali's sudden anger risego down he continued talking. "I'd like to know about these trials and rituals that you had to go through."
Kali sat the cup down slowly and looked at Iroh. It seemed that from his one comment all emotion drained from her eyes and face. She had no expression at all. "I wishnot to say anything about the trials." Her voice was quiet and cold. "May I please be shown to the room I will be staying in?"
Zuko and Iroh just stared at her for a moment and got a sense of stress from her. Zuko got up and then showed her to her room figuring they got enough information for today.
Sorry if this chapter was slow and drawn out. I didn't mean for it to be, but I wanted to get some sort of explanation for her in there to clear up some mystery. Not all, though. -winks-