Thank you My Silver Wound for reviewing! I'm glad no one was hurt. I'm glad you're trying to solve the puzzle as well. And yes, the title does mean sorcery or magic in Japanese (well, according to my dictionary).

Please read and review!

Disclaimer: I own the demons, the ship, and the sorceress. I like my demons…but sadly Zuko is not mine.

Chapter 7 – Sakura

Zuko rolled over in bed, trying to block the sun out once again. He was unsuccessful. Silently, he cursed the witch for having the boat's side face that way.

Knowing he wouldn't sleep any longer, he slid out of bed and stretched. Rolling his shoulders, he pulled on his shirt and was surprised it smelled like it had been washed. He could only guess the ship automatically washed his clothes for him.

The prince walked out and stopped by the wolf demon's room. From here, he could hear the demon snoring but the window had been covered by a shade. Sorano's doing he supposed.

He would've never known that demons could have any kind of relationship like humans did. It was almost surprising to say that demons were just humans, though of course they had some differences like maybe extra appendages or horns. Zuko frowned slightly and continued on his way, leaving the hallway.

Ookami stirred in his sleep, mumbling softly and curling up more protectively around the doll. It had been his daughter's and had been one of her favorites. It was the only item he had that reminded him of his lost family. He whimpered, trying to remember his mate's voice.

The wolf demon held the doll as he fought awake and stared at the empty room. A sharp pang went through his heart and he rested on his pallet, clutching the doll as though it was a lifeline.

Zuko chewed on some sort of fruit for his breakfast as he leaned on the counter in the kitchen. Hoshi had grabbed a loaf of bread and was cutting it into slices. He handed Zuko a couple of slices and some slices of cheese. The demon wolfed his portion down and left to steer the ship.

He turned his head when Sorano came in. Her hat was once again on her head and she picked up a round, orange fruit, peeling off the skin.

"Sleep well?" she asked, taking a bite of the strange fruit.

The Firebender nodded as he folded the slice of bread in half and took a bite.

Sorano gulped the fruit down, grabbed what was left of the loaf, and gave him a grin. "I'm heading down to the arboretum. Want to come?"

Zuko found himself nodding and followed her down the stairs to the hallway. They passed by the demon's door again and Zuko was still surprised the demon did not come out. She opened the door to her room and Zuko stopped. He may not have much experience with women but he knew that their rooms were off limits. Unless, of course, he wanted to be beaten by some strange weapon.

"Would you stop being a moron and come on? Man, things have not changed at all!" she huffed.

He stared at her for a moment longer before following her into her room.

A long table covered with books, papers, scrolls, and bowls stood in the middle of the room. It was slightly lower in the middle than at the legs from the weight of the items on it. The walls were covered with shelves, each crammed with jars, bottles, bowls, and books. One jar he stopped to stare at had a large eye in it and it stared right back at him. Unnerved, he moved back again and glanced at the books, finding he couldn't read the symbols written across the cover.

"Sorcerer's writing. Takes a while to learn how to read," Sorano explained, smiling. She moved easily across the room while Zuko stepped over piles of books, wincing at the dust gathered on them. He found an opening in the wall and peeked in quickly, finding another room. The prince guessed that was where her bed was and the room he was standing in was where she worked on potions and spells.

"Come on," she mumbled, tugging on a doorknob. The door popped open and she grinned widely.

Zuko stared into the dark space now revealed and finally found a flight of stairs leading down. The witch was already moving quickly down them and he had to jog to catch up. He paused when his feet hit level ground again and stared around him.

Windows from the floor to the ceiling were the walls of the crazy room. Trees stood several feet tall while flowers and bushes grew around them. Pots of every size and shape were placed near the edges of the room and around a tile path that led around the room. Birds chirped from their perches in the trees while insects of all kinds buzzed around the room.

This place had to be magicked. There was no way all this could fit on the ship.

She led him down the path to the middle where a dragon fountain bubbled, clear water spewing from the beast's mouth and landing in the water below. He noticed the tile under him was pearl white and sapphire blue, split precisely in half. There was also fire red tile where the white tile stopped and then emerald green tile where the blue and red stopped. It was divided around the fountain in fourths.

"I've got my own system here. Fire Nation plants in the red," she said, pointing to where the red tile wrapped around a section. "Green tile for the Earth Kingdom plants, blue for Water Tribe, and white for Air Nomads."

He was surprised that this was more organized than the room above it. He strode over to the red, staring at the plants that grew. Zuko could recognize several of them surprisingly, one being aloe. Now that was a necessity for any Firebender.

Sorano grinned. "I use that for my special burn salve," she said, watching him move around in the arboretum. "Fox's Den," she told him when he paused at a red bush with black stems. It rose at least seven feet off the ground. "It's hollow inside. Used for shelter spells."

The prince stared up at the large tree standing tall in the middle of the plot, smiling slightly as he remembered this one. There was one in the castle's courtyard that he had often climbed when he was young. The large red blossoms with yellow insides reminded him of fire.

"Dragon's Oak," she mumbled. "One of my finest specimens. It's blooming now. The flowers are used for fire spells."

Zuko moved around the room slowly, watching as birds dove to eat the bread on the ground. He guessed Sorano had thrown it down when he wasn't looking. The Firebender paused at several flowers. Each time he did, Sorano would tell him what it was called and what she used it for. He suddenly paused by a large tree and stared at the strange pastel pink blossoms that fluttered down when a bird would move.

"Cherry tree," she said, smiling at the large tree. "My favorite because of these beautiful blossoms." She caught one and handed it to Zuko to examine. "People believe these are the most beautiful flowers in the world. I found this tree as a sapling at the Southern Air Temple. Sadly, there were no monks there for me to talk to." Sorano saddened as she stared into the tree. "Legend says that these blossoms can cure anything because of their purity."

He caught the subtle hint and just nodded. Continuing, he stopped suddenly as a large, colorful bird flapped down and perched on his shoulder. It squawked and gazed at him with large, black eyes.

"Garasue!" Sorano laughed, holding her arm out for the bird. It squawked again and flapped over to her, perching on her arm. "Zuko doesn't seem to like birds like you."

"I've had a run in with pirates. That bird was bad enough," he growled, managing to keep his face neutral as she grinned. The bird cooed and then flapped off to rest in the tree.

"Poor Zuko." She pouted while her eyes sparkled. "The birds just keep picking on you."

Glaring, he watched her smile widely. She moved easily enough through the plants and stood in front of the fountain. Sorano picked up a large can and scooped water into it. Still smiling, she flung the water out of the can and waved her hand, the water falling into the pots. Zuko watched her as she watered her potted plants this way, shaking his head at the cheap move.

"It's easier than watering eighty pots the normal way," she muttered at him, making him smirk.

"Have it your way," he said, shrugging. Zuko sighed and stared out through one of the large windows. "What was he talking about last night?" the prince asked, feeling the sorceress tense slightly behind him.

"He misses his family, much in the way you miss yours. His is stronger though because of his connection to his mate. He knows that at least she is alive, just not anything else." Sorano finished her chore and stood next to him.

"What happened to them?" the Firebender questioned.

"I shouldn't tell you but I know those boys have been talking about me," she grumbled. "Ookami used to own a restaurant before demons were recruited into the war. He had a mate, a dog demon named Takara, and two pups, his first born daughter named Mika and his son named Taro. Takara was pregnant then with twins. They were chased from the town when the people learned the Fire Nation was recruiting demons.

"Ookami was forced to join the war after that. The Fire Nation threatened his family when he wouldn't join at first. He was placed into D-1 and they trained him for a year. He was sent to his death then but he surprised them all by surviving and running away.

"He wandered for years after that, trying to find his mate and his pups. We found him after the mob had tried to kill him and he was in bad shape. For fifteen years, we've been helping him search for his family," she said, staring out at sea. "And for fifteen years we've failed. I'm surprised Ookami managed to keep himself in check."

"He's been looking for them for…"

"For thirty years. We still have found no hide or hair of them either." Sorano pulled her hat off and fiddled with it. "The doll is his only reminder of them. It keeps him going I guess."

Zuko frowned slightly as he thought. It had to be because he wasn't near the men on his ship that he was thinking like this. His uncle would be surprised that he had even thought of this.

The Fire Nation had ruined their lives. For good or bad he couldn't figure out though. He still didn't know Nezu's story but he could guess what had happened. The Fire Nation had chased out its own people, had turned seemingly good demons against their home.

He actually thought of ditching his homeland then.

"Hoshi?"

"Hm?" the demon mumbled, turning to face the prince. He had sat down on the step after his "tour" through the arboretum and had started working on the clues once again. Zuko had crossed out the 'cherry or blossom' clue and he written under it 'cherry blossom.'

"Does Sorano have any books about falling stars?" he asked.

Hoshi was pleasantly surprised at this turn in the young man. Never had he called Sorano by anything other than 'the witch' or 'the sorceress.' "I really don't know. I haven't paid much attention to the books."

"You have not even considered she might have a book about this?" Zuko asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Hey, she's got some pretty graphic books in there with perfect depictions of what happens when the spell goes wrong," he said, shuddering slightly.

"You can read sorcerer's writing, can't you?" the prince questioned.

"Of course!" the demon replied, sounding slightly hurt. "I had to live with a sorceress for twenty-one years before I met Sorano. I picked up a lot of stuff then." Hoshi then realized what was going on. "Wait, what do you have in mind?"

Zuko gave him a smirk. "When do you think we can steal a book on falling stars from her?"

"Only when she's out. She knows where everything is in her work room. She'll miss the book right away." Hoshi made sure they were heading the right way.

"When does she go out?"

"Ookami?" Sorano whispered, knocking on his door. "You okay?" When she didn't get an answer, she carefully opened the door and peeked in. She shut the door behind her and saw his form lying silently on his pallet. The witch slowly moved towards him and knelt beside him. "Ookami?"

"Go 'way," he mumbled.

"Wolfie," she whispered, rubbing his head. "You can't lie here all day."

"Yes I can." His ear twitched and he curled up more protectively around the doll.

She sighed heavily. "If I promise to go scout the islands, will you come out?"

There was a long pause as the wolf demon thought over this deal. Finally, with a muffled sigh, he nodded. "All right."

"Good!" she chirped, leaping to her feet. "You've got to make dinner."

"Cheap move, witch." He glared at her with bloodshot eyes but a smile graced him.

"I know," Sorano grinned. "Get up, now."

He pushed himself up and ran a clawed hand through his hair. "I really hate you at times."

"I know."

"Now, behave you guys, I want to see this ship in one piece when I get back," she threatened, giving each one a small glare. "I should be back a little after dusk."

"Yeah, yeah, have a good flight," Hoshi said, waving his hand.

"I'm serious, boys," Sorano warned. "I don't want to come back to see this ship being taken over."

Zuko just nodded, staring at the strange contraption beside her. It sort of looked like the Avatar's glider but larger and more complicated. As well as it looked to be made of several different pieces of material. It looked almost like the ship; a giant patchwork flying…thing.

"Make sure Ookami's okay for me," she whispered to Hoshi and Zuko, smiling slightly and stepping back. "If I'm not back by midnight, send one of the sprites to follow."

"Yeah, yeah, we got it, Sorano," the demon said again, shooing her with his hand. "Get going."

Sorano smiled and hugged the demon. She then backed away and, to Zuko's complete surprise, hugged him as well. He froze and watched her cautiously as she chuckled and backed off. A huge grin painted her face as she held back a laugh. "Shy much?"

She gave both the rat and wolf demon a hug as well before grabbing the large contraption. She hooked herself to several lines, sliding her arms into what looked like wings and holding onto a handle. When she spread the large, black wings, she looked like a huge, black, menacing bird.

The witch bent over, looking like she was about to start a race. She started running, the wings spread wide as it caught a gust of wind. Her arms pulled the wings down as she jumped into the air.

Zuko stared as she soared up into the cloudy sky, the wings flapping with every move of her arms. He watched her until she was a small dot in the sky and turned to Hoshi. "I am guessing this is as good as any time to find that book?"