Thank you My Silver Wound for reviewing! I'm glad that you liked the Agni Kai scene as well.
Sorry for not updating in about two weeks but school and Chem…not a great combo.
This chapter originally starred the Avatar and Friends but it didn't really fit in the plotline so I took them out. Don't worry, they'll be appearing soon.
Disclaimer: See the first 11 chapters if you're so picky about it.
Chapter 12 – Kyuusaisha
The sun had set a good three hours ago but Zuko still stared off into the ocean, almost hoping he'd see the familiar ship sail back with the witch pulling her wild stunts again. The darkness did nothing to lift his mood. He frowned and rubbed his face, wondering what the hell he should do.
"Prince Zuko? It is almost midnight," his uncle said, stepping up to the confused teenager. "Is something wrong?"
He said nothing for a long moment, staring through his fingers at the deck. "Yes," he finally admitted.
"Is it about Miss Sorano?" Iroh asked, settling in for a long talk.
"Yes," he admitted again.
His uncle chuckled, which made the young Firebender glare at him. "Zuko," he began, smiling. "I do believe the change in environment has helped you."
Zuko was listening more than ever. Uncle Iroh never called him just Zuko unless he had something important to say. And, of course, he had to be as cryptic as ever. "What do you mean?"
"You are starting to care about something other than yourself or the Avatar," he explained. "Miss Sorano's selfless deeds have confused you, have they not?" He waited for his nephew's nod to continue. "She believes in forgiveness and that her life is not as important as her crew's. She is indeed wrong but she won't listen to any of them on that matter. Her life is as important as theirs."
"But why?" he asked, throwing his hands down as fire flew from them. "I know her plan but why get captured? Why not bust Ookami out instead?"
"Zuko, Sorano is…confusing to say the least. But I believe it is more of a safety matter than anything," Iroh said, placing a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "Tell me when you decide on what to do. Remember Zuko, you still have people who care about your own safety."
The old man left, leaving the prince to stand at the railing and stare out into the night sky. He should do it. The demons had put it in his responsibility. Sighing, he put his head in his hands again.
Someone up there really hated him.
She sat, legs crossed with her fingers interlocked, elbows resting on her thighs. Her breathing was calm and slow, her mind clearer than it had been in hours. It had to be nearing midnight and she was wondering when the damn demon would kick its butt into gear and get them out of this cell. The wards were hurting again, flashing with pain. She ignored them and continued mediating, controlling herself.
Footsteps echoed but she didn't move. Her eyes remained closed even as the monkey-faced admiral stepped up to the bars of her cell. She ignored him for as long as humanly possible.
"Hello, witch," he sneered.
Sorano remained motionless.
The tic appeared again and he fired a ball of flames at her. She rolled out of the way and glared at him, hissing at the pain in her back. He smirked and unlocked the door, shutting it behind himself and the strange demon.
"Can't handle me yourself, Zhao? Got to bring a low-leveled demon in with you?" she spat, sitting back as he frowned and snorted.
"Oh no, it's nothing like that, witch," Zhao said, smirking again. "I'm surprised you haven't figured out what Hebi's power is."
Her brow furrowed and she stared at the creepy demon as he stared back. Something brushed her thoughts and she jerked away, shaking her head furiously. "A manipulator."
"That's not all, witch. Hebi has a wonderful talent of breaking into someone's mind and turning their fears against them. Because of your gift, he could not do anything to you on the ship." The admiral grinned as she glared.
"But the wards block my powers," she finished in disgust, growling low.
"Exactly," he confirmed, smirking. "However, I will not resort to using him if you are good and tell me where your crew is headed."
She burst out laughing.
He reacted fast, grabbing her by her throat and slamming her into the wall. Her laugh turned into a howl as she struggled to ease the pressure off her back. She could actually feel the blisters that had appeared popping, making her squirm again to try to break his hold.
"I see even you are human, witch. Does it hurt?" he asked, putting his full weight on her, making her yell and kick at him. "I'll take that as a yes," Zhao laughed, letting her go.
She slid down the wall to rest on the floor on her stomach. Fire spread from the burn as she tried to control her breathing again. Once she managed to control herself, she sat up, keeping her back as relaxed as possible.
"Answer me, witch," he growled.
"I don't know. I honestly don't know," she said, the wince in her voice noticed by the Firebender.
He slapped her furiously, watching her wince and rub her jaw. "Tell me!"
Sorano chuckled and made a rude gesture.
Admiral Zhao kicked her in the stomach, sending her rolling across the floor. He rested his foot on her stomach, pressing down until she screamed. "Where are they?"
"I don't know. They could be anywhere," she answered in a small voice.
He frowned and stepped back, letting her roll on her side as the pain flared. "Hebi, I do believe it is your turn to make her scream."
The demon grinned, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth. She spat at them as the demon drew near. Why the hell hadn't the one in her reacted and torn them apart?
'Dammit,' she thought as her mind began to throb and fell right into the beast's hands.
Iroh saw his nephew off and stood back as he ordered the crew to set sail. Zuko sat alone on his small boat as it glided through the water. He needed to sneak around to the other side of the island and hope no one would find his ship.
Zuko really hoped that he wasn't making a giant mistake.
The sorceress' stuff was sitting on his small bed. He really had no idea how the demons had guessed what he would do but he was grateful they had. Zuko didn't have many clothes that would…appeal to her.
He guided the small steel craft onto land twenty minutes later. Sighing, he undid his topknot in order to put the hood over the back of his head. The Firebender slipped the demon mask on and made his way onto the sand. Concentrating, the prince raced off, listening for any noises or the smell of smoke.
Swiftly, he scaled a tree as a watch group patrolled the trees, staying away from the torch light. He waited until they moved on and made his way through the trees. Branches under him bent slightly and the leaves rustled but no one was fast enough to catch a glimpse of him. He fell to the ground, rolling to lessen the impact of his fall. One sword out, he dashed into the port, taking to the shadows to escape the guards.
The only thing blocking his path to a straight run up the ramp was a full on guard watch. Frowning, he unsheathed both broadswords and prepared to take the soldiers out.
An alarm suddenly went off and Zuko started, wondering if he'd been seen. Catching himself, he retreated to the top of a shop's roof, hiding in the shadows. Yelling and shouting surrounded him and he swore that they'd found him.
But the shouting grew weaker and Zuko looked towards the sky to find some strange creature moving through the darkness. He thanked the gods for this distraction. Maybe luck would keep him alive this time.
'Blood bathed her as claws ripped into the hard flesh, coating her even more. She could see everything, hear every gurgled scream, even taste the blood.
But she couldn't control herself.
She cried silently as she ripped the demon open again. His face was frozen in an expression of horror and she struggled to stop herself.
The demon in her stirred and forced her back, enjoying himself. Her pain drove him on as the next demon attacked. He lasted a good five seconds before his throat was slashed open. Blood soaked the ground as he fell, gasping for a lost breath.
Screaming, she tried to ignore this, knowing it wasn't real. But it felt so real and she couldn't turn away.'
Zhao watched the witch spasm on the floor, her eyes rolled back in her head. The demon was grinning, his hand resting on her forehead to control the images flashing through her conscious. She let out a strangled scream as she rocked violently on the ground, almost sounding like she was choking on something.
"That's enough. Let's see how that did," he commanded.
Hebi backed away reluctantly, his contact vanishing. She whimpered, trembling once before she gasped and snapped back to reality.
"Where is your crew?" he asked, smirking at her terrified glances around the cell.
"Don't know," she whimpered, her breathing fast and labored.
"So sorry then," the admiral tsked, backing up and nodding at the demon.
He grinned and eagerly regained his foothold in the witch's mind, deciding to take her on a new ride. Her eyes rolled back again as the illusions chased her, forcing her to take part in them. The witch started shaking all over again, the strangled screams ripping out from her.
"If she breaks, come and tell me what she says," the Firebender ordered, turning on his heel and leaving the witch alone with his servant.
Hebi chuckled, his gold eyes shining with delight. He would take his sweet time in letting that happen.
As quick as he could, he rushed onto the boat, slipping through the shadows. Once inside the belly of the ship, he took the mask off, rubbing his face. Sighing, he slipped it back on and secured it before stealthily moving down towards the holding cells.
He knocked three guards unconscious on his way to the third floor under the ship. Keeping quiet, he shoved all three into a broom closet and continued, ears straining to hear even the slightest noise.
He jumped up and clung to the ceiling as footsteps sounded and Zhao's voice rose up. Zuko listened as the admiral walked by with a lieutenant, the smirk still on his face.
"Hebi will break her by at least two this morning. Once we have the crew's whereabouts, set a course and we'll kill each and every one of them in front of her."
Zuko resisted the urge to drop down and slit his throat.
"Until then, no disturbances. I'll be in my quarters." Zhao continued down the hall, stepping up the stairs while the lieutenant rolled his eyes and moved into the next door.
He waited three minutes before dropping down gracefully. Holding in his anger, Zuko made his way further into the beast, checking around every corner. He smirked as the guards thinned out to one every level. The Firebender dealt with each one easily and found the holding cells easily.
Something else was down here.
Quickly, he dashed down the hallway, listening as the demon chuckled and as the weirdest noises echoed in the empty area. Zuko stopped by the cell and drew his swords, ready to cut the demon into pieces. Noiselessly, he kicked the weak bar in the door, letting it fall with a metallic clunk and watching the demon start. Grunting, he swung the sword, knocking the beast to the floor and kicking him across the cell.
Done with the demon he turned to the witch, wincing underneath his mask. She was white, eyes rolled back. Her body was shaking all over as the contact vanished. Whining, she snapped back to reality and tried to attack the first thing she saw.
Zuko dodged a swipe from her as she came back. He stood back, letting her adjust to the cell again.
She gasped for air and he moved closer but stopped when she growled. Chest heaving, her one eye shot around the cell even as her mind cleared. Shaking still, she sat back and rubbed her arms, the illusions vanishing in some corner of her mind.
He knelt down, making sure she was focused on him. She stared at him with a confused look, body still trembling.
"Sorano?" he whispered, keeping his voice even. He touched her shoulder, keeping her focused. Her face broke out in a grin as she recognized him.
"Hey," she mumbled.
And promptly fell face first as the entirety of pain and the illusions caught up with her.
Zuko caught her without thinking, being as gentle as he could with the burn. He winced as he caught a glimpse of the wound coated in dirt and ripped up even more. Gently, he shifted her, placing the witch over his shoulder and standing, adjusting to the extra dead weight.
His mind was occupied as he moved, almost going about the place on autopilot. The guards were still down for the count, a good thing for him. He didn't think he could take them on with the sorceress unconscious.
Quietly, he slipped through the shadows on the deck, holding the witch tightly as he raced down the ramp.
His trip back to his boat was uneventful and he was thankful for it. No matter what, his first priority was the witch. He boarded, keeping the pounding of his feet to a minimum. Pushing the door open, he laid her on the bed and went back out, getting the boat ready to go.
Zuko forced himself to calm as he forced the boat back into the water. She would be all right. All he had to do was to get her to the ship and get the medic to look at her. In the mean time, he would try and make her as comfortable as possible.
She was sleeping when he walked in the small living space. The Firebender approached her cautiously, not really knowing how to go about this. Well, for starters, he could try and get the shirt off of her. It was restricting her breathing now more than ever. And he wasn't doing it just because he could.
Well, that was what he kept telling himself.
He had to take a knife and cut off part of the ruined shirt. It had melded with her wound and he didn't want to risk hurting her more than he had to.
The Firebender settled in for the three hour trip, wondering why the ship seemed to be moving a little slower than usual.
Problem was his ship had an extra passenger besides the witch.