I'm going to say this right now: Warning, this contains spoilers for the last two episodes of Avatar. Read at your own risk.
Now that that's out of the way: Thanks to My Silver Wound for reviewing! I don't know if Zhao is dead or not but that will be a question here.
Updates will be coming a little faster as Christmas Break is coming and I have very few finals this semester. Part of the problem was a graphic novel that I had to draw for a project on Julius Caesar that turned out pretty funny but it was late because our group was unorganized and lines were invented on the spot. I might start drawing small pictures for this story.
This is a two part chapter as it would be longer than the others if the second part was included. And this is the part that happens right after the Siege of the North. Enjoy!
Disclaimer (because I keep forgetting): I don't own Zuko or Iroh or the Spirits. I own the witch, her crew, the ship, and the Lion Dog. :P
Chapter 15 – Saikai Ippan 1
"I guess you're going then," he said, watching her as she nodded.
"I have to. My crew needs me," Sorano answered. Kin had already made himself at home, sunbathing on the deck. The Lion Dog stretched out and went back to sleep.
"Well, good luck then," he replied stiffly, forcing himself to be neutral about this entire thing.
"You're so predictable," she laughed. The witch wrapped him in a hug, smirking at his tenseness.
He watched them sail off, feeling a slight emptiness inside of him. Iroh asked him what he wanted to do, watching his nephew's reaction.
"Go after the Avatar."
Iroh sighed, feeling that maybe not even the witch could help his misguided adopted son.
Zuko sat on their makeshift raft, shivering and teeth chattering. He had already wasted much of his energy creating a fire to keep him warm. His uncle was suffering a little less or worse, he wasn't sure. Iroh was heavier in build and was a little overweight but he was also older. He seemed okay but he was looking pale. They had barely been able to catch anything to eat. The two had enough water from melting the icebergs but that wasn't much help when the two were starving.
"Uncle, do you know where we are?" Zuko asked between his chattering teeth.
"Honestly," he began, "no."
The Firebender groaned and wrapped his arms around his knees, trying to conserve his body heat. Iroh moved closer, finally shivering.
"What now?" he asked, staring off into the miles of icebergs and water.
"Well, I would guess that we find land or another ship," his uncle answered.
"No, I mean what do I do now?" he said, frowning. "There's nothing for me to do anymore. Father will never let me come back."
Iroh sighed and wrapped an arm around his nephew's shoulder. "I have been trying to tell you all this time, Prince Zuko. Your father would never let you come back anyways, Avatar or not." The retired general smiled and nodded to the younger man's surprise. "He sent you away because he feels ashamed of you; he feels that you will never make something of yourself."
Zuko's head dropped as his mood plummeted.
"But, he does not see you like I do," Iroh continued, smiling at the Firebender. "I see a powerful young man that, with the right training and guidance, will become wise and be a great Fire Lord."
Shivering, he leaned into his uncle, closing his eyes. "Thank you, uncle."
"Anytime, Prince Zuko," he replied.
"I'm not a prince anymore, uncle." The Firebender closed his eyes, feeling sick as he shivered. "Stop calling me that."
His smile fell but he nodded, breathing in deeply. "All right, Zuko."
There was a slight creaking sound and both tensed, ready to fight with all they had. The creaking grew louder and both Firebenders stood on shaky legs, already in fighting stances.
"Remember your basics, Zuko," Iroh reminded.
"Ahoy?"
Both relaxed suddenly as the ship appeared from behind an iceberg, the strange patchwork of metal and wood looking incredibly familiar. Zuko nearly laughed and jumped for joy as he saw the large gray dog looking off the side of the ship with two demons and a strangely dressed woman.
"Hoshi! Sixteen degrees to the left!" she called out, moving to the bow of the ship. "You guys okay?"
"Talk later! Get over here now!" Zuko yelled, trembling.
He heard her laugh as the ship pulled in close, the small raft churning slightly in the waves. A rope was thrown over the side, piling up on the makeshift boat. Zuko forced his uncle to go first, tying the rope securely around his large waist. He watched as his uncle was pulled up onto the ship and shivered.
Zuko tied the rope around his own middle and took the sudden moves and stops of the rope as he was lifted up into the boat. Sorano pulled him onto the deck, rubbing his arms to help warm him up.
"Been a while, Zuko," she said, grinning widely. Her head tilted to the side, eyes showing she was relieved that they were in one piece. "I'm wondering why you two are out on a makeshift boat in the middle of the North Pole, though."
"Long story," he grunted, shivering. "Need warmth."
Sorano laughed and nodded. "Hoshi, keep heading north. Nezu, go see if you can make the furnace room a little more comfortable. Ookami, whip these guys up something warm to eat." Her orders were followed immediately, the demons working up a storm.
"Come on, boys. We don't need your colds getting worse," she said, wrapping an arm around both of their shoulders.
Both Firebenders followed her down into the hatch, Zuko remembering this ship like the back of his hand. She kicked the same wall down again and led the two men into the belly of the ship. The furnace was roaring as the wind wasn't picking up too well here, making the room warm and cozy. Zuko immediately collapsed onto one of the pallets set out, settling in front of the fire. Iroh groaned as he sat down, resting on his elbows.
"You boys should get out of those clothes before you freeze to death," she remarked, moving back up the stairs. "I'll go check to see what Ookami's making."
Zuko waited until he heard the door close before stripping off the white snowsuit, wrapping a blanket around himself to hold off the cold air. He kept his head turned away when his uncle pulled off the robe, remembering the unpleasantness that had happened around the Winter Solstice. The two sat in front of the roaring furnace wrapped in blankets, Iroh dozing off slightly.
Sorano came back down, a tray balanced on one arm. Her smile widened as she found both Firebenders curled up with the flames. "Come on, boys. You two must be starving."
Immediately, both reacted, gazing at her with hungry eyes. Carefully, she set the tray down between them, leaping back when both of them attacked it. Grinning, she sat cross-legged behind the two.
"So, what are you two doing out here?" she asked as they finally slowed their intake of food.
Zuko swallowed a piece of bread before responding. "You can blame Zhao for everything."
"So specific," she replied, eyes rolling. "Iroh?"
He took a long drink of tea, breathing in deeply. "The Fire Nation finished an attempted attack on the Northern Water Tribe. We lost and barely managed to drift away."
"I assume you met Twee and La while you were there?" the witch asked, brows furrowing slightly. While Zuko look confused, Iroh just nodded. "Everything's all right then?"
"Zhao tried to take out the moon to win the battle by destroying the Moon Spirit. He did but the Avatar was there and the Ocean Spirit helped the Water Tribe win the battle in a fit of rage." He paused slightly, adding dramatic effect. "One of the girls though, the Moon Spirit had saved her life and therefore had passed its life to her. She sacrificed herself to right the world, bringing the Moon Spirit back and ending the Ocean Spirit's rage."
She nodded, eyes watching the fire. "I had hoped that someone had set the world right again. All of us felt it on the ship when the sky turned red." The smile had disappeared. "Ookami felt it first though. Canine demons cannot live right without the moon. Fell like a tree and screamed when the sky turned blood. When the moon disappeared, though, he just," she paused as though trying to find the right word. "Died." A shudder ran its course through her. "Scared us all to death. We changed course to help out Twee and La as is what we are magically bound to do but then the moon reappeared and he woke back up. It was like nothing ever happened."
"The Moon Spirit is back in its rightful place, circling around the Ocean Spirit," Iroh confirmed. "I watched it return."
"Thank you, Iroh," the witch replied, patting his shoulder. She stood suddenly, smiling down at them. "You two should get some rest. I'm going to get Hoshi to turn around. It's freezing here."
Zuko chuckled slightly as he lied down on the pallet, curled up under the warm blanket. His uncle followed suit and was snoring before the teenager had time to settle in. Sometime during his slight doze, he heard the door at the top open but only found the Lion Dog making his way down. The huge beast stretched out next to him, head resting on his large paws. A dark black dorsal line ran up his spine, splitting at his shoulders to form into two arrows that pointed to the ground.
The Firebender gave Kin a small kick to move him away a little. The beast grunted and rolled onto his side, nearly squashing the teen. Zuko grumbled and moved away from him, back to the creature. Kin gave him a slightly triumphant smile and fell asleep. Growling, Zuko frowned before yawning and settling in, sleeping soundly despite his uncle's loud snores.
Sorano didn't find the wolf demon in the kitchen so she climbed the stairs to the deck, wrapping a cloak around her shoulders. The bitter cold met her and she grimaced. Hoshi was wrapped up in a blue parka, the tips of his ears tucked into his hat though they were still red. He motioned his head towards the bow, face flushed from the cold.
The witch nodded and approached the wolf demon cautiously. He hadn't been right for a while. She'd often hear him moving around in the middle of the night, restless. "Ookami?"
He didn't respond at first, ears twitching and continuously moving. "I can feel them," he whispered, sounding breathless. His clawed hands tapped against the railing, body moving with a strange energy.
Breathing in, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I want you to be prepared for whatever we find."
"I will," he remarked almost immediately, twitching.
"They might be dead," she said, watching his reaction.
"They will not be!" Ookami roared, grabbing her by the front of her shirt and holding her level with him. She stayed calm, holding up a hand to keep Hoshi at the wheel. "They're alive!" His eyes dilated, breaths coming in hard and ears pinned back against his head.
The demon calmed slightly, seeing what he was doing. Gently, he set her back down, head in his hands. "Sorry, so sorry," he mumbled. "I haven't seen them for so long."
"Shut up, Wolfie," she whispered. "I'm leaving you charge of our course then. Don't wreck the ship though; I don't want to end up stranded here."
He smiled and grabbed her before she could retreat, hugging her tightly. "Thank you."
"Yeah, yeah," she said, "now let me go before you break my spine."
His laugh was a welcome change from his twitchiness. Ookami released her, smiling as she turned to the battle demon.
"Hoshi! Ookami's in charge of our course! Listen to him, if not, I'll come up here and personally kick your ass."
The demon feigned a hurt expression and cover said ass from her attack. He laughed though and saluted, leaning on the wheel.
She escaped into the hatch, shaking her body to warm up. Now to take care of her stowaways.
Zuko opened one eye at the feeling of a cold hand on his forehead. His vision blurred before focusing on the witch as the back of her hand moved to his cheek. "Yes?" he asked, a growl evident in his tone.
"You're running a fever," she mumbled.
"Are you sure it's not the living furball next to me?" he grumbled, trying to escape back into sleep.
Her eyes rolled. "Drink this," she responded, handing him a large cup.
Just to prove something, he chugged it, almost choking a little.
And immediately felt his mouth and stomach burn. The witch's hand covered his mouth before he could spit it back up, pinching his nose to force him to swallow. Once he did, she let go and he sputtered, clutching his throat.
"Forgot to tell you it has a bad taste," she said but the smirk was evident.
He glared and carefully examined the next cup she handed him, finding it was only tea. Even though he despised the drink, he swallowed it as nothing was worse than that concoction he had just drunk.
Iroh had almost the same reaction, hitting his chest to help it down. His uncle took the tea graciously and downed it in one gulp as well. "What kind of tea is this, Sorano?" he asked. Leave it to his uncle.
"Mountain White Peony with Scorpion Bee honey," she answered, grinning slightly. "It should help with your colds as well." The witch stood back up, rubbing the Lion Dog's head. "Get some rest. I'm going to see what I can do with your old room."
Zuko gave a stiff nod, yawning again. He waited until the door shut again before checking on his clothes. Finding them dry and warm, he quickly shrugged them on and kicked Kin off of the pallet. Snorting, the Firebender laid back down, feeling drowsy. Iroh was already snoozing away; the Lion Dog curled up near him instead.
After making sure everything looked okay, Zuko finally rested down, focusing on the flame before him. It looked amazingly alive, flickering and changing to shoot flames elsewhere in pipes. He frowned, watching as more fire shot off.
Houou…
Phoenix…firebird…
The flame lifted slightly and he saw the shape of a large bird, wings folded gracefully and long, plumed tail swishing. It watched him for a moment before settling back down on the bed of coals, white, glowing eyes closing.
The ship was alive.