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Chapter 18 – Byoukan
Zuko sat and watched with faint amusement as Sorano and Hoshi struggled to get the boat to dock. It seemed to be resisting, though he wasn't sure how that was possible. Several perplexed bystanders were watching as the witch yelled at the ship, kicking it and basically fuming. Hoshi was fighting the wheel as it seemed to want to spin out of control.
Then, as strangely as it started, it stopped and Hoshi nearly fell on his face from the sudden give. The Houou moved easily into the port and seemed to sigh as it rested in the docking area.
Sorano stared at the ship, at the port, then back at the ship. A strange growl of frustration left her throat as she threw her hands into the air.
Iroh looked relieved that they had found a port, especially one with a lot of merchant stalls. As soon as the crew got the boat settled in, he was off and browsing through the port.
Sighing, Sorano shook her head. "Nezu!"
In a pop of displaced air, the little rat demon appeared. His dress was more of an apprentice look, a rough looking yukata that had seen better days. A messenger bag hung from one shoulder and rested on his hip. The famous cloak was wrapped around his shoulders, disguising his demonic features. He looked eager to do something.
"Go follow Iroh and try to control what he buys. See if you can find any supplies we need as well," she said, rubbing his brown hair.
He nodded and ran down the plank, disappearing into the crowd.
"Does he have any money?" asked Zuko, trying to spot his uncle.
"That's a good question. If he comes back with junk, then yes, he did," she answered.
Zuko chuckled, hoping his uncle wouldn't bring any of the stuff he usually brought in.
"Well come on!" the witch cheered. "We've got to get set up for the customers!"
His mood dropped as he groaned loudly in protest.
"Hey! You have to work to live on this ship now, Zuko!" she yelled.
"How come there aren't any medics in this stupid town!" Sokka groaned, trying to curb his frustration. He was about to kick a stone when he remembered what happened the last time. The Water Tribe warrior just glared at the offending stone while trying to think.
"Come on, Sokka. I'm sure there's a medic somewhere around here," the Avatar claimed, his optimism shining.
The two stopped and stared around at the port, looking from sign to sign. It was just a few days ago when they found something wrong…
"Katara? Katara!" Aang screamed, shaking her.
The Waterbender groaned, eyes trying to open and focus on him. "What?" she asked, trying to stay with the caring gaze of him.
He was at a loss on what was going on. She had a high fever; her breathing was slow, almost painful gasps. Aang kept a hold on her, scared that if he let go she would slip away. This was not something he could help with fighting.
"What's taking so long?" Sokka asked, stepping off of Appa and gasping at his sister's state. "Katara! Katara!"
Aang just watched helplessly as she passed out suddenly, body shaking from strain. The brother held her close, trying to cure her himself.
The Avatar looked around for a fourth time before spotting something caught his eye. "Hey, Sokka."
"What? Did you find a doctor?" he asked, the overprotective brother staring at him hopefully.
"No, but isn't that the guy that Zuko's always with?" he questioned the older boy, pointing to the gray haired man browsing through the merchant stalls.
"If he's here, then that means that Zuko's here! We have to leave!" he cried out, grabbing Aang's sleeve and tugging.
Aang pulled the warrior back, determination written on his face. "Sokka! We have to find a doctor for Katara! She might not last another day!" He watched the fight in the teenager's face, seeing the protection he needed to provide and felt obligated to give and the concern for his sister's wellbeing.
"All right. We'll have to stay out of his way then," he gave in.
He beamed and the two strayed far away from the old man, sighing as they could find no sign of a medic or healer or anything. The two were about to just pack up and move to the next town, hoping Katara could last another day when it seemed luck was with them.
"Yeah, I'm an apprentice for a witch who docked here this morning. She's selling all sorts of spells and charms for people at the harbor."
Both boys turned at the voice, finding a young kid putting a bag of fruit in a messenger bag.
"She's really amazing. Well, thanks for the fruit!" he said cheerfully, slinging the bag over his shoulder and running past the two.
Aang watched him as the child jumped into the air, head turning to look at the Avatar. Gold eyes caught gray as the two seemed frozen in time. The boy felt the slight power radiating off the child and could actually feel the demon inside of him.
Then time sped up and seemed to move faster as the kid scampered off, diving into the crowd and vanishing from sight.
"Well, we could go check out the witch. Maybe she can help. Right, Aang? Aang?" Sokka asked, waving a hand in front of the boy's dazed expression. "Are you okay?"
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine, Sokka," he answered, giving the teen a smile. "Let's go see."
Sokka gave him a strange look but just shrugged. "Okay. Well, let's go."
Aang turned back to find the demon hiding as a child, feeling that something big was about to happen.
Zuko leaned against the wall of the upper deck, sulking silently. While Iroh was out and enjoying himself, he had to listen to the woes of the people of this forsaken town.
Damn did his uncle have it good.
Luckily, it appeared that there weren't very many people here to assist and the ship was done around noon. Ookami's kids had helped out but still. Sorano considered closing up for the day and leaving as soon as Nezu and Iroh managed to get back. She had vanished below deck to deal with some unfinished projects as the crew began taking down their work.
Then the Spirits decided to have fun and let hell break loose.
The first thing Zuko saw was the bright orange and yellow of the Avatar's clothing, followed by the blues of the stupid boy that tagged around with him. He briefly wondered where the girl was before the two spotted him. Time seemed to freeze for a moment as the three stared at each other.
He barely blocked the sudden attack from the warrior, wincing as he caught sight of the knife. Zuko growled, letting the Water Tribe boy get a face full of fire as he tried to charge again. The Firebender tried to kick the teen away, ending up missing and getting a punch to the jaw. Was he getting better?
The fight ended shortly though, Zuko finding himself off his feet with his toes barely touching the ground. A hand was at his throat, holding him up along with the Water Tribe boy. He was careful not to move unlike his rival who was struggling hard but not getting anywhere. Hoshi cocked an eyebrow at the two, keeping them separated and gazing back at the newcomer's companion. The boy was looking around as though desperate to find an answer to the predicament.
"What the hell?"
Sorano appeared out of the hatch, frowning and looking pissed. She glanced from the bald kid to the demon holding the two immobilized off the ground. The witch processed what had happened, recognizing the Airbending tattoos on the kid's body.
"Well, now. I see we have some guests. I'd welcome both of you but it seems Hoshi and Zuko have already done that," she said, a slight smile curling at her mouth.
"He started it," Zuko grumbled, trying to keep his breathing calm. He didn't dare attack the battle demon without wanting to lose his life.
"Shut it. Now then, let me guess. Our new friends attacked you, you blocked, and Hoshi now has you both in a very messy hold." She stepped up close, moving around to face the two without the demon's large build to get in the way. "Zuko, I expect nothing from you but if you attack these two, I will have to let them deal with you. Just do it somewhere off my ship."
She turned to the Water Tribe teen, taking in his appearance as he froze, finding that the demon could actually kill him without a worry. "You now. You will not come onto my ship and attack anyone, be it Fire Nation or otherwise. This is a neutral territory. If you ever do that again, I will deal with you myself. Then, I will give what's left of you to the rest of the crew to do with as they please, if there is anything left."
Her warning was well received and the poor teen nodded quickly, gulping at her intense stare.
"All right!" she chirped, mood changing suddenly. "Hoshi, let them go."
The demon set the two males down, releasing their throats. Both rubbed their aching necks, not facing the other and almost pouting.
"Now then," Sorano whirled to face the young monk, grinning. "What unfortunate thing has fallen that the Avatar and his friend must grace my ship?" she asked, bowing to him.
Aang has no idea if that was an insult or a compliment but ignored that at the moment. "My friend is sick. We don't know what to do. She has a healing power but it doesn't look like it's been doing anything."
"Let me guess," the witch interrupted. "She's a Waterbender with an infection not from a cut and she's not advanced enough in her healing to deal with it?"
"Uh, I guess," he replied.
"What are her symptoms?"
The two boys looked at each other, before Sokka shrugged. "Well, she's got a fever; she's been throwing up everywhere."
"She's been complaining that she hurts all over," Aang added. "And sometimes when she wakes up, she's confused or something."
Sorano nodded and started towards the hatch. "It sounds like a common disease transmitted by mosquitoes. I'll get her something to help. Anything strange that I should know about?" she asked.
"Well, there is that huge sunburn thing on her back. Though I don't understand how she got it, her shirt hasn't been off for that long," Sokka whined, relieved that his sister's illness wasn't serious.
Zuko was watching the witch and saw her stop with one foot on the first stair, freezing. She turned to face the two companions, immediately serious all of a sudden. He could feel the thinking she was doing as she tried to piece the new information together.
"How long has she been like this?" she asked, scaring the two now.
"Three days I think," Aang finally responded.
"Shit!" she yelled, suddenly springing to life. Frantically, she paced, almost struggling to think.
"What?" Sokka asked, frightened at her panic. "What is it? What's wrong with my sister?"
Iroh took that time to step on board; looking relaxed with poor Nezu stumbling behind him with – was that another monkey statue?
"Nezu!" the witch yelled, causing the rat demon to drop the huge thing. Luckily, it didn't break. "We need any medical supplies to fight toxic shock syndrome! Wake Kin up, he's asleep in the furnace room."
He nodded immediately, disappearing instantly. Iroh looked back and forth between the crew before heading down the hatch.
Kin was up on deck before Nezu, yawning widely and showing off six sharp fangs. Aang nearly had a heart attack on seeing the huge beast.
"Lion Dog!" he yelled, running up and tackling the huge beast. Kin rolled on his back, tongue lolling out of his huge jaw as Aang rubbed his belly. The Lion Dog's leg began to twitch as his attention increased.
Nezu popped into place, rat ears visible which had Sokka yelling in surprise.
"Avatar, lead these two to where your friend is. Nezu, stabilize her and get her as comfortable as possible," Sorano ordered. "We'll meet you shortly."
Kin groaned as his attention disappeared and rolled over, shaking his thick coat. The small demon climbed on his back, slightly surprised when Aang just leapt up and perched on the beast.
"You follow the kid's orders now, Kin," she warned, getting what appeared to be an eye roll from the creature.
The wind shifted, curling up under him. He did a small jump, letting the air hold him before shooting off towards the town. They heard Nezu squeal in surprise before the gray figure took a sudden right and disappeared.
"You," she pointed at Sokka. "We need to get there fast."
Sokka looked completely confused but did as the witch said. "Uh, follow me."
Katara moaned, opening her eyes as she heard voices. Her eyes managed to focus on Aang as he started talking but she couldn't understand a word he said.
Then the strange creature was in her vision, telling her to relax and tell him what hurt. She gave him a confused look but managed to mumble "everything." He nodded, pulling out a strange instrument and laid it across her forehead.
His nose started to work, trying to figure out where the infection had started. Nezu stopped near her throat, frowning. "Has she had a sore throat lately?" she asked the bald kid behind him.
"Uh," he mumbled, rubbing his chin in thought. "I think she had one a week ago."
He nodded, sensitive nose flaring. "It probably entered through her sore throat. We'll have to let Sorano look at her first though."
"Already here, Nezu," she called out, stepping over a bush and falling on her back as her shirt caught a branch. The forest was being a bitch.
Zuko and Sokka were glaring at each other, Zuko only with her in case the overzealous Water Tribe boy tried to attack her. He held back a chuckle as she fell, glancing over at the sick girl. What was her name?
"So, is it toxic shock?" she asked as she got up, moving to kneel besides the ill teen.
"Smells like it," the rat demon squeaked. "The infection is concentrated around her throat. Probably snuck in during a sore throat."
"Excellent conclusion, Nezu," she said with a smile.
He watched the demon beam with the compliment, somewhat surprised that Sorano gave time to teach him any of this medical stuff.
"So, how do we go about this?" Sorano asked, checking the instrument and frowning.
Humming, the rat demon's face took on a thoughtful expression before he answered. "A dose of Kelpie Weeds to the infected site should begin clearing up any new stages. Regular doses of Kelpie Weeds after that to kill off any other stages should help."
The pride in the witch's eyes surprised the Firebender to no end. What could it be that made the rat demon different that she taught him like an apprentice?
"Let's get it ready."
The two worked in unison, drawing the three males surrounding them to watch. Feelings of hatred passed, violent tensions faded. The only thing that remained was the awe the three felt as the two moved without talking, helping the ill Water Tribe teen. Sorano managed to open the girl's mouth, letting Nezu to use what looked like a swab to coat the back of her throat with the strange green gunk. Katara coughed, making the demon wrinkle his nose.
"That should be enough," she whispered, letting her close her mouth. Nezu stepped back, placing everything back in his bag as the two packed up. Sorano picked up a large jar, filling it to the brim with the green slop. "Make her eat a fourth of this jar today. Try and make it in several portions to control the infection. Give her another fourth tomorrow and then the last half the next day."
Aang took the jar, wrinkling his nose at the smell. "Are you sure?"
"If I wasn't, I'd be eating it myself." She laughed and waved. "Come get me if her condition doesn't improve. We're staying in port for some time now seeing as I bet your uncle would like to shop some more." She glanced back at Zuko, grinning at his frown.
"He'll sink the ship with all of his junk," he muttered.
The two boys were confused. Zuko seemed…civilized for once. He wasn't trying to attack them. "Is he sick?" Sokka whispered.
Sorano burst out laughing while Zuko glared at them. "Zuko's under orders to not do anything to destroy the world."
"One day, witch. You're going to wake up dead," he growled.
Her laughter didn't help him and he stomped over to where the three animals were gazing at each other. Kin looked at him for a moment before licking him from chin to forehead. While Zuko sputtered and threatened him, the four laughed harder. He glared daggers at them, wishing that he could go ahead and kill them all. Well, all except for the Avatar.
Nezu smirked, glancing around at the strange group. It was funny how nations could get along when the past was forgotten.
Why couldn't humans and demons live in peace?
Or better yet, why couldn't demons cooperate long enough to get along with their own kind?