AN:oky doky people here's chapter 5. I know I know its been like two or thee days since I updated...but I've been busy...what w/ 4th of July and then I lost my motivationcuz of lack of reviews and my inspiration just left me ...but I got it back! sitting at my computer with that notebook and keyboard brought it all back...A BREAKTHROUGH! lol w/e well I'll shut up now I like this chappie very much! kinda short, sry! but for all you gushy love mush people reading this...its about to get to the romance...I think... but you know love in real life never happens JUST LIKE THAT! it takes time and thats what I'm trying to do (plus get in as many chapter as I can). and one other thing I'm gonna get out the way...THIS IS NO MARY SUE...just to let ya know! Sure theres romance but not stupid"oh I just love you" GUSHY GUSHY GUSHY!its more of a romancebased onZuko'strue character and how he would really act if he were in love.So I'm gonna shut upfor realnow!R&R ENJOY!
The Doom of Innocence
Ch. 5 Regrets of Betrayal
A slow steady sound of trickling water droplets echoed as they crashed to the cold metal floor. The smell of rotting flesh and infected wounds accompanied by horrible cries of pain filled the air; then silence, the silence of the dead.
Zuko rolled over and fell hard on his back. He tried to perch himself upright with his arms, but they were held back by cold hard metal, he tried to stand but his legs were also bound. He slowly opened his amber eyes.
He was shut up in a cold dark room, lying on a dirty metal floor; he was in chains; bound from head to foot;he felt fresh blood from a gash on his head, trickle down his face, then fall to the floor.
He glanced across the room, hoping to find some means of escape.
"W…where…am…I?" He mumbled to himself. As his eyes fully adjusted, he noticed a young man about nineteen huddled over in a corner, staring off at something obviously far off, as if in a dream; his eyes large, full of hope and silent strength as they gleamedfiercely in the darkness.
"Who…who are you?" Zuko asked cautiously, the man made no reply, but continued to stare off at some unknown hope. Zuko glanced down and noticed that dry blood pooled around the man and upon further examination noticed the scratches and gashes that dotted his face and arms.
Zuko glanced in the direction that the man was so eagerly staring at. He gasped as he turned and saw…
Everything started to fade out…
Zuko bolted upright, eyes flashing in alarm, his face drenched in a cold sweat.
"What…who?" Zuko looked around his room, reassuring himself that what he had experienced was just a dream. He glanced out the window, the sun was rising. Zuko looked up thoughtfully, and then walked off to do some early morning training.
Meisha leaned against the black metal railing of the ship and looked out longingly across the ocean. Thoughts of Zuko drifted to her mind; she quickly pushed them back down.
It had been several days since Zuko had falsely accused Meisha. She was in no hurry to see or even think about the young Fire Prince. She had been avoiding him at all costs.
When she passed him in a hall, she would simply stare straight ahead, eyes never once falling on him. When she dined with Iroh and Zuko, she just kept silent, despite all of Iroh's rambling; her eyes downcast, never straying so far as to even glance up at Iroh, who had made a miraculous recovery thanks to Meisha and her "poisoned" tea. If Zuko even tried to make an attempt to speak to her, she merely looked away, uninterested in anything he could possibly have to say.
She knew it was wrong to treat him that way, and it wasn't earning her his trust or his friendship by any means.
A small fragment of her past, somehow managed to worm its way in amongst all the other thoughts racing through her mind.
"And who are you?" the powerful voice of her superior loomed over her head.
"Meisha, loyal servant of Fire Lord Ozai." She replied her eyes averted when the man glared at her.
"And what are you?" he smirked when she looked off numbly into the distance.
"Loyal follower and soldier of Fire Lord Ozai." She replied again; she was sick of these pointless questions; these hideous men were trying to brainwash her.
"And what motivates you and drives the passion of your fire?" he said, knowing very well she resented him for doing this.
"The victory of the Fire Nation." She said knowing what really motivated her and it was not that by any means.
"Hmmm….and where do your true loyalties lie?" he said in a threatening tone; she swallowed hard.
"My loyalties lie solely to the Fire Nation and to the supreme ruler of the world, Fire Lord Ozai." She braced herself for the next question.
"Now…" he said pulling her hair, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "Where is your rebel group hiding?" She looked down, quickly thinking of something to say.
"I…umm…I don't…know?" she finished weakly.
His eyes filled with rage as he grabbed her by the neck, as if strangling her, and bringing her to eye level with him; he stood a good six feet tall or higher.
"WHERE do your loyalties lie?" he yelled, spit flying in her face; his grip continuously tightening.
"To the….the Fire Nation." She knew it was no use resisting.
"Then WHERE are they hiding!" he screamed.
"They're….they're….they're hiding on the outskirts of the city," her eyes swelled with tears; she was betraying her friends and all that she believed in; Jie would never forgive her. "You can find the entrance to an underground network of resistance hideouts and different rebel camps, by the large white rock that stands in the middle of the countryside hidden by the trees." She said now gasping for breath.
"Hmm…you've made the right choice, Meisha." He smirkedevily as he dropped her to the ground. "You will not regret it." He looked down at her slumped over body.
"Now, General Gang," he said turning to the man standing in the corner. "Prepare the troops for battle, today, we finish this." He said walking out the room.
"Yes, Fire Lord Ozai." General Gang said sneering at the pathetic failure lying on the floor; with that, he turned and walked out the room leaving his only daughter crumpled and crushed on the floor; weeping at her own stupidity and weakness.
Meisha closed her eyes and thought back to that awful day; the day she had betrayed everything that was special to her and everyone who had really loved her. A small tear slowly made its way down her cheek.
That was then…when I was naught but a failure and traitor. I have greater purpose and meaning now; I'm no longer that weak pathetic traitorous failure that I was then, I amone of the Fire Nation's strongest benders and fighters. She thought trying desperately to believe what she was thinking was true; she knew it was not; she knew she would always be that very same failure to her family that she always was; her and Jie both.
"I guess…that's what Zuko and I have most in common." She whispered to herself as yet another tear trickled down her face. A voice from behind her quickly startled her from her thoughts; she quickly put on her calm and uncaring face, hoping it was not Zuko; it wasn't.
"Excuse me," said a middle-aged man with grayish colored hair; a comforting smile on his face. "May I have the opportunity to watch the sunrise with such a lovely young woman?" she smiled and he took note of the single tear slowly making its way to her chin.
"Sure," she said not averting her attention from the orange horizon. "May I inquire so much as the name of the person that I am sharing this sight with?" she said smiling at him.
"Yes, pardon my ill manners; that's what two years out at sea do to you, I am Lieutenant Jee." He replied returning the smile.
"Just call me Meisha," she said looking back out at the ocean.
"Well Meisha," said Lt. Jee after the sun had risen, "Have you seen much of the ship yet?"
"No, I've stayed…well to myself most of my time here." Thoughts of Zuko flowed back through her mind; she quickly pushed them back again.
"Well, that's understandable, what with that arrogant Prince Zuko running about ordering everyone around, I don't blame you if you hate it here." He said disgusted at the thought of Zuko.
"No….don't….don't say that. He's been through a lot and has had a….hard life." She couldn't believe she was actually defending Zuko; what was she thinking? "I…I know what he's been through."
"Well now, how would you –"
"I was there at the Agni Kai when his father….burned him…I had a front row seat…" she whispered, not wanting Zuko to overhear.
"But how…I mean…why were you there?" he asked shocked at her response.
"My…father is a….well known general…and my mother is an advisor to the Fire Lord….so my family and I were given supposedly 'good' seats, but my brother and I hated the whole thing."
"Hmmm….." he replied trying to place her father.
"And…." She whispered, knowing she would regret this but something told her she could trust Lt. Jee. "We also had to attend, my brother and I, because…because my grandfather…was the man who Zuko spoke out against; it was considered an insult to the entire family, and all of us were forced to go."
Lt. Jee's jaw dropped ever so slightly but he quickly regained his composer.
"Well," he said smiling, trying to change the subject before Zuko overheard. "You said you've never seen the entire ship, right?"
"Yes, that's correct." She smirked at how quicklyhe had changed the subject. She was glad, she had no wish to talk about her family.
"Would you like a tour then?" he smiled; she could tell he was a very kind man.
"Sure, only if it doesn't cut into something that you have to do."
"No, in fact the only priority I have today is to see to it that you get a tour and that you have anice experience." He smiled offering her his arm.
"Well I'll be sure that I do!" she replied taking his arm.
"Then we're off." He said taking her past a hall where Zuko had been sitting; he had heard the whole conversation. He sighed and walked off.
Her...grandfather...was the man who I... His thoughts trailed off.
"And this is the Helm; this is where you will commonly find General Iroh playing Pai Sho with the crew." Lt. Jee said smirking; Iroh was a cunning expert when it came to playing that game.
"Hmm…that's nice." Her mind was in ten million other places at the time. She glanced out the window as Lt. Jee was speaking to the captain.
She saw Zuko and Iroh standing on deck. Zuko was training or being taught by Iroh, from what she could tell; she watched as Zuko punched the air, sending a fireball hurdling towards asoldier, who was knocked off his feet. Iroh motioned for Zuko to come over to him. Iroh looked down and shook his head and said something to Zuko then took a breath and allowedfire to fly from his fist.
Meisha smiled, she knew exactly what was going on; Zuko was relying on his strength instead of breath for Firebending; Meisha had often been like that when she first started off. All of a sudden Zuko looked up.
Zuko rolled his eyes at his uncle. He was tired of doing this same move for the past twenty minutes. He looked up; ignoring his uncle's nagging and saw Meisha standing in the Helm watching him, and for a faint second, he thought hesaw a small smile make its way across her face. He caught himself trying to smile and pushed it back as he continued to watch her for a few seconds more; then she realized that he was staring back at her; she turned her head and walked off without looking back.
Zuko sighed and hung his head.
What have I done? He thought berating himself for having talked to her as he had and falsely accusing her.
Ignoring his uncle he turned around and knocked the soldier out, then stormed off.
After her tour with Lt. Jee, Meisha slowly made her way back to the deck. It was already afternoon; it had taken a surprising amount of time to tour such a small warship; she had seen much larger in no time flat, but of course that's how the Fire Nation was; always too busy winning the war to enjoy life or anything else for that matter.
Meisha knew Zuko was watching her but she ignored him and walked over to the black railing and once again looked out across the sparkling ocean.
Zuko slowly approached Meisha. His stomach lurched; he never normally did something like this. But if he was to gain her trust, and possibly her friendship, then he must swallow his pride and apologize.
He stood by her and examined the unchanging ocean; it had not changed one bit since the day he left the Fire Nation; but he had in so many ways.
"Meisha," he started slowly. She shifted but made no reply.
"Listen Meisha, I….I'm sorry…" he trailed off, feeling like an idiot. A subtle smile twitched at her lips. "I'm sorry for…for judging you like I did and for accusing you for hurting uncle when you were only trying to help him; I'm sorry, I've been the biggest fool." He turned to walk off when she didn't reply.
"No," he stopped and looked back. "I'm the fool, I've snapped at you and threatened you and made you suspicious of me by acting like I did. And then I ignored youand treated you awfully on top of that." She looked down; she hated doing this; but to get his much-needed trust, she had to. "I'm sorry, it's just, I hate sympathy, it makes me feel like a weak failure. When you and your uncle saved me, I just couldn't take it. I snapped." She turned to him, her golden eyes reflecting the light from off of the twinkling ocean. "So I'm sorry." Shesaid sincerely and turnedback towards the ocean.
Zuko walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder and gazed out at the ocean with her. They both stood there like that for the rest of the afternoon; both in deep thought, as the sun slowly made its way down into the ocean; holding them their frozen in place for what seemed like eternity, until the starry glade unfolded and the moon danced through the sky.
AN: sry it was too short...I could have done better, but I don't have a lot of time on my hands right now..and I thought that ending would be ok for now lol. Please guys...don't make me lose my motivation again...I really work hard on this and I would like to know what ya'll think...good? bad? I dont care...I love honest answers and I'm always open of constructive critisism or even just someone saying that it was good and that they enjoyed it...its not that hard ya'll...just a click of a button and POOF you give me my motivation! so please do it for my motivation's sake at least! REVIEW! COME ON GUYS JUST PRESS THAT LITTLE BUTTON...YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO...AND IF YOU DO, YOU'LL MAKE MY INSPIRATION SMILE AND THEN MAKE A HAPPY SEADIVER113!