Chap. 2

Entry

Ocean spray blew across the deck of the ship as it cut through the water. For many, the breeze of the sea is refreshing, a cooling mist that comforts during the day. But as with all people and occurrences, some find it beneath their notice. One such boy stood on the bow of his ship, watching the horizon spread out before him. Zuko, banished prince of the Fire Nation, had all his senses directed towards the goal that had consumed him for the last two years. If a casual observer had seen the boy, they would have assumed he was admiring the sky. But none on this ship needed to observe their leader. They knew Zuko would be out there, watching for any sign of the Avatar as he had done for days since the Avatar had escaped them at Kyoshi Island. He's out there. He thought, as he looked out. And I will find him. If it takes the rest of my life, I will make my father proud again…

"Prince Zuko!" came a voice from behind him. His concentration unaffected, Zuko continued to stare ahead, as his uncle came up the stairs.

"I didn't see you at breakfast. The cook made an excellent broth! Such succulent noodles." Iroh said, his tongue licking his lips at the thought of the meal.

" I wasn't hungry." The prince replied coldly.

His face showing concern, Iroh voiced his thoughts. "Prince Zuko, you have spent the last two days up here looking for the Avatar. You must rest and replenish yourself, or you shall lose your strength."

"My strength is not dependant on such things, Uncle." Zuko replied testily, having heard this speech many times before.

"Zuko, a warrior must prepare himself for battle to truly be effective. Part of that is being rested and ready to face the day. If you continue to do this, it will not matter if we find the Avatar, for you will be too tired and weak to capture him."

"I am not weak! And I don't need your lectures on what makes a warrior!" Zuko snapped, his temper breaking once again. Angrily, the boy-prince turned his gaze to the horizon, refusing to look away.

But Iroh remained calm as always. "Perhaps, but it doesn't really matter, since we will have to stop anyway." Said the general, as he turned away. "WHAT!" Zuko screamed behind him, as he whipped around.

Keeping his back to the prince, Iroh replied calmly, "Yes. The men say we are low on supplies, and that we must restock if we are to continue on our quest." "Who gave them permission to do this!" Zuko muttered angrily.

"I do not know. Perhaps you should go investigate." Iroh suggested. Nodding, the banished prince stomped down the stairs to interrogate the crew.

But Iroh remained behind, a smile on his face. The general did in fact, know who had authorized the stop; he had. The ship's supply of food was quite low, and it was crucial to restock it. Luckily, there was a trading town nearby that they could use to fulfill that need. As for Zuko, Iroh knew that this knowledge would send his nephew into anger great enough to leave his post. And on his way to the crew, he might very well pass by the kitchen…. If he does not burn it down. Iroh thought, with a hint of sadness. The old general cared deeply for his nephew, but times such as these reminded him that Zuko was his brother's son. Ozai's temper was extremely evident within the boy. Thank heavens for his mother. Iroh thought, as he walked to the door. If he was like Azula….

He sighed then, for though Zuko was Ozai's son, Azula was truly his child. Her anger, manipulations, selfishness, and lack of honor… all those qualities that were so evident in Ozai were personified in her. And despite his hatred for his sister for those very qualities, Zuko failed to see them in his father. It was that very blindness that was Iroh's greatest fear- that Zuko would see them when he returned home, Avatar in hand and remained banished but with no hope of ever returning. How has it come to this? Iroh wondered, as he made his way down. How has a great nation become overseen by honor-less dogs, with it greatest hope endlessly attempting to become one? If only I had taken the throne… but it matters not. If I cannot redeem the Fire Nation myself, I must make sure Zuko does. I must see that before his journey ends, he sees the monster his father is… and that he sees the king he could be.

Meanwhile, the town that Iroh had chosen was setting up its shops for the day. Few of the townsfolk didn't work in trading, so most of the city was preparing for the day. But for a second, their efforts were halted. Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to rumble as if in the grip of an angry fist. The people ran to save their wares, but the quake only lasted a minute. Once it ended, the people convinced themselves it was a mutual hallucination and continued with their day. But it had been a quake of a kind. But not the kind that shakes rock and earth. It had been the kind that shakes time and space. A mile outside the city, in the forest surrounding it, the air had crackled, as if charged with electricity. Then, a tearing sound could be heard and suddenly, the air itself opened up, a hole appearing that seemed to lead into nowhere. But appearances are deceiving, for moments after it opened, a figure began to emerge.

The man in black, his lower face masked by wrappings and a wide brimmed black hat on his head exited. His body was covered by his black ragged uniform, with black gauntlets, boots, and a cape completing the look. He looked around once twice, trying to sense danger. Underneath his wrappings, something on the side of his head twitched, as though he was trying to force his hearing to adapt as well. But finally, he nodded. Turning back to the hole, he called out, "It's safe." A moment later, other figures began to emerge. Each one was different in build, but each wore the same basic uniform as the man in black, with one crucial difference- each on wore a different color derivative of its master. Eventually, ten figures stood in the clearing. The hole crackled a minute longer, then folded in on itself and returned to normal.

The figures looked around judging the environment. Finally, the brown man spoke. "Are you sure we're alone?" he asked.

"Positive. I don't sense a soul." The black man said.

"Neither do I." Said a lighter voice, as the woman in gold stepped forward. "Then maybe we should start looking for one soul in particular." The man in orange said, his gruff voice speaking volumes.

Nodding, the man in white closed his eyes. A second later, he spoke; "The Airbender is near. One mile away, in a nearby town."

"Then let's go." Said the man in brown. "Not so fast." Said the man in blue. "I think we might have another problem."

"What do you mean?" asked the man in black.

"This town is near the ocean. I can sense something moving towards us on the water, something with dark intentions."

"What does it look like?" asked the man in red. In response, the man in blue stretched out his hands. In front of him, the air began to ripple. Suddenly, it changed into water, which shifted and changed until it had taken the form of a large warship, a perfect replica of what its master had seen.

"A Fire-Nation ship?" asked the man in green. "Yes, but a very special ship." The man in red answered. "Look at the marking on its brow. It's the mark of a banished warrior. And the Fire-Lord only grants such ships to royalty. This is Prince Zuko's ship."

"Then we have a problem." Said the man in silver, as the man in blue dissolved the water ship. "We know Zuko is obsessed with the Avatar. If he gets to the boy first, we'll never be able to test him."

"Maybe, maybe not." Said the man in gray thoughtfully. "There might be a way to turn this to our advantage." "This had better be good. We can't let the Avatar be injured." Said the woman in gold. "True, but if I'm right, we can let Zuko do the work for us, and test him anyway…."