Kishi: Wah! A review! See below!
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Kara-No
Chapter 4
Frigid
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The arctic wind is notorious for cutting into flesh like a knife. It can cut through layer after layer of insulation with just a single opening, numb the mind, destroying the body with hypothermia.
It did not blow at Zuko. It did not blow at his ship. Even if it had, the prince had only to concentrate and heat the air around him, insulating himself against such natural cruelty.
He would have thought that Reiko, as lightly insulated as she was under her cloak, would have felt the cold even more so than he, yet she seemed completely at her ease, standing just out of his sight.
So this is the North Pole, he thought. It wasn't much, really. About as barren a waste as any he'd seen in his travels. The night was coming on early – that's right, the day plays funny tricks so far north – and the starlight was casting a blue sheen over the snow and ice.
He turned to look back at the blockade. Zhao's second blockade had proven to be no problem whatsoever. The signal flags that alerted of disease had kept everyone well away, and now they were sailing closer and closer.
He refused to look at his servant, but he said, "It seems that you had a good idea after all."
"An idea is no good without the drive to do it," came her quiet reply. "You deserve as much credit as I."
He snarled. Damn it all, there she goes again! She never takes any sort of credit for anything she does, always deferring back to me. It's not natural! Anyone else would be glowing with praise, but all she does is humble herself.
She's up to something, I know she is. But what? What's she looking for? What can I possibly give her?
"Is something the matter, lord?"
"Nothing. Only…." Well, he'd never been one to beat around the bush. "What exactly is it that you want, Reiko?"
He spun around to look at her, and noticed her surprised expression, her rapid blinking.
"What more should I want than to serve you?"
"Is that all you can think about?" he snapped. He noticed, to her credit, she didn't flinch away. "Why do you keep on with all this fawning and modesty? Doesn't it wear on you? Don't you have any wants or needs of your own? Don't you have a shred of humanity in you!"
She stared at him for a slip of a moment before answering, "Yes."
Zuko's glare showed that he expected more, so she elaborated: "Your presence is somewhat… intimidating. I wanted to please you, to be worthy of the reward you bestowed on me, and I have done my best since then." She cocked her head at him. "Are you somehow dissatisfied with me?"
"No, it's just that your servitude isn't natural! Don't you have any wants? Any needs?"
"A servant does not burden her master with her personal concerns."
Such an answer would have satisfied any other noble in any other court, on any other ship, in any other place. But Zuko was too different. His years at sea at changed him from the arrogant, naïve prince he had been to a soldier – a cold, ruthless, obsessively driven soldier but a soldier nonetheless. And one of the things his transformation had revealed to him was that no matter how faceless they might seem to other nobles, these pawns were people as well.
And perhaps it just some vestigial naïveté, or some shred of decency from the Warrior's Code, but it just didn't seem right for Reiko to have to place him so far above her.
Not that he cared for her specifically. It just wasn't fair.
"I think," he said, careful of his words, "that you could better serve me with your honesty than your servility."
She blinked, and this time she did appear surprised. "How do you mean, my lord?"
"There's no need for you to be so selfless toward me," he said. "I'm looking for a servant, not a martyr to my name. Do you understand?"
She smiled then, a small thing, yet it lit her features brilliantly. "I do."
Zuko eyed her garments. "Are you not cold in something so simple?"
"No, lord, I am not."
"Reiko," he started, his voice containing a growling edge, but he was surprised when Reiko interrupted.
"I speak honestly," she said. "I am not cold. I assume I am welcome to warmer garments if necessary?"
A simple authorization to humanity and already she asserted her will. That's better. "If necessary," he said, and turned around – and his eyes narrowed. The bow of the ship ran into ice, but that was no concern to him – like ice could stop him – for his eyes were taking in a more disturbing sight.
Fire Navy ships jutted jaggedly out of the ice, pointing haphazardly as if the waves had been in upheaval. Some of the ships appeared whole, yet he could already see one ship with a broken bow, another with several punctures in the lower hull, and yet another tipping over to the side.
"What a terrible power, this Water Bending," murmured Reiko.
"In this place, the terrain is to their advantage," the prince remarked casually. "It happens all the time. But it's just like the saying goes – 'every candle has a wick.' Once we figure out their weak point, they're done for."
---
Sokka gave a low whistle as they flew overhead. "Wow. I didn't think the Fire Nation had gotten so far north."
"They probably would have saved this place for last," mused Shin. "Since the southern Tribes were gone, their generals must have gotten cocky. Wait until they have all the resources of the world secured before going to the one last place on earth where they'd suffer a disadvantage."
"Except that I came here," said Aang. "I changed the rules." He looked down, his expression sad. "Is this my fault? Is all the fighting because of me?"
"No, Aang," said Katara. "They would've come up here sooner or later anyway. You can't blame yourself for this."
The Avatar nodded sadly. Still, thought Katara, I hate to admit it, but this does not look good. They'd seen the empty tomb-like ships and had been encouraged – until they started seeing signs of battle. Red snow where it should have been white. Bodies lying, frigid and stiff. Some of them were garbed in the reds and blacks of Fire, but there also others garbed in the blues of Water.
The natural ebb and flow of the landscape was also interrupted by craters, melted indentations in the icescape. Some of the places looked like bowls burned deep into the ice, molten and frozen over and over again, as if the spirits were unable to make up their mind if it should be solid or not.
And then there was the City. Sokka and Katara stared particularly hard. They had never guessed that there could be a city, with glorious icy arcs, tall glacial walls, hide tents, and the temple with its amethyst flying eaves, the fishing holes, the guard towers-
And the bodies lying everywhere outside the walls. All the carnage that they had witnessed coming seemed especially concentrated here, more dead and damage than anyplace else. Yet even as they watched, the very icescape itself seemed to be healing. The ice would open and swallow one body, then another, before refreezing back to itself and concealing all evidence. The walls themselves seemed to be healing, water melting and rushing up into craters and cracks and resealing, remolding the wall itself.
And then she saw them, her heart thumping harder in her chest. Water Benders. Men and women, old and young, walking and running about below, slowly and gracefully bending the water, sending it to flow or melt or break or form wherever they needed it.
"I'm sure we look suspicious," said Shin. "Perhaps we should go down there?"
Shin's pragmatism annoyed the Water Bending girl, but he did have a point. If only I weren't so nervous about this, she thought, gulping as they descended. Would the other Benders approve? Would she just be some scrawny orphan to be discarded without a second thought? Would they even let her in?
With a decisive swish of his tail, Appa settled into the snow. The group clambered out of the saddle to the quiet, barren, icy wastes. The two Tribesmen smiled. If only they could see their village beyond the next rise, it would feel just like home.
Still, this was close enough.
They noticed a young man busily repairing the wall. His hair wasn't shaven or otherwise distinctive, just a black bowl cut atop slanted, friendly features. He turned upon hearing their footsteps.
"Ah!" he exclaimed joyfully. "A brother and sister of the South! We had feared there were none left!"
"How can you tell we're from the South?" asked Sokka.
"Because I've never seen your traveling companions before," the Bender said thoughtfully, "and I've never seen them in our company before. But you're obviously from some Tribe, and if not here then where else?"
Something about the earnest abstractions in this young man's thinking made her giggle impulsively. But the young man seemed unfazed; he simply gave a toothy grin. "Forgive us for being so rude," she said. "I'm Katara, and this is Sokka, and Shin, and Aang," she said, pointing to each in turn.
"I'm Kagi," said the Bender. Then he took a closer look at Aang. "Those marks… you must be an Air Bender, yes?"
"That I am!" said Aang, his dreariness forgotten. He reached into his satchel and pulled the marble, playing the familiar game of spin the marble. Sokka rolled his eyes, but Kagi laughed delightedly.
"Excellent! The abbess has been expecting you for a month now! Go on in!" With that, he clapped his hands together, turned them sideways, and smoothly drew them apart. With an ominous crack, the wall split and began to slide open.
The group walked forward, ice misting in the wake of withdrawal. But the dying light cast two shadows. As the mist settled out, the shadows were more clearly defined to be two people – a tall man and a tiny old lady. The man stood rigid, his arms crossed, his rugged features cast in a scowl. He was dressed in the blue and black warrior's garb. His hair was black, cut very similarly to Sokka's, being just a tad longer in the back. His eyes were hard, icy, and the club hanging at his side said he meant business. The brown strap across his chest suggested a boomerang on his back.
The other there was an old lady, possibly as old as Gran-Gran. She was dressed in simple blue robes and leggings. Her gray hair was pulled back in a traditional braid, and her eyes were the traditional clear blues, her skin the traditional dark shade – yet she moved without the aid of a cane. Still, in stark contrast to the man next to her, she exuded an air of friendliness and grandmotherly warmth.
"You spoke to Kagi out there, didn't you?" she asked, a knowing twinkle in her eye.
"How'd you know?" asked Aang excitedly. "Are you the Abbess of the Water Temple?"
"Why, as a matter of fact—"
"Her name is Kaede," interrupted the man next to her. "And I'm called Muku. That's all you need to know."
"But I need to see the Abbess!" exclaimed the boy.
"How come?" sneered the warrior. "For all we know, you're a spy. Why shouldn't I kill the lot of you where you're standing?"
"Because I'm the Avatar!"
That made the man pause, look a little less certain. "Prove it then."
"Yes, we would like that very much," Kaede said. "Let's see… at this point, the cycle starts with Air, so some Air Bending would be sufficient."
"Sure thing!" Aang chirped. He leapt, formed the air ball beneath him, and set himself to riding around in a circle for a full minute. He bounced off of the wall, houses, the ice, only stopping when he slammed into an ice sculpture.
The others jogged over to him, sitting up none the worse for wear.
"See, Muku?" snorted Kaede. "I told you he was the Avatar."
"Forgive me, Abbess," said the man, although he didn't seem sincere. "But with the recent attacks from the Fire Nation, I thought…"
"It's all right," she said, a sage-like smile playing across her features.
"So you're the Abbess," said Aang.
"Yes, Avatar Aang, I am the Abbess of the Northern Water Temple, Kaede."
"It's good to finally meet you! But Kagi said you already knew I was coming."
"Yes. The Temple lit with a great light, as a beacon, about a month ago. Our shrines to the Avatars of the Water lineage were all glowing in the aftermath, and we figured you would be coming."
Aang's face saddened. "Yeah."
"It seems painful to recall," said the Abbess in a grandmotherly sort of tone. "But let's not dwell on that! You have much to learn and only a short time to learn it, with the Fire Nation here and all, so let us go to the Temple. I'm sure you must be tired from your journey." With that, she turned and started toward the Temple, as if an entourage of warriors, benders, a hermit, a lemur, and a flying bison were the most natural thing in the world.
---
"So what did you see, nephew?"
"It seems there was some sort of fight out here. I don't think Zhao did too well."
"Indeed. Zhao, in his haste, probably underestimated the resistance of the Water Tribes here in the north. They're a much more organized group than the south."
"I see." Zuko slid his coat off, grateful for the warmth here in the recesses of the ship. Both he and his uncle, as well as Reiko, were sitting together in his room, nursing warm cups of tea.
"So what is your next move?"
"I don't want to stay here too long," said Zuko. "We're sitting right in the middle of enemy territory – and the water can be used against us very easily. We grow more and more vulnerable the longer we're here. We need to capture the Avatar, fast."
"How do you propose to do that?"
"We already have a good idea of where the Temple is, but we don't have the power to just storm the place. We should just wait for Zhao to aim for the place again, infiltrate, kidnap the Avatar and get out of here."
"A fine plan," said Airoh. "But there are problems, namely that your crew is on the verge of death from the plague, remember?"
Zuko frowned. "No they aren't."
"Really? But that's what our flags say, so I assumed."
Zuko growled, but he got the point. The flags had worked in getting them past the blockade – but as long as they were here, they had to act as if it were true. And soldiers under the Plague did not appear in the middle of battles. Then again, though, at least it provided an excuse to stay out of that damnable cold.
"You've also misunderstood the temperament of these people," said his uncle. "They don't focus on striking an enemy at first opportunity as we do. These are a gentler people, and for the most part they're content to let us be if we let them be."
"Even with the certainty of our attack?" Zuko snorted. "How weak."
"Or cunning. They could be thinking like the wave – gathering force over time before breaking upon the shore."
"Perhaps. If that is the case, we should put some sort of spy out there to monitor them, get a good idea of their defenses."
"And do you have a plan for that?"
"I have… something in mind," said Zuko evasively. "I'll explain it later."
"Good," said Airoh, clapping his hands together enthusiastically. "Now, I have a proposal of my own."
"Oh?"
"Yes. I was thinking, since the men would be so bored while we're here, that we should have Music Night more than once a month…"
---
"Aah! Hey, watch it! That's COLD, you know!"
There was no apology. Sokka sighed. "I can't believe it," he said to Shin. "We fly all this way to the North Pole, going through danger after danger, facing down the Fire Nation and pirates and cabbages and kings, and what do they do? They splash water on me!"
"Yes, that's basically the gist of Water Bending, Sokka." Shin spoke slowly, as if explaining to a small child.
"And yet it's so much more!" sang Kaede. She made a gentle, open handed upper cutting motion, and two jets of water burst through the ice, hosing the two boys standing off to the side.
"AAGH! Again?"
"Sokka, maybe silence is a higher virtue here."
They were standing in a part of the Temple below the main entrance. The rooms in this part were all snow and ice – a perfect training ground for Water Bending. When Aang had informed the Abbess of Roku's warning, they had entered these rooms straightaway, with Kaede saying that time was of the essence. "We don't have the time to properly train you in the arts of Water Bending," she had said. "It is a shame, but we have no choice. Instead, let us see what you know already based on your combat experience."
"I'll take you on first, then," said Katara.
"No, I meant the both of you at once."
Katara had given Aang a dubious look. "Um, Abbess—"
"Please call me Kaede."
"All right then, Kaede, but still… I mean, two on one?"
Kaede had smiled. "Don't worry, Katara. Don't let my age fool you!"
That had been approximately 30 minutes ago. Aang and Katara stood, though barely, panting with the efforts of their exertions. Kaede, however, stood at her ease, looking for all the world as mild as any other old lady in the North Pole.
"Is that all?" she asked.
Katara shook her head, and flowed through a stance, allowing the water whip to flow into being. She held it poised between her hands, waiting…
Until Aang copied Kaede's earlier gesture. A jet of water burst from the ice in front of her. Kaede calmly stepped to the side, moving her hands parallel to the stream and gently guiding it in its intended direction. It was precisely that moment when Katara snapped the Water Whip at the Abbess' head, the Abbess calmly stepped towards her own stream and circled the water back, shielding and absorbing the Water Whip.
In an attempt to interrupt her, Katara began to shape and fling water as fast and as hard as she could.
"No! Katara, wait, that's-" but Aang's warning fell on deaf ears. The water that Kaede was Bending absorbed Katara's efforts, growing in mass. By the time Katara realized her error, it was too late. A huge ball of water that stretched all nine feet from the floor to the ceiling had formed.
Katara saw Kaede do something – some sort of stepping pushing motion – before feeling the force and fury of the wave. She could've sworn she heard Sokka scream something incoherent – "Oh no, not again!" – before being pushed away, knocked back six or seven feet.
She pushed herself groggily to her feet, head spinning and ears ringing. Aang didn't seem to be in any better shape.
Katara began to wave her arms, a vain fumble to bring water forth, but Kaede shook her head. "That's enough, you two," she said. "I understand where you're all at now."
"You can learn that much just from fighting us?" asked Katara.
"Yes," replied the Abbess. "One is only required to pay attention. By watching Aang, for instance, I was able to determine that he has a fine, intuitive grasp for the meaning of Water Bending, and he can deduce technique easily enough. You, on the other hand, have a fine grasp of technique, but you lack an understanding of the art."
"I don't understand."
"Precisely," grinned Kaede. There was a sneeze, and Katara turned to see Shin with a sheepish look on his face. "Ah, of course." Suddenly, all the water sprang out of their clothes and flowed off, into Kaede's hands. She froze the ball, then clapped, shattering it into thousands of tiny white motes that settled in a powder on the floor.
"I hope I'm not interrupting?" came a low, husky voice.
"Not at all, Yuki," said Kaede. Katara turned to the new voice and stared. Standing there, lounging against the entrance, was a girl – and clearly, adolescence was almost through with her. She was just a little bit shorter than Katara, with short brown hair and brown eyes. An easy smile played across her lips, and her arms were crossed beneath a well-endowed chest. And yet, even with that easy expression on her face, Katara had the feeling that this girl Yuki could leap-to in the space of a breath.
Muku stood across, his arms crossed and expression dour. "We're here to make our reports of the city defenses."
"Ah, yes. And we never did introduce you to Yuki, did we? Please say hello, dear."
Yuki's smile was full of irony as she bowed. "Fair evening, brother and sister of the South! I am Yuki, brother of Kousetsu, and leader of the Tribe in times of war."
"Kousetsu?" gasped Sokka. "We've heard of him! Father was always talking about his abilities as a warrior."
"That's right," beamed Yuki. "And he taught me everything he knew." She gave Sokka a considering look. "You know," she said softly, "maybe there are some things I could teach you…"
Sokka blushed furiously and began to mumble something. Katara sighed in exasperation, but then noticed that Shin and even Aang carried a faint pink tinge. Men! she groaned.
"Perhaps that should be my job," said Muku. "The boy seems somewhat… intimidated by you."
Yuki shrugged. "Suits me fine." Katara suddenly decided that she did not like this girl – too shallow, mind only in one place, a place Katara was loathe to go.
"As for your report?" the Abbess intoned patiently.
"The Fire Navy believed that they could get near us with their ships to batter us with artillery fire," said Yuki, her voice becoming harder, professional. "But the Water Benders you trained worked like a charm, freezing their boats in place. They gave us some trouble when their infantry and ours met on the field, and their Benders definitely managed to make things dicey for us, but we put them out soon enough."
"Where is the enemy now?"
"They've fallen back to their ships beyond the ice and are holding a blockade. We can't go out there to fish or hunt seal, but I'm certain we'll break them somehow."
"Oh? And where does your confidence come from?"
"Oh it's very simple," said Yuki nonchalantly. "They die the same as anybody else, and they're fighting on our home land. I'll personally see to it that they lose their will to fight." Yuki's hands had clenched, despite the even tone and calm voice, and Katara couldn't help but notice that , besides the fingers, her hands were wrapped in white bandage. As she looked closer, she could see that Yuki was almost completely wrapped in bandages. Only her fingers and neck and head were spared and despite her growing dislike, Katara couldn't help but be curious. Leprosy?
Kaede paused, then turned to Muku. "What is your assessment of the situation?"
"We're outmanned and outmatched," replied the warrior, as calmly as if he were stating the weather. "The fleet is being headed by Admiral Zhao, with twenty ships of the line under his personal command, each carrying a detachment of 200 soldiers and 50 Fire Benders. In addition, there are 5 more ships of the line under the command of Commander Jie. We're not sure how many we killed today, but estimates are about 600 dead, 219 wounded out of a force of 1000."
"And as for us?"
"350 dead, 79 wounded, 74 missing, out of a mixed garrison of 1723 warriors and 277 Water Benders."
"2000 vs. 6000," mused Shin. Everyone looked at the normally silent youth, having totally forgotten about him. "Poor odds. Even with as good as you're giving him, Zhao's probably going to starve you and overwhelm with weight of numbers."
"Obviously," said Muku.
"Have messengers been sent to the other Tribes?"
"We saw to it," said Yuki. "They were dispatched once the fighting was done with. We requested food, supplies, and reinforcements. If they hold to the Peacetime agreements, we should see support from them within the next week."
The Abbess nodded approvingly. "Good. We'll take these problems one step at a time. But in the meantime," she said smiling, "we should get you young ones settled in. I imagine you're rather tired after your journey here."
"That would be great!" said Aang happily. Momo chirped his approval from Shin's shoulder, where the lemur too had been forgotten.
"Don't take too much joy," cautioned Muku. "We don't have much time. We're gonna have to whip you into shape, so we start early and end late. No telling when the Fire Navy's going to come knocking at the wall."
---
Kishi: Now, I've told you guys that I don't need reviews to keep on writing, and if any of you are checking in for a second time, you know it's true. But doggonit, I still love gettin' 'em! And just to prove it:
Omake no Toki! Reiko wa Meari-Suu desu ka?
(Time for Extras! Is Reiko a Mary Sue?)
ZUKO: "Is that all you can think about?"
:Reiko is unflinching:
ZUKO: "Why do you keep on with all this fawning and modesty? Doesn't it wear on you? Don't you have any wants or needs of your own? Don't you have a shred of humanity in you!"
REIKO: "No, my lord, I do not."
ZUKO: "And furthermore… what?"
:REIKO gives an uncanny grin. Offstage, the director looks at the scriptwriter. The writer mouths "This isn't in the script!":
REIKO: "Oh, my Lord, I had thought it would be so obvious to you by now."
:ZUKO shakes his head, frowning:
ZUKO: "What do you mean?"
REIKO: "Oh surely you do realize, don't you? The slavish devotion? The aura of mystery? My ability to stand your temper tantrums with a quiet grin?"
:ZUKO stares a second longer before a horrified expression:
ZUKO: "No… it can't be! That's IMPOSSIBLE!"
REIKO: "Search your feelings. You cannot hide from it. You know that I'm a Mary-Sue!"
:REIKO begins a slow predatory march towards ZUKO, who backs away:
ZUKO: "NO! Stay back!"
REIKO: "And when the next chapter rolls out, I will both sing AND dance with unparalleled skill and beauty!"
ZUKO: "NO!"
REIKO: "And you'll be drunk as a skunk, easily taken advantage of!"
ZUKO: "NO!"
REIKO: "And any attempt to get rid of me will only make me want you more!"
ZUKO: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"
:ZUKO proceeds to jump ship into the arctic water. The director peers at Reiko, who's wearing a cryptic smile:
DIRECTOR: "Are you done having fun yet?"
REIKO: "No, not yet."
:suddenly, an outraged voice yells:
ZUKO: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH! IT'S COOOOOOOLD!"
REIKO: "Now I'm done."
:everyone breaks out laughing as divers rush after ZUKO:
Kishi: Now, some of you recognize this text as being present last time, too. And you're thinking, 'Yeah, Kishi. Real good way to show appreciation. What a jerk.' But I did away with all the nasty, self-righteous text, didn't I?
:Kishi scratches the back of his head and shrugs:
Kishi: I guess what it amounts to is this: I don't need reviews to keep on working. I love my story enough to see it through to the end. And it's not like you guys have to review at all... but if you do, it really inspires me to work harder for you guys out there. And heck, iff'n y'all liked this here omake, I could do more for you guys... but whatever.
:the author gives a low, sweeping bow:
Kishi: Regardless of what you do, thank you for reading!
Avatar: The Last Air Bender is copyrighted to people who aren't me. I don't know who they are, otherwise, I'd give 'em credit.
The only things I own in this story are those things that I perceive as being original, and thusly are mine. If you recognize something that you came up with first, all credit goes to you.
I have no clue where you can contact me. I think the address is in my profile…