Behold! I am a good author, I deserve a cookie eats cookie I might even get around to updating Fruits Basket later! My parents are gone this week and I have the house, and compy, to myself. I was so embarrassed today at school. I was talking about this fic to my friend Momiji-chan and this other girl turns around and she's all, "OMG! You're Blackfire!" and assaulted me with questions and compliments. I was sooooooo embarrassed! I ain't used to stuff like that… oh well. I sure as Hell ain't complainin'. Anyway. Here's the chapy!… oh! And I don't own Avatar…
Chapter five
A Fork in the metaphorical Road of Life
"My Lord we've spotted the ships of the dread pirate Kaizuko. He's spotted us and is headed our way."
"Sokka it's been three days since she stormed off. We've searched the entire island. It's obvious that she's not here! I'm worried…" Aang stood at the entrance to the small cave him and Sokka had moved into when the miserable rain started.
"Oh so now you're worried! I don't blame her for leaving. Though Roku knows where she went…" he was silent then. Aang was about to say something, but Sokka got there first, "We leave tomorrow, to find my sister. So that YOU can apologize… what happened? Why did you suddenly become to cruel to her Aang?"
Aang sighed, "About a year ago, I told Katara that I liked her… but she turned me down." He looked up and saw Sokka's back to him, "I know. It was stupid." He lay down on the leaves and things and fell asleep.
"Zuko! Have you heard the news? Kaizuko is coming! Won't it be fun defeating him again? I think it-" Iroh walked into the room to see Zuko shirtless with Katara in his lap. For once he was dumb founded.
Zuko leapt onto the opportunity of his uncle's silence, "Yes I heard Uncle… I wonder who hired him this time." He stood up quickly, dumping a giggling Katara onto the bed. She laughed for a few minutes then stopped when she remembered the situation. Iroh hid a smile in his sleeve.
"I do wonder. Only one of his ships has broken from the formation. The rest have set anchor and are in waiting." He reported happily. The look out boy he had sent ahead seemed a little embarrassed by the situation. Iroh dismissed him with a wave of the hand, "Lets get out the special cannon." A huge grin spread across Zuko's face.
Katara looked confused as Zuko, who was running around the room putting on armor, and Iroh talked about what they could do to hurt this poor man. Katara got up and began to help Zuko strap on his armor when he was having trouble with a buckle, "Umm… where do I come into all of this?"
Zuko blanched white, "Well you sure as hell ain't fighting!" he said. Iroh watched them from the corner of his eye as they argued.
"Kaikou! This is a Fire Nation port! I'll be caught!" Aang hissed into Sokka's ear.
"It's no more than you deserve. And if you go around hissing like that, then yes you will be caught! But Momo picked up Katara's scent here. So we are going to search here! Got it?" Sokka said as they sauntered through the streets. Aang muttered but pulled the straw hat farther down his face.
As they walked they really saw nothing. A few shops, a port for repairing ships and restocking. They bought some food while they were there and at a certain stand heard some very interesting gossip.
"Okay, I bet you didn't know this! That ship that came to port last week. You know, the one that had that older man, and young woman."
"Don't forget the younger man!."
"How could I? But yes. That was Prince Zuko and General Iroh. Though know one knows who the woman was."
"She was very pretty wasn't she though?"
"Oh I know. And they were buying all those things for women! I wonder if the banished prince has a consort now."
"Shhh! You'll get in trouble."
"Not as much trouble as he! You know they killed that old man. The animal bender man. I hear the man's captain, Kaizuko, is outraged!"
The women continued to gossip among themselves and Sokka and Aang quickly made their way through the town and back into the forest.
"Would she really go along willingly with Zuko?" Aang asked.
"How should I know? They could mean any girl. Maybe it wasn't Katara!" Sokka hissed as they sat next to Appa. They sat in silence again. Not much had been said between them since Katara had left. Sokka was stressed and irate, "Lets find this Kaizuko guy… We'll go from there." Sokka said as he bit into an apple.
Zuko grumbled darkly under his breath. They were below deck, looking through the armory for a weapon for Katara. Never in his whole life had he met someone as persistent as Katara. She had remained cold towards him till he had agreed to let her fight.
"Can you even use a weapon Katara." His Uncle standing in the doorway was making him nervous. He just stood there stroking his beard as he watched Katara and him interact with each other, Uncle always knows everything I'm thinking… does he know I like Katara… like a lot?
"I can use steel fans… a little. I trained with a group of female warriors." Katara's voice sounded strange. Zuko turned around to see Katara bending over to reach a chest on the floor. He blushed, Roku damn these new emotions! He cried in his mind. He shook his head and hoped again that Uncle Iroh wasn't watching.
"We have steel fans… somewhere. Not many men will admit to knowing how to use them." He heard Katara's giggle from inside the chest, These emotions are going to be the death of me!
"You know Katara, I believe that these will suit you perfectly." Zuko looked over to see Iroh pulling a pair of steel fans out of a chest. They were silver of course, but with water designs painted on.
Zuko didn't even try to be discreet, "Uncle, where did you get those? I KNOW I've never seen them…" Iroh grinned slyly at his nephew before walking over to Katara to show her the fans. She squealed delightfully over them.
"Let me practice for a sec ok?" she said shooing Iroh over to a trunk next to Zuko. Both men sat down to watch.
Katara looked at the beautiful fans in her hands. They felt made for her. She slipped off her gloves and felt the cool metal beneath her skin. It didn't take long for her to forget about Zuko and Iroh. She had been standing very still. Then she took a deep breath and struck out to her right. The fan snapped open and the dance began.
She followed the trust by slowly swinging her left hand in an arc while opening the fan. With her left hand still over her head, she spun. The blade of the right hand fan sang a clear note into the air and she leapt on her right leg and brought down the left fan in a downward slash. The dance continued, getting faster and faster. Soon she lost herself in the now familiar stances and dance. She remembered going with Sokka and Aang back to Kyoshi. How happy she felt for Sokka when he and Suki were together again. How kindly Suki had taught her the art of fighting with fans. How Aang had sat with her while they watched the elephant koi fish play in the ocean waters. Aang.
Now her motions went from smooth to forceful. She struck out with her fans forcefully. Her eyes blazed as she remembered the pranks a cruelness of Aang from only the past year. Why hadn't she told Sokka. Why did Aang have to be like this? Why why WHY? She spun around and brought the fans down to her feet where she crouched. Her movements became thoughtful as she though of Zuko and how kind he had been to her recently. She ended in a defensive position and breathed out the air from her lungs. When she stood up Iroh had gone and Zuko has relaxing beautifully on the trunk, his eyes on her.
"So, let me get this straight… you want me to go attack Prince Zuko in his new shiny ship, The Phoenix." Aang and Sokka looked at each other at the mention of the ship, "Go kidnap back your sister because you bullied her into leaving…" Aang and Sokka nodded, "Well, I won't lie to you boys. I'm very mad at Zuko for killing one of my biggest scams and right hand man. And I have been thinking about going after him. But you have no money…" they nodded again, "I'll do it. But once I get back you'll be cleanin' this ship for weeks! Understand."
"You'll do it? You'll really do it? Of course I'll scrub the damn ships. I just want my sister back…" Sokka settled back into his chair and sighed heavily, "When will you leave?"
"Tomorrow." The pirate grinned evilly.
Katara's heart was racing as she stood at the railing at the front of the ship. An hour ago a small ship had launched from the approaching attack ship. In it were three men. One obviously was Kaizuko.
"It's his tradition to deliver an ultimatum himself." Zuko whispered in her ear. He was standing next to her in full fire nation armor. While Katara was wearing her old water tribe robes, having repaired them. Iroh stood behind them.
Zuko had a curved sword in his scabbard at his side. But it was Iroh that made Katara nervous. From both his sides hung two huge curved swords. She herself had hidden the fans in her sleeves. Kaizuko had come within hearing, and arrow, distance.
"Prince Zuko. We meet again. How have you been." He spoke like they were simply meeting for tea.
"Oh fine, fine. So who hired you this time? More nobles?" Zuko leaned over the railing to look at Kaizuko. This was a rather humorous situation.
"Oh, by two boys. A water tribe boy and an air bender." He said the last sentence quietly. Zuko went white and so did Katara.
"You can't have her." Zuko said firmly. He pushed Katara behind him and Iroh began to lead her inside. She didn't argue. Why did Aang and Sokka hire a pirate to come a get her?
"I never thought this day would come. To see my little Zuko fall in love, especially with a poor water tribe girl." Zuko clenched his fists but thought better of trying to blow his eyeballs out right there. But a scream interrupted his thoughts. Somehow some pirates had gotten aboard. The fight had begun.
Zuko ran down the deck and punched a fireball right at the man holding Katara. He dropped her and she slid her fans out of her sleeves and cut his hamstrings gracefully. Iroh hefted out his swords and took off the head of a nearby pirate who was running after her. Zuko managed to loosen his sword and bring it down onto the armored head of another stinking man who fell overboard.
Zuko turned around just in time to see Katara leap through the air and onto a man where she cut his throat and then opened his belly. Then she kicked him overboard and turned to another man who was now hesitating. She was ferocious in battle and for some reason it made him really horny. Shaking his head he focused back on the battle at hand.
The battle waxed and waned. Going back and forth to the pirates winning, to the Fire benders. It didn't take Katara long to start water bending. She was fierce as ever. Her eyes lost in battle rage and she viciously killed all who approached her. What Zuko didn't know was that she was mortified at the thought of being taken away. But soon she began to tire. Zuko was finishing off an opponent when Katara's voice called to him from above.
"Zuko!" he looked up to see Katara climbing weakly up a rope ladder with several men after her. He immediately began to make his way to the side of the ship and grabbed a rope. As he hauled himself up the side of the ship he heard her cry out again. As swung from one arm on the rope, he saw her. Two men had her in their arms and were making a run for the side of the ship.
"Zuko!" she cried as they plummeted to the waters below, "DON'T LET THEM TAKE ME!"
But Zuko didn't hear. His eyes were glazed over and he was lost in a mad battle rage across the deck. But the pirates were spilling off the ship to swim back to theirs.
Where am I? I smell alcohol. How disgusting. Why do I feel like such shit? Why did I just curse? I must be hanging around Zuko too much. ZUKO! He didn't get to me. Please find me Zuko… With that she pushed herself up and found her arms bound. I guess I've been captured… she thought dully. My mind feels so weak. I wonder if I've been drugged… she finally managed to get herself into a sitting position. The room was dark, almost pitch black. She blinked a few times and could see better. But her mind was still fuzzy. Then she noticed a man sitting by the only door. An evil smile on his face.
"'ey, Kaizuko, she's avake." He had an odd accent that called forth the image of a vampire. A monster an earth bender had once told her about. She looked up as a tall man with a very deep and hairy chest walked in through the door.
"Ah, the beautiful princess." He said happily as he walked through the door, "I am Kaizuko the mercenary and most feared pirate. And I've been sent to find you."
"Why. I don't understand. I'm assuming that Sokka and Aang sent you?" she said with a little bit of trouble.
"Yes, they did. They promised to clean my ships when I got back with you. Though even if you don't make it back, I still make them clean." He smiled and Katara was shocked to see that he had gleaming white teeth.
"Why wouldn't I make it back?" she asked fearfully. She could feel her legs turning to jelly at the thought of everything they could do to her.
"I'm going to do something nice for you. Let me tell ya something. I respect Zuko. He is a great man, if not a little twisted. But something is happening the world. Trees are dying, entire species of animals are disappearing. Where are they all going I wonder? For the longest time, a hundred years to be precise, the Fire Nation has ruled. And they have systematically taken out many of the benders. Even completely irradiating the air benders." Katara felt the familiar heat rising in her blood, but then remembered what Zuko had told her years ago. That he had been against the war. He continued, "The balance of the elements is practically nonexistent. So I'm doing this for the good of the world." He picked her up by the elbow and led her outside.
The ship was disgusting and smelled like it was rotting. The shipmates were no better, they leered at her as Kaizuko drug her past them all to a small lifeboat hanging off the side of the ship.
"You can either come back with me, you won't be harmed, to your brother and Avatar friend. Or go back to him." He said in a gruff voice, making apparent no opinions about her decision.
Kaizuko looked down to see the small girl trembling. She seemed to be having a personal revelation about herself. Then she was calm she looked at the boat with a smirk on her face and said, "Tell them I said, I'm sorry." She leapt on the boat and found her fans there. She cut the ropes and propelled the boat away with alarming speeds using the fans but rotating them quickly as though like a rudder but not in the water. Kaizuko smiled as the small boat disappeared into the waves.
"And so begins a legend." He spoke quietly.
I have to find her. It's my damn fault. I couldn't get there in time. She must be so mad. Zuko was leaning over the rail of the Hatchling. He had been smacking his fists against his forehead for somewhere around an hour now. And they'd been searching for a little over a day. And this fog was no help what so ever.
"Zuko, come inside and have some Jasmine Tea." Iroh called form inside. Zuko reached behind himself and did something he rarely did. He raised his middle finger and cursed at his Uncle. But he knew Iroh wouldn't take it to heart. He simply shut the door leaving Zuko alone again.
"I'm sorry Katara." He whispered to the fog.
"Sorry for what?" he heard her say in his mind.
"For letting them take you. Roku knows what they're doing to you right now." He placed his head in his hands and sighed.
"They aren't doing anything… Zuko… look at me. I'm right here." That voice wasn't coming from his head. But from just a little bit above him.
He looked up to see Katara, standing on a pillar of water making her a little bit taller the he. He vaguely noticed that her feet were translucent like water, or the ship that was now floating away. He reached out a hand and she took it as she stepped onto the railing then down three feet to him. Then he took her in his arms and held her for a moment before letting go to look at her. There were tears in her eyes and she smelt awful. But she was still beautiful. He let out big breath and called out.
"Hey Uncle Iroh. Come out here." But he never lifted his eyes from Katara.
Ohhhhh! I'm sooo sappy! I was all, "This chappy will have blood and guts. No fluffiness." And yet here's the fluffy. Oh well, of course there was still blood and guts. Katara is a wild woman huh? You may or may not notice but I'm going to change Sokka. He is not going to be an idiot. Because he ain't an idiot. He's smart and resourceful. And cares for his younger sister. I found the most adorable picture on deviant art (I have a name there whitefirekitsune) of Katara hanging on Sokka's neck while he's fishing. He's got lips marks on his cheek and looks embarrassed. But he's NOT horny. Just happy that his sister loves him. He's so kawaii. I wanna work in Suki from Kyoshi. They were so kawaii together. Oh well. Do I get a cookie for updating so quickly?
