Alright, I'm very sorry for not updating in a long time. I've been on February vacation in Miami with my family. I'm not sure if I warned you all in the last chapter, but I think I forgot to then. Again, sorry. I'm also sorry for being such a bitch in the last chapter.
Also, I'd like to thank you all for reviewing, Kesley, Chocolate Swirlz, k, SweetStories11, Boylessgirl52941, Rachel, C.A.M.E.O 1 and Only, ElfLuver13, Chocolate Swirlz (again), Punnie, wilderness-writer, akki818, Avafangirl, darkavatar13, jerseygrl246, SovereignxXxBrunette, and zukoscute2.
Chapter 8: Part One: Secrets
"Admiral Zhao, sir." The heavily panting and tired fire guard began. Zhao turned his back to his big map of Avatar Azor's Islands hanging on the back wall of his small, private office.
"Ah- just the man I wanted to see." He retorted slyly to his assistant fire guard. The guard stiffened up his posture ready to listen to his master speak clearly to him. Zhao turned back towards the map of the islands. "The Avatar- I believe that he is still on this island. Or in the Avatar Azor's district. There is no way even the Avatar could get out of these islands by just one night. The islands are much to big. I know for a fact, very well, that he is still out there."
"Yes- you see, sir." The man stuttered. Zhao turned around utterly disgraced.
"You have more important news?" He paused. "So important that you must interrupt me during my plans?" Zhao asked sounding as if he were getting incredibly irritated.
"Yes, sir."
"Then what is it? Speak up!" Admiral Zhao barked.
"When I was scouting the perimeter of the island-"
"Yes…"
"I found Prince Zuko's ship anchored on land." He said. Zhao turned and looked at his assistant. He slowly walked around his desk and got right up into his assistant's face.
"You mean to tell me that Prince Zuko, despite my orders of him staying away from the islands, docked his ship right outside the perimeter of our Fire Nation-inland territory?" Zhao asked, half of him believing his assistant, the other half not.
"Ye- yes, sir."
"Then the Avatar must be with Prince Zuko!" Zhao said thrashing his index finger in the air. "Assistant Shoku, ready the rhinos and my army fleet. We strike Prince Zuko at mid day!"
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Katara lazily, barely awake, rolled over to her other side, momentarily taking a deep breath and letting it out as a moan, then opening her eyes. She was in Prince Zuko's empty sleeping quarters. He wasn't in there with her. She in his bed, in his bedroom- completely alone. 'He's probably practicing fire bending or something.' She told herself as she flung the covers off of her legs and slipped out of the bed. 'Well, I'm sure he won't mind if I have a peek around.' She thought, as she grew bored with nothing to do and no one to talk to.
Katara looked around everywhere. She wasn't exactly trying to find anything, she was just snooping around for absolutely nothing. The she began looking through his drawers. Just armor, pants, shirts and undershirts. Then she got to the top one. She pulled out the little box of Zuko's childhood past. 'Wow. This is beautiful. I wonder where Prince Zuko got it.' She wondered.
Curiously, she opened the beautiful box only to find many trinkets, a few pictures, and- a parchment. Katara gently handled the small and delicate piece of coiled paper. She lightly, barely touching it, unraveled it. And what she found, devastated her. It was Prince Zuko's plan to capture the Avatar! 'But I thought- that he. Ugh!' She began to sob. 'How could I have been so stupid!' Just then the door opened. I was Prince Zuko.
"Katara, oh, you're awake-- hey! Don't look in that!" He yelled angrily.
"You're just using me!" She screamed jumping up from the bed.
"That box is private. My mother made that for me! She's dead and that's the only thing I have to remember her by!" Prince Zuko was just as raging as Katara at that point.
"Last night- none of that meant anything to you?" She loudly and still very angry asked.
"Yes- maybe. Kind of- wait! I'll be asking the questions here! What were you doing looking through my stuff?" He asked through his arms out. Half of his bed was flipped over, all his drawers opened, closet, pillows were thrown off the bed- everything that was held secret and captive- all of the Prince's secrets hidden in his room, his box, revealed. And to an outsider of his kind.
"Well I wasn't trying to find your stupid plans and stupid secrets if that's were you were thinking." She mocked him waving her arms everywhere she spoke then folding them across her chest when she was finished.
"We I wasn't, but no I am." He wise-ass replied.
"That's not the point! Yes, I am sorry I looked in your box. I am sorry that I went through your stuff. And I am mostly sorry that I actually came to believe that the Prince of the Fire Nation could actually show emotion, and have feelings and have fun with somebody- especially an outsider to him." She said briskly.
"No- that's not it- not at all. At least, not anymore." He replied sheepishly.
"Oh wait-" She reached her arms out. "Let me guess- you've changed. And now you have a kind heart of gold!" She said sarcastically.
"Yes- exactly- except…not in the way you just phrased it." He retorted to her reluctant sarcasm. She arched her eyebrow while crossing her arms. From her body expression, it didn't take a genius to tell she obviously didn't believe him- it also looked like it'd take a miracle for her to believe him.
"You know, the Fire Nation is a horrible Nation. I didn't think there was one good soul who was a Fire Nationer. I always thought they were all hypocritical, shrewd, nasty, and bitchy. 'Prince Zuko is selfish. He doesn't care about anyone but himself. He's not trying to capture the Avatar for his father and Nation, he's doing it so he can have the crown to the throne.' That's what everyone I met that knows about you that's not on this ship said about you. I always thought they were true. Until last night, I knew they were wrong. I can't believe I actually believed that you changed. And could feel emotion. But obviously I am a complete idiot for thinking that. And now I have that proof." She said hurtfully.
"Katara I-"
"Our short-term relationship was incredibly fast. I knew that. I've only been here for three days, and I honestly and actually thought that I could be in love with you. But I guess I was wrong about that too." She added.
"But Katara- I. I do want and need you," He stuttered.
"There's a part of my heart and mind really wants to believe you, Prince Zuko. My Gran Gran always taught me to trust my mind and heart. But I won't believe you. But I will trust that part of me that believes you. So I'll give you one chance to prove to me, that you do want and need me here." And with that, no clue where she was going, Katara walked straight out of Prince Zuko's head quarters leaving him dumbfounded and silent.
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"Yawn. Bored. Sigh." Sokka listed lazily. Aang, who had bags under his eyes from no sleep all yesterday and that night, put his hand up to his mouth and let out a real yawn himself.
"Sokka, I'm tired, too." Aang reassured him. Aang's grip on Appa's reins loosed. He was putting his chin to his chest with his eyes closed. Sokka was watching from the back on Appa's saddle.
"Aang! Watch out!" Aang had fallen asleep, leaving Sokka to race up, grab the reins, and pull as hard as he could in the left direction so they wouldn't hit a big oak tree. They had just made it out of the forest and were now on the shore. And lucky them, Prince Zuko's beached ship was right in front of them.
"Aang!" Sokka shook Aang by the shoulders trying to wake him up. "Aang look! Zuko's ship!" He was still asleep. Sokka stopped shaking him and sighed. "We can sneak on the ship and go get Katara." Aang leaped up, grabbed his staff, and jetted off Appa. Then he stopped half way and turned around.
"C'mon, Sokka!" Aang called impatiently while waving his arm in the air motion Sokka to come with him. "We don't have all day here!"
"Oh, yeah. You're right. We only have 18 hours left of a 24 hour day period." He said slowly slipping off Appa. "I guess I'd better hurry up then, shouldn't I?" He asked sarcastically and purposely trying to make Aang annoyed with his slow walking and sarcastic muttering to himself saying he should pick up the pace.
"Sokka, my foot is now tapping." He said pointing to his tapping foot for a second then crossing his arms again with a groan.
Sokka walked even slower.
"Okay, obviously you don't know what it means when I TAP MY FOOT!" Aang began to scream. Sokka stopped. Aang gasped a little then groaned, slapping himself in the forehead.
"Oh, look, Aang! Birds!" He said thinking of new ways to slow them down.
"Yeah, and do you know who should be here with us to see those birds? Katara! So lets go get her, shall we?" Aang asked pointing to Prince Zuko's ship trying to put on a fake, but convincing, smile.
"Okay Aang." Sokka began to jog over while Aang was muttering 'Finally!'. Then he stopped again. Aang let out a groan. "Trees! Oh! And look at that pretty rock! And -"
"That's it- let's go!" Aang said grabbing his wrist and racing towards the ship.
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'I hate yelling at people.' Katara thought as she paced her walk all around his ship. 'And I don't feel great about yelling at Zuko, but he needs to get his facts and thoughts straight. It's not fair. He's so selfish and shrewd, hypocritical. He's a big jerk; a phony.' She sighed. 'But let's face the truth Katara, you can admit it that you would miss being on his ship with him if Aang and Sokka came and got me.' Just then she began to squint. She had just walked outside to the bow side of the ship, facing towards the sun and sand.
The sunny skies were dreadfully blinding, but she was pretty sure she was alone outside. But she was also pretty sure she could see Aang and Sokka racing up to the boat.
"Aang?" She tried running towards the front. "Sokka!" And Aang, still grabbed onto Sokka's arm, leaped up onto the deck. Aang whipped his hand away from Sokka and raced up to Katara and actually hugged her. And she hugged back.
Moments later, after Sokka's awkward coughing trying to get the two to notice him, Katara let go of Aang with a sly and witty smile at Sokka.
"Alright, you too," She said with her arms stretched open walking towards Sokka. She tightly bear hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. Sokka, with a disgusted little-kid-type groan pushed her away.
"That's not what I meant- we should really go-"
"That's right you should go." Sokka, wide-eyed turned around slowly with a big spear pointed only inches away from his face. A huge gulp slid down the three's necks. Zhao, centered, with his assistant, Shoku, pointing a spear in his face.
"So I Was right; you are with Prince Zuko. Well," Zhao licked his lips. "That's about to change." He said followed by an evil, hollow laugh slipping up Zhao's throat.
Then, a sharp and icy voice from above called down breaking the evil silence.
"We'll see who's laughing after I kick your ass!" A shadow of a man standing on the highest point on Zuko's ship mysteriously barked.
"God? Is that you God?" Sokka asked actually bowing down. Katara rolled her eyes and kicked him in the arm. Sokka let out a small yelp of pain and surprise.
"Don't be stupid, you big oaf. It's Zuko!" She said pointing up to him as Zuko high jumped off the top headed straight for Zhao's face with his foot out ready to butterfly kick him, leading. Zhao cringed and backed away.
"Don't just stand there! Shoot him!" Zhao demanded pointing angrily at the Prince high in the sky. The soldiers readied their spears or began to fire bend, while some other jumped off of their komodo rhinos back.
"Shoot him?" Katara whipped around nervously. Zhao didn't answer, he just watched and smiled slyly. Obviously in his mind he was picture a guard shoot Zuko down and him falling flat on his butt. A chuckle slipped out of his mouth.
"You know, as fun as it is to actually fight and defeat somebody, it's even more fun to watch." Zhao said out loud. Katara's nose wrinkled. She whipped an icy streak of water out of the ocean and smacked Zhao in the face. Distracted, Zhao didn't see from above, so Zuko's foot hit him hard in the gut, going up and slapping his jaw. Katara actually tried to hold in her little cheer because one, she was supposed to be mad at him, and two, Aang and Sokka were just standing there watching her every move to see if she's changed any.
Zhao growled. "Alright- now I'm mad!" Zhao declared stupidly as he leaped up. Zuko readied a fire ball blast, creating some fire just by moving his hands.
"So do something about, Admiral Zhao." He mocked kicking on foot back with a roar as he shot the fire ball at him. Zhao jumped up in the air and attempted to do what Zuko did to him. But Zuko, being younger and more flexible flipped backwards, letting his feet knock Zhao's feet, and making Zhao fall.
Aang tip toed past dumb founded Sokka and tapped her silently on the shoulder. She turned around with a surprised look on her face from all the reactions going on.
"Maybe we can silently get back to Appa. I've stayed out of this fight, surprisingly for a while, and I don't wanna stick around now to find out when I'll get involved" Aang whispered. Katara nodded and turned around watching Zuko attack and watch out from being attacked. Until one of Zhao's crew members announced they had left and Zhao retreats, Zuko wouldn't even notice she was gone.
'If he really wants me to stay, he'll take this as an opportunity to prove it to me.' She thought she turned back around. She winked at Aang as he climbed silently off the ship. Then she leaped off. Sokka tried running and jumping off of the bow of the boat. But then his shirt got stuck on the pointed part of the bow stick out. He tried to hold in his yelp until his shirt ripped off. Aang and Katara rolled their eyes and raced into the forest with Sokka still close behind. They quickly leaped onto Appa's back and flew up in the air.
But, to Katara's surprise who was watching from above, Zuko immediately stopped fighting Zhao and looked up with a frown, but stubborn look on his face- until Zhao kicked him as hard as he could in the face.
His assistant Shoku tapped him on the finger. "Uh, sir- the Avatar is getting away." He pointed up in the sky. Zhao growling and roared as if her were an angry animal best- which he actually was.
"Retreat from the ship! And don't let that mangy kid and his lackies get away!" He ordered.
Only seconds had gone by and Zuko was left watch Katara leave him for a kid, her brother, and two incredibly strange flying animals.
"No." He whispered in terror.
To be continued…