Hehe! Again, I got so excited when I got those reviews I had to write up the next chapter... and today was my off day from work. I'm single so my daily life is much of a bore. T.T
Bunny Assassin and Setg'-in: Thank you very much. Always a pleasure hearing such kind words.
Nilikeye: Why must you give things away? Well most love stories do go that way, don't they? Like how Power Rangers, they find the villian, fight him, he grows big, they kill him, leason learned. They killed that show. ANYWHO! Hopefully nothing else will be that predictable... or I will cry at my own pathetic-ness.
Element Girls: Ewww... Zuko with those sideburns? That should be considered a crime of the animators ever thing about that. Kiko is going to meet Aang in the next chapter, but I can't give away what will happen. Will hell break out, will Sokka fall like her just like every other man in the story!
Find out next time on... FUTURE MEETS PAST!... Okay I'm better now.
FYI: Sorry I didn't make this clear, this is after the incident of the Nothern Tribe attack and Aanga managed to escape from Zuko, once again. The lieutanent has been seen in episode 12, The Storm. A basically younger look alike of Iroh with the hair and sideburns. o.O
Well, enjoy this new, longer chapter.
The next day Kiko woke up to a major headache. She sat up in bed and tried to recall the past events. That was when she remembered her match with Zuko and how Iroh and another man helped her to her room, where she soon passed out from the pain. She looked up when she heard the door open, but flinched as her head throbbed from the quick movement.
"Good, you're awake," Iroh whispered as he entered the room. In his hands were a bag made of animal skin that had slightly lumps in it. "I brought ice for your head."
"Thanks," she groan in reply as she took the ice and gently placed it on the back of her head.
"I'm so sorry for what happened yesterday, it was all my fault," Iroh said as he sat at the edge of her bed beside her.
"It wasn't your fault," she said softly. "I wasn't looking where I was stepping. I've been trained better than that. By the way, where's Zuko?"
"Confined to his room. His arm was badly cut and he can't use it right now. We have no doctor on board so we managed to stop the bleeding and bandage it."
"You don't have a doctor on board!" Yelled Kiko, wincing once the words left her and placed her head between her knees. All Iroh could do was rub her back gently in comfort. "I did it, didn't I?" She whispered softly.
"Yes," Iroh said, then said quickly, "But it was an accident."
"He hates me now for sure," groaned Kiko. "I tried to be friends with him, I really did. Now he's hurt and he won't listen to anyone."
"Now, you're not sure about that. He hasn't spoken to anyone, now that I think about it," Iroh said broodingly. I tried talking to him, saying it was an accident, but he just kept staring into space."
Kiko kept her head between her knees, the ice gradually numbing the pain in her head. Why would he do that? She had been on the ship nearly a month and Zuko has shown more than once he has a fierce temper to match the temperature of his fire. He had knocked out a soldier who entered his room without knocking, he upturned a table in the dining hall because a crew member mentioned his father in the wrong way. But all the time when the events occurred, Kiko would be there to witness it and Zuko ended up walking away as she helped the injured or shocked men. Zuko knew she could not stand the harm of innocent people, seeing how her war was dealing with that treatment to her own people.
The war! Her eyes shot open as she realized she had nearly forgotten her own war she must face when she returned home. Her mother and father were left by themselves and the pain of homesickness quickly set in. She had become too acquainted with the people of this time, never even thinking she would have to leave them forever.
"Maybe it's for the best, General Iroh," she whispered, her eyes hidden behind her hair, which was let down when she passed out. "If you don't mind, I'd like to rest."
Iroh's eyes shot open when he realized she had not called him uncle, but instead called him by his title like the day she first met him. He stood up and walked to the door. He turned to see her lay back down and pull the covers over her head.
"Good night," he said, only to get silence in return. He opened and closed the door silently, his head hung low. "What have I done?" He said to himself sorrowfully.
"Uncle," he heard Zuko say. He looked up to see Zuko with his right arm in a sling and his eyebrows set.
"Prince Zuko, what are you doing up?" He said rubbing his eyes of any tears that might have come up.
"Is Kiko awake?" Was the only thing Zuko said.
"Why, yes," Iroh said, confused. "But she just laid down to rest as I was coming out."
"It's only take a moment," Zuko said, stepping past his uncle and opening the door to Kiko's room.
Kiko didn't move from her curled position under he covers as the door opened. She had believed it to be Iroh again, so she closed her eyes and didn't move. The door closed again and she could hear footsteps getting closer until she could see a shadow on the wall she was facing, but it was not Iroh.
"Kiko, are you asleep?"
"No," she answered, pulling the covers tighter around her. Her comes the yelling.
"I wanted to let you know, I'm not angry at you," he said softly. Kiko pushed the covers away to stare at him, only to wince and bend over in pain.
"You shouldn't move so fast," he said, bending down on one knee, putting his free hand on her shoulder. "I saw you fall and hit your head. You're lucky you weren't knocked out."
"Why are you doing this?" She suddenly asked.
"What?"
"You're being so nice to be," she said as she looked up at him. "You'd usually be mad at being hurt."
"I have a question," he replied as he sat on the floor beside the bed. "Why didn't you yell at me when I said you had to get off my ship?"
"Because it is your ship, Zuko. I have to right to make you do something you don't want to."
"And I have no right to yell at you for something you didn't mean to cause." Kiko looked at him surprised. This was the man who punched out a guy who forgot to knock?
"I guess I'll accept that," Kiko said, unable to think of anything else to say. She noticed a small red blotch on Zuko's bandages and seemed to have been growing. "Zuko, I think you're bleeding again."
He looked down at his arm and moaned. "Those idiots don't know what their doing."
"Then let me, at least I know what I'm doing," She said as she pulled off the sheets. "I'll meet you in your room, alright?"
"What are you going to do?" He asked curiously.
"I'm going to get boiling water, a couple of rags, new bandages, and a needle and thread."
"You're going to sew me!" Kiko smiled at Zuko's shocked expression and walked out of the room to get her supplies, thinking to herself, That makes it all worth it.
Since then Kiko helped Zuko recover from his injury, after thirty two stitches and a couple of arguments later. One consisting of the fact Zuko was right handed and could not feed himself.
"I'm perfectly capable of feeding myself!" Zuko yelled. Kiko had delivered food to his room and Zuko, of course without admitting it, was finding it hard to eat with his left hand. "Stop treating me like a baby!"
"Then stop acting like one!" Kiko yelled back in the same tone. "You'll starve before you eat everything, Zuko. "I swear I won't tell anyone. But with you yelling, everyone from the southern water tribe heard about it."
"You were yelling, too," he grumbled.
"Only so you could hear me," she huffed. "Or would you like me to mix everything up so you can drink it down?"
"Fine, if it'll get you off my back!" Zuko sat on his bed as Kiko smiled and got a spoonful of rice for him. "You love getting your way, don't you?"
"Just as much as you," she kindly replied, feeding him just like a small child.
It took a month for Zuko to fully recover and get use of all his muscles again. For a few days the crew snickered behind Zuko's back, hearing the fights he and Kiko would have in his room. After a couple of good punches and well placed fire balls, the crew quickly went quiet.
A few days later the avatar was found in the skies with his flying bison and two friends. Zuko and Kiko were practicing once again, careful about the conditions on deck. And stopped when they saw him fly towards the closest island, the one they mend to avoid.
"That's Earth Nation territory," whispered Kiko, who ran to the railing and looked out towards the island. "You don't mean to go there do you, Zuko?" She turned to see Zuko who had followed her.
"We have to," Zuko said the turned and shouted, "Men, make way for that island!" Without question the ship was steered towards the island. "I have to get the avatar, Kiko. It's the only way for me get back home."
He didn't understand why, but he felt that he had to explain himself to her. Over the past few weeks, despite their bickering, they have gotten to know one another and accepted each other's friendship. That was something Zuko could not find easily and did not wish to lose it because of her moral values. But was that all?
"I understand," she whispered again as she turned around and walked towards the stairs. "You'd better change, we'll reach the island about three hours."
Zuko watched her disappear and for some odd reason, he suddenly wished there was another way to make I back home, and dreaded coming face to face with the avatar again.
Upon the arrival of the ship four shadowy figures watched from the trees on a ledge that looked down at the sandy beaches. They quickly disappeared as they appear when the platform from the ship hit the sand, but not before they saw two people walk off the ship, one after the other. Both were wearing Fire Nation armor, a young woman and young man. They recognized Zuko being the prince, but the girl they did not know and would not underestimate her.
"Kiko, I want you to come with me," Zuko said as his komodo rhino was led to him.
"I should lead the other team, Zuko," She argued. The initial plan was to split into two teams and going on opposite directions and meeting in the center of the island, where a village was mapped to be. There's only five men, they need someone. I have experience."
"Fine, go then," he grumbled as he hoped onto his rhino. "Remember, we meet at the village by sun down. Release a fire signal if you find him. We should see it if it's high enough."
"At the village, then," she nodded and signaled for the five men to follow her. Zuko watched her for a moment before leading his teen men towards the other direction.
"This is more forest than earth," Kiko grunted as she tried to get past the thick brush of trees. Half the day had gone by and no sign of the avatar. Another sign that hadn't been seen were those of Earth benders. With the water benders mostly all at the Northern Water Tribe and the Air Benders wiped off the earth, earth benders were the Fire Nation's biggest concern.
"There seems to be a clearing up ahead, Lady Kiko," said a soldier, his voice muffled by the white mask he wore over his face. They continued their path to see the trees had cleared up to a few feet of dirt and rocks to a hundred foot drop. A chasm of a fifty foot length between each ledge was before them, only having a three roped bridge as a way of getting through.
"Who the hell thought that would be enough?" Said a soldier. The others agreed, but Kiko interrupted him.
"We need to get across, sunset is getting closer and we have to make it to that village," she said in a commanding voice. "We should go one at a time, we have no idea how old that rope is. You follow after me."
"Lady Kiko, I'm afraid I can't let you do that," said the lieutenant, who pulled off his mask and looked at her.
"I take order of this group, so I must take they risk of going first," she explained.
"But you want to go home more than any of us, Lady Kiko," he retorted. "You're still young and you have a whole future ahead of you, literally. I request that I go first."
Kiko sighed and it didn't surprise them when she smiled, saying, "You may go."
The lieutenant nodded, placing hi mask back on and stepping onto the roped bridge, his hands on the ropes at both his sides. He walked the distance and then the other four men insisted that they go on ahead. Not seeing any reason not to let them, she allowed them to go. When it was finally her turn she started to walk across, smiling at the consoling talk she heard from the men at how she shouldn't look down and how she was doing fine.
"Lady Kiko, hurry!" Shouted the lieutenant.
Kiko turned to see the trees move as something was quickly running through them. She quickened her pace, but didn't want to stress the ropes too badly. She then saw a spiked rock narrowly miss her, but easily cut the right rope. She tried her best to stand straight as she turned her head back. There was no one there but another rock was shot through the trees at her again. It didn't make it's mark as a fire blast hit it midway.
Kiko carefully tried to make her way across, the men watching for anymore attempts when a barrage of sharp rocks were flung at her. The soldiers managed to protect her, but the not the remaining ropes that held her up. Behind her she heard the ropes snap and gravity took it from there. As she fell she grabbed onto a rope and swung to the other wall, where she was slammed by the force, knocking the wind from her.
"Pull the rope!" She heard a man yell. She looked up to see the rope being pulled, but was being worn down as it grinded against the dirt.
"Stop!" She screamed. The men looked over and saw what she had and began to panic. "Men! MEN! Go to the village without me. The rope will snap or the earth benders will find me before you can get me up there. Just go."
"We won't leave you," one said.
"I order you to go!" She screamed again. That was when the four earth bender soldiers made their entrance from behind the trees, wearing green armor and helmets. With a few moves they moved the earth from their side of the cliff to the other, making a walkway. "GO!" Looking at one another with doubt, they looked back at her one last time before running in the direction of the village.
Beneath her, Kiko saw a ledge come out of the cliff under her and let go of the rope and landed safely on it, but she knew better. She was far from safe now. The ledge disconnected from the cliff and rose up towards the earth benders who were now on the other side.
When she landed the earth benders quickly surrounded her, placing chains on her wrists and around her arms saying, "You are now a prisoner of the Earth Nation."
Kiko is captured by the Earth Nation and left all alone. When Zuko hears of it, do you think Zuko will come rescue her like the prince charming he should be, or leave her to find the avatar?... Okay, this is a love sotry so that was a stupid question, but unexpected things will happen!