CHAPTER SIX:
HORIZONS
The prince was sleeping.
Agni, the boy did not respond to raw emotions well. Striking the air with fists full of fire caused the air around him to practically disintegrate. He passed out. Luckily, the medic was on duty. A few burns here and there were patched up and they gave him a deep sedative.
The prince was sleeping.
Iroh sighed and pulled himself from his chair next to the fallen prince. He shook his head as he made his way to the deck. The sky was a bright blue, the golden sun hanging in high noon like an ornament. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the wind was calm. The waters were still as glass. Storms were a-brewing somewhere—possibly the east. Judging by the pristine calmness of the area, it would hit within 24-hours.
He gripped the ship's railings, looking out over the bow. He recounted the events that happened in the North exactly one month ago. Surely he and Zuko were now targeted men. It was only by the graces of Agni that they had found the old ship and an even greater miracle that the former crew was unharmed, save for a few cuts and bruises and Lieutenant Jee's fractured ribs.
Iroh wondered what the spirits had in store for them.
Zuko was still searching for the Avatar—the endless search that would no doubt end with someone getting hurt. Iroh chuckled at the irony of this thought. However, they were moving oh-so-slightly slower. Zuko had lost something in the North. Perhaps…just perhaps…he was beginning to see the truth…
Well, there was always hope.
The day progressed with daunting labor. As the sun crossed the horizon's borders, and Light retreated behind the Water, Dark emerged, bleeding into the sky. Indigo met with scarlet…symbolism emerging from nature. Were the spirits trying to tell him something?
Iroh heard a low groan and scuffle of feet, struggling to reach the deck. The prince struggled to reach the top. Iroh heard him reach the railing and collapse over it. Iroh stood next to his nephew.
"Beautiful, no?" Iroh asked, motioning to the sky. The regal reds and blissful blues still continued their dance. "Harmony in nature—"
"Uncle. I have no time for your proverbs and sayings and…stuff like that," his voice faded to a soft whisper.
"It wasn't a proverb. Just an observation." Silence. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired. Agitated."
"What else is new?" Iroh heaved a chuckle.
"What happened?" Zuko asked, rubbing his forehead.
"You passed out," Iroh said nonchalantly. "Normally what happens when you rob yourself of oxygen."
"How long have I been out?" Iroh looked at the sky. Night was now upon them.
"I'd say about…16 hours."
"Have we found the Avatar?"
"Not yet, my nephew, but have faith. He has probably settled for tonight. We shall look in the morning." Zuko's right eyebrow twitched. The gulls began to converse as the prince and his elder uncle remained silent.
"I'm sorry about last night," Iroh said quietly. Zuko's eyes shut his eyes tightly. "I thought that…you'd…feel better if you reconciled with your past." Zuko stood up, glaring at his uncle.
"Feel better? Feel better? You thought that getting me to think about my dead mother would make me feel better?" He stood; his six-foot-two frame hovered over his uncle's mere five feet-eight drastically. "You thought that…seriously, reconcile with my past? Mom died, ok? She's dead. There's nothing that you could do, that I could do that would bring her back!"
Fumes rushed from his nostrils and fire licked his fingertips and shoulders.
"Zuko, try to understand."
"What's there to understand? I put that behind me for a reason!"
"But I know that Akida—"
"Don't talk to me about my mother! I don't want to hear about your trip to the spirit realm again and how you think that you can talk to the spirits! I. Don't. CARE!"
With that, the fire around him exploded in a small fireball. Iroh caught the fire and spun it until it became a small flicker. He squeezed his fingers together, and it disappeared in a puff of smoke.
And he, the elder general, left.
Hours trickled by, the tension in the air thick enough to penetrate. Iroh had found solace in meditating. Zuko, still exhausted from last night's events retreated to the medic's room. The working soldiers were slightly disconcerting, not quite sure what was going on between the family members.
They waited, uneasily for the return of either of them…for something to do. If anything, the relationship between the uncle and nephew had been entertaining and their hours of bickering helped the time roll by. But today's argument was…different. Oh so very different…
"I heard he snapped and attacked the uncle."
"I heard the uncle attacked him." Jee sighed exasperatedly. He rose from his seat and set his drink down.
"All of you who would question the relationship of the Dragon of the West and his nephew are seriously demented. There's no way that either would attack the other. There was an argument. That's all." He sat again and took a swig of his drink.
"What are we going to do?" Chu said. He, bored as hell, ran his hand through his raven hair.
"Relax, possibly. Give your fried nerves a break," Jee said.
"Relax? What is this thing called relaxing?" Hahn said laughing. "We haven't relaxed since we were in the Fire Nation."
"Things weren't really relaxed there, either," Jee said sardonically. "When was the last time anyonewas relaxed?"
"A hundred years ago," retorted Hahn. "Before this stupid war and someone's desire for total domination."
"Shut up, do you want to be killed?"
"Better killed than living this dump of life."
"Lieutenant! Lieutenant! Come quick!" a helmsman ran across the deck, terror captive in his eye.
"Jiro, Jiro, calm yourself. What is it?" asked Jee. Jiro, the helmsman, buckled and held his knees, gasping for breath.
"Fire Nation ships…coming this way…bigship," Jiro said, gasping for breath. "You'd better come look."
"Tell General Iroh and Prince Zuko. This is news they'd want to hear," Jee said, pointing to Hahn and Chu.
"Yes sir," the two said. They dashed away.
"Who is it?" Jee asked, returning to Jiro.
"I'm not sure, lieutenant. It can't be Zhao…"
"No. Zhao's dead." He heaved a sigh. "I believe that the Fire Lord has found us."
"A smaller one is coming this way!" echoed the husky voice of Kyo. "What do we do, Lieutenant?"
"Get ready to fight," he said simply to Kyo. "Get ready to fight."
"Lieutenant, what is going on?" Iroh.
"Sir, we've spotted Fire Nation ships. There's a smaller one on its way here—full speed."
"How far away?"
"About 20 knots."
"How fast is it moving?"
"By the looks of it, 11 knots an hour."
"It'll be here in a little over an hour. Are we ready to defend?"
"More than ready sir."
"Lieutenant Jee! It's getting faster! And we've spotted the Avatar's flying bison."
"Oh Agni. What else could go wrong today?" Face-slap. Cue Zuko.
"Lieutenant! What is the meaning of this?" Cue Zuko. Face-slap.
"Zuko, your father has found us…and we've found the Avatar."
"Ahh…perfect timing. We capture the Avatar and return home in under an hour. Tell me—"
"Prince Zuko, your father's appearance is not good. You and I both need to go into hiding."
"Uncle…"
"12 knots…13 knots. Sir, they're accelerating at 1 knot per second."
"How are they doing that? Even the best Fire Nation ships can't do that."
"14 knots…"
"I don't know sir."
"What's going on?"
"Zuko, hush!"
"They're closing in!"
"What are we going to do?"
"Why haven't they attacked yet?"
"Uncle, release me!"
"Shut that boy up, or I'll do it myself!"
"He doesn't mean it."
"The vessel has stopped sir. They seem peaceful."
"Nothing's peaceful in the Fire Nation. Don't try to speed up. With that strange power, I'm sure they'll be able to catch up."
"Sir, someone's coming aboard."
"For Agni's sake, Hahn, don't give me a play-by-play."
"It's a woman sir," Jiro.
"A woman?" Iroh, Zuko, Hahn and Lieutenant Jee questioned simultaneously.
"She wishes to speak to the Dragon of the West. It is of utmost urgency."
"Thank you Jiro," Iroh said. "Who was this woman?"
"Her name was…Chang Kazu."
"Chang Kazu?" A spark of recognition. "Agni, what's she doing here?"
"You knew her sir?" Jee, raised eyebrow.
"Yes. Her father was my lieutenant general during Ba Sing Sei."
"Can we trust her?"
"I'm almost sure of it…I'll go by myself, just to be safe."
"Be safe, General Iroh." Bow from Jee.
"Thank you."
Iroh walked around the corner to find himself face-to-face with a woman he hadn't seen in over 14 years: Chang Kazu. Floods of memories peaked in his mind. She had grown much and looked just like her mother. Fear held in her bright brown eyes. Determination budged its way out in her facial expressions. Her long dark brown hair was tied in a traditional topknot and she was dressed in the finest silks. His son's little shadow was no longer "little."
"Kazu?" Iroh asked. Kazu nodded. It took all of her self control to keep her composure. This man had helped her family so much. He never complained when Kazu followed his son around everywhere…even to the day of his death. They embraced in a tight and missed hug. "It's good to see you, my dear." They pulled back. "Why in Agni's name are you here?"
"Iroh, I have bad news," she said. "The Fire Lord has learned of your treachery." Iroh hung his head.
"This day was to come."
"And you think that's bad.Agni, he's hired this woman…no, this girl to kill both of you, but her main target is Zuko. She's on the larger boat that's about 50 knots away from here. She's crazy, I swear it. She likes her job way to much. No one, not even the Yu Yan Archers, I believe enjoy killing as much as she does." Her speech became muddled and slurred, words running into each other. She picked at her fingernails nervously.
"Be calm, Little Shadow. Who is this girl? A child you say?"
"Her name is Xiang Rhia. But she goes as Hia. She's a trained assassin, probably not much older than Zuko…and she has..." She glanced around for prying ears and eyes. "A Gift."
"A Gift?" Iroh asked, eyes widening and voice dropping.
"Yes. She has the Gift of Finding. She can touch something and instantly she can find the person who owns that item."
"I thought the Gift Holders had died out. They're supposed to be legendary!" Iroh said.
"And you're capture of Ba Sing Sei was supposed to be legendary as well," she retorted. Quickly turning away, she realized her insolence. Iroh waved his hand, dismissing the action.
"Do they have any possessions of Zuko?" Kazu chuckled sardonically.
"Obviously… we found you," she said rolling her eyes. "But it's only a small dagger. The Prince's room is like a museum at the Palace. Ozai won't let anyone in it."
Perhaps, just as Zuko was changing…
Oh, curse you old demon, Hope.
"Iroh, you and Zuko have to leave as soon as possible. They've stopped now, but once they realize that I'm gone, they're going to start asking questions and that'll only make them come for you faster."
Iroh remained silent. The chances of someone actually possessing a Gift…those were only supposed to be legendary: given from the Almighty Light at birth. They were extremely rare and possessors could be identified by their eye color. Those with one Gift had a dark, almost black, blue eye color…but there were the Ones born with two…with the silver eyes...those legendary creatures were the ones to be feared if they truly existed.
"Kazu, my dear, what color are Hia's eyes?" Kazu paused, thinking back.
"Silver." Iroh winced. "Is that bad?" His eyes widened
"If she has silver eyes, that means she has two Gifts. What else can you tell me about her?"
"Well…on the day she met us…she had this uncanny intuitive factor. She like…knew my thoughts. I can't remember what she said now. It's been so long." Iroh inwardly gasped, on the outside, he was cool.
"She has the Gift of Glimpsing."
"What?"
"She can Glimpse into peoples' minds. Are you sure you had no idea about her Gifts?"
"Yeah." She nodded solemnly. "I had to look it up. I swear, this girl...there's something not right with her, other than the fact that she's trying to kill both of you. She's insanley freaky. She speaks in Idioma all the time and it's...pretty...damn freaky. Get Zuko and get out, please."
"He's not going to respond well to this," Iroh said.
"'He's not going to respond well.' I just came on a boat, risking my life for him. I don't care if he doesn't respond well to the situation. I don't care if you have to throw him off the boat to get him off, just keep him safe. Keep yourself safe too as well."
"You as well, Little Shadow." They embraced in a tight departure hug. "Say hello to your father for me."
"I will." They released. A small tear shone in her eyes, but the Fire Lord's personal assistant never cried.
"Hope to see you soon," Kazu said as she lowered into her small boat.
"Take care…" Iroh whispered as the boat disappeared. The next task was to find Zuko, who was probably angsting in the dark or demanding to follow the Avatar. 'Agni, what am I going to do with that boy?' He thought.
Cue Zuko. "Uncle! Come here!" Adrenaline pumped through the old man's veins. He racked plans of escape in his head.
"Yes, Prince Zuko," Iroh said, plastering a smile on his face.
"We're right on the tail of the Avatar! We've almost got him!" The young boy's amber eyes lit with pride and excitement. "This is it. We've finally got him." Now or never.
"Zuko, we need to leave."
"What?" He cocked his only eyebrow in the old man's direction. "Leave? But the…"
"Zuko. Trust me, we have to leave. You're in danger." The teen scoffed.
"According to you, I'm always in danger. Uncle, don't worry about anything. The Avatar—"
"Zuko! This has nothing to do with the Avatar! You are in mortal danger. A ship owned by your father is over 50 knots away and they're here for your blood."
"You're lying! My father wouldn't—"
"You're father wouldn't harm you? He still loves you? He wants you back?" Concern for the boy and his raw desperateness pushed him to shout the words he had kept secret for years. "After Akida's death, you became nothing to Ozai. Why, why do you think he sent you on this wild chase? Why has he maimed you with the scar? He doesn't want you back. His arrival only confirms that. You and I are now felons. We must flee, Zuko."
Stunned at his remarks, Zuko didn't move. His amber eyes attempted to penetrate his uncle with malice, but with each second, it was apparent that his strength was deflating.
"Zuko…please. Listen to me. We have to leave now." The young man stood tall. He blinked painfully attempting to pull into his façade once more, biting his bottom lip almost discreetly.
"Where to?" he asked slowly and steadily, forbidding himself to falter.
Iroh sighed. Having a quiet and calm Zuko was far worse than an exploding one. Adding to that, he wasn't sure where the closest Earth Kingdom Island was.
"I'm not sure. We have Jiro looking at possible evacuation scenarios."
"What about the crew?"
"For all they know, you were never here," Iroh said, forcing eye contact as he lied through his teeth.
"Sir! We've calculated the safest route and location for you to travel." Jiro entered the room.
"Where to, Jiro?"
"A small island called Bamou."
bandgeek's music corner:
Life Notes
ZOMG BBQ1! I have returned from the dead, but alas, my stay upon the mortal realm is short. First of all, we're heading into the fourth quarter. Crunch time, baby, crunch time. Secondly, I'm Catholic, and those of you who have calenders will realize that this wednesday is Ash Wednesday- the start of Lent. That means that I have to give upa vicefor 40 days...which means fanfiction. Sorry all, fanfiction has become my one vice. So, until Easter, roughly a month and two weeks after next Wednesday, I shall return with goodness! So, stay tight.
Oh and this chapter is completly un-beta-ed. cryusdragon is on vacation right now, so if this sucks, it's because I haven't let anyone read it. Even my friend Kazu (where I got the name for my character, yeah she's real. She goes to my school) hasn't read this, and she reads everything that I write before I post it.
Story Notes
My computer is on crack. It will not display italicized characters, so if there's a really big gaping hole where the should be words, tell me and I'll fix it as soon as possible, ok? And if this persists, I'll have to use the ugly "underline" button. God, I hate underlining things. It looks so crap-tacular. EDIT: Ok, tried to fix it, and bolded it, but apparently bolding things doesn't work either, so there are parts where it's underlined becuase bolding left a huge gaping hole as well. TT Why is my computer t3h suxorz?
Ok, one word, OOC...which is really three, but for today, OOC is one word. Ok, the argument with Zuko and Iroh in the middle and end, I have a love-hate relationship with. I was really not sure how each character would react to what was said. Somedays, I look at the last part and say that Iroh was too harsh with Zuko, but soemthing drastic needed to be said to beat the child into submission. Kazu is still my favorite OC to write. Wondering if I should write a chapter describing her relationship with Iroh and his deceased family--well, we assume that his wife is dead, you never know. She could be waiting for him to return...just like we don't know if Zuko's mom is dead. Uh...ranting. Ok, next chapter is with ZUKO AND KATARA! But not Zutara. No, by far means, no. I still have to write several kick-ass scenes where they beat each other. So, look forward to Katara, Sokka, Aang next chapter.
Farewell my minions. OoOoOh! 60 reviews! You guys have made my day! Go forth, read, tell your friends about it, review, all that kine stuff. This chapter was long, and you guys better be happy! Long 9 pages btw.
Kai :D