6-9-06

Sup ya'll! Well this is Rika again, finally actually. Well I am here with chappie 7 of PWC. I saw that another person has put this story on favorites. I think Britt was supposed to write this AN but she is in San Antonio and cannot write it so I am here to take her place. We are working on this story and I do have a life so posting chappies may be hard for awhile. We have decided that the second part to this story will be in a whole new story so you have that to look forward to and this part of the story is almost halfway done. Only 3 more chappies till halfway. Well, I hope you pay attention to this chappie as I put in a lot of hints and clues about the future and I also put in emphasis on certain things that are important so pay attention to those things. Besides that I only have to remind you all to review! Please REVIEW! I will love you tons of more times than I do already if you jsut drop by a few words. Both Britt and I will totally love you for it. I know you read this and please just drop by and tell us what you think. You too Lilly. lol Here's the story cause I know ya'll are just starting to get really hooked to it and wondering what else happens. And seriously, if you only have a flame to offer, send it. I would love to hear anything! Also this is a Mary Sue free zone so enjoy this NO SUE story. lol

Oh and if you also happen to be a SW Knerd or Phantom Phan, check out my other stories. I really want more people to read my SW story which I was rewriting and I know you will like. I had to shamelessly plug my own story. lol Here's the feature story...

Scene 7: A Small Reunion

Lau's POV

"Your move." I replied monotoned, bored with the current event. I had miraculously gotten Iroh away from his Pai Sho and made him play some chifu with me. I was master at chifu which Zuko constantly doubted my abilities in. 'If you didn't complete primary school how are you supposed to be smart enough to master chifu?' He had always taunted me. I was always taunted for being Noble and not finishing my schooling. But Gi had always told me that it didn't matter if I didn't finish my schooling but how much I really knew. That was the reason why he forced me, for awhile against my will, to play chifu against him, who was the best at it. I never did beat him…

Iroh moved his white-square bishop up towards me and I countered with moving my rook down, level with my other rook on the second to last row. His king was in its original place, never touched. He thought then moved him pawn forward. I looked at my board and eyed my pieces. I had a certain strategy going for me at the moment and I was sticking to it. I saw my two pawns in one column from when I did a special move and I saw my two queens, one original and the other a promoted pawn. I decided my last move, smirking as I did it, and I moved my bishop down, cornering him, issuing him a check.

"Check and Mate!" I declared victoriously. Iroh starred at the board in dismay and awe. Chifu was obviously not his favorite game. I reached and took the pot of thirteen silver pieces. We bet high as we had the money to spare and because it made it more fun.

"Yes, excellent game Zeilau. I just can't think quick enough to play this game." Iroh stated, accepting his defeat. "Now, if we had played Pai Sho, this would have ended differently."

"All you need is a strategy Iroh. Chifu and Pai Sho are not the same game. You need to play it more often – then you might be able to beat me." I laughed. I pointed out a few simple but fatal flaws he made and he chuckled.

"You always one for memorizing and remembering details. Next time I'll beat you and win back my money." He stated with a mischievous glint in his eyes and words.

"Prince Zuko, Sir! There are distress signals straight ahead!" A navigator declared as he looked back to us.

"Why must you both me with such inferior matters? If it is from nowhere important, then just ignore it and continue on." Zuko spat, angry that he was disturbed. Zuko was in his usual spot making it look like if he was doing something that was actually important. The navigator looked through a telescope and shrunk back.

"It's coming from the Earthbender Prison Rig, Sir. What are we to do, your majesty?" He asked uncertain, just hoping that he wouldn't be killed for asking him. Zuko pondered for a moment then gave his answer.

As soon as I heard 'Earthbender Prison Rig' I knew exactly where we were headed to and dread filled my body. Those poor Earthbenders were kept in the most horrible conditions – but why would I care about people like them? They were all below me – me, a Noble, but at the same time, much more. I sighed and watched the waved lap against the bow and sides of the giant fleet. The ocean went on forever, never ending, or at least it seemed. After being at sea for two years, you get sick of it and it gets old very, very fast. I sometimes wished that I would have just stayed with Kai at Azon and never had been brought into the mess that I was in, but I was going for a reason. To help Zuko, my only friend. I was only there to help Zuko, only Zuko, to help Zuko capture the Avatar.

"Sir, the rig is now less thana third of a league away." I stood up straighter and turned to Zuko.

"I'll be on deck – waiting, as always." I declared on routine. I always seemed to wait on deck for everyone else. Maybe because I loved to be right in front of it all. I walked out to the balcony and climbed down from the helm to the deck. I looked out beyond the horizon and saw our destination. I did not want to even step a foot on that rig even if it was the only way to survive. I had heard of it – everyone had. And I hated the idea and thought of it. It and everyone associated with it: the warden, who shall remain nameless for the time being, the guards, and the Fire Lord, himself.

I was thrown out of my thoughts when our anchor dropped and the ship lurched forward, not prepared for the sudden halt. I didn't notice that we were right next to the side of the behemoth sized steel rig. Zuko stood on the railing of the ship and stepped onto the rig. I followed suit, along with a couple of soldiers, two to be exact, one being Tierm whom I knew and was nice to. Tierm was the guard of my parents and I, whom my uncle asked to accompany me on the ship. He was also one of my family's confidants, in whom we resided many of our personal secrets including the deepest ones. I trusted him with my life. We walked along the sold metal corridors until we reached the warden along with a group of guards.

"Noble Dentou Shi, Warden." A guard announced to us as it like we didn't have a clue who the man was. Well, at least I knew who he was – maybe the ignoramus next to me didn't. A man who was slightly wet by the way, as if he just swam, with grey eyes and thin greying black long hair and beard stepped forward. His red sash gave him away as a higher ranked Noble than I was. I knew him – it would have been pretty sad if I didn't.

"Ah! Wouldn't you know? We have some visitors today: his majesty, Prince Zuko, and oh! My favorite niece, Zeilau. How kind of you both to stop by in this hour." Dentou smiled in his deep voice. He was my mother's only sibling. They had fought like siblings and their views differed like siblings. I never 'hated' him, more like 'strongly disliked'. He never approved of my mom marrying my dad, he didn't see my father worthy of my mother and he made his opinion clear to him too.

"I'm not in the mood to hear that now, Dentou. What're the signals for?" I asked him sharply, not wanting to hear his voice and I knew that he was very good at talking and droning on and never getting to the point.

"My, my, you are the irritable one, my Zeilau." He cooed to me with a crooked grin on his face as my lips furled into a snarl. I'm no one's – especially not yours, Dentou. "I sent those signals because an entire group of prisoners have just recently escaped these walls." My eyes narrowed at him and I started to grow a smirk. Zuko stood up straighter upon hearing that and got more active in the conversation. There had already been enough bonding between us two. I was set for the next year.

"An entire prison full of Earthbenders escaped?" Zuko asked, laughter hidden in the depths of his voice, which I could only notice. "How could they have done that? This rig is entirely steel."

"They wouldn't have, if it wasn't for those Water Tribe children and that bald one." Dentou scoffed at the description of the Avatar. Either he really disliked the Avatar or he was a really good actor but I sided with the first one. I smirked lightly at him. It served him right to have them all escape. Zuko perked up at hearing Water Tribe children and a bald child too. "If the Avatar wouldn't have shown up and helped they would still be in my control." I bit my thumb lightly to keep myself from laughing aloud. It was all really too funny. Who wouldn't be able to escape from my uncle? He wasn't the brightest one all the time and some family members even said that I might have gotten that from him. So…the Avatar really was here all along…Zuko was going to go his normal self.

"I'm going to look around." He announced as he walked off, angry that he had not been there when the Avatar had been. I really thought that he was going to go on another of his 'I must capture the Avatar' rants. It surprised me that he didn't.

"So, Lau, what have you been doing lately?" My uncle asked me quietly and innocently, which I knew was really not so innocent as he sounded. I just scowled in return as I thought it was obvious what I had been doing. I had been following a crazily obsessed friend of mine making sure that he didn't do anything too stupid or hurt himself too much in the process. But still, it was better than staying in the Fire Nation.

"Oh, just skipping around in meadows of pretty pink flowers, giggling, and wearing dresses with Ty Lee because its her favorite past time and mine too." I said, speaking with as much sarcasm as I could muster, which was the most I had even used in a long time. "What do you seriously think I was doing!" I yelled at him as I took a step towards him adding the pressure to him. I breathed heavily as the silence ate away.

"You've got my sister's mouth alright." Dentou commented coolly. " I just thought that something – anything would happen to you, around you." I stood there in front of him trying not to loose it and totally blow up in anger.

"I've been on a damn ship for two fuckin' years in the middle of a goddamned ocean! What the hell could happen in the middle of nowhere!" I yelled, my anger getting the most of me. I totally lost it and Dentou wasn't helping nor was the fact that he was just making my blood boil even more.

"I see you've inherited your father's vocabulary as well." He replied calmly. I squinted my eyes in anger. Smoke was emitting from my palms as I tried to keep my temper in check but was failing miserably. For some reason my temper always had gotten shorter when I was around my uncle. I heard a few waved hit the rig violently but then died back down only after a few more plundered the rig viscously. The wind blew my loose strands of hair across my face, as the wind had grown stronger. Dentou smirked at me.

"You should really watch your temper, Zeilau. It would be just horrible if anything was to happen because of your temper. You should pay more attention to yourself." He said, using unneeded emphasizing of 'anything'. I scowled at him and more smoke swirled from my hands. I looked up at the orangish blue sky. I gritted my teeth and breathed the rest of my anger out as fire and smoke, my fury escaping my body. I stood there breathing deeply as my shoulders heaved from the effort.

"Very well done, Zeilau." Dentou said as he placed his hand on my cheek. I recognized the motion and I absorbed the blistering heat that he was emitting through his hand to me. I was use to his 'games'. "I could never get you with that one, now could I? After all, you're one of the youngest Masters in Fire Nation history, mastered at what? 12? 13? Even younger than Azula? You're one in a few, Lau." He stated with semi-false pride.

"Yes, I mastered Firebending younger than Azula did. It doesn't surprise me either. As nice as it was to see you again, Uncle, I really need to make sure Zuko isn't doing something stupid. So, if you'll excuse me…" I said, bowing halfway and walking off towards the other side, dying to get away from my uncle.

I walked awhile until I reached the accommodations for the captives. It was pretty bad. No one should have to live like that. It was indescribable and I didn't want to think about it more than I had to. I saw Zuko at the end, looking out onto the orange horizon. I slowly walked up to him. I could hear the clang of my shoes hitting the metal deck, echoing off the bare steel walls. I gazed over his shoulder. He was holding that girl's necklace – the necklace of the Waterbending symbol with the black satin. What was her name again? Kata…no. Katsuma? No. Katara! That was it! It was her necklace.

"What's with the necklace, Zuko? I don't really think that blue is your color though… but what do I know about fashion?" I asked partially myself and partially him. I really knew nothing about fashion so I had no right to talk but it seemed familiar. Something was jumping in my head telling me that I had seen it somewhere else before.

"It was on the floor. The Water Tribe girl must have lost it. The Avatar was here. Dentou wasn't lying." Zuko stated quietly far off, as if he was really spaced out and barely recognized my existence. Really, it was a first for him not to kill me for my previous comment that he seemed to not notice at all which meant that I wouldn't have to witness him failing to kill me.

"So…what are you going to do with it?" I asked him, boredom evident in my tone. I really could care less what he was going to do with it – throw it into the ocean, burn it, crush it, give it to me which would result in me just disposing of it to my liking, or the most creepy, he could keep it. That was when something came into my mind that I never wanted to even think about again. I almost wanted to throw up just because it even entered my mind.

"Keep it." He replied quietly. Okay, I was going to throw up now. That was the worst timed thing that he had ever said. The thought came back to my mind and I about died…again. Luckily he had no idea what I had thought and didn't know the reason why I choked on air when he said that. "She'll want it back. But she'll have to find it first." Zuko replied with a hint of scheme in his voice. I had known him for all of my life – I knew when he was scheming and when he wasn't. He turned him towards me and his golden eyes had his 'evil plot-scheming' look written all over them.

"You're going to use her as a pawn, aren't you?" I asked, placing my hand on my hip, which I didn't do too much and surprised myself that I even did that off instinct, and I rolled my eyes. I reminded myself of my mom, putting my hands on my hips just like she did.

"That's what I plan on doing. She's going to come looking for it and the Avatar will naturally just follow her. Then, all I have to do is trick and capture him. How hard could it be to trick a little kid?" He spilled his guts and his plans onto the floor – not literally but figuratively of course.

"…It's not going to work." I stated, my voice trailing off to silence. That was when I started to feel strange. When I said that to him he would normally react to it and get mad at me…he was slowing on his reaction time.

"And why not!" He asked, angry that I doubted his foolproof plans. The plans that beat any of mine, Iroh's, and most of all, his father's. I just rolled my eyes at him and continued to talk to him.

"It's not going to work because whenever you try to capture that child, you always come out empty handed. Somehow – some way – she will get her necklace back and the Avatar will slip out of your grasp…again." I said laughing on the inside, making a huge pause between 'grasp' and 'again' adding emphasis. It was really hilarious if you looked at it from my point of view. If he would only let me play a bigger role we might actually be able to capture him, but for as long as Zuko's pride gets in the way, it won't happen. But also we probably wouldn't be able to capture the child anyway because I am not as stupid as Zuko was to believe that his father would actually let him return just by capturing the Avatar – I saw the truth that he obviously couldn't.

"That won't be the case this time, Lau! I will capture him! You just watch!" He exclaimed, his defensive side kicking in, amusing me even further. He turned and took a couple of steps before my voice stopped him.

"Of course you will…" I muttered sarcastically purposely making it loud enough for him to hear it. He turned his head and shot me an evil glare. I chuckled lightly and decided to follow him. His pace was swift but I could match it just as easily as my legs were about his length.

"Zuko, tomorrow, you want to spar? We haven't in a long time and I need my practice." I asked him spontaneously as we walked through a dark hall. I saw him give a passing glance my way then back to the necklace he held in his hand not the most gentlely.

"I don't know Lau…maybe…" He said deeply in thought, which I didn't have to guess was about the Avatar. What was his name again? Aang? Yeah that was it. I remembered that Katara girl saying something to him or about him when we went to Kyoshi Island. That place was the most boring place I had ever been too. I didn't even get any action. I just sat in the tree waiting for something to come my way. Yuu was a little bit away chomping on some grass. I only shot an arrow at Katara once and that was when she said something about Zuko – no one was allowed to talk about Zuko like that except for me. She knew it was I and I had the satisfaction in knowing that.

"Ah, are you scared that a girl will kick your ass like so many times before?" I taunted him, making a slight pouting sound just to entice him a little more. When I had insulted him, it had gone too far and I knew that he would respond to that. We were both similar – I would act the same way too if Zula said that to me. He stopped and turned to me sharply, making me smirk on the inside.

"Fine! You're on! Tomorrow we'll spar – sunbreak!" He exclaimed as he slapped each other's hand in mutual agreement. "You'll be sorry that you asked me…" He turned and continued on the path.

"Yeah, sure. I think you forget who's the master here." I mumbled under my breath and continued to walk behind him, my body drowned in his shadow. As we walked, the only sounds were of our steady breathing and the sound of our shoes on the metal floor.

Aw...well can't wait to do the next chappie cause it is a lot of fun, but it will take me awhile cause it is a fighting chappie and it takes me a long time to get it how I want it to be. But in the meantime, REVIEW! NOW! The button is right there and I know you have the minute or so to send me in what you think about it. But if you don't review, could you please pimp this story to your friends or something casue the next thing I love besides REVIEWS are HITS. . So you know what you'll do now right...yes, you are going to REVIEW.

Preview: Scene 8: The Duel