Book One: Water 水善

Chapter Five:

Lai sat in front of the retired general with her arms crossed in front of her. She was pissed, which was definitely an understatement for how she really felt. The teen was quivering with pent up rage by the time the general walked her into his private quarters, and by now the flames from the candles were brightly burning.

Iroh had seen her angry, but never this angry.

"I cannot believe he just wants go in there and kill everything! They're a people, and you can't just wipe people out in one go!"

"Unfortunately, he can." Iroh sighed as he sipped his tea. "General Zhao is a very dangerous man capable of many dangerous things. If he sets his mind to something, I am afraid he won't back down until he sees it through. That is one thing that you and your father have in common, Fire Lily."

Lai glared at him. "We have nothing in common."

"Still, to this day, you and my nephew have always had the same very short temper. I am surprised you didn't bend at your father."

"They don't know I'm a bender, and I'd like to keep it that way. I feel as if I'll need that secret."

Iroh stroked his beard, contemplating her words. "Hmm, I feel you are right. It'll give you an edge over your enemies. How has your training come along since you left?"

"Master Pakku has been trying to help me through forms as best has he could. Everything is so different so it's been a little hard, but I've been slowly mastering forms." She replied evenly. The flames began to dwindle down. "It's been very slow."

"There is one thing I wish to teach you since you are here with me. One day, when you finally reveal your bending to the world, I feel as if you will need this. I am going to teach you to redirect lightening."

Lai's eyes went wide for a couple of seconds as she looked at Iroh. Lightening was something she never even attempted, better yet thought about. It was almost taboo to play with something that could kill you from the inside out.

"Redirect?"

"Yes. This will prove easy for you since you have spent so much time with the waterbenders. Stand." The general stood from his chair, as did Lai. "Follow my movements closely. Feel the chi move up, down, up and out."

Iroh set himself up in his stance before beginning to move. Letting her eyes follow his movements, Lai began to mimic his techniques. The movements seemed familiar to her, like when her brother began to push and pull the water for the first time. It proved simple enough, and when a couple of moments had passed she was moving in time with him.

"Very good. You are a natural."

"I feel like, with my mother being a waterbender and all, I should be. But why-"

A knock interrupted her. As a confused look passed over her face the general made his way to the door. Making sure to open it quickly, a figure bolted in the opening before Iroh slammed it shut. A masked guard stood in the room with the two, and he put her on edge. Lai noticed that it was the same guard who was shoving her sword into her back earlier.

"You took too long to get here! You could've been caught!" Iroh scolded the masked firebender softly, almost like a whisper.

"I had to try and get away from the other guards without being noticed! You think I wanted to be there?"

The pair continued to bicker like father and son and ignored the girl dressed in water tribe garb. Iroh's face went from angry to worried to stern as he talked to the masked man, yet his voice never lost the care nor raised much from when he started talking.

The same couldn't be said for the soldier's voice.

That voice.

Lai felt her heart quicken at that voice. The scratchy baritone was something she thought she'd never hear again, all be it, it was a couple of decibels higher the last time she heard it. She neared the bickering pair with awe plastered on her face.

"Zuko?"

The pair stopped talking. Masked man turned around to look at her, his unseen gaze burning holes into her skin. A hand reached up to her neck to finger the stone of the necklace before it dropped to his side. The other hand went up to his helmet and ripped the red iron straight off his head. Lai couldn't help but gasp.

This wasn't the boy she remembered from her childhood, far from it. Instead of the joy once seen in those golden eyes, Lai could only see hate and desperation. His left eye was scarred up to the beginnings of his scalp and onto his ear. Red and angry, the scarred skin contrasted from his unusually pale skin. His once completely hair covered head was shaved, minus the phoenix tail atop his head.

"Zuko." She mumbled her words under her breath as her hand reached out to his scar. "What happened to you?"

He caught her hand before it reached his cheek, instead twining it with his before lowering them. "It's in the past, it's nothing."

"That scar isn't nothing."

"Don't worry about it." He snapped quietly, squeezing her hand. "I don't want to think about that right now. All I need to think about is capturing the Avatar."

Lai rolled her eyes and snatched her hand away from him. "That's right, Lee was saying you've been chasing the bald kid for months. Give up, he isn't easily caught. While you're at it, convince my father to stop too would yah?"

"These people brought it on themselves by harboring the Avatar!"

The flames in the room grew as the two teens stared each other down. Zuko's eyes looked almost haunted in the firelight.

"They've been harboring more than the Avatar, you numskull." Lai pushed her way past Zuko to her parka. She slipped it on her shoulders before turning to face the two firebenders. "I need to leave. If there's going to be a fight, then I need to be there. This plan obviously isn't working."

"What was your plan anyways? Appeal to Zhao's fatherly love?"

Lai shook her head. "No, not even close. I was appealing to his lust for power by giving into a deal he wanted me to long before we ran away."

Iroh stepped between the two teens, his calm eyes boring into Lai's. He put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a small smile. "Come, Lai. Zuko was just about to be on his way as well. Maybe you both can help each other out."

"When Lee flies. That's when we'll help each other out." Lai crossed her arms.

Zuko, crossing his arms as well, huffed out an, "agreed."

Hello frands. I'm so sorry it's been legit months to a year since I updated. Life has been crazy man.

ANywho, I hope you all enjoy this part. I am still trying to rush through it. I had it already written, I just have had absolutely NO TIME to update! Going to try and push out a couple of updates within the next couple of weeks.

If you guys have time, I have a Wattpad account as well. I just released an original story titled '20 Ways How Not To Get A Guy'. Please tell me what you think if you want to read! If not, it's cool.

Leave a like and a review!

~bandkind4life