Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or anything associated with it except my fanfictions.
I'm not sure what's going on, but the story and the chapters are all messed up. Will update if things change, with an actual chapter to read...
New edit: Problems resolved. Thanks so much for your patience and support!
Unfortunately, a new, rarely seen problem has arisen that is called "bad storytelling." Sorry for all the bumps and mishaps and rushed plot stuff.
The crew was ecstatic over the developments of the past few days, Zuko much less so.
For one, they finally had an enthusiastic tsungi horn player to accompany them on music night. Aang had rebounded from his loss rather miraculously, although the pain and grief and loss never truly left his eyes. The effect he had on the crew was astounding; his immature, hilarious, fun-seeking attitude proved the perfect counterpoints to Iroh's old, patient wisdom and Zuko's youthful, impatient emotions. The ship became filled with life and entertainment, things that began to whittle away at Zuko's cold, composed countenance.
But really, what made Aang such a blessing to the ship was his infuriating optimism and curiosity. Aang only saw the best in people, and plagued his indulging crew with questions about their personal lives, about the happenings of the world, and then gave them advice on their matters. Soon, the crew had transformed from embittered drunkards to carefree but loyal crew members willing to sacrifice a hand and a foot for each other - including the prince. Opinions had changed from wanting to take down the Avatar and serve Zuko's father to discussion of outright rebellion against the cruel dictator.
"Aang, you are a blessing to have aboard this ship," Iroh remarked to a smiling Aang after one particularly festive music night. "My nephew is quite enough company for us, to be sure, but you are truly unique. You have brought to this ship things that were once long-forgotten memories. How to laugh. How to have fun. How to enjoy the simple things in life."
Aang blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. Zuko had begun to notice that Aang did it when he was flustered or uncomfortable or just plain shy and embarassed. "Thanks, I guess. Although you do have a very funny way of showing it by kicking my butt at Pai Sho. I used to play it all the time with my mentor, Monk Gyatso. He was the greatest airbender alive during his time, and he taught me everything I knew." Aang's face fell at the happy memories that were no more, and Iroh put a reassuring hand on Aang's shoulder.
"He would be happy to see you enjoying life right now, Avatar, and he would be proud to see what kind of man you have grown up to become," Iroh said with a kind smile.
Aang smiled back at him. "Thanks, Iroh. I really needed that."
Zuko just harrumphed and went out onto the deck. He was more concerned over whether they'd last long enough to restock provisions before that crazy kid's bison started munching on the ship itself.
Looking out into the night, the stars above him, the reflecting water below him, the salty taste and smell of the sea, the gentle rocking of the waves beneath the ship - it never failed to calm him. It served a nice distraction to the pain he had endured... to the loss he had been exposed to... to the misery his life had become.
He remembered a girl at home. Mai. Her deadened expression, her emotionless remarks, her "No thank you" attitude to the world - she was blunt, cold, and hid behind a delicately crafted mask. And Zuko was head over heels for her.
He fingered his scar. He imagined what her reaction to his face now would be... not to mention the three years they had been apart. He had noticed Mai always blushing, always smiling for a change around him, and he was sure that he felt the same way that Mai expressions showed him. If only they had gotten together... maybe he would have had some good memories of the times before... this.
But then again, he had great memories of his mother. Look how far those had gotten him...
"Hotman, is everything alright?"
Zuko snapped out of his reflections, startled, and nearly punched Aang with a fist of fire. "Don't call me that," he snapped, but without the conviction he had when he had first heard Aang call him that... name.
"Zuko." Zuko looked back at the young boy, surprised. He had actually callen him by his real name. "Why don't you join us? Everyone's having a great time. Iroh's been singing and dancing, the cook's got some really great songs, and even Jee -"
"Lieutenant Jee - "
"We've gotten past formalities, but Flameo, Commander Prince Hotman, Sir," Zuko groaned and facepalmed himself. He should've seen that coming. "But in all seriousness, is everything alright?"
Zuko shook his head. "No. Nothing's all right. I'm feeling weird and sick and strange. On the one side, I have half a mind to kill you or send you to my father - not that I could, because you're the Avatar and clearly a master airbender because of your tattoos. I'd just make a fool of myself. But on the other hand, if I travel with you... I'm going against the very foundations that I was raised upon. It's not easy to do that, you know."
Aang stood there silently "I get where you're coming from. Telling you to disobey your father would be like convincing me to not eat meat. Or convincing any airbender to kill or hurt another living thing. It just doesn't happen. But one thing I know for sure, Zuko. You might have a lot of weight on your back. But you're strong enough to carry it with you. You are brave, strong, and determined. And... even though I can't quite trust you during these times... I can still respect you and your inner strength."
Zuko nodded in gratitude. "Thank you for your wisdom, Avatar." They stood there, watching the waves lap against the sides of the ship. Then Zuko smiled.
Aang noticed it. "Who are you and what have you done to that angry banished Fire Prince, Mr. Hotman?"
Zuko grinned in earnest now. "I'm still me. I just realized... it's kind of funny, receiving wisdom from a kid."
Aang couldn't let this affront to his age slide. "Well, you're just a teenager yourself."
They stared at each other, shocked at their exchange - and burst out laughing. From the outburst of mirth, wisdom, and company, the bonds of something - not quite friendship, but a far cry from enmity or even rivalry - began to form, on that deck, between the burnt prince and the frozen Avatar.
Zuko wrapped an arm around Aang. "Come on, prisoner Avatar. Let's get back so you can play some more tsungi horn. I bet my crew is missing you by this point."
And they went back inside, towards the music and the fun.
They were getting anxious. No, they weren't anxious. They were terrified.
Every minute they spent on the water was a greater chance of not making it out. The damages, although slight, required attention as soon as possible, but not even a rocky crag was in sight.
The crew's actions became more and more frantic as the ice became more and more clustered, and the inevitable eventually occurred.
"Prince Zuko, sir! There's been a breach in the hull!" a sailor frantically cried out.
Zuko cursed. They weren't going to make it. They had no way to stop the flooding of the ship. They would sink, and Zuko's hopes and dreams - all the crew's and the Avatar's hopes and dreams - would be dragged down below to suffer a murky demise in the frigid waters of the South Pole.
It was in that moment the first of his headaches came.
His vision split in two as he doubled over, mouth open in a silent scream. The exruciating pain went as quickly as it had came, but Zuko had become too disoriented to lead the crew. He croaked out, "Lieutenant... guide the crew to safety. I'm in no condition to lead. Please. The lives of this ship are counting on you, sir!"
Jee saluted him. "I won't fail, sir! For Agni's sake, and on my own honor."
Suddenly, from the crow's nest there came a shout. "There's a watertribe village dead ahead! Far off, but if all of our hands on deck could try to bail out the water, we might stand a chance of making it!"
There was no hesitation, no communication needed between the crew. Aang had truly reformed the ragtag group that followed the banished prince and his uncle. Without a second thought, the crew instantly formed a relay line to draw water out from the depths of the ship, while the engineers and helmsman all worked to bring the ship to refuge.
At long last, they were almost near the coast. The crew celebrated, realizing they were to live another day. Unfortunately, their celebrations were cut short.
"We can't brake fast enough!" the helmsman shouted. "We're gonna hit!-"
And they hit the walls constructed around the small village, limbs tangled, crew men all over the place. When the dust settled, they all shakily rose, and through the sudden quiet, a squeaky, youthful male voice rang out.
"Dang it, Ashmakers! It took me over two months to make those walls!"
Everyone on board looked at each other, shrugged, and opened the hatchway to the icy ground; and Aang, Jee, Iroh, and a still reeling Zuko all stepped out in a party to convey peace.
Sokka had prepared for this day.
Ever since he had seen the black snow fall for the first time in his life - when his mother had died - he had readied the village for any unexpected Fire Nation attacks. Never mind the fact that all the men of age had gone off to war. He was the acting chief of the Southern Water Tribe, and he would protect his community - no, his family - from the evil that was the Fire Nation.
After readying his warpaint and his trusty weapons, he went to keep a lookout on the watchtower he had painstakingly made with his own hands. He was proud of it; it even had openings for warriors to eventually shoot arrows from. Not that he himself was an archer, but still. He had to open his mind to the possibilities. The other members of the village were hiding in their homes, waiting for the terrible wrath of the Fire Nation to pass them by.
Then he saw the ship and his mouth dropped.
In the six years since the last Fire Nation invasion, he had forgotten how large the ships were. He could tell by the worn metal that the ship was an old one - and yet it was still larger than the entire village. He went out of the watchtower and onto the village walls to get a better look. Any hopes that the size and presence of the ship was an illusion was dashed by the approaching hunk of metal and death. As he looked up, he realized that he might have just experienced the last day of his life.
"Sokka! Look out!"
He turned to see his sister Katara, disobeying orders yet again from him, rushing towards him. He scowled. He appreciated his sister and all, but sometimes she was just annoying like all girls were. But then again, she was the one who took care of them after their mother's death, even though she was the one that suffered the most. She never laughed, never smiled. Not even Sokka and his father telling the most hilarious jokes brought even a faint flicker of simple amusement to Katara's face. But then coming to his senses, he realized what his sister had said, he turned around to see the Fire Nation ship plowing through the ice like it was warm butter.
"AAAAAHHHH!" He screamed, diving away from the wall he had constructed for over two months. His leg was barely scraped by the side of the ship as he barely made it out of the way. Disoriented, he saw the rest of the tribe get out of their homes to see what had just happened. Oh well. Too late to do anything more.
Anger suddenly spiked at seeing his hard work reduced to a mound of snow. He rubbed his leg, and shouted out, "Dang it, Ashmakers! It took me over two months to make those walls!"
His sister shook her head in loving exasperation. Then a door under the ship opened, and four people emerged.
Zuko scanned his eyes throughout the crowd. It was mostly made up of women and children, although a rather attractive teenaged girl stood amongst them - not that he thought she held a candle to his Mai. But he admitted she was drop-dead gorgeous, something he wouldn't have expected among these snow savages.
In front of him stood a teenaged boy who looked to be about the same age as the teenaged girl in the crowd. He was kneeling in a combative position, with a weird bent stick of metal in one hand and a primitive but decorative club in another hand.
Suddenly the boy charged, screaming defiantly at their contingency. Pathetic. When the boy got to them, Zuko simply held out his right hand, and for all of Sokka's efforts, his pinwheeling legs did not bring him any closer to the banished prince.
"We come in peace, water warrior," Zuko said formally.
The warrior stopped moving like a madman, and his eyes narrowed. "Yeah right. I don't believe that. You're probably just here to take the last waterbender, aren't y-" his eyes bulged in fear of what he just said. The entire village gasped, knowing what was about to come. They huddled protectively around the girl he saw earlier, who he noticed now had a pale face.
They really needed a lesson or two in psychology. Not that he ever passed the exams, but still. Even someone like him knew the basics of human thought and behavior.
Zuko walked threateningly up to the group, glaring at them menacingly. They shrank beneath his fierce gaze. This gave him an idea. A twisted, evil idea, but one that seemed in the spur of the moment to be somewhat hilarious. Suddenly, without warning, he grabbed the girl and dragged her some feet away from the rest of the tribe. The girl screamed, and someone in the crowd shouted "Katara!" The poor boy who looked so eager to fight before looked like he was going to faint. Zuko decided he had enough of his twisted fun and turned to talk to the girl he had grabbed.
"So... Katara, is it?" he asked. The girl did nothing but glare back up at him. Then, much to everyone's shock - or so he hoped - he asked, "Are you a master?"
The girl raised her eyebrow, likely confused by the fact that he hadn't dragged her away yet, and shot back "What makes you think I can waterbend? And if I could, would it really matter if I was a master at it?"
"Actually, kind of. It's for this mission I'm on. And judging by what you said, I'm assuming you can waterbend but you aren't a master." He gently pushed the girl back to the rest of her tribe, and the girl quickly vanished in the mass of people looking confusedly at him. He smiled.
"Next time someone makes a slip, don't huddle around protectively over the person you think they might take. Because more often than not, it's the sole reason they know who their target is. I'd also suggest that you develop negotiation skills, as your men are off to war. No matter how skilled, how great, how renowned a warrior is, he doesn't stand a chance against an entire crew of seasoned veterans."
The whole village looked shocked and confused at the actions of Zuko. But he also saw a glimmering residue of suspicion in every eye. He tried to amend matters.
"I'm not taking prisoners here. Those expeditions are long gone in history, I hope. But the only reason I'm here is because my ship got busted from the icebergs back there - as testimony to my awesome navigation skills -" he deadpanned, and noticed that he managed to get some reluctant smiles from some of the water savages. "And we need to make some repairs."
The painted boy walked up to him, eyes narrowed. "Oh really? How do we know you're not lyi -" the boat suddenly leaned a worrying amount to the side, and sank quite a distance into the water. Sokka gulped. "Never mind."
Zuko spread his arms. "If I really wanted to fight you guys, don't you think I would've brought more men to face you? I probably wouldn't have sent my crazy tea-loving uncle or that crazy Avatar kid we found as a parley of peace -" his eyes widened at his slip. The villagers gasped.
"The Avatar?"
"He's lying!"
"It's a fluke!"
"The Avatar's alive?"
Zuko pointed to the boy who was talking animatedly to his uncle. The village stood in silence, and then everyone burst out into laughter.
The painted boy dried his tears. "Man, ashmaker, you really got us there. We almost believed you. But no way that boy's the freaking Avatar. The Avatar's over a hundred years old! Not to mention master of the four elements. That kid doesn't even look like he's mastered hair shaving yet!"
"Trust me, he's the Avatar. Don't you see his tattoos? He's an airbender! They should've all died out by the actions of my insane great-grandfather, but here he is, fished out of an iceberg!"
The boy snorted. "Yeah, right. We can't trust you at all. You can't even use your honor as a promise because according to what rumors say, you lost it when you got banished from the Fire Nation."
Zuko opened his mouth to protest, but suddenly a flash of furry blue passed him, and he realized it was the waterbending girl he had grabbed earlier. "I'm going to see for myself," she said with a determined gleam in her eyes, ignoring the indignant cries of her people. She marched straight up to the other members of Zuko's crew, not heeding the fact that she was placing herself into direct danger.
Finally, after fruitless yelling, the boy in the paint sagged and sighed. "Thaaat's my sister," he said.
Zuko did a double take. "How in the world is a girl like that related to a guy like you?" he asked.
Sokka shrugged. "Dunno. It's weird how the world works. By the way, my name's Sokka. I'm guessing yours is Zuko?"
