The Trouble with Fire

Ch.6: Pirates

Zuko X OC

disclaimer: I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender. I own my OC


They had to get to him before they made it to the city or else it would be too late. It would be a million times harder to get to him while he was being held captive in a prison... they had to get to him before they reached the city.. they must.

Tearing through the trees they finally came across some tracks in the sand. They were heading in the direction of the city just as Fang feared. "We have to hurry. If they make it to the city we won't have high chances of getting your uncle back.", Fang whispered to Zuko. He was dead silent but she could see his eyes burn with rage. His fingers tightened around the reins and gave another hard yank on them.

It seemed like hours before they finally spotted three soldiers traveling in the distance. They could see one of the men had a second passenger on the back. That had to be Iroh. "We should go on foot from here.", Zuko stated, getting off of the rhino. He turned his head to one side and looked at one of the guards.

"One of you stay here and take care of the rhino's, the rest will go on ahead and prepare for an assault.", Zuko commanded. Everyone was startled by a man screaming in pain, making everyone jerk there head in the direction of the soldiers. It seemed like Iroh was fighting back. They had to move quickly. Zuko broke into a run and everyone else followed suit.

As they got closer they could see Iroh was handcuffed and his ankles were bound together. They had placed him on a rock, his hands stretched out across the massive boulder. Her eyes widened as she saw one of the earth benders lift up another large boulder over Iroh's hands. They had to get there now, Fang flung the decorated robe off of her shoulders, leaving her just in a some shorts and a shirt, and leaped toward one of the earth benders, sending a fireball towards his face.

She turned quickly to see that Zuko had kicked the boulder out of the way, preventing Iroh from being hurt. Zuko disposed of the chains that were binding Iroh's wrists, releasing him. Iroh quickly stood and smiled at both of them, Fang could see the relief in his smile. She stepped back from the earth bender and dodged one of the boulders he had sent flying towards her.

"Give it up. You three are clearly outnumbered.", one of the guards taunted. A smirk spread across Iroh's lips. "Yes but you are clearly outmatched.", he taunted back. Massive boulders were sent flying towards them, Fang quickly dived under them and used her arms to propel herself back up, doing a somersault on the sand, when she was right side up again she kicked one of the guards ankles causing him to fall down onto the ground.

"Stay there.", she commanded, holding her hands out ready to strike as she loomed over him. Out of the corner of her eye she could see a boulder coming to her. Fang silently cursed under her breath and jumped out of the way of the projectile and unfortunately losing her advantage over the enemy.

She could hear that Zuko had disposed of one guard and Fang knew she had to make quick rid of the second one. She leaped back toward the guard as he raised a column of rocks above her head, her mind thought quickly though as she kicked his feet out from under him again and made all the rocks fall down upon his head.

Iroh had wrapped his wrist chains around the last soldier and had used the earth benders own strength against him. Fang took a deep breath once she realized they were safety out of danger. She was so relieved that Iroh was okay and they could all return to the ship. Fang could see the relief on Zuko's face as he placed a hand on his uncle's shoulder. She could not imagine life without Iroh, he had become like a father to her. If he was ever gone... no.. she just couldn't imagine it...


It had been several days since they had that battle and ultimately rescued Iroh. It had been a huge scare to say the least and she never wanted to experience that again. Fang slowly sat up in bed and held the covers to her bare skin as she heard a knock on her chamber door.

"Just a minute.", Fang called out, starting to get out of bed to find some clothes to put on. "It's me.", she head Zuko call from the other side of the door. She quickly wrapped her bed sheet around herself and turned the door lock to the left to open it.

"My Prince, what are you doing here so early?", she asked, stepping aside to let him in. "Uncle wants us to join him this morning for tea.", he grumbled. Fang smiled. "Iroh has been wanting to spend a lot more time with us it seems.", she said, softly. Placing the palm of her hand on the steel door, she gently rested her head against it.

Zuko stared the milky white skin of her shoulders, his eyes traveling down the thin naked frame he knew was under that bed sheet. His hands came up swiftly to pull her into his arms, one on her upper back and one on her lower back. His hands were warm on her back as he pulled her body tighter to his. Fang stayed perfectly still and felt Zuko's lips travel along the length of her neck making a sigh escape her lips.

His lips moved up to her jawline and then to her own, where he placed a dominant kiss on them. With one hand on the back of her head, gripping her hair tight, and the other on her lower back, he gave her a kiss that he knew always made her melt. Fang felt butterflies in her stomach and a feeling of warmth spread over her as Zuko kissed her so passionately, a kiss that was starting to make her knees buckle from under her.

She could feel Zuko's hand reaching to pull the bed sheet away from her but she stepped away and gripped the sheet with both hands, holding it tight against her. "We have to go see your uncle.", she whispered. Zuko frowned and stood away from the bed, making Fang worried that she had upset him. "Fine.", he mumbled as he walked toward the door.

"Be upstairs in a half hour.", he ordered, closing the door to her chambers behind him. "Yes, my prince.", she answered back, smiling a little at how he acted like a little kid when he didn't get his way. Fang quickly put on a dress that Zuko's mother had given her just before she disappeared. It had been his mothers and whenever Fang wore it she always felt closer to her. The dress was black with red ruffles at top of that outlined her collar bone and the bottom of the skirt which rested just above her knee.

She slipped on some shoes and walked outside of her room. She could hear commotion in the upstairs where the ships wheel and helmsmen steered the boat. As she made her way up the stairs she smelled the aroma of fresh brewed jasmine tea.

A cup of tea sounded wonderful, after, all the stress they had been having lately. One of the guards opened the door for her as she walked in, she saw Iroh sitting down, enjoying a game of Pai Sho. She had never played before but she enjoyed watching Iroh play over a cup of tea. "Good morning, Fang.", Iroh greeted her as he stroked his beard with two fingers. "Good morning.", she answered back, offering a nice smile.

She continued to watch them play silently until a look of horror came over Iroh's face. "What's wrong?", she asked, concerned that he was feeling under the weather. "My lotus tile! I must have lost it. Helmsmen change our course to Port of Call immediately!", Uncle Iroh demanded. The helmsman obeyed, making a sharp turn that through off everyone's balance.

Fang almost fell over but two strong arms caught her. She looked up to see one of the guards. "Thank you.", she whispered as he helped her up. She turned her head to see Zuko barge in. "What's the meaning of this mutiny? No one told you to change course!", Zuko yelled. "Actually someone did. I assure you, it is a matter of the utmost importance.", Uncle Iroh answered him.

Zuko's eyes widened. "Does it have something to do with the Avatar?", he asked, eagerly. "Nope. Something even more important. It seems I've lost my Lotus tile.", Iroh stated putting a hand on his head. Fang cringed, she knew Zuko was about to blow up in anger. "Lotus tile?", Zuko asked. "For my Pai Sho game. Most people do not understand its importance but it is essential for the strategy I employ.", Iroh explained as he moved a tile into place.

"You've changed our course for a stupid Lotus tile?", Zuko asked, getting angrier. "Just give me ten minutes to check the merchants at Ports of call. With any luck.. they'll have a Lotus tile.", Iroh said with a big smile on his face. Zuko breathed in deeply, tilted his head back and blew smoke out of his nose. Iroh closed his eyes and smiled. "I'm lucky to have such an understanding nephew.", making Fang giggle. She quickly covered her mouth to keep from laughing, not wanting to upset Zuko.


Fang slowly stepped out onto the cemented ground of Ports of Call. As usual, the port was busy with merchants and customers from every nation. If only the four nations could live in harmony just like they could in Ports of Call. The wind blew through her hair softly as Iroh peered around the different merchants.

This was only the second time Fang had been to Ports of Call and not much had changed. Store buildings made out of wood with blankets covering the doorways. Trinkets and jewelry from far off nations. Cart foods and restaurants. She would have loved to stay and browse through everything if there hadn't been a eager hand pushing on her back urging her to move quickly.

She knew Zuko wanted to leave and continue looking for the Avatar but how many times did they get to rest in such a fascinating place like Ports of Call. The smell of the food was getting to her, she desperately wanted to try one of the steam buns that they had passed by. She turned her head up towards Zuko. "My Prince?"

Zuko turned his eyes down toward her. "Hmm?", he answered back as they passed by another food vendor. "May I go off and explore? I really would like to buy something while we're here.", she asked, her eyes pleading. Zuko's eyes peered around the merchants. "Yes but be careful. There were pirate ships docked when we pulled into the harbor.", he said, his lips on the top of her head. "I will", she whispered back and broke out of his hold. She just wanted to explore without Zuko's hand pushing her through the whole port.

"I've checked all the merchants and no lotus tile in the entire place.", Iroh exclaimed, shaking his head. "Well it's a good thing to know that this trip was a waste for everyone.", Zuko shouted, frowning down at his Uncle. Fang giggled softly to herself as she heard the conversation between the two men she loved behind her.

Her eyes landed on jewelry hanging from one of the store windows. "These are lovely.", she said, and smiled at the merchant lady. A fire red and orange necklace interlaced with pearls caught her eye. She gently took it into her hand and held the beads between her thumb and forefinger. "How much is this one?", she asked. "Fifty copper pieces, miss.", the lady stated. She gently held out her hand and let the copper pieces fall into the ladys hand. "Thank you.", Fang said, taking the bag that held the necklace and kept the bag clutched tightly in her hand.


The sun was starting to set as she made her way across the harbor. A pirate ship leered over her as her eyes gazed up at its sails. A man suddenly appeared behind her. "Please please come inside, we have items from everywhere you can imagine!", he exclaimed. "I shouldn't. I don't have much money to spend.", she said, starting to move away. "Just come in and look.", he urged her.

A sigh escaped her lips as she just gave up and decided to browse around inside so that the man wouldn't bother her anymore. As much as she hated the idea of boarding a pirate ship, she felt there was no other option. She slowly made her way up the ramp and into the ship where scrolls adorned the wall and different statues of animals with jewels in it. She just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. Fang jumped at a deep voice that came from another door.

"Well well, what brings such a beautiful lady to my ship?", he asked, a large smirk on his face. The man was wearing a long purple robe and had a green creature perched on his shoulder. When her eyes landed on it, the creature turned in her direction and squawked at her. "Perhaps you wouldn't mind being my... personal assistant.", he said, his smirk getting wider. Fang was about to open her mouth to say something before she heard a familiar voice.

"My wife isn't for sale.", Zuko stated, standing in the doorway. Fang felt a overwhelming feeling of relief as her eyes landed on Zuko. The man held his hands up. "No need to get upset. I was just teasing her.", the man said as his gaze fixed on one of the other pirates that had walked in behind Zuko. Zuko placed his hand on Fangs shoulder and turned her around roughly. "I told you not to get involved with any pirates.", he scolded her making her wince. Fang turned her gaze away. "I'm sorry...", she whispered not wanting to meet his gaze.

"We lost the water tribe girl and the little bald monk she was traveling with.", a pirate stated to the captain of the ship. Zuko's attention immediately was diverted from Fang toward the pirates. "This monk? Dis he had an arrow on his head?", Zuko asked, roughly letting go of Fangs arm. Her other hand came up to grab her arm. His grip had been tight , she was sure that it was going to leave some bruising.

"Yes... but how did you know?", the captain asked, raising an eyebrow. "I've been tailing them for awhile now. Why are you looking for them?", Zuko asked, concerned that they might know he's the avatar. "They stole a water bending scroll from me and I mean to get my payment one way or another.", the man said. "Why don't we strike up a deal then? I keep the bald monk and you'll get your payment.", Zuko bartered. The captain's gray eyes seemed to be lost in thought before he finally agreed.


Fang stayed below in her chambers as she waited to dock. Zuko and the pirates had closed in on where exactly the avatar was and both were now frantically searching for him. Zuko had instructed her to stay down in the cabins for fear of the pirates harassing her. She felt the ship come to a quick halt making her stumble a little. The helmsman really needed to stop changing direction and halting so often.

Fang reached in her wardrobe and took out a coat. Darkness had fallen and a chill was in the air, wouldn't want to get cold. She slowly made her way out of her cabin and toward the staircase that led out to the deck. Zuko was yelling at some guards to hurry. He was so preoccupied he didn't even notice her as she sneaked out after the guards.

No matter how much she cared for Zuko... she could not allow him to capture the Avatar. There must always be balance in the world. No one element should rule and she would do anything in her power to make sure the Fire Lord never got a hold of the Avatar.

"Lady Fang, you should go back up onto the ship. Dealing with pirates isn't something a Lady should be around.", one of the guards advised her. Fang let a small smile cross over her lips. "I'll be fine, I assure you.", she answered back turning back to see Zuko following them from behind. Fang pulled her coat closed more feeling a chill run down her spine. Feeling uncertain of how Zuko would react was something she could never get used to.

She could hear some commotion going on through the trees as she walked across the soft beach sand. The pirates had apparently captured the little water tribe girl. As she stepped into the clearing the water tribe girl's eyes met hers.

Fang felt a shot of guilt hit her heart as her blue eyes looked at her with so much hate. She knew it was well deserved, this girl probably had went through many hardships brought on by the Fire Nation. The girl's wrists were tied behind her back against a tree.

Zuko walked straight up to her. "Where is he?", Zuko demanded. The girl turned her face to the side not meeting her eyes with Zuko's. "Tell me where he is!", Zuko yelled. "I won't!", the girl yelled back. Zuko frowned and walked around her. "Look... I need to capture him in order to restore something I have lost, my honor. In return, how about I return something you've lost.", Zuko bartered, holding the necklace up to the girls neck.

The girl gasped in surprise as she looked down at her necklace. "My mother's necklace! Give that back!", she yelled at him as Zuko took it away and put it back in his pocket. Fang's eyes shot toward the pirate's captain as he let out a deep sigh. "Enough of this petty argument. You promised us a water scroll.", he said stepping forward. Zuko pulled the water scroll out from his belt.

"I did didn't I...", he taunted. Zuko held the scroll in one hand and created a fireball with his other, showing the pirates he would destroy it if they stepped out of line. "Wait...", the captain pleaded, holding up his hand. Zuko smirked a little. "You help me find what I want first.. then you'll get your scroll back.", Zuko demanded.

Fang watched the other pirates very carefully, it seemed they were etching for a fight. It was a matter of time before the pirates were no longer their allies. "Search the woods for the boy and then meet back here.", Zuko said still holding the scroll over the fire. The captain finally gave into him, turning around and heading for the trees, the other pirates following suit. Fang let out a sigh. The quicker they could deal with these pirates and never see them again, the better.


End of Ch.6

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