A/N: I got a couple reviews that really helped me to revise this chapter a little.Thanks to Blossom of Death and AirGirl Phantom for those reviews!
Chapter II: Encounter
It was late afternoon when Aang decided to put up camp at a nearby deserted island.
"It's only mid afternoon. Maybe we should get some more flying done before we camp out, Aang." Katara said.
"Come on, Katara. This is the only island for nearly two hundred miles. In any direction, might I add." That was typical of Sokka. Always argue, never listen to the voice of reason. Katara set up camp while Sokka and Aang went off scouting. About ten minutes after the two boys left, leaving Katara with only Momo to keep her company, she noticed a billowing tower of smoke rise from the horizon. That could only mean one thing - the Fire Nation had followed them. Once the ship was visible, her worst nightmare was realized. The ship belonged to Prince Zuko.
Seeing the tower of smoke above the trees, Sokka and Aang rushed back to the camp, Appa on their tail. They were too late. Zuko, his crew, uncle, and two mysterious girls, one a red head and the other blonde, had Katara tied to a tree and were interrogating her. Sokka could barely make out what they were saying, the need to keep in the shadows proved prominent. Then, without warning, the blonde girl smacked Katara's arm lightly, and lo and behold, Sokka had had enough. He charged.
Heading for the blonde, he screamed "GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER!" the girl easily threw him to the ground as she twisted her arm around, grabbing him along the stomach and flipping him. Aang had enough, too. He backed up and took to the air with his glider. He circled the camp, landing in front of Katara. He summoned a great big ball of air and threw it at the blonde, causing her to fall back, landing on her back. She immediately got up, though the look on her face told them all Aang had hurt her in the least. Seeing her very best friend struggle in pain, the red head shot a stream of fire in Aang's direction. He blocked it easily, sending a wave of water up in front of him. Getting frustrated by the constant blocking of her attacks, the red head drew her dagger and threw it at him, locking his arm against the tree mere inches away from Katara's own arm.
The red head walked up behind him, and as he tried to pull himself free, not noticing the red head walking toward him, he was struck in the back of his bald little head with a flaming punch that knocked him unconscious. She then pulled her dagger from the tree and chucked it, causing it to land a couple feet from Sokka.
"AANG!" Katara's shriek summoned some strength in her brother and, without anyone noticing, he got to his feet, grabbed the blonde around the neck, pressed his new found dagger against her throat and shouted "If you want her to stay alive, you'll let Aang and Katara go now!"
No one made a move.
"I said now!" and with that final scream, he, too, was knocked unconscious by the flaming fist of the red head. Finally, Zuko had the Avatar to himself. Now, his only task was to get him to his father. Needless to say, Zhao was close by, watching every moment.
"Well done, Prince Zuko. I never knew you had a persuasive ability with the ladies. It seems you do, much to my disdain. Pleased to meet you - Shaiya. So, we meet again. I see you've become better, slightly." Zhao hissed as he walked up to the prince. "Need I remind you of your manners, Prince Zuko." he said, grabbing Zuko by the collar of his uniform.
"Let him go, you piece of bottom-dwelling scum. You have no right to talk to him like that." Shaiya growled, sounding very much like her dog she left home.
Zhao merely looked at her, a trace of pure loathing in his misty brown eyes.
"I now have the position as the fire lord's right hand man, and even though, yes, you should've inherited it, you weren't around when the time came. So, I was given the position. I should've known you would team up with such a pathetic excuse for a firebender. You and your little blonde friend…I'm sorry, I don't believe I caught your name."
Onya looked at him, understanding her friend's constant badmouthing aimed toward him. "I never gave it." she said sourly. Though he had never met her before, he could tell she wasn't afraid of him, though she had every right to be. He tightened his grip on Zuko's collar.
"You know, I think I'll take the Avatar for myself, thanks." Zhao tossed Zuko back, causing him to hit the ground hard. Zhao walked over to the Avatar, picked him up, but barely got two feet before Katara hit him with a water whip she controlled with her mind.
"I'd rather Zuko capture Aang than you. She was right to call you a piece of bottom-dwelling scum. Put him down!" Katara called, following her water whip. Zhao dropped the avatar, walked over to Katara, and smacked her hard across the face, causing involuntary tears to well up in her eyes.
"If you smack her again…I'll make sure your scarred worse than I am." Zuko hissed behind him, breathing down his neck. Shaiya walked up, grabbed Zhao's jaw, and pulled him to look at her.
"And if he should fail, which I highly doubt, then I will." She let her grip on him fall and he looked at them, turned on his heels, stated that he would save the fighting for another day, and strode off to his ship, not far from where he emerged from the foliage.
"Why did you say that?" Katara asked, slightly confused.
"It goes against everything I believe in to hit a girl. He's such a bastard." Zuko replied. Onya untied Katara, keeping a good grip on her, Zuko grabbed the Avatar, and Shaiya helped Sokka up, now returning to consciousness. All paraded up to the ship, Katara putting up no struggle at all, and Appa following reluctantly, Momo in his saddle. The three were tossed into a cell, and the door locked.
Zhao looked out to Zuko's ship, pure hate detectable in his eyes. How did, no wait, why did I just let Zuko take the Avatar on his ship? That was the stupidest move I've ever made. And why did Prince Zuko stand up for that little water tribe peasant? She means nothing to him, unless he's got a crush on her. How cute, Zuko crushing on a waterbender. Filthy blood traitor, I should've killed him when I had the chance. Zhao thought. Then Zhao remembered that it was against Zuko's nature to hit a girl. How cute. Zhao decided he would pay a surprise visit to Colonel Shinu and request he get nine other ships under his command. One little ship couldn't possibly stand against ten full-size Fire Navy ships, all equipped with numerous catapults and ten times as many soldiers.
Zhao yelled up to the helmsman to head a course for Colonel Shinu's fortress.
That night, later than usual, a loud boom emitted from the deck. Zuko, waking suddenly, rushed up to see what it was. Onya and Shaiya were holding down two monstrous beasts, trying to put saddles on them. Shaiya was holding a black-and-grey one while Onya held a red-and-white one. They looked like horses with three horns on their heads, one on their nose, one above each eye, and monstrous wings from their shoulders. The beasts were putting up a great struggle, but the girls didn't falter. Then, the two beasts reared, slammed their hooves down on the deck, and another huge boom rang out. Then, Shaiya tackled her horse-like animal and managed to get the saddle on and tightened it around the beast's middle. Onya did the same, and both girls swung not-so-gracefully onto their mounts, and noticed the whole crew staring at them.
"Sorry, did we wake you guys? Uh…obviously. Sorry." Shaiya apologized to the whole crew and Onya nodded in agreement.
"What are those things your on?" Zuko asked.
Iroh answered. "Those, Prince Zuko, are sujios. Some of the most wild beasts in the world, but once they're tamed, they can prove more useful than komodo rhinos. They're stronger, faster, and more even-tempered than rhinos, too. It takes a very powerful person to tame one, and once tamed, that sujio will work with/for the person who tamed it." he directed his statement to Shaiya. "How on earth did you tame them?"
"It didn't take long, I just went out to the waterfall behind the dock one day, and saw these two standing there. I ran back to Onya, we grabbed everything we might need to tame them, and in a couple week's time, we managed to tame them, after suffering a few broken bones!" Shaiya hissed the last six words to her mount. Onya whispered something to Shaiya, both dismounted and walked up to Zuko and Iroh. "Care for a ride?" Onya asked. Iroh's face lit up, but Zuko retreated a step. The sujios began prancing.
"I don't think I'm ready to die, yet."
"Zuko, you won't die. Trust me." Shaiya assured him, and with that, Onya grabbed Iroh, Shaiya grabbed Zuko, and all four swung onto the sujios. Onya kicked her mount into a dead run, and she, Iroh, and her sujio took to the skies.
"Hold on, Zuko." Shaiya whispered and Zuko quickly wrapped his arms around her waist. Shaiya swiftly kicked her mount, yelling for her to take to the skies, and they jumped the railing of the ship and did just that.
"F.Y.I., you can let go if you want." Shaiya said, and Zuko snatched his arms from around her.
A/N: So, how did you like it? I hope you all thought it was good.I'm making a hard attempt at keeping this from being a Mary Sue, so if there's anything you want to see, let me know. If there's anything you think needs taking care of, let me know. If there's anything at all you want to say, just let me know.My next update should be Jan. 12th, or somewhere around there, with school, enormous essays due, riding lessons, my dumb dog, and everything else wacky in my life, they will probably be scattered, but not too badly I hope! I'll try for one a week! Thanks again to my first two reveiwers! Chapter title suggestions are ALWAYS welcome, my method being If I can't think of a title, I'll use a famous quote or quote from the chapter. It's corny, but it works really well.