The Best Romances
Deserve Second Chances
Chapter 11
"The Storm"
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Sokka navigated the iron beast throughout the night, and by dawn he reached the port of Black Ash Island. Sokka retreated to his quarters for the dawn, as he was going on twenty-six hours without sleep. Toph was on a sleeping mat at the foot of his bed, and he made sure not to awaken the grumpy girl in the morning. Zuko woke up from night, his body drenched in a cold sweat. He had aches and pains in all of his joints, and his body was as stiff as a board. Although his was in pain every time is shifted his weight, he managed to crawl out of the bunk, and pull himself to his desk. He emerged out of the hull, and stepped out on to the deck of the frigate. He walked to into the port city, which was carved into the side of the cliffs. The Black Ash cliffs as they are known locally, are famous for their black shade that adorns the rock wall. The main part of the city was on top of the cliffs, and the harbor is connected to the city with massive, steep staircases that were chiseled into the cliff side, centuries and a lifetime ago. The buildings are made out of a white marble, shipped from neighboring islands. The picture creates a stark, crisp image of black and white, two polar opposites joined together only by man. This deep contrast gave the town the nickname of 'Yin Yang'.
Zuko limped into a nearby souvenir shop to buy a cane, really anything that will give him support for his aching joints.
"Good morning traveler." the shop owner said to Zuko.
"Morning..."
"My, you don't look so well. If I may ask, but what's seems to be troublin' ya?"
"My whole body. It just hurts. I'm looking for a cane."
"Well, no cane no matter how good will rid you of your pain."
"I need it to get to town."
The shop owner looked over the first mate, and saw that there was only a deep seeded hate brewing inside of him. A fiery lad, there was no doubt about that, but there was something off about the lad. How he held himself, it was strict and rigid, conformed and set in place. Shoulders square, back square, the lad did say he was in pain, but to still have proper standing posture? Then it hit the shop keeper.
"Well, it's an honor to serve the Fire Lord." and he bowed deeply.
"I'm not the Fire Lord. I'm just a guy looking for a cane." and Zuko stumbled upon a cane rack.
"I'm no fool, my Lord. I would be a disgrace to the Fire Nation not to know the face of our leader."
"I have no idea as to what you are talking about." Zuko had picked out a black, ebony cane and he was going towards the shop owner to pay for the cane.
"No, Fire Lord, have the cane. It would be my pleasure for you to have it."
"I'm not the Fire Lord, so if you mind, tell me how much I owe you."
"Just have it. It's on sale. One hundred percent off."
"Well, if it's on sale, then that's okay."
"Do you need anything else my Lord?"
"There's an Imperial frigate in the port. Marked, oh-nine-oh-one, tell the captain to get up, and bring him here."
"I would be honored to do such a task for my Lord." and he bowed and went off to complete his task.
Zuko eyed some fruit by the cashier's counter, and his stomach grumbled.
"Who cares, it's on sale." and he helped himself to the basket.
The shop owner fought his way through the fog to reach the frigate. The port was mostly used by small fishing ships, but by law it was required to have room for Imperial warships. And since the war was over the port has seen less and less of the warships. The frigate was the only large ship at port, and the shop owner boarded the ship. He searched the living quarters and he managed to find the captain's quarters. He knocked on the steel door, and asked for the captain.
"What?" Sokka answered to the knock.
"Fire Lord Zuko has asked of me to bring you to him."
"Zuko? Toph, get up. Zuko needs us." Sokka said to both the door and to the woman sleeping at the foot of the bed.
"Whaaa?"
"Come on, Toph. Zuko needs us, he's most likely in trouble." Sokka said half dreamily and half putting on his pants.
"Trouble? Sounds bad..." Toph said rolling off the bed and onto the metal floor.
"Captain, I can assure that the Fire Lord is in no trouble."
"Be quiet you! I'm still mad at you!" Sokka roared at the voice, and also stooping down to pick up his sword.
"Hey, leave the voice alone, I'm sure he's cool." Toph said, sluggish.
Sokka and Toph dragged their sleep induced bodies out of the cabin, and followed the shop owner to back to the souvenir store, where Zuko was waiting.
"Lord, I have completed your errand."
"Good, now go make some morning tea."
"Yes, my liege." and he bowed to make the tea.
"Zuko, are you in trouble?" Sokka asked, his senses starting to wake.
"What time is it?" Toph asked.
"No, no trouble. Just after dawn."
"Then why did you have someone wake me up?" Sokka said rubbing his eyes.
"You can take an afternoon nap, but we need to buy supplies before we do anything else."
"Sounds great. Toph you there?"
"Shut up Sokka." and she jabbed him in the arm.
The shop owner stood at the back of the store, tea tray in hand. He soaked in the scene unfolding in front of him. His Fire Lord was in his shop, along with a Water Tribe warrior, and an Earth Kingdom girl. The warrior looked extremely deadly, and the girl looked equally fierce. The two of them reminded him of myths of a man turning into a wolf spirit, and the Earth queen he protects. He made a mental note to avoid those two for the duration of the day. He made his way across the store, and handed over the morning brew of tea to Zuko.
"You can leave us, and thank you for the tea." Zuko said, and the shop owner bowed deeply to all three of the members of the party, paying careful attention not to anger the warrior.
"This tea! It's energizing!" Sokka proclaimed after his first sip, he was wide awake and ready to tackle the day.
"It's a special Fire Nation blend, called morning tea. We add a special herb that awakens the body." Zuko explained.
"So, now where?" Toph asked, also now awake.
"To the city. It's on top of the cliffs."
"Easy, I can earth bend us up there."
"Actually Toph, it might just be better not to earth bend. It might anger the locals."
"Fine." she said with a pout.
"Let's get going." Sokka said and with a clap of his hands the three of them started to walk up the stairs that climbed to the town.
The trek took a good part of the morning, and the three of them entered the town by early lunch time. Zuko abandoned the couple to mail his letter to Inu back at the Royal Palace. By now the fog in the harbor had lifted and the iron beast was revealed to the citizens of the town, and rumors were already spreading throughout the city. Sokka's and Toph's main goal was to get food in their empty stomachs. They got lunch, and Zuko later joined them. So far their true identities had only been figured out by the shop owner, and the group was determined not to let it falter again. As Zuko suggested, Sokka did take an afternoon nap, after he explained he stayed awake all throughout the night to steer the iron beast into port. Toph and Zuko explored the town, and through their wanderings they came across a temple. Zuko explained to Toph that it's a temple dedicated to Sozin, and it's twin tower was Avatar Roku's tower. This was the one time that Zuko revealed his true identity as Fire Lord to the Fire Sages to gain entrance into Sozin's temple.
The foyer was the main hub of the temple, with hallways going off in all four directions. Naturally, the most prominent color was red. There were pillars cutting off the open space in the foyer in the corners of the room, but allowed 'hallways' that connected the four parts of the temple. Zuko and Toph were given a tour of the temple, by the most experienced Fire Sage available. He explained that the northern section was the largest part of the temple, as it held the shrine to Sozin and his coffin as a Fire Nation relic. The southern part was the entrance, and there for had no other section to it. The western part was a garden, and it served two purposes: to have a garden for spices and vegetables, and lastly, to help the Fire Sages pass time by gardening. The eastern part was the second most important part of the temple. It was a massive library, containing the entire history of Sozin, and since Roku's tower was destroyed, it was also the leading library about Avatar Roku. Toph didn't care for the library, and she challenged the Fire Sages to a game of Pai Sho, while Zuko stayed in the library. He picked out the nearest scroll and digested it fairly quickly. He went to a wooden table and picked up the open scroll on it. Zuko was taken to a world where Sozin had already started the war. He had already left his best friend, Roku, to die on his island from the volcanic vapors. It was a sad story, and it went through how he was filled with grief about leaving his friend to die, and how he now saw the errors in his actions. To Zuko's surprise it was signed by Sozin himself, which really opened Zuko's eyes. Zuko peered from the note and noticed a family tree in the library. Zuko was well aware of his blood lines. How he was related to Sozin by Royal blood, and the his mother was related to Roku, making Zuko also have some type of Avatar blood. Zuko could say that he was related to Aang by some way or another. Zuko's body flourished into pain, and he screamed out in agony. The Fire Sages took Zuko to the closest bed room, and laid him down. On the bed Zuko blacked out...
"Where am I?"
"Don't you worry Zuko. All is well."
"Who said that? Show yourself!"
"Calm down. You aren't helping yourself. I'll show myself in due time."
"What happened to me?"
"One could say you are having an out-of-body experience."
"Okay, now where am I?"
"Technically, no where. It all depends on how you see it."
"What do you mean, 'no where'."
"Can you see anything?"
"No."
"Does that mean that something is not there?"
"No, anything can be in the dark."
"That's why people fear darkness. It's a mystery."
"Speaking of mysteries, who are you?"
"I'm Sozin. Your great grandfather." and Sozin shimmered into a blue figure in front of Zuko's sight line.
"This isn't real. It can't be."
"This is real, Zuko. This has always happened to Fire Lords before you, but their hearts were to corrupted to experience the full affect. You are the first Fire Lord in a long time to finally be visited by the Fire Lord's in their past."
"How is this possible?"
"The blood of the Avatar runs through out blood, with much thanks to Roku."
"So are we in the Spirit World?"
"Not quite. We are as close to being in the Spirit World without actually being in it. That power is reserved for only the Avatar."
"Why did you bring me here?"
"I'm going to be your guide. Much like Aang told you how Roku helped him along his journey. It's my job to help you, I have doubt to pay to the mortal world."
"Is it going to hurt every time you need to contact me?"
"Yes. Your spirit is literally splitting from your body when we talk. But when we finish talking your body shouldn't hurt any more."
"So did you only bring me here just to tell me that you are my guide? Or what do you have to tell me already?"
"Harman. Surprisingly, you two already met. He is the shop owner back on the docks."
"You're joking."
"I'm not, now go get him. He is still at his shop."
Zuko gasped for air and his eyes bulged out as he regained consciousness.
"Toph, we have to go back to the harbor." and he jumped out of the bed against the protesting Fire Sages.
"Why?"
"Harman is the shop owner we met this morning!"
"Sokka is down on the ship, we have to hurry!"
Toph spared no expense on earth bending down the cliff side, and in time flat Zuko and Toph touched ground at the harbor.
"You go get Sokka. I'll find Harman." Zuko said.
Toph didn't hear Zuko, as she sprinted back to the frigate to warn Sokka of the danger he could be on. The moment she stepped on to the deck she felt to bodies. On her second step she bent the metal floor around the standing figure in Sokka's bed room, effectively trapping the person in a metal coat. Zuko checked the shop, and found no signs of Harman any where, to which Sokka raced back to the ship to check on Toph. He didn't have the luxury of seeing through metal so he was left in the dark of Sokka's health until he reached Sokka's room. There he found Harman trapped in a metal shell, and Toph and Sokka where talking to Harman, trying to elicit information out of him.
"Bobo? He and I are old war buddies! I run a black market out of my shop, and he supplies some popular goods. That's all I swear!"
"And what about a woman named Harley?"
"Let me free, and I'll tell you." he pleaded.
"Let him free." Zuko said.
"Ugh, fine." and Toph let him free.
"Suckers..." and Harman raised his arms to command the tides and rocked the ship heavily knocking his captors off balance, and giving him ample time to escape the metal beast.
"HE'S A WATER BENDER!" Sokka yelled as the ship continued to rock, almost capsizing.
"Toph, steady the boat! Bend the metal to counter balance the waves!" Zuko shouted.
Zuko's plan worked, and soon the boat stopped rocking, and the three stepped out of the boat, and saw Harman still standing on the docks.
"It's over Harman!" Sokka shouted.
"I still have some tricks up my sleeves." and Harman bended and fired rocks at the group.
"HE'S AN EARTH BENDER TOO!" Sokka shouted again.
"Who cares!" and Toph returned fire of her own, which was combined with Zuko's fire blasts.
Harman bent a rock wall, but Toph also sent underground moles that shot out from the other side of the wall. Although Harman was taken a back from the underground missiles, he managed to disperse them at the last second. From behind his wall he fired back at the advancing Zuko and Sokka. Zuko blasted the rocks with his fire, and Sokka easily side stepped the rocks. Toph sensed Sokka was close enough and earth bended him up and over the wall with Sokka landing behind Harman.
"Give up, you are out numbered." Sokka said as his sword dug into Harman's jugular.
"Fine. You win."
Toph bended back down Harman's wall, and her and Zuko walked up to the Harman.
"Answer our questions and we will let you go." Toph said, and Zuko shoot her a look that went unseen.
"Yeah, like how did you bend the water?" Sokka asked as the issue hit home for him.
"My mother was an expert water bending master, and my father was an expert earth bending master. I can't really bend water, but enough to rock a boat. I'm more of an earth bending and black ops guy."
"Sokka that's a stupid question, what do you know about Harley?" Toph said.
"Haven't you guys put Harley and Azula together yet? I mean isn't it obvious?"
"What do you mean?" Zuko asked.
"Harley is working for Azula! And there is a lot of people working for Azula that are trying to kill you, Harley is just organizing the assassins."
"Tell me something that would make me spare your pathetic life." Zuko threatened.
"Look, I was told that after I received you guys in your traps was to take you to Fire Atoll, and search for a gal named Fay Min. I swear that's all I know."
Sokka let Harman free from his sword's edge. Zuko was about to give chase, until Sokka stopped him.
"You have hurt my people enough for two lifetimes. You kill that water bender, I'll kill you too."
"Fine." Zuko clenched his fists, and instead of killing Harman he gave him the worst stare down he can give.
Since it was dinner time, and the three of them were still at Black Ash Island, they ate dinner in the city, and bought more supplies for the journey ahead. During dinner, a certain messenger hawk landed on Zuko's shoulder as he was walking about the town alone. He retrieved the letter, and returned to the ship. There he hurried to his room, and eagerly opened the letter.
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WOOT! Awesome chapter right? Azula and Harley are finally connected. Sozin Spirit guide! YEAH! Sorry if this one is late... school. I hope everyone likes this chapter!