A/N: just a little guide for reading this chapter: Itallics mean dreams. also i don't own avatar the only charcters in this chapter that belong to me are Yourich, Sabrina, and Sayuri. and thank you to DAve and Bob for reviewing. I hope this is long enough. :)
-Chapter two-
Sayuri leaned against a tree lost in deep thought. Both Lee and Mushi had fallen asleep a few hours ago, saying that they would continue on the path to Ba Sing Se first thing in the morning. The stillness of the dark woods surrounding the three people was ominous. Not a sound could be heard. This left Sayuri in a state of restlessness. Resting a hand beneath her head, Sayuri's eyelids slowly slid shut.
The house was quiet. It appeared as if noone was in the small structure. That was untill young woman, about twenty-four years old walked from one of the rooms. She was pretty with bight green eyes and sepia colored hair, but years of hard labor had given her premature wrinkles. A large scar covered her right shoulder, which had been given to about six years earlier. She had been working hard that day at the small tea shop at the edge of town. She tried her best to make enough money to keep food on the table for her young daughter and herself.
The woman, who'd just gotten home from the tea shop, set down her work bag by the house's small kitchen-like room and proceded to set the table for dinner. A small girl entered the room, running up to the woman and hugging her from behind.
"Welcome home, Mommy!" The little girl exclaimed happily, "I missed you so much."
"Thank you, honey." The woman responded to her daughter. "Why don't you go get washed up for dinner while i finish setting the table."
The little girl nodded quickly and ran off. Her mother watched her go and then returned to her task. She had just finished with setting the tableware when another person walked in to the room. This person was bald on top and had a messy, grey beard which showed his old age. The woman looked up in surprise and soon bowed to him, showing the elder her respect.
"Elder Yourich, this is a plesant surprise," She said quickly as the old man grunted in response.
"Yes it is, I suppose." Yourich agreed. "Sabrina, there is something that the other elders wish to speak with you about."
"What about?" Sabrina questioned although she already knew about what they wanted to talk about.
The elder gave Sabrina a look that said the topic of which the other elders wished to speak with her on was not good. "You should already know that even though your daughter was concieved through a crime, you still had a chance to abandone your baby."
"Yes and you know that I believed that abandoning my child makes me just as bad as the man who raped me. What does my decision have to do with what the elders want to speak with me about?"
"They want you to give up your daughter and-"
"Absolutley not, Elder Yourich" Sabrina cut the old man off, a look of disbelief in her narrowed, bright green eyes . "Please leave my home immediately."
"Sabrina if you'll just listen to-"
"I said leave. Now"
"You have no idea what you are doing, monster will be the end of you." Yourich warned as he glided out of the house, seething with anger and.
'That insufferable old coot! He acts as if I'm the same little girl that watched the Fire Nation slaughter my family. Telling me what I should do with my child. Who in Koh's name does he think he is?'
Sabrina went back to setting the plates on the table when Sayuri entered the room again. The young girl seemed to be a little more downcast than she had before she went to wash up for supper.
"Sayuri, darling? Is there something wrong?" Sabrina asked, slightly concerned.
"Mommy, am I really a monster?" Sayuri asked sadly.
"Sayuri Mei Yang, you are not a monster. Your just different from everyone else in this town, and don't you ever let anyone tell you otherwise." Sabrina smiled and hugged the little girl before the two sat down to eat.
Later, after the two had finished their meals and spent some quality time together, Sabrina put Sayuri to bed and was went to her room. Then, when all was quiet in the small house, a figure entered the house. While trying to stealthly break in to the building, he knocked a clay vase to the ground. Sabrina, who'd just fallen asleep, cautiously left the saftey of her room and was attacked by the intruder.
The intruder was a foot or two taller than Sabrina, with dark skin, dark brown eyes, and a muscular build. He seemed to be looking for something or someone. When his beady eyes landed on the woman's small frame, he immeadiately rushed towards her with malicious intent. He grasped Sabrina by the hair, forcing her to look up into his dark eyes.
"Where is it," the man hissed, venom dripping of his every word. His question was met only by silence. "I will only ask one time, Harlot. Where is the child?"
Sabrina still refused to answer the question. Fed up with the young mother, the man punched her across the face; knocking her down to the ground. He got on top of her, placing his meaty hands around her throat. The man squeezed the life out of Sabrina as she struggled to breathe. She fought untill her last breath which ended when her neck snapped like a twig.
The man stood up, dusting himself off as he did. He turned around to find Sayuri watching from her bedroom door. A mix of fear, shock, and confusion playing in her hazel eyes. All those emotions turning to rage when Sayuri saw the smile that he was wearing. The man's arms lashed out to grab her.
Sayuri screamed as she leerched about on the ground. Her eyes snapped open when she felt an hand grasp her arm to keep her from moving. Sayuri's free arm came up and punched the person holding her down right in the face with a sickening crack, causing the person to release her; recoiling from the punch.
"Damn it, Sayuri, what the hell?" Lee yelled. He was holding his hands over his face as he tilted his head back.
"I'm so sorry, Lee!" Sayuri apologized quickly, "I didn't mean to hit you!"
"Yeah, well you did and i think you busted my nose," Lee retorted smartly.
"Don't worry, nephew," Mushi stated calmly while he extinguished the campfire so they could leave, "She didn't hit you that hard."
"Whatever let's just get going." Lee got on the ostrich-horse that he and his uncle had with them and pulled Sayuri up when she went to get on. Mushi climbed up behind Sayuri and they started on the off on the road ahead.
***Later that day***
The sun was high in the sky as Sayuri, Mushi, and Lee continued their voyage to Ba Sing Se. They had been traveling for hours with little to no sound except for Mushi moaning in agony from some type of previous injury. It was starting annoy both Lee and Sayuri.
"Maybe we should make camp," Lee suggested.
"No, please, don't stop just for me." Mushi responded and then started groaning dramatically.
Lee stopped the ostrich-horse and Mushi hopped off, followed by Sayuri and then Lee. Mushi sat down on a boulder with a sof grunt. Then, the ostrich horse sensed something approaching them. Lee and Sayuri got into fighting stances, while Mushi looked off into the general direction that the two teens were facing as he said: "What now?"
A man riding a strange looking animal stood infront of the three travelers. Four others joined him shortly after.
"Colonel Mongke," Mushi smiled as he placed a hand on the shoulder of his nephew and Sayuri, "What a pleasent surprise."
"If you're surprised we're here then The Dragon of the West has lost a few steps." Mongke retorted smartly. He and his cohorts were getting ready to attack the trio of travelers.
"You know these guys?" Lee and Sayuri asked.
"Sure, Colonel Mongke and The Rough Rhinos are legendary," Mushi answered. "Each one is a different kind of weapons specialist. They are also a very capable singing group."
Sayuri laughed inwardly. The five men infront of her didn't really look like singers.
"We're not here to give a concert!" Mongke exclaimed, "We're here to apprehend fugitives, and their little girlfriends too."
"I'm not his girlfriend!" Sayuri yelled. If Mushi hadn't still had a hold of her shoulder, Sayuri would've attacked the colonel for that comment. 'Seriously can't a girl travel with a guy anymore and not have anybody thing she was romantically linked with him. For crying out loud, I only met the two of them last night!' Sayuri eas distracted by her thoughts shen she heard Mushi begin to speak up.
"Would you like some tea first?" He said, a sly smile forming on his features, "I'd love some. How 'bout you, Kachi? I make you as a jasmine man. Am I right?"
The man Mushi was talking to didn't say a word.
"Enough stalling," Mongke was getting fed up with the talking, "Round 'em up!"
The other men followed the orders as one threw a ball connected to a chain at Mushi. He kicked it away with ease and the chain wrapped around the legs of one of the other men's komodo- rhino. Mushi had some flaming arrows shot at him but he dodged to with ease as well. He rolled over to one of the rhinos and gave it a smack on the rear which sent it running off at full speed, dragging the man who'd handled the ball and chain with it.
Next the man who had the bow and arrows shot a few of then towards Sayuri and Lee. Lee was able to block a few but he missed the second set that came flying toward him.
"Lee, watch out!" Sayuri yelled as she sent out a small wave of magma over his head, successfully taking out the second and third rounds that the man had shot at them. He sent a small blast of fire and severed the bow string before the arrow specialist could shoot more arrows.
'A firebender!' Sayuri's eyes widened in shock.
While she was distracted, Colonel Mongke sent small shots of fire at Sauyri. Mushi stepped infront of her and deflected the shots and Lee snuck up behind Mongke. He attacked the Colonel with a kick that sent Mongke clear across the clearing.
Mushi took the opportunity to grab their ostrich-horse, pull Sayuri and Lee onto it as he passed them, and they hurried of away from the Rough Rhinos, one of which was pursuing them. The last member of the Rough Rhinos threw a bomb infront of their ostrich-horse in a last ditch effort to capture them but it missed and Sayuri, Lee, and Mushi road away from the scene.
It's nice to see old freinds," Mushi chuckled, watching the plume of smoke that the bomb left behind grow smaller.
"Too bad you don't have any friends that don't want to attack you." Lee scowled.
"Hmm...old friends that don't want to attack me," The old man mused as he got and idea.
***A few hours later***
Sayuri, Lee, and Mushi had gotten far enough away from the Rough Rhinos that they felt safe enough to take a break. While Mushi was brewing some tea and Lee was attempting to sleep, Sayuri was pacing back and forth like a mad woman.
"Sayuri, why don't you sit down and have some nice, relaxing, jasmine tea and we'll talk," Mushi offered her a cup as she sat down on the other side of the fire. She took it as sipped the hot tea slowly.
"What was that all about back there?" Sayuri asked. She wasn't necessarily asking about the Rough Rhinos in particular but more about them, or at least Lee, being firebenders. "Is your name really even Mushi?"
Mushi sighed at the question. "If you really want to know... no it's not Mushi."
"Why did you lie?" Sayuri felt a little betrayed by the kind old man.
"Because if you really knew who we are, you would turn us in." This time Lee answered.
Sayuri sighed exasperatedly, glaring at Lee. "You honestly think I would do that to two people who I practically owe my life to?"
Lee shrugged. "I know that people will do anything for money."
"Well I'm not like that. So I want to know what it is that the both of you aren't telling me." Sayuri spoke, a dark emotion pooling in her hazel eyes.
"Very well, Sayuri. You deserve to know about the people that you're traveling with." Mushi stated as he poured himself another cup of tea.