sorry for taking so long...there was an unfortunate incident involving flames and my computer. not pretty. and yes, i do mean actual flames. in my computer...well, neway...i am back again and with a new chapter. i hope you enjoy it...
disclaimer: I don't own Acatar: The Last Airbender. as much as it pains me to admit it.
Chapter Fourteen: What Lies Inside
Katara stared in disbelief at the book. "Do you see that?" she asked in a whisper.
Zuko nodded, unable to speak.
The two sat together, eyes fixed onto the page. At first, when they opened its pages, the book seemed blank but, it didn't stay that way for long. Curving, elegant script began to sprout on the page, and, the longer they stared, the more words that were unfurled.
Unconsciously, the two leaned forward and Katara began to read, her voice shaking. "'To find what one seeks, there is but one path. Love over Life, and Life over Love. Find these and you shall find the stone which completes the path. Only then will your hearts--and those of the people you love--be safe.'"
She looked up. "What does this mean?" she asked.
"I don't know," Zuko replied. "But we should read on."
Katara nodded and turned back to the page, only to find the rest of the passage was written in a foreign language. "Zuko," she said, "I can't read it."
Hastily, she flipped through the book but every page was the same. After a moment she sighed. "Maybe we aren't meant to read the rest."
Zuko frowned. "No. That can't be it," he growled. "There must be someone somewhere who can read this."
Katara was silent a moment. She didn't think so. She truly believed that they would know what the words meant in time. But she kept quiet.
Meanwhile, Zuko stood, golden eyes blazing. "I'll find a scholar to decipher this. And when it's been translated, we'll set out to find the other stone." He turned and kissed Katara on the forehead. "Come," he said, helping her up. "You should return to the children."
"All right." Katara allowed herself to be led to the door but then she stopped, face turned towards Zuko.
He smiled and kissed her. "Don't worry; we'll find this mystery out." A grin appeared. "I'll ask Uncle." After that, he led her out into the hallway. "I'll try to make it so that you can see me more often," he told her. And with that, he disappeared back into his rooms, leaving Katara standing in front of his closed door.
Shaking her head, Katara hurried back to her own rooms. There she found Ty Lee playing with the children, her face happy and glowing. Katara moved closer. "Why don't you let me take over for a little while."
Ty Lee looked up and smiled gratefully at Katara. It was apparent that she was quite tired. Sokka's snoring must have been keeping her up. That, or the baby. But Katara knew that it was probably Sokka.
When she stood, Ty Lee grabbed hold of Katara's arm, her grip tight. After a moment, she straightened and smiled apologetically. "Sorry," she murmured. "Just a bit dizzy."
Katara nodded in sympathy. "I hear that the cooks will give you some sweets if you go down to the kitchens," she whispered.
Ty Lee's face brightened. "Really? Good. That Kouta is really harsh. She wouldn't even let me have my triple-chocolate-chocolate-chip ice cream Cook sent up. She confiscated it, saying that a pregnant woman shouldn't 'indulge in such harmful appetites.'" The young acrobat frowned. "What am i going to do, get fatter? Personally, I don't think it's possible."
Katara shook her head. "At least you're not as large as I was," she whispered, glancing towards her children. "Really, having two can be quite uncomfortable sometimes."
When Ty Lee, left, Katara sat down, brow furrowed. Her mind went back to the book. Though she had left the book with Zuko, Katara wasn't exactly sure that he was making the right decision. Oddly enough, deep inside, she didn't want anyone other than Zuko to touch her book.
"'Love over Life, and Life over Love.'" Katara frowned. "What can it mean?"
Suddenly, Mitsuko ran over to her and grabbed hold of her skirt. Sunil followed close behind.
"'Suko wants to know if she's going to be a princess now."
Pulled from her musings, Katara smiled brightly. She reached down and brought Mitsuko into her lap. Sunil clambered up behind his sister. "Yes. and You are going to be a prince, Sunil."
The twins glanced at each other and smiled. At once, they looked back up at their mother. "Do we get more cake?" they both asked.
Katara laughed and hugged her children. For all of their oddities, sometimes, Mitsuko and Sunil were just like any other children.
In the dark, he smiled. So the Fire Lord had returned to the Fire Nation, his powerful bride in tow. Even more than the Avatar, those two could cause him trouble. And he didn't want that, not after he had worked so hard for so long.
Because of his endless studies in one of the Lost Libraries, he had gained knowledge and power beyond any other. And he intended to use that power. When he was young, he had set his sights on the Fire Nation for what they did to him and to his people and now, even after the Fire Nation seemed to have turned over a new leaf, he was unwilling to give up his quest. For now he wanted nothing less than the world at his fingertips. After all, he had been to the Spirit World and back and had stolen the face of Koh himself.
He was over one hundred years old but didn't look a day over thirty. Of that, he was proud. Spells and tinctures worked wonders.
Masaru laughed. When he had the stones, the path to ultimate power and immortality would be his. And nothing would ever be able to stop him.
As he left the room, he waved his hand once, blowing out the single candle across the room. Oh, yes. He would destroy the Fire Nation and when those firebenders were crawling on their knees towards him, he would use their armies to conquer the world. Only then would he open the Gates and raise the dead.
well...did you like it? i hope you did. yay! we finally learned more about the mysterious Masaru who pulls Azula's strings. isn't it grand? anywho...please review and tell me what you think!