Chapter 23: The Musical Duo and the Deal
The next morning, Ricky, Saber, Allen, Will and Ben sat at their beds as they drink their bowls of soup which Toph has cooked for them. They all have wide eyes as they drink the soup. Toph then enters the bedroom and asked with a smile, "So guys, what do you think?"
Saber turned to Toph and said, "It's pretty good."
"Yeah, it's brilliant." Ben said amazed.
"Wonderful." Will added.
"I'm glad you like it. I made it myself." Toph smiled.
Just then, Rukia enters the bedroom and holds up a wanted poster. "Guys, look I saw at the marketplace today." She said in her emotionless voice.
The others looked at the wanted poster Rukia is holding. Sure enough, the poster has a portrait photo of Ricky and words and the price of the bounty at the bottom of the photo.
"5 million yuan dead, 10 million yuan alive?!" Allen said shocked as he sees the bounty.
"Wow, when I was being hunted by the Royal British Army back at London, my bounty is only 2,500,000 pounds. You sure are more dangerous than me. I'm impressed." Will grins as she pats Ricky's back.
Ricky frowns and said, "That means I now have to disguise myself and have a new name if I want to walk down the streets of Beijing."
Toph's smile widens and said, "Don't worry Ricky! I got some extra clothing to let you wear!"
Allen, Saber, Will, Ben and even Rukia, try their best not to laugh as Toph backs away from Ricky after finish dressing him up.
"How do you feel?" Toph asked. Ricky frowns and folds his arms in annoyance as he is now dressed in silver shoulder pads, white and blue robes, white cape, white pants and silver boots.
"I look like an idiot." Ricky groaned. Allen, Saber, Will, Ben and Rukia couldn't hold on much longer and started laughing hard. Ricky turns his head to Wall-E when he heard his robot giggling as well. "Oh no, not you too, Wall-E!"
"Oh, and to top it off, here's a straw hat." Toph places a huge straw hat on Ricky's head and Ricky is now fully disguised. Ricky blew out a sigh while the others stop their laughing and regain control of themselves. "And now for your name…"
"How about…Slade?" Will suggested.
"No way. I'm not gonna be named after a guy who tried to kill me back at London." Ricky said.
"How about…Christian Bale?"
"No."
"Michael Jackson?"
"No!"
"Theodore Roosevelt?"
"Absolutely not!"
"Thomas Jefferson?"
"SHUT UP WILL!" Allen, Saber, Ben and Rukia snapped in annoyance.
"Sorry." Will said.
"I know! How about Headmaster?" Toph suggested.
"Headmaster?" Ricky asked quizzically.
"Yeah. He is one of the greatest podracers who ever lived."
"Podracing? What's that? I mean I heard of it, but I don't know what it is." Allen asked.
"Well, Podracing is one of the most dangerous sports ever invented. The racer drives a pod and then the drivers have to drive one of the most dangerous race tracks ever known to man. In other words, it's a dangerous racing sport. Whoever comes in first place wins a million dollars." Ben explained to Allen.
"And it just so happen that there's only three days left before the next annual Beijing podracing grand prix begins. I did watch the sport a couple of times so Headmaster just came to my mind." Toph added.
Ricky shook his head. "Nah, I don't think I want to have a silly name like Headmaster."
"Okay…what about Raiden? Named after the god of thunder in the Japanese Mythology." Toph suggested.
Ricky smiled, liking the name. "Sure, no problem. Well then, Toph. You don't want to be late for work now, do you?"
Toph gasps and widens her eyes. "Oh no! I forgot about all about work!" She panicked. But Ricky kneeled down and put her hands on her shoulders.
"Don't worry Toph. Just calm down. Besides, I'm coming with you so you don't have to worry if those Faction soldiers try to pick on you again." Ricky assured. Toph nodded. Ben sighed in frustration, knowing that Ricky won't be hanging out with him again. Ricky then looked up at his allies and said, "The rest of you…well, you guys can hang around the marketplace while I'm gone."
"Great! Finally, some time to look around the city!" Will said, stretching her arms in delight.
Later at the marketplace, Will walks pleasantly down the streets and stops when she's at a fruit stall. She leans down and looks at the baskets of apples, bananas, oranges and pears being lined up on the table. She grins as she took an apple and looks at the stall owner, Yan Lin.
"Ah, an apple. Good choice. An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Yan Lin smiled.
"You said it!" Will placed a few coins on Yan Lin's hand and walks away from the stall after paying.
She was about to take a bite on her apple when suddenly, she stops walking when she heard a girl begging with another person. The girl has long brown hair, blue eyes and wears blue robes with a white trim and dark blue pants and brown boots. Her name was Katara.
"Please sir, some coins." Katara begged to a man named William Dunbar.
"No, sorry, go away." William said annoyed as he tries to walk away from Katara but Katara steps sideways, standing in William's way again.
"No please, sir. Just a few coins. I beg of you." Katara begged again. "If you pay me…" She smiled weakly. "I can sing for you a song."
"You're crazy!" William said as he shoved Katara away and walks away.
"Wait!" Katara called to William. She tries to get after him but she stops when she felt a hand placed on her shoulder. She turns around and sees a teenage boy with short brown hair, tied to a topknot, blue eyes and wears blue gloves, blue robes, dark blue pants and brown boots. On his back was a lute. His name was Sokka, Katara's older brother.
"Forget it, Katara. Just let him go." Sokka said. Katara sighed sadly.
"It's hopeless. Even if I had a beautiful singing voice, we will never make enough money." Katara said, hanging her head with sadness.
"I would like to hear you sing." Will spoke up as she walks over to them. Katara and Sokka turned to her with hopeful looks.
"Really?" Katara asked hopefully.
"Sure." Will nodded as she holds out a few coins.
"Thank you so much." Sokka said as he takes the coins. After he puts them in his pocket, he takes out his lute and starts playing. Katara took a deep breath and after Sokka played his lute for a while, she starts singing. Will looks amazed as Katara sings.
Katara: Look at me
You may think you see
Who I really am
But you'll never know me
Every day, is as if I play apart
Now I see
If I wear a mask
I can fool the world
But I can not fool
My heart
Who is that girl I see
Staring straight back at me?
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?
I am now
In a world where I have to
Hide my heart
And what I believe in
I will show the world
What's inside my heart
And be loved for who I am
Who is that girl I see
Staring straight back at me?
Why is my reflection
Someone I don't know?
Must I pretend that I'm
Someone else for all time?
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?
There's a heart that must
Be free to fly
That burns with a need
To know the reason why
Why must we all conceal
What we think
How we feel
Must there be a secret me
I'm forced to hide?
I won't pretend that I'm
Someone else
For all time
When will my reflections show
Who I am inside?
When will my reflections show
Who I am inside?
Will claps hands and smiled as Katara finished singing.
"That was wonderful!" Will said.
"Thanks. Singing and playing music have always been our lives." Katara smiled. "I'm Katara."
"And I'm Sokka." Sokka added.
"We were both people, always trying to find ways to make money for our mother." Katara said.
"Our mother is sick and if we don't earn enough money, she'll die from her illness." Sokka said sadly.
"I see. What do you guys do before you start playing music?" Will asked.
"Oh you know, random stuff. Like cleaning restaurants, baking cakes, and fixing pipes, but all always end with disaster." Katara shrugs.
Flashback:
At a restaurant, Katara was mopping the floor while Sokka was carrying a pile of plates. Sokka accidentally walks over to Katara, steps on the slippery floor and fell to the ground, breaking the plates in the process. The restaurant manager walks over to them with an angry look. Both Katara and Sokka smiled nervously at him.
Another Flashback:
At a bakery, Katara and Sokka, dressed in aprons and hats, are baking their dough until Sokka accidentally sneezed. "ACHOO!"
His sneeze causes the dough to poof and the two siblings are now covered in baking powder.
Another Flashback:
At a house, Katara and a man named Isaac Sumdac watched Sokka fixed Issac's kitchen sink.
"Mr. Sumdac, I think I found the problem." Sokka said. He twists the sink with his wrench but suddenly, the sink explodes and water splashes on Katara and Isaac and the two are completely wet, literally! "Maybe not." Sokka droops his arms.
End of Flashbacks
"Yeah, I really need to be more careful next time." Sokka scratches the back of his head.
"And that's until we went into music." Katara said.
Flashback:
Katara and Sokka are at a lute shop. Katara is talking with the stall owner, Iroh, while Sokka is looking at the various lutes in the shop.
"Sir, I'm here to answer your newspaper ad. I promise that my brother and I will work full time at your shop and…" While Katara is talking with Iroh, which their conservation is going well so far, Sokka took one of the lutes from the wall and looks at it while carrying it in his arms.
Out of curiosity, he then strums his fingers through the strings of the lute and both Iroh and Katara turn their heads to Sokka.
"Sokka! Put that back!" Katara snapped.
"No, it's okay. In fact, your brother is doing well." Iroh said to Katara with a grin.
"What?" Katara turned back to her brother as Sokka starts playing the lute. Sokka's grin widens as starts playing a tune with the lute, discovering his hidden talent.
Katara smiles as well, thinking that the music Sokka is playing is kinda catchy. And all of the sudden, she starts singing.
Katara: Winter, spring, summer and fall.
Winter and spring, summer and fall.
Four seasons, four loves.
Four seasons, four loves.
After Katara and Sokka finished singing and playing, Iroh clapped his hands. "You two are good. You two should be playing music to everyone. That way, you guys can make some money."
"Really? You think so?" Sokka asked.
"Sure. Why not?" Iroh shrugs.
End of Flashback
"And since then, we've been playing music and singing for our lives." Katara said.
"However, even though we are able to make 30 to 50 yuan a day, my mother gets weaker and weaker everyday and our doctor told us that she may die within 3 months from now." Sokka said sadly.
"I'm so sorry to hear about your mother." Will said in sorrow. She then perked up, making Katara and Sokka look at her with confused looks. "But hey, don't worry. I know you both feel that that is no hope but trust me, keep working hard and I'm sure one day, a miracle will come to you. I swear."
Katara and Sokka both smiled. "Thank you um…" Katara said. "What was your name anyways?"
"Will Vandom."
"Thank you Will. We appreciate your encouragement." Katara said as she and Sokka bowed down to Will. Will bowed down to them as well.
At the Faction prison facility, Toph nervously walks over to the entrance of the facility. The prison guard who is standing at the entrance of the facility is now a man named Seifer Almasy. Toph just walks over to him with a panicked sweat rolling down the side of her head, refusing to find out what happen to Zhao.
"You're 10 minutes late, Toph!" Seifer yelled angrily.
"I'm sorry! I lost track of time!" Toph pleaded.
"SHUT UP!" Seifer shrieked, holding his hand in the air. Toph shut her eyes tightly, preparing herself for the worse. But before Seifer could slap her, Ricky, err 'Raiden', charges over to Seifer, presses him hard against the wall.
Seifer widens his eyes in horror when 'Raiden' said to him, "Take me to your general, Azula."
"I-I'm sorry. I-I can't." Seifer shudders violently.
"Why?!" 'Raiden' demanded.
"Because she moved out. After she found out the Templar is here in Beijing, she moved to a new building. She never told us where she had moved to make herself more secretive from the enemy." Seifer explained; sweat furiously rolling down his head.
'Great. The disguise is working.' Ricky thought, glad that Seifer doesn't recognize him through his disguise.
"Fine. Then take me to your warden." Ricky said to Seifer.
Seifer leads Ricky and Toph through the prison. As the three walk through the prison, Ricky watched the prisoners and saw how the slaves were being driven, mercilessly. A slave named Roxas was knocked to the ground and had the bag he was lugging around cut open by a whiplash. Meanwhile, a slave driver was whipping a slave named Kronk mercilessly
Meanwhile, Hinata Hyuga fell down and flinched as another slave driver drew close and heaved her up by the hair. Five other slaves were trudging through mud. The slaves looked sad at the life they were forced to live.
Ricky tilts his hat and turned his head away, not wanting to see any more of this madness. He and Toph continue following Seifer until the three entered the main building of the prison facility. After that, they all entered an elevator.
After the elevator went up to the fourth floor of the building, the three stepped out of the elevator when the elevator doors open and they walked up the doors of the conference room. "Well, here it is. The conference room." Seifer said to 'Raiden'. "After Azula moved out, our warden now works here."
"Good. That's all I need from you." 'Raiden' said to Seifer. He and Toph then entered the conference room while Seifer backs away from the conference room with a horrified look, scared that he will get into big trouble for leading Ricky to his superior.
In the conference room, at the end of the table, the prison warden, Xin Fu, was busy filling up his paperwork. He lifts his head up from the desk when Ricky and Toph enter the room.
"What are you doing here?! Only Faction soldiers are allowed here!" Xin Fu yelled as he stood up from his seat. Toph immediately yelps and stands behind Ricky.
"Sorry sir. But I'm here to make a demand." Ricky said.
"Really? And what might that be?" Xin Fu folds his arms.
"I want you to free Toph Bei Fong." Ricky motions to Toph, who slowly reveals herself to Xin Fu.
Xin Fu laughed. "Sorry but even if you don't work here, you have no right to tell me what to do. Besides, all slaves who work here can't quit, they work for life."
Toph sighed sadly. "He's right. I made a deal. I'm a slave for life." Ricky frowns as he hangs his head and folds his arms. He wants to free Toph from slavery. He doesn't want her to suffer every single day of her life anymore, but he couldn't. But no, he's not gonna give up. He knows that Toph has suffered enough and he must find a way to free her. Just then, he thought an idea, but it's a foolish one too. He remembered that Toph said that there will be a podracing race here at Beijing in three days time. He closed his eyes for a moment, then lifts up his head to Xin Fu again.
"What if I could make a deal with you?" Ricky suggested.
Xin Fu arched his eyebrow. "What is it?"
Ricky puts his hand on Toph's shoulder. "How about if I win the Beijing podracing grand prix, you free Toph."
"WHAT?!?!" Toph yelled in shock, thinking that Ricky has lost his mind.
Xin Fu shook his head. "You got to be kidding me."
"Am I?" Ricky said sternly.
Xin Fu stares at Ricky's stern look, then nods his head. "Very well. But what if you lose?"
"Then…I'll become a slave too." Ricky said. Toph immediately grabs Ricky's arm and Ricky looked down at her.
"No! Don't! I don't want you to share the same fate as me!" Toph cried. Ricky however, smiled and rubs Toph's head.
"Don't worry. I promise. I will win." Ricky assured. Toph, however, still frowns sadly. Ricky turned back to Xin Fu and said, "Do we have a deal?"
With a brief pause of thinking it over, Xin Fu smirked maliciously, "Deal. What's your name by the way?"
"Raiden." Ricky said.
"Very well Raiden, good luck in the race then. I'll ask some of the Faction soldiers to deliver parts to you so that you can build your own podracer." Xin Fu said.
"Thank you. Will Azula be there too?"
"Yes, she's the VIP of the event." Xin Fu replied. Ricky smirked. Not only will the race be a chance to help free Toph, but will also be a chance to get to Azula.
"Alright, that's all." Ricky bowed to Xin Fu, then he and Toph turned around to make their leave.
Ricky and Toph stopped when Xin Fu asked, "One more thing. Why are you so determined to free Toph?"
Ricky paused for a moment, then answered Xin Fu's question. "Because…she's my sister."
Those words struck Toph and Toph looked up at Ricky with tears rolling down her cheeks. "Ricky…" She whispered, overjoyed to hear that the Templar cared about her so much.
"Very well. See you at the finish line." Xin Fu smirked evilly. "If you can."
Ricky and Toph both walked out of the room in silence.
END OF CHAPTER
Ryo: Sorry this chapter took a long time but trust me, it was hard! Anyways, Ricky is totally out of his mind, isn't he?
Ricky: Shut up! I'm doing this for Toph, alright?
Toph: Thanks Ricky!
Ryo: In the next chapter, Ricky prepares himself and must now try to win the big race. It is the only way to free Toph. Can he do it? Stay tune and read and review!
Raiden is a reference to the character with the same name in the Mortal Kombat series. Also, it's true. Raiden is named after the God of Thunder in the Japanese Mythology. Ricky also dresses up like Raiden too.
Oh, and we WILL see Katara and Sokka again. And eventually their mother will make an actual appearance in the story too. The songs Katara sang in this chapter are 'Reflection' by Christina Aguilera and 'Four Seasons', a song Iroh sang in Avatar Book 1: Water.