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Here's Chapter 3: Creature From Below
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender
The heat was beginning to become unbearable, like the time they got lost in the desert.
Zuko had insisted that they stayed in the Fire Nation for a few more days, but it turned out a few more days ended up being a few more weeks.
Azula did't know how long she stand being there, it wasn't in her nature to stay in one area for so long. The thought of being there longer made her skin crawl, and her palms sweaty.
She stood against a building, arms crossed and a scowl on her face, watching her brother as he walked around the market place grabbing supplies they needed. They had been there for awhile, and Azula was ready to leave. Why was her brother so slow at everything?
"Can we go now?" she asked as she approached him at a fruit stand.
"What?" he asked.
"I'm ready to leave." the princess said looking away, she was hoping her idiot of a brother would get that she wasn't talking about the marketplace.
He sighed "I guess we have been here for a while huh?" A small smile formed over his face as he set the apple down.
"Were do we go now?" she asked unable to help herself.
Zuko rubbed the back of his neck "Not sure-" he was cut off as the apples began to topple from the pile and onto the ground.
"Shit" he muttered as he began to quickly pick up the ruined fruit.
"Watch it would, ya sir!" The owner of the stand said walking around to help Zuko. "I don't have much supplies as it is, Kyoshi Island is having some problems with their shipments."
That caught Azula's attention, it could be another mission for them, they haven't come across any monsters in awhile "Really? Why is that?" she asked.
The merchant began to pile the apples back up "Well I heard, that their ships were begging to disappear, then a few days later, bodies would be coming up in halve. It's bizarre, so they have been pausing their trading ships for awhile, it's really effecting everyone." he murmured with a shake of his head.
Zuko glanced over at his sister who nodded her head "Thanks for your help kids." the merchant said walking away to help another customer.
The two siblings walked out of the market place and into the woods towards their camp "So what do you think it is?" Azula asked as she laid on her sleeping mat while her brother was reading The Book intently.
Her brother rubbed the side of his face in frustration and threw the book to the ground "I wish I knew, it could be any kind of monster."
"Then we'll just have to go to Kyoshi and find out ourselves." she said rolling up from her mat.
Zuko sighed as they began to pack their belongings. He didn't understand why she wanted to leave so bad, this was their home, the place where they grew up and when they actually had a family.
Then again he knew why, too many painful memories. Images of them riding the ostrich horses away from the palace and into the forest, the first time he killed a monster, and the look of fear on Azula's face when their father left them in the forest to aid for themselves filled his head.
The two siblings had gone through so much in the past few years, he understood why his sister hated this place.
The next day they headed to the docks where had to find a boat, one where they could enter Kyoshi almost unnoticably.
"Found one." Azula said as she began to get in an empty boat just big enough for the two of them. Zuko looked around and saw that no one was around and they began to set sail.
It seemed so easy for them to steal things now, just a few days before they the Fire Nation they stole a turkey- duck from a small farm, it wasn't like Zuko didn't feel bad but they needed the meat and they didn't have money. Sure Azula could shoot an quail- dove but to be honest he was tired of eating that little bird.
Soon they were on their way to Kyoshi and the boat ride was pleasant to Azula as she laid her back against the railing, eyes closed and breathed in the salty air an let the soothing breeze of the wind wave her hair around.
She looked over to see if her brother was enjoying himself as much as she was only to stifle a giggle as he leaned over the railing, heaving up last night's dinner.
"I though you didn't get sea sick?" she asked with a smirk.
He groaned "I don't but we haven't traveled by boat in a very long time. My stomach just isn't used to it."
Azula rolled her golden eyes "Drama Queen"
"I am not a drama queen" he growled out before purging once more.
"Yeah okay, and I'm the Avatar" she said sarcastically.
Zuko ignore his sister and tried to let the salty smell of the ocean calm him down. He really did love traveling by boat, his mother used to take him out all the time. Sometimes they went all the way to Ember Island where they would sit by the beach until it got late and his father would have a panic attack.
"How much longer until we get to Kyoshi?" he asked as he laid down on the wooden floor of the boat, closing his eyes.
"Maybe a day or two." she said looking out to the empty ocean that went for miles and miles.
Zuko groaned and brought his arm over his eyes "Wake me up when it's time for dinner."
Azula rolled her eyes "Yeah right."
She wanted to laugh, her brother thought he could order her around, sometime he could be so stupid. The huntress sat down next to the sail and leaned against the post keeping it up, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around it. This was her time to think, when her brother fell asleep. Sometimes he asked way to many questions that she never felt like answering.
Being on this boat reminded her of when her family was whole, before that damn monster came and ruined it all. She wanted to call her mother stupid for shooting at that spirit, but she couldn't bring herself to, she knew it was a huntress' instinct to protect the ones she loved.
Then again, as a hunter you weren't supposed to have a family in the first place. You'll just end up loosing them.
Azula glanced over at her sleeping brother, she knew if something would happen to him she would loose her mind. It was inevitable He was all she had left, after their father abandoned them, of course not on purpose but it still hurt.
She knew Zuko wouldn't leave though, he needed her as much as she needed him. She dreaded the day a girl would come in and snatch her brother from her, there was Mai of course but Azula made sure that never happened, Mai was never the person who could stay in a relationship for so long. When that day came though, she would make sure the girl met up to not only her brother's but her expectations as well. Zuko couldn't have some weakling as a girlfriend, he needed someone who could take care of herself.
The huntress felt a little guilty at the moment, she was basically planning out her brother's life to the way she wanted it. What about her needs? Of course a boy would come in the picture, not any time soon, hopefully. What would she do when the time does come, and what about her brother?
She shook her head from those thoughts, they didn't need to think like that, especially during a mission.
The next few hours Azula laid her head on her knees not moving from her earlier position and just listened to the sound of the waves as she tried to drown out the negative thoughts in her head.
Zuko woke up the next morning, apparently throwing up could tire you out and make you really thirsty. He stood up and stretched, cracking his aching neck. Next time he would fall asleep on his sleeping mat. He glanced around and saw his sister leaning against the sail post, asleep. She must have stayed up all night, she had been doing that lately.
The hunter pursed his lips and laid out her sleeping mat in the shade, before walking over to the huntress, gathering her into his strong arms, and laying her on her mat before covering her with a blanket. She opened her eyes breifly "Zuko?" she asked tiredly.
He gently pushed her down as she tried to get up "Sleep Zula, you've been up all night."
Without further protest his sister fell back asleep. Zuko smiled before frowning, he had no idea how far from Kyoshi they were, it could be days before they finally arrived. He was ready to start the mission, it has been awhile, and he needed to let out some tension.
A loud growl erupted from his stomach, he realized he hasn't eaten since the previous night. Digging through his pack he found some left over dinner he assumed Azula ate yesterday. He rolled his eyes, she was supposed to wake him up for dinner, then again knowing his sister, she wouldn't listen to him when he ordered her around.
After his lunch he noticed a small speck in the horizon, a small smile formed on his mouth, they were near Kyoshi.
He went over to his sister and shook her awake. The fire that flashed in her eyes when she woke up, scared the hell out of him. Maybe he should have let her sleep.
"What!" she snapped out.
He backed up to a safe distance away "We're near Kyohsi."
She stood up and walked over to the railing of the boat and gazed out. "Looks like it." she said.
They finally made it to the shore line of the island, where they noticed a small viallge about a mile away.
"Should we head to the village?" she asked.
Zuko nodded "We need to get information about the murders."
The siblings made their way towards the village, it was a decent size. There were a few shops that formed the market place and huts that formed a circle as a barrier. This must be a tight-nipped community.
"Come on, let's walk through the market place." Zuko said tightening the straps of his Dao Swords.
He led his sister to a fish stand, well what he thought was a fish stand, there was only the stench of fish that gave it away.
The town seemed like it was on the verge of starvation.
"Hey, you!" a voice said.
The siblings looked over and saw a girl in a large green sarshi approaching them. Azula rose an eyebrow, the girl had white make up over her face, red lip liquid on her lips, and black liner over her eyes.
"Who are you? I've never seen you here before." she said crossing her arms.
"I'm Zuko and this is my sister Azula. We...erm...landed here on our boat. We've been lost at sea for a few days." the hunter said glancing over at his sister who was rolling her eyes.
Her brother was not good at lying to save his life. "Hmm...how did you survive the boat ride?"
Azula blinked, pretending to play dumb "What do you mean?"
The girl put her hand on her hips "A sea monster has been attacking out ships. Nothing makes it past the southern border of the gulf."
"We didn't see anything, then again we were on a tiny sail boat nothing to catch the attention of a monster right?" he said.
The girl pursed her lips "You're right" she then glanced around the village "it's really had an affect on the village, trade has been difficult and the foreign supplies are coming less and less." she said with a sigh.
Zuko looked over at his sister who was giving the girl, what he thought was a sympathetic look.
"Anyways, my name is Suki." she said introducing herself.
Before any of the siblings could reply a loud voice rang out "Suki!"
She smiled slightly "Sokka, over here!" she called out turning around.
Azula looked over the girls shoulder and saw a boy, around her brother's age approached them, he was tall, not as tall as his brother, he had the bluest eyes she has ever seen, and his hair was styled in a traditional warriors wolf tail. He must be from the water tribes.
She felt her cheeks heat up a little before she shook her head with a scowl on her face. "Hey, I've been looking for you everywhere!" he said before giving her a kiss on the cheek.
The huntress felt something clench in her stomach before she shook the feeling away. Why was she getting so worked up? Especially over a boy that she's never talked to before.
"Zuko, Azula, this is Sokka, he's...my boyfriend?" she said unsure.
Sokka chuckled nervously "Yeah...boyfriend" he said scratching the back of his neck.
He glanced over at the two siblings, his eyes widening "YOU'RE THE FIRE HUNTERS!" he exclaimed.
Zuko sighed and pitched the bridge of his nose while Azula glared at the boy "Yes." she said quietly.
Suki crossed her arms "So much for being lost a sea" she said.
"Fine. We're here to find out about the killings." Zuko said.
Sokka grinned "So am I!" he said.
Azula rose an eye brow "You're serious?" she asked incredulously.
"Of course, I'm the best hunter in the Southern Water Tribe. You wouldn't believe the crazy monster's I've come across." he said chuckling.
"I'm sure we can." Zuko mumbled.
"Why don't we head to my hut, where we could talk privately." Sokka said looking around.
He was right, it wasn't safe talking in the public, especially about monsters. The two siblings nodded their heads and followed the boy to a small hut at the end of the village. "I'll see you around Sokka" Suki said before walking away, Sokka shrugged before he led the two teens away from the village.
"I heard great things about you guys. Sorry about your dad by the way." he said looking over his shoulder at them.
"How do you know about our dad?" Azula asked.
"Word travels fast in the Hunter world" he said with a smile.
His smile brought an uneasy feeling in Azula's stomach, like she was sick, except it felt good. She frowned and looked away from the blue eyed boy.
"Welcome to Casa de Sokka." he excalimed as he let the siblings into the hut "Sorry it's not much but I don't plan on staying long. You know us hunters, gotta keep moving." he said sheepishly.
Zuko gave him an understanding nod "So let's get down to buisness huh?" The water tribe boy said.
"These are all the clues I've gathered from the bodies that have washed up on shore." Sokka said "The bite, it's way to big to be a normal sea monster, especially to be in cooler waters like this. It also seemed to attack at dawn, not a normal time for monsters to feed"
Azula looked over at his sketch of the bite marks that Sokka drew on a piece of paper, he was a decent artist. Zuko snatched the paper from her hands earning a punch in the gut from his sister before he pulled out The Book and began searching through it.
The huntress groaned "Get comfortable, this will take awhile."
Zuko looked up and glared at his sister before returning to his work "It's called research Zula, try it some time."
"I'm more into action, sorry brother." she said glancing down at her nails.
Sokka chuckled "Wow, are you guys always like this?"
Azula furrowed her eye brows "Like what?" she asked.
"The bickering you guys do. It's quite amusing." he leaning back in the chair he was sitting in.
She snorted "We don't bicker."
Sokka rose his hands up in surrender "Hey, no need to start an arguement. Just stating what I'm seeing."
Azula rolled her eyes "So what bring's a hunter from the Southern Water Tribe to Kyoshi?" she asked crossing her arms.
"Same reason as you. I heard about the killings a few weeks ago and left the South as soon as I could. I've been stuck there for awhile and couldn't let an oppertunity like this pass." he said.
"We'll you seem like your having a great time; you have a hut, food, and a girl friend. So why don't you just stay here?" she said raising an eye brow.
Sokka shrugged "I don't like being stuck in one place for so long. Why would I stay here if there's a world of adventure out there waiting for me?" he said looking out the window where he could see the ocean not too far from where they were.
Azula looked down "You have a point, but what about your girlfriend?" she couldn't help but ask.
"Just a fling I guess. Relationships aren't really my thing, I guess until a meet a girl worth wild then I'll maybe consider being in a relationship." he said looking over at her.
Did that have a double meaning to it? She was just over thinking this. Stupid hormones.
"Ah, so you're a lone wolf?" she asked a hint of a smile on her face.
The blue eyed boy shrugged with a smirk "You could say that."
Zuko glanced over at his sister and watched as she smiled at the boy, he rose an eyebrow, she had never been interesting in boys before well except for Jet, but that was history. He was going to keep an eye on the two of them.
"Okay! Well I know what we're after." Zuko said setting the book down, pretending to be oblivious to the two hunters.
"What is it?" Azula asked
"An Unagi." he said.
"A what?" Sokka asked.
The Unagi was a rare monster that lived in warmer waters, Ozai had told them of it before after he came into their camp one day, after he went on a solo hunt, smelling of fish and blood.
"An Unagi is a sea monster that usually lives in warmer waters" Azula said but she shook her head "Why would one be in Kyoshi? The waters a nearly freezing."
Zuko shook his head "I'm not sure, but we're going to have to kill it."
Azula's eyes widened "The Unagi! It's a damn Unagi! Do know how hard that will be, considering we'll have to be on a boat?" she asked.
Sokka looked at the fuming huntress "Hey guys, it's just a sea monster. How big could it be?" he said trying to ease the tension.
The golden eye boy glared at Sokka "Let's just say this isn't a Sava Nero, its much, much bigger" he said.
"We just need to figure out a plan." Sokka said scratching the back of his neck.
"Let's not go with Zuko's plans, he usually uses me as bait." Azula grumbled leaning against the wall.
Zuko groaned "Are we really going to start with that again? I told you it was the only thing I could think of!" he exclaimed.
"Really? Then you must not be the greatest hunter if that's all you could think of" she said glaring.
Sokka put his hands up between the two siblings before Zuko could say a word "Look, we have a monster on our hands. You guys can settle this later, now can we just focus on this mission?" he asked looking at both hunters.
"Fine" they both said simutaniously.
Sokka let out a sigh "Okay. I think I have an idea. Why don't we use a fake ship to distract the Unagi, no one will be used as bait and no one will get hurt" he said glancing over at Azula before continuing "Then I'll distract it while Zuko uses his firebending on it."
It was simple and do-able. Sokka was really a plan guy. 'Zuko should take some lessons from that guy' Azula thought bitterly.
"Sounds like a plan" Zuko said.
"Great, let's get some shut eye, we'll be waking up early tomorrow." he said.
The three teens fell asleep quickly. It seemed like she only slept for five minutes soon Sokka was shaking her awake. Zuko was in the background chuckling, waiting for his sister to lash out at the boy, but it never came. Zuko narrowed his eyes at his sister as she stood up and stretched. "What?" she snapped when she noticed her brother looking at her.
"Let's get going." he grumbled.
They reached the beach before dawn where two ships waited. Azula rose an eye brow and glanced over at Sokka "Where did these boats come from?" she asked.
Sokka rubbed the back of his neck "Suki." he said before walking on the dock.
"Okay, I'll get in this boat, let it sail and jump off while the Unagi attacks, you guys take this one, do the same if the monster gets your boat instead of mine." he said glancing over at the two shocked siblings.
"That's suicide." Zuko said.
Sokka walked on the boat "Hey, this is how we killed our sea monsters in the South. Now let's get a move on, it's almost dawn."
The two hunters glanced nervously at each other before getting into the opposte boat "Zuko, wait for my signal before you attack, we gotta set the aim right!" Sokka shouted through the wind.
Azula watched as the rays of the sun began to peak over the horizon, it was really beautiful, too bad they couldn't enjoy it before a jolt hit their boat causing Azula to stumble over.
Zuko reached over and helped his sister up "Damn it." he said "Look's like the Unagi chose our boat."
Her shouldres slumped "Great."
"I guess we'll have to forget Sokka's plan and go with instinct huh?" he said with a smile.
"Looks like it." Azula said before a roar caught their attention and the boat began to rock back and forth.
Looking up, she saw the biggest, and most frightening monster in her life "Zuko?" she asked.
"Yeah?"
"How are we going to kill it?" she asked.
"I don't know." he said truthfully before another roar rang through the air.
"Zula watch out!" he cried out before he shoved her away and jumped just as a tail hit the bed of the ship. She stumbled before regaining her balance, she saw a splash before looking down to see Zuko in the water.
She wasn't going to run anymore, she was not a coward. Her father taught her to not be a coward. 'Toughen up Zula.' his voice rang in her head.
"Get out of there Azula!" Sokka shouted.
The princess ignored them and ran towards the monster, her arms moving in the technique her father showed her "What are you doing?!" Zuko shouted from the water.
She could feel the power in her body, all she had to do was release it. With deep breath she moved her arms and pointed two fingers towards the monster. The lightning went through her body, she didn't move, daring not to alter its course.
Soon a cry of pain came from the monster then silence. Looking up she saw a large hole in the monster's chest, it fell back into the water causing a giant splash.
The ship she was on knocked into something, causing her to turn around and saw that Sokka had brought his boat to hers "Azula!" he shouted jumping onto her boat.
With a deep breath she collapsed to the ground, the last thing she saw were blue eyes looking down at her.
Zuko paced back and forth looking at his sleeping sister. The healer said she was fine, just in shocked. He couldn't wait until she woke up so he could give her a piece of his mind, she scared the hell out of him.
She was defiantly going to get it.
Sokka put a hand on his shoulder "Hey buddy, she's fine. I'm sure she'll wake up soon." he said leading the older boy to sit on a chair.
The Prince put his head in his hands and groaned, he couldn't help but worry, Azula was the only family he had left.
He heard a groan and looked over to see Azula waking up from her slumber. "Where am I?" she asked.
Zuko was by her side in an instant "We're at Sokka's hut. You passed out after you killed the Unagi, you know after you shot lighting." he said narrowing her eyes at it.
"It was the only thing I could think of." she muttered before Zuko brought her in a hug.
"You could be as dumb as me sometimes" he mumbled.
"Nice to see you're alive" Sokka said as he walked into the room with a grin on his face.
Azula's lips turned up "It's going to take a little more than shock to bring me down" she said confidently.
Sokka shook his head "Well good thing your okay."
With that he left the two siblings alone.
"I like him." Zuko said with a chuckle.
His sister glanced up at him "Really now?" she asked.
"He seems like a great hunter, well not as great as me" he said smugly.
Azula scoffed and pushed him away from her "Yeah right brother."
Maybe, just maybe, she liked Sokka too.
Whoa *wipes sweat off face*
That chapter was a biggy, mostly because I introduced Sokka who WILL be an important character in the story ;)
I was going to cut the chapter into two parts but I like reading long chapters and I'm sure you guys do too.
Things are getting heated with Sokka and Azula, I love that couple for some reason, it's great.
Here's whats coming next in Chapter 4: Wolf Spirit
Sokka joins the Fire Hunters as they head to the North Pole where the spirit of the Great Wolf is turning his worshipers in Wolf- Shifters on every full moon. Sokka, discovers he had a long lost sister he never knew, who is also a hunter. Things heat up as romance flairs around the North Pole.