I want to update in two days, but you guys/girls will be responsible for that. Just tell me what you think and I will update quickly.
Once again, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender and I thought that it was about time I started to follow their storyline!
Koori sat still; he wanted to talk? She stopped breathing while he grabbed a scoop of rice and plopped it on her plate. He continued to serve them both foods from various nations until Koori escaped her trance and snatched the spoon from him. He batted her hand away and continued to serve them both until their plates were full.
Zuko forked food into his mouth. "You better eat up, we have a long walk to look forward to," he said between mouthfuls.
Koori nodded and grabbed her utensils. Her plate was clean long before Zuko's was and he offered her more. She denied the sustenance even though she wanted to eat until she passed out. Once Zuko finished, he went into his closet and pulled out an outfit. He tossed the black fabric to the young concubine and he ordered her to change. Koori looked around and stripped. Zuko watched for a short while until she started to peel off the lingerie. He respectfully turned his back until she was finished.
He grabbed her cloaked arm and led her though a pair of large, cherry doors that took them both outside of the palace. She stopped at the stairs before them and turned to him.
"If they find out that I left-"
"What are they going to say, Koori? I am the prince!" Zuko spat. He rolled his eyes and grabbed her arm again. He shoved her down the stairs and she cringed—he was angry and she did not know why. The stairs ended at a vegetable garden below the palace and Zuko let her go. She rubbed her arm—his grip would leave a bruise later. He turned to her and saw that he hurt her. "I'm sorry," he muttered.
"It's okay," she whispered.
Zuko looked around and walked out onto a pathway behind some trees. Koori followed him hesitantly as she looked back up at the dimly lit palace. He reached for her arm, but she turned away from him. "Koori," he started. She looked directly at him and was reminded of the old Zuko—the one that she knew in Ba Sing Se. Even the arrogant and self-righteous Zuko that existed when she first met him was better than the angry and emotional Zuko before her. He stopped walking and closed his eyes. "I think that the Avatar is still alive."
Koori's heart stopped and for a fleeting moment, she wished that he was telling the truth. He looked at her with his deep, golden irises and Koori opened her dry mouth. "Why would you think that?" she asked hesitantly.
Zuko shrugged his shoulders and continued his silent trot down the path. "The waterbender—Katara—had a pouch of special healing water. She said that it could heal me." He touched his face and exhaled. "Azula shocked him with lightening and I am pretty sure that she would have used that water on the Avatar. He is still alive, I can feel it."
Koori smiled at the thought of Aang being alive. "What are you going to do?" Koori asked.
Zuko grinned and lightly grasped Koori's arm. Her arm wound around his perfectly and their skin touched; Koori jumped at the surge of electricity that occurred at the interaction. Zuko smiled at the familiarity of her skin against his own as they walked down the pathway.
They stopped at a cavern. A large figure was waiting for them and Koori gulped at the glossy hand and foot—it was the metal man that captured her. Zuko walked up to him and Koori stayed in the shadows, but the metal man never looked at the fire prince, only at the familiar young girl. Zuko had a short conversation with the metal man; the prince of the Fire Nation wanted the Avatar dead.
The man nodded at Zuko's request and both turned to leave. The metal man paused, turned back around and took one last look at Koori. "I see that somebody else brought you here," he grunted.
Koori meekly nodded and looked at the prince. His eyes told her that he was confused, but he continued to walk away, like nothing happened. Once the metal man was out of sight, Koori decided to start talking. She looked at the prince and he stopped, waiting for her story.
"I met him a while back," Koori started. He nodded. "When Mast-" Zuko flinched and Koori corrected herself, "when Zhao died, the Northern Water Tribe took care of me and after I left their care, I roamed the Earth Kingdom before I was taken to Ba Sing Se. I ran into an old Fire Nation Navy Admiral named Jeong Jeong. He had a camp that Shika and I ran into—he cared for me; he even taught me some firebending moves." Koori started to walk away, but Zuko guided her in the opposite direction. "I stayed at his camp for two weeks until some trackers attacked us. There were posters of me everywhere—wanted posters. They separated us and then the metal man came along. He started to take me here and I never understood why."
Koori's story was short and it didn't contain all of the details, but Zuko seemed pleased. Koori, on the other hand, seemed emotionally detached. "Prince Zuko," she whispered. He turned to look at the right side of her face in the moonlight. Her features were shadowed, but he could still see a fiery glint in her eyes against her pale skin. "Why do you want to hurt Aang?"
Zuko paused but then kept walking. He couldn't answer the question. "Why don't you?"
"Because he is the Avatar. He is the only hope that I have left in this world. Zhao is dead, I do not know where my brother is and you have changed. Everything that I thought I would be has been torn from me."
Zuko remained silent and they walked up the long stairs with nothing but the sounds of their feet hitting the cold stones. They walked through the quiet hallways until they came to a large door. Zuko ushered Koori into his room and she sat on his couch. She wiggled on the rhino hide and laid against the skins. Zuko watched and grasped her shoulder. She stood and followed his movements. He took off her cloak with quick fingers and he smirked at the sight of his black wardrobe on her small frame. Zuko led her to his bed and she sat. He walked around his room and placed himself on the other side of the mattress. He sat on the maroon sheets and then leaned back into the mattress and pillows.
Koori watched him fall asleep and she took in a deep breath. The candles extinguished themselves at her exhale and she stared into the darkness. A light developed from the corner and she watched as Zhao's spirit transformed into his full figure. He smirked at the young couple and went to Koori's side. He sat on the floor and he positioned his elbows on the mattress. He laid his chin on the mattress beside her face.
"Go to sleep, Koori," he whispered.
He watched his concubine's eyelids get heavy and he smiled when her breathing steadied. He stood and held his chains so they did not wake her. He roamed the prince's room and then paused to look at Zuko moving closer to his slave. The young prince was awake and Zhao stared, curious at first, but then angry when Zuko cupped her exposed shoulder. He pulled the sleeping girl closer and she moaned at the tugs. Zuko stopped when she was laying in the center of the mattress. He moved closer to her as she shifted to her right side. Zuko faced her front and he looked at her calmly. Zhao watched intently.
The prince pulled a few fragments of hair out of the young girl's face. "I wish that things could be different," he whispered.
The prince fell asleep and Zhao held back a scream. Instead, he decided to pay a visit to an old ex-general.
-!-
The spirit floated gently through the prison halls—he heard clapping. Zhao stopped at the source of the clapping and smirked as he went in. Iroh was doing pushups. Zhao took his true form and stared at the ex-general. Iroh stopped once he saw the light. The pair stared intently at each other for a short while before Zhao spoke.
"The guards are far away, you can talk freely."
Iroh looked to his bottom left. "Is she okay?"
Zhao nodded and he sat on the stone floor. "She is doing fine. Zuko has been trying to take care of her."
Iroh seemed disgusted to hear his nephew's name. "Then what are you doing here?" he asked. Iroh turned away from the spirit but Zhao walked through the bars and rattled his chains to get the old man's attention. Iroh glanced at the chains.
"We have a bit of a problem," Zhao sighed. Iroh turned to face the dead man. "Admiral Akira survived the invasion and has found Koori."
Iroh pulled strands of hair from his face and leaned against the bars of his cell. He stood and jumped to the top bars. He pulled himself up with both hands. Zhao waited for his ex-general to come up with a plan, but the old man seemed more interested in his exercise routine. Iroh stopped when Zhao started to become an orb. "How do you feel about all of this?" Iroh asked.
Zhao returned to his full form. His face was filled with sadness and he shook his head. "It disgusts me to see Koori with Zuko, Ozai and Akira. I follow her constantly, even if she asks me to stay away."
Iroh nodded and Zhao floated back to the palace, toward his concubine.
This chapter is a little short, but I have been trying to remake Zhao's character. A couple of people have pointed this out and I give you all virtual cookies! Is this a realistic character change or should I bring back the "no self control" Admiral? I think that bringing the old Zhao back would be fun, but odd because I imagine the Ocean Spirit or the Earth Spirit zapping him and bringing him back to what I have made him.
Give your opinions through reviews, please! And remember, I plan to update in two days and we are nearing "The Beach"!
