I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I do, however, own Koori, Akira, Ai and much more.

Well, guys and dolls, I figure that I should start out by telling you that I will be away this weekend so I will not be updating until sometime next week. I will, however, be writing down my thoughts during spouts of complete boredom. Please have fun reading!


Koori woke up the next morning with Zuko's breath on her shoulder. She pushed herself away from the prince and stood off of the bed; he looked so relaxed while he slept—almost like a child. She looked around and saw Zhao sitting on edge of the komodo-rhino hide couch. He had his arms across his chest and he was glaring evilly at the prince. He softened his eyes when he looked up at Koori. "There are some days when I wish that I could still firebend," he muttered. His face may have looked endearing when he looked at his concubine, but his words held contempt.

Koori ignored him and sniffed herself. She wanted to make sure that she smelled like the prince when she returned to her room. She was satisfied with her scent and made her way to Zuko's door. Koori and Zhao walked out of the room quickly. She rubbed her eyes and stopped when she felt cold overlap her small body. Zhao had walked through her and was standing mere centimeters from her front. It felt like he was trying to hide her from something—or someone.

"Are we upset?" a voice asked.

Koori squinted as her eyes got used to the morning light. The bearded face of Admiral Akira stared at her—amusement filled his bright yellow eyes. Zhao let out a guttural growl; his day was not starting out well.

The young girl gasped and backed away. "You again?" she asked. She had changed her voice and looked directly into his eyes.

Akira smiled and edged toward her. "So what are you doing wandering around the halls this early in the morning wearing-" he paused and stared at Zuko's clothes, "-the clothes of a young man?" His smile got wider and he laughed coarsely. "Were you doing your duties?" His heavy breath stung Koori's skin and she backed away once more.

Koori blushed, but decided to ignore him. She had to keep up her charade so she decided to start walking once more. Akira grabbed her shoulder and shoved her into the wall behind her. Both of his coarse hands gripped the black fabric that covered Koori's shoulders. Koori wound her arms around his own and grasped his elbows. She tried to push him away but it wasn't working. His feet were firmly planted into the ground and he was focused on the plan unraveling in his head. Zhao attacked the Admiral, but his punches went right through the man's skull.

"Let me go," Koori whispered. Her tone was threatening, but she was no longer looking into the eyes of the Admiral, she was staring at her burning shoulders.

-!-

Zuko woke up once he heard the click of his door shutting. He sat up and rummaged through his sheets—he missed the strong heat that she gave off when she slept. He fell back into the fabric and closed his eyes. Thoughts of the young girl who had just occupied his bed plagued his mind. He remembered her smile, the smell of her milky skin and the sight of her exposed legs and cleavage that he had seen the previous night. He shook his head to dissipate the pictures. He needed to think of the girl he had.

Mai.

He sighed at the thought of her name but images of her did not appear before his closed eyes. He did not remember what she smelled like or the texture of her skin. He imagined the feel of her tongue against his own. He shuddered. Her kisses were enjoyable, but they held no emotion; everything was insipid—much like the individual.

Zuko relished the thought of kissing Koori. Their lips had never made contact and he vowed to change that. When their skin touched, a sharp tingle spread over his entire body and he could only image what it would feel like when his sensitive lips would greet her own. A small smile spread across his face and he stood from his bed. He grabbed everything that he would need for a long shower. The cold water was sure to bring him out of the clouds.

-!-

Koori winced as the heat got close to her skin; Zuko's clothes would be destroyed by Akira's cruel hand. Zhao was screaming and cussing, but only the young concubine could hear him. Koori gathered the last of her failing strength and pushed Akira away. He stumbled backward, but the damage was done. He stared intently at the young girl's shoulders as the skin glowed a faint white and healed.

His smiled returned and he straightened out his uniform. "Well, well, well," he snickered, "I have Zhao's old concubine in my presence. Whatever shall I do with this secret?"

Koori held her breath and glanced at Zhao. He had stopped his pointless bashing and was crushing himself against the far wall, pounding it with his fist. He growled once more, but it ended in a scream. Tears formed in Koori's golden eyes. "What do you want?" she asked.

Akira's smile could grow no bigger. He strutted closer to Koori; their cheeks touched as he knelt to whisper in her ear. "I will find something, Koori," he whispered. His breath held so much heat and tension that the hair on the young girl's neck and arm stood straight up. "And I can guarantee you that I will have fun."

Akira looked toward the frightened concubine and sniffed her. His smile disappeared when he turned on his heel and strutted down the hallway.

Koori continued to stand against the wall. She was too frightened to move or breathe. Zhao stopped his pounding, screaming and swearing to look over at the statue that was once his bubbly slave. He sighed and rubbed his face roughly. He inspected her meticulously. The black fabric on her shoulders was destroyed and she wasn't breathing or blinking. He got down on his knees and attempted to catch her attention.

"Koori," he whispered. She remained still. "Koori, sweetheart, you must breathe."

She blinked at the strange word. He had never called her a sweetheart before. She took in a deep breath to replenish her lungs but she remained still. Her eyes dropped the tears that had formed and she wiped them away quickly. Her feet started to move and she continued to walk to the Harem Wing. Zhao followed closely because she was walking in an odd trance. Her bare feet were skidding across the floor clumsily until she reached her room. She turned the knob and slammed the door behind her, she flung herself onto her bed and her back started to heave uncontrollably. Zhao watched from the side of the room.

Koori cried until she wore herself out. She fell asleep for a couple of minutes before somebody started to pound on all of the doors in the Harem Wing.

The Head Mistress's voice rang out behind the wooden door and Koori sat up to inspect the dilemma. Koori rubbed her face until she thought she was presentable and then exited her room. Zhao walked through the wall to follow her. Other concubines were groggily walking out of their bedrooms.

The Head Mistress stood before everybody and smiled. "The Fire Lord is presenting us all with an extravagant vacation!" she screamed. The girls looked at each other, confused—this had obviously never happened before. "We are headed to Ember Island for the week."

Faces lit up quickly and Koori's face joined them. Akira would remain at the palace with the Fire Lord and she would be nowhere near him for the next week. Zhao's face, however, remained passive.

"Ozai needs their full attention, then," he whispered. Koori ears perked and her smile disappeared at the thought of war plans.


I have started to edit and revamp my Concubine trilogy. I will post the complete story (with no chapter breaks or speration) for your pure enjoyment once I am finished with this story. I am adding things and taking other things away to make Koori a little more believable because I feel like I made her into a Mary Sue at the begining. I want to do this for everybody (even myself) because I want to take this story with me everywhere. By doing this, I think that it would be easy for you guys/girls to copy and paste it into your iPo(a)ds or e-readers (like I have done with my first two stories).

Well, about the story! Koori will be facing some torment from Akira. It will be disgusting, I promise you that. So, tell me what you think about the chapter and don't worry, "The Beach" is next!