A/N: Sorry for not updating in so long… I had so much going on a few months ago, and in the middle of editing a few chapters, my computer up and quit on me (I lost passwords and chapters and pictures and music… *cries*). I finally got a new laptop *cheers*. But I had to do quite a bit of rewriting *sighs*.
It will take me awhile to update chapters as I've started learning video editing and animation. Why does real life demand so much of me?!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and thank you followers for being patient.
Just a fun little thought… would people like to do some fanart of the Gaang, Law and the Straw Hats together?
Chapter 12: Watchful Eyes and Memories from the Past
**Countdown: Two Months, 20 days left**
The weather had started to become increasingly hot and humid for the past few days, to the point that it was stifling. This seemed to be a sort of encouragement on Nami's part as she said that when the weather started to become consistent like this that meant that they were getting close to an island. She dutifully took her post to keep the ship's course on track.
The weather didn't deter Zoro's desire to train, and he was encouraging Zuko and Sokka to train with him. Both Zuko and Sokka did their best to work together against Zoro, who seemed to rely on nothing more than sheer brute strength against them. While they were matched in the number of swords, Zoro's monstrous strength and energy left both Zuko and Sokka sweaty and panting for breath, wondering where Zoro was getting his terrifying strength from.
Due to the hot weather, the men of the crew decided to remove or unbutton their shirts, and the women of the Straw Hat Crew putting on outfits that were a bit cooler (but somehow even more revealing if that was possible in Katara's opinion). Katara wore shorts and had a tank top on, and had pulled her hair into a braid. Annoying loose strands of her thick hair managed to find its way in sticking to her face and the back of her neck. She sat next to Aang at the table, and she watched in tired boredom as Aang was learning to play some sort of card game from Usopp and Luffy. Law was playing the game as well, as there didn't really seem to be anything better for him to do. Brook sat back and strummed at his guitar, apparently writing a song or something as he would hum a tune and repeat that tune on his guitar. It wasn't annoying for anyone else and actually made for some rather pleasant background noise.
Aang only half paid attention to the rules of the card game as he was eyeing Law's numerous tattoos with a child-like curiosity. Law had removed his bandages insisting that he was fine, much to Chopper's chagrin. Aang wondered if the tattoos had some significance with Law's abilities or Spirituality, as they were so intricate.
Aang and his friends had started to feel more comfortable around the man, although admittedly it was due to Toph talking to Law as if they were equals, of sorts. She had even dubbed him "Stingy-pants" and "Law-man" much to his irritation (which Toph easily and quite happily ignored.)
Their relationship had improved enough to the point that Aang had asked Law to stop calling him Avatar, as he didn't really like being called his title by the people he considered friends. Law complied with that request, and now Aang was known as "Arrow-ya". Well, that was a step up and better than being called "Avatar", Aang had to admit. Soon, Katara was called "Healer-ya", Toph, "Blind-ya", Zuko, "Burn-ya" and Sokka came to be known as "Joke-ya."
It also seemed that now Law had been stuck with the Straw Hats for quite some time now, his nicknames for them in a way became more personable.
"I'm bored," Luffy sighed, as he folded his cards. For Luffy, it was as if the universe had chosen this time to make him miserable. He was hot, bored, hungry, and wasn't getting any decent hands. "Oi, Nami…" Luffy said in a voice akin to a whine, "Are we there yet?"
"For the fifth time, NO," Nami answered in irritation. Her irritation mostly stemmed from the fact the weather had been miserable for days and they hadn't seen an island in that time. She knew better than to get upset with Luffy asking such questions, as he was likely voicing what everyone else on the vessel was thinking. "You literally asked me that same question no less than ten minutes ago. We'll get there when we get there."
Kin'emon reclined in a lawn chair, and scratched the back of his neck. This weather made him feel itchy and uncomfortable, while Momonosuke simply sprawled himself on the deck staring up at the sky, with a cold cloth over his face. The monotony of sailing, the stifling weather, and the waiting made even the seemingly endless energetic Straw Hats and their allies very bored and driven to the point of going stir-crazy.
Usopp was shuffling the cards for another round of their card game, when Aang's eyes widened and he pointed at something a short distance away. "What is that?"
"Oh, it's a giant marble!" Luffy marveled, suddenly energetic again.
The others stopped what they were doing to look at the 'giant marble', and watched with a mix of curiosity and suspicion as the glass orb slowly floated in the air around the Sunny. The feeling of being watched slowly crept over the ship's crew.
"That marble is making my skin crawl, even though I don't have skin…" Brook replied in a half-joking manner.
"What's it doing?" Toph asked, silently wishing that the people around her would at least narrate what was going on.
Robin complied with that silent wish, "It's just floating around above us. Perhaps it's the Spirits?"
"That's kind of creepy…" Usopp murmured.
"If they're watching us, they could be planning some sort of attack." Law stated in a practical manner.
"Don't say it so casually!" Usopp reprimanded the Heart Captain (who in turn ignored the sniper).
"Where is it now? Can someone point me in the direction of the orb?" Toph requested. Sokka complied with that request, saying, "It's to your upper left, right about there."
Sokka took Toph's hand and pointed it in the direction of the orb, and Toph followed his instructions with a hint of blush on her face, which she hoped her bangs hid. Quickly pushing her attraction aside, Toph took her meteorite bracelet and with a bit of Earthbending, threw her bracelet at the orb, successfully shattering it. She returned the bracelet to her arm, and gave a nod of triumph.
"Could those Spirits really be planning something?" Nami said with a look of worry.
"It wouldn't surprise me if they were, Nami-ya." Law replied. "We're supposed to be entertaining the Spirits with this game, but we've done nothing for the past few days except sail."
"If all of us are bored, imagine what the Spirits are going through." Zoro said with a stern look, but that changed to a malicious grin. "I'm more than ready for whatever they dish out."
"Let's not hope that Spirits attack us, Zoro!" Usopp pleaded.
Robin silently imagined numerous Spirits sitting around a fancy table drinking tea with outstretched pinkies speaking and laughing loftily.
Luffy grinned mischievously. "I'm looking forward to fighting a Spirit! It won't be as boring then."
"Luffy!" Usopp had tears in his eyes at this point as he was begging his captain not to be excited about such dangerous things.
Chopper turned to Aang with a worried expression asking, "How bad can Spirits get?"
"Well, they can have various levels of strength…" Aang started, "and various levels of abilities. But I really think we should tread carefully here, Spirits can get really nasty if they want to, and we must also maintain a certain amount of respect for them."
"If we run into anymore Spirits, I'm not holding back." Zoro said, and he had a hand on one of his swords.
Usopp seemed to be the only one who understood what Aang was getting at.
"Aang, what exactly happens to people who disrespect these Spirits?"
"Well, they can sometimes spirit people away, or get really vicious when provoked or attacking in general."
"Humph, if we are attacked by any Spirits, I'm not holding back," Zoro said again. "They brought this on themselves, besides, I don't believe in those Spirits and their ridiculous curses. Any Spirit that we go up against is going to get a taste of my swords. I cut one before. What makes them think I won't do it again?"
Katara stared open-mouthed at Zoro, because his way of dealing with Spiritual matters would be considered quite blasphemous back home among the priests. Even Aang expressed some shock, and here he had been one to advocate not harming Spirits or Spirit animals for that matter, as there were often serious repercussions for doing so.
Perhaps it wouldn't be all bad, but then again, an angry Spirit could spite the land in this World, or would probably even do something back home that could potentially impact people for generations.
"I'm inclined to agree with Zoro-ya." Law said, in his ever-serious manner. "These Spirits were foolish enough to pull us into a game and not expect any repercussions for it. They can't go around thinking they can do what they want and get away with it. We're pirates, not saints. If you want to step around when the Spirits attack, feel free. But don't expect the rest of us to do the same."
Usopp seemed to be on the verge of some sort of emotional and mental breakdown, and he was mumbling, "I'm going to trust you, Aang. If we're not careful, those crazy idiots will get us all killed…"
The evening air carried a light breeze across the water, and everyone had settled down pretty much thanks to Sanji's cooking and drinks that he had prepared. Sleeping outside seemed to be the Straw Hats' new excursion at that moment, plus it felt better outside than it did in the sleeping quarters.
Aang lounged in a lawn chair as he sleepily watched Sokka, Luffy, Law, Usopp and Chopper talk about something which got Chopper to react in a frightened manner. The less-serious crew members laughed, and Chopper protested, only for them to laugh harder. Sokka reached over to pet the worried reindeer on the head, which only seemed to frustrate Chopper. Aang smiled, as it seemed his friends were having a good time, in spite of the circumstances.
The rocking of the boat and the combination of the sounds of the ocean and the ship's passengers slowly lulled Aang into a deep sleep.
Aang was running somewhere as quickly as he could. No… running wasn't right… he was land surfing. Aang looked down, and realized that he was wearing a Kyoshi warrior's uniform. Why was that? Where was he anyway? And where was he heading? Wherever it was, he felt the urgency to get there as soon as possible.
It was late evening; the sun was just peeking out over the horizon. A small, Earth Kingdom village soon came into view, but something wasn't right. It was on fire. Even though he was a distance away, Aang could see people trying to quell the fires, and he could hear panicked screams.
Aang rushed into the village, and began to pull water from whatever sources he had access to, and successfully put out the fires that were too much for the villagers to handle. He also used some Firebending to put out the smaller fires as well.
"Avatar!" one man said, a look of relief was on his face. Others smiled and cheered, "We're safe now!"
"Let's gather the wounded and put out any more fires, everyone!" the first man said, with a renewed vigor coursing through his shouts.
"Avatar!" a woman shouted, and she ran to Aang and grabbed his arm. "She has my daughter! I don't know how many people she has killed, but please…" tears ran down her cheeks, leaving clean streaks where dirt had been smudged.
"Where is she?" Aang asked, in an authoritative woman's voice. That voice… it was Avatar Kyoshi's! Aang felt right then that he deserved a smack across the head for not realizing that it was Avatar Kyoshi's memory he was experiencing.
The woman pointed towards the center of the village, and Kyoshi quickly made her way to the village square to confront the enemy.
A tall, slim woman with cat-like features stood near the fountain that marked the village square, and she held onto a crying girl by her ankle. The cat-woman smiled, as she squeezed the girl's leg hard enough to draw blood. Two tails poked out from under the robe the cat-woman was wearing, and her fierce eyes stared at Kyoshi as if daring her to make the first move.
"Let her go, Neko-Mi."Kyoshi said firmly, obviously not willing to take 'no' for an answer.
"Oh, my… the great Avatar Kyoshi graces us with her presence." Neko-Mi replied mockingly. "I'm just having a little fun… no harm in that is there?"
"You're endangering the lives of these villagers, and I know that a few have already died at the hands of your 'fun'. It has to stop now. Release the girl."
"My, my… so stingy…" Neko-Mi pouted, but she grinned. "You want the girl? Catch."
Neko-Mi threw the girl at Kyoshi, forcing her to draw her attention away from the Two-tailed cat Spirit. Kyoshi quickly began to Airbend in order to catch the girl, but Neko-Mi suddenly appeared from behind her, and slashed her in the back with her long claws. Kyoshi yelled out in pain and anger, and quickly focused her attention back onto the girl who she now had to catch with her arms.
Kyoshi successfully caught the girl, but once again, that left her open to another one of Neko-Mi's attacks. Kyoshi dodged by leaning back out of Neko-Mi's reach, but a single claw caught Kyoshi's cheek and drew blood. Kyoshi winced, but quickly responded with some Firebending that forced Neko-Mi to retreat, albeit a short distance away.
The girl was still crying, and Kyoshi could tell by the look of the girl's ankle it was broken. She wouldn't be going anywhere by herself. Kyoshi saw a few concerned villagers watching out of the corner of her eye, and she quickly called out, "Catch the girl! I'll take care of the Spirit!" Kyoshi Airbended the girl to the villagers who caught her, but once again, Neko-Mi took Kyoshi's distraction as another attempt to attack. Kyoshi dodged at the last minute, but her sleeve was ripped from her uniform as a result.
Neko-Mi smiled a cruel smile, and threw the sleeve to the ground. "Just let me have my fun, Avatar. Once the Solstice is over, I'll be on my way."
"Spirits shouldn't be attacking people just because they want to have a bit of fun," Kyoshi reasoned. "It disrupts the balance of things."
Neko-Mi gave another pout, "My, stingy, uptight, no-fun-at-all Avatar Kyoshi. You need to lighten up. Maybe the loss of a limb or your head will help?"
Neko-Mi suddenly disappeared from where she stood, and Kyoshi realized just how fast the Two-tailed Cat Spirit was. She quickly blocked an attack from above by making a rock shelter, and Kyoshi's eyes narrowed as the temporary shield cracked under the impact of Neko-Mi's attack. Kyoshi used the barrier as an offensive maneuver to try and attack from behind. Neko-Mi dodged gracefully, and scratched the ground in an attempt to blind Kyoshi.
It occurred to Kyoshi that Neko-Mi was a one trick dog-horse. She relied on her opponent's distractions in order to attack, but as a surprise would throw in a sudden attack or two when there was no distraction. Maybe she could work with that… Kyoshi also tried to recall what knowledge she had of Two-tailed Cat Spirits. She remembered reading somewhere that the central part of these Spirits' power lied in their tails.
Kyoshi dodged another attack, and began to formulate a plan. Neko-Mi directly confronted Kyoshi, and drew her hand back as if she was preparing to sink her claws into Kyoshi's face. Kyoshi went into a defensive position with her fans, but was surprised as she suddenly fell backwards from Neko-Mi wrapping her tails around Kyoshi's ankles and pulling her feet out from under her.
Kyoshi fell back, hitting her head on the cobblestone, which resulted in her surroundings spinning about along with a nauseous feeling. "AH!" Kyoshi yelled out, as Neko-Mi used her fingers as a sort knife to stab Kyoshi in the shoulder. In anger, Kyoshi Airbended Neko-Mi off of her, and wince at the pain in her shoulder.
Neko-Mi smiled, and licked the blood from her fingers.
In disgust, Kyoshi threw a few small boulders at her, which Neko-Mi easily dodged. Kyoshi started throwing more boulders at Neko-Mi, and the Spirit only laughed at the Avatar's frustration and feeble attempts at attacking her. It was then something happened that the Spirit did not prepare for.
As Neko-Mi landed behind Kyoshi to prepare for another attack, Kyoshi pulled the water from the fountain and froze her in place. Neko-Mi protested angrily, but was ignored. Kyoshi then quickly reached for one of Neko-Mi's tails, which were sticking out of the ice.
"Wait! What are you doing?!" Neko-Mi demanded, but was ignored. Acting quickly, Kyoshi used Earthbending to created two boulders that clamped down on Neko-Mi's tail, crushing it. She then completed the action by using a combination of her fans and Airbending to cut off the still exposed portion of Neko-Mi's tail.
Neko-Mi stared at the sky in wide-eyed shock as tears fell from her eyes due to her pain and anger. A look came over Neko-Mi as her Spiritual abilities were cut in half. She did not look as intimidating or strong any longer, and she collapsed to the ground as Kyoshi released her from the icy prison.
Neko-Mi gasped as she realized that she was fading away back into the Spirit World. She realized she was cut off from contacting the Human World, and she would never be able to come back. Her power had been taken away from her, and she had suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Avatar.
"You…" Neko-Mi growled, glaring at Kyoshi. "I will never forget this… I will crush you! I swear that I will make you pay for this and…"
Neko-Mi was cut off as she disappeared completely, and Kyoshi sighed heavily, relieved that it was over.
Aang woke up in a cold sweat, and he sat up looking around him. Everyone was fast asleep, and Aang sighed. He jumped when he heard a voice speak to him, and he turned and saw Avatar Kyoshi standing a few feet away.
*Hello, Aang .* Kyoshi greeted in her serious tone.
"Avatar Kyoshi?" Aang started, but he quickly remembered his manners and greeted her properly. "Hello, Avatar Kyoshi."
*I wanted to show you the face of your enemy. Kyoshi replied after she gave a slight bow as well. And, I wanted to apologize.*
"Apologize? For what?"
*For not handling Neko-Mi properly the first time… I was fairly young at that time, and did not handle situations as serious as that as decisively as I did later in life. I was in my early twenties when I went up against Neko-Mi, and had all but forgotten about her threat. I feel I have myself to blame for the situation you and your friends currently find yourselves in.*
"Well, I don't blame you," Aang replied in an attempt to comfort his past life. "Besides that was a Spirit you were dealing with and—"
Aang was cut off by Kyoshi's reponse.
*Aang, it is admirable that you wish to continue respecting the Spirits, but the ones that have teamed up with Neko-Mi are quite dangerous. I agree with these pirates that when you do face up against the Spirits that will most likely be appearing, you must not hold back. Killing them of course, would be a last resort.*
Aang's eyes widened. "But what about the balance between the Spirits and the Physical World? If we were to disrupt that in some way, who knows what could happen!"
*That's why killing them is a last resort. Aang, I fully understand the delicate balance between our two realms, but there are unfortunate times when drastic actions are needed, no matter what the consequences. It is in situations such as this that you must consider how your actions in the present will affect the future. It is here that you must be a guide for all involved in this fight.*
Aang looked at Kyoshi, heavily considering her words. "I understand…"
*Goodbye, Aang. And I must admit, these pirates are quite the interesting allies.*
Kyoshi disappeared into the night, leaving Aang to think about Neko-Mi and the other Spirits. Law had been right; Spirits were coming. Although now that he knew Neko-Mi was most likely behind Pukje's choosing them for his twisted game, not knowing what sort of allies Neko-Mi had with her made Aang slightly nervous. He had seen people go up against Spirits before, incredible warriors who could easily take down 100 enemies singlehandedly, only to be taken down by a single Spirit's wrath.
Another worried thought popped into Aang's head as he thought about his new friends going up against the more fearsome Spirits that were out there. Aang had heard that Zoro successfully cut and injured Cyprus, but that didn't make Aang's worry lessen. The Spirits were on the move, and Aang knew that they would likely be in a fight for their lives in the upcoming weeks.
Next chapter… New island! New island! The Straw Hats, Law and the Gaang meet up with some very nasty characters, get into a fight, and the Gaang realizes that just maybe dangerous Spirits aren't the only thing they should be worried about. Please look forward to it!
~TexasBean
