A/N: A few locations of the Spirit World make an appearance in this chapter, and a slight warning just in case…there are sexual implications, but nothing is described (too much). Oh, Kapri…why must you make me type in these warnings? The Pirates and the Gaang will show up next chapter – I promise!

And, thank you to all who read, follow, fave and review.


Chapter 22: Conversing with Sirens

**Countdown: Two Months, 15 days left**

Neko-Mi impatiently paced back and forth on the root she currently stood on in the Wood between the Worlds, and she chewed on a thumbnail. She had absentmindedly chewed down the thumbnail to such a point that it was now bloody, but still she didn't notice.

Where was she?

Neko-Mi was thinking of the Siren, Kapri. The job of ridding the World of the current Avatar and his bothersome companions should have been easy enough. Kapri had bragged often enough about how men were so easily attracted to her, and that entire ship was a vessel of men. Kapri should have returned by now proudly showing off her trophies of Pirates and the Avatar himself. Yes, he might have been young, but he was at an age where he certainly would be noticing women.

The other Spirits chatted amongst themselves, and many of them ignored her pacing, if they noticed at all. Neko-Mi sighed heavily, and it only seemed to make her all the more irritable. She then decided she would have to hunt down that bothersome Siren and find out what was going on. Unless…she recalled that one of the Pirates had successfully cut and permanently scarred Cyprus, but that couldn't have happened here, could it? Usually when a Spirit died, there was always some sort of evidence left behind, or at least someone like a member of the family or a representative showed up saying that a particular Spirit was now dead. Even something in the Spirit World was somehow affected by the death of a Spirit. Like the time that the bothersome Moon Spirit had been killed by that foolish Fire Nation soldier, the Spirit World had felt some sort of loss. Something in it had died; like a light, the Moon Flowers that were scattered across the Spirit World had wilted, only to come back to life again when Yue stepped up and forsook her mortal life for an immortal one.

So if Kapri was dead, something within the Spirit World would have represented her loss one way or another. But there was nothing. Neko-Mi was thinking about where to start her search, when a woman's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Excuse me, but are you the one who we give our bets to?"

Neko-Mi turned to see another Spirit; she was tall and thin, and looked like a sort of odd Skunk and Zebra hybrid. She wore a blindfold that had various black and white patterns sewn into it, with numerous tiny and unintelligible symbols intricately mixed into the pattern. Neko-Mi thought that she recognized the Spirit from somewhere, but couldn't place it.

"Yes…" Neko-Mi started, and the Skunk-Zebra Spirit smiled, and pulled out a Seal.

"This special Seal is what I wish to bid," and Neko-Mi reached out took the Seal, and it was only when she looked down to examine the Seal that she realized she was bleeding and a few drops of her blood had seeped into the Seal.

"Oh, that's quite alright." The Skunk-Zebra Spirit said, with a wave of her hand. "It makes some things easier, I suppose…with the Avatar making it home and all. I'm quite sure he'll make it, this game is quite interesting, you know. Anyway, these jewels as well are what I would like to bet."

Neko-Mi cocked an eyebrow, but tossed the items into the pile for the Spirits who were betting that the Avatar would make it home, and she had far too much on her mind to even care about how casually the Skunk-Zebra Spirit was being about the Seal possibly being ruined or anything else. Actions had to be taken and decisions needed to be made.

"Look, I have to be somewhere, so stick around and chat or whatever. I'm sure you'll find something interesting."

"Oh, I'm sure I will, and I'll be sure to see you later as well," and the Skunk-Zebra Spirit turned and left the Woods. Neko-Mi shook her head, because she was sure all of these other Spirits were fools for believing that the Avatar could make it back in time, and she left the Woods as well, and headed towards the Ocean where the three Siren Sisters lived.


Neko-Mi made her way to the palace by having to walk quite a long distance from the Wood between the Worlds, out of the forest, and through the fields that lead to the ocean. If the Spirit World had in fact had a concept of time, and the Spirits that resided within felt weariness, then Neko-Mi would have been walking for well over half a day and would have been exhausted. The primary thing she was irritated about in this situation was her having to go through the trouble of finding Kapri, not knowing what was going on with the Avatar, and why Kapri hadn't reported back.

Neko-Mi had to ride on a Nimbus across the ocean, and she stared down at the water in obvious revulsion. She didn't mind soaking her feet too much, but the vast emptiness of the ocean in the Spirit World made even her skin crawl. It was an odd blue color with red hues and had a deep purple color in the deeper areas of the ocean. Neko-Mi finally found the desired island located in the middle of the ocean. Sirenum Scopuli was more a maze of sparkling, jagged rocks that each of the sisters owned a part of. Neko-Mi had to walk along numerous twisting pathways to find the area of the oversized palace that housed the Sirens. Neko-Mi did not get along well with either of Kapri's sisters; Paestum and Sorrento. She preferred not having any contact with them whatsoever if she could help it.

Neko-Mi had had various disagreements with both of them in the past, and because neither of them liked her, Kapri associated herself with the former-two-tailed Cat Spirit in order to spite her sisters. Neko-Mi knocked on the door to Kapri's section of the palace, but there was no answer; there was not even a sound inside that indicated someone being home. Kapri usually had man servants to do any and all necessary tasks, and despised having women work for her, no matter what their Spiritual form was (as they could be prettier than her somehow). Neko-Mi sighed as she thought of the time Kapri threw a female Spirit out because the girl had longer eyelashes than she did or some ridiculous reason like that. Why couldn't Kapri have someone here to at least take messages for her or something?

"Ridiculous…" muttered Neko-Mi, and she made her way to the other sections of the palace where the other sisters lived to inquire about Kapri's whereabouts and hopefully not get killed.

Paestum was the eldest of the three, with long flowing locks of deep red hair coming down to her ankles. She used her thick locks to wrap around herself and she sat surrounded by men who were obviously from various points in the combined histories of the Worlds. Her fierce eyes glared at Neko-Mi and in a voice dripping with absolute distain for the former-two-tailed Spirit, "What makes you think I would know where my sister is? I am not the keeper of either of them. If they wish to leave the confines of the palace, then so be it. I do not know, nor do I care what they do. Both of them waste too much time doing pointless things, like collecting men and stealing the life and beauty of women. But alas, I am the most beautiful of all of us. No matter how much either of them tries; even if they laughably combined their efforts, neither could match me in wits or beauty. Now leave."

Sorrento was the youngest, with straight blue hair that was longer than she was tall, resembling a waterfall as it covered the right half of her face and poured out across whatever she sat on and onto the floor. She was straddling a rather large man, but it was more like she was posing. Sure enough across from her was a large full-length mirror, and she was eyeing herself in a discerning manner as if she was looking for a position that flattered her best.

A few more men surrounded her, and there were four women as well, but they wore iron masks that only revealed their eyes and mouths. Dried blood was evident around the crevices of the masks, and along the women's necks, showing that the masks somehow dug into their skin one way or another. There were chains around their necks and wrists, and they wore revealing clothing that somehow cut into them as well. They were in positions of bearing large fruit bowls and tables, and they obviously were having a difficult time with the weight and holding the uncomfortable positions for so long; but there was fear in their eyes. Evidently they had been punished many times judging by the scars and bruises that their clothing did nothing to hide. One of the girls fumbled with the weight of the large bowl she was holding, and the chopped fruit within the bowl tumbled to the floor and was obviously now inedible and unfit for consumption by the Siren.

The girl began trying to mouth words to form an apology and beg for forgiveness, but she didn't have a chance as Sorrento swung her foot around in a fierce kick to the mask that the girl wore. She fell back screaming, and blood pooled out of the mask.

"You stupid, pathetic, useless girl," Sorrento said in a voice that sent chills down the spines of the other girls. They nervously glanced at each other and then watched their fellow prisoner with pity. "If you continue screaming like that I'll rip out your tongue."

The girl continued to sob quietly, and Sorrento ordered her to clean up the mess. Upon seeing her unwelcome visitor, Sorrento narrowed her visible eye. "Woman, why are you here?"

Obvious distain for both the word and Neko-Mi leaked from Sorrento's tone.

"I know not where that wench is, nor do I care. She's the more foolish of my two sisters, and rarely do I pay my eldest sister a compliment. She never tells us of where she is going or where she has been, nor would I listen even if she attempted to tell me. If she wishes to go gallivanting about with the likes of you Spirits, then that is her own business. Of course, her intelligence matches that of the simpler Spirits, such as yourself, so I can at least understand why she would want associate herself with you. The likes of you Spirits make her feel rather intelligent. Now leave, or I will be forced to kill off one of these useless girls and have you as a replacement."

Neko-Mi left Sorrento's palace, feeling like that accomplished absolutely nothing. She mounted the Nimbus, wondering where else to look, when a guard who looked sort of like the coral that decorated the ocean floor said in a fierce whisper, "Excuse me, but I couldn't help but overhear; if you're looking for Siren Kapri, I heard that she was going to the Spirit's Bathhouse."

Neko-Mi only nodded, and headed that way, cursing the fact that she had to hunt for Kapri, had to be insulted by the likes of the Siren sisters, along with being threatened. She finally reached her destination, hoping that she wouldn't have to go any farther. The bathhouse building was large and red, surrounded by a moat of green water, and was one of the most luxurious of all destinations used by the Spirits for relaxation. Various Spirits from all corners of the Spirit World sat around chatting or walking along the streets taking in the sights.

She made a face as her nose easily picked up the smell of the various restaurants, spices, and perfumes that lingered in and around the bathhouse. Neko-Mi was almost to the point of gagging at the strong smells, but she suppressed the stomach-turning urges and went inside the Spirit's Bathhouse to find Kapri and to find out what was going on. She was able to track down a worker who begrudgingly guided Neko-Mi to a private room where Kapri was.

When Neko-Mi entered the room, the urge to gag became that much stronger. The various oils and bath salts used in the baths were sickly sweet to her sensitive nose. The room was filled with steam from the bath, and Kapri was currently soaking in the bath, with her thick hair pulled up, and she had a few of her man servants surrounding her. One was kissing and sucking on her left arm and along her neck, there was another who was serving her various fruits and sweets, and another sat in the bath with her with his body pressed up against hers. It was obvious by his erratic movements that Kapri was using him to pleasure herself, and Neko-Mi made a face at the sight.

There wasn't time to focus on that, and before Neko-Mi could even say a word, Kapri greeted her as if she hadn't spent a better part of her valuable time searching the Spirit World for the Siren.

"Neko-Mi! What a surprise this is! I thought that you hated, hated coming to the Spirit's bathhouse?"

"I do. Where were you? What happened with the Avatar?" Neko-Mi demanded.

"Oh, my, my…" Kapri blushed, although she tried to hide it. "They are chosen by the Spirits of Fate, Neko-Mi. They have stolen my love like a thief in the night. One man is a heart stealer, and he has taken my heart and has refused to give it back, quite adamantly."

"What are you talking about?!" Neko-Mi demanded, her confusion and frustration was evident in her voice.

"Look at this man, he gave himself to me so willingly," Kapri said, and she held the chin of the man who was currently in the bath with her. "I got him on some faraway island, and he had a strange, strange ability with his hair; he could pull it out and tangle people up. But he can't, can't do it anymore and I don't understand why. But that doesn't really matter, does it, I suppose. And this one," she drew her attention to the one who was serving her the fruits and sweets, "he had sticky, sticky stuff that came from his hands, but he no longer does that trick either…but again, no matter. I have him, and my sisters don't."

Kapri eyed Neko-Mi once again, and shrugged. "A Siren is no match for a King who desires to rule the Ocean and wants nothing but his freedom, Neko-Mi. A Demon serves under that future King; along with a King of Souls, a descendant of one of the Tengu as well, and many others and they ride a Lion of 1,000 Suns. Their stories are great and are many, they would amaze you."

"What…"

"Cyprus was guided in his choice, for Fate had her eyes on the Avatar and on the Pirates long before the troublemaker stepped in. If you wish, you should stick around and hear the Tales of the Pirates that I am going to share with the Spirits here."

Neko-Mi was now glaring at Kapri, her mind finally registering what Kapri was saying. "You fell in love with them?! How is that possible?!"

Kapri did not try to hide her blush this time, and smiled, "They rejected me in such a lovely fashion, and the future King is man of great and powerful Will! I realize how much I must improve in order to make myself better for them and only them! They are of Kings, Demons, and Dragons! Their adventures are unlike anything I have ever heard! The Spirits will speak of their Tales for centuries to come."

"So you did absolutely nothing to them!"

Kapri finally stood, and smiled her smile, and with a voice of distain, said, "Go ahead and try your luck in defeating them, Neko-Mi. But from here on out, do not associate yourself with me, for my love is stronger than my need to spite my sisters by my allying myself with the likes of you."

She settled back into the water, and with a wave of her hand, the man in the bath with her went back to pleasuring her, and the one on her left went back to sucking and kissing her neck. She briefly smiled a smile of enjoyment, before eyeing Neko-Mi and waved her off saying, "You may leave. Please, please do not force me to make my men escort you out."

When Kapri said "escort", that usually meant that the largest and strongest of her men would force her to leave, even if it meant breaking something. Neko-Mi glared at Kapri one last time, and said, "You traitorous – "

"Unh, unh, unh," Kapri wiggled a finger. "I said that I would pursue the Pirates and the Avatar, simply because it was for my own gain. Not once did I ever, ever say I was on your side. You may leave."

Neko-Mi did just that, furious that Kapri had not done anything to make the Avatar stall long enough that he would run out of time or even suffer. He should have been dead, and added to her collection of men. What was with that ridiculous story of Kings, Demons, and Dragons? How in all of the Worlds had the Spirits of Fate had anything to do with the selection of guides for the Avatar? It should have been completely random! This was ridiculous! Neko-Mi reached her Nimbus cloud, and spit on the ground in disgust.

If things went well, she would not see Kapri again, if she did…Neko-Mi wanted to scratch her eyes out. But it seemed she would not get that chance as Kapri had decided to longer associate herself with her.

"Pathetic, stupid, Siren." Neko-Mi went back to the Wood between the Worlds to find the next Spirit which she hoped would not come back in love, but rather victorious in bringing down a small group of what should be nothing more than simple Pirates. Cyprus was not a fighter, or at least not a very good one; he was simply a Gate Keeper. While he served as a Guard for the Wood between the Worlds, his abilities were better served with the Woods itself. That was where his abilities flourished. When this whole game had started, he simply went out on his own because he did not trust his Fish to find decent guides for the Avatar, as they were simply mindless creatures that embodied a mystical object, and they often needed a guide present at all times to tell them what to do.

Seriously, what could those foolish Pirates actually be capable of?


A/N: Oh, Neko-Mi if only you knew…and Kapri, well…yeah. I took a quite a few liberties with the Sirens and imagine them being unnaturally beautiful and erotic creatures.

And if you caught the subtle and not so subtle references here in this chapter…Brownie Points for you! This was something of a filler/slight progression of future events chapter, simply because I needed a little break to think things through.

Next Time: All the Bear Spirit wanted was his chance to pursue the Avatar, and even collect a prize if given the chance, but things don't really go as planned when the Chef and the Swordsman won't go along with his plan.