Sakura was fourteen years old when she was promoted to be a field medic. She couldn't believe her ears especially when the news came from Ozai himself. It was late into the night on a full moon as they were sparing. Puberty hit her when she was thirteen years old. Her waistline had trimmed, her hips flared outwards, her legs had grown longer, she was taller and her chest was developing too. It seemed she wasn't the only one who noticed her growth spurt. A lot of eyes trailed after her as she walked in the markets. Yun noticed and had asked her out for lunch. She refused saying she had a lot of responsibilities at the palace. She couldn't afford being in a relationship at the moment, not to mention she would be leading him on if she accepted.
Ozai had taken note as well and he wasn't subtle about it when his eyes stared too long at her exposed midriff among other body parts he found fascinating. She called him out numerous times for being such a closet pervert but her words fell to deaf ears. Seriously, she couldn't understand why an organ would interest someone except maybe when studying its anatomy.
"You what?" she asked as her hands dropped to her sides in disbelief. "I don't think I ought to repeat myself. You heard me clearly the first time," the man was obviously annoyed. "Why? I'm not yet good enough for combat and I haven't received formal education-" "I believe you're a good enough fighter. You have taken to punching the air, creating shockwaves giving an illusion of airbending. By punching the ground, you appear to be an earthbender. Having been trained by the Fire Lord himself, one would be blind to see how much of a capable fighter you are," he told her. The words were strangely comforting and a small part of Sakura preened a little at the praise.
"You will be going to school soon to receive formal education. Though with the amount of books that you have devoured in the past four years, there isn't anything new that they can teach you. But you do need the experience," he stated wisely. Wow, that was very considerate and mature. "I...thank you. I appreciate it, really," she spoke honestly. Ozai chuckled deeply, the sound reverberating in her being. "You really do wear your heart on your sleeve," he commented as he patted her hair.
Sakura hated her new job more than she had ever hated Ozai. Her boss was so...urgh! He was the most infuriating man she had ever seen, even Ozai was better than him. He talked as if he was God himself, even though his breath smelled like stale fish whenever he moved close to her to whisper new orders in her ears. He could instruct when he was standing at least ten metres away from her!
General Zhao was almost Ozai's age, in his mid-forties yet his personality was rotten. It wasn't about how he talked or walked or interacted with anyone. It was about... everything! Not to mention, he seemed to have a particular dislike towards Zuko. She pondered on asking the Fire Lord to relocate her to another ship at their next session but thought better of it. He was obviously challenging her, to see if she would survive in a world filled with Zhaos. Well, he was in for a surprise.
"You called for me?" she spoke as she stood in front of the man who had been ruining her happiness for six months in a row. She had discarded her royal robes for an attire more fitting for a combat medic. She wore a deep red qipao dress which ended a little below midthigh with black tights inside which peeked underneath the skirt of her dress. A golden sash was tied around her waist and into a bow at her back. Metal arm guards braced her forearms and a golden arm band she had (unwittingly) received from Ozai on her fourteenth birthday. She had refused to acknowledge it as the one he wore during their matches when she saw him missing an arm band during their next session.
Black boots just below her knees finished off her attire which were open toed. She refused to wear pointy shoes and had asked the tailor to change the design to her liking. Her hair was long, reaching midback and she tied it into a high ponytail with pink bangs on either sides of her face. Baby fat was on its way of disappearing from her face.
"Yes, I need you to heal me. I had an unlikely encounter with the banished prince and an Agni Kai which left my honor wounded but no more than his," he replied as he moved from behind his desk and made his way over to her. Sakura's heart rate sped up at the mention of Zuko, she hadn't heard from him in three years. She forced herself to remain neutral as she took a stool and gestured for the man to sit on it. He took off his robe and made himself comfortable on the chair. Having been accustomed to seeing Ozai bare-chested for almost two years continuously, she was no freshman to this. Not to mention the countless soldiers she had healed at the infirmary and on this ship.
"How is General Iroh? He usually travels with the prince," she stated as she began to heal the burn on his neck. "Same old fool, just like his nephew. The boy never seems to know when to speak. His temper is like that of goatbull, easily provoked whenever he sees a red cloth," the man said flippantly. Sakura hummed in agreement as she moved onto his torso, watching the battle-hardened muscles ripple under her touch.
"You know," Zhao said after a moment of silence. Sakura looked up from her work, finishing the last of his injuries from her kneeling position in front of him. "You are a very beautiful young lady on the brink of womanhood. I'm sure you're wondering how certain things work in a woman's body. As a medic, you understand what I'm saying, don't you?" he spoke as he held her chin, fingers briefly brushing over her low lips. "I can assist you to get to know your body better, more than what any medical scroll can tell you. Just let me do what I must and you won't regret it."
Somehow, they were standing up and Zhao had placed his hand on the small of her back whilst another tucked her hair behind her ear. A flare of anger erupted within Sakura and she was sure she was about to punch him all the way into next week but refrained herself. "Unfortunately General, I cannot accept your offer. I came here as a combat medic, not a student. If I require lessons of any kind, I will ask my guardian to make arrangements with a certified teacher in the specific department as I am still a minor. Thank you for the offer though," she said as she turned her face away and moved away from him, relinquishing his hold from her.
She was about to reach the door but the man was persistent as he grabbed her shoulder forcefully to turn her back. Sakura was quick to grab a hold of his hand and twist it behind him with more force as she turned around to face him. Adding Chi to her hand, she shoved him a little bit but the force of it sent him flying to his desk.
"General Zhao," she spoke, her voice clear and hard as she allowed a blank expression to mar her features. "I can do a lot more than that, both as a fighter and a medic. I suggest you keep yours hands to yourself and not try to force yourself upon me or any other female as a matter of fact otherwise I'm releasing a formal complaint to the Fire Lord and suing you for sexual assault and pedophilia."
The medic didn't turn back as she exited his room and slammed the metal door in anger. To think he would stoop so low to that extent...
She was at the Fire Nation when news of the Avatar's capture by Zhao reached her ears. She cursed her luck that the one time she took time was off, she missed an encounter with the Avatar. He had been rescued by an unknown person wearing a blue dragon mask with dao swords. A small part of her was happy because she knew the Avatar would die if he had stayed with Zhao. The century-old man needed to be alive for Zuko to regain his honor. She was sure that if she had been present, she would have let him out.
Sakura Haruno was born in the Fire Nation. She was raised in an orphanage until she ran away at five years old. She stayed in the streets for well over a year before Makumi adopted her. Being raised by the library in the Fire Nation, Sakura viewed the Avatar as an enemy of the Fire Nation. Why? Because he did not consider the interests of the Fire Nation as the rest of the nations. As such, Fire Lord Sozin conquered the whole world because the Avatar wasn't fair. That was how she brought up, how she was bred, even though she saw no need for colonizing the whole world when a hundred years had passed.
And so when she was told that they were going to conquer the Northern Water Tribes and capture the Avatar, she was more than overjoyed. Her happiness wasn't at conquering, no, just a tiny miniscule amount of pride as a citizen of the Fire Nation. But mostly, it was because she wanted to fight against waterbenders and if possible, the Avatar himself. She could imagine the look of disbelief on his face when she punched the air creating an illusion of airbending.
He was probably wise and old from hiding for hundred years. He was a coward of an Avatar to be honest, running away from his duties when the world needed him the most. Though she was Fire Nation by heart, but even she could reason enough to see that the war was pointless. She was just going with flow. But when the opportunity arose that she could somehow put an end to this war whilst respecting the interests of her nation, she was more than willing to take it.
General Zhao instructed her to stay by his side during the invasion. He told her that their mission, the two of them specifically, was to kill the special koi fish at the Spirit Oasis found at the Northern Water Tribe to weaken the waterbenders. As such, she was to stay close to him. As they neared their destination, Sakura wondered if following Zhao was correct, according to her standards at least. Growing in the library, the fourteen year old held a great fascination for spirits. And if it was indeed true that the koi fish at the Spirit Oasis held that much power over the waterbenders, wouldn't it tip the balance of the world?
It was nighttime during a full moon when their ships arrived at the ice city. Sakura thought it was stupid for them to attack the waterbenders on a full moon considering that the waterbenders found strength from the said celestial body, maybe their strategist was not privy to such basic information. The medic discarded her usual attire in favour of the standard armour for Fire Nation soldiers. The only thing that was missing was the helmet. There was no way in hell that she was wearing that ugly headpiece. It would be spitting on her fashion statement, totally unelegant. She tied her hair into a bun atop of her head and wore a dragon mask.
"Soldiers! Today, we conquer the Northern Water Tribe! In honor of serving Fire Lord Ozai! In honor of the supreme reign of the Fire Nation! Our nation shall prosper!" General Zhao shouted as he addressed the warriors. "We'll show them who we are! We'll show not to mess with us! They shall adhere and bent to our rules! Let the flames of our passion melt their ice! Charge!"
The soldiers let out various war cries as they rushed out the ship into the snow-covered land. Sakura let out her famous 'Shannaro!' punchline as she followed suit. The words that Zhao had said didn't sit quite right with her but she would ponder them later. Right now, she had a certain tribe to conquer.
Sorry for any grammatical errors. Don't forget to leave a review.
Tozoonana
AfricanFire
