Part 8
Survival
"No!" Zhao growled.
"Sir," One of his men said. "there is no way she survived that jump."
Zhao looked down at the dangerous waters, his instincts telling him otherwise. "She's alive." He said softly. "I know it." He turned to his men. "Follow the flow of that water!" He ordered, turning to go. "And bring me that traitor!"
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Iroh watched his nephew with something very close to concern. It wasn't as though Zuko was fire bending badly, but he was bending with a fierce coldness he had never seen before. He winced in sympathy as Zuko leg swept one of his opponents and slammed the other onto the hard metal deck. Hearing whatever Aunt Wu told him had changed his nephew. He had been doing nothing, but bending and training more than usual. His search for the Avatar had increased, running the men ragged with ordered searches.
Iroh could see the obsession with his nephew's search for the Avatar begin to consume him and he was not going to let that happen.
"Very good concentration nephew." Iroh said, shivering as the cold wind blew against his neck. He pulled the blanket he had over his shoulders tighter "Perhaps we say this lesson's at it's end?"
Zuko glared over at his uncle. "No!" He growled. "I'm ready for the next set."
Iroh sighed to himself. "Prince Zuko," He said patiently yet firmly. "Your men are tired and a storm is approaching." Iroh looked up at the darkened sky. "It's time to give your men rest." He poured himself a cup of Jasmine tea. "A good rest can renew your mind, body and spirit."
Zuko stared at his uncle's serious expression for a long moment before looking at the men who littered the ships deck, groaning in pain. He sighed steam through his nose. "Fine." He muttered. He waved his hand in dismissal and made his way over toward his uncle.
Iroh nodded in approval as Zuko settled down next in front of his uncle. "Your bending has improved nephew." Iroh complimented. "But I must tell you Prince Zuko, I don't want your bending to consume you. A man obsessed is surely to be burned."
Zuko didn't bother to respond, merely stared blankly at his uncle. Iroh took his time to really look at his nephew. The constant frown line had deepened. The dark circles under his eyes had darkened considerably. He knew his nephew wasn't resting. "Are you still having dreams nephew?"
"No." Zuko lied. "And I'm not obsessed with bending." He had been having dreams. Terrible dreams of not being able to return home because of his own traitorous actions.
Iroh sighed heavily and handed his nephew a steaming cup of jasmine. "Drink this nephew, it's good for the spirit."
Zuko sighed and snatched the drink from his uncle's hand. He quickly downed the ho drink, gasping as the liquid burned it's way down his throat "What is this?" He asked softly.
Iroh grinned. "Jasmin tea and fire water. Good for the chi." Iroh stood up and stretched. He breathed in deeply. the storm is getting closer. "Let us take this rest inside."
Zuko sighed and stood up. His eyes widened as he suddenly reached for his head with a groan. "Uncle?" He rasped.
"Prince Zuko?" Iroh stepped forward, pausing when his nephew held his hand up to stop him.
Zuko placed his head in his hands. "My head is….killing me. That buzzing!" He groaned. He glanced up at his uncle with a deep frown. "You don't hear that buzzing?" He hissed.
Iroh tilted his head. "I hear nothing." He answered. He hadn't made the fire water that strong had he? He tilted his head as another possibility came to light. He leaned down and placed a concerning hand on his nephew's shoulder. "Zuko, you must relax or the buzzing will get worse." Iroh instructed.
Zuko greeted his teeth and breathed in deeply. It let it out slowly, dark steam billowing from his nose as he did. "You know what this is?" He asked.
The sky roared and opened up. Rain began to pour on both of them.
"I have an idea." Iroh answered with a serious expression. He squeezed his nephew's shoulder. "Relax Prince Zuko. A relaxed stance will help the painful buzzing fade."
Zuko slowly sat up and placed his hands onto his knees. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, shivering as the ran and wind began to increase. The buzzing increased.
"Uncle…I…can't…"
Iroh reached out and placed his hand on his nephew's shoulder. "It is alright Zuko." He said. "Let us hurry inside away from this terrible storm." The ship rocked dangerously to the left and Iroh glanced up as the warning horn was sounded. He glanced up at the helmsman who began to scream.
"There's something in the water!" Another soldier shouted.
Iroh glanced over the side of the ship and his eyes widened as he stared at the glowing water. "Oh Spirits." He whispered as the brightness of the light began to increase in size.
"Ughhhh!" Zuko groaned as the buzzing heightened to excruciating heights.
Iroh glanced his nephew with wide eyes then turned back to the object in the water. He moved closer as the glowing began to dim until it was gone. He gasped in surprise as the object in the water was revealed to be that of an unconscious person. "Lower the anchor!" He ordered. He glanced at Zuko who seemed to be slowly coming out of his haze of pain.
Zuko shivered as he slowly came back to himself.
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"Draw strength from the sea sister. It shall protect you."
She was floating in a sea of warmth. The pure terror she had felt was gone and in its place was a safety and warmth she hadn't felt in years.
"Draw strength from the moon my child, it shall protect you."
"Let go." Both voices whispered.
Katara did as the trustful voices told her to. She closed her eyes and let the water's waves take her away.
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Pain. It's the first thing Ryu felt when he opened his eyes. An all encompassing pain blooming deep inside his whole body. His arms hung in the air, his wrist were in shackles as were his legs, extending his body in a distinctive X. He tried to blink and groaned from the pain that bloomed on the side of his face.
"Ah," a familiar mocking voice said. "the traitor awakes."
He slowly lifted his head, his good eye barely making out the form of Zhao. He tried to move, but cried out at the burning pain that spread through his body. He couldn't bend he realized with a slight panic.
Zhao grinned down at his captive. "Lotus bulb elixir. It can block one's chi when given in extremely high doses. Prohibits bending." He gently touched one of the spikes of the shackles around Ryu's wrists. "The cold shackles are just extra precaution. Of course, you can never be too careful with a strong bender such as yourself."
Cold shackles, of course. That was where the numbness in his arms and legs came from. He had thought cold shackles were a myth, hearing the stories of captured Fire Nation soldiers bound by them and thrown in the darkest Earth Kingdom prisons. He shivered, his teeth chattering loudly in the quiet dungeon of the large Fire Nation ship.
Zhao amused expression changed to anger. "Look at you." He said. "Pathetic. A waste. You could've been a fire sage. You could've served this great nation with honor and duty, but instead you choose to be filth. You choose to be a traitor to your nation. Just like your spineless father!"
Ryu blinked his good eye in surprise. Of course he knew Zhao would get information on his past, but he didn't expect him to find out that.
Zhao chuckled as he leaned down. "Oh yes," He said. "I know who your father is. A traitorous-" he stopped speaking as he was cutoff by Ryu's sudden bark of laughter. Zhao frowned.
Ryu continued to laugh, even though his face protested in pain, he continued. "I'm sorry." He said still laughing. "It's just- do you ever shut up?" He continued the loud laughter. "You're worse than a chattering hog monkey."
Zhao growled and swung his fist hard into Ryu's face. "Joke all you want traitor. I will find my water bender and you, well we're going to the city of Taku where you're going to be facing a very public execution." He turned to go shouting orders as he went.
Ryu's head slowly lowered. He failed in saving his own life. He only hoped Katara was safe on her journey. "May the spirits protect her." He whispered to himself. Because right now, he wasn't able to.
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Zuko closely followed his uncle as he carried the unconscious shivering girl to his quarters. "Uncle?" He started. "Uncle, what are you doing?"
"We have to increase her body temperature." He gently laid her on his bed.
Zuko stood frozen in the doorway. "We?" He asked. "Uncle-"
"Zuko!" Iroh barked impatiently. He grabbed a robe that hung next to the bed and reached for the young girl's clothing. "I have to remove this wet clothing or she'll freeze." He reached down and untied her tunic."
Still shocked by his uncle's tone, Zuko turned, his cheeks reddening in embarrassment.
"Zuko, help me." Iroh instructed.
Zuko turned, relieved to see that his uncle had covered the girl in one of his robes. He would be amused by the way she was nearly drowning in the fabric, but he was too panicked by the situation. "What do I do?" He asked, hesitantly.
"Grab her arm." Iroh instructed. "We're going to increase her temperature using our chi."
Zuko's eyes widened even more. That was such an advanced technique. He didn't know he could do such a thing without completely burning her. "Uncle-I can't.." He trailed off as he glanced at his uncle, who was staring at the girl's arm tattoos with profound fascination. "Uncle!"
Uncle blinked out of his stupor and he glanced at his nephew. He swallowed and shook his head. "Okay. Zuko, you can do this. Just remember breath control." Iroh closed his eyes and breathed in deep. "Feel your chi." He instructed quietly. "Feel it's strength. It's light." He moved his hands up and down the young girl's arms.
Zuko frowned as he grabbed the girl's other arm. "Uncle," He said hesitantly. "I can't."
Iroh didn't respond as he was too busy concentrating on the duty at hand.
Zuko watched his uncle for a long moment before following his movements. Closing his eyes and breathing in deeply. He could feel his chi, hot and burning bright. He breathed in deeply again and moved his hands up and down the peasant's arm. Why was his uncle making him do this? He knew his uncle could do this on his own. He didn't have time for this! He had- his thoughts suddenly stuttered to a halt as he felt an unfamiliar energy wind itself around his chi. Suddenly, his tense muscles loosened and he let the breath he'd been holding.
"Give into the binding." A voice whispered urgently. "Give into it."
Zuko sighed and the energy tightened it's hold on his chi. He felt so relaxed. So sure. All of his worries and fears suddenly disappearing in a span of a moment. He felt as though he could do anything. Mainly giving up this tiring journey of hunting the Avatar's ghost. His eyes suddenly flashed open. "No!" he whispered harshly. What was he thinking? He had a destiny to fulfill. A mission to complete. He opened his eyes and looked down at the girl, who had steam rising from her form. She had stopped shivering he noted. He glanced up at his uncle who was watching him with a solemn expression. He glanced back down at the now sleeping girl, frowning as he recognized her as the slave from Zhao's ship. His expression suddenly darkened and he glared at his uncle, suddenly angry. "A slave." He spat. "We're dropping her off at the next Fire Nation port."
Iroh could only watch, speechless as his nephew exited his quarters, slamming the door closed. He glanced down at the unconscious girl. "Oh spirits." He whispered.
TBC