Inner Strength

Chapter 15

Author's Note: So, I'm thinking I can wrap up season 1 in about three to four more chapters after this one, but seasons 2 and 3 will be much longer and will divert from the canon more. As for this chapter, it effectively covers half of the Waterbending Master, which tbh, was an episode I didn't like. I felt that the entire addition of Pakku's sexism was pointless other than to reinforce the 'gurrl power' theme that was so prevalent in season 1. It didn't need to be addressed, as three of the strongest characters in the entire series were girls, so it felt stupid and pointless to me, but whatever. Don't be surprised if you detect some derisiveness in the narration of that part, as I almost exaggerate it to make it even worse, almost parodying what I considered a pointless addition to the storyline.

Regardless, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

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Suki started to move behind him, but he caught the girl with his hand before she got too far. "Not yet," he whispered. They couldn't move just yet; there would still be people watching the others depart. When the gate began closing he started forward. "Now," he ordered the girl, dashing into the ship just as it was closing completely.

Immediately upon entering he stopped, and pushed Suki and himself flat against the back wall, looking for any signs of trouble. The only other person he could see on their floor was walking away, and as soon as he turned near the end of the hallway, Zuko relaxed and let his companion go free. "You know what to do, right?" Zuko asked her.

Suki nodded. "One floor up, second left turn, first right, and then the third door on the left," she recited. Zuko nodded, satisfied that she had memorized the track correctly. He just hoped he had remembered standard warship layouts correctly.

"Wait for the signal, then move quickly," he commanded. "Meet up at our spot; I'll give you plenty of time to get away." He started down the hall, but stopped short when Suki spoke again.

"Be careful." Zuko smiled to himself behind his mask; it was nice to have an ally.

"You too." He took off down the hall, stepping lightly as he sprinted to catch up with the commander, hoping to take the man by surprise.

"What the-?!" the man yelled as Zuko approached him, but he was cut short as Zuko slammed him into the wall, knocking him out cold. That should get some attention, he thought to himself as he continued on his path. No one else seemed to have noticed, unfortunately, so Zuko knew he would need to do something a bit more conspicuous. As he continued heading for the deck, he came across a group of soldiers chatting as they walked his direction.

They quickly drew their weapons at the sight of him, but Zuko didn't slow. Still sprinting, he drew his swords and dashed in among the three soldiers, his blades spinning and slicing as he avoided taking hits. Zuko spun after disarming one of the men, and was greeted with the sight of a large ball of fire headed in his direction. His eyes widened and the firebender laid flat against the ground, the flames flying mere inches over his face.

They crashed into the wall behind him with a huge impact, and the noise reverberated throughout the ship. Zuko smirked. Now they knew he was here. He stood back up, apparently surprising the soldiers, and attacked again, swiftly taking them out. "Hey!" The new voice came from behind him, but Zuko ignored it as he pressed forward. "Get him!" Doors began opening ahead of the firebender as he ran down the hall, the confused soldiers merely blinking in shock as he ran past, though the increasing number of footsteps behind him told the prince that the soldiers were quick to pick up on the situation.

"Everyone to the deck!" Someone yelled, Zuko couldn't even be sure where the voice was coming from, but he knew he was nearly to his destination. "He's heading outside!" Zuko took one last turn and came up to the door he knew would let him out onto the deck. He burst through the door and did his best to scan the area as he immediately began attacking the surprised soldiers waiting there. He quickly took out two of them and turned. There were three more already on the deck, and more and more soldiers were quickly filing out of the door, still hot on his tail.

It seemed as though the entire ship was there, ready to face down the firebender. Perfect. Zuko knew he would be surrounded quickly, but he wasn't terribly worried about that. The catapult was already loaded, but hadn't yet been aimed. Unfortunately, the oil covered ammo had not yet been lit, so it wouldn't quite do the damage Zuko needed it to just yet. He turned his attention back to the soldiers cautiously taking position around him and analyzed. Most of them carried weapons, so Zuko assumed those ones were non-benders. There were three near the middle, however, that were taking some familiar bending stances.

Zuko turned and climbed onto the catapult, alarming the soldiers surrounding him. One of the three benders struck forward, launching flames at him, and the battle ensued. Zuko dodged the blast, jumping back off the catapult and checking to see if his plan had worked. The oil had been lit by the missed attack and Zuko smirked.

His mental celebration was cut short when one of the soldier's spears shot into his view, and he barely managed to step back in time to avoid it. Luckily most of the men were wielding the same wooden weapons, and Zuko was able to slash through the handles with ease as he dipped and dodged through the barrage of spearheads coming at him.

Still more soldiers were pouring onto the deck, though it seemed to be slowing a bit. In total, Zuko was pretty sure the number was above twenty, which was far too many for him to take on his own. Knowing Suki would likely need more time, the firebender separated himself from the soldiers and took a deep breath, preparing to go completely on the defensive. He needed to fire the catapult before the soldiers could get it aimed, and he wanted to do it while it would still hit the ship, ensuring at least one less warship would be part of the invasion on the North Pole.

A soldier dashed at him and Zuko ducked under the man's weapon, spinning away from a second soldier's attempted follow up. He quickly swerved his way to the catapult and cut the rope, sending the projectile hurtling into the main tower of the ship. The resulting explosion was deafening, and the ship begun to shake violently with the impact. Most of the soldiers lost their balance, but Zuko was quickly on his feet and ready to move.

He looked for an exit, but the only option would be going over the side of the ship. He turned to take said opportunity, and that's when he saw it.

There was a second ship.

Even worse, they were already turning their catapult into position. Zuko would need to hit it immediately if he wanted to do the same damage to the second vessel, but he was too far away to cut the rope and fire the weapon. A whizzing sound caught his ear and Zuko ducked, just under some projectile that came from his left. He turned toward the source and quickly disarmed a man running at him with a sword. A hard hit to the man's helmet sent him crumpling to the ground, but Zuko noticed that the other soldiers were already recovering.

He looked to his right and saw a glint coming off of the side of the catapult. Stuck in the wood was the weapon that had been thrown at him. A dagger. Zuko grabbed it, feeling its weight and thinking back to his old childhood crush. Mai had only been half his size when he had last seen her, but the girl could throw daggers with great precision over long distances. Zuko was far stronger than Mai, so he figured there was a shot he could get the dagger to clear the distance between the two boats.

Taking aim for the rope below the catapult and sending out a prayer to the spirits, Zuko released the dagger, flinging it with all his might at the other ship some hundred yards away. The weapon shined as it flew through the air, reflecting the light from the sunrise as it hurtled toward its target.

And then it dropped, landing harmlessly in the water below. That… was terrible, Zuko thought to himself, but he didn't have a lot of time to ponder his lack of skill at throwing daggers, as he was once again being engaged by the men that were occupying the deck with him. He had disarmed most of the men wielding weapons throughout the course of the fight, and the rest of them had either dropped their weapon during the explosion or were merely standing back, having learned that their enemy was far more adept at close combat than themselves.

That left the benders, of which there were now seven in total. Zuko knew that the average Fire Nation soldier wasn't a very talented bender, but seven of them would be a significant threat, especially if he was fighting without the use of his own bending abilities. He used his swords to deflect the blows as the men fired at him from a distance. The seven man barrage was tough to hold off, and while the firebender was managing, he had no way of advancing on his enemies.

A particularly large strike barreled toward the firebender, but he was distracted with the previous strikes, and didn't notice until the last second. He slashed at the flames, but, knowing he wouldn't get his sword across in time, relied instead on his uncle's technique, and turned the flame away from him just in time. He let out a sigh of relief, but quickly had to turn his attention back to the fight once again.

A new idea forming in his head, Zuko backed up, away from the soldiers and toward the edge of the ship, closer to the second vessel and out toward the ocean below. He continued deflecting and dodging blasts as he maneuvered backwards, but once he was close enough to the edge he held fast, waiting for the right strike. It finally came in the form of a two-man fireball, fired slow and high at the prince's face. He side stepped the burst and turned on his heel, spinning and throwing all of his weight into a swing of his sword. He caught the flames one the blade and, using his own bending, propelled the blast forward. He watched as it shot across the gap between the two ships, crashing into the massive catapult that was armed and aiming on the other.

The weapon fired into the air, and Zuko hoped he had set it off before they had finished turning, but didn't dwell on it long. He couldn't do anything else. Realizing his job was done, Zuko ran toward the edge of the ship, hoping the water below would be deep enough to cushion his fall. He sheathed his swords and jumped, but just as he reached the highest point of his flight, a blast of fire caught his left shoulder.

Zuko grabbed his arm as he fell, landing hard into the cold ocean water below.

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"Wow, that was a short training session," Sokka remarked as his sister grumpily entered their icy room. The warrior was pulling on his boots as he prepared to leave, having got up later than his sister and Aang.

"That's because I didn't get to stay," Katara replied bitterly, plopping gracelessly onto her bed. "Pakku won't teach me because women are 'forbidden' from learning waterbending," she elaborated.

"That's weird," Sokka remarked, apparently oblivious to his sister's obvious infuriation. "Seems like a waste of some perfectly good waterbenders."

"The women learn to heal," Katara told him.

"Ah, that makes sense," Sokka replied, angering his sister even more. "Smart system," he remarked.

"How is that system 'smart'?" Katara asked, standing as she glared holes in her brother's back.

"Well, men are better suited for fighting then women, and women are better healers," Sokka replied nonchalantly.

"I thought Suki beat that notion out of you on Kyoshi," Katara mumbled.

"That's different," Sokka claimed. "She fought with precision and finesse, not power. Real fighting takes strength, and I'm sure I could beat her now," Sokka assured. He turned to smile at his sister, but was met with a face-full of freezing cold water.

"You're hopeless," Katara stated, shaking her head as she left their temporary residence.

"Hey!" Sokka yelled. "Where are you going?"

"The only place I can go," Katara called back. "I'm gonna go learn to heal," she added reluctantly.

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The sun was just beginning to rise as Hasook emerged from his tent, yawning and stretching as he took in the beautiful sight reflecting off of the calm ocean water before him. The calm before the storm, he thought to himself, knowing that it was the day they planned to launch a surprise attack on the Fire Nation's invasion force.

BOOM!

The serenity of the morning was interrupted by the sound of a massive explosion coming from the west. Hasook's eyes widened as he followed the sound to a large column of smoke rising ominously in the distance. "Sir," a man called from in front of him, though he couldn't tear his eyes away from the clouds of ash slowly overtaking the cloudless morning sky. "What was that?"

"I don't know," Hasook responded, vaguely recalling his conversation with the scarred boy the night before. The Fire Nation is already surrounding you from the west and south. "We'll err on the side of caution; begin packing up camp, but someone head over in that direction and check it out."

"Yes sir," the man replied, "I'll send out a scout immediately." Hasook nodded and turned back toward his tent, but saw something out of the corner of his eye that drew his attention. He looked back toward the smoke to see a large ball of flaming rock headed toward them. It appeared to be slightly off target, heading south of their camp.

The fireball crashed a few feet into the forest, and was followed by screams that sounded distinctly human. Hasook's eyes widened as a soldier flew out from the trees, wearing full Fire Nation armor. "Retreat to the ships!" he called, not willing to wait around to see how many more soldiers were prepared to ambush them. "The Fire Nation knows we're here! Retreat!"

After a minute of mad scrambling, the warriors had all made it into the boats, leaving most of their camp behind them, and taking only enough supplies to survive the trip back to the North Pole. "What are your orders, sir?"

Hasook shook his head as he saw the two Fire Navy ships that had been lying in wait for them, thanking the spirits for their good fortune. "We head back to the North Pole," he stated. "We have a war to prepare for."

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Zuko groaned as he finally made his way onto the beach, holding his arm tightly as he struggled to get to his feet. He had been forced to swim parallel to the shore to make sure he was out of sight before heading into the forest, as he didn't want anyone following him to Suki. The salty ocean water had done little to ease the pain his searing shoulder was causing him, and using it to swim amplified the agony tenfold.

"Zuko," Suki called as she ran over to him, helping him up. He winced behind the mask as he got to his feet, the girl's hand on his shoulder causing the wound to act out. He brushed her arm away as the girl asked if he was okay.

"I'm fine," he replied. The effort it took for him to sound strong was obvious in his voice, and the girl seemed to take notice.

"What happened to your shoulder?" She asked, looking over the wound through the burnt away fabric. "We should go get this looked at; it looks pretty serious."

"I've been burned worse," Zuko stated dryly, walking toward the trees to get the two of them out of sight. Suki seemed to deflate at his words, and Zuko realized he probably sounded annoyed with her. "I'm fine," he assured, trying to act civil. "Let's just get out of here for now; we can deal with it later. Suki nodded in agreement and followed him back to their spot.

"I got the two sets of armor," she told him. "But I also managed to pick up a bit of information," she continued.

"About what?" Zuko asked, taking off his mask and sitting on the ground. The two had managed to find a small, well-hidden clearing in the forest before their infiltration, and it was just big enough to set up their tents and a small fire, if they were willing to take such a risk.

"A couple of the soldiers had been complaining on their way to fight you," Suki explained, searching through her bag for some bandages. "One of them said the invasion doesn't leave for two weeks. I doubt it's an exact estimate, but it gives us a bit of an idea."

Zuko nodded, trying to rethink his plan given the new information. "I still say we try to get to the North Pole earlier," Zuko started, his companion nodding in agreement as she began checking out his wound. "If we run out of options we can use the armor to try sneaking onto one of the Fire Navy ships, but that needs to be our last resort."

"Do you think the Water Tribe warriors would listen to us now?" Suki asked, beginning to apply the bandages to the burn, not wanting to risk infection. "Assuming they're still alive, that is." Zuko winced as Suki tightened the wrap before tying it off, but made no other acknowledgment of the pain.

"Maybe, though I imagine they will have left before we get there. For now we should rest; we haven't slept in at least a full day," the firebender reasoned. "Of course, the Fire Nation soldiers are probably looking for me, so we'll need to take shifts."

"You sleep first," Suki offered. "I can take the first watch and you rest; you did a lot more work than I did." Zuko nodded gratefully, too tired to argue or let his manly pride tell him to let the girl take the first nap.

"Wake me whenever you feel too tired to continue," Zuko stated, sending the girl a half-smile in appreciation as he slowly trudged his way toward his sleeping roll. He fell onto it haphazardly upon reaching it, not bothering to set up his tent or even get inside before drifting off into sleep.

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"Princess Yue," Sokka shouted as he sprinted down the spiral stairway, trying to catch up with the canoe the white-haired girl was riding in. "Good Morning!" He got no response, but managed to catch up with the slow moving boat. "Hey, how 'bout that picnic last night? Your dad sure knows how to throw a party," he said.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," the princess responded, her voice soft and kind.

"Well… it wasn't as much fun after you left," he replied. It was true, too. After the princess left he was left with only Aang and Katara, who continued making fun of his poorly executed attempts at talking with the girl. Sokka noticed the blush on her face and swelled with manly pride, despite being unable to contain a blush himself. "So, I'm still hoping we can see more of each other," he added.

"Do an activity, you mean?" Yue taunted. The manly pride that had been building was instantly sent crashing back to the ground.

"Yup," he replied lamely, averting his eyes as he walked. "At a place… for some time…" he added, hoping the joke would be less painful if he got in on it himself.

The girl laughed lightly and pointed ahead of her. "I'd love to. I'll meet you on that bridge, tonight."

"Great," Sokka replied happily, his excitement boiling as he beginning planning his approach. He was going to be cool and smooth, like ice. "I'll see you- aaah!" he cried, falling into the water channel as he walked over the edge of the walkway.

"Sorry!" Yue called back to him, trying in vain to stifle a laugh as the warrior climbed back onto the icy ground above him.

"It's okay," he called. "It was worth it."

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"Thank you for the lesson," Katara said kindly as she smiled at the older woman in front of her.

Yugoda smiled back. "You're quite welcome. It's quite rewarding to teach someone with so much raw talent," the healer complimented.

"Oh, uh, thanks," Katara replied, blushing at the praise. "I already had some help learning the basics, so it wasn't as hard to pick up."

"Even so, you're a very quick learner. It's rare that I get to work with someone who is so naturally gifted."

"I don't know about that," Katara dismissed, rubbing the back of her neck as she beamed at the compliment.

"So who's the lucky boy?" Yugoda asked.

Katara looked at her in confusion. A puzzled "huh?" was all she managed.

"Your betrothal necklace," the woman elaborated, pointing to Katara's neck. "You're getting married, right?"

"Oh, no," Katara said, laughing slightly at the notion. "I don't think I'm ready for that yet," she stated, waving her hands for emphasis. "My grandmother gave my mother this necklace, and my mother passed it down to me," she explained, holding up the carving for the older woman to see.

"I recognize this carving," Yugoda stated, smiling as she looked at the pendant. "I don't know why I didn't realize sooner; you're the spitting image of Kanna." Katara stepped back in shock, clueless as to how the older woman could possibly have met her grandmother.

"Wait, how do you know my Gran-gran's name?"

"When I was about your age," Yugoda began explaining. "I was friends with Kanna. She was born here, in the Northern Tribe."

Katara looked down, wondering why her grandmother had never told her. "She never told me," she said, a bit saddened both at the thought of her grandmother not confiding in her, and at the memory of the woman waiting for her to return home.

"Your grandmother had an arranged marriage with a young waterbender. He carved that necklace for her," Yugoda stated.

"If Gran-gran was engaged, why did she leave?" Katara asked, her curiosity growing.

"I don't know; that's always been a mystery to me." Yugoda sighed; the memory clearly wasn't one of her fondest. "She left without even saying goodbye."

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"Looks like they're gone," Suki said peeking through the trees as Zuko stood next to her.

"The ships aren't there, so they must have gotten out safely," Zuko agreed.

The duo had slept most of the day, but decided to see what had become of the Water Tribe Warriors before the sun set, hoping to hitch a ride to the Northern Water Tribe. Upon sighting the wreckage the catapult had caused they moved around toward the east, away from the Fire Nation. The Water Tribe camp was still on the beach, but the ships were nowhere to be found.

"Should we try the port?" Suki asked as she continued analyzing the scene before her. "Or will they not even be sending ships north?"

"It's worth a shot," Zuko responded. "If we're lucky they still have traders going in and out, and we might be able to get a ride with one of them. We might even have to stow away, but I would rather do it on a trading vessel than a Fire Navy Warship."

"Agreed," Suki stated, starting to walk out onto the beach. "Let's head into town and start-"

She was cut off as Zuko pulled her back into the bushes and covered her mouth. He quickly let her go when she bit his finger. "Ow," he seethed, retracting his hand as he continued restraining the girl with his other arm.

"Stop doing that," Suki responded, angered at how quickly the firebender pulled her around without warning.

"Be quiet," Zuko warned, pointing out to the beach. Suki followed his finger and saw two soldiers walking to the east, heading toward the port town.

"What are they doing?" Suki whispered back to him, still a bit unhappy about the arm preventing her from moving.

"They probably think we're hiding out in the town," Zuko responded. "They'll probably search the entire place for us. Hopefully they don't head into the forest." Zuko let her go and began heading deeper into the woods, though Suki was hesitant to follow.

"So what? We're just gonna hide out in the trees until they leave for the invasion?"

"No," Zuko replied calmly, still walking away. Suki began to follow, if only so the conversation could continue. "But we can't get into town without being seen tonight. We can try again in a couple of days. If the invasion doesn't leave for a couple weeks we have time," the firebender reasoned.

"I guess…" Suki relented, though she still didn't like the decision.

"I'm just worried that this may be our last chance to find a ride that isn't with one of our enemies…"

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A/N: Nevermind, and those of you who read this earlier rant, I tried to make it as kind and not demanding as possible, but realized that my caffeine driven, sleep deprived mind was making me write something I don't care about. I apologize to the twenty people who read that rant, and please forgive my harshness. It won't happen again. Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter.

Thanks for reading,

-Boredone32