"But Sir, we already have the Avatar." Lieutenant Jee had his eyes half closed with a bored sort of despair. "Why bother going to the Southern Air Temple again?"
"Are you questioning me, Lieutenant?" Zuko growled, standing up on the balls of his feet to shove his face into his subordinate's.
"No Sir," he said quickly, but his derision bled into is words.
Zuko's lip fleered up over his teeth, and he turned to stalk off.
Lieutenant Jee sighed. "Private Renshu, go tell the helmsman to set a course for the Southern Air Temple."
Renshu saluted. Before he obeyed, he winked at Jee. "You know, I really think that Water Tribe kid's right. Bet you the prince doesn't know our names."
Zuko stopped in his tracks, his good ear turning in the direction of Renshu's barely audible words. "I know the names of each and every person on this ship." He rounded on them. "And I know exactly what crimes each of you committed to get yourselves assigned to this ship, Lieutenant, Private Renshu. Do you want me to tell you what you did?"
Tiny puffs of air lashed his ankles, small and unnoticed. Zuko walked away, the sense of feeling trapped almost overwhelming him. He could travel anywhere in the world except home to the Fire Nation, and it didn't matter, because his ship and his crew, and whatever he was were all cages he was carrying around with him, and he couldn't get away from any of it.
Someday soon, someone was going to notice the airbending, or the waterbending or earthbending, would show up, and even if it didn't, he was already supposed to have the Avatar, and if he didn't start sailing back the Fire Nation soon... The water clock was ticking above his head, and the sword was about to fall. He didn't stop walking until he stood at the stern of the ship, watching Zhao's port fade away into the distance. Every few months, someone from Zuko's ship left, their sentence over, to go back home, back to the real world, and Zuko was stuck there, waiting for them to send him some new screw up to suffer with him until they got to leave too.
Far away, on the other side of the ship, Zuko's ears caught Renshu's rough whisper. "I'm telling you, he's an evil spirit sent to torment us."
"Shut up," Lieutenant Jee ordered coldly.
Zuko's fists clenched. If only they knew.
~*~
Katara watched as the anchor disappeared into the water. The mouth of the river cut a deep harbor. "Are we going to take the steamer?"
Zuko's head jerked back. "You're not going anywhere."
"You know, I bet there isn't anybody else on this entire island," she snapped. "You can't try to tell me it isn't safe."
No, it wasn't about safety, Zuko admitted to himself. There was nothing at all appealing about the idea of sailing upriver and then hiking for hours with his uncle and the Water Tribe kids, and he was going to find some way to leave them behind. "You're staying here with Uncle and your brother."
She snorted. "We're coming to keep an eye on you. You're not getting out of it."
"Zuko!," his uncle's head popped out of the steamer's cabin door. Zuko stared at him, absolutely furious, but Iroh went on, oblivious, "Come help me find a place to put my basket."
"You can put it back on the ship!" Zuko thundered.
"Nonsense. The four of us are going to need something to eat on the way up." He winked at Katara. "Sokka especially has a good appetite for a growing boy."
"Hey!" yelped Sokka, out of sight inside the steamer.
Zuko, who hadn't had to buy new clothing for nearly a year, frowned harder. "You're not coming."
But Iroh pretended not to hear. "And why is it so cold in here, Nephew? You should thank me for heating it up for you."
"No, don't!" Zuko sprinted over and vaulted into the steamer, Katara following on his heels. "You'll melt the ice." He swept through the cabin door and ripped off the tarp covering Aang's frozen body and his bed of ice.
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branchandroot
Laying Aang to rest at the Southern Air Temple, Part 1/7
Date: 2012-05-15 06:02 am (UTC)"Are you questioning me, Lieutenant?" Zuko growled, standing up on the balls of his feet to shove his face into his subordinate's.
"No Sir," he said quickly, but his derision bled into is words.
Zuko's lip fleered up over his teeth, and he turned to stalk off.
Lieutenant Jee sighed. "Private Renshu, go tell the helmsman to set a course for the Southern Air Temple."
Renshu saluted. Before he obeyed, he winked at Jee. "You know, I really think that Water Tribe kid's right. Bet you the prince doesn't know our names."
Zuko stopped in his tracks, his good ear turning in the direction of Renshu's barely audible words. "I know the names of each and every person on this ship." He rounded on them. "And I know exactly what crimes each of you committed to get yourselves assigned to this ship, Lieutenant, Private Renshu. Do you want me to tell you what you did?"
Tiny puffs of air lashed his ankles, small and unnoticed. Zuko walked away, the sense of feeling trapped almost overwhelming him. He could travel anywhere in the world except home to the Fire Nation, and it didn't matter, because his ship and his crew, and whatever he was were all cages he was carrying around with him, and he couldn't get away from any of it.
Someday soon, someone was going to notice the airbending, or the waterbending or earthbending, would show up, and even if it didn't, he was already supposed to have the Avatar, and if he didn't start sailing back the Fire Nation soon... The water clock was ticking above his head, and the sword was about to fall. He didn't stop walking until he stood at the stern of the ship, watching Zhao's port fade away into the distance. Every few months, someone from Zuko's ship left, their sentence over, to go back home, back to the real world, and Zuko was stuck there, waiting for them to send him some new screw up to suffer with him until they got to leave too.
Far away, on the other side of the ship, Zuko's ears caught Renshu's rough whisper. "I'm telling you, he's an evil spirit sent to torment us."
"Shut up," Lieutenant Jee ordered coldly.
Zuko's fists clenched. If only they knew.
~*~
Katara watched as the anchor disappeared into the water. The mouth of the river cut a deep harbor. "Are we going to take the steamer?"
Zuko's head jerked back. "You're not going anywhere."
"You know, I bet there isn't anybody else on this entire island," she snapped. "You can't try to tell me it isn't safe."
No, it wasn't about safety, Zuko admitted to himself. There was nothing at all appealing about the idea of sailing upriver and then hiking for hours with his uncle and the Water Tribe kids, and he was going to find some way to leave them behind. "You're staying here with Uncle and your brother."
She snorted. "We're coming to keep an eye on you. You're not getting out of it."
"Zuko!," his uncle's head popped out of the steamer's cabin door. Zuko stared at him, absolutely furious, but Iroh went on, oblivious, "Come help me find a place to put my basket."
"You can put it back on the ship!" Zuko thundered.
"Nonsense. The four of us are going to need something to eat on the way up." He winked at Katara. "Sokka especially has a good appetite for a growing boy."
"Hey!" yelped Sokka, out of sight inside the steamer.
Zuko, who hadn't had to buy new clothing for nearly a year, frowned harder. "You're not coming."
But Iroh pretended not to hear. "And why is it so cold in here, Nephew? You should thank me for heating it up for you."
"No, don't!" Zuko sprinted over and vaulted into the steamer, Katara following on his heels. "You'll melt the ice." He swept through the cabin door and ripped off the tarp covering Aang's frozen body and his bed of ice.