The Phoenix

Marks

"I like the new shawl," Zuko sat with ty Lee on the side of the ship as he slid down next to her.

"Think I can barrow it?" He offered and felt relieved when she smiled.

"I know what your doing," ty Lee sighed closing her eyes.

"Is it working?" He raised a brow.

She had a few tears run down her face and leaned against his shoulder, letting out a shaky breath when he wrapped his arm around her.

"Yea thank you," she sniffled gripping his shirt as her jaw trembled.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there," Zuko whispered pulling her closer as she cried softly into his shoulder.

"Im sorry I left, I shouldn't have left," ty Lee whimpered.

"Don't ever apologize, that's not your fault, sucks about your tooth," Zuko shrugged a little and she laughed through the tears.

"I know guys always want.. stuff from me, I like the attention but I always have control, I'm able to get myself out when I need too, I have control when I flirt, but he just.. was so big and I couldn't move and I wasn't ready, I was so scared Zuko," she whispered for him to only hear and he nodded.

"I know, but hey, he didn't get away with it," Zuko rubbed her head a little and they looked at the man that stood against the pole with a rope around his knees that held him up forcefully.

"What else are you going to do?" Ty Lee wiped her face looking at the man. He was unconscious for now but not dead.

"I'm not sure, might try something new, good for kicking, anyone can go at it," Zuko shrugged resting his chin on her head and she laughed at her childhood friend.

"Remember when we use to play doctor and Azula always had to be in charge and Mai wanted to be the patient all the time?" Ty Lee smiled at him and Zuko smiled a little but there was sadness.

"I hated playing your guys games, but I could probably still beat you in a hand stand competition," Zuko chuckled and she hit his chest a little.

"No you can't," she scoffed.

"Remember Mai surprisingly won the cartwheel race?" He motioned to Mai who was sharpening her nails on the side.

"Yea, and Azula was the only one of us that didn't know how to do a cartwheel," the brunette giggled.

"She cried about it when you left," he snorted.

"Oh no!" She cackled resting her head on his shoulder again.

"I miss that sometimes," the girl in pink sighed softly.

"Being a kid, biggest worry in our world was breaking a plate and hiding it from your mom?" Zuko offered.

"Or forgetting to tie your shoes?" She agreed.

"I use to put mine on the wrong foot sometimes," he grinned.

"Now it's... so different," zukos smile fell slowly.

"Agni my mom would be so disappointed," he groaned.

"I don't think ursa would be disappointed, maybe a little upset with some life style choices but you kept your morals, you looked out for me for one," ty Lee told him gently and he gulped.

"I murder and torture, with no remorse, I think she'd be more than a little upset with life choices," he sighed leaning his head back.

"I think she'd be upset with your eating habits and sleep schedule more," she teased.

"Ugh Xan is already on my ass about that, not you too," Zuko got up and helped ty Lee to her feet as well.

"Hey Mai you think you can get it?" Zuko called pointing to the scum that was still breathing.

Mai narrowed her eyes at them and flicked her wrist with a knife that hit the man in the arm making his wake up with a gasp.

"10 points!" Ty Lee clapped. 

"I like the twisted humor," smeller bee walked past them.

"So when you going to kill him?" They asked looking over at the captor.

"Thinking something suitable for some piss stain like him," Zuko crossed his arms thinking.

"I think cut off his hands and feet and see if he can swim?" He raised a brow at the girls.

"Can I watch?" Mai asked interested.

"Oh spirits that's so fucked up," Jet groaned as he was still stuck with Katara.

"Maybe to the elbows, I think it would be funny," ty Lee smiled.

"You get to choose," Zuko patted the top of her head and had a key to let Jet out of the cuffs but kept Katara in hers.

"Don't you think you took it a little to far?" Katara asked as she was cuffed to Zuko next.

"If he gotten his way with my friend and I didn't hear her scream, do you think I would still be taking it to far?" Zuko asked clasping his wrist in the metal as Kataras heart sunk.

"I-I guess not," she glanced at ty Lee worried. Her eyes were red and puffy but she saw her and the captain earlier talking personally.

"He deserves to be put down like an animal," Zuko nodded.

"Like those other pirates that got hung?" Katara glared.

"It's different," he sighed.

"How?" She scoffed a little. "You showed emotion seeing them,"

"Did you see the branding on their necks? Right on their throat?" Zuko sighed annoyed.

"There's different meanings, three horizontal lines means murderer, one means thief, a circle means just for being a pirate, two horizontal lines means they killed a child, two with one line down means rapist, one line vertical through a circle means captain, it's burned on their throats for in case they escape," Zuko gulped a little as he explained the code to her, some listened knowing already.

"That child had a circle, the man had one line, and that woman had a line through a circle, thief, captain and pirate was their reasons for execution," he spat harshly.

"It's different," Zuko nodded sternly as Katara inhaled deeply staring up at him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," she tore her eyes away and rubbed her neck.

To be branded like an animal before being hung... a pirates death, she never knew...

A woman walking by with three horizontal lines down her throat and Katara gulped a little at the crew member. Some do escape, but life with the burden.

"That's why you don't want to get caught," he said again sternly and she nodded understanding why.