Fire and Aether

Chapter 9: The Waterbending Scroll

   Rose paced nervously atop Crystal. "Would you quit that?" Sokka asked. "If you hit a bump, you'll fly right off." 
    "You don't get it!" Rose shouted. "I only have until summer to learn all five elements."
    "Well, let's see," Soka said, "you mastered aetherbending and airbending and that only took you 116 years. I'm sure you can master three more elements by next summer."
     "You are such an ass!" Rose said, sitting down heavily on Crystal. "I haven't even started on waterbending yet and we're weeks away from the North Pole! It's not fair!"
     Katara comforted her, promising to help as soon as they found a good water source which they finally did. Soon, they found themselves at a giant pool of water that flowed from a beautiful waterfall. Immediately, Appa jumped right in. Once Crystal shrunk herself in size, she flew to the waterfall and played there.
     "Well, c'mon, let's get started!"
                         * * * * *
     Zuko was busy practicing his firebending with one of the crew members when he felt someone change their course and immediately rushed to rectify the situation. "What is the meaning of this mutiny? No one told you to change course!"
     "Actually," Iroh said, raising his hand, "I did."
     "Why? Is it something to do with the Avatar?"
     "No. Worse than your little crush. I've lost my lotus tile."
     "First of all, I don't have a crush on her! Second, you changed our entire course for a lotus tile?"
     "Just give me a few minutes at the merchants." Zuko exhaled a plume of smoke. "I'm lucky to have such an understanding nephew."
                         * * * * *
    Katara started off showing Rose a move she took months to learn but it took her mere minutes. With every move she showed Rose, the aforementioned Avatar mastered it in minutes. Unfortunately, with the last move, she accidentally washed their supplies down the river so the group headed to a nearby market to replace them.
     "Ok. We have three copper pieces left from what King Bumi gave us."
     "Actually, only two." Aang said. "I used one to buy this whistle." He held up a whistle shaped like a flying bison then blew on it.
     Rose sighed. "Maybe I should handle the money from now on?"
     He reluctantly handed it over.
     From the other side of the marketplace, a man shouted about his curiosos. The gang walked by, and the man, noticing their unusual clothing, waved them over. They entered and began looking over all the interesting things inside. 
     "What a gorgeous dragon!" said a voice. A pirate walked forward out from the shadows and surveyed Rose, from the top of her veil covered head to her bare feet and then to the dragon with crystal scales. "How much?"
     "Sorry, sir." Rose said respectfully. "But Crystal is not for sale."
     The pirate sighed. "Pity. You, boy!" He gestured towards Aang. "How about your lemur?"
     "Oh Momo's not for sale, either."
     Katara pulled out a scroll that looked interesting which turned out to be a waterbending scroll. She showed it to Rose but the pirate took it back, explaining he already had a buyer. "Unless, of course, you have 500 gold pieces or something to trade." He eyed Rose up and down with an evil smirk.
     "You're disgusting!" Rose spat. "We'll just be leaving." She added as she noticed, out of her peripheral, Katara steal the waterbending scroll. The group then ran off as the pirates chased them.
     They ran into the cabbage guy again and Aang airbended the cart of cabbages at the pirates as they ran again. "No! My cabbages! This place is worse than Omashu!"
     The pirates finally cornered them in an alleyway. Rose used her bending on them, Crystal returning to full size as she yelled at her friends to get on. Rose panicked when she thought they were going to hit the pirates and used her aetherbending to make them pass right through them as if they were ghosts, disappearing into the sky.
      "So," Rose finally spoke, "when were you planning on telling us about stealing the waterbending scroll?" 
     Katara grinned as she pulled it out. Sokka looked on in disbelief. "No wonder they were chasing us! You stole their scroll!"
     "They stole it first!"
     "Makes sense to me." Aang said.
     "Well, let's at least use it."
                        * * * * *
    "I've checked everywhere. Not a single lotus tile in the entire marketplace." Iroh said. 
    Zuko yelled, "Glad to know this entire trip was a waste of time for everyone!" 
    "On the contrary, Prince Zuko. The only thing better than finding what you need is finding something you don't need at a great price!" He gestured to the musical instruments he had bought before finding the pirate ship. "Ooh! That looks interesting!"
     As he was shopping, the pirates griped about losing their scroll. "Nope. We lost the girls and the monk with the arrow on his head."
    Zuko turned toward them with interest. "This monk, did he have a girl with him?"
    "Yes. Two of them."
    "Did one of them have bright red hair?"
    "I don't know about that but one of them wore a veil over her head and was covered in tattoos."
    "Where did they go?"
                         * * * * *
    Katara attempted the water whip but, after accidentally whipping Momo on the butt, she gave up, especially angry after Rose mastered the move immediately.
    "Why don't we just throw away the scroll since you're so naturally gifted?!" She shouted. Rose's face fell and she turned her back, ready to turn tail and run but Katara caught her arm. "I'm sorry, Rose. Here, you take it." she said, handing the scroll to her friend. 
    "What about Momo?" Sokka asked. "He's the real victim here." Katara pet Momo, apologizing. "And what about me? There was that time--"
    "No more apologies!"
                       * * * * *
    That night, Rose couldn't sleep, disturbed by the reminder that she had such a short time span before she had to face her destiny. Bending usually helped her to distract herself since she had to focus on something else other than her worries so that's what she set out to do.
    As she practiced her bending, she felt aware of noises out in the middle of the woods. She peeked through a bush, only to find the pirates Katara had stolen from were looking for her and her friends. She ran...right into Zuko's arms.
    "Don't worry." He said, his voice low and dangerous. "I'll save you from the pirates."
    She could've just melted into his arms. Because, despite everything, despite who he was, despite him hunting her, she felt safe with him. But she couldn't do that. She knew he would turn her over to his father. The fight would be over before it started. 
     "Zuko, honey, as safe as I feel with you, I'm sorry to say I can't stay." She slipped from his grasp and took off into the woods, him chasing her.
    Meanwhile, the pirates found her friends and kidnapped them, taking them to the spot where they met up. Another of the pirates had caught Rose in the woods, shortly after she escaped Zuko, knocked her out, and led her back as well.
    As Zuko and the pirates argued over the price for Rose, Iroh mumbled from behind them. "What about Ruko? Or Roko? Or Zose?" He asked Zuko.
    "What on earth are you talking about, Uncle?"
    "Well, see I've come up with this new thing called shipping where you put two people's names together that you'd like to see end up together. I'm trying out names for you and your little girlfriend."
    Zuko blushed then yelled out, "She's not my girlfriend! And quit that!"
    "I don't know." the pirate captain said. "You've been making a big deal out of finding her."
    "Do you want your scroll or not?" Zuko threatened, dangling the scroll over the fire in his hand.
    "Wait. You're just gonna trade the Avatar for a measly waterbending scroll?" Sokka asked. 
    Rose finally stirred. "You mean she's the Avatar?" the pirates asked.
    "Sure is." Aang replied, catching on to what Sokka was doing. "I bet she's worth a lot more than that scroll." 
    "Aang, Sokka, are you out of your mind?" Rose asked.
    "Keep the scroll." the pirates said. "We'll get a lot more money with the Avatar."
     Zuko snarled. The Avatar was his and no one but him could have her. "You'll regret breaking a deal with me!"
    He and his soldiers firebended at the pirates who fought back. In the chaos and smoke, the group escaped with the scroll, Rose and Katara waterbending the ship into the water.
    Iroh broke up the fight between Zuko and the pirate captain. "Are you so busy fighting that you cannot even see your own ship has set sail?"
    "We have no time for your proverbs, uncle."
    "It is no proverb."
     Iroh pointed to where team Avatar had stolen the pirate's ship. Zuko laughed, only for the pirates to steal his boat in retaliation.
    "Maybe it should be a proverb."
    "C'mon, uncle!"
    Iroh followed, muttering to himself. "Roso?" He shook his head. "Nah!"
    "And quit doing that!" Zuko added.
    Team Avatar fought off the pirates and finally got them all off the boat. Aang blew on his whistle and Appa appeared, rescuing them from a waterfall, and they took off into the sky. 
    Zuko ran to the edge of the waterfall. "My boat!" He screamed, angrily. 
    Iroh ran to catch up. "Prince Zuko, you're really gonna get a kick out of this. My lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!" He grinned.
    Zuko growled, grabbing the tile and throwing it at the river where it bounced off a pirate's head. Yet again, the Avatar had escaped him. But, even worse, he was starting to realize that his uncle had a point.
   He was gaining feelings for her.
   And he didn't know what to do about it.