Dragon of the West

Chapter 10 - Revenge

Welcome back my friends! Its Darthlane again with another chapter of Dragon of the West! I can tell you're exited. Don't try to hide it; I can see you. Not really, but I'm still gonna try and imagine you're excitement haha. In all seriousness, we are back with Iroh after spending some time with Ozai seeing his slow corruption and Azulon's order to hunt dragons. As you can imagine, this will have huge implications later on for Iroh. But now we are back, and we can see how Iroh deals with the problems he has on the Fire Nation ship. Hope you enjoy!Chapter 10Lou SaiThere was a knock at the door. Captain Lou Sai looked up from his work and sighed. He couldn't get anything done anymore. It seemed like his crew just kept getting less and less capable, always coming to get him for help. It was exhausting. Then again, he considered, maybe they weren't getting harder to deal with. Maybe he was just getting old. That might explain it.He got up and opened the door. One of his soldiers was waiting on the other side. He saluted, with his other arm straight out. Perched on that arm was a messenger hawk. "This is for you, sir. It arrived just a moment ago."Lou Sai nodded. "Good work, Mushu." He grabbed the hawk gently by the legs, and the bird was exchanged without any protest. They were trained to be completely used to things like that. Lou Sai carefully slid the paper out of the knot that held it to the hawk's leg. He gave the bird back to the soldier."Make sure you take care of that hawk." He told Mushu. "It did its job well."Mushu nodded. "Of course, sir." He turned and walked away.Lou Sai closed the door and opened the tied scroll. He quickly examined the contents. It was very unusual to receive mail on a moving ship because it was often difficult for the messenger hawks to find their destination on the open sea, so this letter had to be very important."Greetings... request... inform... trainees... maximum potential... list to us. Honor and glory to the Fire Nation, Taku Fire Nation Base." He chuckled. "So you want to hear from me who I think has potential, huh?" It was highly unusual to get something like this. It wasn't like there was a great need to know in advance what the kids were like- the trainers could mold any kid into a capable soldier. It could be that they actually had respect for Lou Sai's opinion of the kids. But he doubted it. If he had to guess, the commanders of the base had somehow found out that Prince Iroh was heading their way and wanted to know as much about him as they could. Lou Sai couldn't blame them; this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to gain a friend and ally out of their future ruler. This could be the saving grace to any officer that could get manage to get the young Prince in his pocket, or worse, his debt. Lou Sai had already stopped several members of his crew from trying to get involved in the boy's life. He firmly believed that Iroh needed to be unbiased to grow to be a proper and just ruler. If he was indebted and influenced by a bunch of soldiers into making a certain decision, then the decision wouldn't really be his. It looked like the garrison of that base was looking to get that kind of influence, the kind of power to change the entire world.Lou Sai pulled up another slip of blank paper and a quill. He dipped it into a small jar of ink and froze. He realized he had no idea what he could tell them.Prince Iroh had already proven himself one of the more capable recruits in the Captain's eyes. He had been quietly surprised when Iroh, who was surely used to an incredibly luxurious life, had been one of the few who had taken the labor he had charged them all with in stride. He had next been surprised when the Prince of the Fire Nation had chosen not to sit with the future Elites that were so like himself but with the outcasts, who he had little in common by upbringing but maybe, just maybe were kindred spirits in other ways. Finally, Lou Sai had seen Iroh stand up for his weaker friend when he was bullied by the one who seemed to be the leader of the Elites. He had stood up for the weak minority because it was the right thing to do even when it was easier just to side with the power. That took guts, morals, and, Lou Sai believed, that core strength it took to be a true leader. Out of all the recruits, and this was a strong class of recruits, he felt that Iroh was the most fit to lead.But that wasn't the sort of thing he could send in a letter. He had to tell them something. He considered his thoughts again, and it came to him. Smirk on his face, he began scribbling on the paper.ZaraiHe smiled as he walked the halls of the ship. Sure, he had just gone through some brutal work cleaning barnacles off of the underside of the ship, but not even that could ruin the good mood that had persisted in him over the past four days. Who wouldn't be happy, considering what Zarai had been able to accomplish on the time he had been on this ship?Since beating down Iroh's friend there had been virtually no opposition from Iroh and Nile. Any time he had seen them they would glare but wouldn't dare go beyond that. He had found their weak spot, and with that under his thumb they were helpless like whipped dogs. Now he was king here and he would make sure it would stay that way when they got to the base somehow. All he would have to do was threaten their friend again. That should make both of them behave."It won't just be during training." He muttered to himself. "I'll make him my bitch later on too." He could just imagine it. Iroh, Fire Lord and most powerful man in the world, doing as HE pleased. He, Zarai son of Noro, would be the real power in the Fire Nation. He would make sure of it.He rounded a corner and halted to a stop. He came across the last thing he wanted to see right at that moment. Nile was standing in the middle of the hallway, arms crossed. Zarai whirled around and briskly walked back the way he had come.Nile had chosen his moment perfectly. Zarai was alone and tired, at his weakest. Even so, Zarai wasn't afraid of Nile. He was fairly sure that he was the stronger of the two benders, but he didn't want to risk the chance that he might lose. He knew Nile would pay back tenfold all the damage Zarai had done to the skinny kid. No, it was better to retreat and organize so that if they did fight it would on his playing field and by his terms. Preferably with a bunch of friends to back him up if it got too close.Zarai could hear the light steps behind him that told him that his would-be opponent was following him. Crap. Crap crap crap. This wasn't going to go well if he got caught by Nile. Revenge is a powerful motivator, and could prove to tip the scales. At least there weren't any fireballs heading his way. Nile apparently just wanted to pummel him. But if Zarai couldn't be caught he couldn't be pummeled. He decided speeding up would be a good idea.He turned around another corner to find a choice of two hallways, forming a T-shape. Unfortunately, it wasn't really much of a choice as Iroh was waiting on the right side much as Nile had in the other hall. That way was blocked off. Zarai quickly dashed down the open hallway, now legitimately scared. They had found him alone, without the support of his friends. They had reason to attack him. If he couldn't escape, then he could get a beating just as bad as what he had done to their friend. Crap crap crap crap crap. He glanced behind him. Iroh was hot on his heels. Zarai sped up. He was NOT going to be beaten by the likes of them.He sprinted down the halls, taking unpredictable turns when there were options. He had to shake em, had to shake em. He was so involved in running it didn't even occur to him to wonder why he wasn't running into the night guards. But he did soon realize that he had gone down certain pathways before. As large as the Fire Nation ships were, they were cramped inside and Zarai soon found himself running in circles, Iroh and Nile close behind. Where was his damn room? He could hide in there until they gave up and left.Zarai had to stop suddenly when he almost ran into Nile. How had he gotten in front of him? Iroh was closing in behind him. He was trapped. Realizing his situation was desperate, Zarai called out for help. He knew he couldn't win against two on one odds. How could he have let himself become so vulnerable?But then a miracle happened. The door to his right burst open suddenly. One of the crewman was standing there, ushering him inside. "Get in, quick!" The crewman said.Not believing his luck, Zarai darted into the room, glad to be safe from his two enemies. That had been way too close. The door slammed shut loudly and Zarai let out a chuckle. Despite their best efforts, they couldn't catch him. He was still untouchable, the power player in this situation. That wasn't changing anytime soon.He turned around to thank the guy who had saved him, but there was no one there. The crew member that had saved him had somehow ended up on the wrong side of the door. How had that happened?Zarai listened closely to the door. "-nks, you completely sold it. Now he's right where we want him, trapped in there." "Yeah, he had no idea. He didn't realize he was being played. Sometimes it's hard to believe that somebody like him is considered smart. He fell right into that." That was followed by laughter.Zarai gritted his teeth. That crewman was in on Iroh's little plan. They had wanted him to come in here. So he had been tricked, huh? And this was the worst they could do? Lock him in a room?"Hey!" He called through the metal door. "I believe you may have miscalculated quite a bit. So your entire plan was to keep me trapped in a room all night? That's a poor revenge for what I did to your friend. This is nothing compared to the beating I gave him. The Captain will take care of all this in the morning and you guys will have failed." He honestly had expected better from them. It seemed like this master plan they had been thinking of for the past four days. It was beyond sad. They could have done so much better."I think you need to consider some things before you think you've won, Zarai." Nile answered smugly."Just think." Iroh said. "Maybe there is a reason we put you in that particular room."His words sent chills down Zarai's spine. He whirled around, taking in the room he was in. For the most part it looked like any other room, with a bunk bed, a dresser, and a few other objects a room would normally have. What was different was that there was someone standing there, barely illuminated by the weak candle in the corner. It took Zarai a minute to realize that it was none other than the boy he had beat up a few days ago, Iroh's roommate. Despite his small stature he was kind of intimidating in the near darkness.Zarai felt relieved. This was it? This kid wasn't even a bender. It would be a piece of cake to crush him. Feeling confident again, Zarai said, "You're my opponent? You're kidding, right?"The skinny boy didn't answer, just glared in a way that kind of reminded Zarai of a snake."No answer? Alright then. Let's get this over with." He struck with the suddenness that came from years of training, a jet of fire flying at the other boy. To his surprise, the other boy dodged with amazing speed that didn't seem human. But that was impossible. How could he possibly have dodged that?The boy dashed forward and threw a right hook. It was too fast for Zarai to block. It caught Zarai on the jaw, knocking him back into the door. The impact stunned him for a moment, allowing the other boy to strike him painfully in the stomach. Zarai dived away into a roll that brought him back to his feet. The boy didn't pursue, leaving them staring each other down, Zarai breathing heavily and clutching his stomach.What kind of crap was this? How had this poor excuse for a wannabe soldier moved so fast? It didn't make sense at all. This guy wasn't even on his radar. He was a nobody. How was this happening?"Just who are you?" He huffed. "You shouldn't be able to do this."The boy shrugged. "Why not? You don't know me. You don't know what im capable of. I wasnt important enough for you to check up on. You don't know what I can do, or what my abilities are. I bet you don't even know my name."He was right, but Zarai wasn't about to tell him that. Zarai finally began to consider that maybe it had been a mistake to overestimate this guy. He was tired from running away from Nile and Iroh earlier, so he was at a major disadvantage here. But he wasn't giving up yet. He could still fight out of this. This guy may be fast, but he still couldn't bend. He also wasn't very strong despite his unusual speed. Zarai could take advantage of this. This battle was still his to win."That's the problem with people like you." The boy continued. "You think that once you've won that you can't be beat. That there isn't anyone who can stop you. You think that you are better than everyone else. You get overconfident, and that's when people like me come in to pop your bubble."As he said bubble he struck. Zarai barely dodged the kick that almost tore his head off. He was again taken back by just how fast this guy was. It wasn't human. He continued attacking, getting in several hits on Zarai and knocking him to the ground. Zarai was taken aback by just how ferocious the attack was. This wasn't the same person. Zarai couldn't believe this. This punk, small as he was, was throwing him around like a doll. What had he gotten himself into?"No!" He shouted, getting back to his feet. "I'm not gonna be defeated by the likes of you!" He swung wildly, catching the other boy in the jaw. The small Fire Nation recruit was knocked back. Zarai grinned. He had finally slowed down his opponent. He pressed his momentum and forced the other boy back until he was slammed against the far wall.Zarai grinned savagely. "What was that about beating me? I think you were the one that got overconfident." He shot a burst of flame at the boy's face. He wasn't thinking of the consequences burning him would have. All he cared about was leaving a mark that his opponent would never forget.The boy ripped out of Zarai's grip and ducked below his arm. The flame scorched the wall, leaving a burn mark that almost ended up on his face, and would have scarred him forever. Zarai turned his head to see the boy, who was now behind him. He was scared at what he saw. There was a fire in the boy's eyes that was absolutely fearsome. Zarai was actually scared. Whatever this guy was fighting for went well above simple revenge. This went far beyond Zarai's imagination. This was power, true justice.Zarai never saw the blow that took him down.It was actually just a simple punch to the gut that defeated him. One of the simplest moves ever to be used in a fight. Even despite all his training, Zarai couldn't defeat one of the weakest guys he had ever encountered. Or was he really that weak? Zarai remembered one of his teachers telling him once a long time ago that determination and chip on your shoulder could give one the power of gods. Maybe he had been right.Zarai collapsed to the ground, beat. The victor rolled him over then placed his foot on Zarai's gut. He pressed lightly, then ordered, "Listen to me." Zarai nodded weakly. "I want you to remember this. You were beat, and beat by me. Not Nile, not Iroh, me. I can't even Firebend and I was able to beat you. Remember that. If you have any sense at all, you and your little buddies won't mess with us anymore. I'm sparing you this time. Make good use of this second chance. Understand?" Zarai nodded again, helpless to do much else.The pressure left Zarai's gut and the boy walked away, leaving a mess behind him.IrohThere was a knock at the door. He heard Mylo say, "Coming out." Shu-on opened the door to let her out. Him, Iroh corrected himself mentally. He had to train himself to think of Mylo as male or he risked revealing his secret.Mylo walked out, looking considerably tired. Behind her Iroh could see Zarai weeping on the ground. Iroh was surprised. Had she done that? Back when Iroh had formulated the plan, he had intended for it to be him to fight Zarai. Mylo had insisted that she fight him instead. Even though he initially disagreed, Iroh had reluctantly changed his mind, only relenting because he would be right there to help Mylo if things turned sour.But this... What had happened in there? How was Mylo capable of something like that? She had destroyed the proud, arrogant, but powerful boy Iroh had known into a shriveling, crying mess. Were all girls that scary?Mylo herself-himself, Iroh silently reminded himself- didn't look that great. She looked very tired and a good bit more bruised than when she had entered the room. But she smiled slightly, and that told the whole story. She had gone in the underdog against the one who had done her wrong, stood her ground, and emerged stronger. If that wasn't a victory Iroh didn't know what was.Iroh smiled broadly at his friend. "You did it! You actually beat him. I'm proud, Mylo.""Thanks, Iroh." Mylo said wearily. "It means a lot to hear that, believe me. But before I hear anymore praise, I need some rest. Tell me about it in the morning."Nile and Iroh both nodded. They couldn't begrudge their friend some rest. Not after what she- he- had just accomplished. They waved her goodbye as she disappeared around a corner.Iroh turned to Shu-on, the soldier who had shown him his room the first night he had been here. "Thanks for your help. Without you he would never have gone in there." The man had been more than happy to help Iroh. The Prince knew that the only reason the solider helped them was to advance his career later on because of his connection to the Prince, but it couldn't be helped. Iroh didn't have much more choice, so he was happy to have any help he could get ahold of, even if it came with a price. It was more than worth it to help a friend.The soldier nodded slightly, a conman's smile on his face. "Think nothing of it, my good man. Think nothing of it. I'm more than happy to help with a pest problem. It's all good here. Now, if that's all, I have places to be. See ya later!" He turned and walked away, the opposite end from Mylo's exit."Weird guy."Nile commented. "How did you even get him to help us?""He just wanted to help." Iroh said carefully. He didn't want to reveal too much to Nile. They might be friends, but it was friendship out of necessity. Iroh didn't truly know whether he could trust this guy. At least, not yet.Iroh walked into the room that held Zarai. Behind him he heard Nile exclaim, "Whoa! Just what so you think you're doing, Iroh? He's dangerous."Iroh waved him off. "Don't worry. It's fine. I'm just going to have a little talk with him. Just go ahead and get in bed.""But what if he-"Iroh pointed at Zarai. "Does he look like he's in any condition to attack anyone?"Nile shrugged, unable to find a suitable answer. "I'll be perfectly alright." Iroh pleaded. "Promise." Nile gave him one last look before leaving.Iroh turned back to Zarai, who was still crumpled on the ground. He walked over to the defeated boy and sat down next to him.After a moment of listening to soft moans escape Zarai, Iroh finally said, "Back then, you were right. You were completely right about me and what kind of person I am. My main weakness always has been that I care about people. Because I care, people like you can use those I care about against me, and it works. But you always forget that it works both ways. You always forget that because I care so much that I am willing to fight harder than humanly possible to protect those I care about. You always forget that in the end, when you threaten and attack them, it will backfire on you. I will win in the end because I am capable of going farther than you or anyone else dares to for them."He chuckled. "That's why it's so interesting that it wasn't me but Mylo who beat you. Who knew he was capable of that? I sure didn't. And judging by how this turned out, neither did you. Now Zarai, I hope this taught you some things. You got overconfident in your influence and your abilities. You refused to believe that we were still a threat to you. Finally, and most importantly, you picked a fight with someone you didn't have the capability to finish. Try and learn from those mistakes."Iroh stood up. "Before I go, I want you to think about something. Back on that first day, when I chose their table instead of yours, you told me that I made a mistake. Looking back at this, I want to ask yourself if you might have been wrong about that. Maybe I made the right choice. I think I did. What do you think?" Iroh left the room, leaving Zarai to cry pitifully on the floor. He had a feeling that he wouldn't be messing with them again.As Porky the Pig would say, that's all folks. Zarai has been dealt with(or has he?) and everything is relatively good again. But how long can that last? BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!I regret to admit that I have been a rather lazy writer, and I haven't really answered many of the reviews. I promise that as soon as this is published I will begin performing my duty and answering them. I plead for your forgiveness for taking so long, don't destroy me with your telepathy powers.If you don't keep up with my other works( I would appreciate it greatly if you started) I have released a new story for Gravity Falls called Through the Portal. If you are a fan of the show I suggest you check it out, its great. You should also check out my Legend of Korra story Revenge of the Red Lotus. Again, if you have watched the show you will love it. Lastly in my promotion corner, check out my friend Solo Gamer. He has stories for Teen Titans, Percy Jackson, and Naruto if you like those.Finally, don't forget to favorite, follow and review if you enjoyed the story! Seriously, if you liked it let me know. If you leave without actually doing anything I have no idea what your thoughts were about it, and that makes me scared you didn't like it. Alleviate my fears and let me know what you thought. Even leaving a review with something like "Blarg" or "blue" is better than nothing and I will find it amusing. So please please please help me out and give me some fanfare. And most importantly, don't forget to turn to the dark side, because that is the most important part. Keep in mind that we DO in fact have cookies. -Darthlane