The Burning Truth-Peace

Part 35~Pirates

"Where have you been?! I was so worried!" Hachi tackled Zuko into a hug.

"What? No hug for me?" Isu chuckled as she jumped off Corno, only receiving a glare from Hachi.

"You kidnapped Zuko."

"Actually, we went on a fun adventure but whatever. Corno needs a rest." Isu brushed Corno's fur, letting her fall to the ground.

Zuko walked to the side, ignoring the little squabbles of the gang. "Hey, Zuko, are you okay?" Hachi tilted his head, stopping Zuko.

"Fine." He was not fine.

"Zuko, what's wrong?"

"It's what Avatar Roku said. I'm supposed to master all four elements before that comet arrives." Zuko ran a hand through his hair, panicked. "I barely have fire or water. How am I meant to master another two when I've been learning Firebending for sixteen years and I still haven't gotten anywhere close to mastering that!"

"To be fair to yourself, nephew, you were learning it wrong. You've made significant improvements since your visit to sun warrior island." Iroh patted Zuko's back proudly but it did little to calm Zuko down.

"I haven't even started Waterbending and we're still weeks away from the North Pole! What am I gonna do?!"

Grabbing Zuko's arm, Hachi linked their fingers. "Calm down, Zuko. It's going to be okay."

Laughing, Katara stepped forward, playing with her hair. "If you want, I can try to teach you some of the stuff I know."

Blinking, Zuko turned to Katara, a hopeful expression on his face. "Really? You'd do that?"

"We'll need to find a good source of water first."

"Maybe we can find a puddle for you to splash in," Sokka joked, Isu stabbing him in the side.

"I know a lake nearby, I could take you there while the bison rest." Isu grinned as she dragged the others to the 'puddle.'

"Woah, nice puddle," Sokka muttered as they stared at the waterfall.

"This would be better if more than half of us could actually swim." Isu scratched the back of her head as Katara chuckled.

"I forgot you couldn't swim."

"Well, neither can Hachi or Zuko so it's not just me." Isu crossed her hands defensively, sitting back down on the edge of the waterfall.

Smiling, Katara leaned against Isu. "I could teach you. Maybe after I've taught Hachi how to bend, I could teach you to swim."

"That'll be nice."

Laughing, Sokka jumped over the edge of the waterfall. "Well, I'm off duty!" He screamed in delight as he slashed into the water and relaxed.

"Come on Zuko, let's get waterbending." Katara smiled, pulling Zuko to the side as Hachi sat by the water bed, playing with the fishes.

Zuko stood in the water, watching Hachi with a soft smile.

"Zuko!" Katara chuckled as Zuko snapped his focus back to her. "Shall we start? This is a pretty basic move, but it still took me months to perfect. So don't get frustrated if you don't get it right away." Holding out her hand, Katara pulled the water back and forth. "Just push and pull the water like this. The key is getting the wrist movement right."

Taking in a deep breath, Zuko held out his hands. "Like this?" Zuko copied Katara's hand movements, though nothing happened.

"That's almost right. If you practice I'm sure eventually you'll get it." Katara grinned as Zuko furrowed his eyes, his eyes sparkling as small ripples washed over the water.

The second he got excited, the ripples calmed down causing him to frown and refocus.

As the time passed, Zuko managed to build his bending up, getting a few centimetres from the water before Katara eventually called their practising to a close. Zuko fell down, lying on Hachi's lap.

"You okay, Zuko?" Hachi ran his fingers through Zuko's hair, letting him rest his head.

"Yeah... Just tired." Zuko rested his eyes as Isu snickered. Hachi glared at her as she walked to Katara's side.

"We need some more supplies, wish to join me in town."

Katara smiled, standing up. "Of course. Iroh? Sokka?"

"I better stay with my nephew," Iroh announced, settling down next to the bison. "But I'm sure Sokka will come with you."

Sokka jumped up excitedly as they walked to the nearby town. "Right, we've got exactly three copper pieces left from the money King Bumi gave us. Let's spend it wisely."

"Make that two copper pieces, Sokka. I needed this whistle." Isu spun the whistle around her finger, putting it into her pocket.

"What?! Why would you buy that?!" Sokka glared at Isu as she smirked.

"You'll find out in due time, my friend." Isu patted her pocket proudly.

Katara sighed, taking the remaining coppers as they walked along the dock.

"Earth Nation! Fire Nation! Water Nation! So long as bargains are your inclination, you're welcome here! Don't be shy, come on by!" The man stopped, running up to Sokka, Katara and Isu. "Oh, you there! I can see from your clothing that you're the world-travelling type. Perhaps I can interest you in some exotic curios?"

"Curios? What's a curio?" Isu looked to Katara for guidance as she went to answer but couldn't in time.

"I'm not entirely sure," the strange man said, putting an arm around Isu's shoulder. "But we got 'em!" He pulled her onto the ship, showing off the various collectables lined up on the shelves.

Katara walked to a scroll stack, her eyes widening at the familiar mark. Opening the scroll carefully, Katara gasped. "Isu, look at this! It's a Waterbending scroll. Check out these crazy moves."

Isu peered over Katara's shoulder- having to stand on her tippy-toes to do so. "I've seen these before. The library has tons of bending scrolls with that symbol on it. Grandad believed the key to being a strong bender was learning the other benders styles and using them to strengthen yours."

Sokka blinked, turning to the pirates. "Where did you get a Waterbending scroll?"

The captain slammed his hand onto the scroll, pulling it away. "Let's just say I got it up North, at a most reasonable price, free." Rolling the scroll back up, the pirate captain put it back on the shelf.

"Wait a minute... Sea loving traders, with suspiciously acquired merchandise and pet reptile birds. You guys are pirates!" Sokka pointed at the crew, a proud smile on his face.

Isu raised her eyebrow. "What's a pirate?"

Katara shook her head, promising Isu she would explain later as the strange man put an arm around Sokka's shoulder. "We prefer to think of ourselves as 'high-risk traders.'"

Katara gulped, turning her attention back to the scroll. "How much for the traded scroll?"

The pirate captain shifted his eyes between the group and the scroll. "I've already got a buyer, a nobleman in the Earth kingdom. Unless of course, you kids have two hundred gold pieces on you right now."

Shaking their heads, the gang slowly walked off. Isu hopped forward, tapping Katara's forehead. "Don't frown, we will get a water scroll, one way or another."