"Aahh!" said Iroh, he and Zuko were seated at a low-lying table "See Prince Zuko, a moment of quiet is good for your mental well-being."
He poured Zuko a cup of tea. Zuko raised the cup to take a sip, but the ship suddenly jerked; the vibrations caused the tea in the cup to go flying, soaking Zuko's face and hair. Zuko grunted in frustration, pushed his ponytail back and rose to see what the commotion was about.
When they reached the deck, they saw several firebenders stood poised, ready to attack. Shinju was there too, she was holding a katana in her hands. A shirshu suddenly leaped onto the deck, a young woman was mounted on its back. The firebenders fled from the beast, only Shinju was left.
"Look out!" shouted a firebender.
"Get back! We're after a stowaway!" said the young woman.
"There are no stowaways on my ship." Zuko said.
The shirshu tore off a chunk of the metal deck flooring and hurled it in Zuko's direction. Zuko ducked for cover, the firebenders, Iroh and Shinju moved to the side and the metal piece hit the doorway leading to the main compartments of the ship with a clang as they turned around to watch it hit the door. Zuko looked on in frustration while the firebenders and Iroh took a firebending stance while Shinju was still holding her katana.
A gaping hole presented where the metal flooring once was. The shirshu stoke its head inside and began sniffing around. As it rose its head out of the hole, it was holding the stowaway. He tried to flee but the shirshu lashed out its elongated tongue. As its tongue stroke the man, he fell onto the deck with a terrified look on his face.
"He's paralyzed." Shinju said. She had seen something like this before.
"Only temporarily," said the young woman "The toxins will wear off in about an hour. But by then, he'll be in jail and I'll have my money." she slung him over her shoulder and looked at Shinju "Hey, I liked your hair. It looks cool."
"Thanks." Shinju said "I liked yours, too."
"But how did you find him on my ship?" Zuko asked, he was confused.
"My shirshu can smell a rat a continent away." the young woman said as she slung onto its back.
"Well, I'm impressed," Iroh said as she cracked her whip and the shirshu bolted off the ship, racing down the dock "Very impressed."
"I have seen some like her." Shinju said "They're really tough, especially the female ones."
Zuko shot Iroh a disgusted glance as he saw the look in his eyes "Ugh, Uncle!"
Iroh said nothing, he turned back to play Pai Sho. Shinju put her katana back to its scabbard and looked into the hole on the deck "Well, this doesn't look good."
"How can a hole on the deck look good?" Zuko responded.
"I don't know, I have never thought about it, Mr. Furious."
"Mr. Furious?"
"Yeah, that's your nickname."
Zuko grunted "You make me sick!" he shouted and walked away. Shinju grinned.
I have fun making you sick, Mr. Furious.
***
Shinju smiled warmly to the tavern. That brought some memories back but they went back as a man was thrown through the roof and landed on the ground. They got in the tavern and saw the young woman on the shirshu's back, arm-wrestling a man.
"Out of my way!" Zuko said with an annoyed expression as he pushed a man out of the way "Step aside, filth!"
Shinju shook her head He needs to learn to be more polite.
"He means no offense! I'm certain you bathe regularly!" Iroh said apologetically as Shinju laughed. The man gave her an angry look but she returned him his look and a satisfied smile appeared on her face as he got out of the tavern, running.
Zuko approached the young woman who was still arm-wrestling. Iroh and Shinju reached her as well "I need to talk to you." Zuko said.
"Well, if it isn't my new friends: Angry Boy, Uncle Lazy and Katana Girl." she said as she won the match without breaking any sweat. The crowd cheered and threw money at the winner.
"Your beast trashed my ship. You have to pay me back!" Zuko said.
"Well, I'd love to help you out, but I'm a little short on money." she said as she collected her winnings and turned to the crowd "Drinks on me!"
The crowd cheered as Shinju laughed.
"Money isn't what I had in mind." Zuko said. Now, she looked interested. They got out of the tavern. Zuko took out a blue, Water Tribe necklace "I need you to find someone."
"What happened, your girlfriend run off on you?" she said sarcastically. Shinju's eyes widened. What, Prince Zuko was with a Water Tribe girl? NO WAY.
"It's not the girl I'm after, it's the bald monk she's travelling with."
Oh, so the Avatar travels with a Water Tribe girl.
"Whatever you say," said the young woman, unamused.
"If you find them, I'll consider the damage to my ship paid for." said Zuko.
The young woman scoffed "Heh, forget it." she said as she started to climb to her saddle.
"Plus, we'll pay your weight in gold." Iroh said. Shinju's eyes widened, again. I would want that gold.
The young woman stopped and widened her eyes in surprised as she smirked and walked over to Iroh "Make it your," she said as she poked his stomach "Weight, and we got a deal."
Iroh laughed "You got it!"
The young woman turned back on the shirshu's back "Get on!"
She took the necklace from Zuko as they got on the saddle and showed it to the shirshu. A few moments later, it rushed forward. Shinju wrapped her arms around Zuko's waist "May I?" she asked. Zuko shrugged "So what is your name?" Shinju asked to the young woman.
"June," she said as she looked at Shinju and smiled.
***
They were in some kind of village when the shirshu stopped. The citizens were fleeing from them in terror as the shirshu kept smelling the area. Zuko was annoyed "Why are we stopping?" he asked.
"Because the girl must have spent a lot of time here." June responded.
"We have no time for this!" Zuko said as he got off the shirshu and hung the necklace in front of its face. The shirshu appeared agitated and it snapped at Zuko. He swiftly ducked down "Hey! Watch it!"
"Oh look, he likes you!" June said as Shinju and Iroh laughed from behind her. An old woman approached Iroh.
"Care to hear your fortune, handsome?"
"At my age, there's really only one big surprise left, and I'd just as soon leave it a mystery." Iroh said. Zuko got on the shirshu again, Shinju wrapped her arms around his waist again. Zuko looked at her, then he turned back. He shook himself with the thought that came into his mind.
She's dead, don't get foolish ideas.
***
Finally, they have seen the Water Tribe girl. And she had a Water Tribe guy with her, too "So this is your girlfriend?" June said to Zuko as he jumped down "No wonder she left, she's way to pretty for you."
Shinju 'hmph'ed.
"Where is he? Where is the Avatar?" Zuko asked to them.
"We split up. He's long gone." said the Water Tribe boy.
Zuko frowned "How stupid do you think I am?"
"Pretty stupid," he said as he grabbed his sister and Shinju laughed "Run!"
They started to run but the shirshu used its tongue to paralyze them.
"What are we supposed to do now?" Zuko asked.
The shirshu walked closer to the Water Tribe people "It's seeking a different scent. Perhaps something that the Avatar held." June said. The shirshu knocked a paper off the Water Tribe boys pack.
***
The shirshu broke down the gates of the abbey. They had Katara and Sokka (Shinju learnt their name on their way to the abbey) with them, too. The shirshu walked around in a circle. Zuko frowned "What's it doing? It's just going in a circle."
"Be patience, Prince Zuko." Shinju muttered. Zuko frowned at her too. Then, they saw the Avatar flying down. The shirshu tried to paralyze him but ended up throwing its riders and falling down. Zuko, Iroh, June and Shinju quickly got up as Katara and Sokka didn't.
"Aang!" Katara shouted as she saw him.
"Up!" June cracked her whip as the shirshu stood up and she mounted him. June and the shirshu charged at Aang but the gigantic bison knocked them down by leaping on the shirshu's side. It growled and snorted at June and the shirshu.
Zuko and Aang were facing each other when Shinju joined them. Aang looked at Shinju "Who are you?"
"You'll find out soon," Shinju said as she blasted a fire at him but he stopped it by waving his glider. He sent a blast of air at Zuko but he sidestepped and firebended to him. Aang jumped to avoid the blast. Zuko moved closer to Aang as Shinju approached from his back and sent him a fireball. He sensed it when it was about to touch him and he jumped. Shinju swore.
Zuko punched and kicked at Aang, sending fire blasts at him while Shinju shot arrows at him. He avoided these blasts but one of the arrows tore his clothe "Ouch." he muttered as he sent an air blast at Shinju's head. Shinju did a split and then jumped to stand up. She smirked when she saw the frightened yet impresses look on Aang's face.
The trio both firebended and airbended at each other at the same time, creating a large explosion that formed a mushroom cloud. They both fell on different roofs. Shinju stood up quickly "Okay, you wanted this." she muttered to herself as she saw Aang was about to stand up. She let all the emotions go and formed the lightning, sending it towards him.
Aang jumped into the air as Shinju jumped to the room that he was on. She saw Zuko was there, too. They both sent fire blasts at Aang's feet. She sent the lightning to him again when he jumped up. He tried to escape but he ended up falling. He stood up quickly and sent streams of air to both of them. Shinju wasn't affected at all but Zuko was sent to an abbey corner tower. Aang ran towards Zuko and attacked him with an air blast. Zuko jumped off the roof as the shirshu jumped on. Shinju jumped off, too and ran to Zuko.
As Aang ran away from the shirshu, the gigantic bison used its tail to send an airbending blast at the roof. He jumped in the abbey courtyard stream and the shirshu followed him. But they ran to the side as a part of the abbey roof exploded. The dust cleared to show the gigantic bison.
Shinju looked around for Iroh and she saw him sneaking a perfume bottle into his sleeves. He winked at Shinju when he saw she was looking at him. Shinju grinned and turned back to the fight.
Zuko sent Aang three fire blasts. Aang jumped to the other side of the wall he was standing but he fell down when Shinju sent the lightning. Then, he saw Zuko was holding Katara's necklace "You have something I want." he said to Zuko.
"And the Avatar has turned into a lover's man. How lovely." Shinju said sarcastically.
Aang jumped between the four beams of the well. He dodged Zuko's fire blasts by moving on all sides of the well. Shinju broke two of the well's beams and sent the wooden structure away. Zuko jumped on the well's circular stone structure to join Aang. He sent two fire blasts at Aang but he dodged them by stepping around the well.
Aang sent two air blasts at Zuko and two at Shinju. Shinju lied down and the blasts missed her. Aang snatched at Katara's necklace but missed it. Zuko lunged at Aang but he jumped onto his back and Shinju fell to the ground because of laughing too hard.
Aang grabbed Katara's necklace and fell in the well. Zuko and Shinju sent fire blasts down the well. But the water from the well rose out and sent them flying. Aang jumped out with the water, which rained a little before they fell down. Zuko and Shinju stood up. But when she turned back, she saw the gigantic bison was heading toward to them. Before she could tell Zuko, the shirshu's tongue lashed out at the bison. The bison growled. June cracked her whip and the shirshu lashed out at the bison again. The gigantic bison fell down as the shirshu looked towards Sokka and Katara.
Shinju saw that the nuns and Sokka were pushing the pots. When she realized what they were doing, it was too late. The shirshu has got confused. Or blind.
It paralyzed Zuko and then Shinju who was standing in front of him and fell on Zuko as he fell to the ground. Then the shirshu paralyzed June and she fell into Iroh's arms. The shirshu ran around in a circle and bumped into more perfume pots. It jumped over the abbey wall.
"Uncle?" Zuko said "I didn't see you get hit with the tongue."
"Shhh." Iroh said as Shinju laughed.
"Well, it seems I'm gonna lie on your lap for a while, Zuko." Shinju said.
"It's no problem," he said "I have decided to try to get on well with you."
"Good," she said "I think you've understood that I'm not going to leave."
"Yeah, that's why I decided that."
"What about the loyalty thingy?"
"I think you've already proved it," Iroh said.
"Good," Shinju said again "Then I can sleep on you with no doubts in my mind."
"Oh no don't you dare..." Zuko said but he was interrupted by Shinju.
"Good night!"
Another chapter. Hope you enjoyed it!
Winged lemur kisses :*