The Waterbending Scroll

The next day on the deck , Zuko is practicing firebending with me and his Lieutenant Lee. He sends two separate fireballs in our direct. Lieutenant Lee uses his hands to disapperate the attack and I move my head to the right. The flames barley missed my head and the edges of my bangs are slightly burned off.

Suddenly, the ship turns and the three of us are thrown to one side on our backs.

"Someone's changing our course." Zuko says as he glares at the tower.

We stop training for today and he and I head up the tower (Though Zuko was going up the stairs faster than I was).

Zuko storms in; furious. "What is the meaning of this mutiny? No one told you to change course!" he yells at Iroh, who is playing Pai Sho with the rest of the crew.

"Actually, someone did. I assure you, it is a matter of utmost importance, Prince Zuko." Iroh states and scratches his beard.

"Is it something to do with the Avatar?" Zuko asks Iroh hopefully

"Even more urgent. It seems, I-" Iroh rubs his forehead in stress. "-I have lost my lotus tile." he moves a piece of his across the Pai Sho board.

I raise my eyebrow in confusion. "You lost your Lotus tile?" I ask him.

"For my Pai Sho game. Most people think the lotus tile insignificant, but it is essential for the unusual strategy that I employ." Iroh answers.

"You've changed our course for a stupid lotus tile?" Zuko asks Iroh in disbelief.

"See, you, like most people, underestimate it's value. Just give me ten minutes to check the merchants at this port of call. Hopefully, they will have the lotus tile in stock and I can get on with my life." Iroh tells his nephew excitedly on the last part.

Zuko takes a few deep breaths before breathing fire up at the ceiling in anger and Iroh smiles.

"I'm lucky to have such an understanding nephew." he says happily.

The room fills with smoke of Zuko's outburst and I cough. I use my firebending to clear the smoke and catched my breath.

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Later on, Zuko, Iroh, I are standing in the marketplace.

"I've checked all the shops on this pier. Not a lotus tile in the entire marketplace." Iroh tells as sadly.

"It's good to know this trip was a complete waste of time for everyone!" Zuko retorts angrily.

"Quite the contrary. I always say, the only thing better than finding something you are looking for," crew members begin to walk past, carrying Iroh's purchases. "is finding something you weren't looking for at a great bargain!" Iroh states as a crew member walks past us playing a tsungi horn.

"You bought a tsungi horn?" Zuko asks him.

"For music night on the ship. Now, if we only had some woodwinds." Iroh points to the ship.

"Oh, this place looks promising!" He exclaims, seeing a monkey statue. "Oh, that is handsome! Wouldn't it look magnificent in the galley? Iroh asks the pirate.

"We lost the Water Tribe girl and the little bald monk she was traveling with." Oh informed another pirate who has a iguana parrot on his left shoulder and is wearing an eye patch.

Zuko turns around to them "This monk, did he have an arrow on his head?" he asks as Iroh turns around, making a face similar to the monkey's.

Even though I'm not facing Iroh, I roll my eyes with a smile at his antics.

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A smaller boat launches out of the ship. It and the pirate ship sail down the river.

"Shouldn't we stop to search the woods?" the Pirate Captain asks Zuko.

"We don't need to stop. They stole a waterbending scroll, right?" Zuko replies.

"Mm-hm." the Pirate Captain confirms.

"Then they'll be on the water." the Prince states.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh! Shoot! Come on water, work with me here! Okay, what if I just, ow! Stupid scroll!" We head to where that voice is coming from. Katara is practicing her waterbending.

"Okay Katara, shift your weight through the stances." She drops the water again and hears the ship pulling up onto the river bank.

She peeks through the bushes to see what the noise was, and gasps upon seeing the pirates. She turns to run, but it grabbed by a pirate.

"No! Let go of me!" she bends water up into the pirate's face, and he releases her, she runs but is grabbed again on the wrists by Zuko.

He glares at her as she looks frightfully at him.

"I'll save you from the pirates." he tells her sarcastically and walk behind Katara, making sure that she doesn't escape.

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Zuko ties Katara's hands to a tree and he and I stand in front of her.

"Tell me where he is and I won't hurt you or your brother." He threatens.

"You both can just go jump in the river!" she retorts angrily.

Zuko walks around Katara, trying to be reasonable. "Try to understand. I need to capture him to restore something I've lost, my honor." Katara jerks her head away from him.

"Perhaps in exchange I can restore something you've lost." he whispers in her ear. Zuko hold Katara's necklace up to her neck.

I widen my eyes a bit in shock. Did he steal her necklace to use as leverage?!

"My mother's necklace! How did you get that?" Katara asks him in shock.

Zuko walks a few feet away. "I didn't steal it, if that's what you're wondering. Tell me where he is." he demands, pointing at Katara.

"No!" she refused.

"Enough of this necklace garbage! You promised a scroll!" the Pirate Captain tells the Prince.

"I wonder how much this is worth ..." The pirates gasp as Zuko takes out the scroll and holds it over a fire in his hand.

"A lot, apparently. Now you help me find what I want, you'll get this back, and everyone goes home happy. Search the woods for the boy and meet back here!" He orders.

"Fine." the Pirate Captain complies. He and his pirate crew searched through the woods.

"Do you really think that forcing the pirates to search for the Avatar by threatening to burn this parchment is worth it." I questioned him.

"Only one way to find out." he says determinedly.

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The next morning, we gather with pirates. They're holding Aang and Sokka, who are tied up. Sokka is struggling with the ropes.

"Nice work." Zuko tells the pirates.

"Aang, this is all my fault." Katara tells Aang with regret.

"No Katara, it isn't." Aang comforts.

"Yeah, it kind of is." Iroh states to her and she glares at him. Take about brutal honesty.

"Give me the boy." Zuko orders the Pirate Captain.

"You give us the scroll." the Pirate Captain orders backs.

"You're really gonna hand over the Avatar for a stupid piece of parchment?" Sokka asks the Pirate Captain slyly.

Zuko immediately catches up on what the Water Tribe Warrior is trying to do. "Don't listen to him, he's trying to turn all of us against each other!" he yells to the pirates.

The Pirate Captain turns to Aang. "Your friend is the Avatar?" he asks Sokka.

"Sure is, and I'll bet he'll fetch a lot more on the black market than that fancy scroll." Sokka tells him.

"Shut your mouth, you Water Tribe peasant!" Zuko shouts at hims.

Seriously?! Did you have to call this boy a peasant you hottoheddo (ホットヘッ)?!

"Yeah, Sokka, you really should shut your mouth." Aang advises his friend.

"I'm just sayin' it's bad business sense. Think how much the Fire Lord would pay for the Avatar. You guys would be set for life." Sokka persuaves.

"Keep the scroll; we can buy a hundred with the reward we'll get for the kid." the Pirate Captains tells Zuko as he and his band of pirates turn to leave.

"You'll regret breaking a deal with me." Zuko warns as he and two of his soldiers send a blast of fire at the pirates.

The pirates jump back and Oh runs out, throwing smoke bombs and jumping into the cloud as the fight ensues. Some of the soldiers run out to Sokka and Aang, who are struggling with their ropes, but are stopped by several pirates.

I run through the cloud of smoke, avoiding being crashed by pirates and soldier fighting each other. I eventually get out of the smoke cloud and get behind the tree Katara's tied to.

"Why are you helping me?" she asks me suspiciously. "You helped Zuko and the pirates have me captured."

I bend a fire dagger out of my fingertips and being to cut her restrains. "Consider this a favor. Besides, I can't let Zuko recapture you and use you as leverage for the Avatar." I replied.

The ropes are cut off, freeing Katara. She gives me a small smile and runs to join the fight.

As I was about to search for Zuko in smokescreen, he finds his way out of the smoke cloud and hides the scroll behind his back. The Pirate Captain sees him and the two begin to fight. The scroll flies into the air and his caught by the flying lemur. The iguana parrot sees him and hits the lemur. The scroll flies back down to the ground.

A pirate heads in my direction with a sword. He attempts to decapitate me with his sword but I limboed, evading the slash. While in my limbo position, I kick the weapon out of his hands. The pirate throws a fist towards me. I dodged the assault and grabbed his arm, throwing him over my shoulder against the ground.

Zuko and the Pirate continue to fight each other. Iroh breaks the fight between the two.

"Are you so busy fighting you cannot see your own ship has set sail?" Iroh angrily asks the Pirate Captain.

"We have no time for your proverbs, Uncle!" Zuko yells.

"It's no proverb!" Iroh tells him as he points to the trio, who has hijacked the pirate ship.

"Bleeding hog monkeys!" the Pirate exclaims and runs to his sailed away ship.

Zuko laughs while pointing at him. I look at him and roll my eyes at his reaction. His laughter dissipates as the pirates hijack his own boat. The pirates taunt him.

"Hey! That's my boat!" Zuko shouts at them as he goes chasing after the hijacked boat.

I begin to laugh out loud, holding my stomach.

"Maybe it should be a proverb ..." Iroh ponders.

"Oh yes it should!" I tell him, still laughing.

"C'mon, Uncle and Akira!" Zuko yells at us.

I seize my laughter. Iroh and I go after the Prince.

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The boat falls down the waterfall and Zuko runs to the cliff in horror at the fact that his boat has gone over the falls.

"My boat!" he shouts.

Iroh chuckles. "Prince Zuko, you're really going to get a kick out of this. That lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!" he pulls the lotus tile out of his with a big smile.

I snicker. Iroh you lovable troll.

Zuko snatches the lotus tile out the Iroh's hand and furiously throws it down the waterfall.

Well two things happened today. One; a fiery prince gets karma thrown in his face. Two; we came here searching for a lotus tile that Iroh hidden this whole time.