Broken Warrior: The Tale of Kai Yamagata (PG-13) [Updated 7/28/08]BACK!!!

[BeautifullyAbstract]

****please note that this story takes place very early in season 1****


Chapter 1
The Prisoner

Within the confines of a darkened prison, a lone figure lay curled in the corner. Her eyes were half lidded, making no attempt to see what surrounded her. The gentle rocking of the ship caused the chains that were wrapped around her wrists and ankles to slide back and forth in the darkness. The sounds of the chains grating across the floor were a sweet lullaby and a small source of comfort to the girl as she sat in the darkness by herself for hours at a time.

The somewhat melodic pattern the chains created her soon interrupted by several loud clicks that echoed through her cell. She counted the loud clicking noises in her head.

"One. . . " *CLICK*

"Two. . ." *CLICK*

"Three. . . *CLICK*

"Four. . ." *CLICK*

"Five. . ." *CLICK*

One by one she counted the clicks that signaled the unlocking of the door and to her was a solemn announcement that some unwanted visitor had arrived. Light flooded the room from the outside as the weathered, rusted, and old metallic door creaked open with a loud moan. Quickly, the young girl closed her crimson eyes to hide from the blinding light as the door fully opened revealing her disheveled and mangled condition.

Her clothes were old and evidence of the fabric's once pure black color were only evident in the faded dull grey that replaced it as time passed. Tears and rips were scattered throughout her clothing revealing unappealing scars and what seemed to be recent lacerations on her body. Although, the color of the young girl's outfit was grey, it was joined in by another color, red. If one were to see her walking around in this condition and happen to look at her outfit, they would suspect that the bright and dark red colors from her outfit were a result of someone intricately staining a fabric. But, no, this was not the case. It was not a rare dye that stained her otherwise grey clothes. It was her blood.

A mocking and deep chuckle echoed through the room that made the girl's insides wrench and stirred the unbridled passion of hate from within her soul. Her eyes snapped open revealing her natural crimson eyes. Even though the sudden introduction of light practically blinded her, stubbornly she kept them open and let them adjust. Lifting her head off the cold metal ground, she flipped her long, black, blood clotted hair as best as she could so she could get a good look of her unwelcome guest. Her hate filled eyes narrowed even more when her vision finally focused in on the figure in the door way.

"Zhao. . ." she whispered to herself in a hoarse yet anger tone as she continued to glare up at him.

"What's the matter?" asked the pompous commander asked he looked down at the girl, "why don't you stand?" he asked mockingly. Even though her chains gave her enough room to stand she had no strength to do such thing. Every move that she made was arduous and painful and the simplest involuntary twitch of a muscle could trigger and unwanted a seemingly never-ending cycle of pain that would rack her entire body. The girl glared viciously and bared her teeth to Commander Zhao, like an Armadillo Lion ready to strike. Zhao new full well that she wouldn't be able to move.

As the girl glared at Commander Zhao, memories of the previous day's occurrences ran through her mind. She could hear her own screams in her head during Commander Zhao's interrogation session. Every time she refused to answer a question they would make a long deep cut along her body, mostly on her arms and legs. Like a routine, a cycle of question, refusal to answer, and cut, continued over the course of several hours until it seemed that there was no area of open skin left to cut or it could've been because Commander Zhao and the soldiers that accompanied him simply grew bored. After they had thrown their blades aside they began to beat and pummel her, but still she refused to answer their questions or submit to their will.

Commander Zhao stepped forward and knelt beside the girl. Gruffly, he took her chin in his hands and forced her gaze upwards so she would look at him. As she gazed at him she saw that his face no longer showed signs of mockery or amusement.

"Will you swear your allegiance to the Fire Lord?" he asked sternly. The girl stayed silent. "Give me the location of the remaining seven members of the Fire Nation Rebellion!" he ordered this time with more force behind his voice.

"You already know my answer from yesterday. . ." she struggled to say as Commander Zhao's hand tightened around her jaw, "I said, 'I don't know. And even if I did know I'd never tell you'!" she barked at him. "And as for that allegiance question. . . you can take that allegiance and shove it up your ass!"  Commander Zhao's eyes narrowed and he threw her head against the metal wall.

"Listen, you! I've been incredibly generous by giving you one month to live so you could tell me the locations and to swear your allegiance to the Fire Lord. You are a wanted criminal and should've been killed the moment I captured you in the Earth Kingdom, but no." He stopped himself and took a deep breath in an attempt to regain his composure. "Now, I'm going to ask you again. . . will you swear your allegiance to the Fire Lord and give us the location of the remaining members of the rebellion?"

She could feel herself loosing consciousness as every thing around her began to blur and a spinning sensation filled her mind. But, just as her eyes were about to close she uttered out a week, but defiant "No. . ."

Seeing that the girl was unconscious, Commander Zhao growled angrily and blotted out of the cell. Fervently, he slammed the door behind him and turned to the guard who stood to the right of the door. "You," he said through clenched teeth, "Go find a messenger bird and send a note to the Yamagata family. Tell them we have captured their daughter and we are returning to the Fire Nation for her execution."

[MingUe]

Hey your finally on ASN. welcome ^^.
I love this story even more than before. Really nicely written and of course I love Kai.

[Yong Wing]

Glad this story's on ASN. I can review it now. ^^

Nice re-editing of it. I see fewer errors than your first version. Only one error, actually. The writing & description are purely crystal work. Seriously, solid job for a first chapter.

Good luck on further chapters & if you need help navigating ASN, I'm your man.

[BeautifullyAbstract]

Chapter 2
Escape


A small groan escaped the dry lips of the young prisoner as she stirred from unconsciousness. Opening her eyes, she saw nothing but the bleak and familiar darkness of the room.

"How long have I been out. . .?" she asked herself. Her eyes darted around in the darkness trying to find something she could lock her crimson eyes on, but as she moved her head around, a sharp and incredibly painful sensation shot through her skull. The girl let out a hoarse cry of pain as her head fell back to the ground. She bit down on her lip trying to suppress her cries of agony. It felt as if a red hot knife was being plunged into the back of her skull and she didn't know why. Suddenly the reason behind her new pain dawned on her.

"Zhao!" she cried out in anger, remembering how he had thrown her head against he wall. However, her sudden temper was cooled when the pain in the back of her head grew worse. She let out another quiet cry and bit down on her lip as she waited for the pain to fade. "Bastard. . ." the girl muttered angrily.

The girl's crimson eyes suddenly widened in the darkness and the sharp pain in her head was soon forgotten. She quieted herself completely so she could be to hear any noise within the confines of her prison. She stayed like this for several minutes until she was sure that she heard nothing, not even the grating of her chains against the floor. The ship had stopped.

"Perfect!" she thought to herself. The girl took a deep breath, and fighting every ache and pain in her body, she pushed herself off the ground. Her injured arms trembled underneath her weight as she moved up inch by inch. In an attempt to give herself more support she put her palm down on the ground only to have it slip from underneath her. As she landed on the ground she realized that the floor was slippery with her thick blood and that she had to be more careful. Ignoring the agonizing pain and the aching of her muscles, she tried a second time to sit upright. This time, her limbs trembled underneath her weight even more than before, threatening to send to her to ground once again, but just as she was about to collapse she took hold of the her chains, which were anchored in the wall just above her.

Once she had managed to pull herself into a sitting position she gasped to regain her breath. As she paused to regain her strength, her hand groped around blindly in the darkness in search of the chain that bound her down. Her fingers bumped into what seemed to be a sudden rise in the floor and without hesitation her trembling hand reached around to grab at the bump in the ground only find it was the chain. Even though her hand was covered in cuts she held onto to the chain like her life depended on it and in the darkness her hand began to glow bright red. She let out a loud gasp of pain as the heat from her firebending seemed to seep into her wounds like melted iron. While she winced from the searing pain in her right hand, her left hand groped around searching for the other chains. She gathered the three remaining chains in her hand and began to firebend. The pain doubled as she began to melt away the chains, but she refused to let go. Even though only a few minutes passed, it seemed like hours until she finally felt the chain completely sever. The young firebender achingly let go of the chains and saw that the cuts on her glowing hands were severely burned and looked worse than before, but she ignored that and pulled herself off of the floor. She staggered to the door and fell against it weakly, panting a bit. As she weakly leaned against the door, she pressed her ear to the cold metal and listened for anything that was going on outside. The sound of her pulse echoed through her ears, making it just a bit harder to zone in on any sound that was made outside the door. But, despite that she could hear the faint snore of the guard outside her door.

She didn't hesitate for a minute quickly her injured hands groped around in the darkness against the door until she ran into one of the five locks that kept her inside the prison. She pressed her middle an index finger in the center of the lock and began to metal away at it.  The locks were a lot easier to melt than her chains and within no time she was already down to the last and final lock and even sooner she pulled on the handle of the door and opened it. As she opened the door, it made a loud moaning noise and that was the last thing she wanted! Upon hearing the loud noise her eyes quickly looked over at the guard. The guard sat in his chair sound asleep, signaling her that it would be okay to open the door more. Just as she did so the door creaked even louder than before!

"sh*t!" she thought to herself, she only had the door open a crack and at this rate she would never get out. But, that was the least of her problems. Glancing over at the guard she saw that he was starting to wake up. Without even thinking, the girl reached at the fabric underneath his armor with her injured hands and threw him into the cell with her. The guard groaned against the ground, but before he could open his eyes the girl delivered a swift kick to his head, knocking him out completely.

"That should keep him out of it for a while," she thought to herself as she turned her back on the unconscious Fire Nation guard after taking his keys. Her racing heart and the adrenaline rush was just what she needed. Forgetting her pain completely she threw she mangled frame against the door and forced it open quickly. She stumbled clumsily out of her cell and fell against the wall in front of the door. As much as she wanted to stop and rest, she knew there was no time for that. In one swift move she turned around, and using her foot, she pushed the cell door closed. Taking the keys that she had removed from the guard, she locked the door. Even though she had melted away the locks, she only did it enough so they were weakened and not completely destroyed; she knew that they would harden back into their original form soon.

Quickly she tucked away the keys in her pocket and she made her way down the hallway as fast as she could. As she drew closer and closer to escape she heard footsteps approaching and immediately she threw herself into the nearest dark hallway she could find.

"We should be leaving in about five minutes," she heard a soldier say, "Commander Zhao is just returning from an Agni Kai with the Prince,"

"Prince?" she asked herself as she silent hid in the shadows.

"Did Commander Zhao win?" another voice asked.

"No, from what I've heard he lost and didn't take to it very well. . ." the soldiers voices trailed off as they got further away and when she knew it was safe she bolted for the nearest exit.

She moved even faster than before knowing that she only had five minutes to get out. The hallways of the ship were like an elaborate maze and at every turn there were soldiers and each time she encountered one she quickly hid in the shadows, away from their view. She wasn't in the condition to fight and if she did get into a fight, losing was inevitable. After what seemed like an eternity she finally made it onto the deck, the setting sun burned the girl's crimson eyes that had grown accustomed to darkness, but she pressed forward. Carefully she dodged soldier after soldier, hiding behind crates, until she made it to the back of the ship. Before her eyes, docked next to Commander Zhao's ship was a smaller Fire Nation Ship. She new that the last thing she should do is jump onto another Fire Nation ship, but she had no choice. At the very least she could hide away in the boiler room of the ship for a while until it neared the Earth Kingdom where she could get off from there. She stepped over the ship's railing, took a deep breath, and jumped.

She flew through the air, jumping from onto the next ship, unseen, and she landed nimbly on the deck of the other ship. Once her feet made contact with the deck of the other ship, she fell over in pain. The pain traveled like shockwaves up through her feet, to her legs, torso and arms. Lying on the ground, she felt almost as if she would never be able to get up again. The thought of just laying there for a moment to rest and wait for her pain to subside tempted her mind. But, she was brought back to reality and remembering her situation, she staggered up and ran for a place to hide. Quickly, she ran to the back of the ship and there she saw some a multitude of crates and barrels.

"Perfect. . ." she thought, letting a sigh of relief escape her lips. She climbed over several crates until she found a small crawl space where she could hide. Mustering the last of her strength, she crawled underneath a few crates that formed a makeshift roof above her and lay weakly on the ground. As the young girl drifted into unconsciousness she felt the ship underneath her starting to move and the last thing that she saw was Commander's Zhao's ship in the distance heading in the direction of the Fire Nation. The only thing that registered in her mind as she watched Commander Zhao's ship disappear was that the ship she was on was going in the opposite direction and she was free. Her freedom may not last long, but at least she was free for now.

[Yong Wing]

Finely detailed escape, girl. Realistic, somewhat suspenseful, & sounds brutally painful.

lol Zhao is a real idiot when it comes to guarding prisoners, isn't he?

Looking forward to more. ^^

[MingUe]

Sorry for the late review as you know School = Hell

Anyway I enjoy your story so much, its beautifully written and the description is awesome. Zhao is an ass 

[BeautifullyAbstract]

Chapter 3
Doctor's Order's

The sound of a boisterous laugh from one man filled the air as several other men stared down at what was a game board. A small Pai Sho piece adorned with a carving of a lotus was the focus of the men's attention. Like a chorus, the men groaned in defeat as the man who was laughing grinned triumphantly.

"I win again!" he laughed, his wrinkled hands placed on his round stomach and his wise and aged golden eyes filled with mirth and laughter. The other men groaned at their defeat and held their heads in their hands. The old man's laughter died down and turning his attention away from the Pai Sho board he gazed out the control room's window to see the vast ocean before him. "Such a beautiful day," he sighed as he gazed outward at the sparkling blue sea. Glancing downward, the old man caught a glimpse of a young teenage boy, his nephew, as he delivered a barrage of firebending based attacks at an invisible opponent. "He isn't going to learn much if he continues training this way. . ." the old man sighed as he stared down at his nephew. Suddenly the door to the control room opened and another crew member stepped into the room.

"General Iroh," said the man as he entered the room. The old man turned around and smiled.

"Ah, good morning," Iroh smiled as he greeted the man who stood in the doorway, "is there something I can help you with?"

"Actually," the man hesitated for a moment before speaking up again, "Yes. Me and a few other men were taking some crates down to storage and. . . well, we found something." Iroh, looked at the man, his eyes filled with curiosity.

"What exactly did you find?" The man didn't answer, he only gestured for Iroh to follow him. Iroh followed the man without complaint. Staying behind the man by just a few feet, Iroh made his way down the stairs and through the labyrinth of hallways until they were standing outside on the deck. The two men made a turn once they exited and made their way towards the back of the ship, catching the eye of a young man.

"Uncle," called the young man as he turned to watch his Uncle walk away, "where are you going?" The young man's voice was harsh and somewhat demanding as he looked at his Uncle with golden eyes that were fierce as they glinted in the sunlight and seemed to be stuck in a permanent glare. The old man didn't answer, he merely walked away ignoring his nephew's question. The young man furrowed his brow in frustration and spoke louder, "Uncle!" he called a second time. His uncle didn't answer him still. A low and throaty growl managed to escape his clenched teeth, annoyed by his uncle's ignorance. "UNCLE!" the boy roared as he stormed after his Uncle. Gruffly, he put his hand on his Uncle's shoulder and forced him to turn around a bit.

"Oh, hello, Prince Zuko," smiled Iroh, his eyes full of kindness with no signs of hostility, "and how are you this morning?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Prince Zuko grumbled under his breath since he did not want to discuss the morning's occurrences with his uncle, "Where are you going?" he asked in a demanding tone that his uncle and the crew had grown accustomed to over the years.

"This gentleman said that there was something that I should see in the back," Iroh said with that same gentle smile.

"What exactly are you showing him?" Prince Zuko demanded of the crew member. The man looked at Zuko and sighed.

"I think its best that you see for yourself. . ." he said, hesitance filled his voice. The young Prince raised a frustrated eyebrow at the man and in response he shrank back, intimidated by the young prince's demanding gaze. Letting out a frustrated sigh he followed the man.

Hidden in the shadows of the ship's tower, the three men stood in front of a pile of crates. Silence filled the air as Iroh and Prince Zuko waited on the man to show what ever it was he wanted to show them. Several moments passed and the young Prince growled in annoyance.

"So, are you going to show us what you found? Or are you going to just stand there?" he barked. Iroh put a hand on his nephew's shoulder to calm him somewhat escalated temper. The man maneuvered his way through the vast amounts of barrels and crates, occasionally pushing a few aside to make way for his higher ups. What Iroh saw before his eyes was nothing he expected.

Before the three men was a young girl almost completely covered in blood. Not only were her clothes, or what remained of them, stained with the dark red color of her blood, but her face and skin caked with it. Underneath the outer layer of dried blood they could see the numerous lacerations and wounds that were still leaking small amounts of blood, like a faucet that hadn't been completely turned off. Underneath the brilliant red color that covered her skin, the young girl's skin was extremely pale and almost showed no signs of color. Upon seeing the unconscious girl, Iroh stopped in his tracks and stared at her fallen figure wide eyed. Because of his sudden stop, Prince Zuko bumped roughly into his Uncle.

"Uncle, why'd you sto-?" Prince Zuko's voice trailed off and he too stared at the girl wide eyed.

"Why didn't you say that this was what you wanted to show me?!" Uncle Iroh shouted, his eyes filled with worry as his gaze shifted between the girl on the ground and the man.

"I'm sorry sir; I didn't know what to do,"

"Is she still alive?" Iroh asked as he quickly knelt beside the fallen girl.

"Yeah, she looks like she's still breathing. . ." Iroh took hold of her limp arm and pressed two of his fingers against her wrist. Despite the fact that it was very faint, her pulse was there. Without wasting anytime, Iroh turned to his nephew who still remained standing, staring at the girl dumbfounded with his mouth slightly agape.

"Prince Zuko!" he called to his nephew, trying to grab hold of his attention. Prince Zuko snapped from his slight trance and looked at his uncle. "Don't just stand there take this girl to the infirmary!"

Prince Zuko looked down at the girl and knelt down. He reached over to her slowly and lifted her limp body carefully in his arms. She was fairly light, but she dangled from his grip in such a way that made him wonder if she was really alive. Prince Zuko, adjusted the girl's body making her flop around like rag doll for a bit until he finally found a comfortable way to carry her. Slowly he stood up, trying not to lose his balance, holding the girl tightly against his chest. Uncle Iroh soon got up from the ground and hurried him in the direction of the infirmary.

"Hey! Watch it Uncle, you're gonna make me drop her!" he barked at his uncle as he pushed his nephew down the hallways of the ship. Prince Zuko's golden eyes gazed down at the girl as he continued to walk down the halls of the ship. Her face, underneath her black hair and blood caked skin; he could see her sunken cheeks and dark rings that lay underneath her eyes. Zuko's arms moved slightly underneath her body and suddenly she began to groan and writhe in pain. Her groans of agony echoed through the hallways and reverberated through Prince Zuko's ears as he looked down at her. He stopped for a brief moment to adjust her body in his arms and soon the girl quieted down.

 Zuko's eyes were filled with worry as he looked down at the unconscious girl. However, his concern was not for the girl. He was more worried about what he was doing. The slightest movement seemed to bring the mangled girl great discomfort and agony. She was like a porcelain doll in his arms, so delicate that one wrong move would shatter her frail body into pieces. Iroh walked ahead of the prince and held the door open to the infirmary and Zuko quickly went in.

The doctor, who was asleep in his chair with his head thrown back and his mouth agape, letting a small trail of drool escape his lips, woke suddenly from the sudden intrusion of Prince Zuko, his Uncle, and the unconscious girl.

"Er, wha?" the doctor mumbled as he awoke from his stupor, "General Iroh, Prince Zuko. What bring you here-" the doctor stopped talking when he saw the blood covered girl in the Prince's arms. His eyes widened behind his spectacles at the sight. Just to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating, he quickly removed his glasses, rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times. "GOOD GODS!" the doctor exclaimed, "How the hell-?!"

"We don't know!" Prince Zuko barked sternly at the doctor.

"One of the crew found her at the back of the ship," Iroh explained, "She was already like this when we found her."

"Well, don't just stand there Prince Zuko put her down!" he shouted, his eyes wide with panic and worry.

"Don't order me around like that. . ." growled the Prince, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the doctor who dared to give him an order, "You would do well to mind your place and-"

"Prince Zuko!" interrupted his Uncle, "You would do well to mind the fact that you are carrying a dying girl in your arms!" Iroh let out a sigh and held his hand to his face, "Just put her down, my nephew. . ." As his Uncle left the room, Prince Zuko sighed and put the girl down on the cot that rested up against the wall. The doctor took a minute to feel for her nearly non existent pulse. Suddenly, and much to Zuko's surprise, he tore the girl's shirt open, exposing her injured torso. Prince Zuko gawked at the doctor in disbelief.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" he asked, incredibly surprised by doctor's actions. A light pink shade tinted his cheeks as he glanced down at the girl, her almost bare chest there for him to see.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" the doctor asked, unaware of how strange his actions seemed. He looked down at the girl and suddenly realized what the young prince was thinking about, "Ohhhh. . . NO! I'm not gonna do THAT if that's what you're thinking!" the doctor almost laughed a bit at the Prince's clueless behavior.

"Then what exactly do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm going to treat and close up those wounds hers," he explained, turning his attention away from the girl. He began to push Prince Zuko out the door.

"Hey, let go off me!" Prince Zuko barked as he was being pushed towards the door.

"Sorry, but you gotta leave," the doctor said with a smile.

"Why?! I have every right to stay in this room!" Prince Zuko barked. He quickly turned around to face the doctor. The doctor raised an eyebrow and leaned against the door frame.

"Do you have a reason to stay here?" inquired the doctor.

"Well. . ." Prince Zuko thought about it for a moment. Now thinking about it, he didn't have any reason to stay. He didn't even know why it was he wanted to stay in the first place.

"Exactly," sighed the doctor.

"Well . . ." stammered Prince Zuko, "I dunno. Maybe I could help?" It was clear to see that Zuko was trying to find any reason to stay. Perhaps it was some fear that the doctor would do something to the girl if he wasn't there.

"Uh-huh. . ." the doctor nodded as he raised an eyebrow, "So you want to help?" Zuko nodded, "Do you know how to perform a blood transfusion?" asked the doctor as he extended his arm, letting his hand rest against the other side of the door.

"Well, no . . ." Prince Zuko mumbled.

"Okay then. BYE! ^_^" said the doctor in a cheerful manner before a sliding door closed right in front of the young prince.

"What the-?!" exclaimed Prince Zuko as he looked around and found he was standing in the hallway, "When did I end up here? Wait! Let me in dammit!" he exclaimed as he banged on the door.

"Sorry, Prince Zuko, but you're gonna have to stay outside for now! Doctor's orders!" called the doctor's voice from inside the infirmary. Prince Zuko growled angrily and stopped banging on the door. Suddenly, the door opened revealing the doctor. Only instead this time he wore a serious expression on his face. "Look, I'll call you and your Uncle down here when I'm done if you want, okay?" and without another word the door closed slowly, leaving Prince Zuko to stand alone in the hallway.

---------
Author's Note:
Oh my god... I am so sorry about this sorta crappy chapter. Yes, I know it's not quite as good as the last two, but gimme a break! T.T -bows head in shame-

I'm just hoping that the slight input of comedy at the end made up for it... and if it didn't well... here's a picture of what I think the doctor would look like
http://img463.imageshack.us/img463/5286/dochottiedrhatoriblackft2.jpg

I PROMISE that the next chapter will be better ^^

-BeautifullyAbstract

P.S reviews would be much appreciated

[Yong Wing]

Yes, I noticed more mistakes than usual, but that only barely takes any thunder from the quality of the piece. Perfect characterization of Iroh as the enjoying-life & caring yet stern retired general & that stubborn idiot Zuko. lol ^^
Somehow, I can actually picture Zuko arguing with that doctor in spite of the situation.

lol As always, wonderful job overall, in spite of the errors. I look forward to more.

[MingUe]

I enjoyed this chapter alot. I enjoyed Iroh's carefree nature as you presented it in this chapter. Zuko is the forever hotheaded idiot we all know and love.

That doctor...he looks familiar XD

[BeautifullyAbstract]

Chapter 4
Bite The Hand That Helps

The loud sound of a man's snore filled the room and reverberated against the metal walls of the small doctor's office. At his desk, the doctor slept soundly underneath the small piles unused of gauze bandages, completely oblivious to anything that was going on around him as he snored away. An ominous shadow loomed over the sleeping doctor for several moments. A pair of glaring eyes bored into the doctor's back as the mysterious person stood quietly behind him, watching the sleepy doctor's every move, like a snake waiting for it's prey. The person's hand tightened around the small object they held in their hand, making it glint in the light for a split second. Suddenly, the figure's hand shot out and grabbed onto the doctor's ponytail. Violently, his head was jerked up from the table making the gauze that covered his head, along with several other items that were spread across his desk, fall to the ground. The man let out a cry of pain as he was pulled by his short ponytail. Like lightning, his attacker dragged his body towards them, rolling chair and all.

"Don't make a sound," the voice growled, "if you do I'll kill you. . .Now I want you to answer a few questions. . ." The doctor made chuckled a bit, trying to ease the tension of the situation.

"Well, if I don't make a sound, then how can I answer your question?" he said with a nervous laugh. His attacker tightened their grip and jerked the doctor's head back violently, giving him whiplash. The doctor groaned in pain as he was forced to look a bit at the ceiling. Only then did he realize that there was one of his scalpels was pressed against his neck, threatening to end his life with one slice, "Ow! Okay. . . what do you want?" asked the doctor in a serious tone. His eyes narrowed as he craned around to look at his attacker.

"First question. . ." the voice whispered, even though the tone of his attacker's voice was soft it was still just as threatening. The doctor's eyes widened upon realizing who his attacker was. Even though he had never heard this person's voice it was easy to tell who it was. The voice was female. "Where the hell am I?" growled the voice.

"You're in the infirmary. . ." the doctor explained, his eyes glancing down in an attempt to see the weapon held to his neck. The doctor gave up on his futile attempt to look at the scalpel that was held to his neck. Instead, his eyes looked around for the cot only to find it empty.

"And where exactly is this infirmary?" asked the voice. The doctor answered the question as he discreetly reached into his pocket. He grasped a small object that somewhat resembled a vial and slowly, he pushed his thumb against the cap that covered one end and removed it, revealing a small needle. He shook the object in his hand slightly and through his finger tips he felt a liquid sloshing inside.

"Good, it's full . . ." he said to himself mentally. Suddenly his hand shot out of his pocket and he swung his arm around in hopes of reaching his attacker. His arm came to an abrupt stop and he gulped nervously as he tried to glance down at the scalpel. A nerve racking pause ensued as the doctor mentally prayed to the gods, hoping he had hit his attacker with needle. Quickly, using his free hand, the doctor grabbed the scalpel away from his attacker and lurched out of the chair and clumsily fell against the door. He panted frantically as he held the scalpel in front of him in defense in one hand while his other hand grasped the empty vial-like contraption in the other, using the door behind him as support. Like a puppet whose strings had been cut, a girl collapsed onto the ground before his eyes. As the doctor tried to regain his composure after escaping near death, he looked at the girl. Her long black hair fell gracefully off of her bandaged body and spilled onto the floor. Her red eyes, filled with rage and fury, seemed to bore into the very core of the doctor's soul. It was the girl that Prince Zuko and Iroh had brought in earlier.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME?!" roared the girl from the ground, her eyes focused completely and solely on the doctor. The girl's intense and unwavering gaze unnerved the doctor as the girl desperately tried to move her limbs, but to no avail. As the girl struggled to move on the ground, the doctor let out a sigh of relief and put the scalpel away in a drawer. "WHY CAN'T I MOVE?!" the girl exclaimed, making the doctor flinch a bit as he refilled up the vial with the strange clear liquid.

"Sorry, about that kid. . ." he sighed as he wiped the small amount of sweat on his brow, "Don't worry it's nothing bad, just a mixture I made using some Shirshu venom. . ."

"WHAT?!" she bellowed.

"Hey, it just means that you won't be able to move for a while, it's not that big of deal. Besides, in your condition you shouldn't be moving."

"I'm FINE!" growled the girl as she blew at a stray strand of hair that dangled annoyingly by her nose.

"Hey, who's the doctor here?" he asked jokingly then fallen girl let out a growl of disapproval at his somewhat sarcastic comment making the doctor gulp nervously. "How you even got up in the first place is beyond me, but all I know is that you're staying put. Okay?"

"BITE ME!" barked the girl as she desperately tried to move. Sighing, the doctor bent down beside her and moved to pick her up. The girl's crimson eyes suddenly widened in surprise as the doctor lifted up her bandaged body. "PUT ME DOWN!!! LET GO!!" she shouted, hoping that her screams would convince the doctor to put her down since she couldn't move. Seeing that her demands wouldn't be met, she craned her head and suddenly she bit down on the doctor's arm and refused to let go, like a trap that snapped on the limb of an unsuspecting animal.

"OW!" yelped the doctor as the girl's teeth sank deeper into his skin. The taste of blood filled the young girl's mouth as she bit down on his arm harder. Quickly, the doctor ran over to the cot and dumped her roughly onto it. The girl let out a small grunt of discomfort as pain coursed through her body, but she continued to sink her teeth into the doctor's flesh. The doctor cried out in pain as he reached for her body and using his index finger he pushed pressure point on her side.

The girl glanced up at the doctor, her eyes curious as to what he had done when suddenly her eyes grew heavy. Even though she couldn't do much to move her limbs, she felt them grow incredibly heavy. The world began to spin and blur, disorienting the young girl as she drifted reluctantly into unconsciousness. Obstinately, she kept her crimson eyes slightly open, determined to stay awake so she could keep biting the doctor.

The doctor looked down at her nervously and watched her eyes slowly begin to close. He felt her teeth slowly removing themselves from his arm, but the girl did not let go completely. Achingly, the doctor moved his arm, along with the girl's head, towards the pillow that rested towards the end of the cot. Using his arm as a sort of steering wheel, he put the girl's head down on the pillow as she stubbornly bit into his arm.

Slowly, the girl's clenched jaw relaxed and her head gently fell against the pillow. The doctor pulled his newly freed arm back immediately. Even though he knew full well that the girl was out cold, and would be for a few hours, he stilled feared that the girl would spring back to life and bite down the limb that was within her head's reach. The doctor glanced down at his arm and was shocked to see how deep the girl's teeth sank into his arm. Blood trickled down his arm and dripped onto the floor steadily while some of his blood managed to drip onto his clothes. His muscles twitched in pain as blood continued to escape the bite wound while the doctor searched through his cabinets for bandages, since he couldn't find the leftover bandages after they fell under his desk.

The doctor got a hold of several bandages, a small washcloth, along with a paste that he kept in a bottle. Carefully, the doctor used the washcloth to wipe away at the blood and to clean the wound before applying the paste. The paste was his own concoction made of several different herbs used for healing. It's purpose was to not only prevent the wound it was applied to from bleeding anymore, but it also fought infection and made scars that appeared in the future from the wound seem less noticeable. The doctor, keeping the one hand that held the washcloth on the wound, opened the bottle and let a sigh when he saw that there was barely any left. His eyes glanced momentarily at the girl, who rested peacefully on the cot, and remembered how he had applied the paste to her numerous wounds. He leaned back into his rolling chair and applied as much of the paste as he could before wrapping his arm in the bandage.

The doctor's focus fell upon the unconscious girl and was almost amazed to see her sleeping. She was so calm! It was amazing that just moments before she had threatened his life, screamed like a banshee as she tried to move, and then attempted to bite the doctor's arm off. Her face was relaxed underneath the stray strands of her hair that fell across her face. The girl's bandaged chest rose and fell slowly with every breath she took and her muscles showed no signs of tension like they did before. It was like she was a different person. As the doctor looked over her there was a knock a sudden knock at the door that made him jump in surprise.

"Hello!" called the voice.

"AGUH!!!" screamed the doctor as he fell to the ground, fearing that the girl would jump him from behind.

"Hello?" the voice called again, accompanied by another knock, "Are you alright?"

"Uh. . ." stammered the doctor as he got up from the ground. Taking a deep breath, he quickly regained his composure before opening the sliding door. The door opened and the doctor was greeted with the kind smile from Iroh. "Oh. . . it's just you General Iroh. . ." he said, breathing a sigh of relief, "what can I do for you?" asked the doctor as he gestured for Iroh to come in.

"I just thought I would stop by and check up on that young lady we brought in earlier," Iroh said as he walked inside the infirmary, "Has she woken yet?" he asked as he took a seat in the rolling chair near the cot, not really looking at the girl.

"Oh, yeah she woke up alright. . ." laughed the doctor nervously as the rolling chair away from the girl with Iroh still sitting in it. Iroh glanced momentarily at the girl and then at the doctor, his eyes full of curiosity.

"What's wrong? You seem distressed. . ." said Uncle as he looked at the nerve-wrecked doctor, "did something happen?"

"It's a long story. . ." sighed the doctor. Looking down at Iroh, the doctor saw that his eyes were full of curiosity. Succumbing to Iroh's silent plea, the doctor pulled up another chair and explained what had taken place moments before Iroh's arrival. Iroh placed a hand on his chin and listened intently to the doctor's story.

"My! She did all that?" Iroh asked when the doctor finished his story. The doctor nodded as he got up from his chair and walked over to his unconscious patient. He sighed as he administered another shot of  the Shirshu venom related drug into the girl's arm. "What that for?" asked Uncle as he looked at the vial.

"Nothing really. . .I just want to make sure that when she wakes up that she doesn't jump and attack the first living thing she sees. . ." said the doctor as he gestured to his bandaged arm.

"UNCLE!" called a voice outside in the hallway. Iroh got up slowly from his chair and walked to the door.

"I'm in here, Prince Zuko," smiled Iroh as he waved to his nephew to come into the infirmary. Prince Zuko growled as he stormed after his uncle.

"I have been looking for you everywhere!" he shouted as he walked down the hall, "Do you have any idea how long I've been trying to find you. The men won't stop asking me about music night! You're the one they should be asking and-" As Zuko vented, he eventually reached the infirmary and suddenly he stopped and stood in the doorway, his eyes wide. His uncle looked at him with curiosity, silently questioning why his nephew had stopped suddenly in the door. The doctor, too, raised an eyebrow at the hot headed prince's reaction. Prince Zuko's shocked stare was neither focused on his uncle, nor the doctor.

"Prince Zuko, what's wrong?" asked Iroh.

"You okay?" asked the doctor, "do you want me to take a look at you?"

"Why is that girl half naked....? O.o" stammered Zuko as he stared at the girl on cot, who only wore her underwear accompanied by the numerous bandages that covered her chest along with the rest of her body.


-----
Author's Note:

Wierd place to stop the chapter, huh? XD

well, anyways stick around for the next one and I just wanna say that... AVATAR COMES BACK TOMORROW!! -does a victory jig- WOOT!!!!

-BeautifullyAbstract

[Yong Wing]

Damn! Kai is one VICIOUS girl when she has to be. lol Good job, once again. Love the surprises & suspense in this story. Hope you give the doctor a name, cuz he sounds interesting.

[BeautifullyAbstract]

Chapter 5
Name

"Why is that girl half naked....? O.o" stammered Zuko as he stared at the girl on cot, who only wore her underwear accompanied by the numerous bandages that covered her chest along with the rest of her body. The doctor pondered about the prince's question and turned around to see what he was talking about. Upon seeing and realizing that the girl was half naked his eyes widened.

"Oh my. . ." mumbled Iroh, his eyes a bit wide.

"Oops," mumbled the doctor, "I guess I forgot. . ."

"How do you forget something like that?!" exclaimed the flustered prince. The doctor let out an exhausted sigh as he walked across the room and opened a small closet that stood against the wall. Ignoring Prince Zuko's question, he removed his ponytail and ran a hand through his black hair in an exhausted manner before pulling a large coat from the closet.

"This should fit. . ." the doctor muttered to himself as he examined the coat from behind his spectacles. Hesitantly, he walked over to the cot and looked at the unconscious girl. Slowly, he reached for her body only to stop himself inches away from her arm. Prince Zuko raised an eyebrow when the doctor suddenly pulled his arm back and took a step back from the girl.

"What on earth are you doing?" inquired Prince Zuko with a slight, "stop this foolishness and get some clothes on her!" he barked.

"Right," sighed the doctor, realizing that the prince was right. He had knocked the girl out cold and even gave her a second shot of the Shirshu related medicine, it was stupid to even consider the possibility that she would spring to life. As the doctor lifted up the girl's body so he could get the coat on, a surge of pain shot through his arm making the doctor's face twist in agony. Iroh's ever watchful and observant eyes saw the doctor's discomfort and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Allow me," smiled Iroh. The doctor looked at him and nodded. Iroh gently pushed the doctor aside and resumed dressing the girl in the coat. As he closed up the jacket button by button he noticed how incredibly thin she was. It was not the healthy sort of thin either, the girl looked half starved. Iroh turned to his nephew, "Prince Zuko why don't you go and get some food and water. She will probably want something to eat when she wakes up."

"Why?" asked the Prince, raising an eyebrow at his uncle's request.

"Don't worry about it Prince Zuko, I'll do it. . ." said the doctor as he passed by Prince Zuko, patting him on the shoulder, "I need some air. . ." he sighed as he closed the door behind him.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Prince Zuko.

"He had a bit of a rude awakening," explained Uncle as he looked down at the girl. After what the doctor told him, Iroh found it incredibly hard to believe that this girl was the cause of the doctor's pain.

"What exactly happened?" asked Prince Zuko, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. Iroh sat down in the chair once again and patted the seat next him. Prince Zuko pushed himself off the wall and slumped down into the chair and listened to his uncle as he explained everything. Immersing themselves in the story, they were completely oblivious to what was happening on the cot.

Slowly, the girl stirred from her unconsciousness and let out a soft and inaudible groan as she forced her eyes open. The sounds of distant mummerings were the only thing that seemed to reach her ears. Her eye lids felt heavy, making opening them all the way impossible. For now she would have to deal with her blurred and distorted vision of the world. Keeping her eyes closed, she listened in on Iroh and Prince Zuko's conversation.

"Did she really do all that?" asked Prince Zuko.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," sighed Uncle Iroh. The girl slowly opened one eye, in hopes of catching a glimpse of the two new men in the room, but before she her eyes even adjusted to the light, she heard the sound of the door to the infirmary opening. Quickly, she closed her eyes tightly and her face relaxed, assuming her previously unconscious look.

"Oh, Welcome back doctor," smiled Iroh, upon seeing the doctor come back into the room. In his hands the doctor held a small tray of food accompanied by a glass of cold water.

"So is she still out?" asked the doctor. The girl could here the doctor's footsteps approach her through her closed eyes and she could sense his presence as he stood by her cot.

"Yes, she hasn't moved or made a sound since you left," she heard Iroh said.

The doctor moved to put the tray of food and water down on the small table behind the young girl's head and let out a sigh of relief, "That's goo-" Suddenly and without warning the girl's eyes snapped open revealing her lively crimson eyes and without a moment's hesitation, she opened her mouth, snarling, and clamped down onto the doctor's hand again! "AUGH! DAMMIT!" cried the doctor in pain. The girl's sudden movement caused the doctor to knock the tray over, spilling its contents on the floor. Uncle Iroh's eyes widened at the once unconscious girl's sudden livelihood. The girl clamped onto the doctor's uninjured arm with as much ferocity, if not more, as before. The doctor desperately tried to get the snarling animal-like girl off of his arm as blood dripped like small waterfalls onto the ground as well as the girl's mouth. The copper like taste of the doctor's blood disgusted the girl, and made her stomach churned, but she stubbornly held on.

 Prince Zuko sat in his seat, staring at the scene in shock for several moments before he shot out of his seat and ran towards the girl and the doctor. At first he tried pulling the doctor away from the girl, but the girl's persistence prevailed and her teeth remained latched onto the poor doctor's arm. The doctor's cries of pain grew with every passing second. Even though it seemed like the girl couldn't sink her teeth any deeper, she somehow found a way to sink her canines deeper and deeper into the doctor's bleeding flesh. Fearing that her teeth would be able to reach the bone, the doctor quickly bashed his fist against the side her head. The girl instantly released the doctor's arm to let out a sharp cry of agony.

Prince Zuko quickly pushed the girl down onto the cot, forgetting that she was paralyzed from the neck down. Prince Zuko looked down at the girl as she bared her blood covered teeth and glared up at him with her crimson eyes. Looking down at her mouth and lips, he saw that some of the doctor's blood escaped the corner of her lips in a small trickle. A throaty loud growl managed to escape the girl's clenched teeth as her piercing gaze focused on the scarred prince. She gazed up at the young boy's scar and pondered about it and her furious gaze softened for a moment. But she quickly shoved the thoughts of the boy's scar to the corner of her mind and her hardened gaze returned and quickly, she craned her head and opened her mouth. Prince Zuko's eyes widened, realizing what she was going to do only it was a little too late. The girl clamped onto his arm only to release it a second later.

"AUGH!" she cried out, pain resonating from her teeth. Zuko looked down at where he had expected to feel the pain only to realize that he was still wearing his armor. She rolled her head from side to side, biting down on her lip as some way to suppress the newly acquired pain in her mouth. Prince Zuko slowly backed away from the girl, clutching his arm fearfully. The doctor was already busy wrapping his arm in a bandage as Iroh made his way towards the paralyzed girl.

"Uncle, don't do it!" shouted Prince Zuko as his Uncle walked towards the girl. The old man ignored his nephew's call and merely pulled up a chair and sat beside the infuriated girl. The doctor stood back silently watching the old man as he sat beside the girl. A silence fell over the room with the exception of the girl's short pants as she desperately tried to regain her breath.

"Hello," Iroh said amiably as he smiled at the girl.

"Oh shove it!" barked the girl who was slightly irked at the old man's friendly behavior.

"Oh my. . ." laughed Iroh as he stroked his beard, "you're certainly one energetic young lady."

"Just wait till I start moving again! THEN I'll show you energetic!" she growled as she tried to move her limbs again for the umpteenth time.

"Like hell you will!" shouted the doctor as he clutched his newly injured arm, "you nearly bit off both of my arms already! What do have to say for yourself?!" he shouted as he showed the bandages on his arms. A smirk spread across the girl's lips as she chuckled.

"I'm sorry for not biting you harder. . . " The doctor's attempt to make her feel bad for what she had done failed, the sight of the doctor's bandaged arms only made her chuckle.

"We're not here to hurt you miss. . ." said Iroh in his usual calm and soothing tone. The girl looked up at him doubtfully. His voice sounded so honest and sincere that she even found it difficult to not trust the old man.

"Why should I believe you?" she demanded, her voice softened a bit.

"If we were going to hurt you, do you think we'd have gone through the trouble of fixing your wounds?" he heard the voice of the young Prince ask. The girl had almost forgotten about the boy and her eyes searched the room for him. She found him leaning against the wall, his arms folded across his armored chest and his eyes narrowed as he glared at her. Her crimson eyes and his golden eyes met and instantly, their already narrow and glaring eyes, filled instantly with hostility towards each other.

"Then why did you give me that stuff so I can't move?" she demanded, remembering how the doctor injected the Shirshu related medicine in her sigh.

"Well," sighed the doctor, "you didn't give me much of a choice. You were the one who attacked me in the first place."

"Well you kn- AUGH!!" the girl suddenly cried out in pain making the three men jump in surprise. Even though she couldn't move her body, the three of them could clearly see her body twitching and writhing in pain underneath the doctor's coat.

"What's wrong?" asked Iroh worriedly. The girl responded with an agonized moan as her body involuntarily convulsed in pain. The doctor quickly walked over to her, but before he did anything he stopped.

"If I help you do promise not to bite, kick, punch, shout, or attack in any physical and or verbal manner?" he asked.

"Ugh. . . no way. . ." she groaned until suddenly the pain seemed to peak and increase rapidly, "OKAY! Okay, I promise!" she shouted. Her crimson eyes closed in pain and she bit down on her lips as a way to fight against the waves of pain that coursed through her mangled frame. The doctor quickly unbuttoned and opened the jacket only to find blood seeping slowly through the bandages.  

"Damn, they've reopened. . ." he muttered to himself.

"Is there anything I can do to assist you?" asked Iroh as he looked at the girl's suddenly worsening condition.

"Can you get me some extra bandages, General Iroh?" he asked while he busied himself by unraveling some of the blood soaked bandages. The girl's eyes widened upon hearing the old man's name.

"WHAT?!" she exclaimed upon hearing the Dragon of the West's name.

"What did I say about the shouting?" he reminded her quickly as he tossed the blood soaked bandages in the nearest waste basket. The girl immediately quieted down.

"Prince Zuko, go get some water and a washcloth," said Iroh as he went to the doctor's side, bandages in hand. The girl suddenly gasped and her eyes grew wider.

"Sorry, am I hurting you?" asked the doctor as he removed the last of the blood soaked bandages from her body.

"Y-yeah. . ." stammered the girl as she winced in pain. However, the reason behind her sudden gasp was not because of her pain. She had soon forgotten about that. She nervously looked down as her sudden realization began to sink in. She was on the ship of the Fire Nation's banished Prince Zuko. Of all the ships that she had to jump on she had to jump onto this one! From the cot she watched Prince Zuko leave silently with worried eyes as the doctor inspected her wounds. Her worried gaze quickly turned to the ceiling as she silently worried about what she, a Fire Nation criminal, would do if General Iroh, the doctor and Prince Zuko if they found out who she was. The young girl was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the doctor's eyes focusing on a long dark scar that ran along the length of her left arm.

"Is something troubling you miss?" asked the coaxing voice of Iroh, "are your wounds hurting more?" The girl shook her head, almost frantically as she continued to stare up at the ceiling.

"Uncle, I got the water. . ." she heard Zuko say as he reentered the room, a bowl of water and a wash cloth in hand. The doctor motioned Zuko to come over and hand him the bowl and he silently obeyed. "She doing okay?" asked Prince Zuko as the doctor took the bowl of water away from his hand.

"Yeah," said the doctor, "Kai's been through worse. She'll be fine." Said he doctor absentmindedly as he wiped the blood off the girl's skin. Lost in the sea of her worries, the girl drowned out all the conversation in the room as her eyes remained locked on a single bolt on the ceiling. Her gaze remained unwavering as the doctor proceeded to clean her wounds. The doctor raised an eyebrow at the girl's zombie like stare and unmoving focus. "Hey, you okay?" he asked waving a hand in front of her face. The girl blinked and looked at the doctor.

"Yeah, I'm fine. . ." she growled, slightly annoyed as the doctor carefully sat her paralyzed body upright. A prickling sensation spread from the girl's toes to her fingertips as she slowly felt her body starting to regain some of its mobility.  As the doctor rewound the bandages around her body, she gazed down at her hands and slowly began to move her fingertips.

"Are you feeling any better?"  asked Iroh, looking at the girl even though her focus was clearly elsewhere.

"Uncle, she just said she was fine!" growled Prince Zuko, "You don't need to repeat the same question."

"Well, you can't really blame one for being worried," sighed Iroh, shaking his head, "you could at least show some concern for miss. . ." Iroh's voice suddenly trailed off and placing a hand on his bearded chin, he began to think, "I'm sorry miss, I don't think I know your name." he laughed.

"It's Kai. . ." the girl said quietly, turning her attention from her hands to Iroh.
---------------------
Author's Note:
-exaggerated gasp- ZOMG! Now we finally know the name of the mysterious girl! –hums Twilight Zone music-

But yeah, this is the first time I mentioned her name here. . . so yeah ^^ now you know. . . unless, you've read the older version of this comic and already knew her name. . .

Eh, oh well ^^ stick around for the next one and once again I apologize for all the typos O.o

-BeautifullyAbstract

[Yong Wing]

WOOT! We know Kai's name & I noticed the doctor knew it before she said it! ^^ Coincidence? I THINK NOT!!

lol Excellent chapter, your grammar was just fine.

[BeautifullyAbstract]

WOOT! We know Kai's name & I noticed the doctor knew it before she said it! ^^ Coincidence? I THINK NOT!!

lol Excellent chapter, your grammar was just fine.

lol wow you actually noticed that ^^

[BeautifullyAbstract]

Chapter 6
Sleep and a Moment of Peace

"Kai?" asked Uncle Iroh, "that's a lovely name for a young lady." He said with a hearty laugh. The young girl raised an eyebrow at the old man's reaction. "I mean that as a compliment. Plus, it suits you quite well," he said with a smile, "isn't that right Prince Zuko?"

"How the hell would I know?" he barked at his Uncle. His piercing, glaring eyes turned from his uncle and looked at the girl sitting on the cot. Like before, the moment their eyes met, they began to glare at each other.

"What are you looking at?" she growled quietly as she tried to change her position on the cot.

"Nothing!" barked Prince Zuko. He sharply turned around and made his way toward the door, ignoring the girl.

"Prince Zuko. . ." sighed Uncle Iroh. The old man got up from the chair and began to follow his nephew. His wrinkled hand stretched out in from of him, reaching for his nephew, silently beckoning him to stay. Meanwhile, the doctor turned around to return order to his disheveled desk. He let out a groan before he bent over and began picking up several papers that fell underneath his desk.

 Kai looked down at her lap, which was mostly covered by the doctor's oversized coat, and sighed. Slowly, she reached for the edge of the cot and pulled herself towards it. With every move her and every inch, the wounds that were scattered across her body seemed to scream in agony, begging Kai to stop. But, she ignored her pain and pressed forward. Her legs shook uncontrollably as she attempted to stand and she clung to the edge of the cot like her life depended on it.

The feeling of the cold metal soothed the young girl's aching feet and momentarily brought her aching body comfort. However, that comfortable feeling soon disappeared. Too weak to stand, Kai's body collapsed onto the cold ground and a new wave of pain coursed through her body. The doctor, Iroh and Zuko turned when they heard a low, but loud thud behind them.

"Nnggh!!" grumbled Kai as she fought the urge to cry out in pain. The doctor ran to her side and proceeded to help her up.

"Good gods, Kai. . ." he grumbled.

"Let go of me!" shouted Kai as the doctor picked her off the ground and put her back onto the cot.

"Look, you need to lay still and rest. The sooner you stop squirming the sooner you'll recover." Sighed the doctor as he pulled the blanket over Kai. Kai thought about this for moment and realized that the doctor was right.

"Fine. . ." she sighed. Kai took her crimson eyes off of the doctor and gazed up at the ceiling.

"Dr. Shin, Prince Zuko and I will leave you to tend to the young lady," said Iroh as he walked towards the door. His old, wrinkled hand reached out and gently took hold of the arm of his young nephew, "Come along Prince Zuko," He smiled. Zuko's arm jerked back merely out of reflex, but then relaxed, "Prince Zuko, Miss Yamagata will be fine."

"I wasn't worried about her!" he grumbled "Let's just go. . ." Kai rolled her eyes at Prince Zuko's reaction and turned her gaze to the wall adjacent to the cot. Kai could hear the sliding door open and then close and afterwards she heard the doctor get up from his seat and walk to the other side of the room. She achingly rolled her head to the side and saw the doctor looking through a chest beside a large cabinet.

"There's got to be something. . ." she heard the doctor mumble as he leafed through the chest. Kai raised and eyebrow and she craned her neck a little in an attempt to see what the doctor was looking for. Suddenly, he pulled out a pair of pants and a fairly large tank top. "Okay," sighed the doctor as he walked back towards the cot, "This may be a little big, but it's the smallest thing I have."

"What?" asked Kai. The doctor moved beside her and carefully lifted her up from the cot so she was sitting up straight. A groan of discomfort escaped Kai's lips and she cringed in pain. The doctor then positioned her body so her back was against the wall. The sensation of the cool metal against her back was soothing and relaxed her a bit. The doctor ignored her question and put the clothes on the cot and pulled out a bottle from his coat pocket. He popped open the bottle and held it Kai's lips. She shrank away from it and looked at the doctor suspiciously. "Okay, what the hell is that?" she demanded.

"This is just something that should dull the pain your feeling," explained Dr. Shin, "I need to change your clothes and I don't want to hurt you." Kai stared sternly at the Doctor for several moments, trying to figure out what his true intentions were. Seeing that he was telling the truth, Kai sighed and opened her mouth.

"Fine," she opened her mouth and allowed the doctor pour a small amount of the medicine into her mouth and she swallowed it obediently. Almost immediately, Kai could feel the pain from her aching muscles fade and numb. The only thing she could feel was a faint tingling sensation that spread from her toes to the tips of her fingers and everything around her seemed to blur around her. Her limbs suddenly grew heavy and I feeling of drowsiness overtook her.

"Okay, the medicine should be working right about now. How do you feel?" he asked.

"I. . .I. . I'm kind of sleepy. . ." she said in a voice that was barely audible.

"That's normal," explained Dr. Shin as she unbuttoned the coat that draped over Kai's small frame. As he did this Kai's eyes seemed to slowly close against her will. She desperately tried to keep her eyes open. "Okay, done." She heard Dr. Shin say. Kai opened her red eyes and looked down and saw that she was in the outfit that the doctor picked out for her. The pants he had put on her were soft against her legs as well as the shirt. However, both were far to big for her body. If it weren't for the draw string that encompassed the waist of the pants, they would've easily fallen off and if it weren't for the bandages wrapped around her chest, the tank top would have easily exposed her breast. But, Kai didn't care, the only thing that registered in her mind was that she was clothed, and that was all she cared about. Kai's head lolled lazily to side and she felt her body starting to topple over, instead of hitting the cot she fell into the doctor's arms. "Whoa, you okay?" he asked, concern filling his voice.

"Uh-huh. . ." mumbled Kai, "I'm just tir. . ." Kai's incoherent mumblings trailed off and she fell silent. The doctor looked at her face and saw that her eyes were closed and she was fast asleep. Without saying another word, the doctor rested the sleeping Kai on cot and pulled the blanket over her.

"Sleep tight, Kai. . . " he said silently as he looked over her.

"Dr. Shin?" called a voice accompanied by a soft knock. The doctor walked over.

"General Iroh, is there something you wan-Prince Zuko?" The doctor had been expecting the kind Iroh to be at the door, but instead the soft voice came from his nephew, "Uh, hello Prince Zuko. . ." said the doctor, "is your Uncle with you?" he asked, looking out into the hallway, searching for any signs of Prince Zuko's Uncle.

"No, it's just me," he sighed, "Uncle sent me down here to check on the girl. How is she doing?" he asked. Prince Zuko peered over Dr. Shin's shoulder only to see Kai sleeping soundly on the cot.

"She's just sleeping now," he said leaning against the door frame, allowing Prince Zuko to look at Kai. "Oh, Prince Zuko can I ask you something?"

"Uh, sure. . ." said Prince Zuko a bit uneasily.

"Do you have any clothes that you are not using?"

"What?" Prince Zuko looked at the Doctor with a confused expression on his face.

"I was just wondering if I could borrow some clothes of yours, since everything I have won't fit Kai," he explained.

"Oh, yeah. I think I have something in my room, do you want me to look?" he asked.

"Yeah, you can do that and I'll go get something from the cafeteria. I'm starving. . ." sighed the doctor. Prince Zuko and Dr. Shin left the room and closed the door to the infirmary. The two men walked down the hall in silence until Dr. Shin spoke up. "Uh, Prince Zuko?"

"What?"

"I don't want to seem rude, but why did you come to check on the girl? You didn't seem to care about her earlier."

"Uncle told me to come and check up on her." He said with a sigh. The doctor chuckled softly and he smiled.

"Did he tell you to be a good little boy?" he asked, mocking Zuko in a friendly manner. Prince Zuko glared at him in response.

"Oh shut up!" he barked.

"Sorry," smiled the doctor. The two men continued down the hallway, venturing farther and farther away from the sleeping girl. For the time being Kai rested peacefully. However, that peace of was soon to be interrupted by the chaos and madness that dwelled in the darkest parts of her mind. A madness that had long been repressed behind shut doors was soon about to break free and wreak havoc on Kai's mind.
------------

Author's note:

This was definitely, not the best chapter. Compared to the others, I felt that this was more of a filler chapter, but I can guarantee that the next one will be better.

As always, I'm sorry for any typos. 

-BeautifullyAbstract

[Yong Wing]

Yeah, though it was an okay filler. Zuko's getting a wee bit soft. LOL ^^ Anyways, can't wait for more.

[BeautifullyAbstract]

Chapter 7
Roommates

Darkness. There was nothing, but that eerie black and silent stillness that surrounded Kai. Her crimson eyes darted frantically around in search of someone or something that would relieve her from the feeling of isolation.

"Is there anyone here?!" she called in hopes that someone would respond. But, the only thing that she heard was the echo of her own voice. "Hello?!" she called a second time.

"Kai. . ." whispered a voice. Upon hearing the whisper, Kai turned her head sharply in hopes of finding someone there. No one. Again a voice whispered her name and she turned around for this time the voice called from behind her. No one again.

"Who's there?" she asked, frantically searching for the voice. The voice called her name only this time it seemed to be accompanied by others, each of them calling her name and their voices grew louder with ever passing moment until it sounded like they were screaming at her.

"Kai!"

"Kai!"

"KAI!"

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME DAMN IT?!" she cried out in desperation, holding her hands to her ears in a feeble attempt to block out the noise.

"Die. . .", whispered one voice. That voice seemed to penetrate her very being and it made her freeze and her eyes widened. Slowly, she brought her hands away from her ears and put them down by her sides.

"W-what?" she stammered in shock. Suddenly, a faint and familiar metallic like smell filled her senses and her body began to tremble. She turned around and staggered back at the sight. A small yelp escaped her lips before she covered her mouth. There standing before Kai, was herself, only the duplicate Kai was covered head to toe in blood. Blood was splattered all over her skin like paint and her clothes were dark red and weighed down with the heavy liquid which made the cloth stick to her skin. Even her long raven hair was matted and coated with blood. The smell of blood was becoming so putrid she felt like she would vomit any moment. "What do you want from me?" she demanded as she covered her mouth. The duplicate Kai raised her head and looked at her with dead eyes.

"I want you dead. . ." she said in an eerie monotone.

"W-what did you say?"

"I said I WANT YOU DEAD!!" suddenly she lunged at Kai's throat, but before her duplicate could make contact, Kai's eyes snapped open.

"Hey, are you alright?" asked the doctor as he looked over the panting girl. Kai's crimson eyes looked around and saw that she was back in the infirmary, no longer in that suffocation and haunting darkness. Kai's chest heaved up and down and sweat beaded her forehead.

"Y-yeah, I think so. . ." she panted. Kai put her hand down to stand up only to feel a sharp pain in her side. "AH!" she yelped as she fell backwards onto the cot. Kai clutched her side in pain and bit down on her lip.

"What's wrong?!" asked Dr. Shin, worried as he gently took Kai's hand away from side. Kai looked down and saw that her side was bleeding again.

"Crap. . ." she sighed. Dr. Shin proceeded to re-bandage her side. Trying to ignore the pain in her side, Kai looked around and saw that she was no longer in the infirmary.

"Uh, where am I?" she asked, wincing every once in a while the doctor peeled the bandage from her skin.

"You're-"

"WHY UNCLE?!" shouted a voice outside the room. Kai and the doctor both jumped a bit at the sudden shouting.

"Prince Zuko, you must calm yourself-" came the muffled but calm voice of Iroh.

"NO!" shouted Prince Zuko, "Why does she have to stay in my room?!"

"You must understand my nephew, there-" Iroh didn't get the chance to finish his sentence, suddenly Prince Zuko barged into the room, kicking out the door making it slam against the wall loudly. Kai and the doctor said nothing, they just looked at the fuming Prince. Prince Zuko looked at the doctor for a moment, but suddenly he looked at Kai with piercing golden eyes filled with frustration and anger.

"YOU!" he said pointing at her, "GET OUT NOW!"

"WHAT?!" she shouted in disbelief.

"Prince Zuko, calm down. . ." Dr. Shin got up and walked towards Prince Zuko only to have the temperamental young teenager trip him and send him to the ground, "GAH!" screamed the doctor as he landed on the ground with a thud.

"Shut up!" barked the young prince.

"Why the hell did you do that?!" exclaimed Kai as she stood, completely forgetting her pain. She got up and slowly walked up to Prince Zuko.

"Didn't you hear what I said?!" shouted Prince Zuko, "GET OUT!"

"What?!"

"You heard me! Out, now!" he shouted pointing to the door.

"What gives you the right?!" exclaimed Kai, her fist beginning to clench tighter and tighter.

"It's my room!" he shouted

"You know you could have just asked nicely instead of being such an ass about it!" she fired back

"Hey! You want a face full of fist?!"

"You want a butt full of foot?!"

"ENOUGH!!!!" The two teenagers stopped arguing instantly and slowly turned their heads to face Uncle Iroh upon hearing his sudden outburst, "Prince Zuko, you're behavior is unacceptable! You know better than that to treat this young lady like and Dr. Shin!" he exclaimed as he helped the doctor from the ground, "Are you alright doctor?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Thank you General Iroh," said Dr. Shin as he got up from the ground, holding his head.

"Now Prince Zuko, whether you like it or not, this young lady will be staying here in your room."

"But why my room?! We have plenty of rooms on the ship don't we?!"

"No, unfortunately we do not," explained Iroh, "Now I want you two to behave, alright?"

"Yes Uncle," sighed Zuko in defeat. All eyes were then on Kai, expecting her to comply with Iroh's wishes. Kai raised an eyebrow, unaware of what they were expecting.

"What?"

"Kai," said Dr. Shin, "Will you behave as well?"

"Uh, sure thing?" said Kai, unsure of what she was agreeing to.

"Wonderful!" said Iroh happily, clapping is hands together, "we'll leave you two to get acquainted. Come along Dr. Shin."

"Yes General Iroh," nodded Dr. Shin as he and Uncle Iroh walked towards.

"Oh, Kai," said Iroh, turning around before he reached the door, "feel free to use the shower when ever you want." and with that, Iroh and Dr. Shin were gone. A silence fell over the room and Kai and Zuko merely stood there glaring each other with piercing eyes.

"Assface. . ." mutter Kai.

"Bottom feeder. . ." grumbled Zuko.

"Ignoramus. . ."

"Freak. . ." The exchange of insults continued for several minutes before Kai sighed and walked towards the door.

"Hey!" shouted Prince Zuko, "Where are you going?!"

"Hey, just because we're supposed to stay share a room, doesn't mean I have to stay here all the time. . ." she glared at him one last time before exiting the room, slamming the door behind her. Kai, walked down the hall and she stopped when she suddenly remembered the pain she was in. Her knees buckled and she nearly fell to the ground, but she put her hands against the metal walls and supported herself. She stayed there momentarily and suddenly the stench of blood filled her senses.

"Ugh, I need a shower. . ." she thought to herself. Slowly, she stood up straight and staggered down the hallway until she came to a door that was labeled "Washroom". She pushed the door open and peered inside. It was a large bathroom, nothing fancy. It two sinks in a counter in front of a large mirror and on the other side of the room was a fairly large tub and right beside was a separate shower. Kai ventured further and looked at a small basket on the counter. She walked inside the bathroom and carefully took the basket in her hands. On the side of the basket there was a small piece of paper that had "For Kai" written on it. She shrugged and inspected the basket and found some soap, shampoo, scented oils, lotion, and a small comb.

She placed the basket back on the counter and took out the soap and shampoo and turned around and headed towards the shower. Hanging on the rack beside the shower was a towel with another note telling Kai that she was allowed to use it. Quickly and carefully, Kai took off her clothes and unraveled her bandages. She turned and looked at her body in the mirror.

"My god I'm a mess. . ." she thought to herself, sighing upon seeing her mangled body. Kai turned around and further inspected her wounds in the mirror and assumed that if she was careful, her wounds wouldn't reopen.

Kai slowly stepped into the shower, closed the door behind her and turned on the water. She stood in the corner of the shower, so she wouldn't get wet. For several moments she couldn't tell if the shower was even on, until she stuck her hand out and felt the water on her hand. After adjusting the water temperature she began to wash herself. The warm water was soothing against her sore body and the shampoo that she lathered her hair with smelled heavenly. After several minutes, Kai turned the shower off and grabbed the towel on the rack just outside the shower. She dried her body, being careful not to agitate her wounds and then stepped out of the shower. Suddenly, she heard a splashing noise beside her

Kai suddenly froze and her eyes widened. A sickening silence fell over the room and the only sound that was made was the sound of dripping water from the shower. There, before Kai's eyes was Prince Zuko, naked, in the tub and staring at Kai and she was staring at him.

"AAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!" screamed both the teenagers, interrupting the silence of the bathroom. Prince Zuko got up from the tub in a panic, making Kai scream even more.

"GET OUT!!" she screamed, holding the towel close to her body and wrapping it around her body.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?!" shouted Zuko as he wrapped a towel around his waist.

"TAKING A SHOWER!!!" she exclaimed.

"WHAT?!" he shouted in disbelief.

"HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW I WAS IN HERE?!"

"I DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING!" bellowed Prince Zuko, "BESIDES THE DOOR WASN'T LOCKED!! NOW GET OUT!" Prince Zuko's cheeks were starting to get red.

"YOU GET OUT!!" Kai shouted back, her cheeks red with embarrassment. Much to Prince Zuko's surprise, Kai's hands began to glow red and before Prince Zuko could shout anything else, two streams of fire were coming straight for him. Prince Zuko's eyes widened and he ducked quickly, holding onto his towel for dear like. "GET OUT NOW!!" shouted Kai as she attacked him again.

"You're a firebender?!" he asked as she ran for the door.

"OUT!!!" she shouted again. This time, not only did she attack him, she ran after him out the door and chased him down the hallway.

"So, how long will you let the girl stay with us?" asked Dr. Shin.

"She can stay as long as she wants. I just hope that she will recover soon and that she and Prince Zuko will get along." Sighed Iroh

 "I'LL KILL YOU!!" exclaimed Kai as she ran after him. Without knowing, the two half naked teenagers ran past General Iroh and Dr. Shin. Iroh and Shin stopped there conversation and looked down the hallways, where Kai and Prince Zuko took off screaming.

"I think she'll be fine. . ." said Dr. Shin, "they're getting awfully friendly aren't they?"

------------------
Author's Note:
YAY ^^ another chapter that's not a filler chapter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and as always sorry for any typos ^^

For those of you who read my story as you can see, I changed the title thanks to my friend Ming ^^ THANK YOU!!

Stay tuned for the next addition of my story.

-BeautifullyAbstract

[kejeki]

I was so confused 'cause I was looking for the old title when I was trying to read it today and I couldn't find it.  Um, I like it so far.  I'm kinda confused how it's going to go though... it started out really serious and now sounds kinda teenagerish.  But still good.  Um, I'm almost thinking you should up the rating though. 

[Yong Wing]

lol!! I like the humor in this one. ^^ Every drama/action story needs some humor, right? Anyways, treading some fiery ground content-wise, but you seemn to be keeping it just at the line between PG-13 & R. Nice work. Keep it up. Hope the overall plot progresses.

[BeautifullyAbstract]

Chapter 8
A Misunderstanding

"Open this door!" bellowed Prince Zuko as he pounded on the door to his room.

"Why should I?!" shouted Kai from inside Prince Zuko's room.

"It's my room!" he shouted as he tugged on the door fiercely in an attempt to open it.

"Forget it! I don't care if this was the Fire Lord's room! You're not getting back in here!!"

"Not like I'd do anything for the Fire Lord anyway. . ." thought Kai as she walked away from the door knowing that there was no way Prince Zuko would be able to get since she locked and picked up a pair of extra clothes that the doctor left for you on the futon. The futon was on the other side of the room across from a bed that belonged to Prince Zuko.

"Well, can't you give me some clothes?!" he shouted, his voice almost sounded like he was pleading.

"NO!"

"If you're not going to let me in, then where am I supposed to sleep tonight?!" Kai sighed as she pulled the pants up and tightened the draw string around her waist.

"GO FREEZE OUT ON THE DECK FOR ALL I CARE!!" It suddenly became quiet and all the Kai could here was the faint sounds of footsteps which soon faded away. She let out a soft sigh and pulled the shirt over her head and then tugged at the ends to straighten out and get rid of any creases or wrinkles. Kai's mouth opened and she let out a loud yawn and she plopped down lazily on the futon. Her half lidded crimson eyes looked up at the ceiling and she began to count the number of bolts in the ceiling until she fell asleep.

Kai slept soundlessly and peacefully and she dreamed of nothing for a while until the dream from before interrupted the sanctity of her mind. But before anything bad could happen Kai woke up.

"Nngghh. . ." she grumbled sleepily as she rolled over onto her side. Her long black hair fell over her face creating something like a curtain. Kai rolled lazily onto her back and she raised her hand to move her hair from her face. As she rested her hand languidly on her forehead she let out soft yawn and looked about the room. Growing bored with her surroundings she lazily got up from the futon on the floor and walked out of the room. Her hand ran through her messy black hair as she stepped out into the hallway, but something suddenly caught her attention. Kai looked down on the ground only to find Prince Zuko lying on the ground fast asleep with his head resting on a pillow. Thankfully, Prince Zuko was no longer half naked with only a towel to cover him like the night before. Instead he was wearing a robe that was clearly two sizes too big for him, but Kai didn't care either way. As long as he had something, other than a towel, to wear she was fine with it. After making a trip to the bathroom and brushing her hair and taking care of all of her personal needs, she wandered the hallways of the large ship until she finally managed to make it outside.

When she opened the large metal door, she was greeted with the bright light of the sun. Immediately, Kai's eyes squinted and she brought her scarred arm to her face to block out the brilliant light. Even though it was still very early in the morning, the light was a drastic change for her eyes, which had grown accustomed to darkness during her month long imprisonment. Kai groaned quietly to herself and staggered off to the side of the ship. There, she let her eyes adjust and sighed at the comforting cool sensation the shadows brought. Kai leaned against the wall and her body slumped down to the ground. A sigh escaped her dry lips as she turned her head up to peer at the blue sky. One leg was in a crisscross position while the other was propped up, her foot flat on the ground, and her arm rested lazily on her knee. She sat there in that position for several minutes; the only things that moved were her fingers, which she was stretching out, and her hair, which flowed slightly in the breeze.

Slowly, Kai lifted her arm and rotated her shoulder a bit and did the same with her other arm. Afterwards she shifted her position so she was sitting, facing the wall and she slowly bent over in her sitting position until her forehead touched the ship's metal deck. She slowly stuck her arms up in front her and rested them on the ground. Making sure that her arms were stable, she tensed her muscles and flipped her body over into what was, to some extent, was a hand or head stand. She rested her legs slightly on the wall behind while her arms shook slightly, trying to adjust to the sudden strain. Upside down, Kai's eyes narrowed and she slowed her breathing and relaxed herself a bit until staying upside down became incredibly simple. Kai slowly lowered her left leg until it became parallel with the ground as a way to improve her strength and stretch her muscles. After several minutes she did the same to her right leg and over the course of fifteen minutes she repeated the exercise until a new shadow cast over her. Kai open her eyes and found Prince Zuko standing above her, an expression of silent fury on his face.

"What do you want?" asked Kai as her piercing crimson eyes narrowed.

"What on earth are you doing?" he asked in a slightly demanding tone.

"I'm doing a hand stand and stretching," Kai lifted up her leg so her body was completely straight, "got a problem with it?"

"Yes! As a matter of fact I do!" he exploded, "I want you off my ship!" Kai raised an eyebrow and brought her legs down and stood up straight on her feet to face Prince Zuko. She placed a hand on her hip.

"Well, aren't you straight forward," she said sarcastically. Kai paused for brief moment for she got a sudden head, but then spoke. "Look, as much as I'd like to get off this floating piece of metal, I can't at the moment."

"And why is that?" he pressed. Kai's eye twitched in frustration. The reason was so obvious and yet he couldn't figure it out.

"WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN[/b]!!!" she shouted in his face, making him stagger back in surprise, "And from the looks of it I don't think we'll be near land anytime soon," she said in frustrated and exasperated tone, "So it looks like we are going to stuck together whether we want to be or not," Kai groaned slightly after she spoke, for the idea of being on a Fire Nation ship that belonged to the retired Dragon of the Sea and the Fire Lord's banished son was unnerving and made her stomach churn. For that ship, THAT ship was the last ship that any sensible Fire Nation rebel would fear to be on. Kai heard footsteps behind her and she automatically knew that Prince Zuko was following her.

"Well, if you are going to be staying on my ship," Kai's eyes narrowed in anger for she knew what it was Prince Zuko was about to say, "then you have to do what I sa-"

"Listen. . .to. . .me. . ." she said slowly and menacingly. Prince Zuko's eyes widened slightly and he raised an eyebrow, "I take orders from no one. And if you even try to command me to do anything I will grind your head into the deck of this ship. . ." she growled. Kai turned around and walked towards the front part of the deck. Behind her Prince Zuko's eyes narrowed at her defiance. He was a PRINCE. Banished or not, people had to treat him respect.

"Hey wench!" he called out to Kai. The young girl stopped immediately and the fury inside of her grew drastically upon being called a "wench". "Why don't you be obedient and go make some breakfast like a woman should. . ." said Prince Zuko in a sarcastic tone, Kai could almost hear the smirk in his voice.

Pain suddenly racked Prince Zuko's body. His chest and his head ached horribly and the ache in his head seemed to grow by the second. He opened his closed eyes and saw that he was on the ground and he could feel a hand on his head which was pressing his face so roughly to the ground he thought that his head would explode. For a brief moment, his senses registered that something was pressing against his back, keeping him pinned to the ground, but the increasing pain in his head was the only thing he focused on.

"I warned you. . ." he heard Kai's voice say darkly. He finally came to the realization that Kai had thrown him and pinned him to the ground and true to what she said before, Kai was nearly grinding his head into the deck of the ship. Kai's hair fell over her shoulders as she loomed above the prince.

"W-when did you-?!" groaned Prince Zuko. Kai pressed harder on Prince Zuko's head when suddenly she felt his body grow incredibly warm. Kai quickly jumped away in time to avoid a small whirlwind of fire that formed around Prince Zuko's body. Slowly, he emerged from the flames, his eyes filled with rage and fury. "How dare you!!" he roared angrily. Kai's eyes immediately fell on the large imprint left by the metal floor on Prince Zuko's face and she snickered in a somewhat a cruel manner.

"Uh, hey," she jeered, "you got a little something there on your face." Kai jokingly pointed at her own face. Suddenly, a huge stream of fire flew towards Kai and knocked her back several feet and onto the ground.

She groaned a bit in pain as she quickly got up and faced Prince Zuko in fighting stance. He was serious about fighting and now so was she. Prince Zuko let out a loud, angry cry and charged right at her. When he got close enough he took his right hand and made and upward, slicing movement at her chin. Kai quickly leaned her body backwards avoiding his hand and the fire which trailed behind it. Using her momentum, she leaned back further, but before she could hit the ground her hands shot out and her legs swung upwards in a flip, hitting Prince Zuko in the chin. She landed on the ground in a crouched position, her weight on her hands and the balls of her feet, but she didn't linger for long. She sprang forward and into the air and quickly kicked Prince Zuko across his face. He staggered backwards as she landed on the ground. Prince Zuko clutched his face in pain for a moment. Kai observed him and noticed that he was holding and clutching his face for far too long, she didn't kick him that hard.

"YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT!" he shouted, clutching his face with one hand. But, he was clutching the wrong side of his face. Instead of clutching the area where Kai and kicked him he clutched his scar. "YOU DARE THINK THAT YOU HAVE ANY RIGHT TO INSULT ME LIKE THAT?!"

"You were the one who insulted me first!" Suddenly Prince Zuko lunged and Kai when she was not focusing on the fight, but he didn't bring her down. Prince Zuko was locked in his Uncle's grip.

"UNCLE, LET GO OF ME!" shouted Prince Zuko as he struggled in his Uncle's grip. Seizing the opportunity, Kai lunged at the incapacitated prince only to have a set of arms wrap around her and hold her back. She turned around and saw it was the doctor.

"STOP IT THE BOTH OF YOU!" shouted the doctor.

"What is going on here?!" asked Iroh, his voice revealing his astonishment.

"He insulted me and tried to order me around!" shouted Kai as she tried to free herself from doctor's grip.

"I insulted you?!" exclaimed Prince Zuko in disbelief, "You mocked me and the fact that I have this scar!" he shouted, his voice was a mixture of anger and hurt. Kai stopped struggling and stood still. She suddenly understood why he looked so frustrated during the fight and why he clutched his scar just moments before.

"Wait, I never did that. . ." said Kai slowly.

"YES YOU DID!" he shouted, " 'You got a little something on your face' " he said, mocking Kai's voice in a pathetic attempt to talk like girl, "WH-"

"Prince Zuko," came Iroh's calm voice, "I'm sure it was a misunderstanding. . ."

"Uncle! How can you defend her?!" he shouted.

"I'm serious, I wasn't making fu-"

"Kai. . ."said the doctor, "I think it'd be best if you two separated for the time being. Beside, you've reopened your injuries."

"What?" Kai looked down at her torso and lifted her shirt slightly and saw that her bandages she soaked with blood. However, she felt no pain and she didn't even realize that her wounds reopened. Kai sighed and looked away from Prince Zuko, who was glaring at her viciously. "Okay, fine. . ." the doctor nodded and gently ushered her to the door, which led to the inside of the ship. Before Dr. Shin closed the door once they were inside, Kai glanced back out at the deck only to see Iroh consoling and calming Prince Zuko. The door closed and Kai somberly followed the doctor to the infirmary.

"I didn't mean to hurt him like that . . ."

-----------------------------------------------------
Author's Note :

I hope you enjoyed this last chapter as always I apologize for any typos and stay tuned for the next chapter

Comments/review are welcome
-BeautifullyAbstract

[kejeki]

Um, for some reason when you did an under line the [/u] code stayed in the text.  Kinda confused me for a moment.  I like it.  Although, it almost seems that Kai has adopted Zuko's personality and Zuko's seeming a little too... I dunno... wimpish.  I guess.  I dunno.  But I do like that Kai is a rival for Zuko.

[Yong Wing]

lol Well, nice to see the whole rivalry flaring up like in the original story. Kick-ass fight scene & the canon characters are very well done. Liked the Zuko-touching-his-scar addition.
Keep it up, girl! ^^

[Legend]

The first chapter hooked me in, and I love the details put into it and the other chapters. Also, I am glad that there were "fillers", because it allows the story to not be rushed and allows enough details to create a vivid image/picture of what is happening. There were few, slight errors, but they were mainly tiny typos; they didn't badly affect the story at all, and effort to understand what the actual words were wasn't need one bit. Yes, comedy is certainly needed; I did see the shift from the serious tone to the "teenager-ish" tone, but it was done well and paced. The tone is shifting into a more serious one again, so you paced the tone changes well. I can't wait for more, and I hope you keep the wonderful detailing and more up!


Hmm, I wonder why the doctor knew Kai's first name before she mentioned it. Also, I recall Iroh saying her last name, yet she never revealed it. Interesting...

[Racheakt]

Hmmm...

Well, what can I say?

The good:

I like Kei, excuse me, Kai, she's quite the violent sort, yes?  She seems a delicate balence of animal instinct and ferocity, combined with genuine humanity.  And the plot matches this, a balence of canon and fanon, plus some great twists...

I sense potential, keep it up.

The bad:

There are several convention errors, plus the structure needs work at times.  you need a proofreader or to look over your matirial a few times, try reading it out loud.  That allways helps me.

The Ugly: 

No Gaang?  Iroh could use a little more work, prehapse a one-on-one with Zuko about his quest.  Don't forget that one of the greatest strengths of Avatar is its ability to portray everyone from both sides of the war with a great degree of humanity.

[BeautifullyAbstract]

Chapter 9
"I'm fine. . ."


Kai sat silently on the cot as the doctor bandaged the reopened wound on her side. Occasionally, she flinched in discomfort, but she did not complain.

"Okay," sighed Dr. Shin as he completed bandaging Kai, "I managed to do what I could, but you're going to have to avoid any sort of strenuous activity if you want to recover quickly."

"Alright. . ." she said bluntly

"Speaking of strenuous activity, why were you and Prince Zuko fighting?" asked the doctor. Kai said nothing. She just looked at the doctor for a brief moment, a blank expression on her face, and then got up slowly from the cot. The doctor offered his arm for support to the weakened girl, but she silently declined his offer by pushing his arm aside. The doctor sighed, knowing that he wouldn't get the answer he desired, so he languidly eased back into his chair and returned to his desk. "Okay, well, I want you to take it easy for now. The more rest you get, the sooner you'll recover got it?"

"Yeah, I get it. . ." sighed Kai as she staggered towards the door. Her body was halfway out the door when she slowly came to a halt, her hand on the door frame. Where was she going to go? She couldn't go out on the deck or back to the room that she and Prince Zuko were sharing, since he'd probably be at either of those locations and the last thing she wanted to do was run into him after what had happened earlier. Even though it was Kai's intention to tease and poke fun at him, she didn't want him to think that she was making fun of something as serious looking as his scar. Kai groaned a bit and turned around to face the doctor, who was at the moment, absorbed in his paper work.

"Uh. . ." she uttered, not wanting to disturb Dr. Shin. Hearing Kai's faint voice, the doctor lifted his eyes from paperwork and looked at Kai from behind his glasses.

"What is it?" he asked kindly, with a bit of a smile.

"Um, I was wondering. . . is it okay with you if I stay here for a while and, I dunno, sleep?"

"Sure thing," smiled Dr. Shin. Kai nodded at him before she walked back over to the cot and plopped down on it. Seeing her semi-reckless behavior, the doctor jumped a bit in alarm. "Hey! What'd I say about straining yourself?!" Kai, who had her arms behind her head, turned her head a bit to look at the doctor. She raised and eyebrow and shook her head.

"Relax, I'm fine. . ." she sighed as she further situated herself in a more comfortable position. She finally found a comfortable position resting on her side.

"Do you need a blanket?" asked the doctor.

"No," answered Kai bluntly. Slowly, Kai closed her eyes and drowsiness started to overcome her.

"Are you comfy?" asked the doctor, Kai's brow furrowed in annoyance at the interruption.

"Yes. . ." Silence fell over the two of them again, which allowed Kai to surrender herself to the peace that was slumber.

"If you need anything you can jus-"

"I'm FINE!!" barked Kai as she pressed her face further into the pillow her head was resting on in a feeble attempt to block out the doctor's voice. Kai could hear the doctor chuckle softly for several moments and she could have sworn that he said something else, but it was too late. Kai was out cold.

Once again Kai dreamt that same eerie dream from before. Where a duplicate of herself covered head to toe in blood whispered in an lifeless monotone voice "Die" over and over again. Only this time, when her "twin" opened her mouth to speak, it was not only just her voice that was heard, but there were other voices that accompanied it. With every passing second they grew louder and louder until they grew so loud that it seemed that the voices melded into one, creating a terrifyingly deafening roar. And just like before, Kai woke up just before her "twin's" extended bloody arms could wrap around her neck.

Kai's body bolted upwards as she woke from her nightmare, but the sudden and sharp movement made the muscles in her side spasm painfully. Kai cringed and held her hand against her side trying to suppress her pain. Her chest rose and fell rapidly underneath the loose fitting shirt as she panted trying to regain her breath. Her heart pounded so loudly that she couldn't hear anything else and it also felt like her heart was threatening to burst through her own rib cage. Kai fell backwards onto the cot in an exhausted manner and calmed her breathing and heartbeat. Once she had regained her composure she looked around and suddenly noticed that doctor was no longer in the small infirmary and she could faintly hear voices coming from the other side of the door. Slowly, Kai got up from the cot and crept over to the door, stood there completely still and listened.

"So she's in there?" murmured a voice

"Yeah, apparently she got into a brawl with Prince Zuko,"

"Oh? Who won?"

"I heard Prince Zuko did," Kai's eye twitched in annoyance at the comment.

"No, apparently Shin and General Iroh came in and stopped it before anything serious could happen,"

"I saw the fight from the control room. That girl is seriously dangerous, she moves so fast that I almost can't see her and she looks like some sort of animal too. Do you think it's a good idea for her to stay here with all of us? Who knows what kind of trouble she might bring-"

"An animal? I don't get how you see that, if you ask me she's pretty cute,"

"Cute? Hey, all she has to do is move some hair from that face of hers and I'll bet she'll be pretty damn hot,"

"Mizuki, if that was pun, that was horrible,"

"HEY!" Kai recognized this voice, "What are you men doing?! Quit standing in front of my infirmary gossiping like a bunch of old women and get back to your stations!" She could hear the men who were standing just outside the infirmary door now leaving. Kai reached for the door and before even one finger touched the cold metal, the door slid open revealing the doctor. His brow was furrowed and he had a look of frustration about his face. His eyes widened in surprise, he clearly wasn't expecting Kai to be up, let alone be standing in front of the door. "Oh, hey kid. . ." he said as he rubbed his temples a bit before walking into the office, "how long have you been up?"

"A couple of minutes. . ." said Kai, her voice trailing off at the end of her sentence. Kai looked at the doctor who plopped down into his usual chair. His face depicted a mixture of frustration, anger, worry and other emotions that she could describe. The room became silent with the exception of the doctor's incoherent mutterings and sighs of frustration and seeing that there was nothing to be said, Kai shrugged and walked towards the door. Suddenly, Dr. Shin bolted out of his seat and grabbed Kai's bandaged wrist and jerked her back into the infirmary.

"Where are you going?!" exclaimed the doctor, he almost seemed appalled by the simple action of Kai walking out the door.

"Uh, outside. . ." she said slowly. Gently she tugged her hand trying to free herself from the doctor's grip. But, instead of releasing her, his grip only tightened. It was almost like Dr. Shin was trying to protect her from something that lay waiting to attack Kai once she left the safety of the infirmary.

"No, you're not!"

"What? Why?" Kai demanded in a harsh tone that startled the doctor.

"Look," he said sternly, "you are not leaving this room!"

"So, what are you going to lock me up here?!"

"I don't mean it like that," sighed the frustrated doctor.

"Then how do you mean it?!" demanded Kai angrily.

"I mean, you're not leaving this room without someone accompanying you. . ." slowly explained the doctor in an attempt to calm the two of them.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" exploded Kai, "WHAT AM I?! FIVE?!!" Kai violently jerked her arm away from the doctor and stormed out of the infirmary.

"WAIT HOLD ON!!" called the doctor as he scrambled after her, but when he looked down the hallway Kai was no where to be found. Kai ran down the dimly lit hallway, her muscles aching with every stride and crying out for her to "stop". But, she ignored her own pain and fatigue and kept running.

"Where does he get the idea to tell me what to do!" she thought to herself as she turned made a sharp turn around a corner. Suddenly, Kai found herself on the ground her butt and legs throbbing achingly against the cold metal. She looked up, stunned and confused as to how she had fallen.

"Oh! My apologies!" said General Iroh as he bent down and offered a hand to help the fallen girl up, "Forgive me, I didn't see you there. I suppose my cushion of belly knocked you down," he said with a hearty laugh, patting his large stomach, "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. . ." grumbled Kai as she got up, ignoring Iroh's offer to help.

"Are you sure?" he pressed, "You appear to me in pain. . ." Kai looked at him with a slight glare.

"I'm fine. . ." she said between her clenched teeth. Kai sighed and started to walk away, only to have Iroh pull her back and drag her in the other direction, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she barked.

"You look like you need some tea. I have recently acquired a new set of tea cups that I'm sure you would just love!" laughed Iroh as he dragged Kai down the hall.

"I'm not interested in a damn tea set!" she shouted, struggling against the old man's grip.

"Well, that does make sense. After all, it is not the tea set that makes the drink so warm and fulfilling, it is the love that goes into making it," explained Iroh in a mocking, yet philosophical manner.

"I DON'T WANT ANY OF YOUR DAMN TEA!!" she shouted

"You'll have some? Splendid!" he said with a hearty laugh.

"WHAT?!! I DIDN'T SAY THAT!! LET ME GO!!" bellowed Kai. She continued to struggle and pull herself away from the old man, but he continued to drag her down the hallway. In the midst of the struggle, Kai noticed a man emerge from down the hall, where she had originally planned on going, behind a small pillar that jutted out from the wall, like he had been waiting for something. He looked at her with for moment then at Iroh. His eyes narrowed and filled with anger when they fell upon the laughing old man. Kai ignored him and focused her attention on her "kidnapper" only this time, she struggled less and eventually followed him without question.

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Author's Note:

GAH!! Another filler chapter.... –does the bow of shame- sorry, sorry, sorry, SORRY!!!

Anyways as always, sorry for any typos (I proof read my work, but some typos may still be there) and comments/review are welcome.

Till next time,
BeautifullyAbstract