Chapter 2 - The Day's Storm, into the Night

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters associated. This is a fan fiction! = )



THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM ~ Ch. 2-- The Day's Storm, into the Night

By: Emily Beyer (a.k.a. SxK_YGOfan)





“Everyone inside!” Iroh called out to the crew, “The storm is starting to get too severe!” The former Fire Nation general tried to help the crew members get the supplies secured on the deck as they raced against the growing strength of the raging storm. Despite their best efforts, some of the things fell overboard as the ship was tossed by the powerful waves. A young crew man named Ryuu reached out to catch a bag of supplies before it went overboard, but slipped on the wet deck and crashed into the railing. “Look out!” General Iroh yelled to him, as a crate of more supplies started hurtling towards him in the chaos. Ryuu screamed and covered him eyes, thinking he was about to be crushed to death, but suddenly a blazing fireball came out of nowhere, destroying the crate before it could hurt the boy.



Prince Zuko, the banished heir to the throne of the Fire Nation, came running out onto the deck to help his crew. He ran to Ryuu and helped him up, leading him safely back to the door into the ship. Though the supplies went overboard, Zuko knew that the safety of his crew was most important.



“Uncle Iroh,” the prince called out, “get everyone inside!”



The general turned to his nephew and nodded. “I think we have everybody. Hopefully no one fell overboard!”



“I got Ryuu, but I don't know if anyone else is in trouble!” Zuko replied.



Iroh ran out to his nephew, once all of the crew was safe inside, and the two of them looked out to the water. “I don't see anyone,” the general said, sounding relieved.



Zuko was silent, ready to agree with him, but all of a sudden he saw someone struggling against the waves not far in front of them. His body reacted immediately, as he threw off his coat and dived into the water.



“Zuko!” Iroh gasped, “What are you doing?” All he could do is watch helplessly, hoping that his nephew was strong enough to swim against the waves. He noticed a body being tossed in the water, realizing where his nephew was heading. `Good luck Zuko,' he thought, as he watched the prince swim out further.



Zuko swam hard, tiring quickly, but not stopping. He swam out where someone had just slipped below the surface of the water, and reached for the hand that was just about to be submerged. The fire prince pulled up and brought Katara back up above the surface of the water. `Huh? The waterbender?!' Zuko was surprised to see her, but he noticed that she was unconscious and didn't want anything bad to happen. The prince took her into his arms and supported her with his back and shoulders as he started to swim back to his ship.



“Uncle, throw down the ladder!” Zuko swam back to the ship as hard as he could. He was growing weary having to carry Katara and fight against the waves supporting her body as well as his, but he didn't give up. Iroh tossed the rope ladder down immediately.

“Zuko, are you alright?”



“Yeah, I'm fine,” the prince replied as he gripped the ladder firmly, “Pull us up!”



General Iroh, with the help of Ryuu, who had come back out to help them, pulled Zuko up as quickly as he could, while still being careful not to go so fast that the prince lost his hold. Zuko held on to Katara tightly so that he wouldn't drop her, and kept her close so she wouldn't get hurt when the ladder swayed and bumped against the hull of the ship. He carefully climbed back on the deck and carried Katara inside as Iroh and Ryuu followed him back into the shelter of the ship.



There were no spare rooms on the ship, as they were all occupied by crew members, so Zuko just carried the waterbender into his room. He lay her down on the bed carefully, and sent Ryuu to get the ship's physician. Iroh watched his nephew quietly, as he removed her wet outer coat so she wouldn't get sick. She was breathing very softly; luckily her lungs weren't full of water. The prince gently rested his hand on her abdomen, making sure her robes were dry, and then he stood quietly looking at her.



“Zuko?” General Iroh finally spoke up, but he kept his voice soft, wondering what his nephew would decide to do. The prince was silent for a few moments, during which Ryuu returned with the doctor.



Zuko turned to face the man as he entered and nodded to him. “Take good care of her; make sure she's warm enough and that she's not injured in any way.”



The doctor nodded and went to work checking on her. Zuko looked at her for a few more moments, before he walked out of the room. Iroh glanced at the girl quickly before following his nephew back into the hall.



“Zuko, wait!” Iroh called out after his nephew, running to catch up with him. The prince turned around and looked at him, but didn't say anything. The general was quiet for a moment and then spoke. “What are you going to do about the girl, Zuko?” he inquired.



“I don't know,” the prince answered, “I guess we'll see how she does, and decide later. In the mean time, we need to replace the supplies we lost.”



General Iroh nodded, “Well, this is a string of islands out here. The largest one is at the bottom, several days' worth of sailing away. There is also a small village on one not too far from here that could sell us the supplies we need.”



“Good, we'll head there then,” Zuko replied, nodding in agreement.



“Very well,” Iroh agreed, “but well should stay there too long; it's rumored to be not the safest or most stable village, with few real laws. We should anchor off shore, get the supplies and go.”



Zuko nodded, knowing that it was best not to delay the journey too much. He was already not happy about being distracted from seeking the Avatar, especially when the waterbender could lead him to him, but he knew it was important for them to restock there supplies if they were going to continue.



The prince looked out the window at the island they were passing, assuming that that was where the girl had come from. If her companions were on the island somewhere, they were bound to continue down the island chain to try and find her. With any luck, they'd meet up later and he would still get a chance to try and capture the Avatar.



“I'm tired uncle,” he said suddenly, “I'm going to bed.”



“But Zuko…, what about the girl?!” Iroh asked in surprise.



“What about her?”



“She will need a comfortable place to stay for the night,” the general insisted, “She shouldn't have to stay in the ship's infirmary.”



“What are you saying?” Zuko asked him with a look of blatant confusion on his face.



“I'm saying, she's resting in your room, so let her stay there,” Iroh replied.



“Fine!” Zuko groaned, not wanting to share is quarters, but he knew there was no arguing with his uncle when he insisted on something, especially the proper manners with and treatment of a lady.



Iroh chuckled and nodded as his nephew walked off. “Good night Zuko!”



“Night,” the prince answered plainly, walking off to his room.





Zuko entered the room quietly, careful not to wake up the waterbender. The doctor had seen that she was alright and now she was sleeping peacefully in his bed. He strode over to the bedside and looked down at her, watching her sleep. He listened to her soft breathing, and couldn't help but feel calm and soothed. He shook his head trying to dismiss any such thoughts, but seeing her there reminded him of how lonely he could get during his travels at sea.



The fire prince sighed as he looked at her, and suddenly noticed her shiver. He reached down and pulled the blanket up to her chin. He carefully put his hand on her arm and concentrated. He was able to use his fire bending powers to warm her up inside, making her more comfortable as she slept. She sighed contently in her sleep, turning to her side slightly, causing a strand of hair to fall into her face.



Zuko took his hand away and reached to gently brush the hair out of her face. He sighed and walked over to a chair that was sitting by the window. The moonlight shone in, giving the only source of light to the room. The prince reclined in the chair, tired from his exhausting efforts against the storm earlier. As he started to dose off, he looked back at the water bending girl sleeping in his bed. He heard her sigh again, resting comfortably. He couldn't help a small half-smile as he closed his eyes. He listened to her breathing as he drifted off to sleep, and his breathing reached a pace where it was in unison with hers, as they both slept peacefully.







~TO BE CONTINUED…..

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