Dark Puck - Nakama has been retitled 'Blood Lines'!

It was late, after midnight. The bulk of the palace was asleep — or so the stealthy teenage girl sneaking into Firelord Zuko’s bedroom assumed.

Much to her annoyance, the room proved to be empty, except for furniture and paperwork.

“…What the hell,” she muttered. She slunk over to the desk. Maybe he’d switched rooms without her sources being informed.

No, judging by the papers on the desk, this was the Firelord’s room. She flicked through them, finding a schedule. “…He must be taking some kind of drug.”

Footsteps sounded, and the door opened without warning.  Light from the hallway silhouetted a kid even younger than the Avatar, who blinked as his eyes adjusted to the darkness.  “…is someone there?”

Dammit! she thought, and then slipped out the window, the way she’d come, taking a copy of the schedule with her.

“H-hey!” the boy yelled, dashing after her.  The window stopped him, however, and he stuck his head out to watch her go down.

She looked up and met his eyes for an instant, then disappeared into the darkness.

He froze by the window, his eyes wide as he tried to control the trembling in his body.  Kouji was afraid of girls, everyone knew that.

But this one terrified him.

Once he was able to move again, he bolted to the desk to see if anything was missing.

Just the schedule.

Grey eyes narrowed, and Kouji rolled the remaining papers up, stuck them in his shirt, and returned to his lord.

Zuko immediately noticed something was wrong — read it in his face or something. “What is it?”

“…there was a girl in your room,” he whispered.  He was shaking again.

“…are you all right?”

“I’m fine, just…”  He hesitated.  “…just scared.”

“…did you see her face? The girl’s face?”

Kouji bit his lip and nodded.

“Did you recognize her?” Zuko asked after another long moment.

Another nod, and then he whispered, “She looked like you…”

“…Azula.”

“We’re going to need to change your schedule,” Kouji said after a moment.  “She took a copy of it with her.”

Zuko nodded. “Good idea.”

He swallowed, remembering her eyes, and quickly added, “I took the rest of your papers with me — I didn’t just want to leave them there in case…”

“In case she comes back.”

Kouji nodded and showed Zuko where he’d stashed them.

“Thanks,” Zuko said, and gave him a faint smile.

The boy brightened and bowed.  “You’re welcome,” he said.  “What do you want me to do now?”

“Um…” the Firelord considered. “Work up a new schedule, I suppose. And you should probably get some sleep, it’s after midnight.”

“Yeah, it is,” Kouji said, giving him a significant look.  Zuko either didn’t pick up the significance, or chose to ignore it.  With a sigh, Kouji wandered off to draw up a new schedule — and to make sure that his windows could be locked.

 

 

Several weeks had passed since Azula had initially infiltrated the palace.  Kouji had stopped having nightmares within a week of encountering her, but as a result had taken to sneaking outside in the middle of the night to practise earthbending.  There was no doubt in the boy’s mind that the princess intended to kill her brother, and he was determined to do all in his power to prevent that.

That meant bending.

Sneaking out was easy enough — he borrowed a page from Princess Azula’s book and went out his window, then would go off to a secluded portion of the palace grounds in order to keep his power secret.

Something cool and sharp rested against his throat. “Don’t move,” a woman breathed into his ear.

Kouji, who had been in the process of pulling off his shoes, instantly froze with one foot held awkwardly in his hands.

“Hands on your head.”

Wide-eyed, the boy obeyed her, letting go of his shoe and trying not to whimper.  He could feel the usual heat spreading over his face.

She shifted position behind him, the knife nicking his throat a little, then, with her free hand and her teeth, tied his wrists together. “If you try anything, I’ll slit your throat. If you behave, I’ll let you go when I’ve gotten what I wanted. Clear?”

The sudden line of pain made him hiss, and he nodded, whimpering as the motion cut his neck again.

“Good.” Keeping the knife at his throat, she dragged him away, off the palace grounds, to a warehouse in the city, where she had a metal cage all ready for him.

She knew he was a bender.  How?  He tried to keep it secret…

She settled herself in a corner of the warehouse, watching the door.  Scared, Kouji sat down in a corner of his cage, curling up and wondering just why he’d been grabbed.  Eventually he fell asleep.

He was woken up some amount of time later when the warehouse door was kicked in.

It was Zuko. And he was clearly furious.

Kouji’s captor lost no time, launching into action, sleek and elegant, serpentlike.

The boy scrambled to his feet to see what was going on, slamming his elbow against one of the walls in the process and yelping.

Now that she’d stepped into the light, the girl was clearly recognizable as the one who’d broken into Zuko’s bedroom weeks before. And she was clearly here, trying to follow through on what she’d started then.

He was bait.  “Zuko, no!” he yelled, feeling his eyes go wide.  “Run!”

Zuko didn’t respond, focusing all his attention on stopping his sister.

Desperate, Kouji began to hit the side of his cage, trying to force a way through.  It was no good, he was no metalbender, not like Toph.

The cage did seem to be rocking, though.

Meanwhile, Zuko had managed to score some hits on his sister, but given that he was just as focused on keeping her away from Kouji, wasn’t giving nearly as good as he was getting.

Kouji decided to focus on the rocking, and began to throw himself against the cage.  Again and again, he smashed all his weight against one side, ignoring the pain exploding in his shoulder and arm.  If Azula killed Zuko…!

Finally, finally, the cage fell over.

Zuko risked a glance over. “Run! Get out of here!” he shouted, then fell back, as Azula pressed the advantage he’d rather stupidly given her.

Dazed by the fall, Kouji crawled out and shakily got to his feet.  He wouldn’t leave Zuko alone.

And that was when Azula got one final, solid hit in. Zuko was blasted back to the other end of the warehouse, where he slammed into the wall and dropped to the ground. He didn’t get up.

“Zuko!” Kouji screamed.  He didn’t remember crossing the distance across the warehouse, he was just suddenly on his knees beside the Firelord, trying to determine if the teenager was alive or dead.

Azula was just a few steps behind him.

Hearing her, he quickly rose and turned, oblivious to the tears running down his face as he kept his body between the siblings.

“Get out of the way.”

He didn’t trust himself to speak, and so just shook his head.

“Last chance.”

“Go to hell!” Kouji snapped back.

She shrugged, and readied a bolt of lightning.

Kouji took a rapid step back, landing his full weight on his left foot, then slammed his right into the ground and bent a thick wall of earth out of the ground in seconds.  The lightning slammed into the wall, denting it and calling up a massive dustcloud.

Coughing, Kouji knelt and managed to get one of Zuko’s arms around his shoulders.  Straightening, he backed up until he was pressed against the wall and considered his next move.

The older boy stirred a little.

“Zuko!” he whispered.  It was even more imperative now that he get the Firelord to safety, but how — the wall.  Stone.  He took a deep breath, leaned forward, and then slammed his back into the wall, using bending to shatter it.  Boy and teen tumbled into the street.

“…Zula…” Zuko managed to get out.

Still on his back, Kouji kicked the portion of the wall that was still up and repaired it as quickly as he could before getting them both to their feet.  “She can’t get to us yet.”

Zuko staggered a bit, trying to get his feet under him. “You ‘kay…?”

He had a body, and its name was pain.  “Fine,” he lied cheerfully, looking around for somewhere he could get the Firelord.  It wouldn’t take Azula long to figure out what had happened.

There! a cellar door of some kind.

Somehow, the boy summoned up the strength to get them both over there, open the door, and drag Zuko inside before Azula got out of the warehouse.  Barely clinging to consciousness, Zuko asked again if he was okay.

Again Kouji reassured him that he was fine.

“Good,” the older boy said, then started to drift out again.

Kouji settled Zuko into a corner and began to tend to his wounds as best he could in the dim light filtering through the door.

“Sorry… not fast enough…” he whispered.

“Just rest, Zuko,” the boy replied, fighting more tears and wondering what he was going to do.

“…crying…?” the older boy asked, noticing after a moment.

Hastily Kouji wiped his eyes.  “I’m scared.”

“Sorry…” Zuko managed to get out, before blacking out again.

The eleven-year-old took several deep breaths to calm himself down, nodded slightly, and began prowling in the cellar for water or bandages.

And then someone came walking down the stairs.

Startled, Kouji froze, then quickly ducked down behind some crates.

A little girl, maybe two or three years younger than Kouji, came into view, carrying a large clay jug. Catching sight of Kouji diving behind his crates, she froze and dropped the jug.

Crap.

Someone would have heard that.  Wiping his face again, Kouji stood again and stammered, “P-please — we need help…”

She scrambled backwards, then fled back upstairs.

Hoping she’d gone for help, the boy retreated back to the Firelord.

A few moments later, a dark-haired man of about forty, probably the owner of the house, came downstairs, carrying a sword. “Who’s there?” he called. “Show yourself.”

The sword gave Kouji pause, but he stepped into view, holding up both of his hands to show that he was unarmed.  The man’s eyes widened, recognizing the boy from the palace. “What are you doing here?” he asked, lowering the sword slightly.

Kouji bit his lip, then the words all tumbled out of him in a rush, explaining that Azula had lured the Firelord from the palace and nearly killed him and that Kouji had only barely been able to get him somewhere safe.  By the time he was done, the tears of fright and worry were running down his face again.

“…wait here,” the man said, then disappeared back upstairs.

A few moments later, he returned, with help to carry Zuko upstairs.

Trembling with fright, fatigue, and the low following an adrenaline rush, Kouji followed, trying to get himself under control.

The little girl from the cellar, meanwhile, was speeding towards the palace on the errand she’d been sent on.  She found Leilani easily enough — everyone knew that the island girl spent most of her time in the infirmary working with Doctor Chang.

She tugged at the older girl’s sleeve to get her attention.

Leilani looked down.  “Yes, what is it?” she asked with a smile.

“M-milord Leng Dan said you should come real quick, please, he said it was important…”

The older girl frowned and glanced at the doctor.

“Go on,” Chang said. “Leng Dan wouldn’t send for you unless it was an emergency.”

She bowed to him and turned to the girl.  “Lead the way.”

The girl grabbed at ‘Lani’s sleeve again and pulled her along.  Amused and worried, Leilani followed, remembering that nobody had seen the Firelord or Kouji in hours.

Leng Dan greeted her in the entryway of his house. “Lady Leilani,” he said, bowing slightly. “He’s in here. It’s… not good.”

“What happened?” she asked as he led her in.

“…I may not be the best person to explain.” He opened the door where he’d left the two boys he’d found in his cellar.

Leilani gasped as she saw them, her blue eyes going wide.  She’d collected herself in a moment, however, and was by Zuko’s side and ascertaining the damage in an instant.  It was extensive. Aside from various minor cuts and burns, two or three of his ribs were cracked, and his right shoulder dislocated. And then there was the internal damage, from that last bolt of lightning he hadn’t been able to deflect, the one that had slammed him into the wall.

The girl took a deep breath and turned to Leng Dan.  “I will require two or three barrels of water,” she said quietly.  “I… probably won’t be able to fix this on my own; if you could send someone to find Lady Katara, I would very much appreciate it, my lord.”

He nodded, and bowed again. “Of course,” he said, and left the room. A minute or so later, the barrels she’d asked for were brought in, and five or ten minutes after that, Katara joined her.

Leilani was already kneeling by Zuko’s bed, manipulating the water outside his body and sweating in concentration.  She greeted Katara without looking up.  “…I’ll take care of the external damage,” the younger girl said, drawing her own water and kneeling next to Leilani.

“Thank you,” Leilani replied, focusing on the task at hand.

Kouji lay next to the Firelord, filthy and with only one shoe on, fast asleep and holding Zuko’s hand.  He hadn’t stirred when either girl had arrived.  The two of them worked for as long as they could, but were unable to finish before blacking out from the energy drain.  Leilani lasted just long enough to put the water back before sliding to the floor to sleep deeply.

Leng Dan had them carried to another room — for propriety’s sake — and left them to sleep.

It was several hours before Kouji woke and had to re-orient himself.  His entire left arm was a mass of pain, and he quickly tugged his sleeve down to hide the edge of the massive bruise he’d gained by slamming himself into the metal cage he’d been put in.

Zuko, in the meantime, had regained consciousness as well and was struggling to sit up.

“Zuko!”  Without stopping to think, Kouji hugged the Firelord desperately but gently.  “You’re all right!”

“‘Course I am,” the older boy whispered. “You?”

Kouji nodded, not releasing him.

Finally, the older boy managed to finish working himself up into a seated position, and sagged back against the headboard. “Where are we…?”

“…I have no idea,” admitted Kouji.  “I think I pas— fell asleep before I could ask.”

Zuko nodded, then his eyes fastened on the cuts on Kouji’s throat.

The boy blinked.  “…what?  What is it?”

He didn’t reply, just tried to get up, out of bed.

Eyes wide, Kouji locked his arms around his waist.  “Zuko, what—?”

“She got away,” he said, frighteningly calm, though he’d gone a shade or two paler and was swaying a bit.

“I had to,” Kouji whispered.  “You might have died if I hadn’t got you out of there…”

“Not your fault. Mine. I wasn’t fast enough…”

“But you’re all right now.”

“And I have to go after her…”

“Not until you’re better,” insisted Kouji.

Zuko kept trying for another few minutes, but couldn’t even stand up straight. He sank back onto the bed, exhausted.

Worried, Kouji let go and looked down at him.

“She keeps… getting away,” he whispered.

“You’ll get her,” Kouji soothed.

“Sure…?”

He nodded.  “Absolutely.”  He meant it — Zuko had come for him.  The Firelord would be able to handle Azula once he was healed.

“…‘kay…” Zuko’s eyes drifted shut again and he was out.

Kouji exhaled, then took the opportunity to strip off his shirt and check his arm.  He winced as he realised that from shoulder to wrist, the entire arm was a dark blue-purple.

That was when Katara came in, to check on Zuko. “…what happened?” she asked him.

Kouji blushed beet-red and dropped his gaze, hastily pulling his shirt back on.  “Nothing.”

“No, let me see…” She reached for his arm.

“I-it isn’t that bad…”

“Your entire arm was purple, Kouji.”

“…paint?” he tried.

She just stared at him for a long moment.

Flushing darker, he extended his arm to her.

She rolled up the sleeve to examine it more closely. Luckily, it didn’t seem like anything was broken. “…I have some liniment, it might help it hurt less,” she offered.

“…thanks,” he said, not looking at her.

“No problem,” she replied, digging into her bag and handing him a jar. “…How’s he doing?” she asked, indicating Zuko.

“…I think he tried to go after her a few minutes ago.”

“That wouldn’t’ve ended well,” she said, quietly, then knelt beside the bed to check and make sure he hadn’t done more damage in his attempt.

“I know,” was the equally quiet reply.  “He just — he was staring at my neck, and then he tried to get up.”

“He must’ve seen the cuts,” she said, after studying his neck for a few seconds.

Kouji didn’t speak for a moment.  When he did, it was merely a soft, “Oh…”

“You really mean a lot to him,” she said, thoughtfully.

“That’s why she took me,” he said bitterly, staring at his hands.  “She knew he’d come get me.”

Katara looked at him sharply. “This wasn’t your fault, Kouji.”

“How?” he demanded.  “She was waiting for me.  She went after me.”

“Because she’s scary and smart and knows how to push her brother’s buttons. If you’re going to blame anyone but Azula, you might as well blame the people who are supposed to be protecting him. How was he able to sneak out of the palace, when he’s supposed to be guarded all the time? For that matter, how was she able to get in?” Katara sighed. “Look, my point is, this happened. And, yeah, there were probably security flaws involved that need to be fixed. But bad things happen, and you can’t blame anyone except the person who actually did them.”

“But if I hadn’t snuck out—”

“You were practicing bending to better protect him, right?”

Kouji stopped.  “You know I’m a bender?”  He looked and sounded surprised.

She rolled her eyes. “I’ve known for weeks, Kouji.”

Surprise turned into dismay.  “How?  I tried to hide it…”

“Toph noticed. She told me.”

“…oh.”

“You might want to ask her for lessons,” she mused. “I’m sure if you asked nicely, she’d be willing to help.”

“I need them,” he acceded.  “I need to be stronger.”

“Ask her, then.”

The boy nodded.

Katara smiled, and ruffled his hair. “Everything’ll turn out all right.”

He blushed and ducked out from the tousling.  “Yeah, I know.”  He paused, then slumped.  “Oh, man.  Everybody knows, don’t they.”

“Probably,” she admitted.

He sighed, then managed a smile.  “Guess I should stop hiding it, then.”

“Yeah, probably.”

Kouji sighed.  “This is going to be interesting.”

Katara nodded. “I’ll be back to check in on him again later. Are you going to stay here?”

“Yeah.”  Kouji looked down at the unconscious Firelord.  “It’s the least I can do.”

Katara gave him a quick hug, then slipped out.