(1) Augmentum | Zuko

Chapter Twenty-One

Rana is sat on the deck of the Fire Nation ship in the lotus position. Pichu sat on her head playing with her ears as she concentrates on her breathing. She thought she'd test the waters since Zuko left her cell open. She figured it was some kind of test, for what she's not sure, but she wanted to see what he'd do. Zuko stands in front of her, waiting for her to react, but she's good at ignoring him. He lets out a breath and wrinkles his nose.

"Is this you attempting to escape?" He asks, folding his arms over his chest.

"I told you" She starts. "I don't want to escape" She peers at him through her eyes before she shrugs, closing them again. "I can't meditate in the dark" She admits and lifts her face to the sun. "Plus, you are the one who left the door open...I could have been halfway to the North Pole by now" He hums a little before he moves to where Iroh sits playing Pai Sho with the crew.

"Why is she so important?" Zuko asks Iroh who glances up to look at him. "What is it about her?" Zuko takes a seat and sulks a little.

"You were never taught about the Legend of the True Elemental?" Iroh offers as they watch Rana, Zuko shakes his head. He doesn't remember that being part of his studies growing up. "A vastaya that has mastered all nine of their elements, one for each tail and realm from which they draw their powers. She's the first one that's been born in over 100 years" Iroh nods to Rana as she begins to float up off of the deck. Zuko frowns a little. "See" Iroh starts. "They are only born to one specific bloodline....that girl is vastayan royalty" Iroh makes a move on the board. "Her great-grandfather was the Vastaya King when the Fire Nation hunted them down" Zuko glances away from Rana and to Iroh.

"Why?" Zuko asks.

"Power" Iroh answers. "They had too much in Sozin's eyes. Too close a bond with the Avatar. Too progressive in their beliefs. Sozin failed at the time. The vastaya had too many friends....Your grandfather saw Sozin's mission complete 80 years later, almost any way" Iroh glances over at Rana. "He planned to attack Vasta, their capital, there was a rumour that the princess was pregnant at the time, Azulon wanted to capture her, take possession of the child to control it once it got older, to own the Elementals, to use them as he saw fit. But the princess and her husband and a number of their people were evacuated before we'd even left the Fire Nation capital" Iroh takes a sip of tea. "Took the Fire Nation three years to find them, by then, the princess and her husband were dead, and the child had been placed with a human family, king and queen of Arkala, a small city to the west..." Zuko looks across at Rana. She'd lost so much before he'd even met her, and she had no idea. "That child was found by Zhao instead and he slaughtered his way through a village to kidnap a two-year-old child..."

"For Rana?" Zuko asks, Iroh nods. "Why are they so important?" Zuko counters. "These Elementals"

"Because they are absolutely and unwaveringly loyal to the Avatar, regardless of nation, they are to serve the Avatar, protect and guide them, to aid them in becoming bending masters. Each Avatar that has ever been, owes their success to an Elemental.....So...what it is?" Iroh asks, Zuko snorts a little.

"Pichu" Zuko answers. "She has a book, with all this information in" He muses. "Names of her....creatures"

"Pokemon" Iroh corrects him, Zuko hums a little and then stands. He moves to where she is meditating and then is reaching out to take the book from where it lays at her side. She opens her eyes to look at him, and for a moment, he thinks she's going to stop him from taking it, but she simply closes her eyes again and he lets out a breath, moving back to Iroh with the book.

"They are all in here" Zuko offers and opens the book up for Iroh to look, flipping to the page with Pichu on.

"So I was right" Iroh teases with a smirk. "A lightning-type, ha, how about that?" Zuko rolls his eyes a little but glances over at Pichu who smiles at him as it plays with Rana's ears. "It seems to be rather taken with you" Iroh teases, elbowing Zuko who gives him a look to stop. Iroh smirks and turns back to the tome in front of him, flicking through the pages. Zuko's feature twists slightly. If anyone is going to know what happened with Rana and why she was never brought back to the palace, it's going to be his uncle, right?

"Uncle" Zuko starts and Iroh turns to him. "Why did Zhao stop bringing her to the palace?" Iroh lets out a sad sigh and places his hand on Zuko's shoulder.

"I don't know" Iroh answers. And he has really does have no idea. Last he heard, Ursa was excited to be gaining such a wonderful daughter in law one day. He doesn't know how it went from arranged marriage to absolutely nothing. Rana would have been good for Zuko. With her spirit and her heart, she would have been able to keep up with him, to challenge him in the best ways. Even now. Iroh can something changed in Zuko's eyes since he realised who Rana is to him. Zuko lets out a breath before he stands, moving back to Rana, to watch her as she hovers. It's not a fire-bending move. But it is still an impressive trick. He raises an eyebrow at her when she opens her eyes. She tilts her head, lip twitching into a smirk before she moves her hands and arms, lifting a string of water from the sea, pulling it closer to her and turning it into a bubble. She moves her hands, slowly, carefully. She then lifts it up above them, Zuko gives her a look and steps back but it's too late, the bubble bursts. It soaks both of them. Zuko looks very unamused by it but Iroh is sat laughing, clutching his stomach and shaking the Pai Sho board. Zuko turns and walks away.

"Ah, come on, Zu" Rana shouts after him. "It was an accident" He shoots her a glare over his shoulder as he heads back into the ship. Rana cringes a little and then shakes her ears to get rid of the water. She then smirks as her eyes turn purple, drifting up to look into the clouds as a shadow passes through them.

...........

Noivern flaps his wings silently as he cuts through the clouds, spinning and twirling. Waiting. Following. Ready for action.