Road to Ba Sing Se | Zuko

40

❃ New Life ❃

Grey eyes opened slowly. Two slender arms reached out with a sleepy stretch. A big yawn followed as the young body woke up and got out of bed. Soft footfalls echoed throughout the metal room, a room fit for a proper Fire Nation soldier. Red banners hung around with proudly displayed Fire Nation emblems and symbols. The fire theme continued through the many candles that lit up the space. It was a necessary detail, for there were no windows that could let in natural light.

The young teen walked over to a cabinet where she took out her uniform. Tan fingers worked their way through the complex armour and fixed the right details in the right spot. She was careful to not agitate the wound on her stomach. The burn had been healed for the most part and would probably not scar, but that didn't mean that it didn't still hurt.

Keya tied the last piece of red armour around her waist securely. It had been weeks since the young woman had even touched anything related to her country of birth; this was her new life.

Once ready for her patrol, Keya slipped into her maroon boots and stepped out into the lower deck hallway. The heavy, metal door creaked and slammed as it twisted on its hinges. Someone needed to oil up this ship.

Keya yawned and casually started walking down the hallway. Despite the lack of presence of anyone else around, she wore her Fire Nation military helmet as she knew she had to. Just in case anyone unexpected were to come aboard, at least her identity would remain neutral and as authentically 'Fire Nation-esque' as possible.

Suddenly, a full force of wind blew through the long, metal halls. Keya steadied herself quickly and got into a defensive stance as she had been training to do. Her sharp eyes quickly located the source of the disturbance. To her surprise, she was met with a rather unlikely sight.

A shirtless boy with black hair, dark grey eyes, and bright blue arrow tattoos leaned against the metal walls of the ship. His breath was laboured and his right hand held onto his wooden staff tightly. Had it not been for the fact that she had felt his offensive gust of power herself, she would have thought him to be a hallucination. His skin looked paper-thin and the bags underneath his eyes did nothing to hide his weakened energy. Clearly, he was a bit confused about the situation he was in (then again, who could blame him- he had been out for weeks). Stupidly, Keya forgot that she was dressed in a Fire Nation uniform.

"Avatar Aang," she spoke formally, "let me help you back to your room--"

"Aah!" His prepubescent voice echoed through the metal hall as he sent another attack her way. He had clearly not recognised her as an ally- ouch.

This time, the attack made Keya lose her balance completely. The young woman grunted when her back slammed against the metal wall, then slid down to the floor. Her side ached as the freshly healed skin was pulled roughly by the sudden movement. By the time that she had regained her strength (and her wits), the Avatar had already vanished. She quickly stood up and chased after him to inform the others.

However, by the time she reached the upper deck, the situation had already revealed itself to the other members of the ship's crew. Katara's slender arms were wrapped around the Avatar's unconscious body. It seemed that the boy had tired himself out before he could do anything serious. Then again, Keya figured that waking up on a ship with all his friends dressed in Fire Nation apparel could have also shocked him.

"How... how is he?" Her voice stumbled.

"Aang's just tired." Katara answered and raised her head. "I'm sure he'll wake up soon..."

Katara's brows frowned when she took in the elder teen's presence. It was no secret that Keya fell a bit outside the group. The 'Gaang' (as they so humbly referred to themselves) were wary of her due to her past association with the Prince-who-shall-not-be-named. It was fair, but Keya had hoped that her obvious loyalty to the Avatar's cause would have cut her some slack. She gave Katara a shy smile to appear more friendly. However, her awkward interaction had been for naught. Katara hadn't frowned at her out of rudeness, but out of concern.