You & I

Pirates

Y/N's POV
As the days passed, we grew nearer to the Southern Water Tribe, it would take a few more days until we arrived but time was flying by, there's never a dull moment with Iroh.

We had stopped to get supplies from some merchants in a rather busy small town by the coast of the southern end of the Earth Kingdom and were boarding the boat again when I felt like there was an eerie silence lingering, but I brushed it off and packed away our goods, following Iroh to the captain's cabin.

We took turns steering the boat whilst Iroh told me stories of his Grandfather's adventure saving the world with the Avatar, it was so interesting to hear it from Iroh rather than a history book, considering he'd know so much more, having heard it directly from Zuko himself. I wonder if I'd get the chance to ask Master Katara about her experiences ending the war...

We had lost sight of land hours ago, and although I usually felt relaxed and at peace on the waters, being surrounded by my element, I still had that feeling in my gut, something wasn't right.

"Iroh, does anything seem... I don't know... off, to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I just, I've had this feeling since we-"

Suddenly, the boat jolted forwards and halted.

Iroh pulled me closer to him and stood in front of me, peering around the cabin before creeping out of the door holding my arm. We could hear footsteps outside, Iroh turned to me:

"Stay close behind me."

I nodded and followed as he quickly made his way outside, before us was a huge ship, two men holding our stuff were hauling it over a plank onto the ship. Iroh blasted fire at their wooden plank,

"What do you think you're doing!?"

One of the men smirked at us before throwing lightning in our direction, Iroh darted out of the way, holding onto me in the process, dodging the lighting but landing hard on the ground. We stood up and took our stances, the man who attacked us was already with another guy, then two more people from their ship came onto the boat, a woman and man, the woman had a reptilian looking bird on her shoulder and the man wore a green bandana over his head. The two men who were already with us were dressed in black, the one that struck us had a red bandana on his head and the other with a white bandana.

When it had dawned on me what we were dealing with, my eyes widened and I whispered to Iroh, without taking my eyes off of them,

"Pirates..."

Iroh furrowed his eyebrows before demanding:

"Drop our stuff and leave."

The woman walked forwards,

"And why would I do that?"

"If you know what's good for you and your crew, you'd leave. I don't want to hurt you."

A sinister smile crawled across her lips,

"Oh, General, you won't even get the chance..."

She clicked her fingers and BANG, BANG, BANG, explosions went off from all over Iroh's boat. He turned to me and tried to grab onto me:

"Y/N!"

But, he was too late, I felt the impact of the explosion beneath my feet blow me high into the air, before crashing back down towards the ocean, I tried to use my water bending to break my landing but I fell straight into the edge of a broken piece of the boat... my head- my head was... it was spinning and... I- I needed to- to find Iroh... Iroh isn't a... he's not a water bender- what if- if he needs help...

I tried to swim deeper, I tried to find him... but I couldn't. My vision was blurry and my body wasn't functioning properly, I was breathing the salt water into my lungs. Then I blacked out.

I woke up with a headache in a dingy cell, I was on a boat, probably the pirates' ship. I could feel the ocean below me, but I couldn't see Iroh. He wasn't with me.

Oh my goodness, did he survive? Is he on the boat too? Did they leave him to drown? I didn't make it to him in time. What if I could've saved him and he- what if he... No, impossible. Iroh is the smartest person I've met, he'll be fine... he's fine. He has to be fine.

I stood up and started punching against the cell bars, shouting at the top of my lungs:

"Hey! Hey! Where am I? Hello!? Let me out!"

I didn't really know what I was meant to say. I didn't pose much of a threat to them, sure, I'm a skilled fighter, but they knocked me out before I even had the chance to swing.

The man in the white bandana strolled into the room,

"Well, well, well... looks like sleeping beauty is awake."

"The man I was with, where is he?"

He chuckled,

"General Iroh? Sorry little lady but your boyfriend is gone."

"What do you mean he's gone? Where? Where did he go?"

He pulled a small dagger from his belt and mimicked slitting his own throat.

I gasped, covering my mouth and chocking on my own tears.

"No..."

I fell backwards onto the floor, he watched me as I cried into my hands, after a while I jumped up, tears streaming down my face but I had become angry... furious. I started banging on the bars screaming at the man,

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!? TELL ME. YOU BETTER HOPE THAT YOU'RE LYING BECAUSE I'LL KILL YOU. THE FIRE NATION WILL KILL YOU. FIRE LORD IZUMI WILL KILL YOU. AVATAR AANG WILL KILL YOU. SO TELL ME. TELL ME THAT YOU'RE LYING RIGHT NOW."

He stayed silent.

"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME!? I SAID NOW. TELL ME. YOU DIDN'T TOUCH HIM. HE'S NOT DEAD. HE IS NOT DEAD. HE IS FINE. HE IS NOT... he's not dead"

I slid down the bars and sobbed.

He can't be gone.

Then I heard footsteps walking down the corridor, and from the doorway emerged the woman, she wore a pirate hat and the reptilian bird was still on her soldier,

"Good. She's up. Tie her up and bring her to the deck."