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The Residency	By : gaijinsakka Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > General Views: 9869 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I make no money from the writing/publication of this.

Chapter List
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Chapter 3: Admiral Yi
Zuko was grousing as they rode out of the resort, as was typical for him. Song had bought so much that they had needed a new ostrich horse; fortunately he had procured a better mount for himself. The inferior beast from Silla was now loaded up with her purchases. “We’re starting to look like a merchant train. Every bandit in a hundred miles would waylay us now…Well, come on! I want to be in Lyushun by sundown.”
Song was seated atop her new, extra-cushioned sidesaddle, but was still fidgeting. “Do all Fire Nation ladies wear these…panties?” she asked, squirming at the unusual but far from unpleasant undergarments.
The Firelord blushed. “How should I know? I’ve only seen…that is, it’s your fault for wearing the silk ones,” he finished lamely.
She sniffed. “Shows what you know, pervert. This pair is cotton, better for traveling.” Her clothes in general were of a more practical style: medium length green skirt, leather riding boots, green and black sleeveless top, and a very light, gray linen dustcloak. Still, for one used to the simple open-crotched drawers of the Earth Kingdom, modern Fire Nation lingerie took some getting used to, especially having so much material in such an intimate place.
The conversation had drifted far too close for comfort to certain topics for Zuko. He had managed to fend off her advances the previous day by distracting her with shopping and massages; combined with the rigors of the road, this had left her too tired and too relaxed to take advantage of the suite that night. She was softly snoring before he even entered the bedroom. She had talked extensively with her masseuse, comparing techniques. As part of her healing training, Song had learned massage and was starting on acupuncture when the Firelord had yet again interrupted her life.
It was almost noon when Zuko spotted the roadblock. It wasn’t much, just a few fallen trees, but on this twisting valley road wandering through the densely forested coastal hills, it was enough. “Stay close to me. We’re about to be ambushed,” he warned.
They emerged from the trees, a half a dozen of them. Two wore tattered Earth Kingdom army uniforms, and they all carried a motley assortment of rusty weapons. “What’s this? A couple of rich kids using our private road?” asked one, a burly ex-soldier with a sun-and-moon spade who Zuko immediately marked as the leader.
“Step aside and let us pass,” Zuko replied evenly.
The other deserter, a one-eyed giant with a zhanmadao – clean and freshly polished – grunted something that might have been a laugh. Zuko picked him as the most dangerous opponent. “Kid’s kinda mouthy, boss. Lucky us ‘toll collectors’ are here to teach him some manners.”
A scrawny weasel-faced bandit with butterfly swords leered at Song. “She’s pretty cute, I think we know what her toll is gonna be!”
The leader eyed the frightened and disgusted girl, nodding in approval. “Good idea, Lu. We’re gonna take your horses and your money, and your girlfriend is gonna ‘entertain’ us all, and you get the good fortune of walking down our road.”
Zuko swung down and drew his dao. “Or I could just kill you.”
The chief bandit’s eyes widened in fury. “Take them!” The one-eyed man charged with a downward swing that should have cleaved the boy in two. Zuko drew on his uncle’s lessons of redirecting lightning and his own observations of Katara and Aang to flow around the attack; on the backswing, one sword hamstrung the man while the other struck right above the elbow, crippling both limbs on the left side. The thug went down with a howl.
Another bandit tried to lasso Song, but she caught it with her staff and pulled him off-balance. She used the end of the staff to punch him square in the jaw and trampled him under Susanoo. Zuko had dispatched two more as the chief clumsily tried to Earthbend. His dao were then entangled by the chain of a meteor hammer and yanked out of his hands. The leader grinned in triumph, only to recoil in horror as Zuko began Firebending. The chief fell, arm a smoking ruin, while the hammer thrower took off into the woods.
Suddenly a shriek came from behind him. Lu had snuck behind Song and swung up on Susanoo. One of his short swords he held to her throat while with his other hand he had already partially pulled up her blouse to grope her breasts. “You lose, rich boy! I think your whore likes me! She’s gonna – ” He suddenly stiffened and slid sideways off the horse as a crossbow bolt thunked into his ribs. Song hastily pulled her top back down, feeling horribly violated.
Zuko only stared as four eel hounds emerged from the woods, each with three riders in the white and green uniforms of the Earth Kingdom Coast Guard. One of the beasts took off after the escaping bandit, while the other three circled the Firelord. They didn’t appear very friendly.
The squad leader swung down and leveled his hyeopdo at Zuko. “What’s a Fire Nation whelp doing here? With an Earth Kingdom girl?”
Zuko angrily shoved the blade away. “Minding our own business, Sergeant. Maybe you should try it some time. We didn’t need your help.”
The sergeant chose to ignore him for the moment. “You! Girl! Did he kidnap you?”
Song shook her head fiercely. “No! I’m with him by my own choice.”
“Little slut,” one of the Coast Guards muttered, leaning over to spit. The sergeant’s own face hardened. Flames lit up in Zuko’s hands.
The sergeant held up his hand. “Enough, Pak. We’re not here to antagonize civilians.” Zuko noted that there was no apology forthcoming, and reluctantly let the flames die.
“The terms of the truce allow for free passage between the colonies and to all open ports. We’re heading for Lyushun, and Home,” Zuko snarled.
The closest of the Guards leaned down to whisper in the sergeant’s ear. His eyes widened. “You will come with us. Mount up!” he called, then blew three short bursts on his horn, doubtless a signal to the fourth team.
Zuko scowled but went along; fighting several bandits was one thing, but a squad of trained soldiers was another. The Coast Guards were an elite unit operating on both water and land that had kept the Fire Nation from rolling up the entire northwestern Earth Kingdom despite being constantly outnumbered. Admiral Yi was already becoming a legend in all three nations. When the Fire Nation soldiers, including the Yuyan archers, were evacuated, the Coast Guards had occupied the now-vacant fortress at Pohuai.
“Stay close to me and don’t say anything,” he muttered to Song. “Things could get really ugly.”
In less than an hour, they had reached the coast. The teens were astounded by what they saw. Three ships rode at anchor on the shallow bay. Two were the fast cutters favored by pirate hunters, but the third… “A turtle-hedgehog ship,” Zuko breathed. The spiky mass looked like it should sink at any moment. Primitive engines based on captured Fire Nation navy destroyers and modified for non-FIrebenders, crewed by a mix of Waterbenders from the swamps, Earthbenders and marines, this peculiar amalgam of the traditions of the three extant nations was the personal invention of Admiral Yi and the source of much of his success.
“The Admiral will want to see you, Firelord Zuko,” the sergeant said with satisfaction.
Zuko didn’t even start at the use of his name, having expected that by now. “Admiral Yi is here? That’s his flagship?”
The sergeant nodded. “That is the Jade Harrier. This way, please. Ah, Your Highness.”
They were rowed out and taken belowdecks to the stateroom. Admiral Yi was not as Zuko had expected. In fact he somewhat reminded him of Iroh despite looking almost nothing like him. “Greetings, Firelord Zuko. Please, sit. Tea or any other refreshment?”
“That depends,” Zuko said guardedly. “Is this a social call, or a diplomatic one?”
“Oh, purely social. No need to stand on ceremony. Sit down as well, young lady.” Sparing a glance at Zuko, Song did as she was bid. “I didn’t catch your name?”
“Song Ch’oe, of the Joseon lineage. After Joseon was lost, we settled in Silla.” She deeply inhaled the fragrant tea.
“So tell me, my young friends, where are you headed, all alone and with so much baggage? I hear you had a narrow scrape with some of the less savory former conscripts.”
Zuko glowered, but Song shuddered and withdrew in on herself. She could still feel that brute’s hands on her; even the things she had done to make ends meet during the year hadn’t felt as dirty, or as frightening.
The Firelord’s face softened as he saw how uncomfortable the girl was. “Like I told your sergeant, we’re headed for Lyushun. We hope to catch a ship there for the Homeland.”
The admiral sipped his tea thoughtfully. “I think you’ll find one there, but not if you keep going the way you have. Too many obstacles. While I thank you for tending to that group of bandits, there are quite a few more, and the roads are often washed out regardless. I could have a few men take you on eel-hounds. You’ll have to abandon the horses and luggage, though.”
Surprisingly, it was Song who vetoed this plan. “I don’t want to leave Susanoo, or my…my trousseau.”
Admiral Yi grinned slyly. There. That’s why he reminds me of Uncle, Zuko thought, blushing furiously and trying to find a good explanation. “That’s…it’s not…we aren’t…!”
The gentleman waved him off. “I understand, young man. I have a daughter of about the same age, and two sons barely older than you. Well, there is another option. How’s your stomach?” The teens looked at him uncertainly. “I can dispatch one of the cutters to Lyushun. I believe that Captain Bao’s destroyer is in port as part of the evacuation, and he can take you back to the Fire Nation. But he’s scheduled to leave in just a few days, which is why I don’t recommend you go on as before.”
Zuko was stunned. “You would do that? For us? For the son of your enemy?” He rose and bowed formally. “The tales of your victories are only outshone by those of your courtesy, even in Kaikyo. I am glad to see that they are correct.”
The admiral also bowed, even lower, as fitting to a ruling monarch. “The greatest honor is to be esteemed by one’s enemy.” He straightened and clasped his arms to the young man’s. “But the greatest joy is to turn that enemy to a friend. Go with my blessing, and the Spirits guide you safely home. Oh, and tell that uncle of yours he owes me a rematch at Pai Sho!” he finished with a broad smile.
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The Residency