Chapter 7

- [A Few Days Later] -

Just like he predicted, it only took them a few days to reach the earth kingdom. He spent most of those days meditating and trying to raise [Chi Manipulation].

Things had gotten awkward between Aroh and Katara. In some odd way, though it had gotten awkward, it had also driven them a bit closer. Close enough for a few repeat sessions at least.

With her being responsible for accelerating the ship, Katara had gotten better at waterbending. It was to be expected seeing as how they were at sea for over a month.

As they got off the ship, it wasn't a surprise that they received weird looks. After all, they had just gotten off a fire navy ship, people were bound to have questions.

Katara looked uncomfortable under all the stares they got but Aroh simply ignored it, already used to the attention.

"Um, Aroh, I don't feel really comfortable." She said squeamishly as they moved through the small town.

"They're mostly harmless. Just ignore them and they close." He said, his sword visible on his hip to discourage a few reckless individuals.

'First off we need supplies and then supplies. I don't think my clothes will do for Katara anymore.' He thought as they spotted a stall that looked like it had what he was looking for.

He had enough money saved and thankfully, fire nation currency was still accepted. Money is money after all. They managed to get a decent amount of supplies that included food and small snacks.

With that done, they spent some time wandering around to get a few other necessities. His eyes caught a somewhat familiar ship at the docks as they headed back to their ship.

'Isn't that…' his thoughts trailed off as he turned to Katara. "I want to check out something in there." He said, moving toward a decent sized ship with a man dressed in earth kingdom garb in front of it.

"…so long as bargains are your inclination, you're welcome here! Don't be shy, come and buy!" He advertised poorly as he got in front of them.

"What kind of items do you have?" Aroh asked before he could begin advertising again.

"Oh we have a lot of things. We have…" he began blabbering about the merchandise they had as he lead them into the ship.

While the man continued talking Aroh looked around, searching for anything of interest. He paused as his eyes caught a small open cabinet that had a few scrolls placed in it.

There were four scrolls but one of them stood out with it having a water tribe symbol on the knob. 'There you are.' He didn't waste any more time listening to what the man had to say.

"How much for this scroll?" He asked the man. He was about to respond when a gruff voice came from the inner cabin of the ship.

"That one isn't for sale. I've already got a buyer." A tall elderly man with a green parrot on his shoulder said as he entered the room.

"If you want it, you'll have to get it at a higher price." He said, causing Aroh to simply raise a brow.

"And how much would that be?" Aroh asked, nonplussed as a greedy look appeared on the man's face.

"Four hundred gold pieces. Take it or leave it." He 'proposed' as Katara lightly gasped at the amount. Aroh simply closed his eyes for a moment before they snapped back open.

"Katara, take our stuff and go back to the ship. I'll meet you there once I'm done buying a few things." He told her, causing her to gain a nervous look.

She wanted to complain but a look from Aroh stopped her words in her throat as she nodded, taking his bags off him as she quickly left the ship.

"Now, where were we?" Aroh asked the man who snorted.

"Five hundred gold pieces."

"I thought you said it was four hundred." Aroh corrected only for the man to laugh.

"Things change." He mocked, staring down at him. "Whether you buy it or not, I'm going to make a profit off it so it doesn't really matter. Five hundred, take it or leave it." He said as Aroh noticed the sudden increase in people in the ship.

"Is that so? That makes this much easier." Aroh said as a dangerous pressure suddenly filled the ship, freezing the pirates in place.

"That's enough games. I'm in a hurry so I'll make this quick." He started as one of the braver pirates suddenly shot forward with his sword.

"Bastard!" He screamed as he rushed to Aroh. All that was heard was the clicking sound of a sheathed sword as silence fell upon the ship.

In the next second, the man's head rolled off his neck as his body followed suit to the ground. "Like I was saying…" Aroh continued as if he didn't just kill someone. "What do you know about a bald kid with tattoos on his head?" He asked as the men shook.

His eyes turned to the captain who gulped before speaking. "I-I don't know anyone that fits that description!" He stuttered out.

"What about a flying bison?" He questioned as the man turned pale.

"Some folks say they saw flying animal heading south a few days ago." The man said, regaining a bit of confidence as the pressure lessened.

"Anything else?" He asked, causing all of them to shake their heads furiously.

"Then I'll be taking this…" He said as he snatched the scroll from the desk. As he stuffed the scroll in his pocket, he unsheathed his sword. "…along with your lives."

They had seen their faces and they knew what they were looking for. Leaving loose ends was not something he enjoyed seeing as how it could lead to complications down the road.

He withdrew his pressure, allowing them the chance to fight back despite how futile it was.

- [Later] -

Walking back onto the ship, he found Katara waiting on the deck with a concerned look on her face.

"What took you so long?" She asked as he tossed a scroll to her. She recognized it as the one he wanted to buy.

Opening it, her eyes widened at it's content. "A waterbending scroll? H-how…how did you pay for it?" She asked, still in shock as she remembered the price.

"We came to an agreement." He answered vaguely only for her to rush up to him, sealing his lips with her own before backing away with a blush on her face.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She was too excited about to scroll in his opinion.

"In unrelated news, I got a lead on where Aang and Sokka might be." He informed her, getting a surprised gasp from her.

"Then what are we waiting for. Let's get moving."

It didn't take them time to get the ship moving again and in the direction he'd gotten from the now dead pirates.

With the ship now riding the currents smoothly in their desired direction, Aroh found himself being dragged to the cabin once again by an insatiable Katara.

'God this girl is going to be the death of me.' He thought, aware of what awaited him.

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Author note: Not really satisfied with this chapter…