The ship to the North

After talking for a couple more minutes, Michael said goodbye to Ty Lee and promised that they would meet again. The girl was a little upset by his departure, but she understood that he had unfinished business. Having collected his things - and putting the box deep into the bag - Michael went towards the North Pole once again. And it took him two weeks to get to the sea.

Strange as it was, he didn't even run into the passing Fire Nation patrols. If it were not for the rare villages in which he bought provisions, Michael would have thought that he had again fallen into the Spirit World. His nerves were taut as a string because of the sudden lull.

In his life, every time life gives him a break, it's abruptly interrupted by a sharp kick in the teeth. He liked his teeth and would have preferred to leave them intact.

But while all was quiet, he put his time to good use. He deciphered the message from "K" and didn't like what he read at all - but that's a story for another time.

When Michael wasn't reading, he tried to recreate different techniques from anime with Waterbending and Airbending. Zabuza was his main insparation - he was never able to watch the anime beyond the Chunin exams arc, the fillers were too much for him - so he focused on his techniques. Of course, there were techniques that he saw in clips on the Internet, but without knowing exactly how they worked, they were more difficult to recreate.

"Why are they shouting the names of their techniques all the time?" Michael kicked a rock in the road and watched as it flew into the ditch. A gust of wind ruffled his hair and he had to wrap himself deeper in his cloak, the closer he came to the north, the colder it became. "Aren't ninja supposed to be stealthy? Although in Naruto they are more like elite mercenaries than ninja."

His cloak was invariably black, given to him personally by Death, but under it he wore stolen clothes of the Earth Kingdom. The combination of dark green and black was quite stylish in his multicolored eyes. His boots were already worn out enough that he planned to steal a new pair in the next city. Michael took a deep breath and smelled sea salt from the north, a wide smile appeared on his face and he quickened his pace.

"Haa~ I hope I can learn a couple of new songs." He took a couple more steps and stopped at the entrance to the port city.

The city breathed life. People walked between docks and ships, carrying boxes and supplies for sailing. Someone shouted orders to hurry up, and someone obeyed these orders. Of course, in this lively atmosphere, Michael didn't miss the chance to swipe a couple of wallets.

"Maybe I need larger targets..." He tapped his chin and shrugged. "Stealing later. War first."

Michael walked closer to the docks and looked at the ships preparing to sail. But one thing caught his attention... A very special ship with an interesting captain.

"Hurry up! One-two, one-two, one-two! We're leaving in an hour, or my name isn't Smollett!" A man with broad shoulders and a big nose shouted from the side of the ship. "I will tell you honestly, this voyage will be the last for our team, but we will leave with honor!"

The ship's crew responded with a confident "sir, yes sir!" and speed up their work.

Michael approached the ship and called the captain. "Captain Smollet, sir!" The Captan turned his head towards the newcomer and nodded, giving him permission to speak. 'Damn, apparently the old man's lessons in etiquette really came in handy.' "May I ask the purpose of your voyage?"

"Well, we are carrying provisions and weapons for the Northern Water Tribe. Unfortunately, the waters are too rough at this time and we have a high chance of dying at sea." His eyes narrowed and he looked Michael up and down. "To whom do I have the honor of speaking?"

Michael smiled. "Michael Cordato, sir. My path also leads me to the Northern Tribe, so I'm looking for someone who can take me on a ship. But as I see it, only your crew is ready to travel right now."

Smollett nodded and considered, he scratched his chin and looked at Michael again. "You look like a fighter, boy. Tell me, if I take you on board, will you be ready to work?"

"Yes sir. I'm used to hard work and I know what the sea can be like." Michael took out his new - stolen - flask of water and opened it. "And I can help your voyage much more than the average person." He raised his hand and the water from the flask followed his movements.

If Smollett was surprised, he didn't show it. He just silently looked at Michael for a couple more seconds and nodded to himself. "Then welcome aboard, Mr. Cordato. I will introduce you to our Waterbenders in the crew. One can never be prepared enough for the dangers of the sea."

"Just Michael is enough." He said and went to the bar leading to the ship. But before he could step on with his left foot, he stopped and stepped on board with his right. Seeing that Smollett raised an eyebrow at his actions, he just shrugged. "It was considered bad luck in my family to step on board with your left foot."

Smollett frowned but accepted his explanation. "You can leave your things in the cabins for the crew. Then help load the supplies aboard, I suspect we'll want to leave as soon as possible."

Michael threw his things into the cabin below the deck and rolled up his sleeves. "Well, even a thief has to do honest work sometimes." He chuckled and began to help the crew.

In an hour, as Smollett had said, they were ready to sail. So opening the sails, the ship went to the North. Michael stood on deck in front of Smollett and his men, to be more precise, in front of the two Waterbenders who were a part of the crew.

They were either close brothers or twins because they looked identical. Both were tanned by the sun and withered by the wind, but it was clear that they stood confidently on board the ship, as if they were born here. Even the vertical scars on their cheeks were the same.

"Michael, it is my honor to introduce you to Han and Kahn, brothers from the North. You will take turns pushing Wodaniel north, your task is not speed, but duration." Smollett turned to his brothers and put his hands on their shoulders. "I leave our newcomer in your capable hands."

Han and Kahn looked at Michael without blinking until the brother on the left began to speak. "Are you strong enough to move an entire ship?"

Michael looked around and felt the water that surrounded the ship. Previously, he would not have been able to do more than a small push, but now he could most likely lift the ship with the crew into the sky and tear it in half. "Yes. If the wind is on our side, we'll get to the North this week."

The brothers looked at each other, speaking with their eyes. "Well, if you're telling the truth, then we're grateful. Captain Smollett always worries that the North will starve at this time of year due to lack of supplies." Han sighed wearily and shook his head. "He is an honest and direct man, but he can never leave people in need. My brother and I joined in to help with this. Spirits know that without us this vessel would have sunk a dozen times already."

"He sounds like a good man." Michael said honestly.

"He is, but he has his flaws. Well, less talk, more work." The brothers went to the back of the ship and stood upright. "Brace yourselves!" They shouted together and the ship accelerated sharply.

Michael looked around in amazement as the crew continued to work as if it were the most common event in the world. 'To move a ship of that weight, with a crew and supplies... Damn, those two are strong.'

"Well, I'll go help the cook." Michael muttered and went below deck. But for some reason he couldn't stop thinking about Smollett's words. "Rough water, aye?"