Ma new story guyz! :) Aren't you excited? :D This is a story that I think about every night, and it kinda just keeps expanding in my mind. So I really need to develop it so I can move on with finishing my novel and stop thinking about ATLA, gosh! Alright just to let you know, everything in this story will stay canon, except my OC. Even though I'm a Zutara and Tokka shipper this story will be Kataang, Sukka, Maiko, and Toph will remain lonely just as Bryke decided it would be (SCREW THEM FOR THAT). What am I rambling about? I have a story to start! Please enjoy! :3
Zuko's POV BTW!
Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA, the characters, blah blah blah...
Chapter 1: Discovery
"Stop stomping around like that Zuko, you're scaring away all the fish." Sokka looked at him with a frustrated expression.
"Am I? Sorry." He replied half heartedly. It wasn't his fault Zuko grew up in the Fire Nation. It wasn't his fault for most of his life he had all his food handed to him on a silver platter... literally. And it wasn't his fault Zuko had no idea how to fish. Not only was he incompetent with a spear, he hated being wet. Sokka, on the other hand, was practically a professional. He had successfully speared at least fifteen fish and wasn't planning on stopping anytime soon. But he didn't expect anything less coming from a young man who grew up in the South Pole, where fish was served with almost every meal.
Zuko decided he was better off on land collecting from the fruit trees and bushes around the river he was standing in. Plus, he wanted to show Sokka he wasn't completely useless. He had just joined the Avatar's group, with great difficulty to say the least, and so far everything had been extremely awkward. After nearly three years of trying to capture the Avatar, he was now sleeping at the same campsite as him? It was almost laughable. But he knew it was the right thing to do. And he was trying his best to do the right thing.
"I'm going to gather some fruit." he called in Sokka's direction.
"I think that's a good idea." Sokka replied a little too harshly. But Zuko understood. It couldn't be too easy accepting a new ally that was previously your enemy. No, not just enemy. Number one enemy.
It was the dead middle of summer so a lot of the fruit trees were bare with all the bruised food underneath them. But the bushes were still bursting with berries, so he lifted their makeshift basket, and started picking.
Stupid Katara. It was her idea for him and Sokka to go on this four day fishing trip in the first place. He refused right away but of course Aang was completely for anything Katara had to suggest. So now here they were. Two days in and completely miserable.
After stripping all the bushes, Zuko moved on to the trees to see if he could scavenge a few fruits. He was about to call it quits when Sokka called out to him.
"Z-Zuko! Zuko!" he yelled.
In less than two seconds Zuko was on his feet and running back toward the river. Had the Fire Nation found him already? No way, he left almost no trace when he left. But still.. Azula, his insanely genius and violent sister, was incredibly persistent. He had no way to prepare for what he was to find when he reached the river. But he wish he had.
Sokka was kneeling over something, no someone, with a pained expression. Zuko walked forward to see that the someone was a girl. Not much younger than he was. He broke into a sprint until he too was kneeling by the girl. Her dark hair covered her face. And her bare midriff top showed a knife wound. Zuko swallowed the painful lump in his throat.
"Is she-" he started but couldn't finish.
" She has a pulse but it's unsteady, and her skin's really cold." he said in a calm tone. "We better get her to Katara." He finished.
"Sokka, It's a whole day and night's trip back. I don't think she'll make it that-"
"Well we have to try!" He yelled.
"Okay, you're right. Grab the basket of fish and fruit. I'll carry the girl back to the war balloon."
Sokka didn't object, but he ran back to his fishing supplies. Zuko turned and bent down to pick up the girl, trying not to disturb her wound. When he gathered her in his arms, he realized that she was incredibly light. Like she had been malnourished for many years. As he started making the short trip back to his war balloon, he peered down at the girl to make sure she was unconscious. Her lightly tanned skin seemed pretty bruised and scarred. Like she had been in a few knife fights. Was that how she got this knife wound? Her face was soft looking, but the furrow between her brow showed that she was not resting peacefully.
The twisting in his gut came right after the realization. Then he was running. He ran to the war balloon and gently set down the girl. That girl. He sunk down next to her and breathed heavily, sweating bullets.
It wasn't long before Sokka walked onto the balloon, with all the supplies in his hand, to find Zuko sitting on the bottom of the war balloon.
"Zuko? What's wrong? Is she.. did she-" Zuko looked up at Sokka, pain clearly on his face. When he opened his mouth to speak his voice was hoarse.
"I know this girl."
Well...Yeah. That's the first chapter. ^.^ I hope you liked it. Please R&R! Heck even flame it if you want. The next chapter is already written but I want to see the reception it will get before I even bother continuing. Until next time my peoples :)
- 3 Cassy