Chapter 2 is here! I would have to say that this is one of my favorite chapters so far!
Hopey you likey it!
I do not own ATLA and/or any of the characters.
Salji on the other hand is mine
The grass that he stood in was almost as tall as him. He could hear a girl giggle, but he couldn't figure out where it was coming from. He turned in a circle trying to find where she was hiding.
"Where did you go Salji?" he yelled into the wind.
He waited for a response, but didn't get one. He yelled it again and heard her giggle. He followed her giggles. He looked everywhere trying to find her, and then he saw her. He was running towards her, but the faster he ran the farther away he got from her.
"ZUKO, HELP ME!" she screamed.
Zuko woke up drenched in sweat. He sat up panting trying to catch his breath. This same dream had been cropping up in his sleep all week, and he knew that this year wasn't going to be any easier.
He looked out his window and saw that the sun was just about to peak over the horizon. Nobody would be awake for a few more hours. He laid back down and tried to close his eyes. But when he closed his eyes all he could see was her face. He tried shaking the image out of his head, but it didn't work. He would never be able to get the horrific image out of his head.
Suddenly he heard the pitter, patter of footsteps outside his door. He sat back up waiting to see who was up this early. There was a soft tap, tap, and then a girl's voice.
"Zuko?" Katara's voice came clear from the other side of the door.
"Come in." he said trying to compose himself.
Katara opened the door slowly, stepped in, and then closed the door as quietly as she could. She walked over and sat on the end of the bed across from Zuko and looked into his eyes.
"Are you ok?" she asked.
"Yeah, why do you ask?"
"Well you were screaming your head off just a little while ago" she said looking down at her lap.
"Oh, sorry. It was just a bad dream."
He couldn't believe that he was screaming in his sleep. Sure his uncle would always say that he talked in his sleep, but he never believed him. They sat in silence for a moment or two, because neither of them really knew what to say. While sitting there Zuko remembered what happened under Ba Sing Se. He had opened up to Katara, and he betrayed her. How could she sit in the same room with him without yelling at him in rage?
"Who's Salji?" Katara asked bringing Zuko out of thought.
Zuko froze. How could she know that name? Nobody knew that name in this house except for him. He had to think on his toes.
"I don't know. Why do you ask?" he lied easily.
"That's what you were screaming. You kept on yelling "Salji, Salji" at the top of your lungs."
"Oh… well I've never heard that name." he said not looking into her gaze. "I wonder why I was yelling that."
"Well I was hoping you knew." She said trying to make him look at her in the eyes.
"Well I don't know" his voice just above a whisper.
He wished she would just drop it, but knowing Katara she would never let it go. Dear Sages, why did I have to scream her name? He thought to himself.
Katara must have realized that he didn't want to talk about it, because she quickly changed the subject.
"Well I guess I should go make breakfast for everyone" she said hesitantly. Zuko could tell she wanted to know, but she didn't want to push him too far.
She stood up, and Zuko mimicked her and grabbed her wrists. When he did this a voice from his past whisked through his ears. I'll save you from the pirates.
"Thank you for coming to check on me" he said trying to sound as normal as he could.
A light pink color stained her cheeks, this made Zuko smile. The way the color contrasted with her skin, looked beautiful on her. He dropped her wrists and walked back to sit on the bed.
"You're, umm, welcome" she said dizzily and exited the room.
After she left Zuko flopped back onto the bed. That was too close, he couldn't let another slip up happen again. Katara knew her name, and who knows what else he had said in his sleep that she might have heard. The only thing that was keeping him calm was the fact that it was going to be over soon. He turned to lay on his right side. He clutched his ribs trying to make the pain in his chest go away. It eased the pain a little, but the ache was still piercing his lungs. He felt as if he was suffocating.
"I just have to get through one more day" he told himself as he squeezed his ribs harder.
After laying there for a while he started to hear everyone else wake up and make their way downstairs. Zuko knew that if he didn't show up for breakfast that Katara would come to his room and try to talk to him again. He couldn't handle another talk so he got up off of the bed.
He pulled his shirt on and walked to the bath room. His hair was all over the place and he had a dark ring under his good eye. He turned on the sink faucet and leaned over it. He gathered the cold water in his hands and splashed himself in the face. After he dried his face off he continued with brushing his teeth. When he finished with that he ran his fingers through his hair trying to tame it, but it only made it worse.
When he looked presentable he walked down the stairs. As he entered the kitchen everyone had already eaten most of their breakfast, and a bowl full of food was sitting at the table where he usually sat.
"Well look who's up" Sokka said with his mouth full of food. "Nice of you to join us Sparky."
Zuko discarded the statement and sat down at the table. A bowl of jook with fresh berries was sitting in front of him, and he just looked at it. His chest hurt too much to allow him to eat. Just looking at the food made him nauseous.
Sokka took note of this. "Are you going to eat that?" he asked after he finished all of his food.
Zuko shook his head and shoved the bowl towards Sokka.
"Thanks Sparky!" Sokka exclaimed as he started to shovel the food into his mouth.
"Why aren't you hungry?" Toph asked worried.
"I'm just not." Zuko said as he looked out the window.
"Well ok then Mr. Crankypants." She said defensibly.
"I'm sorry Toph. I didn't mean to sound rude." He explained.
"It's ok. We've all gotten use to your mood swings." Toph said with a big grin.
"Ha, ha, ha, very funny Toph." Zuko said as he picked her up out of her chair by her feet.
"Hey put me down! I can't see!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
"You know I would put you down, but I think I feel another mood swing coming on, and it's telling me to keep you hanging here for a little while longer." He said as a small smile spread across his face.
"Zuko! Put me down!" she said as she tried to punch him in the stomach.
He stood there holding Toph upside down a little longer, and finally put her down. She was mad at him, and that only wanted to make him laugh.
"That wasn't funny Zuko!" she said as she started to pout.
Zuko got down on his knees to where his eyes were even with Toph's sitting in her chair. "I'm sorry Toph, will you forgive me?" he asked.
"I guess I can't stay mad at you forever. You're still my slave." She said with a grin.
Toph leaned forward and hugged Zuko around the neck. He hugged her back. Toph was like the little sister Azula should have been. He loved Toph as if she was his own sister, and she loved him back.
They broke apart and Toph looked at Aang. "Are you ready for training?" she asked.
"Sure " he said as he got up.
