K.M:
Anyway this is mostly filler, but suggest not skipping the first segment, also there's a surprise at the end if you want to read it.
Tell me what ya think!
Disclaimer: I do not own A:TLA, I own Hak-Yeon.
"What are you doing?" Hak looked up, and hesitantly smiled at his friend, who sat beside him, a sneer on his face, looking at the scrolls stacked organized on the table perfectly, and the empty blank scrolls in which he was writing in.
Hak set down the brush, blowing on the scroll lightly.
"I am merely catching up on my studies my prince."
"Zuko." The boy corrected tersely.
"Ah, yes, yes Zuko. Forgive me."
"Stop talking so weird." Zuko ordered with a frown, leaning on the table with his elbows, a bored frown on his face. Hak-Yeon smiled sympathetically, he knew his friend had lost many of his hobbies since being sent out to see, his nature changing drastically to the point that Hak hardly recognized him, despite still having the same face, at times having to remind himself that it was Zuko.
Hak eventually picked up the brush again and dipped it into the ink, wiping the excess on the rim of the small bowl. He wrote his kanji elegantly, in slow soft movements, not wanting to make a single mistake. Zuko watched, slightly amazed at his hand-writing.
But eventually the light in his eyes disappeared and he frowned again.
"Don't tell me you'll be at that all day." He complained gruffly.
Usually at that moment Hak would have answered in a joking sarcastic tone, but with the way Zuko was constantly changing moods he didn't want to risk it.
"No, Prince Zuko." He answered softly, starting to write slightly faster, he knew that with Zuko hovering over his shoulder he'd only have a few more minutes before Zuko's impatience caused him to order to do something else.
Like train.
"Zuko." The older boy cut in with a hiss.
"Of course. Zuko." He dipped the ink again. Answering the questions left for him on the parchment as quickly as he could.
"Let's do something else." Not the order yet.
"Like what?" He asked, hoping to stall.
"Anything but this of course!" Zuko stood and waved his hands in the air in annoyance.
"How about a walk? It'd be good to stretch our legs. I am a little tired at the moment." Hak recommended, hoping it wouldn't cause Zuko to connect the dots to training.
"Fine! Just hurry up already." With that Hak sighed, setting down the brush, he took the cover of the ink and put it over the bowl, then he dropped the brush in a bowl of water, he scrolled up his lessons before taking the half-done homework and set it on his desk, putting away the ink, and finally clean brush.
The whole time Zuko huffed at the organization implanted into his friend's brain.
Finally Hak stood, he was dressed in his white, and periwinkle robes, usually something he wore when he stayed in his room, the three layers of robes dropping to the floor and trailing behind him slightly, he liked it because it was elegant, and quite beautifully made, with the richest silk his father could find, and he preferred the colors over the dark and bloody color the Nation usually wore, this was simple, but perfect in every other way.
Zuko didn't say anything but he did give the robes a distasteful look.
Hak tied his hair back into his low ponytail.
The two walked together through the halls before getting to the deck, the two strolling around the ship, or boat how Hak silently called to himself, checking everyone was doing their job, which under the prince's scrutiny of course were.
Zuko's arms were crossed, and Hak's were behind his back, he knew Zuko had noticed the way he now walked a step behind him, a sign of authority. Through the whole walk Zuko would ask a question, and Hak would answer in the shortest possible, most polite answer, always adding sire, my lord, my prince, your highness at the end, and by all that was red, it was making Zuko furious, but he kept the perfect mask.
But that didn't mean it didn't annoy him, and caused him to correct Hak countless times.
Hak always smiled, apologized, and went right back to doing it.
Eventually Zuko just couldn't take it anymore.
"Why are you acting so different?" Zuko's questioned, He didn't look at him as he did, a blank look on his face, the fact that he stopped walking caused Hak to disruptively stop and stare in surprise.
"Whatever do you mean your highness?"
Zuko turned to him slightly, his emotionless mask broken, "That! I'm talking about that!" He waved his hands at Hak's form.
"My lord you pointed to all of me." Hak said, thoroughly confused.
"I'm talking about the fact that you treat me like a prince now!"
"As I always should have sire, have I not?"
"Stop calling me that!" Zuko glared at him, looking at the empty red eyes, looking slightly fearful of him. Zuko's eyes softened as he forced himself to calm down.
"Why are you acting so different?" It was clearly a question, but he said it like a statement.
"...You're different too..." Came Hak's soft voice, he looked down, shuffling his feet slightly.
"...I...can't help it. A year of you gone and this is how you treat me..." Zuko broke out, looking at him angrily.
Hak looked up at him in trepidation, about to answer him, until Zuko cut him off.
"I don't... I don't want you to treat me any different... I want... I want you to stay the same..." Zuko came and hugged him, resting his head on top of Hak's, hugging the boy's usually larger frame, though now Hak seemed tiny for some reason, Hak stilled as he stared over Zuko's shoulder, "you're the only normal thing I got... Please don't change. I need... I need you to... be familiar... to me..." Zuko made it, Hak stood frozen in his arms, confused as to why, but slowly he smiled, returning his best friend's hug.
"Please don't change." Zuko pleaded one last time, his voice on borderline crying.
"I won't Zuko. I'm still me... I just thought you needed some space..." Hak supplied, clenching the back of Zuko's tunic.
"Don't. W-whenever you want to invade my space go ahead, I don't care... Even if I'm eating my favorite meal, and i-if I ignore you, you can slap the food out of my hand! Or if I'm being mean? You can be m-mean right back! Just please don't change!" Hak smiled, chuckling softly, Zuko joined in with a watery laugh.
"Okay. Okay. Now can we get out of this hug? Because it's sort of invading my space." Zuko laughed again before pulling away, Hak grinned, Zuko finally laughed!
His eyes crinkled close, and his grin was wide, and even though the bandage was unfamiliar, Hak could now see his friend was really still there, a little hurt, a little broken, but still there. The sadness had faded away slightly. Hak grinned as he teased Zuko about crying, causing the boy to deny it in indignation.
The two continued their walk.
Zuko noticed half-consciously that Hak was now walking by his side this time.
He smiled to himself slightly
"Hak!"
"Ha-ha-ha! I didn't do it."
"Then why are you laughing at me?!"
"Because whoever did must be greatly commended, I wish I had thought of it first." Hak giggled as the flag waved in the wind.
A bright hot pink flag, with hearts, roses, rainbows, and maybe a unicorn, with a picture that was quite clearly Zuko, giving a wink.
The shaved head, and little ponytail in the back gave it away.
"Who put that there?!"
"I wonder if he has any other good ideas, Day of fools is just around the corner..." Hak thought to himself.
"Hak!"
"Sorry, sorry! Absolutely terrible, whoever did it should be punished indefinitely." Hak put a fake serious look, nodding his head as if he actually believed it.
Zuko glared at him. "A year at sea and you're still unbearably sarcastic." Zuko grumbled.
"If I was unbearable I doubt I would be here." Hak said in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone.
"So, so, unbearable..." Zuko massaged his head, Hak grinned before deciding to stop teasing his friend, rubbing his shoulder in consolation at his never ending pain.
"Somebody get that stupid flag down!" Zuko barked at the nearest person, who instantly went to do it.
"Aw come on Zuko. It was only a joke. I'm sure no one meant any harm."
"Say that when the next flag doesn't have your face on it!"
"Hmm I doubt that would happen, I'm not dis-likable like you."
"What?!"
"You know, likeable? Charismatic? Charming? I'm all of those things, you kind of need to work on yours before people start liking you too."
"You have five seconds to run."
"Eep!"
"Hak!"
"Yes, Prince Zuko?" Hak insinuated each syllable in a mocking tone.
"What are you doing now?"
"It is called drawing Zuko. It is the act of making lines or curves to make something, or someone."
"Shut up I know what drawing is."
"Oh, I know, I just wanted to bother you. So what can I do for you?" Zuko didn't answer as he finally got a look at what his friend was drawing.
It was... him...
At least he thought so, the shaved head, and features were very much his he would assume, the face was tilted slightly to the side, the sketch perfectly shadowing the left side of his face, not showing the terrible scarring and bandage that was obviously there...
But it was him...
"Is that..?"
"What do you think? I know it is certainly not a perfect likeness what with the lack of the model, but I did my best from simple memory, I think it looks alright so far, but since you are here, can you sit there? I need you to tilt your head a bit this way, yeah, yeah good." Zuko felt like a robot as Hak-Yeon made him kneel and tilt his head slightly.
Silently the two stayed there, occasionally politely asking if Zuko would move a certain way to keep him in the right position, or so he could get certain features of his face.
Zuko was slightly embarrassed to have his friend staring at his face so intently, but when he had seen that picture he knew he wanted it complete.
Hak had a talent for something Zuko had never even known.
"You want to ask a question? Go ahead, I made your lips first so you could talk." Zuko looked down shyly.
"Look up, a little left, perfect, stay put..." Hak mumbled absently as Zuko followed the directions quietly.
"Um... when did you...?" Hak waited for Zuko to finish, when he didn't Hak decided to fill the blanks, though he didn't bother to look up from his work, he didn't want to be too distracted.
"Learn to draw? I was out at sea for a year, when I wasn't studying or training I was left alone, I only had an hour to relax, but it was one I didn't know what to do with since I wasn't allowed to bring anything with me besides basic necessities, and my weapons. I got bored, decided to write home, but I made a mistake on the page, before I knew it I was drawing, and then after that I would ask passing maids to sit down, and let me draw them. Master never forbid it, and didn't seem to care too much of what I did in my spare time so I kept going. and here we are." Hak shrugged.
"You draw beautiful." Zuko complimented with a smile, happy that his friend discovered something he found great pleasure in.
"Are you saying that because it's your face? Because I find that to be very vain Zuko." Hak threw back almost distractedly.
Zuko blushed brightly, "I'm not that selfish you jerk!"
"Uh huh..." Hak said unconvincingly.
K.M:
A filler, sorry guys! But don't skip it! The beginning was important... and the rest was well...
Okay I had no idea what to write about. period.
Anyway if you are still reading this it's only for me to say...
"Hi."
Yeah... Hi, not much else.
Okay that's not true. Truth is there's a story I've been planning on making and i want you to tell me what you guys think about it? It was an idea tossed back and forth for many years and one I finally decided to start writing, so tell me what you think kitties, if you just want for the next chapter then go ahead and skip this part.
Ow.
That was the first word that came to mind when I came to consciousness.
My head hurt. Bad, real bad.
But I don't think that's what made me scream at the top of my lungs. I think it was when I went to rub my head in pain that I screamed. You know fingers? Yeah that thing people use to hold things? Write with? Yeeeeaaah…
Those were gone.
In their place? Strange, padded…
Paws.
You heard me. Paws. As in the things mammals have. Dogs, cats, squirrels, bears, meerkats, etc.…
They were there. Kind of staring at me with those bean shaped pads.
Two long ones on the top, two shorter stubby ones beside it, and one larger one on the bottom.
Dog pads.
(Also extremely sharp nails protruding from said pads.)
Which scratched my head when I went to rub it…
Which made me scream.
I'm a rational person, I look at the situation and try and figure out the solution.
But like any other person I'm going to freak when I see paws, and tails…Tails. I should tell you I don't scream all that often either. Not even when I'm angry. But this… this? Tail? A wiggly, curly, fluffy thing on my bottom? That's bound to get some screams…
Don't judge me. You'd do the same.
After the initial scream, and freak out, I eventually pulled my head together. The first question being how?
I couldn't answer that one so I moved to the next.
Why?
I couldn't answer that either.
Who?
I couldn't answer that at all, even if it was someone's fault.
When?
On January the 1st of year xxxxx.
12:01 AM.
A minute after New Years.
I felt scrambled, but I remembered what happened.
A giant truck about to hit a boy, a boy who I pushed out of the way.
What kind of idiot stands in the middle of the road on New Years? He decided to that day clearly.
His mistake of course caused my death. So thank you random passerby that didn't cross the street when the sign said to. I hate you.
This is another part! XD
"Ms. Leventi?"
I growled at that, I was not a Ms., and I was not a Leventi.
I was Runt.
"Runt!" I growled and opened my eyes, a human stood there, wide brown eyes, with blonde hair twisted back into a high bun, bright face paint that made her look like the jester in those circuses, she was wearing a white and red uniform, she stared at me gently, a small smile, but I could see deep in her eyes a serious, and unkind look.
I was only her specimen.
"No, my name is Elena, do you remember who you are?"
"Runt." I repeated, getting annoyed with this woman. A human.
Who could understand me.
"No. Stop insulting me, I am Elena." I could feel myself fume, why did she think she was Runt? I was Runt!
"No! My name is Runt!" She stared at me calmly, thought I could see her eyes turn to confusion.
"No. That is not your name."
"Yes, it is! Stupid human! Who do you think you are to tell me who I am?!"
"My name is Dr. Elena, and I am your psychiatrist, you are my patient, Ms. Astrid, Alexandra, Leventi. Do you remember anything?"
"I remember you crazy humans grabbing me, and stabbing me with the tiny porcupine spine!"
K.M:
Anyway that's about it, tell me what you think, is it good? No?
Anyway that's it... for real... Bye...