Heyy guys, I'm back! I am sooo sorry about the wait. One thousand apologies to you all!! I feel like a schmuck, and I'm sorry. Writer's block gets even the best of us... and well I'm certainly no the best, so I have an excuse. So anyway, on with the story!
I scream for all I'm worth, while trying to half-run through the bushes. They're thick, and I stumble and fall. I flip onto my back, ignoring the pain, to see who, or what, has touched me. Someone was standing a few steps back from where I was crouching, clearly startled. On instinct, I was very tense, and I am gripping the bush below me with claw-like hands.
I'm breathing fast, and I can feel my pulse throbbing through my body, which makes it difficult to discern one shape from another. I'm still squinting at the unnameable thing, when it takes a step forward, arms raised.
Zuko's voice comes out of it.
"Toeko! I'm sorry I scared you," he pauses. He seems unsure how to continue.
A chill runs over me, and I suddenly remember the other figure in the darkness, the one approaching me. I flip over into a crouch again, while searching the shadows.
My voice comes out, low and raw, "Is Aang with you?"
He pauses, "Yes, but I sent him in the other direction. He's probably come running after he heard your scream."
Intuition told me to stay on guard; there was something out here with us. "Zuko," I say slowly, "did you see anyone else out here?"
Zuko, finally realizing that I am choosing to ignore his earlier conversation with Aang, started to catch on to my mood. "No... Why? Do you see something?" I can feel him tensing up. Both of our eyes scanned the area. He crouched low, and put his back to mine. I'm reminded of what Katara told me: He was a fugitive for a long time. He knew what he was doing.
His voice came out in a whisper quiet and fast. "There."
I turn my head to my left, at about 9 o'clock. A dark figure was coming towards us, fast. We simultaneously turn our bodies toward it, and raise up in identical fire bending positions. But I have no time to comment, as the thing was only 10 feet from us, and slowing.
"Zuko? Toeko?" Aang's unsure voice breaks the loaded silence.
I am the first to loosen. Some deep maternal instinct that I'd felt many times before in that cruel, cruel prison tugged at my insides. I wanted to reassure Aang. I would be terrified too, if I were all alone searching the dark streets and then suddenly hear a scream. But I don't have time to reply, because Zuko's voice comes from his not-raised form.
"Aang?" He doesn't wait for a reply, "Quick, get over here!" Even in a whisper, Zuko injected just enough urgency to rush Aang, yet not scare him too badly.
He stops a few feet short, confused. "What? What's going on?" he asks loudly.
I am quick to reply. "Nothing. You just scared us," I lied, surprisingly convincingly. "Let's just hurry back now." I didn't want Zuko to tell him anything. Yet, what exactly was there to tell? Nothing. Just that a trick of the shadows had made me panicked. Too bad I couldn't lie to myself as well; my palms were sweating. He still shouldn't have to stay up all night like I surely will.
Aang looks between us, trying to assess the situation. I'm glad we are in only half-light. I'm sure I don't look so good; my hands were slightly shaking and I'm sure my countenance was contorted in fear.
I peeked up at Zuko as we started for home. He seemed pretty steady. He walked slightly ahead of us. It must have been some manly instinct that made him walk into the darkness ahead of us.
Hmm, I wonder if I look like I need protecting. The idea seemed silly to me; I could handle myself.
I couldn't say the same for poor Aang. Despite our outright lies, he could feel the tension in the air. His eyes darted from me, to Zuko's dark form, and then around the kept close to me, but not touching.
It felt like we were moving very sluggishly. It took an extremely confusing amount of time to get back. I got more panicked the longer it took; did I really go this far? Were we lost?
It turned out my worries were for nothing; we made it home eventually with Zuko as our guide. We stopped right inside. I looked around, unsure of what to do next. An extremely tired looking Aang made his way back to his room with a quick muted good-night. The creepiness of the night must have distracted him from the reason I ran away. I was thoroughly distracted. I just hoped everyone would forget about this night.
I made my way towards my room, in need of the numbness provided by sleep. Or at least the privacy of my room before everything about the night came crashing down on me.
But of course Zuko wanted to talk it out.
"Toeko?" he started hesitantly. "Can you… Can you c'mere?"
Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm kinda disappointed with this one as well; it coulda been longer. I've just had so much on my plate and I already made you guys wait so long, that a longer chapter would hafta wait. But, I am being proactive, and am already working on the next chappie.
peace, love, happiness, and SAVE THE WHALES!!!
mariah
