Hey guys, just so I admit it, when I wrote the last chapter I had no idea who was going to be next to Zuko. The reason why I had you guys comment was to give me ideas ;). The person I chose was a person nobody mentioned but I think it's going to be quite interesting. So read and enjoy (Plus Review!).
Romeo and Juliet: A Zutara Story
Chapter 8
Running Away
I stared at the unexpected visitor who only stared back with half shocked, half wary eyes. Beside this visitor was Zuko's uncle, Iroh, with a not so surprised look.
"Look I don't want any trouble!" proclaimed Zuko as he stood in between me and the evil fortress behind him.
"Oh come on ZuZu. You can't expect to just reveal your most deepest, darkest (and if I may say so myself), shocking secrets with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. I thought you'd know me better than that." said Azula, as she walked around Zuko to stand in front of me.
"Azula, this is none of your business-!" said Zuko, trying to come in between us again but stopped short.
"Oh hush!" said Azula, cutting him off, holding her hand up as if to silence him. Then she gave an odd shaped face as if she was thinking really hard. It was a creepy face to look at but I would have happily traded it so I wouldn't have to the sick, twisted sneer it transformed into.
She turned around and looked at Zuko.
"Y-you're n-not actually dating her." The shock that colored her tone from seeing me here was completely gone. Instead a disgusted/fed up look took its place.
She started walking toward Zuko pointing at him as if accusing him of a crime.
"Now you've done some pretty disgusting things in the past two years. I was beginning to wander how you even passed as a fire bender anymore but this; this is crossing the line ZuZu. Dating a water tribe girl? Are you crazy?" she stared into Zuko's eyes in a way that could only lead to future drama. I planned to speak then but Iroh beat me to it.
"Now you don't actually want to fight your brother do you? Come, come; let us all discuss this over a nice cup of tea."
"No thank you uncle" said Azula "I've been waiting for this fight my whole life." She took off a pair of Earth Nation robes(obviously she must of made it in with a disguise) and threw them at Iroh.
I was hoping that Iroh would intervene again but he seemed to stay silent. Zuko and Azula continued to stare at each other with murder in their eyes. As much as I hate Azula, I couldn't let Zuko hurt his own sister, especially over me.
"Look Azula, what goes on with us is our business. If you don't like it, you can leave."
She turned to me with an amused expression.
"Do you really think I'm going to let a girl like you tell me what to do?" she walked over to me till the point she was right in my face. "You know I was planning to fight Zuko but it seems that he can't help being such enormous disappointment. I blame you." Then she took the outside of her right hand and slapped me across my face so hard I fell to the floor.
"AZULA!" Iroh and Zuko yelled together.
Zuko ran over to me to let me rest upon him in comfort.
"Uh barf."
"Azula" said Iroh "You have no right to hurt innocent people this way"
"No uncle, the only innocent person getting hurt here is me. How dare Zuko, and my guess you, betray the fire nation so. As the princess, I take serious offense." She put a hand over her heart in mock sadness.
"Azula, you've always been shallow and conniving but this is the lowest you've ever been." Plead Zuko
"Oh shut up! I'm tired of your bull crap. Sure I've always gotten daddy's affection. Sure I've got my throne but at least you had mom's love. And at one point that was all I cared about. That she loved you more than me." I don't know if it was the dim lighting but I could have sworn Azula actually looked vulnerable. "But then one day I convinced myself that mom wasn't going to change, so I did. Now the change I made probably mad me look even worse in her eyes but I didn't care. I haven't aloud myself to care."
Zuko got up and was about to take Azula's hand but she instantly rejected him. She looked around at the three of us as if embarrassed.
"Look at what you've done; you've made a fool of me." Then she gave a much too judging look at me. "No it's her fault" Then she grabbed my arm and tried to pull me up and away from Zuko.
"YOU WILL NOT HAVE HER!" he yelled.
"OH YEAS I WILL. WHAT A NICE GIFT TO GIVE TO DADDY." She yelled back.
Once again there was a game of tug of war and I was the rope. But this time I didn't fall. Out of no where and I'm not sure how, I was in Zuko's arms running out the door.
The rain and wind were thinning but it was still to dangerous to stay out.
"Where are we going?" I asked
"I don't know…j-just…a-anywhere I guess."
The air was freezing out. Zuko could hardly stop his teeth from chattering to say anything.
He carried me through the town. I wasn't sure what he was looking for but we walked and turned down several streets till finally, after about an hour, his legs gave out in an alley. He laid me down by a garbage bin, in front of a small apartment.
"A-are y-you ok-kay?" I stumbled out
"Yeah I'm fine. It's just a little cold that's all." He gave me a reassuring smile that must have taken a lot of work to put there.
"You l-look s-sick" I started crying. Zuko looked so pale and fragile, almost breakable.
"I'm f-fine." He plead but he said it with a sick groan.
"I'll find us a place to stay just wait with me please."
"W-where a-m I going t-to go" he tried to joke.
"That's not funny."
He looked like he was going to smile again but then his body started shaking violently in my arms.
"W-what's w-wrong" I was in hysterics now.
He didn't answer. More like he couldn't answer. He just continued to shake. I felt so helpless.
Then I heard a loud slam above me. The person that lived in the apartment must of heard us.
"Come in" a familiar voice said.
"T-thank y-you so much!"
"Her Let me help" he said when I tried to pick him up and failed.
"When he came out it was still to dark to see his face but his voice was too familiar for me to not have recognized it.
"Jet?"
"Katara, what are you doing here?"
"I should ask you the same thing."
I was ready to argue but then Zuko have a pain curling moan and my thought where all on him.
Once we got him through the door and on one of the beds I asked,
"What's wrong with him?"
"I don't know. Could be a number of things. A cold, the flew, or hypothermia.
"Hypothermia?!"
"Do you know how cold it is outside? I'm surprised nothing is wrong with you."
"Is he going to be ok?"
"Well, only time can tell."
Zuko was staring at me with icy sweat covering his face.
God I hope so.
