AN: Alright, thus far this story has moved a bit slow for my taste, but I figured everything needed to be in order. Now, this is where things are going to start happening. Please enjoy and let me know what you think.
Oh and also, I know it's really really short, but there is a reason! Trust me! Ok, now enjoy!
Zuko paced the floor of his room, back and forth, back and forth. Sweat had gathered at his brow, his bare chest trickled with small beads as it heaved up and down. He had meditated after his confrontation with the Water Tribe Chief and had come to clear his thoughts. Just when he thought he could get away from it all, escape into the darkest void of his mind, memories taunted him. One in particular came to him.
Flashback:
He was running, running through what seemed to be a palace of sorts. Everything was red; walls crumbled around him, the earth shook with sunder. He was running, looking for someone and in the distance behind him, he could hear voices calling to him, telling him to turn back, that the path ahead was caving in and he would surly die.
Was this the scene of his death?
Continuing down the treacherous corridor he swung into a room finding two figures enthralled in an epic fight to the death, one was a woman, the other a man. He tried to make out their faces but couldn't. Then he found himself shielding three women and a white flame billow out towards his face. A searing pain hit him like a tidal wave along the left side of his face, the smell of burnt flesh entered his senses as he inhaled deeply and suddenly he was pushed back into reality.
He sat there heaving as his hand ran through his hair, his eyes fluttered for a moment.
What the hell happened?
Reaching up, his fingers trailed along the left cheek bone, around his eye then back across his ear. Even now, even after retreating from his thoughts he could still feel the sting of the past.
End of flashback
Finally after pacing his room for what seemed like hours, Zuko calmly sat down on the edge of his bed, allowing his hands to engulf his face.
Sokka couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned violently in bed, jolting Suki from her slumber.
Her dark locks trickled down her back as she turned on her side, facing Sokka's broad bare back as he sat on the edge of the bed.
With an apathetic look she sat up, pulling the covers to her chest and reaching out, running her pale hand across his back, "Hey," she whispered, "you want to talk about it?" she knew what was bothering him, but realized that he seemed to have taken everything a bit harder than the rest of them.
It wasn't that none of them cared for Zuko, nor did any of them love or share a strong personal bond with Zuko like Katara did, it was just the fact that Sokka had grown rather close to the prince and looked at him as if he were family. Granted, it took Sokka a long time to even begin to like the firebender when they had first met, but over time they became close friends and soon, they would have become brothers.
Looking slightly over his shoulder, Sokka sighed as she shook his head, "No, I'm fine," he lied. In truth he wasn't fine, inside he was falling apart more rapidly than he thought and he couldn't understand it.
Zuko was his best friend, he was his little sister's love and he was a great man. But he wasn't the most important thing in Sokka's life...so why was he so much more bothered by his death, let alone his rebirth than all the others?
But before he really had the chance to answer his own mind boggling question, Suki interrupted his thoughts, her hand gripping his shoulder with a slight pressure, "No you're not," her voice was firm but at the same time gentle and sweet, her hand maneuvered round his shoulder up to his face, gripping his chin turning him to face her, "talk to me."
The moon was full, the night was young. An emptiness surrounded her as she lay there, starring mindlessly up at the ceiling.
About an hour ago she received word that Kaji, or should she say, Zuko had disappeared with the Water Tribe Ambassador that he was sent to kill. This displeased her greatly and she knew she had to move quickly.
Looking down at her palm, a scar faintly glowing ember white along her flesh stood out in the darkness. The shape was that of an ancient symbol of death, the binding contract between her and the demon she had sold her soul to. She knew that if Zuko was with the Ambassador that he would begin digging around in his past, he would try to regain all that was stolen long ago but she knew fate had something far better in mind.
She would change their destinies, she would undo what had been done and she would set a new order to the world with the man she had so desired and loved by her side. She would rip apart the very fabrics of time to get what she so rightly deserved and finally exact a revenge so sweet against the one who stole her love from her all those years ago that would make even the evilest of spirits cringe.
With a twisted smile on that beautiful face, she slept through the night, plotting every move. By midnight tomorrow, time would have unraveled to the very beginning, where it all began.
Ah, so what do you think will happen? Who do you think this person is? Tell me what you think!