Chapter 12: Because I Care
You are just pure genius, Mystery! Your powers of perception never cease to amaze me!! Seriously. I'm really glad you are following the story like this. I hope I don't disappoint you.
Zuko took off running as fast as he could back to the camp site. For one thing, he didn't want those guys killing him since they were miraculously telling the truth. For another, he was getting Allete back.
"Uncle Iroh, we're chasing the Avatar," Zuko declared, gathering his things and stuffing them into bags.
"There's no surprise there. Is there a particular reason? And where's Allete?"
"The Avatar has her. I saw his group flying over head with her. We have to go after her. Come on." Zuko gave a bag to his uncle and jogged on ahead.
"Zuko, wait. Think about what you're doing." Iroh reached out to stop his nephew.
"Uncle, we really don't have time for this." Zuko pulled away from his uncle's hold on him.
"Make time. This is important. Who are you going after? Allete, or the Avatar?" Iroh looked Zuko straight in the eye.
"Same difference." Zuko shrugged, turning his head.
"No, it's not. Maybe you're headed in the same direction for both, but there are two people waiting once you get there. Who do you want more?"
Zuko thought about what his uncle said. Who did he want more? Capturing the Avatar would only tear down anything he and Allete had. Maybe she means more to me than restoring my honor. Maybe I love her too much to let her go. Wait, love? Do I love her? The reality of how strong the word was hit him like a ton of bricks. Yes, I think I do. And she'll never feel the same way if I capture the Avatar.
"And why are you chasing Allete if she was going to wind up with them anyway?" Iroh asked yet another question of great importance.
"Because I---" Zuko couldn't say it aloud. "I . . . I care about her. I can't let her go off with them without me. I… I need her," Zuko's head was spinning from the confession. It was a lot for him to take in all at once.
Iroh smiled. He'd already known that for quite some time, but it was nice to hear him say it. "Well then, let's go find her."
Allete stumbled off Appa and found a seat, rather abruptly, on the ground. She wasn't a ditz by any means, but things on her little island never happened quite as quickly as they'd been with Zuko or with Aang and his friends. She'd fallen in love with someone, been betrayed by that same someone, found out about her lost heritage, and met the Avatar all within about a week. Saying her head spun would be horribly understated.
She was still crying. She wasn't bawling like a baby, in fact she wasn't making any noise at all. It was more like she'd sprung a leak and she couldn't stop it up. But no matter how much she tried, she just couldn't seem to stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks.
She didn't even know why she was crying. Maybe it was because she was still in a little shock from what she'd just heard and seen about Zuko, or maybe it was because all the past emotional events finally caught up to her. At the moment, however, she could honestly say she didn't care what the reason was. She mainly just wanted a solution to all her problems, and as far as she could tell, Aang pretty much was that solution.
"Are you okay?" Sokka came over and placed his hand on her back.
"You didn't have to tell me about any of that you know. I could have lived my life completely oblivious to all of it and it wouldn't have fazed me one bit. Zuko was a good person to me and he was nice to me. I never had to know about all the things he's done." Allete's confusion and gloom was subsiding, but anger was taking their place.
"Think about it, Allete. You needed to know. Wouldn't you rather find out from us than from him?"
"He wouldn't have to tell me either. Like I said, what if he changed?"
"He hasn't. People like Zuko are incapable of change."
"You don't know that!" Allete voice had risen to a shriek, and it continued to stay that way. "You haven't seen him for weeks! You don't know what people are capable of! You want him to be bad forever so you can be my shoulder to cry on! Or maybe it's because you want to get revenge about something!"
Sokka looked hurt; really and truly hurt.
"I'm sorry. I just-" Allete couldn't finish her own sentence. She didn't know what had come over her, but something had.
"It's okay. Everyone needs to be able to just snap every once in a while." Sokka understood where her frantic screams had come from. There had been times when he wished he could just blow up on someone, and usually Aunt Wu's village is the first time that comes to his mind.
Aang and Katara had been staying at a safe distance through the whole ordeal, but Allete had seemed to calm down some, so they decided to join Sokka.
"Maybe you'll feel better if you get your mind off of it. We could all use some physical activity. I can start you out on some basics," Aang suggested. Allete nodded. She did feel the need to move in some way. Maybe it would get her mind off of him; that no good, dirty, rotten- no, she wouldn't think that way. She wouldn't think anything about him anymore. He apparently wasn't as good a guy as she'd thought. She prayed she would eventually get over him. Eventually.
"What are you doing?" Sokka asked Allete from where he was stretching his arms a few feet away? She was looking at different tree limbs; inspecting height, checking strength.
"I'm trying to find a barre, something I can hold on to," Allete said, comparing one particular limb to the height of her hip. "I think this one will do."
Sokka raised an eyebrow. "What do you need something to hold on to for?"
"So I can warm up. You stretch, I plie," Allete explained pulled off her light jacket to reveal her warm-up clothes consisting of a baggy pair a satin pants and a tighter fitting leotard. She flipped her head up side down and gathered her hair into a ponytail, securing it with a band from her wrist.
"Plie?" Sokka snorted. "Okay, that's fine. You dance around and I'll be over here doing some real warm-ups. You know, something that requires effort."
Allete stopped to look at Sokka. She thought about telling him to come over and do everything she had to do in a class and then tell her about effort. But instead she shook her head and picked up right where she left off, trying to keep her focus straight and not on that stupid prince.
Sokka couldn't help but watch for at least another second or two. She was so graceful and poised. He quickly went back to what he was doing though, grumbling about how it couldn't be that hard.
He kept up his mumbling and complaining for another five minutes and finally Allete just couldn't take it anymore. "If it's so hard, why don't you come over here and do it!" She exploded all over him. He could be so infuriating.
"Fine, I will," Sokka huffed marching over to where Allete stood.
"Bring your foot up so that it rests right in front of your knee," Allete said, demonstrating.
"Like this?" Sokka questioned. "It feels funny."
"It would feel even funnier if it were completely correct." Allete bent down and turned out the foot Sokka was standing on, causing him to loose balance, barely saving himself from a fall and a dent in his pride. Then she moved to the leg that was bent to the side. She moved the knee out and lowered his hip. Sokka yelped at the momentary discomfort. She brought his arm from his side and positioned it out to the side with the elbow slightly bent. "That's how it's supposed to feel."
"Can I put my foot down now?"
"Tired are we? No, you can't. Instead, extend it out behind you as high as you can, keeping your body erect and your knee straight."
Sokka huffed again and did as he was told, or as best he could. Allete had some more fixing to do. She lowered his hip once again and straightened his knee more. She glanced at Sokka's face, who had one eye squeezed shut and his mouth pouted to one side, and smiled. Maybe now he wouldn't think it was so hard.
"Come on Sokka, it can't be that awful can it?" Allete teased pushing his leg up even higher behind him. Sokka yelped and nodded quickly. She put down his leg and smirked. "Next time, I'd advise you not to mess with a dancer. We can always mess better."
Sokka growled and stomped off, muttering something about how he couldn't believe he ever fell for her and how dancers were definitely off the list of possible girlfriends.
With a victorious smile placed on her face, Allete turned back to the "barre" and began to work again until Aang called her over. "Go ahead and have a seat, I guess. I'll explain the technique before we start training. But, uh, I've never really taught anything to anyone so, uh, I guess I'll wing it," Aang smiled brightly. Allete took a seat on the grass. Aang straightened up, puffing his chest out to make himself look a little bit bigger, and began to talk.
"Now, the art of airbending consists of circular motions, much like air currents. It's also more defense than offense. That doesn't bother you does it?" Aang was pacing the ground in front of where Allete sat cross-legged watching and trying her best to pay attention to what her teacher was saying.
"No… no it doesn't," she said blinking. Why would it bother her? Head on attacks never seemed to fit her.
"Okay good. Well, that was a little less explaining that I had originally thought, so if you will stand up, I'll teach you some basic movements." Aang gestured for her to stand and she did so. Aang showed her one of the basic movements and Allete followed his steps.
"Did I do it right?" she asked a little unsure.
"Perfect." Aang was a little impressed with her level of perfection actually, so he skipped a few steps and showed her a move on a higher level. "Try that. It might be a little trickier though."
Allete copied Aang's movements flawlessly. His eyebrows raised slightly at her abilities. " Wow. That was really good. You're moving really fast."
Allete beamed. She was so happy it was working out for her. And things continued to work out for her the whole evening, much to her surprise. She made it to an high-beginner level within about three or four hours. (That's pretty fast considering Aang made it in about two when he was learning.) Things had been having a way of screwing up with her the past two weeks and she knew it was only a matter of time before this did too, but she was enjoying it while it lasted. And for the first time in a while, she drifted off to sleep without any trace of how hard she was falling for Zuko. But she never could decide whether that was a good thing… or bad.
