Okee dokee. This chapter started out as two seperate chapters, but after noticing how short the other one was I decided to combine the two to make this one. So it is going to be a bit longer then the other chapters. Oh and before I get my ass flamed off. I know, I'm evil. And It's me what else can you expect?
Zuko felt the heat of the sun on his face as he finally squeezed out of the passage way. He looked over to where the corpse still lay on the cave floor, the sun shinging down on it. Zuko frowned; he could already see the bloat starting and rigor mortis had set in deep in the might making the man's side a deep reddish blue. Zuko grabbed the man by the arm. Even though the sun had been shining on the corpse the arm was still cold as..well cold as death. The man's body was stiff and frozen in the post mortem relaxation position.
Zuko dragged the man out of the cave and looked around. He didn't see any one, or have that feeling that someone was seeing him. He quickly vowed, after pushing the man in the brush, that he would never again lay hand on the body of the dead. Zuko manuevered branches and piled leaves so that the body would be covered. Just as Zuko was standing upa glint caught his eye. A bright and sudden sheen, in the very corner of his vision. Zuko slowly turned his head, not so that he would be facing the source, just enough, though, to catch the glint in his peripheral vision and better make out it's origin.
He knew only that it was metalic and that it wasn't there of few minutes ago. He carefully turned his back to the glint and stopped. He listened intently. A noise was made, seemingly, in his direction.
Zuko knew it then. They were in trouble. Zuko calmly walked back into the cave and waited till he was far enough into the engulfing shadows to pick up his pace. He felt like he ran through the passage without hinderance. He burst into the other room and ran over to Katara.
"Have you got loose yet?"
"Yep, just thought I would sit here." She said sounding more and more like her sarcasic brother.
"Shit!" He cursed softly. Katara felt her head being quickly jerked forward.
"What is wrong?" She said pushing him back away from her. He shook his head and pulled out a small knife.
"Oh no. No no no." She said. Zuko shook his head ignoring her pleas and quickly in one fluid motion pulled her head forward and ran the knife up the wall. Katara's head fell forward as she was finally seperated from the wall.Her eyes were wide. She reached her hand up and ran it along her hair, or what was left of it. She looked up at him mand knocked him backwardsoff of his heels hard on his butt.
"You bastard!" She yelled. Zuko quickly jumped and clamped his hand over her mouth.
"Hate me later. We have to leave now." She glared up at him. If I wasn't going to kill him before, now it is final! He pulled her to her feet, pulling the blanket tight around her.
"Do you think that you can run?" Katara didn't answer him only frowned. Zuko frowned.
"Either you can run out of here behind me, or you can stay here and die, make your choice!" Zuko growled. They really didn't have time for this. Katara didn't answer him, so he made her choice for her. He grabbed her roughly by the arm and began dragging her, until she was forced to either keep up or fall and continue to be drug.
They made it to the passage and he pulled her into it. It was funny to her, how much more room was in the crevis when she wasn't smushed up against Zuko. Zuko stopped her just before they exited the small opening.
"Now what?"
"I don't know yet."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm making this up as I go." Katara rolled her eyes she probably had a better chance if she had stayed in the cave.
Zuko's mind was working over time. There were too many possibilities to consider. They could very easily be surrounded. Zuko ran it over and over in his mind. He had no other choice. They had to run for it. If only they could make it to their ride then it would be much easier from that vantage. Zuko looked out to be sure that his beast hadn't been captured. It hadn't. The dumb animal was laying lazily in the sun, nibbling on grass within reach.
"Shst." Zuko whistle low through his teeth. The animal's ears perked. He slowly stood up and walked in a circle. Another low whistle came from the cave. The animal wasn't as dumb as Zuko would call him. The animal slowly took afew steps into the cave, hesitantly at first, then Zuko's scent filled the beast's beak nostirls. A small and low whiney let Zuko know that the animal recognized him.
He took a deep brath and tightened his grip on Katara's arm. He looked back at her, his good eye glinting gold.
"We have to get to the horse. It's our only chance." Katara nodded curtly. She was still very much upset with him and didn't see any reason on giving him the satisfaction of her voice.
He squeezed her hand tight as if she were going to run away, and bolted towards the beast.
Zukko turned and hoisted Katara up onto the ostrich-horse before swinging on himself.
With a stern hard kick to the animal's gut, they were off. Zuko urged the animal on. Katara held tight to him not fully knowing what they were running from in the first place, but she had a good idea if she didn't hold on she would fall off.
Zuko then turned the animal hard and double backed in a sort of circular motion. Katara glared at the forest in front of them as the branches and trees went flahsing by. Zuko grabbed her with one arm pulling her close then he leaned back hard on the reins. The animal came to a dead stop and Zuko put his hand over her mouth, knowing that she was going to question him.
Katara looked up at him with a glare, and noticed his eyes were focused into the forest. She looked and narrowed her eyes trying to see what he was seeing. Then she saw them. A group of about half a dozen men were gathered around the cave. One of the men had pulled out the corpse that had been hidden in the bushes. Katara swallowed hard. So the terror in the man's eyes wasn't fear, persay, but the emotion of death. Zuko had killed that man. Katara slowly looked up at him without moving her head.
She now knew that Zuko was capable of killing, and that frightened her even further. She didn't know whhat she really thought, but she didn't think he killed him.
Zuko frowned.
Something wasn't right.He was sure that the men had seen him. Perhaps he had only seen the glare of one of their sickles. They were all farmers, none looked to be soldiers, or even trained to fight. They could have been looking for him, or the dead man. Either way, he needed to make himself sarce and fast.
Without saying a word he turned his mount and hastened away from the cave. An odd sense hung around Katara as she felt icy cold to the touch. He didn't think he could handle another episode, not at this moment in time at least. But it wasn't the same air, something was different. Zuko shrugged it off only seeing it as her way of mourning over her hair.
They finally slowed down next to a small stream and he dismounted helping her down as well. The panting horse nearly dove into the stream, drinking greedily. Zuko walked over to the water's edge taking a cupped handful of water and drinking.
Katara kneeled down at the water and looked at the rippling reflection of herself. She reached up slowly and touched her hair. Her long maiden strands hung down lower the the rest hitting her right above her chest. The rest of her hair was choppy and frayed, the longest hitting her in the front at her chin.
Tears welled up in her eyes, until one escaped breaking the mirror reflection of the stream. She looked at Zuko and threw a sphere of water at him, knocking him over.
"What did you do that for!" He seemed to find himself saying that alot lately. First it was pine cones, then rocks, now water! What next?
"You cut my hair!" She yelled at him and sent another sphere hurling at him. He dodged that one and looked at her.
"I had to!" Zuko said standing his guard.
"No you didn't!" Katara growled stepping into the stream
"They would have killed you!"
"So! At least I would have had my hair!" She growled and flung a handful of muck at him. It barely missed landing right on his face and covered his shoulder instead.
"What is so important about your hair? Concieted!" Katara glared at him and tackled him into the water. She pinned him down, but to her dismay the water was shallow enough that his face rose above the water.
"I am not concieted!"
"Certainly looks like it from down here!" She growled and landed a smooth punch across his jaw. He snapped his face back to look at her with a glare. He brought his legs up and threw her over him into the water. She landed with a hard thud. He got up and looked at her with furrowed brow.
"How dare you hit me!" She didn't answer him. She brought her arms up and sent waves of water down on him. Zuko growled and heated his body up evaporating the water from him. He threw his hands in the air.
"Fine you stay here." He said and grabbed the reins of the beast. Katara stood up and shook her head.
"I'm not done with you yet, boy"
"Well I'm done with you, girl." Zuko said and swung his leg over his mount. Katara shook her hand and ran over grabbing his leg. With her obvious advantage she was able to knock him off balance sending him falling face first into the water. He pushed himself up out of the water and looked over at her mud dripping off of his face.
"Do you really wnat to fight me?"
"You shouldn't have cut my hair!"
"You shouldn't be such a weakling!" (A/n: OMG it's WUFIE!..or Vegeta) Katara frowned and send the water up his legs freezing him in place. Zuko shook his head as the ice melted straight away. He launched a fireball at her, but she brought her arms up with a globe of water and with a small sizzle the pyro sphere disappeared. Zuko curled his nose. Obviously using their elements wasn't going to help them. He charged at her landing a swift kick to the back of her knees, sending her down to the ground. She came back up with interlocked fingers landing a hard hit to his crotch. He fell to his knees in the water. She ounced on him again forcing him onto his back. She used her legs to pin his legs under the water and used her bending to keep his arms in place. She glared at him.
"You bastard..." Zuko stared at her hard until he noticed that a tear had landed on her cheek. HIs frown receeded as he seen the hatred in her eyes.
"A woman's spirit is in her hair! You cut it away you take away their livelihood..." Katara felt the tears welling agian. Never had a woman in her tribe cut their hair, out side of mourning. Zuko narrowed his eyes and shook his head. He pushed her off of him seeing his opening. He sat beside her in the water and watched as she calmed herself down.
"I'm sorry." She looked at him. But then she noticed something that had somehow escaped her eyes before then. His long pony tail...was...gone... Replacing it was a head of thick dark brown hair.She flet like a foolish little baby. It wasn't like her to start bawling over nothing. But in her tribe the a woman's hair was important. The maiden strands, the traditional bun and braid, all of it was symbolic. But seeing Zuko, almost as if for the first time, made her feel like a little brat.
The quiet was broken when Zuko spoke.
"My hair meant things to me to, but it meant ties to my father." HE said that and nothing more. Almost as if he was opening up to her. But she was the enemy. Katara didn't urge him to say nothing else. She leaned back in the water on her hands and shook her head.
"What a week this is turning out to be."
"No kidding." Zuko nodded in agreement. He turned to look at her, but she had this evil look in her eye. Just as he was about to say something a handful of mud was placed directly in his face. He sputtered and whiped his face clean.
"Why..?" He started but he stopped when he seen her looking down stream. He sighed and stood up.
"Come on. We got a long ride ahead of us." She nodded and stood up walkign over to the beast, she turned aroundt o see if he was coming and a wad of mud hit her in the face.
"Got you."
Hehe, yeah. Stupid ending. But oh no no no. They still don't like each other they are just tolerating each other a bit more.