Chapter 21
A/N: Chapter twenty one of the series. Sorry for taking so long to update.
Disclaimer: Avatar… belongs to Nickelodeon.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Farther
Blessed warmth greeted Prince Zuko as he opened his eyes. He clearly remembered everything from the moment he had crumbled next to the Earth Kingdom - crying unceremoniously – till the moment he'd lost consciousness en route to wherever he was at the moment.
Blinking a couple of times, he finally focused and waited for the expected pain that would probably shoot through him at any moment; but it never came. Zuko took a deep breath and wondered why he felt almost no pain in his body. He remembered too well what had happened in his last battle, or had it all been a dream? Lifting his right arm, he stared at the clean bandages covering it entirely, up to the tip of his fingers. He flexed his shoulder, his elbow, wrists and fingers, frowning when no pain was registered.
'Am I dead, or in the spirit world?' he asked himself.
A silhouette appeared in his line of sight and he instinctively took a fighting stance, narrowing his eyes, trying to see where he was and who had snuck up on him.
"Oh, good, you're awake." The same girl he remembered saving was standing there, carrying a tray with food and water. "We thought you wouldn't make it through the night."
"We?" Zuko asked, looking around the cave, trying to find either an enemy or a way out.
"There's no need to be so tense, Prince Zuko." A female voice was heard from the darkness. "If I wanted you dead, you would be dead already."
"Damn." Zuko muttered as he lowered his hands. "So I owe my life to you now?"
"You could look at it that way." the bounty hunter Jun replied, smiling. "But, since there's no one else here but us and the little girl, I'd say we're even."
"What?" Zuko asked, confused.
"Do you need a reason for everything?" Jun asked as she leaned against one of the stone walls.
"When it comes to you? Of course. You would do anything for money." Zuko replied. "For all I know, your reasons for keeping me alive could have something to do with a reward for my head."
"If that were the case, then you wouldn't have a head anymore, would you?" Jun joked.
"Perhaps I'm worth more alive than dead." Zuko gritted his teeth. "My father would love to teach me another lesson."
"You have a good point there." Jun nodded. "Tell you what; maybe I should let the effects of my shirshu's tongue disappear, then see how well you do with all those injuries over your body."
"That's why I feel no pain…" Zuko whispered, remembering the effects of the creature's tongue. "How long will this last and how come I can move?"
"It's almost worn out." Jun tossed an apple to Zuko. "Do you want to keep questioning me or do you want another dosage before you pass out from pain again?"
Zuko bit the apple as he gave a deep thought to Jun's words. His mind totally lost coherence as the juice of the apple dripped down his parched throat, and the flavor of the fruit filled his mouth. He all but devoured the apple, and even licked his bandaged fingers afterwards, not caring who was staring.
"Give me another apple and we have a deal." Zuko chuckled, feeling better for the first time in a long time. Jun grinned and tossed another fruit to Zuko, who ate it as quickly as the first one, realizing how hungry he was.
"How long have I been out?" he asked between bites.
"Not long." Jun replied. "Two days, tops."
"And I'm not feeling pain because of the venom in my skin.' Zuko thought. "How bad am I injured?"
"Very bad." Jun answered Zuko's question. "Your right arm looks like ground meat and your whole body looks like a wooden dummy used for sword practice; makes the scar on your face look like a scratch."
"That bad…" Zuko sighed, wondering how he looked and if he'd ever truly heal. Maybe he could ask Katara – if she ever spoke to him again – to try to fix him.
"The effects of the venom are fading." Jun said. "What will it be, then?"
"I can't remain still in one place for long." Zuko replied.
"We have been moving around." Jun smiled. "When you save an entire village and kill some Fire Nation soldiers, people can be very thankful and helpful."
"What are you not telling me?" Zuko narrowed his eyes. "Does this have something to do when I asked you if you had been burned once?"
Jun looked away, a deep frown on her face.
"You're from that village." Zuko stated. "The one I destroyed. The one who hurt you was there, right?"
"Maybe. Maybe not." Jun shrugged. "I'm not that easy to read, Prince, unlike you."
"Whatever the reason, I'm still alive because of you." Zuko grunted, beginning to feel pain all over his body. "My body's starting to tingle. That's not a good sign, is it?"
"It's time to knock you out again, Zuko." Jun smiled. "I never get tired of seeing that."
"Just wait a minute." Zuko said through gritted teeth. "Need to know how injured I really am."
"Suit yourself." Jun shrugged again. "You'll hit the ground in a minute."
"Shouldn't we try to convince him?" The girl asked, after a long time of remaining silent. "He won't last long…"
"Let him." Jun told the girl, her voice soft.
Pain shot through Zuko's whole body, feeling as if someone had poked his entire body with white hot needles and kicked him for hours.
"That's how bad it is." Jun said. "Do you think you can handle it?"
"No." Zuko grunted as he fell down on his knees. "But I can't… can't sleep it all off. Have to be able to… carry my own weight."
"You don't have to worry about your pride, Prince Zuko." Jun smiled. "Perhaps it's just better if you let someone help you once in a while."
"What if… what if you're attacked while I'm being carried around like a sack of potatoes?" Zuko's arms shook as he spoke.
"You're about to pass out from pain." Jun knelt down next to him. "You did something for me; now it's my turn to do something for you. That's how it works."
Zuko turned to look into Jun's eyes and saw honesty in them for the first time.
"I help you, you help me…" Zuko chuckled. "Funny."
"What's so…?" Jun couldn't finish her question when Zuko fell unconscious once again, his forehead resting on the bounty hunter's shoulder. Jun sighed and slowly moved him away; placing him back on the small mat he'd been sleeping on.
"So there was no need to sedate you this time, Prince Zuko." Jun smiled and turned to look at the child.
"You should go back home." She said. "Tell them he'll be safe with me."
"Alright." The girl nodded. "Help him."
"Go ahead." Jun waved the girl off. She wanted to answer, but she couldn't afford to be seen showing any sort of emotion. It was the life she'd chosen, and she didn't regret it, event though there where times when she wished she could just go back home.
Where once she had cursed the Royal Family of the Fire Nation, she now was grateful to one of them; their very own Crown Prince – an outcast – but still very much part of the Royal Family.
Prince Zuko had helped her achieve what she'd wanted for a long time; and she couldn't help feeling confused. What was he doing, and for what reason?
'You sure are a fool.' She thought. 'You're risking everything you have for a world that hates you.'
Jun knew she had to leave their hiding place quickly, otherwise she would be risking every thing they had achieved, as little as it was, thanks to Zuko's impulsive plan.
'Why are you doing this?' She asked herself for what she felt was the thousandth time. 'Is it because of that Water Tribe girl? Can't you see the way she looks at the Avatar and the way she looks at you?'
Jun reached inside one of her pockets and took out Katara's necklace, heavily damaged from the numerous fights Zuko had been in. She carefully removed the burned leather strip and stared into the carved pattern in the rock.
'Wonder what she thinks about this.' Jun sighed. 'Maybe she doesn't even know you have it. Probably thinks she lost it.'
The bounty hunter rubbed her eyes; she was also tired as hell because of the turmoil erupting ever since the Boiling Rock had fallen. She hadn't had the chance to meet her fellows from the White Lotus and she was desperately trying to find them.
However, with Zuko under her care now, she couldn't go near them anymore. The Crown Prince was a sitting duck at the moment, and whether she liked it or not, she was the only one who could help him.
'Monumental fool.' she smiled as she discarded the burned leather strip and replaced it with a new one. 'This blue lace has to go. Red suits you better.'
Jun took Zuko's right arm, but changed her mind when she noticed how injured the appendage was. She had seen such wounds before, and she figured he would lose the arm if he didn't receive immediate medical attention; but where could she take him?
"You have been lucky so far, Prince Zuko." Jun softly chuckled as she tied the necklace around Zuko's left wrist. "Luck is a fickle mistress, though. I should know."
Jun stood up and slowly gathered her belongings; she would wait for nightfall to leave the cave, hoping to seize whatever cover the darkness of the forest surrounding them could provide.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing important." Jun replied, not surprised by Zuko's sudden words. "Go back to sleep."
"Can't sleep." Zuko said. "Feels like my body is on fire."
"It probably is." Jun chuckled. "From what I was told you did, seems like you burned everything in your path, including yourself."
"Taking your leave?" Zuko asked.
"We're leaving." Jun turned to look at Zuko as she replied. "Can't leave you here."
"Where are we going?"
"Still don't know." Jun sighed again. "Don't know if there's a place in this world where we're not both fugitives."
"I have to get closer to the Fire Nation capital." Zuko grunted, as he sat up. "I've wasted too much time… I don't even know when the comet's supposed to arrive."
"We don't have much time." Jun's voice was almost a whisper. "Two or three days, tops. Then that's it. Heard that crazy father of yours gave himself another name."
"Come again?" Zuko asked.
"The Phoenix King or something like that." Jun answered. "Imagine that. Losing Omashu must have been a low blow, and I don't think he wants the same thing to happen at Ba Sing Se."
"Wait, what happened at Omashu?" the Prince asked, not processing the news so quickly.
"All those people you've been inciting to riot up have done so, Prince Zuko." Jun smiled. "Hundreds of them stormed Omashu and took the city back from the Fire Nation."
"Whoa." Zuko whispered. His plan was working even better than he expected, though the injuries and the soldiers he'd killed weren't part of what he'd envisioned at first.
"Even the Avatar's friends were there." Jun continued. "It was quite a sight; no Avatar, though. Everybody was wondering where the little kid was."
"The Avatar wasn't with them?" Zuko's head turned quickly towards Jun. "What…? Where…?"
"Nowhere to be seen." Jun replied. "Didn't stay too long to watch, really; didn't want to get myself involved in such a struggle."
"The Avatar's friends… are they…?"
"All alive and counted for, Prince Zuko." Jun smiled. "They're gathering an army right now to take Ba Sing Se back. Perhaps you would like to join them."
Zuko did not reply immediately. He considered the words and a sensation of peacefulness washed over him. Perhaps he wouldn't have to be alone anymore, and he could use their assistance and companionship.
"It's a nice thought." Zuko smiled. "But I'm a living target right now, and I don't want to become another burden for them to carry."
"Something tells me you're afraid." Jun rubbed her nose. "But don't get me wrong; I understand that fear."
"Really? How come?" Zuko narrowed his eyes.
"You don't want to attract more danger to them." Jun answered without looking at Zuko. "You're not even sure they'd be glad to see you. You've done things they wouldn't understand and you fear their reaction."
"When did you stop talking about me?" Zuko asked. "Yet you came back, didn't you?"
"And do you see me staying?" Jun shrugged. "There were things I had to do and some others I wanted to. I can't erase what I've done; furthermore, I don't want to – and many people can't understand that. Do you think they will, Zuko?"
"Of course not." Zuko said quietly. "You're right; we should get moving."
In silence, both of them picked up their bags and walked out of the cave, neither one in a hurry.
"Thank you." Zuko suddenly said.
"For what?" Jun asked.
"Saving my life. Patching me up. For not stealing the necklace." Zuko replied.
"Like you said, you're worth more alive than dead; I bandaged you up because you were bleeding all over the place, and the rock in the necklace has seen better days." Jun chuckled. "There's nothing to be grateful about."
Zuko nodded, keeping his gaze on Jun's face. He was beginning to feel the real power pulling the strings in his world, since he'd been surrounded by very capable and powerful women all his life.
His mother had ensured his father's throne and saved his life; Azula was one of the most proficient Fire Benders ever to live, and together with Mai and Ty Lee, they were deadlier than entire battalions. Toph was the most amazing Earth Bender he'd seen, and the warrior girls from Kyoshi Island were the best hand to hand fighters he'd known.
He couldn't help but feel admiration for all of them, and he was walking - thanks to yet another strong woman he'd once thought very poorly of. He was also beginning to notice she was quite beautiful, but that idea led his thoughts to another path he'd already visited and didn't want to think about it, especially not after what he'd done to Mai.
"Where do you think you're going?"
The voice froze Jun, Zuko and her shirshu, not recognizing it immediately and figuring they'd been finally caught by the Fire Nation.
Yet Zuko seemed to remember that voice, because he did not turn around to acknowledge its owner; he merely turned to Jun.
"Go ahead without me, Jun." he said. "Thank you for everything you've done. I'll take care of this myself."
"Are you sure?" Jun seemed worried for an instant. "You're still a mess."
"It's alright. Nothing bad will happen here." Zuko smiled.
Jun shrugged, returned the smile, and walked away with her pet.
"Alright." Zuko said, turning to look at the unexpected arrival. "What do you want?"
"A word with you, Prince Zuko. I'm afraid I can't allow you to go on, and I'm here to stop you."
The Avatar swung his staff and assumed a fighting stance directly in front of Zuko, who merely stared into the eyes of the young boy.
End of Chapter.