Tourniquet

It was a few days untill they reached the harbor of the town. Hilda kept having these nightmares that ate away at her sanity. Soon, she wouldnt get off her cot. Not untill Zuko told her that they had reached the harbor. Hilda stepped off with her sisters, stairing at the familier setting. Nothing had changed, the people apparently re-built their lives. No one seemed to know Hilda, but she didnt bother to stop and talk to them. She went strait for the house which she had grown to the age six in. She found the house in its old spot. Its usual position. With everyone following her, she creaked open the old door and walked in. It was dusty. Firenation helmets everywhere. She felt her body quiver. Like a cold chill and found its way up her spine. She saw that on the wood floor next to the old staircase. Was a pool of blood. Stained into the wood. Violet and Ashli clinged to Hilda as she made her way bravly forward. She had forgotten what living here was like. Gingerly, after walking into the house with everyone. She walked up the old creaking stairs into the old room where her sisters and herself had been woken up that night. That night that changed them. Before coming up there, she orderd them all to stay downstairs. All of them obeyed her.

It was so dusty in this room. But Hilda expected that. The only window was shatterd and the old cardboard boxes were still there. It was like, they left their helmits behind at the scene of the life ruining. Zuko followed her up the stairs while everyone else looked around the house. He saw her sitting beside the shatterd window.

"Hilda.." He whisperd sympathedicly. He saw her start to softly cry.

"Why did this happen...? Why couldnt they just...take the house. Why..? Why must my parents be dead...like this...?" She asked him as if he knew the awncers.

"I..I dont know." He admitted. Her body trembled as she cried.Zuko slowly walked over to where she was sitting. Offering his shoulder for her to cry on again. He knew how hard this must be for her, so he didnt worry about how people would react to his kindness. This definitly wasnt the time for them to be taunting her. Hilda grabbed onto his hand. Zuko hated to feel her hand tremble like that, so afraid. He loved to see her happy. Not breaking up like this. He wanted to be able to take away all her pain and agony, but he knew that he couldnt. All he was able to do right now is support her and let her cry on him. Which is exactly what she did. For so long Zuko had put off being her shoulder that she needed to cry on. "Hilda..I hate seeing you in such pain. Im sorry..that I couldn't have pravented this.."

"It wasnt like you killed them. I just wish god had taken me with them. I just..don't want to hurt like this..."She cried to him. Not hystaricly though. Zuko held her tight to him as she cried this all out to him. "I hate being the strong one..the miss. Unafraid. I had to bottle up my own feelings so that my sisters would be okay. So that they could live a reasonably happy life.." She felt Zuko give her a tiny forehead kiss.

"It sounds like you lost alot..im sorry." Zuko told her. Hugging her. Iroh and Hilda's sisters walked in as Hilda made Zuko let go of her.The sisters surrounded Hilda as she wiped away her sad face to act like nothing was bothering her anymore. But they saw right through that.

"Big sister Hilda. You were always so strong for us." Ashli began. Violet was to finish.

"So we decided that its our turn to be strong, and you can show weakness. It seems you-" But Hilda cut her off.

"Im not going to be strong now, nor weak. But you two. You can always be weak or strong. Which ever you choose. Maybe together we can be weak." Hilda told them. They nodded as hot tears rolled down their faces. Hilda got off the window sill and knelt down to them. Stroking their hair as all three wormwart orphans cried together.A good cry can usually make someone feel better, even when their circomstances have not changed a bit.Three sets of tears fell as Zuko tried to approch them, but Iroh stopped him.

"Uncle-" Zuko silently protested. Iroh shook his head.

"Just let them. Its what they need." Iroh told his nephew as Zuko stopped and could only watch. It killed him to just watch as the two people he found tolerable and the one girl he had a huge crush on cried in the middle of their old house from ten years in the past. Zuko then relized, he could have protested against this all. But he was only six years of age when this happend. He didnt know what was going on in the world.If he ever was able to go home, when he became fire lord, his first act of buisness is to stop this. To stop the fire nation soldiers from taking money from inasent people and killing families. He saw how his father's actions had resulted to these poor ladies. They lost everything. A home, a childhood. All they had was eachother at such a young age too. 6,3,and 2 months. He could only imagin how hard life was back when they had no real home. When they had to steal to survive. When Hilda had to play guitar on the side for tips untill she was 14 and old enough to work. It was then that Zuko relized how hard the real world can be. Living without a ship or an uncle who cared. They had no one in the world to care about what they did, to give them guidance and wisdom.They had to figure ten years of life out on their own. Zuko felt more and more sympathedic. He wished he had been able to help them before their life lead Hilda to insanity. No matter. He would probably have to beg his father to allow him home so he can give Hilda a home. Hilda, Violet, and Ashli would finish of their life in the palace with Zuko. It was all too picture perfect. Zuko felt it probably wouldnt work out so well. His father wouldnt allow him back. Nor would he allow three beautiful young ladies to reside at the palace of the firelord that they wanted dead. But of course if his father died, he would be fire lord and he could stop such events from repeting theirselfs.He could save lots of families and help lots of children keep lives that Hilda and her sisters lost. Zuko was actually alittle glad he spoke when he wasnt suppost to. These events which Hilda had put him through were bliss. Though scary. He didn't think she would really fight Jhou, but she did, and won! he figured she'd die on that ship, though wounded, not dead. That is when the memory came of the accidental kiss. His first and best. He wished he could show her affection without being secritive about it. Without worry of teasing and such. This was all annoying Zuko to no end. He wanted to bring Hilda and her sisters home with him. He wanted to wake up in the same region in which he was asleep in. He hated the metel ship while at the same time, it was his real home. Would Hilda really want to come to the palace with him? Would she want to be treated like a queen and have her every whim granted? Or would she want a home where she wasnt treated like royalty. Atleast, not by servants. Zuko never really thought about that before.

Iroh saw his nephew in deep thought. It made him wounder what about. His glance shifted between the weeping ladies and his nephew. Iroh always figured that Zuko would care about these girls. They most likely were the small light in his rather dark world. Iroh had tried to give the best comfert to his nephew, but it was always rejected. He figured Zuko was grateful enough to be in a regular house than on the ship.

When the sisters had finished thier good cry. The sun was still up. Twilight actually. Hilda wiped her sisters' tears away and forced a smile to her face.

"I think I might be able to make Pasta Puttanesca for dinner." Hilda said smiling a bit. Violet and Ashli nodded with a smile. "Okay then. Im going to the market to buy what I need. I'll be back soon." She walked down the creaking stairs of the house and tword the Market. Iroh played Pai-cho with the girls as usual and Zuko paced the house, trying to figure out what to do. He was rather hungry and wanted Hilda to hurry and come back. Hours passed and still no Hilda. Zuko grew worried. Everyone did. 9 o' clock and still no Hilda. Zuko couldnt stand it anymore. He stormed out of that old house and went looking for her. Followed by Iroh and her sisters. They looked all over the town and forced information out of the residants. No one gave them any information. They checked the forest around the town and Zuko was the one who found her. She was sprawled out on the ground. Bleeding from her stomach. Zuko paniked and yelled for his uncle. He picked Hilda off the ground and tried to keep her at least contious untill his uncle came. Iroh ran to his nephew and saw Hilda this way. He acted quickly, yelling at Zuko to give him his shirt. Zuko took his armor off and then his shirt, giving it to Iroh. Iroh wrapped it around her stomach so that the blood can't gush out anymore. Tight but not too tight. Then he shouted at Zuko to get her to a hospital. He didn't have to tell Zuko twice, he instantly picked Hilda up and ran to the town's clinic. Iroh was going to explain everything to her sisters the best way he could think of. Zuko paced the waiting room while his uncle explained the whole moment to the sisters. Who seemed to not understand. A few more hours had passed. Passed midnight now. Iroh had fallen asleep with the little girls leaning on him. Zuko was wide awake with worry. It was 2 AM when the doctor came into the waiting room and told Zuko he could see Hilda now. Without waking his uncle or the sisters, he walked into the room the doctor told him and he saw Hilda sitting up bordly. Playing with some dirt from the potted plant. Zuko walked quickly to her and grabbed her hand.

"Hilda..are you okay?" He asked her. She nodded.

"Yeah Just alittle blood loss." She told him. She didnt look it, but she was actually in a hell of alot of pain.

"Who..?" Zuko asked her he saw her eyes lower.

"An old friend. When I was five, he had a crush on me. Pretty big. He started to talk to me and asked if I had anyone special. I told him I did and he got angry and stabbed me." She explained to him point blank. He didnt make an expression, he couldnt think of one to really make.

"Well. Its good that you arn't dead." Zuko told her smiling. She nodded. Yawning.

"Im alittle tired Zuko. Good night." With that, she gave him a good night kiss on his mouth. He turned red and returned it.

"Good night." With that, Zuko walked out of the room and fell asleep on the couch in the waiting room.

Damn writer's block. The next chapter might take a while to get posted. O Damn brain who doesnt work when it damn well better. I hate it when this happends. But I will try and get it posted as fast as possable.