DUDE! THERE IS AN EPILOUGE AFTER THIS CHAPTER!

Okay, that's my message, just in case for those who don't read the Author's Note.

Chapter 16: Everyone, I'm coming home…

"W-would you kill me just for your reputation?" I asked. I didn't need an answer, just delaying my death until I could find a way to stoop down low. He smirked.

"Of course, you're the sacrifice we need."

"Why me?" I asked. Oh well, might as well try and figure out why I'm so special. I know, it's probably because I do a different sort of bending.

"Because you're different. You're not an Earth, Water, Fire, or Air bender. You're something else, something rare that no one else could have. You're like the ultimate weapon, other than the Avatar," Zuko replied. My hands started to get warm, really warm. Now they're stinging. Now it's burning. Yeah, Zuko's going to burn my hands off if I don't do something now.

"I guess, the connection I thought we had wasn't what I thought we had," I replied, avoiding his gaze. I got my low now. Just watch, maybe I can do something to pause my death. I didn't see, but I felt that he was softening his grip. If I shoot him right through the heart with my words, I'm saved… I hope.

"What do you mean? I only acted that way because you ticked me off," Zuko retorted.

"Weren't you the real you then? Not the snotty one everyone hates… the nice one that just isn't as patient as others! I think…" I smiled brightly, looking right at him. "I think that you're really nice. You saved me from Zhao the last time I was here, remember? He came and you protected me. I think, I reached a part of Zuko no one else has reached other than Hana."

Zuko pushed off of me and swirled around, as if it would stop me from speaking. Okay, I'm getting somewhere now. He fire-bended at me from behind. "Shut up… shut up. SHUT UP!"

I didn't even dodge it because it missed me, rather than some few burns. I have to cry to make it seem a little serious. I bit my tongue to make the tears come. One rolled down my cheek. Umm, I think I'm really crying. The tears aren't stopping. It's because of the pain, I hoped. "I only wanted to be your friend. You want to kill me? What we had—"

"SHUT UP!" Zuko screamed at me. This guy was having real troubles with me. Maybe he's going to kill me after all. Well, it's either that or he'll break down, leaving me alive. He looked back at me and I could see he was trying to hold back his frustration and pain. You know, I guess… he really isn't such a bad person. You know, he may be the type to use anger to hide their fear. I, on the other hand, use happiness and peppiness. Oh, but that's a secret. Don't go telling anyone at my school that.

"Kill me now."

He paused, hearing my statement. The tears stopped from me. I slapped my hand across my chest. "Right here. You can take your reputation back!"

Zuko seemed to want to kill me, and didn't want to. Hasn't he killed people before? Now that I think about it, the only thing that really died in Avatar was that fish or that's only thing they showed that died. Well, you know, they only show guys falling off something; they never show the death. Where was I in the Avatar timeline anyway? Aang hasn't even gotten to the North Pole yet. So, we're sometime before that?

"Huh?" Zuko said, shocked for a moment.

"I—" I felt something stab into my right arm. Somehow I had that feeling it was thrown, so it didn't hit my heart. Whoever threw this needed some help aiming. Blood trickling down my arm, I smiled at Zuko. "Aren't you gonna kill me, Zuko-sweetie?"

"Yeah, aren't you going to kill her?"

I didn't look back. I knew who it was, I think. Hana walked past me with a small smirk on her face. Yes, I was right. Placing one hand on her hip, she looked at Zuko like he was weak. Zuko glared at her.

"Why are you here…?"

BAM. That sent a nerve down. For sure, I knew who she was. Hana grinned and looked down on Zuko with an emotion I couldn't understand. It seemed like she was mocking him, but there was a sparkle of hope in them. It didn't make sense at all.

"Oh, Zuko, you know how much I care about you," Hana replied, mockingly. It sounded like something I would say, but not in this situation. She pulled off her hair. Okay, not exactly, it was a wig. Black hair flowed down to her waist. This was the real Hana. The one I knew for so little time was here that was a chef. How come Zuko couldn't tell before? I bet it was her eyes. No one ever looks at his or her own cooks, you know. It's true… in a way.

My arm hurt too much for me to scream out anything stupid, but I did so anyway. I heard a crackle of thunder from outside and the pitter-patter of rain. "YOU'RE THAT LITTLE HEART-BREAKING IDIOT THAT TOOK THE FIRE LORD'S SIDE? YOU'RE THAT STUPID GIRL THAT WOULDN'T EVEN CHEER ON ZUKO IN HIS MATCH? YOU—"

"Stop it," Zuko said firmly, shutting me up. I glared at her. Oh, if my arm didn't hurt so ba—AWW, who cares? I charged forward, flinching as I ripped the knife out of my arm and flung it aside. I chomped down on her hand. Lighting went off and the thunder boomed loudly. I could tell from the thunder, of course.

Hana screamed out in pain and she pulled my arm that had been stabbed. It hurt, but I didn't let go of her hand. I bit further, feeling the skin start to rip. Zuko pulled me off Hana, but I struggled with the energy that I still had from the after affects. "YOU'RE A DIRTY LITTLE—"

"I told you, stop it."

"NO! I WON'T STOP IT! THAT LITTLE… LITTLE…" I had run out of vocabulary to call this girl. Can you believe this? Zuko is protecting this stupid girl who just happened to walk out on his life because she wanted to be on the winning team! She doesn't deserve to live! She doesn't deserve to know Zuko! She didn't even deserve this treatment. She didn't—she didn't… SHE LEFT ZUKO BECAUSE HE HAD MADE A MISTAKE! He loved her so much, but she left him all the same! I can't stand people like that! If it were my life or Zuko's friendship, I'd go for his friendship any day!

"YOU LOVED HER!" I screamed at him, tears streaking down my face. My throat was starting to hurt, but I continued to scream anyway. "YOU LOVED HER AND SHE LEFT YOU FOR THE WINNING SIDE! SHE DOESN'T DESERVE TO LIVE! I'M GOING TO LET YOU KILL ME BECAUSE I CARE ABOUT YOU, ZUKO! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE WITH CRETIN LIKE THAT! YOU DESERVE BETTER THAN THAT!"

Zuko looked at me. I saw a flutter of sorrow and truth in his eyes. Hana smirked and slapped me out of Zuko's hands, letting me screech across the metal floor on my stabbed arm. A streak of blood was etched on the floor, which I was soon to find out, would never rinse off. I had been a bit surprised. With all of that yelling, something must've blown up. Something must've become blown up or destroyed; yet I didn't hear anything.

"You're right," Hana replied, looking at me, lying on the ground. She stepped on my leg with a little happiness from seeing my flinch in pain. "I left Zuko for the winning side. I left him because he would be only known as a traitor."

"You… deserve to be stabbed and fed to the sharks," I replied, with a little grin. It must be weird to have a girl who's only got her head up threaten you. "You know, that might make you prettier."

"Why you—"

Zuko threw Hana to the side and lifted my body into an upright position. He took out his ponytail and wrapped the cloth around my arm where I was stabbed. "That should postpone the bleeding."

Maybe, my words can reach hearts too? NAH, that's too corny to be true… can it? Hana got up from where she was shoved and glared at Zuko. "You don't give up, do you?"

"Guess not. Anything for my reputation," Zuko replied, smirking. The little devil smirked and pointed at me. I knew what she was going to say, and I knew the choice Zuko would have to make when giving that question.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Zuko answered. He looked at me with pity, which is new to me. I'd like to tell you how much it made me miss for Zuko not to growl or frown or even yell at me. However, don't you think it's a bit of a drama right now? I picked up the knife that had stabbed me and placed it in his hand. Putting on the best grin I could, I held his hand in my own.

"Hey, Zuko-sweetie, don't cry over my death, you wuss," I answered. Zuko hesitated, but I felt him jab the knife into my body and I blacked out. The last thing I remembered was Zuko smiling at me.

Everyone… I'm coming home.

The End

Author's Note: AUGH! IT'S OVER! -tear tear- Not really, there's an epilouge and a sequel, which I'm posting today! YIPPIE! However, I think it's kinda funny how I went, "Don't cry over my death, you wuss." HAHAHA! Yeah, really Zuko.