Chapter 10:
Her friends gathered closer. Watari stepped forth, and told them, "Relax, guys. Jeez, If you huddle around her like that, you'll never get a truthful answer." The others agreed with her and backed down. Endoh repeated Emi's question, and Ayumi answered, " No. I never did, and I most certainly never will." The girls all sighed in disappointment. "That's not very romantic," Hasagawa said. Ayumi looked at her, very surprised, "What?" She asked.
Hasagawa looked back at her and said, "I thought you would say you did. If you did, that would be romantic. It'd be kinda like you keep his money, as to keep him here, but I guess not." Ayumi kept her eyes on Hasagawa as everyone said their goodnights, and went to sleep. That couldn't be it, could it?
'No!' She thought as she shook her head. She kept that money for another reason. She hated Zuko! "I hate him!" she said under her breath, "I hate him, and everyone like him!" She repeated her hatred to him, until she fell asleep.
Hate is thought to be a very strong word, a word that not only meant how much someone disliked another, but how much they wished for that person to avoid them at all costs. Did she really hate Zuko? The next morning she was the last one up, or so she thought. Endoh was asleep at the other end of the room. The rest of the room was empty. She looked around, then out the window. She remembered the conversation of the night before when she saw Nakashima talking with Zuko. He seemed far from interested, but either way, Ayumi was mad.
She turned from the window, and went into her room, bringing her sleeping bag and pillow with her. Slamming the door, she laid down on her bed. She took out the box under her bed, and looked at her brother's necklace. She held it tight in her hands. Her hand was so tight; she could feel the edges cutting into her skin. She brought her fist to her forehead, and said once more to her self, "I hate him! I hate everything about him! He needs to leave!"
"Ayumi?"
She looked up and at her door. The noise had woken up Endoh, and apparently Emi had gone back into her room when the others left. They stood in her doorway, looking worried. Endoh gasped as she ran to her friend's side. "What's wrong? You're crying." She said. Ayumi turned away surprised, and wiped away the tears. She hadn't even noticed. Endoh put her arms around her, and Emi sat next to them. "What's up?" Emi asked. Ayumi looked down at the necklace. It had cut her hand, causing another gasp from Endoh. She ran to where they kept first aid supplies, leaving the other girls alone.
"Emi," Ayumi said to get her other friend's attention. Emi looked towards her, not as worried as Endoh, but just as concerned. She explained to Emi about the night before, and how for some reason it had gotten to her. Emi tried to help, but it wasn't easy. She didn't even know why Ayumi hated him so much. He caught her, but it was bound to happen eventually. She was only human. She tried to convince this to her friend, but it wasn't working. When Endoh came back with a bandage, the conversation was over. Both Emi and Ayumi knew that Endoh would panic over the conversation they had just had.
Endoh aided her friend, and they went out into the village. They girls kept secret, and made they way around. All was well, until Ayumi and Zuko's daily argument arrived. Emi wanted to stop Zuko, but if she did, he would know about Ayumi's problem. She could only watched, and pray. Zuko had walked over to her, just as he always did, and asked for his money. Normally, Ayumi would give him sly remarks, but she wasn't going to today.
"No," she said flatly.
"And why not?" He asked in return.
She began to walk away, but Zuko grabbed her shoulder. "I've been here for days now, waiting for my money, Ayumi, and I'm not leaving until I get it."
"Leave," she said tonelessly.
"What?"
"You heard me, 'leave.' You don't need this money, so leave."
"No," Zuko said again, and he turned her towards him. She was looking at the ground, refusing to look him in the face. "Give it, now!"
With that Ayumi grabbed his wrist of the hand still on her shoulder. She squeezed tighter, and tighter, he tried to fight both her and pain, but he was failing. He fell to the ground, still trying to fight free. She lifted her head enough as so he could see her eyes. They were for of hatred, rage, anger, he was almost afraid to look at them, but he had to show no fear to her. Her grip began to nearly crush his wrist. "I said, 'NO!' If you didn't hear me. I hate you. I hate you to the core!"
A crowd had gathered, and some began to turn away. No one had ever seen Ayumi look like this; even Endoh had to turn away from her. Emi tried to gain the courage to interfere, but she couldn't. She looked at her friend scared, very scared. "I want you to leave!" Ayumi said again, "I never want to see your face here again. I hate you; I hate everything about you, and everyone like you! So if you know what is good for you," she squeezed his wrist even more, "You'll go, and never come back!" She pushed him away, and left through the crowd, without a single sound.
The crowd looked at Zuko, who was now on one knee on the ground holding his wrist. Nakashima ran to help him, but he told her to leave him alone. He got up, and walked in the opposite direction of Ayumi. The crowd slowly departed, leaving Zuko and Ayumi's friends alone. They split up, boys and girls, to find the two.
Ayumi walked through the woods. Even the animals seemed to know to avoid her. She walked to the town. She knew no one would follow her there. She looked out to the ghost town, and stared at the sun. It was around three o'clock or so. She continued to stare, when someone else came out from the woods. She didn't look at them, she talk to them; she ignored their presence, until he stood next to her. "The only place where no one would look," they said. Unable to ignore them anymore, she turned to him with rage, to see it was the last person she wanted to see: Zuko. "I told you I hate you. Why to do you continue you to stay? To bother me?"
"I know you said you hate me, but that doesn't mean I'm going to leave. I want my money, and I told you I'm not leaving without it," he said. She looked back out to the sun, and told him to leave. He didn't budge. She glared at him, and repeated, "Leave." He didn't move. She turned to him, and yelled, "What's your problem!" She began to breathe heavy, and clenched her fists. He continued to stand there, and looked towards the sun, just as she had been. "I'm very determined, if you can't tell. I have another thing I won't give up on either."
She lowered her fists, and looked up to him, curious. "My father hates me, more than you do. He told me to leave, and I did. I could go back, but only if I give him something in return. It's not as much as a something, but a certain someone. You showed me that you wouldn't hesitate to hurt me when I aggravate you, but my father, I don't even have to make him mad for him to kill me."
Ayumi looked at him surprised then stared out to the sun again. "He can't hate you that much, can he?"
"He thinks I'm a failure. My sister is a prodigy; she's perfect. To my father, I'm nothing more than a pain that continues to get in his way."
"Why do you want to go home to someone like that?" Ayumi asked him angrily, "If he'll kill you when he gates the chance, what's the point?"
"I don't know. I guess I believe that if I bring him this person, he'll start to look at me like I'm not worthless."
"Zuko, if your father was like that, he wouldn't have told you to leave."
They looked at each other, but were interrupted when a metal tank started to come towards them. " The Fire Nation!" the said in unison. They turned back towards the village; the time had come.
What's going to happen? Is the fact that Zuko caught Ayumi really the reason she hates, and for that matter, does she really hate him?
R&R!