Chapter Eight

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" This way!" Yumi called to the people who were walking in back of her, which consisted of Uncle, Prince Zuko, and a few Fire Nation soilders. The soilders were having trouble getting through all the rough outcrop of the forest. It was unlike their normal terrain, so they were burning plants and trees that they couldn't get through.

" There are many trees here." Iroh noticed.

" Um, yes, there are." Yumi glanced back, with a smile on her face. " Would it be possible for your soilder's to stop flaming all the trees here?"

" Why?" Zuko asked, not looking over to Yumi.

" Becuase it's pointles to destory things for no reason." She answered.

" What do you mean by that?" Zuko asked harshly.

" Nothing, I'm just saying." Yumi said, looking down at the grass. Zuko looked around.

" Where are we? Are we any closer to the Avatar?" He said, changing the subject.

" Were on the borders of Teru, if you just would be--" Yumi was cut off, and the only reason she knew that the borders were close, was becuase their was a sign a few miles back, that she saw, but no one else did. She kicked the sign into a bush. She looked up and could see a large flying object coming down, heading right towards them.

" What is that!" A soilder yelled, when he spotted it too. This caused everyone else to look up as well, Zukos' eyes lit up and he shot fire at the flying phenomenon, it shifted and flew back up into the air and started to go forward, the way they were walking.

" It's the Avatar!" Zuko yelled, running ahead of Yumi, Iroh and his soilders followed. Yumi looked up one more time, not seeing the object anymore, she had to catch up to the rest. They got to the edge of the forest and stopped, causing Yumi to almost topple over Iroh. " He's there." Zuko breathed.

" Who's there?" Yumi asked, squinting down to see the town.

" This is Teru?" Iroh said, taking out a map from his sleeve.

" Yes, unlce. I suppose the girl was right after all." Zuko said, smiling to himself, becuase he would have the Avatar in his clutches soon.

" The Avatar?" Yumi asked, again, more so she was heard.

" Why are you unsure, your the one who told us the Avatar would be here." Zuko said, looking at her with a scowl.

" I...yes, I did." Yumi muttered. " So! Let's go catch ourselves some Avatar!" She said, raising a fist into the air. Everyone looked at her with an odd expression.

" Who said your coming?" Zuko asked, annoyed.

" I'm...not?"

" No, of course not."

" Okay." Yumi said, looking disapointed, she wanted to go, but she knew she shouldn't persist. She heard Prince Zuko had a bit of a temper. Maybe if she stayed on his good side for a little while, and he caught the Avatar he would help her with her situation.

" When do you want us to go, Prince Zuko?" A soilder asked. Zuko stared at the town.

" That flying bison just landed, we'll wait till sundown." Zuko said, and turned around.

" A sneak attack?" Iroh asked, following Zuko into the dense forest.

" Exactly." Zuko replied, a grin on his face. Yumi heard this and for some reason her chest got tight.

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The five accompaining soilders were sitting around a fire, toasting a meat of some kind. Zuko and Iroh were looking out over the town from a ledge. Yumi had climbed into a tree and sat on a branch, she hugged her legs to her chest. She decided to climb into a tree, so she could keep a watch over the town without looking over Zukos' shoulder. In the process of climbing up the tree, she had scraped her knee, in turn tearing her pants. She absentmindley rubbed her knee while surveying the area. Their were a lot of people down there. She couldn't see the Avatar or that flying bison they were on. Although she didn'tknow what the Avatar looked like.They must have gone into another part of the town. Yumi could hear Zuko and Iroh talking.

" The sun is almost down, would you like me to round up the men, Prince Zuko?" Iroh asked, Zuko nodded. Iroh left and walked over to the men who were gorging themselves at the moment. Yumi jumped down from the branch she was sitting on, slightly falling as she landed, she stood up, but then when she went to walk she tripped. Zuko turned when he heard the noise.

" Oh, it's just you." He turned back around.

" Don't help me up or anything..." Yumi muttered.

" I won't." Zuko said, without looking back. Yumi stared at his back.

" How rude." She said so he couldn't hear her, she stood up and stayed in place. " Prince Zuko?"

" What is it?"

Yumi hesitated. " Is my father alive?" Zuko stay silent, then he spoke.

" I don't know."

" How can you not know? Your the Prince!"

" I'm a banished Prince, stop asking me these idiotic questions, fool!" Zuko yelled, turning around, his voice shaking with anger. Yumi took a step back, now she'd gone too far. She turned on her heel and ran into the forest. She side-swiped Iroh as she went past. Iroh watched her disapear.

" That was a little harsh, Prince Zuko." Iroh said, glancing over at his nephew.

" She had it coming, uncle."

" So you'll let her go?"

" She's not my problem." Zuko said, motioning for his men to follow him. It was sunset and it was time.

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Yumi was walking in the woods, getting farther and farther away from Teru. She didn't want to go back, but she knew she had to, she had to stay with Zuko long enough to find her brother. She turned around and took a deep breath, then she ran forward. When she got back to the site she was at before, no one was there. At that moment a huge fire exploded from below her. She ran to the edge of thehill and saw something she really didn't want to see.

A whole portion of the town was on fire, the flames licked at everything around it, it was slowly becoming bigger.

" That town...those people..." She mummbeled as she stumbeled down the hill. She got to the edge of the town and watched the flames engulf the houses in front of her. She held out her hands and the fire died down enough so it wouldn't take any more houses. She fell down onto one knee, it took a lot out of her. Yumi finally got up and went in more. Someone screamed from behind her, she snapped her body around and a little boy was huddled in a doorway of a house that was about to collapse. Yumi didn't take a second to think before she was at the boys side, she pushed him out of the way just in time, but it wasn't enough time for her, becuase the whole front section of the house fell and was seemingly about to crush her.

It didn't, becuase when Yumi looked up it was hovering in mid-air. She stood up and looked at it in amazement.

" How..."

" It's called airbending." A voice called from above her. " Better get out of the way, I can't hold this up for much longer." The voice that was being masked by the wall said. Yumi moved and as soon as she did the collapsing wall fell to the ground.

" Airbending...?" Yumi asked herself outloud.

" Yep!" A boy said, appearing ontop of a post, he was standing on it perfectly balanced, a brown coloredstaff in his right hand.

" Who are you?" Yumi asked, he smiled at her, but then frowned as he looked past her.

" Running away, Avatar?" Zukos' voice came from behind Yumi. She turned and Zuko was running down the path, from another part of the town.

" Never, Zuko!" The boy said, jumping down, and facing Zuko, his staff outstretched. Zuko got into a fighting stance. Yumi was standing in between the two, right smack in the middle of the impending battle.

" Avatar?" She looked from Zuko to the boy. He was bald and had arrow tattoos on his head, and were also on his hands.

" Ready, Avatar?" Zuko yelled, acting like Yumi wasn't there.

" You betcha!" The Avatar shouted back.

Yumi backed up. " Oh gods.."

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I can't belive I'm already at chapter eight. Wow. I feel special. Anyway, I like reveiws, so reveiw! Didn't think you'd be seeing Aang, did ya? Well Iam crazily obsessed..so...-bows-