Disclaimer: I don't own the Avatar. That is what I am saving my money up for, so that I can buy it. (Grin)
I dedicate this to Cade, My brother who is 10.
Chapter 6
Aang scanned around at all his friends that stood around Zuko. They had a look of confusion and surprise on their face. He slowly stood up out of his fighting stance. Standing for a moment where he was, he thought of what to do and say. The others kept their positions, incase Zuko was to trick them and actually begin to fight.
Zuko stood where he was but looked at every one of the people around him. He stared into each one's pair of eyes. He saw fear instead of the happiness that he had had wanted to be there. He turned around to look at Lalue. Her face showed the only happiness and relief of the group's. She in fact was crying with thankfulness, that he hadn't of hurt Aang and his friends.
Aang slowly walked over to Zuko after a few moments of thought. Zuko looked back at Aang, ready for the answer.
"Zuko, I was chosen to be the avatar over 100 years ago. I recently realized what I am up against. There is a war in place, and your nation is my enemy in the war. I have made many friends, some that come with me to fight directly, and others that stay and fight when they are most needed. You have chased me around, placing my friends and I in danger. Now you come to me, knowing that if you are to regain all that you have lost, you must join me."
Zuko by now was staring at the ground with shame. He knew where this was going. The Avatar was going to decline his wishes and tell him to leave. He felt so stupid for even trying to make things right.
"Zuko, I need all the help that I can get to defeat your sister and father. You seem to know that. Zuko… I knew that one of these days you were going to join us and I'm glad that day has come. We would be honored if you joined us."
Zuko was prepared to walk away the minute the Avatar told him no, the answer he knew that he deserved. But when he realized what Aang had told him, that he could join, he lifted his head slowly up. Aang and Zuko looked at each other for a moment. Zuko had a look of thankfulness in his eyes.
This was the first time Aang had ever seen any such emotion in Zuko, besides anger and hatred. He liked it.
Aang stuck his hand out towards Zuko. Zuko looked down at the hand then back at Aang. He raised his hand up as well and they shook. It was final; Zuko was now a good guy.
Aang glanced behind Zuko at the girl that he had brought onto the island. She looked oddly familiar, but he couldn't place his finger on who it was.
"Hey Zuko, who's your girlfriend?" Aang asked him teasingly.
Zuko turned around. He motioned Lalue toward him and Aang. She followed him command and soon was in front of the others.
"Everyone this is Lalue. She is from the earth kingdom, but can also bend water." Zuko announced.
"Katara, Mowia, ya'll should have fun with her. Maybe she'll be able to teach ya'll a few tricks." Sokka said when he heard that Lalue was another water bender. We've got a collection of water benders going here. He thought.
"That would be fun." Katara said getting out of stance finally, like the rest of them. " But not now. It's getting late and we need to fix the food and find something for these two to sleep on." She said, pointing to Zuko and Lalue.
She walked over to Appa and pulled down the bags from his saddle. Mowia walked over near her to help get all that was needed.
Every one got the hint that it was time to work rather than have a "moment".
Zuko, Aang, and Sokka all headed into the woods to gather fruits and wood. Mowia and Katara worked at making a meal for all of them. It was harder now with many different people in the group, but they managed to find enough food.
Lalue stood were she was, thinking about where she would be needed to help. She walked over to Katara and Mowia, who were talking about all that had happened in the two days and making food.
"Do ya'll need any help?" Lalue said in a sweet, soft voice.
The girls looked up at her standing near them. Lalue wore a green dress with little leaves dotting it for decoration. It was extremely pretty on her and seemed to big forth her slim figure.
"Umm… well… I guess so. It couldn't hurt." Mowia answered glancing over at Katara questionly.
"Yeah that's fine." Katara nodded.
Lalue sat down near Katara and grabbed a piece of the fish that the girls had just cut up.
"So how do you know Zuko?" Mowia asked Lalue.
"Mowia!" Katara warned.
"What? I'm just asking what we were both wondering and you know it."
"It's ok. Um…well ok. See I was in my village, near a stream cleaning my clothes, when he came and demanded that I tell him where the Avatar was. Ya'll don't remember me do you? Well ya'll came to my earth town a week before and I gave you a place to stay. But that's not the point. So he came up and I trying to fight him off, but I failed. I had to tell him where you where headed. But I told him to take me too. I hoped that I would be able to somehow prevent him from getting to the Avatar. Then we spotted you and here we all are." Lalue explained vaguely.
"Wow. So ya'll are now like going out or what not?" Mowia asked.
"Yeah but there is something that tells me that he doesn't like me that way anymore. It feels like he likes someone else. But that will be ok if he does because I just can't see a future together with him."
"Oh." Mowia responded to this open statement of feelings.
The boys broke through the bushes laughing uncontrollably. Even Zuko had a smile on. Their arms were full with sticks and the bag that Sokka held bulged with spotted fruits. They laid the wood in a pile near the trees.
Sokka waked over to the girls and dropped the sack beside Katara. He then plopped down near Lalue.
"Hi ya. I'm Sokka."
"Hello. I'm Lalue if you didn't know." She laughed out.
"Nice to meet you. You know that you are very pretty, right." Sokka said.
The Katara and Mowia laughed out hysterically. Lalue and Sokka blushed.
"Did I… just say…that aloud? Damn." Sokka muttered to himself getting up.
They continued to laugh at him.
"Don't' worry about my bother, he's not use to new girls and Mowia is too young for him." Katara apologized.
Sokka ignoring this comment, walked over to Aang and Zuko, who had during that time, built a fire and were sitting around talking.
"You know Zuko, Lalue is a beauty. You're very lucky." Sokka said sitting near Aang, who was a few feet away from the fire, facing Zuko who was on the other side.
"Really? Well that's nice." He simply replied, not seeming to care much.
"She is really nice too." Aang put in.
"Umhuh"
"Katara is the food ready?" Sokka broke out, seeing that there was not going to be much of a conversation going on.
"Hold on Sokka. It just needs to cook over the fire." She said, walking over to the fire where the guys sat, with food in her arms and the other two following.
She placed the food on the hot coals that lined the fire's edges. She stood up and waited for the fish to fry. It smelled heavenly. As soon as it was though, she picked it out of the coal and evenly parted it to everyone. While Aang ate his fruit, the others ate the fish. It was all so good to their empty stomaches.
Lalue sat herself next to Sokka and Mowia sat down next to Aang. Katara looked around to see that the only place open for her to sit was near Zuko.
She still hadn't fully found her self to trust him but decided that he wouldn't hurt her for sitting down.
She sat down near Zuko and began to eat. He didn't seem to mind, but wondered why Lalue had sat beside Sokka instead of him. He shrugged it off though. He felt the warmth of the fire and of Katara sitting next to him. He liked it.
Soon laughing and jokes broke the silence that was around them. Everyone laughed at Aang's 'Sokka is hungry' story and Zuko's 'Hi. I am Zhao, a Monkey' imitation. They all enjoyed themselves and had the much needed laugh that they all had needed.
It was great to not have to know that you are being chanced just as it was not to have to chance after something for a change. They were finally one.
(A/N) That's all of that chapter. Oh and now for the polls…
4th Poll:
Where should the setting be?
On an island
In the North Pole
On Zuko's Ship
In a random town
In the Fire nation
Other (your choice)
5th Poll:
Should Zuko Join?
Yes
No
6th poll:
What category?
Romance Majorly
Action
Adventure
Suspense
Other (Your Choice)