Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own avatar. I really don't. Seriously. Or do I? (Dr.Evil finger thing) no. No I don't.

Kagami sat up late that night; not because her sister was upset; but because she herself had to think. Her sister was having such a hard life, does that mean she would too? All their life, struggling. Would living with Zuko make things better or worse? She layed her head down and found herself being swept away by a sea of dreams, only to be awoken by Amarante. She sighed; hopped out of bed and walked down to Zuko's room.

"Zuko.." She said softly at first. Inching towards his bed in the darkness. "Zuko..Zuko wake up..she's doing it again." He shifted in his sleep. She growled under her breath. "Zuko..!" He turned back over and opened his eyes tiredly. "She's doing it again."

"Doing what..?" He asked tiredly. Half-awake, half-asleep.

"She's crying again." He nodded and rose out of his bed, he was wearing pants (my friend Satan's daughter: Aww..)

"OK." He started to walk out, but stopped. "You can go back to sleep in my bed." She nodded, and crawled into his bed. Snuggling her head in his pillow. He walked across the hall and down to her room. Sure enough; there she was, crying into her pillow. Zuko walked in and lifted her off her pillow and held her. "Calm down Amarante.." But the the tears came forth like horrible rivers of death. "It's OK...It's OK.." But the more he tried to help, the less it seemed to work. He stroked her hair gently, trying to calm her down. He got her to look him straight in the eye. "Let's get some tea or something. OK?" She nodded; wiping away the tears with her wrist. Zuko stood up with her and walked down the hall to the tea room,where she sat at the table while he poured the tea. He set her cup infrount of her and kept one for himself. She sipped at the tea, hiccupping at the attempt. Zuko was sitting beside her, trying to strike a conversation with her. "You don't need to be upset anymore." He told her gently. "Your parents won't hurt you anymore, you won't have to be around your ex anymore, and the only person who you've got from home is your sister and she needs you to be strong." She was quiet, letting him talk. "She's still a little girl. Yet, I haven't seen her cry at all.."

"She's stronger than me. That's why." She sipped softly at her drink.

"That might be true. Or maybe you've suffered worse than she has. You always had to deal with them, but what happened when they got mad at her?"

"I'd let them take it out on me. She was just an infant." He saw her start to choke. "I took their beatings, their yelling, their abuse."

"I can't imagine how horrible it must have been. My father never really stayed around his children, so my sister and I never.. but I ticked him off once and he gave me my scar and banished me. But that was only once.." He placed his hand on her's carefully. "But you don't have to feel like you've got to please us. We aren't going to beat on you. Were going to help you Amarante. No one should have to go through what your going through." She started to cry again, Zuko putting his arm around her and hugging her.

"why are you being so nice to me..?"

"Because, you've been through so much torture, and hardly got any praise or anything. I think your long overdue." She smiled teary-eyed at him, glad to have him on her side. "Uncle and I aren't going to leave you. OK? We aren't going to let you get hurt anymore."

"Thank you.." Her cries became coughs. He patted the top of her head softly.

"Don't cry too much, you'll make yourself sick." He let go of her and they went on with quiet conversation. Until they looked twords the door and saw Kagami, looking frightened. "Come in here." She slowly inched in. "What's wrong?"

"I had a bad dream.." Amarante told her to come over to them, she did and was sat down between them. "Momma and daddy were hurting you again, calling you names I couldn't understand. You were bleeding and.." As she went on to explain, Amarante hugged her.

"It was only a dream..." She was told softly. "Never again..never again will that happen..." Zuko nodded in agreement with her.Kagami nodded slowly; knowing that what her sister was saying was true. "C'mon Kagami, lets go back to sleep. Thank you for the tea Zuko."

"Anytime." He rose to his own feet and walked to his own room. An hour into falling asleep; Kagami woke him again. "is she doing it again?" He saw her shake her head.

"I wanted to talk to you." He nodded, sat up and had her climb onto his bed and sit with him. "Is she going to be like this forever? So mad and upset all the time?"

"Not if we can bring her out of it. This happens to children with long exposure to misery. She's been alive longer than you, so you probably weren't effected." He saw her hang her head slightly.

"What is going to happen...?"

"Nothing too big. Were just going to help her get passed the self-esteem problems she was given, and work from there on." She nodded.

"Are you going to marry her?" Zuko flushed.

"What?"

"Amarante. Are you going to marry her?"

"I-I don't know. P-Probably not." Kagami nodded.

"One more thing."

"OK."

"Can I sleep in here with you?" That was a surprise, when he asked why, she responded: "I'm scared to sleep in my bed tonight; and I don't want to wake up Amarante and have her cry." Zuko was quiet, and then nodded. Moving over so she could sleep beside him. "Thank you." That was a very big problem. If a five year old girl wants to sleep with Zuko and not with her sister when she is scared, helping Amarante is coming not a moment too soon. When she was snuggled in, and told him goodnight, he responded as such and turned the light off.

Amarante woke with a jolt. Another nightmare. When she looked to see if she woke Kagami up; she saw she wasn't there. After she got up and looked around, she found Kagami sleeping beside Zuko, she felt her lips curl into a soft smile as she inched into his room and layed beside them, feeling the warmth of care. A warmth she had never known, her sister cared yes, but the warmth wasn't there, for she was not cared for herself.She felt Zuko's subconscious hand on her bare arm, Amarante closed her eyes and let herself fall asleep to the strange warmth of the night that was so new to her.

omg I know. Zuko is OOC. Don't bug me about that. Did you want fluff or not:D if u did, you got what u wanted!

Amarante: True..

Zuko: True..

Kagami: I want some cookies..

Zuko: that was random.

Kagami: Yup!

Me: woooo! (Chases Zuko around) love love love!

Zuko: (Runs for dear life)