Vande woke up with a start, her eyes open wide.
"Vande? You okay?" She heard Aang say.
She looked over and saw him pulling his camping stuff up onto Appa.
"It was only a dream." She told him.
It had been a week since she had joined Aang and his friends, and a week since Krumb. She was having a very hard time forgetting Zuko though, and she wasn't sure yet what she was going to do. She kept having that dream about him. And the thought of it being him who saved her when she was eleven was very haunting. The scary part was that she didn't find it to be haunting in necessarily bad way. And she couldn't stop thinking about him. She knew that had to stop.
Aang looked at her questionably. "Really, what was it about?"
"Appa tried to eat me." She lied with a small laugh. She didn't like lying, but she couldn't very well tell him what the dream really was.
He wouldn't have gotten mad or anything if he knew she was dreaming about kissing Zuko. No, if anyone, Sokka would be the one who was mad. Aang just wouldn't understand. Katara might. She was really excepting Vande. It took a little longer to get Sokka to just agree that she could stay. Sokka wasn't a bad guy, he just didn't trust firebenders. She didn't blame him. Luckily though, Katara and Aang didn't see a firebender, they saw just a girl. But still, she didn't think it would be the right time to tell anyone that she was dreaming of the Fire Lords son.
Aang laughed. "That's silly. Appa wouldn't do that, would you?" He patted Appas' side, and the bison grunted.
"It was scary…" She muttered, standing up.
Sokka woke up with a yawn. "What was scary?"
"Vande had a dream Appa tried to eat her." Aang told him.
He was quiet for second. "I've had that dream too! It IS scary! Were his eyes glowing red?"
"Uh… sure." Vande said blinking at him. "You should walk up Katara, Sokka. We Need to get moving."
Sokka nodded. "Hey! Katara! Get up!" He shouted.
"I could have done that…" Vande muttered rolling up her sleeping bag.
Katara groaned. "I'm up I'm up…"
"Come on hurry up you guys, I'm ready to go now." Aang was sitting on Appas' head.
"We're coming hold on." Vande throwing her things up onto Appas' back while the other two finished rolling things up.
A moment later, Katara and Sokka were climbing up Appa, and Vande was throwing up a few last things.
Unexpectedly something shot threw the air and Aang jumped up barely dodging a fire ball. Hit Appa and he started to fly up, taking everybody but Vande with him, which was okay with Vande.
"Aang! I'll meet you later." She shouted to him, and he was gone.
Zuko jumped out from the trees Landing feet away from her.
"Long time no see." He spat, closing in on her.
"We're back to being enemies then?" She asked smirking, and taking a step back.
"It's nice it when a plan follows through like this." He told her taking a big step forward and shooting fire at her from his foot.
Vande jumped up and leaped over him landing behind him. Before he could turn and see her, she tried to shot a fireball at him, but spun around just in time to dodged it with no trouble. He went to kick her, but she caught his foot and threw him back. He landed on his feet and came back at her with a punch and hit her right in the gut and she flew back. He continued the attack with a fire ball to her stomach but she rolled away just in time.
Vande and Zuko fought for a while longer, until finally Vande had trapped Zuko between a tree, and her fire filled fist only to inches from his face.
He glared at her, and she smirked. She let her hand burn out and dropped it to her side. Then she turned around and started walking away from him.
Zuko blinked. "What are you doing?"
She turned back around. "Returning the favor." She said. "You spared me and now I've spared you. So we're even." She smiled.
"What are you talking about? When I saved your life I was already repaying you!" He spat angrily at her.
She was still smiling. "Not the first time."
He didn't say anything, just stared at her. 'She knows… She can't know!' He thought.
"Besides, I don't think you were really giving me your best just then. I saw you fighting at day in Tarrain. I think you could have done better." She turned around again to leave, but stopped and looked back. "By the way. Thanks." She said, turning back to leave.
"For what?" He spate. He couldn't leave how much of an upper hand she'd gotten on him just by talking. He hadn't really notice how easy he had gone on her. But did that mean she was going easy on him too?
Again she turned to face him, only this time she only turned her head. "Zuko, I thing we've already clarified I'm not stupid. I've figured it all out by now. That's why you left so quickly that day. The more I was with you; the closer I was to realizing it who you were. You didn't want be to know, because you were afraid that then I wouldn't see you as an enemy. But really, you don't have to worry about that. All I have to do is repay the favor, as I just did. Now I don't owe you the time of day. Good bye Zuko." She said starting to leave again.
"How long have you known?" He asked.
She shrugged still walking away. "The day you left. Since I repaid, now just ignore the miner facts. I can forget you and how it was you that saved me. I was having trouble with that before, but now my mind will be happy I'll be able to sleep calmly at night. Now, g-o-o-d b-y-e Zuko."
He couldn't think of what to say to that, he just stared at her. He watched her turn and leave. He left too. He walked back to his ship deep in thought.
When he got there he was met by his Uncle.
"Prince Zuko! Care to joint me for cup of tea? It will clear you mind." He said joyfully.
"Not now Uncle." Zuko said irritably.
"You're thinking of that girl aren't you? What was her name? The one that helped you get away from Zhao and is now with the Avatar. Hand? No. Sand? No…" He was smiling, he knew the name, he just wanted Prince Zuko to say it.
"Vande!" Zuko roared, the stopped realizing what he'd said.
"Care to join me for a cup of tea? It will clear your mind." He asked again.
Zuko sat in his Uncles room drink tea.
"Tell your Uncle of the girl Vande." He had said to him.
"I don't want to talk about her Uncle." Zuko said grumpily.
"Is she the Vande? The one who was framed for killing her parents?" He asked.
"How did you know that?" Zuko asked surprised.
"I know everything." He replied. "So I take it she is."
"Yes…" Zuko said stubbornly.
"And you can't stop thinking about her?" He asked.
Zuko glared at him. "I don't want to talk about her Uncle!"
He was quiet for a second. "Is she pretty?" He whispered.
"UNCLE!" Zuko shouted standing up.
"Zuko calm down. I'm only trying to say you can't hide from her forever. If you like, you will find her. Whether you want to or not." His Uncle stood up too.
"I don't like her! I'm thinking about her. I'm not going to find her!" Zuko stormed from the room.
His uncle sighed. "Well, that went better then I'd planned." He sat back down and continued to drink his tea.
That night, Zuko heard those words as he lay awake in bed, "You can't hide from her forever. If you like, you will find her. Whether you want to or not."
We lay in his bed, afraid to sleep, and dream of her again. Ever since he'd left her, she'd been on his mind.
His Uncle had noticed the change in him, and it took two weeks till he was back to his old self. But the dreams of her were still troubling his mind. Not because dreaming it was that bad, it was the waking up he really didn't like. He stood up out of bed. He needed fresh air. He walked out of his room down a hallway and up some stairs onto the deck of his ship.
Next thing he knew he was off the ship completely and walking through the woods. The fresh night air surrounding him.
He didn't know how long he had been walking when he turned around. But it had been over an hour. He was half way back when he heard something move in front of him. When he took a few steps closer, he moved around a big tree he was in a small grove with no trees. Facing him, five feet away was Vande.
Vande stared at him for a long second. Zuko raised his hands to fight but she shook her head. "Not now." She pleaded.
He blinked and lowered his hands.
"Look, remember how I said if I repaid you for saving me that day, I'd be able to forget that it was you who saved me? Well I was wrong. I was way wrong. I can't forget, as much as I want to. I have something I need to tell you." She stepped forward toward him.
He stepped back putting his hands up telling her to stop.
She did. "Come on, I'm not hear to fight. I didn't even know I'd find you. Please trust me." She said.
He put his hands down. He couldn't help it. Even though they were enemies now, he still trusted her more then he ever wanted to.
She walked up to him slowly. "Zuko…I… I love you." She said putting her hand on his arm.
He was silent for a second, and then pushed her back. "Don't." He said. And he walked past her.
"Thank you." He heard her call after him. He turned around confused. "I had those feelings," She said. "And I didn't want to. You doing something like that, really slaps me into my place." It was know that he could see tears running down her face. "So thank you!" She turned around and started running away.
Before he knew what he was doing, he was casing after her, calling for her stop. At least he caught up with her and grabbed her to make her stop running.
She spun around and looked at him. "Did you forget to tell me something? Like how I'm a silly little girl." She asked, still crying.
"I did forget to tell you something, but not that. I'm stupid. I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you, I love you too." He leaned in and kissed her.
Zuko woke up from his dream. He was in his bed. He'd never even left. He rubbed his head. This was getting out of control. He had dreamt of kissing her before, and that was weird enough. But telling her he loved her…