Disclaimer: Still don't own avatar.

Oh yeah, I've changed the time in which this fanfic is set, instead of being before the solstice this fanfic is now set after the "Blue Spirit" episode. Kind of important further on in the fanfic.

Chapter 11: A friend in need.

Araic was slammed against the harsh, metal wall. The blow knocked some of the wind out of her. She gasped for her lost breath on the floor. A hard steel-tipped boot made a sharp jab at her side. She twisted round and began to stumble in the dark.

She was sweating hard. The sweat was mixing with a darker, more thick, viscous fluid that slowly ran down the side of her face. Blood. The red river slowly powering from the gash on her head, oozing a path down her face, blinding her.

She froze, catching the quiet carefully placed thud of boots. The ominous sound like the beating of an ancient heart. Her heart driving out the pulse of the malignant footsteps with its own frantic, thudding beat. They were getting closer and closer. The noise was rising in intensity and in speed. Quicker and quicker, louder and louder. The ragged cursing of his breath, the stomping of his feet, she could hear him. He was nearly there, so close and then…

Silence. It was as if the world had stopped, as if her own heart had stopped beating, as if the dreaded footsteps had left. Had they? Had these monstrous beats left her? Left her in the empty, unforgiving darkness of the black abyss. Was this a dream? Would she wake up and see Morri or even Zuko staring back? Or would she wake up and see the black silohette against the torchlight, and would the oblivion of his shadow swallow her up into the unknown hellish world that lies beneath.

A hand of flames erupted. Giving Mirrac ghostly features. Making his eyes pop out of his skull and his twisted mouth sprout fangs. It sent a blow of painful heat towards her.

"Get back here wench" Mirrac growled, sending another blast of heat towards her.

Araic felt the destroying blast hit her, scorching her skin and clothing. She struggled on, away from the demon in the darkness, away from the predator searching for his prey. But it was useless, the blast of flame had given Mirrac enough light to see Araic's bruised, burnt form. With two effortless strides he was beside her.

"I always thought Earth-benders were stronger than this" He hissed, looking down on her like a snake arching above the unfortunate mouse, preparing to fall down on it and give it's fatal strike.

"Bron's Grandmother put up more of a fight than you have. It took three of us to through that old trash-bag into the flames. Bron went into the flames after her. Any cur that was a descendant of a lower element deserves the flame." He was shouting maniacally now with such vigour and passion. He was preaching as if this was a rally for a political party, as if he was talking about education and the future not the murder of an old lady and her grandson, thrown into the greedy mouth of the fire, cast into the inferno of oblivion.

"It is my duty to the Great Fire-Lord to exterminate the weak, but first I will have fun first" He grinned maniacally, the madness glinting in his savage eyes.

He lifted her up by the neck, choking the air out of her, and slammed her mercilessly against the unforgiving metal wall.

She stared into his merciless pits. They were golden, glinting sinisterly in the half-light. They were the eyes of the Fire-Nation. Golden like Iroh's, Zuko's, her own father's but they were missing something. A gentleness of Iroh's, the pained, suffering of Zuko's, the love of her Father's. These eyes were hungry and full of hatred, hatred that wanted to swallow her up whole and spit out her shattered bones. And as she gazed into the pits of his empty soul she knew that she was doomed.

XxX


He was one with the flames, slowly feeling their change in movement. As they licked hungrily at the air for the oxygen they craved. He was one with the twisting, twirling, flickering, blinking, and glowing flames of the candles. The gentle sway of the flame matched the sway of the ship as it bounced over the waves.

He was sitting in the forest, the silent flurry of leaves blown by the invisible wind. There was a soft bed of grass and moss underneath him. The light in the forest was cold and white but showed little of his surroundings, the dark shadows of the forest were unnaturally silent as if the trees were holding their breath. Giant bows rose up above him like great flames tongues of darkness A mask of a blue grinning face smiled out at him, smirking at what he had done and what he had been caught doing.

His head was pounding like a drum in a rapid, vicious dance. Sending his world spinning out of control.

"If we knew each other back then, do you think we could have been friends?" a child's voice interrupted the tranquil silence of the forest.

Friends. He had had some back then. Boys that he would play ruff and tumble with until they saw his father. Once they saw his father they were too afraid to play. Games of chase with different General's and Admiral's children. His sister. At one point she did play games with him but after time they had…drifted. Like he was a poorly roped boat, slowly drifting unmanned into the sea of despair. Watching his family and so-called friends standing on the shore of safety, watching him sail away. Not one offering a helping hand, not one swimming out to rescue him from the drowning current. Leaving him, abandoning him, forsaking him, deserting him, and casting him to the sea.

The only way to sail back was to capture him. The only way for him to return to his thrown, his honour, his home was to capture this child. A child, this child, the avatar. The bald child with an arrow tattooed head, clad in brilliant orange and fiery red sitting on the branch of the tree, sitting metres away. His key home was just within his grasps. How could he fail to capture it now?

"Could we be friends" the words rung in his friends. A friend a real friend, someone to tell your problems to, someone to cry to, to laugh with, to listen to, to talk with. A real friend, a person to understand, to not care, to comfort, to be comforted. A real friend, someone who understood. But no one could ever understand. No one could ever under stand how it feels, how it feels for your father to think you're worthless. For the person your supposed to love and them love you, how it feels for that person to scar you for life. Scarred on the face, ripped apart inside. No one will ever understand. No one ever could.

Zuko sent a burst of fire towards the boy but the boy dodged it and leapt away through the trees. Springing from branch to branch. Zuko watched a puzzled look on his face. Had he just made another mistake?

A scream bounded through and off the metal walls. A screech that shook Zuko from his meditation. Screaming in his ears, the long, high-pitched note, ringing in the room, like a dying animal.

What is she doing down here? What is happening to her? I have to find her. Is she in trouble? I shouldn't have left her. This is my entire fault. If I had apologised then she would be safe. I have to find her. She could be in trouble. I am going to kill the man that thinks about hurting her?

Zuko threw himself out the room and bolted down the half-lit corridor, following the dying echoes of the scream.

He ran feeling the heat of the stale air on his face. He could feel the roar of fury building up inside him. He would kill the man who dared. He would murder him, bash his face in, kick his stomach in. Burn a hole through his head, burn the man so bad it would be kinder to kill him.

He spotted her fleeing towards him, like a zombie she was crawling along the floor. Blood pouring from a gash on her head and cuts on her arms, covering her in a slimy second skin. Her beautiful flowing dress had been reduced to tags that clung to her body. She gasped trying to crawl along the floor.

Ahhh. So…sore…got…to…get…away. Ohhh, blood everywhere, like a sea. I'm drowning in a river of my own blood. So…sore…hurts…so…much. Help…me. Araic silently begged in her head, too afraid to utter the plea out loud. Help…me…please…someone, anyone…anyone.

Araic looked up into the half-lit corridor. She let out a low moan when she became aware of the sinister silhouette watching her struggle from the shadows.

Mirrac? How did he catch up with me? He was behind me. Who? What? It cannot be him, he is behind me. How did he get here?

"NOOOO" She screamed, tears cascading down her red-ringed eyes. The shadow was moving towards her. Taking great strides, getting closer and closer with every second.

"Nooo" she groaned

"Sshh, it's me" Zuko whispered, soothingly. Crouching down beside her scorched form. She was shaking, trembling in his arms. He put his arms around her, trying to let her find some safety. She buried her bloodied head into his armour-plated chest.

"Who did this to you?" Zuko whispered, the fury building up ready to explode "Who dares to hurt my friend?"

In the darkness came the steady clank of heavy boots

"No, he…he's here. No…he…he's…c…coming…t…to get me. Help me Zuko" She croaked. "D…don't…l…let hi…him…f…find me." She cried choking on her tears.

He looked into her eyes. They were wide with untold fear, the pupils had shrunk and the golden ring had enlarged, eating the forest green. Her bottom lip was quivering uncontrollably and a mask of gooey semidried blood concealed most of her bruised face. A fresh surge of tears washed some of the viscous red fluid away, exposing her pale skin underneath. She looked as helpless as a newborn rhino.

Silently Zuko rose and moved in front of her. Shielding her from the monster that lurked in the shadows.

"You can't hide forever wench" A menacing voice laughed in the shadows. "I'm going to find you sometime."

"Mirrac" Zuko growled quietly

"Ready, or not here I come!" Mirrac sprang from the shadows

"Hello, Mirrac" Zuko said calmly, trying hard to keep his temper at bay. Zuko ignited his left hand, like a torch.

"Zu…Zuko w-what are you doing h-here?" An amazing change had come over Mirrac's face, from Menacingly evil to what-the-fuck to oh-shit-I'm-in-trouble.

"That's Prince Zuko to you, Mirrac" Zuko snapped, his temper rising " Who cares why I'm here, what are you doing here?" Zuko spat.

"I was…I was escorting Araic" He answered dumbly, spotting Araic cowering behind the flaming prince. " I was escorting Araic to the infirmary but I must of took a wrong turn" Mirrac repeated with more confidence, straightening his back and standing tall.

"A bit far from the infirmary aren't we?" Zuko asked casually

"Like I said, we got a bit lost" Mirrac shrugged

Zuko had had enough of this disgusting man and came out with the basic question. "Do you enjoy hurting innocent girls. Do you enjoy throwing them off walls? Do you enjoy it?"

Mirrac tensed. Zuko's temper was famously short and Mirrac had just lit the fuse. He was going to be incinerated if he didn't move. Zuko was advancing the flames from his hands growing.

"Now, Prince Zuko" Mirrac backed off into the shortening shadows. "Don't do anything you might regret." He said panicky.

"And why would I regret this?" Zuko replied icily, a small frightening smile appearing on his lips.

"What's going on down here? Araic? Where have you been? I have looked everywhere for you. Zuko? What are you doing? Where is Mirrac? Oh my God, did he try…Oh my God. Araic are you Ok? I should never have…" Iroh continued to blabber apologies and questions about Araic's wellbeing.

Zuko snarled. During the commotion Mirrac had fled into the shadows, his hurried footsteps fleeing into silence.

"Are you OK. Did he…?" Zuko knelt down, beside her, enclosing her in his arms.

"N…No he just" Araic lifted her arm, showing the bruises and her shredded dress. "He was going to…"

Her eye's glazed slightly, recalling some horrible, hideous memory.

"Come, I'll take you back to my room" Zuko stood up, offering his hand to the weeping girl.

"I'll organise a search of the ship, I'll get you a blanket" Iroh said before he hurriedly departed insearch of the crew and a comforting blanket.

She struggled to walk, leaning on his arm for support.

"If you want I'll carry you," Zuko asked awkwardly

"N-No, I can do this" She gasped.

They continued to walk, actually stumble. They continued to stumble like a drunken couple, staggering down the corridor.

Zuko spotted a running figure fleeing towards them. Araic seen the shadow too and dug her pointed nails into Zuko's arms. She froze watching the thing come closer and closer. Was it Mirrac? Who? What was it?

But it was only Iroh carrying a deep crimson blanket.

"I've ordered everyman on board to be on the lookout for Mirrac. I've got men guarding the lifeboats as well." Iroh panted as he reached them. "Here's the blanket, I've warned all the men not to approach you or the girl."

The warm blanket was draped over her shoulders. The soft material enclosing round her body. But the blanket didn't warm her shattered soul. It felt as if someone had forced her to swallow an iceberg.

Despite Iroh's warning they passed many guards on the journey to Zuko's quarters. Everytime they passed a guard Araic would bury her head in the blanket, letting out a low cry. Zuko gently held her hand as her pointed claws dug hard into his hand, drawing blood. The guards found Zuko's expression when this happened hilarious. His eyes would bulge slightly and he would choke the cry of surprise down, he would then snap at them to move on, then when they were gone he would reassure the girl.

"It's OK" Zuko whispered after Lieutenant Ji passed them. "It's OK, I'm going to personally kick Mirrac overboard!" Zuko smiled but she didn't respond she didn't even seem to hear him at all. The only sign of life apart from her flailing legs was the shifting of her dull eyes. Her wide eyes searched infront of her and from side to side scanning the path ahead. Peering into the shadows, occasionally glancing behind her, completely on the look out, muscles tensed, shaking slightly.

Finally Zuko shepherded Araic through the steel doorway into his room, watching how she gave a slight sigh as she passed under the frame. He led her across the room and sent a bolt of flame into the fireplace. Then helping her, she limped over and collapsed in the crimson high back chair. Her gaze resting on the fire destroying the wood.

A friend? Someone who understands, someone who knows what your going through. For my whole life I have been shunned, pushed aside, picked last for the team, not invited to the parties. A friend is someone who understands, someone who is there for you. But no one has been through what I have, no one has been there for me. No one has lost everything. Every living, breathing thing I have ever loved is now gone. No one knows what I've been through so how are they supposed to understand. Has he been through enough, will he understand my pain? Will he be my friend?


And that is the end of chapter number 11. Hope you all enjoyed. I won't be able to update as much due to my stupid Int2 maths exam.