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Not one of my favorite, its so depressing…..(slits wrists)
Chapter 10
Do you know who did this?
'She's really going to do this.' Zuko realized as he went to the infirmary later that evening under Uncle's request that they would need his help. Zuko was reluctant but agreed to help if he was needed which he hoped he wasn't. He walked through the door he stopped and stared. Koima turned to him, instead of her hair flowing down her shoulders halfway down her back, it was now and inch below her ears!
"My head feels lighter." Koima tried to joke when she saw that he was staring, "Like it's about to float away." But Zuko could see that she was sad about losing so much of her hair, almost two feet of it!
"Prince Zuko!" Iroh called to him. Zuko saw that his uncle didn't look as joyful as he usually does, but now was quite grim. Zuko didn't need to question why; an air of dread hung heavy in the air, almost choking him and the others. Koima was sitting on one of the infirmary beds, her knees drawn up to her chest, her chin resting on them. She appeared calm, but her eyes held the look of fear in them.
Col was setting out aloe ointment and bandages beside the bed next to Koima, his mouth set in a grim line. "Are you ready Koi?" He said, looking up at her. Koi looked at the bed and she nodded. Iroh told her what to do, "Lay down on your stomach Koi, and put this between your teeth." Iroh gave her a piece of rope; this was so she doesn't bit her tongue with pain. Zuko watched as Koi did as she was told. Iroh beckoned Zuko to them. Col and Iroh got at Koi's head and feet, "Prince Zuko, you are going to have to do it."
"What!" Zuko cried, "Why!" He hadn't expected this, he doing the burning! He thought he was to help with giving them the bandages or something like that, not burning!
"Because your hands are the smallest on the ship's and we only need to cover the tattoos. Col and I have to hold her down. Don't stop until I say to. Do you understand?" Iroh asked him. Zuko could not believe this…. he was going to have to burn Koi. He looked at Iroh pleadingly but Iroh's eyes told him not to argue, there was no time for that. Zuko nodded, sighing.
Koi watched him as he went beside her, her eyes were not sad or wary, they didn't hold fear in them anymore, but her look was unreadable. Iroh lifted the back of Koi's shirt. A.Z. had almost healed over, but it was the big, black, and red letters that ruined her ivory colored skin.
Iroh looked at Zuko, "Put your hand over the tattoos Prince Zuko." Iroh instructed. Zuko didn't mind about this order. He rested his hand over the ugly tattoos and he felt Koi's muscles contact then relax underneath his hand.
'I don't want to hurt you.' Zuko thought sadly, but he knew there was no avoiding this. This had to be done, for Koi's sake.
"Take a deep breath Koi, brace yourself." Uncle Iroh held Koima down: Col at the legs and Iroh had his arms around her torso, holding her down firmly. Zuko felt Koi's back rose as she took a deep breath and held it.
Iroh nodded.
Zuko closed his eyes……and set his hand alight.
A new way to separate things…don't ask.
'She had passed out, thank the spirits she had passed out.' Zuko watched as Col covered the burn with aloe and bandage it up with clean linen strips. The burn was the shape of Zuko's right hand, permanently branded into the skin of Koi's back…like the one he has on his face….from his father. But because of the burn the tattoos were no longer visible; that, at least, he was thankful for.
She had screamed when she had felt her skin sizzling under Zuko's hand, luckily the rope in her mouth had kept her from biting her tongue. Nine seconds, nine very long agonizing seconds it had taken till Iroh told him to stop. Mercifully, Koi had passed out after six, her struggling and her screams ceasing. Zuko hoped that he would never experience that, or her, ever again.
Uncle Iroh patted his shoulder, "Thank you. She trusted you more than anyone, she's thankful that it was you who did it. Get some sleep Prince Zuko. We'll check on her in the morning."
Col covered Koi up with a blanket, "I'll stay up incase she wakes with pains." He told them. Zuko nodded and he and Uncle left the infirmary.
Uncle stopped him when they reached the door of Zuko's room. Iroh looked grim, "Prince Zuko, do you know who the man is that carved the tattoos into Koi's back and beat her?" He asked, his eyes watching Zuko intently for any indication.
Zuko sighed and nodded.
"Who-"
Zuko held up his hand, stopping Iroh, "No Uncle, that is between Koi and myself. I have known since the first day. I had promised to keep it between her and me. So don't press the matter furth—"
"But Prince Zuko! We must punish the man who did it—"
"Uncle!" Zuko snapped at him, "He will find a way to escape it! I want to kill him so don't think I don't care about it, because I do! Don't bring it up with Koi either." Zuko warned, "I don't think she would be able to bear it. Goodnight Uncle." Zuko closed the door in his uncle's face.
Iroh sighed sadly then moved to his own room, wondering what to do. Koima would never feel totally safe unless the man who had hurt her so badly was dead and gone. 'She was such a nice, kind girl though, but plagued everyday by the thought of her 'Master' finding her.'
"I need some tea." Iroh sighed. He made some chamomile to help him sleep, which he knew was not going to come easy tonight. He picked up the Wanted picture of Koima and read t over, thinking while he drank his tea……he stopped.
'The man who had this sign made must be the person who had hurt Koi!' Iroh flipped the page over, trying to find if it said whom the 'stolen' gold belonged to or who had issued out the Reward. To Iroh's disappointment, it said nothing.
But something was nagging at the back of Iroh's mind. He tried to see what it was, but it slipped away and was lost in his jumble of memories and thoughts.
Iroh drank the rest of his tea and went to bed, hoping that it would come back to him in his dreams.
I seriously thought I posted this like...two days ago, I just realized today that I didn't. I am so sorry y'all!
Hoped you liked. It was fun writing the chapter, but its one of the chapters I hated the most. But its nothing compared to the next one. The next chapter will be waaaay longer then this and the last one I posted for this story. I hope you are all doing well. My parental position still hasn't changed. But thank you all for praying, it means the world to me and I appreciate it.
I've been writing my ass off for the past week or so, trying to lose myself in my writings. I had to buy three more composition books because I have been writing little extra scenes for my "Run Away" story and this one also. I also bought 2 packages of Mechanical pencils with my birthday money!
I'm enjoying listening to "Panic! At the Disco," while typing this. My favorite song on the CD is 'I write Sins, not Tragedies,' from their album, 'A Fever you can't Sweat out.'
Bye bye everyone. Don't forget to review please.
