DISCLAIMER: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender or any related material. Please review :) let me know what you think! The story will definitely be picking up after this chapter. Prepare for the poison to settle in!
"Aang your new waterbending trick was insanely cool!" Sokka could not contain his excitement as the group, minus Zuko, headed back to camp after the hot springs, "With moves like that, Firelord Ozai can kiss victory goodbye!"
"Gee, thanks Sokka! I don't know what I would do without you guys," Aang smiled at his friends.
The team was in high spirits as they entered their makeshift camp. Katara looked around and didn't see a certain super serious, firebending seventeen year old. "Where's Zuko?" she asked.
"He's sleeping," Toph pointed to his sleeping form; she could feel Zuko from the sensations of the ground.
"In the middle of the day?" questioned Aang.
"Katara, why is that whenever I want to take a midday nap you and your hair loopies always yell at me?" Sokka complained as Suki giggled.
'Because Sokka," Katara snapped back at her brother as she made her way over to Zuko, "It's not really the best time to take a nap when Combustion Man is knocking at our front door."
She kneeled over Zuko, who looked a bit pale in the evening sun. He was fast asleep and curled up on his side. Beads of sweat just barely lined his brow, but he was shivering and holding the blankets tight.
"Zuko," she tried to shake him, "Zuko, wake up."
Zuko didn't move.
"Come on, Katara, let him sleep. I don't think I've ever seen him sleep this long in my life," Sokka pointed out.
But Katara was getting a bit worried, "No, he doesn't look so good."
She shook him a bit harder, "Wake up, Zuko!"
"What's wrong, Katara?" Suki askedq.
"I think he may be running a slight fever," she bit her lip. Why wasn't he waking up?
"Zuko!" Katara practically shouted at her friend, but still not sign of movement.
Aang rushed in a bended a strong gust of wind at Zuko, even sending Katara stumbling back due to its strength. Zuko's eyes flew open and he scrambled in the blankets of his makeshift bed. Zuko's head whipped from side-to-side, trying to search for any sign of danger.
"Wh-what's going on? What's happening?!" Zuko huffed as the shock of his awakening was slowly subsiding.
"Um, what's happening?" Toph said, "You weren't waking up, that's what!"
Toph was direct when she was nervous.
"What do you mean?" Zuko said in irritation.
Zuko was angry when he was nervous.
"What she means is that Katara was trying to wake you up and you weren't!" Sokka repeated, "She though that something was wrong."
"Well clearly, I'm fine" Zuko gestured to himself to show his friends he was still in one piece, "I must have taken a nap when I came back from the pools. Training must have worn me out"—Zuko was guilty about lying to his friends, but he didn't want to worry them—"But it's my fault that I haven't started prepping dinner. I'll start the fire. Thank you, Katara, for checking on me."
She nodded, still a little suspicious if he was telling the truth or not, but said "You're welcome, Zuko."
Aang asked one last time to be sure, "Zuko, are you sure you're alright?"
"I told you, I'm fine," Zuko threw the blankets to the side and stood up, only to get hit with a bout of extreme dizziness when he was upright.
Zuko stumbled ever so slightly, putting a hand to his forehead as he experienced a sharp stab of pain to his head. If it wasn't for Aang's quick reflexes to steady him, Zuko may have lost his footing and hit the ground. He had never felt that unstable on his feet, but the world was spinning and his head was in a decent amount of pain.
"Zuko!" Aang cried as he caught his friend before he fell.
Zuko didn't seem to register him falling or the Avatar catching him, he just held his head for a few moments and, when the pain subsided, shook his head as if to clear away his thoughts.
"Zuko, you should really sit down," Katara's worries spiked again, "Are you feeling dizzy or nauseous?"
She tried guiding him back down to his bed, but he gently pulled away.
"No, I must have just stood up too fast. Really, I'm okay," he tried convincing his friends, who all had worried looks in their eyes.
"Honestly dude, that wasn't just a dizzy spell. You seriously looked green there for a minute," Sokka stated.
Suki came over and put the back of her hand against his forehead, "You're warm too."
Zuko tore away from her hand abruptly, not used to people fretting over him, and snapped "I'm a firebender. Of course I'm warm."
"Look Zuko, she's only trying to help," Sokka protected Suki, "You're here fainting all over the place and, as your friends, we want to be there for you."
Zuko sighed, he was now extremely angry at himself for getting mad at his friends who really were only worried for his wellbeing. He met each of their eyes in apology and was ashamed at himself for worrying them so much.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, and look down at the ground "I guess I'm not used to people caring about me. Weakness was met with violence when I was growing up with my father. I get angry when I'm uncertain about things and, right now, this situation is raising a lot of questions."
Aang was the first to break the silence, walking over to Zuko smiling and put a hand on the fire prince's shoulder, "Whatever it is, we'll get through it together. We're a team."
Zuko smiled back at the Avatar, always wondering why he spent so long hunting him down and how they had grown to become friends.
"if I ever feel poorly, I promise I will let you know," the rest of his friends seemed to ease up when Zuko said that. Looking at Sokka, he continued, "and I did not 'faint all over the place.'"
"Looked that way to me," Sokka joked as Suki nudged him.
The group dispersed for dinner, all was forgiven.
Zuko bundled up his blankets and folded them. As he did, he looked down at his hands. They were shaking. He hid them with the blanket. Zuko thought, I told them I would let them know if anything was wrong. But what's wrong with me?
With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he went to help Katara prepare dinner.