Zuko woke up a half hour before Katara. As his view came into focus, he could make out a wooden ceiling above his head. For a few moments he thought that they had been captured and his heart began to race as he felt panic. Then he looked down at the rest of his body. He was lying on a bed with white sheets and iron railing on the sides. Why wasn't he strapped down? Why wasn't there anyone to tell him that soon his life would be over?
Then he heard a beeping sound coming from his right. He looked over to see several wires and a machine with green lines going up and down. It looked like little mountains of different sizes with a bunch of numbers floating above them. That was the source of the beeping. His confusion grew.
He felt an uncomfortable pain in his left arm. He looked down at it and saw that there was a needle in it with a tube sticking out. The tube was connected to a bag of liquid hanging on a thin metal frame.
Suddenly, a woman in a white outfit and dark hair entered. "Oh! Good you're awake," she said with a grin.
Now Zuko was really confused. "Who are you? Are you here to finish me off?"
She looked shocked. "What? Why would I do that?"
"So I'm not in the Fire Nation...," he whispered to himself.
"Of course you are!" the woman said grinning again. Zuko's heart started beating fast again and he was paler than the outfit the woman wore. "Don't you know of the different countries?"
When Zuko didn't reply she said, "There are several countries, you know. Mist, Lightening, Wind, Cloud, etc."
He became a fraction less pale but his heart still raced on. What was she talking about? There were only four nations! He thought that she had confused Mist with Water and Wind with Air but he'd never heard of Lightening or Cloud.
"What…are you talking about?" he asked, his heart slowing down to a safe pace.
The nurse stared at him like he was crazy. "Maybe you have amnesia or something. I'm going to tell the doctor about this." She walked to his side and produced a tray with various medicines, bags, and cylinders. She ran her fingers swiftly over the items, every once in a while grabbing something and laying it on the bed.
She ended up with a small cylinder, needle, a disinfectant patch, a tourniquet, and a band-aid.
"This won't hurt too horribly," she said with a smile and rubbing the disinfectant patch on a part of his inner elbow. She then tied the tourniquet around his upper arm.
He was used to this from being in the Fire Nation's hospital. But he was lucky to be the Fire prince because he got the best room in the best part of the hospital where he got the best food, treatment, and operators, anything he needed. He knew that this would different than those times.
He was drawn out of his thoughts by a sharp pain in his arm. It felt as if she was trying to saw his arm off and he squeezed his eyes shut wincing.
"Oops! Sorry about that. This is my first time without practicing on the dummy," the nurse apologized smiling shyly.
"I feel sorry for the dummy," he muttered between clenched teeth.
"Here let me try again…"
"No!" The nurse looked up at him. He blushed slightly. "Um, I mean…maybe the doctor should do it. You wanted him to see if I had amnesia, right?"
"Oh! Yes! Thank you for reminding me." She smiled again before walking out the door with the equipment.
Once she was gone, Zuko made a sound between a sigh and a groan. He sank into the comfort of the sheets and blankets and closed his eyes, listening to the sound of his heart beating.
Zuko next opened his eyes when he felt needles being taken out of him. He saw the faces of a different nurse with long chestnut hair and a middle-aged man with graying hair smiling down on him.
"It seems that you and your friend are good enough to go now. We'll allow you to get dressed and check out after we leave. Are there any of your relatives or friends we can call to come and get you?"
Zuko blinked still tired and a little confused. "Um, no, I'm fine."
"Okay then, we'll leave you. Your clothes are over there," the doctor said, cocking his head to a pile of red and brown clothes folded on a chair in the far corner.
Zuko cautiously rose and went to the cornor. They seemed to have washed his clothes but there were still a few white flecks on them. He hastily brushed them of and dressed.
He went to the opposite wall where a mirror stood. Despite the paleness and weariness, he looked pretty good. He smiled, pleased with his appearance.
Going out the door he realized that he didn't know his way around. Going down the hall he found the nurses' station and asked them how to get out.
The plump, smiling woman behind the desk was also middle-aged and when she smiled her eyes completely disappeard under rolls. "Just continue down this hall and turn left. The exit is at the end of that corridor."
"Thank you," Zuko said smiling politely. After a few steps he stopped and turned around. "Oh! And could you please tell me where Katara is?" The nurse just stared at him blankly.
"The girl who came in with me? You know, tan skin, brown hair, blue eyes?" he said trying everything to get her to remember.
"Oh, yes! The sweet young lady with the braids. She left a few minutes ago. If you hurry you may catch her."
Zuko jogged down the hall and to the exit, not wanting to get scolded for running. Once out the door, he looked both ways looking for a sign of her.
Just when he was about to give up he spotted her. Grinning he sprinted to her.
"Hey, Katara," he said grabbing her shoulder. The girl turned around – and turned out to be someone else. "Oh…sorry. I thought you were someone else. He let her go and turned around. 'Crap, I'm never gonna find her,' he thought sadly.
"Wait!"
Zuko turned his head to see the girl he had mistaken for Katara. She caught up to him and smiled.
"I know where Katara is," she said cheerfully. "I can take you to her if you want."
He returned her smile. "Thank you."
They walked west down a small lane. Almost all of Konoha was in the streets that day and it was difficult to stay with the girl.
"What's your name?"
It took Zuko a few seconds to realize that she was talking to him. "Zuko," he replied.
"Zuko? That's an interesting name. Mine is Hokuto. It's nice to meet you." She gave another smile.
"Hokuto," he said thoughtfully. "That means the North Star doesn't it?"
"Yes! Not many people seem to get that," she said happily. "Ah! Here we are. This is where she is staying."
They were in front of a big apartment with a large porch in the center of the village. Zuko almost didn't believe her. He was about to question her but she had already gone up to the door and knocked on it. Zuko got up beside her and waited.
The owner of the apartment came after a minute. "I'm coming, hold on."
The door opened.
A/N: The dreaded cliffhanger. (dun dun duh) Okay, well PLEASE R&R. I don't know how many read this and I have no clue if anyone likes certain things or dislikes things and I need to know for future chapters. Thanks. ;