3/16/07

Hoooooooooooooomahgosh peeps, I'm so sorry this is laaaaate! As you can see from the last date, I made Ch. 3 ages ago, but I haven't had a lot of time to post it and work on the next chappies, for this, I sorry:O

So, usually complains, school's a bitch and la-de-da. So I'mma gunna make this up to you guys I swear on my internal organs!!!

Also, part of the reason why Ch. 3 was so late, Cuz I couldn't actually find a beta to help me out and take time to look over it. After complaining about it to Joker (most amazing gal everrrrr! My wee ickle heart goes out to her, LOVE YA JOKIE!) Agreed to be my beta fish and got the fixed copy back to me real fast. But again, I never seem to be able to get on a lot, therefore I didn't even get to LOOK at the fixed copy till, well, today. So yeah.

Btw, I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH! I got soooo many reviews asking me to hurry up and put up some new chappies, I really appreciate them you guys, really you're all amazing! hugs and candy kisses for all! Reviews really help my writing, they get me all excited and want to actually write, please if ya can, send reviews and PMs, I love and read every single message I get:D

Anyways, enough with my rantingness, on with Ch. 4! I'll try to add a bit o' fluff in here for ya'll ;P

-Ch. 4 Why?-

Shit shit shit shiiiit!

This was not good, not good one bit. Fuuuuuck! Why did he have to deal with this? How was this problem? Ah damn, he's coughing up blood. This is NOT good…

Zuko was running, sweat dripping down his face and heart racing in his chest. He had no idea where he was going, the hallways he turned into were filled with a dim green light that gave him a headache and he kept running into dead ends. Where the fuck was the exit?!

Aang was wheezing, sweat and blood and bruises and scars all over his face and bare arms. The Di Li had pretty much beaten the shit outta him and he felt as if he would black out at anytime. But he couldn't, not now, he had to stay awake, at least until it was safe. So he clung to the back of Zuko's dirty shirt and squeezed his eyes shut, hoping, praying that they'd get outta this alive.

Zuko stopped, but only for a second. Looking left and right, panting, heart beat in his ears. He had no idea which way turn, where was the FUCKING exit?! He heard the heavy footsteps of the guards coming behind him, he decided to duck into the left hallway and kept running. YES! He could see a staircase rising up into a big door just ahead! They were going to make it! He made sure the Avatar was firmly in place before he ran as fast and hard as he could. Just a little farther…

Aang coughed, the copper taste of blood in his mouth was horrible, his head pounded and stomach twisted in such a painful way he wanted to scream but couldn't since his throat was burning. Many thoughts passed though his mind at lighting speed, he was in a full-blown panic, and tears were rushing out of his eyes. But the main thought, the one thought he could concentrate on long enough…

"I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die…"

The thought repeated itself over and over and over again in his mind, like a horrid chant made by monsters, faster and faster it went, the voice screeching higher and higher in his head until it was like a deafening ring in his ears. He though his eardrums would bleed by the sound! He tried to open his eyes, but it made everything hurt all the more. Then he felt Zuko running upwards. "Stairs," he thought, a surge of relief swelling in his burning chest "Are we going to make it? Oh god please PLEASE let us make it, I can't die, no, I really don't wanna die, please please PLEASE!"

The door was open a tiny crack, a sliver of bright light escaping from it; this in itself was all the more welcoming to Zuko. He rammed his entire body full speed into the door; it swung open by the force. He kept on running, running full speed, blinded by the bright midday light. Once his eyes started to focus, he could see he was running on a sandy beach into a dense forest. He kept running, running right into the forest and running, running on and on. His chest burned, his throat was dry and burning, his legs felt like they were about to fall off. Still he kept on, until the sound of the heavy boots behind him had faded into the sound of his own feet crunching underneath the forest floor.

Finally he stopped, falling to his knees and letting go of Aang. He stayed there on his hands and knees, the sweat dripping from his body onto the dense forest floor, panting, the only sounds he could hear was the beating of his heart and the panting of his breath. The only thing he could see was the dark green ground beneath him, tiny drops of salty water falling and fading into the already dark ground. He stayed like that for what felt like forever, until finally, he was able to gain some control over his breathing.

He was shaking badly. He let his overheated body drop to the ground, his panting slowed but he felt like a fish, gulping for air and water. His legs burned, but his heartbeat was starting to slow. He turned his head to the right and saw that the Avatar had passed out beside him. His face, despite the cuts, blood, and dirt, looked peaceful. Zuko was worried, he was barely breathing. He just laid there. Zuko reached out a shaking hot hand and put on the Air bender's bare beaten chest. The heartbeat had slowed significantly, but at least he was still alive.

They stayed like that for what felt like hours but in reality it was mere minutes. Eventually the burning in Zuko's chest and legs had faded into just a stiff soreness. His breathing, despite how dehydrated he was, steadied to a somewhat normal pace. His heart beat was still a bit fast, but somewhat normal.

After a bit more time lying there, just starting off into nothing he grudgingly raised to his hands and knees. He sat down and held himself up with his arms, taking a look at his surroundings. The forest was cool and dark, but beautiful compared to the dank dirty cell he had been living in. Sunlight came in though the leaves of the top of the trees, and the dark moss growing on its ground was soft and moist. The air was clean and fresh, a nice breezing coming by and ruffling his clothes and hair, cooling his tired, sore body. He took in a deep breath and sighed, shutting his eyes. He felt he would just fall asleep right there, under the tall trees and atop the soft ground. But no, he knew he couldn't, not just yet. Though the hardest part was over with, they still needed to find a safe place to hide.

He opened his eyes and looked back to Aang's body. He got a horrid feeling in his gut, for the younger boy had gotten the worst of the beatings, not to mention he was very sick to begin with. He got up and carefully picked him up and put him on his back, letting Aang head rest on his shoulder. He lifted Aang up and held him around the back of the legs as he did before. He started to walk, eyes searching for a good place to hide away from evil eyes.

As he walked, the images and conversation only moments before their escape from that wretched place played over and over in his head; anger rose in his chest and made his brow furrow in frustration…

They had been forced into odd rock handcuffs behind their backs and pushed down the dim green hallway. Zuko listened as he sometimes heard bangs and screams of terror and anger coming from other rooms. "So, there are others here after all…" he thought as they were roughly shoved through a door much like the end of the hallway they were previously kept in. This door lead into a room with chairs and a desk, a fireplace burning green fire behind it. The guards shoved the boys into uncomfortable chairs and released the cuffs, instead tying the boys' hands with ropes behind the chairs. Zuko growled and grind his teeth, looking from the guards to the room and everywhere and anywhere else he could shoot a glare at. His eyes then landed on the Avatar, who sat quietly beside him. He stared at the boy, who was looking down with a sad expression, biting his lips and, as far as Zuko could see, shaking with a mix of anger and fear.

The door behind them opened again, Zuko look back as a tall thin man with wired rimmed glasses walked into the room. The man was wearing very fine clothes, silk dark greens and light greens designed into a long robe. His hair was not in a braid like most of the higher class men wore them. Actually, this man was completely bald. He had 2 ear-piercings in each ear, and a very light, pale scar cross diagonally from his cheek to a little past the eyebrow. He walked with such grace, with an air of class about him. He swept past the boys, completely oblivious to the glares Zuko shot at him. Then the fire bender boy's eyes widened, for the man had a tattoo on the back of his head. It was a tattoo of a black dragon, with fiery red eyes that pierced Zuko's heart with a slight pain, sharp claws detailed to look as if the dragon would come alive and rip his guts out. Then Zuko noticed a small girl shuffling behind the man. She too, wore a similar robe only without sleeves and long slits in the sides. She wore white pants that end above her ankles and wire rimmed glasses. Short black hair with side swept bangs covered her right eye. She too, had piercings in her ears but only one in each. Zuko also noticed she carried a large writing pad, an ink bottle, pen, and a few scrolls in her arms. She looked over to him, noticed he was looking at her, blushed bright red, and quietly shuffled to behind the tall man's chair as he sat down. She places the scrolls in from of him, set her ink bottle down, and looked to be getting ready to write things down; things Zuko had no idea about.

The man leaned over in his chair, resting his elbows on the table and folding his hands together, rested his chin on them. Zuko noted the man was staring at him, eyes slowing studying up and down his body, looking carefully at every little detail. Zuko glared at the man again, but like before, he took no notice of it as he looked to Aang and started to study him. The girl just stood quietly beside his chair, pen in hand ready to write on the large pad she held in her arm. The man looked back at Zuko "So, you are the famous Prince Zuko, I have heard tale of you. The banished Prince with a scar over his left eye." The man's voice was very deep and rich, but showed no real emotion behind it, he smirked slightly from the corner of his mouth when Zuko growled and bared his teeth. He then looked again over to Aang, "And you, you're the Avatar. I have heard even more of you." Aang looked up, eyes wide but kept silent. Once the man turned away from him again, he went back to staring blankly down at the floor.

"Oh, do forgive me, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Commander Ritsuka Soki." He smiled a bit too warmly, sitting back in his chair and casting a hand toward the girl beside him but not looking at her. "And this is my assistant, Miss Yuiko Kongi." The small girl bowed, short hair falling into her face, "She will be taking notes of our talk together."

"What do you want with us?!" Zuko barked, forget formalities, this guy had locked him up for days in a dark dirty cell with nothing! Commander Ritsuka sat up some, a bit taken aback with Zuko's anger. But in seconds that same cocky smirk came up and he placed his chin back onto his folded hands. "My my, being the angry one today are we? You know, you shouldn't really try to be rude to the man who determines whether you live or die." Despite the stone set face Zuko used, his gut twisted up in knots, he tried to hid this sudden feeling of fear from the man, but he seemed to see right though Zuko as he smirked again and leaned back in his chair.

"Now then, shall we begin?" he looked over to his assistant beside him and nodded, who in turn dip her pen into the ink and being writing furiously down on her pad. He looked again at both Zuko and Aang before continuing. "Now, I understand that you both have taken residence in Bah Sing Sei, Why is this so?" "We don't have to answer to you!" Zuko growled. Ritsuka frowned, dark eye brows furrowing, he look past Zuko and nodded. Zuko turned to look at who he was nodding toward, but a rock fist met with the side of his face and knocked him hard in the jaw. He gasped in surprise as the pain shot up in his face; he coughed a bit before spitting out a bit of blood and a tooth. Damn that guy had a punch.

"Now, I'll ask you again," Ritsuka said, frowning "Why have you two taken residence here in our humble city?"

Ok, so maybe it was probably best to answer this guy, "My uncle and I are being hunted down by the Fire Nation, so we're hiding out here where they can't get to us." Zuko regretted this statement as soon as it left his lips; he hadn't wanted to get his uncle involved in this. A pang of guilt clutched his stomach as he looked away from those dark eyes that kept looking into his own.

"I see." Replied the Commander, again that cocky smirk playing across thin lips. The small girl beside him looked toward him, waiting, pen hovering slightly above the paper. Commander Ritsuka then looked over to Aang, "And you, young Avatar?"

Aang's eyes widened from their previous blankness, he stayed silent, and continued staring at the ground. When no respond came, the Commander frowned, and Zuko was surprised when the guard behind the younger boy then came up and, like Zuko, punched him in the face. A gasp escaped Aang's lips, followed by a series of coughs, a couple drops of blood falling from his mouth and onto the stone floor.

For some unknown reason, another pang of guilt flipped inside Zuko…

But…why? Why was he feeling…sympathetic with the Avatar? His enemy? He should be ENJOYING this, not…feeling bad for him…

Aang's coughing lessened, and was replaced with sharp intakes of breath. "I'll ask you again, Avatar" Commander Ritsuka said again, speaking his name like a bite from a venomous snake, "Why are you here?"

Silence again, until Aang's small, choked voice weakly replied,

"I'm looking…for my bison…"

"How do you know your bison is in our city?"

"Because…because someone said…that he was taken here…"

"Who said this to you?"

"…a man…"

Again, a stone fist met Aang's face, this time harder as his chair was tipped over by the impact. The guard picked him up by his collar, setting the chair back in place.

"Who told you your bison was in Bah Sing Sei Avatar?!" Zuko's stomach flipped and twisted Ritsuka's voice. It was cold, hard and sharp as a sword, it was a voice that demanded respect and a voice containing years of superiority.

A voice, much like his father's…

Aang said nothing, head bent down to the floor again. The Commander gave a nod to the guard, who returned the nod curtly and walked in front of the small Air bender. The guard was very tall; he loomed over Aang like a giant. But as soon as Aang looked up to see who cast such a long shadow, a fist met the side of his face, and the sickening sound of a crunch could be heard. The sound made Zuko winch, he looked again as Aang gasped and coughed and wheezed horridly, choking on the taste of blood in his mouth.

The Commander, rose to his feet, compared to his petite assistant he, like the guard, was a giant. He walked out from behind the desk, past Zuko and toward Aang. The guard stepped back from the Air bender, walking back in place beside the other guards behind the two boys. In one swift move Commander Ritsuka grabbed Aang by the collar and pulled him up so he and his chair were hovering mere inches above the ground,

"Listen, you fucking BRAT!" Ritsuka hissed between clenched teeth. "I don't give a fuck if you're the Avatar or not, I have a chance to rule this city, and I'm not going to let you take that away from me!" He dropped Aang, chair clanking to the ground and stood straight. He did not move, blazing eyes glaring down at the young Air Bender. Zuko watched still, millions of questions zipping through his head. Who IS this guy? What does he mean take control of the city? What does he WANT from us?

"Untie him; take him to the interrogation room." Ritsuka turned his back to Aang, robe flaring out in his swift movements. "Lash him until he either talks, or dies. I will stay here and continue questioning the other one." With those orders spoken, the guards undid the ropes that held Aang, handcuffed him again, and dragged him out of the room, all the while, he did nothing but stared at the ground under him with a fearful silence.

The doors shut with a loud bang, and Zuko turned back toward the three remaining people in the room. Commander Ritsuka had taken residence back behind his desk, the girl again writing furiously on the large pad she carried.

"Now then Prince Zuko," the Commander started with that cold hard voice. "Tell me, in what area of the city have you and your Uncle have taken residence?" Zuko looked to the floor, wondering what he should say. What did it matter what he said to him, in the end he would still be killed, right? But Uncle…

"No comment" Zuko replied.

This of course, made the Commander very angry, but that expression changed into a smirk again as the one remaining guard came from behind and punched Zuko right in the gut. The Fire bender's eyes widened and he coughed up blood yet again. He kneeled over, gasping for air.

"Now that wasn't a very well played move you just pulled my little Prince." The Commander leaned over and rested his chin on his hands yet again. "Now if you don't cooperate, I may just have to have you killed as well." He looked to the girl beside him, who looked back with no real emotion. He smiled in a cocky way and turned his eyes to Zuko. "Yuiko may look small and fragile, but I assure you she is very well trained AND armed." To this the girl moved her robe back a bit on her right leg to reveal a series of daggers strapped to her thigh. She moved the robe back without even batting an eyelash, and shifted the writing pad in her arms.

Zuko glared at her, then to Ritsuka. He sat straight in his chair, attempting to show that the punches thrown at him didn't faze him. He had to make a move; fast, just had to wait for the opportune moment…

"Now, Zuko, tell me, where have you taken residence in Bah Sing Sei?"

Zuko smirked, looking the man right in the eyes…

"No comment."

And then he made him move, he burned though the tight ropes around his wrists, twirling around fast and kicking the guard behind him right in the face. The move was unexpected and forced the guard to trip backward into the pillar behind him, making contact hard and sliding to the ground. Zuko turned around quick enough to see that the girl had dropped her pen and pad and was now throwing one of her daggers right at him. He was able to duck as it whizzed past his ear. He shot a fire blast at her; she ducked low and came up right in front of him, aiming to stab him in the heart. Zuko grabbed her arm and used it to twist her around; he grabbed the dagger from her captured hand and held it to her neck. Fire burned in the Prince's eyes as he glared toward the man who hadn't even moved from his chair.

"I'll kill her, don't think I won't." Zuko hissed, pressing the cold blade to the girl's neck who gasped in reply, her body shook against Zuko's chest as he held his grip on her arm. He started taking steps backward, toward the door, keeping his eyes on the Commander the entire time.

He then pushed the girl forward, who stumbled and fell to the ground, coughing and touching her neck. He had unintentionally nicked the side of her neck and it was bleeding slightly. He turned and ran to the door, throwing it open and racing out.

He ran down the halls, just waiting to hear those footsteps behind him. He stopped, breathing hard, listening around him. He shut his eyes and concentrated…

Wha-cank!...Wha-cank!...Wha-cank!...

There, to his left, he could hear the sounds of a whip being brought down a ways away. He sprinted toward that direction, the sound growing louder and louder in his ears.

1…2…3…HERE!

He punched the door, which swung open with a creak and slammed into the wall behind it. 4 guards all looked to Zuko, 1 by the door, 1 with a long black whip, and the 2 others on either side of the one with the whip.

Zuko jumped into the room, throwing kicks and punches and fire blasts every which way. The guard with the whip tried to slash him, but dropped it when a fire blast hit him right in the chest and sent him crashing into the opposite wall. Zuko then looked to see the Avatar on his knees, facing the wall. He had been stripped of his shirt, his bare back covered in bleeding cuts that criss-crossed each other. He turned to see what all the commotion was, his eyes widening at just who it was saving him.

Zuko quickly went over, bending down and started to untie the air bender, who just watched as his hands were freed. Once released, he gripped his wrists and rubbed them, looking up as Zuko rose.

"But…why?"

The question needed no real validation, as Zuko held his hand out for Aang to grab. "Because Avatar," Zuko replied "If anyone is to kill you, it's going to be me."

Aang look on with an expression of confusion, he looked to the hand being offered to him, then to those golden eyes that looked down at him, not sure of what exactly he could do.

Footsteps, a lot of them, could be heard coming down the hallway. Zuko growled, damnit, they were already on there way. "Come on! Let's go before they get here!"

"I…I can't move…" Aang looked to the ground, "Just go and leave me here…"

Zuko growled and grabbed Aang by the wrist, pulling him up and throwing the boy hazardously onto his back. "I told you, if anyone's going to be killing you it WILL be me, we're getting out of here together."

And with that, Zuko ran.

There, just ahead, a small cave behind a large willow tree, covered in moss. This would be their hideout until they were able to get back to the city. Zuko walked to the cave and stepped inside. The small area went back into a dark abyss, moss and vines grew from the walls, ceiling, and ground. Zuko walked farther back, until he faced the back of the cave. Water dripped from the ceiling, into small puddles on the floor. Zuko bent and set the sleeping Aang down. He knelt to one of the small pools and took the water in his hands. He then splashed the freezing liquid onto his face, the cold feeling wonderful on his burning skin. He then took another handful and drank until his thirst was satisfied. Again, he looked to Aang, who laid on his stomach unmoving, the deep red of the cuts on his back visible even in the damp cave.

Zuko moved over and sat next to Aang. He pulled his knees up to his chest and crossed his arms over them. Resting his chin onto his knees, he sighed, questions he had no answers to rising yet again in his head.

"Why?" he asked himself, "Why did I bother going back for him? Why did I save him? Why didn't I just let them kill him? Why…

Why did I care?"

Over and over Zuko played the whole rescue in his head, and over and over he asked these questions. And yet, over and over he still could not think of a single reason why he did what he did.

This whole thing, it was starting to bother Zuko. It was bothering him a lot actually.

Why…that was the question, it was the question to everything in Zuko's life…

Why did he care about the Avatar?

Haaaaaaa I gotta say, that was my best chapter yet! So we're really getting along in the storyline huh? Sorry this didn't really have any fluff in it, I is workin' on et! D:

Btw, if you can figure out what manga I got some of the things in here from, I'll give you a special prize. :3

If you're wondering "I don't remember those two people ever being in the show! D: " Well, it's because I made them up:D Yeah, I created a couple OCs for this chapter, and they may show up in chapters to come. Their 1st names are from the manga I've been reading (hinthintnudgenudge) but otherwise they are both my lil' villains. :D

So Ch. 5 coming along soon I promise! Really, why are you looking at me that way? I'm sorry!!!!! D:

Plz dun't hurt mah

Bunny