The next thing I knew, I smelled Jasmine Tea. I didn't want to open my eyes just yet, years of experience and knowledge told me that I should wait to see where I was, and who was with me before I would acknowledge that I was awake. I then heard a door open and close, with the sound of the boy's voice following soon after.
"Did she wake up yet Uncle?" The boy asked.
"No not yet Prince Zuko." A voice replied.
Obviously his Uncle… Prince Zuko…Where have I heard that name before? I thought.
"Uncle! Not while she is here!" Zuko said angry.
"Well you said she firebends so she can't be bad." His Uncle merely stated.
"Yes but she could be with Azula!" Zuko said even angrier.
AZULA! Now I know who he is! Prince Zuko! I thought while then stirring, only to cause a lot of pain. I bit my lip to hold back a scream of agony.
"Now that could complicate things." His Uncle said, while noticing me moving. "It seemed that your friend is awake, Zuko go help her." He added.
"It's ok. I don't need help." I said opening my eyes and using my hands to prop me up against a wall. All while gritting my teeth in pain. "What happened, all I remember was me -" I started but cut my self off. It would be a mistake to give out more than needed, even if they knew it, no need to remind them. "Well really just running from those men. How did I get here?" I asked confused.
"After you fainted, I carried you here, your shin is broken." Zuko said not making eye contact.
I looked at the boy confused; he had no problem making eye contact the first time we met. So why won't he make eye contact now. I looked over to the older man on the other side of the shack. I recognized him immediately from my childhood. "General Iroh!" I said surprised. "I didn't know you were here! I mean I know you were on the run from Azula… Well it seems like every one is these days. I'm surprised that Mai and Ty Lee can actually stand her! Well you know I bet they do it for there safety really…" I rambled on. I was so excited to know that I was among friends.
"I'm sorry not to be rude, but who are you?" Iroh said confused.
"Oh I didn't expect you to remember me. I was young when I last saw you. It was about the time that Prince Zuko was scared…" I said not looking at Zuko, hardly acknowledging his existence. Since he seemed to be doing the same to me, might as well repay the favor. "You might remember my parents though… My father was Admiral Kazuma , and my mother was Mhiaru."
"Oh I knew your Mother briefly, and I knew your father for a while." Iroh said.
"I'm going out Uncle." Zuko said turning away, and walking out the door.
"Please excuse my nephew, he is very wearing around people he doesn't know, especially girls." Iroh said, while sipping tea.
"Its ok, do you mind I need to stretch my legs…" I said getting up and almost forgetting my broken shin, "Well leg…" I added while grabbing the crutches that were next to me. I went out side to find Zuko staring at the sunrise. "Look I know you must hate me, but really, I'm not like other firebenders. I won't turn you in. That would be stupid on my part; I'd end up getting caught myself." I said coming up next to him. He said nothing, it didn't even see like he knew I was there. "Can you say something?" I asked wondering why he wasn't even say anything. "Fine, next time I'll let the rock hit you. I knew it was stupid. Going against instincts and experience to save the life of some one I didn't know." Said turning around, "You know why you even save me, if you're going to ignore me?" I said turning back around to face him. "Why won't you look at me!?" I said getting pissed.
"Honor." He said without turning around.
"What?" I said confused.
"You compromised my honor." He said slowly turning around.
"I compromised your honor?" I said surprised. "How? How did I compromise your honor? What by dragging you into an abandoned house?" I said half joking.
"By saving me," He stated now fully facing me.
"Ok so by saving you from a flying rock, I compromised your honor?" I said slowly trying to make sense of it all.
"Yes." He said.
"Ok, got that, so I compromised your honor, so now you had to help me. Because…" I said trying to provoke more than one sentence answer.
"Because you saved me; so I must save you, it was the only way I could have saved my honor; I couldn't let you get captured by them. Besides if I left you in the state you were in, you would have died from loss of blood." He said with that straight face I've come to know.
Well at least I got more than one sentence out of him… I thought. "Wow it was that bad? Huh, I usually don't get caught like that. I could have avoided this if I didn't go for the money…" I said my mind thinking of a lot of random things, most of them coming out when they should have stayed in. "Hey, what ever happened to my stuff?" I asked quickly changing the subject, hoping he didn't catch that last sentence.
"Most of the fruit got bruised, some of the cloth got to much blood on it, and so it became useless. I don't know how much money you started out with, so I can't really say anything on that; same with your jewelry." He said walking towards the shack. "Come I'll show you."
"Ok," I said hobbling along, happy that he didn't question how I came across such stuff.