*I don't anything. Please don't remind me of that*
Zuko didn't know what was worse. The fact that everybody was staring at him or that his right fist was bleeding from all the skin splitting off his hand.
He decided on the first choice. His insecurities were kicking into high gear, and the fact that even the blind girl was staring at him, literally, was freaking him out. Not to mention that guy Takamura was giving him a weird smirk. Zuko didn't know much about the guy, but he started thinking of evil gay rapists. That thought freaked him out to no end.
Takamura leaned forward and grabbed Zuko arm, touching the knuckles that no longer had any skin. Zuko felt like screaming, for the pain and the fact that a creepy guy was touching him. He didn't do touching, especially guys who he felt were eye-raping him a second ago.
Takamura brought him to the infirmary room with Iroh and Toph following closely. When inside he opened a drawer and pulled out a first-aid kit. Taking out some antiseptic spray and bandages, he cleaned the wound before wrapping them in the cloth that would protect the wound from infection.
Takamura cleared his throat. "So I'm guessing you hit like that on a regular basis" he stated, chuckling to himself. "Have you always wanted to be a boxer?"
"Yeah," Zuko replied honestly. "The fighting seems so honorable, and the enthusiasm that people have for it inspires everyone. Boxers are like gladiators from Rome, and the respect they get is second to none in society."
Takamura smiled. So the kid wanted to reach for greatness. Well, he was gonna have to prove he was capable of reaching that peak.
"Okay Zuko, if you want me to train you, you're going to have to do something for me," Takamura said. He had a challenge, and this was going to be tougher then it would seem.
Zuko wanted in on the boxing world. He wanted to be a champion, to prove that he was not as useless as everyone used to say he was. He was ready to do anything in order to become a boxer.
Zuko nodded at Takamura's request, and only followed when Takamura went outside. Toph followed the two, wanting to know full well what the challenge was.
Zuko, Toph and Takamura stopped in front of a tree. Takamura told them to stand back as he kicked the tree. As leaves fell down from the branches, Takamura got into his stance, left foot in front of the other, left fist in front of the right one. As he unclenched his fists, his left hand shot out and captured the leaves before they hit the floor. After five seconds, he alternated his hands and shot out his right hand, doing the same thing.
Zuko was confused. He didn't understand why Takamura was showing him this, nor could he understand the meaning behind the show.
Toph, on the other hand, being more observant then Zuko, understood perfectly. 'This Takamura is fast.' She thought admiringly. 'He's doing this for Zuko to understand the speed necessary for it to be made in the boxing world. I hope Zuko is figuring this out.'
Takamura rose to his full height ad looked to Zuko. "Alright Zuko, here is the challenge: you need to catch ten leaves in each hand in order to get me to train you. When you can, then I'll train you."
Zuko grinned. "Catching ten leaves in each hand? How hard do you think that will be?"
"Believe me, it's harder then it seems."
"To who?" Zuko questioned. "Four year-olds? This shouldn't be too hard."
As Zuko stepped up to the tree, he caught his adrenaline rush. Zuko pushed the tree, and the leaves started to fall. Zuko got into the same fighting stance. Zuko punched the air, grabbing leaves as they fell out of the sky, before the switching his arms and doing the same. When the leaves stopped he checked his palms, counting the leaves both hands.
Zuko's face dropped in disappointment when he noticed that he only caught five in each hand.
Toph, however, was surprised, along with Takamura. Takamura couldn't believe how much leaves Zuko had caught on his first try. Toph was surprised he caught any at all. But that didn't stop her from making a smart remark about it.
"Wow, and I thought you meant to catch ten leaves," she teased. "You must be embarrassed if an old man can catch more then you."
Zuko bit back a smart remark, opting to glare at her instead. He expected her to back down, but remembered that he tried to initiate a glaring contest with a blind girl. He didn't know which made him feel more stupid, the fact that he tried that or the fact that she was most likely picking up his heartbeat from his embarrassment. Instead, he turned to the tree and tried again, resulting in five leaves in his right hand and seven in his left.
Toph was grinning. She felt the increase of his heartbeat, knowing that he was embarrassed about her earlier comment. She may have made fun of him, but honestly, she was impressed. She expected him to do worse. Besides, the fact that he tried again showed her just how dedicated he was about his training.
Zuko kept trying, getting the same amount of leaves in his hands every attempt. Zuko was getting frustrated. He knew he could do this, he just didn't know what he was doing wrong.
Takamura cleared his throat, and Toph became annoyed. Takamura always did that when he wanted their attention. "You can always just talk, you know," she said, finally getting impatient with his sighing.
Takamura gave her a look before turning to Zuko. "You don't have to do it now, although I admire your devotion. You have until the end of this week. Today is Monday, so on Friday, you need to show me how you progressed."
Zuko gave a sigh before turning to Toph and bringing her to Iroh back in the gym. "Uncle, I think its time that we go," Zuko told him.
Iroh gazed at the time. "I believe you are right, Zuko. Miss Toph, would you like me to drop you off at your house, or at another area?"
"I don't wanna go home yet," Toph complained. Iroh frowned.
"But you have to go home. Your parents are probably worrying about you."
"I'm pretty sure they don't even know I'm gone. They're both away for work."
"Well, isn't there someone else at the house that will take care of you?"
"There's the butler, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't care. I threw most of my food at him. Since then, he and I don't see eye-to-eye."
Zuko laughed. That was to be expected of Toph. After a while Toph joined in, and Iroh, feeling the joy of both teenagers, soon laughed himself.
"You can crash at our house if you like," Zuko offered after his laughter died.
Toph widened her eyes, turning her sightless milky orbs to Iroh. "Can I stay over Iroh?"
Iroh thought it over. "Sure you can. Besides, we are going to register him into your school tomorrow morning."
Zuko grimaced at the mention of school. He knew it was coming, but he didn't have to be happy about it.
"Oh, and Toph get your room, Zuko," Iroh said after a moment.
"What?" Zuko shouted with Toph laughing uncontrollably next to him. And the rest of the car ride went like that till the arrived home.
o0o0o
Zuko hated things, things like bunnies. They freaked him out as well as really sour food. On the top of his hate list: waking up to go to school.
School was a place for sickos and psychos. One's who loved math and reading, and did homework for fun. People who would undoubtedly extend technology in the future, but who won't be remembered because there are going to be people who control their operations, and the boss will be remembered.
Nevertheless, Zuko had to get dressed and brush his teeth, and only after exiting the shower did he remember Toph was there at his house. Now she was standing outside the bathroom door, waiting to use the bathroom, and if it weren't for the fact that she was blind, Zuko would have been utterly embarrassed that he was only covered in a towel; but Toph was blind, so he calmly stepped to the side and walked to his room.
Toph was out the same time Zuko was dressed in his black jeans and red shirt. Toph had on a green blouse with black jeans. Her green Converse completed the outfit, and her headband seemed to keep her bangs in her eyes.
Zuko just washed his hair and didn't bother combing it. The water would help keep the spikes down, and when his hair would dry, it would still be down covering his scar. The look seemed to fit him perfectly, but he was still bummed about school.
Zuko thought that Ba Sing Sae High School, or BSSH, would be like all the other schools he's ever been to: filled with classes and people who would annoy him. The good thing was that Toph was in his school, the bad was that she wasn't in the same grade. Still, he had a friend and it would be better then not knowing anybody at all.
Iroh was driving, Zuko and Toph got into the car to experience the hell that was high school.
Toph broke the silence first. "It's okay to be nervous Sparky, but can you please calm down. Your heartbeat is going through the roof."
Zuko grunted. "I'm sorry if me hating the hellhole is driving you crazy but I don't wanna be here."
"It's not that bad Princy."
"Yes it is. I'm gonna have people staring at me because of the scar, and people bugging me to join clubs and stuff."
"Well the girls will be staring for another reason," Toph stated teasingly.
"What?"
"Nothing, but you have to calm down Fire twat."
"Says you, Badger Midget."
"What?"
"Badger Midget, it's your new name. Your first pet was a badger mole. Plus, you're really small."
"Wow that was actually pretty good, Princess."
"Take that back Toph."
"Nope," Toph said smirking.
Iroh just smiled as the two bickered back and forth. They seemed like family already, and even though Zuko was complaining, he could tell the boy was laughing and smiling from his discussion with the smaller girl. He had to cut them of as he pulled up to the school.
Zuko was still talking to Toph as they exited the car. "So you are coming back to the house right? 'Cause you know I'll be really bored without you laughing at me, right?"
"I'll be there later Sparky. Just remember to bring the ice cream if we are watching a movie." Toph said with a smirk.
"Why do I have to bring the ice cream? You're just gonna eat all of it anyway."
"Cuz you asked me to come." She replied, turning to the school and walking inside.
Zuko walked to the school with his uncle to the principal's office, and when the guidance counselor in the front desk gave him a schedule, did his uncle decide to leave and let Zuko enjoy his time in school. Zuko had to talk to the principal and when he knocked on the door, he opened it to find a really old guy with gray hair and a bald spot on the top of his head. One eye seemed to be bigger then the other and his had this smile that said 'I'm insane and don't forget it'.
"Hello, my name is Zuko. I'm new here." Zuko said respectfully.
"The name's Bumi and I am the principal. Don't get into any trouble, because trouble will undoubtedly find you," he said with a cackle.
Zuko left the cackling principal alone; sort of glad he didn't have him as a principal. To be fair, it would have been cool. Zuko could tell he was a cool guy to be around, but in a position of power? Zuko shuddered at the idea, beginning to wonder if Principal Bumi was really insane, or just to wise for his own good.
His first class was biology, on the first floor. He thanked God for that as he reached the room and opened it to reveal a tall, busty woman with black hair to her back and most of it covering one of her eyes.
Zuko reached up to the lady and gave her the letter from the guidance counselor. She gave it a quick look over before turning to the rest of the class.
"Okay kids, it seems like we have a new student with us. My name is Ms. June. Now can you introduce yourself to the rest of the class?"
Zuko turned to the other students. "My name is Zuko Agni," he mumbled, barely audible in the silent class. He hated public speaking and couldn't understand why teachers made him do this in the first place, but he had to deal with it and got it over with as fast as possible.
Ms. June looked at him skeptically. "Alright, go sit behind Sokka. Sokka raise your hand for Zuko, please."
A boy with the sides of his head shaved and a ponytail turned around from the girl he was flirting with and raised his hand. 'So that is Sokka,' Zuko thought.
As he made his way to the desk, most of the kids turned to look at him. Mostly they stared at his scar, and it only took one glare to make them look away. Zuko was intimidating, with or without the scar, and he knew it too.
Sokka had dark skin and blue eyes, which was a big contrast to most of the other students there. Everyone usually had light skin, so he knew that Sokka would be burned into his memory.
Sokka stared at the new kid for a while. Not because of his scar, but because of the bandages on his right hand. This kid must've hit something really hard to get bandages that thick covering his hand.
Zuko sat down and put his backpack on the table before facing forward. Sokka reached his hand out to Zuko saying, "Hi, I'm Sokka."
Zuko just looked at his hand, not knowing whether to shake it or not. He decided to shake it to not seem rude. Sokka had a lazy smile on his face, noticing that he was talking to the new kid.
"Where did you move from?" Sokka questioned.
Zuko frowned. Why was this boy trying so hard to talk to him? "I'd rather not think about my old home."
Sokka nodded, understanding where the boy was coming from. "Do you wanna eat lunch with me and my friends later?" he asked. Sokka was intrigued by the boy, even if he couldn't explain it. He found the boy interesting, and wanted to know more about him.
Zuko thought it over. "Who do you sit with?" he asked finally.
Sokka smiled, taking that as a yes from the scarred teen. "Just a couple of friends. Me, my sister, my girlfriend Suki, and my friends Aang, Haru, and Toph."
Zuko's head shot up. "Did you say Toph?"
"Yeah, why? Do you know her or something?" Sokka asked.
"Yeah, she works for my Uncle Iroh," Zuko answered.
"Your uncle owns the Jasmine Dragon?" Sokka asked. "That's so cool. I'll have to try some one of these days."
Zuko smiled. Apparently he was making friends left and right, and it took less effort then all the other schools he was in. Zuko smiled to himself at the thought, and waited for the bell to ring, and end the period.
o0o0o0o
Sokka was still talking a mile a minute when they were on their way to lunch and Zuko kind of zoned out of his rambling. He was thinking of the challenge Takamura had presented him with. He wanted to prove himself more then anything. He wanted to be a boxer, and he wanted to prove to himself that he could make it. Zuko was so deep in thought that he didn't hear Sokka trying to get his attention until he was snapping in his face.
"Zuko. ZUKO!" Sokka was shouting now, but could you blame him, the kid spaced out. He was pleased when Zuko jumped, signaling that he was brought back to the land of the living.
"What?" Zuko snapped. He had been trying to remember what Takamura had done that Zuko hadn't. He was still drawing blanks until Sokka woke him up.
"Were here, dude. The table is at the middle of the lunch room," Sokka had told him that the table was theirs and kicked out the people who was already there. That made Zuko chuckle at the sight of a tough Sokka and a violent one.
Zuko noticed all the people who then came to the table. One was a kid who had a skully on. He had blue arrow tattoos on his hands that looked like arrows. He also had gray eyes that seemed to big for his small body, and he talked even faster than Sokka. He introduced himself as Aang to Zuko, and Zuko could tell that Aang was a klutz as he tripped trying to shake Zuko's hand, and Zuko saw the kid was also bald when he took off the skully to cool his head down and put it back on minutes later.
A girl with brown-reddish hair came up next, and kissed Sokka on his lips before sitting down and talking to him. Zuko knew this girl was Suki; the kiss had given that away. She looked at Zuko and they introduced themselves before she went back to making out with Sokka while Aang was rambling about some monk tradition to Zuko.
A guy with a mustache was walking with Toph; that is until she started running to talk to Zuko. Zuko smiled as the girl began to complain about this girl named On Ji who tried to make her wear lip gloss during History period. Zuko laughed until the guy came in and introduced himself as Haru.
Zuko thought he was a relative to Sokka for the dark skin, but the boy had dark eyes and Zuko easily dismissed the idea.
Toph and Haru were rambling about something when he saw her. She was as the same skin tone as Sokka and she had the same colored eyes. He didn't know why but he was instantly attracted to her, like she was some sort of magnet and his blood was iron. She sat down in front of Sokka and started talking to Aang, who seemed to be trying to flirt with her. She was smiling at him, but never flirted back, instead laughed at his attempts to get her attention. Then her eyes found him.
He didn't know why she stared at him for as long as he was staring at her, but he was not one to complain. Zuko decided to soak her in, and began to memorize her chocolate skin and her long brown hair. He noticed she had hair loopies from going around her ears, and the back of her hair was long and slightly curled, flowing down her back like a peaceful waterfall. Zuko rubbed his face. Why was he was becoming some sort of poet with his description? He just met the girl, and he didn't even get a name yet. He was still rubbing his face, and didn't notice that she went to sit in front of him.
Zuko looked up and found that she was right in front of him. He jumped back a couple of inches so that their faces weren't so close.
Before he could stop himself, he growled out, "Personal space is a necessity."
She looked like he had just grown a second head and he blushed when he noticed what he said.
"I'm sorry," he quickly apologized. "My name is Zuko."
She looked at him weirdly before saying, "I'm Katara. You're the new kid, right?"
"Who wants to know?" Zuko whispered, with a sexy grin. He didn't know why he did that, all he knows is that he did and she was blushing.
"I do," she said, finally getting her voice back. She didn't know why she was affected by this boy. Sure, he was attractive, and his scar made him all the more attractive, but seriously, she shouldn't be feeling this about a boy she just met.
Zuko was taken back a bit by the answer. He had been expecting an answer like 'nobody' or 'no reason'. She was bold, like Toph, but she was more subtle about it.
Zuko actually took the time to observe her now that she was talking to him. She was attractive, for sure, but she didn't have really big breast that most horny males would go for. Her body was perfect for her. Her chest was firm but not really big, and her hips were narrow and her legs were thin. She looked like she was into sports, but not into those aggressive sports with alot of physical contact like basketball, but something more independent, like track or swimming.
He couldn't stop himself from asking "What sports do you play?" and it earned him a small smirk from the Katara. But it wasn't a 'you slipped' smirk, it was an 'I know you were just checking me out' smirk, and Zuko was having a hard time keeping his soldier at ease. 'How is she able to get such a reaction out of me?' he thought to himself.
Katara was enjoying this new kid. He seemed to be flustered quite easily and she loved making guys blush, especially since she doesn't really do it that often. She didn't like to draw attention to herself, and the boys' flustered stature made her smile. He wasn't like Aang who she constantly made blush, because she didn't do anything to make him blush. Zuko was more attractive and he was older then her. She also liked his hair, and if she was completely honest with herself, she found she wanted to run her fingers through his black locks and run her hand down his stomach. The shirt told her Zuko worked out, and the thought made her want to drool, but not at this moment. She didn't want to make a fool out of herself quite yet.
"Hey Sugar Queen, you found Sparky, huh," Toph had interrupted, and Zuko couldn't decide whether to be mad or thankful. She saved him from possibly making a fool out of himself, but she stopped the conversation.
"Yeah, he doesn't seem that keen on talking," Katara replied.
"Well, you might wanna talk to Aang, he wants to ask you something," Toph said.
With a nod, Katara went to the bald-headed boy and left Toph and Zuko alone.
Toph glanced at Zuko. "You like Sugar Queen, don't you?"
Zuko blushed. "Like isn't the right word."
"So what is the right word?"
"More like connected."
"That sounds like some past lives shit. I don't need more of that. I get enough of that from Aang."
"Aang's a Buddhist monk or something?"
"Yup, and he pisses me off when he keeps going and going like the energizer bunny," Toph was grumbling at the thought.
"Whatever you say, Badger Midget," Zuko said grinning.
o0o0o
The end of school was the greatest thing Zuko had felt all day (excluding the high he felt from Katara). He wanted to get to his training so that he could complete the challenge. He needed that challenge completed so that he could become a boxer. He stared at the tree behind his house, knowing that would be his training ground.
Zuko couldn't help but let his mind wander from all the fights he'd participate in when he becomes a boxer. He wanted to be champion, not only a challenger. He wanted to be like Mike Tyson and Sonny Liston, John Frazier and Cassius Clay. He knew there would be some time before he would get to that time but he was determined, and he knew he could do it.
For now, though, he needed to get inside and get the tub of ice cream for him and Toph. The girl said she would be at his house to spend the night, and he wasn't going to make her mad at him by forgetting the ice cream. She may have been small but she was a hit like a heavyweight.
Zuko entered the house, knowing that he wouldn't be in school for the rest of the week. 'There are more important things than doing school work,' he thought to himself and closed the backyard door.
I just found out that this was really hard to write. I had massive writer's block, and most of the time I was there and my butt was hurting from the time I sat in this chair. Really lumpy bottom. I need a new chair.
Zuko just met the group, but he's skipping school to train. That seems so Zuko like, and the Zuko/Katara spark has been set. Throw in some arguments and then you have the love relationship. Toph/Aang will come later.