Sweet! This is the fastest I've ever written a chapter, and it was during my first week of school! How sad (lol).
Disclaimer: Sadly I don't own Avatar, but I wish I did... but then again, pretty much EVERYONE that writes fanfics wishes that they owned some show...
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-One Week Later-
"Hiya!" the fire prince's voice pierced through the forest that bordered near the ocean. Following his war cry was the cries of birds as they were spooked from their original places in the trees, as though whining that it was too early, even for them.
A grunt of discomfort soon followed the battle cry, as well as the sound of foliage snapping.
"You used too much energy at once," a voice said in a reprimanding way. "Waterbending is defensive, not offensive. Don't worry about excess power until you're sure that you're safe from harm, first. Too much energy slows you down."
Zuko rolled his eyes and got out of the bush, brushing leafy branches out of his short hair.
"This is stupid, Astrid," he muttered quietly. "I don't get why I have to learn to bend fire like a waterbender."
"Of course you don't," Astrid said, suddenly appearing next to him, startling him. "That's why I'M the teacher and YOU'RE the pupil, not the other way around."
"How did-" he cut himself off. "Never mind. I don't want to know."
Astrid walked up to him and brushed more branches out of his hair at a fast pace. This earned her a protestant glare from her "student", as Iroh so courteously put it less then a week before.
The previous week went by surprisingly quickly. After Astrid agreed to teach Zuko, she told them that they'd have to relocate. Iroh stayed behind at the shambled shack with a large supply of Astrid's peach tealeaves. He would be fine.
Astrid and Zuko went westbound until they had reached the ocean, and then set up camp in a nearby forest. Due to the humidity in the air, her water supply was endless.
She'd coach him early in the morning, before daybreak, and again at twilight. When he had questioned this, she had said, "During the day is when firebenders are strongest. The point of me teaching you is to get you stronger, and the best way to do that is to teach you while you're at your weakest point. You'll eventually become stronger, and be able to handle more power, which is what lightening is." He understood, thankfully, and didn't question the timing again.
He did, however, question her definition of the word "fun."
When they weren't training, she was playing pranks on him, fooling around with her bending abilities, telling jokes, or climbing trees.
There were rare moments during the day when she was calm, and they would converse about their cultures, their favorite things, and on even fewer occasions she would talk about her family.
-Flashback-
"My mother was the real warrior of the family, or so Dad said. She was an admiral in the navy."
"I didn't know that the water tribes even had a navy…" Zuko muttered.
This earned him a glare from his "bending master".
"This was before both of our times, doofus. This was when Azulon was still a young Fire Lord. About twenty years ago, I think. Maybe longer. I dunno. I'm losing track of his stories."
"Whose stories?" Zuko asked, genuinely interested.
She looked down at her hands, which were folded in her lap. "Dad's."
"Why are you losing track? Can't you just ask him to tell you again?"
Her reaction stunned him, to say the least. She had looked at him and given him a cold glare, bringing a whole new meaning to the phrase "If looks could kill", and then she had gotten up and walked away, mentioning something about getting more wood. He was about to point out that they had a whole pile right next to them, but she was already gone. With her went the calm vibes that encouraged conversation.
-End Flashback-
"Okay, Z-man," she said, using her new nickname for him. "Let's try that move again. Get it right before sunup and I'll give you both tonight and tomorrow morning off."
Zuko nodded and set himself into a relaxed bending position near a bonfire that had been set up to simulate the "ocean" that he would draw his fire from.
Without any warning a jet stream of water lashed out at him. He responded by waving his left arm in front of him, drawing fire from his "ocean" and created a small fire barrier. The water hit it and became steam.
More streams of water shot at him, and he used both his hands to guide his fire to intercept all of them.
Then, as he was deflecting a stream on his left side, his right arm lashed out in Astrid's direction, and what looked to be a whip made of fire shot towards her at an incredibly face speed.
Unable to deflect on time, it gave her a slight burn on her neck.
Surprised, she let all the water she had gathered from the air to turn back into vapor. "Much better. Less raw power, more control, more speed. And very nice whip, by the way." She gathered a little water from the air and made a glove with it around her hand. She placed her hand on her burn and healed it.
"So, what do you want to do? Eat? Sleep?"
"Excuse me?" Zuko asked, slightly confused.
She rolled her eyes. "You did perfect, moron. Now I'm going through with my proposition. You get the day off."
He thought for a minute, came up with a decision, and extinguished the bonfire. "Can we go somewhere?"
"Huh?" She raised an eyebrow. "Like where?"
Zuko looked around him while trying to figure out how to say how he felt, which wasn't easy. He didn't convey his feelings with anyone, save his uncle, and even then only so-so.
"Need a change in scenery?" Astrid guessed. Needless to say, she guessed accurately, because Zuko nodded.
Astrid smiled. "I know how that is. But then again, that's one of the many benefits of being a fugitive, having those kind of feelings and being able to listen to them without any real excuse of why not to."
Zuko raised an eyebrow. "There's benefits?"
She laughed. "Oh yeah, there's plenty of them, too. This guy I'm courting has a ton of benefits, and that's just from being a fugitive from his own clan!"
This information was new. "You're courting someone?"
Her face suddenly became very red. "How about we go to a town and find some fruit, or something?" she said quickly, trying to change the subject.
Zuko wasn't about to let this go. "What's his name?" A thought hit him. "It is a 'him', right?"
"ZUKO!" she shouted, backhanding him on his arm, blushing even more. "Sheesh! And you think my definition of fun is ludicrous…"
"That's because it is ludicrous!"
"No, it's not!"
"How can you not call playing 'Let's Make the Hothead Slip on a Frozen Puddle of Water' ludicrous!"
She gasped playfully. "You admitted it! You're actually admitting you're a hothead! I'm so proud of you!" She ruffled his hair again.
Zuko put on his infamous scowl, but Astrid just ignored it. Even if she was only with him for a week, that was plenty of time to get to know about him, both with and without her psychiatric abilities as a seer.
"So, how about that idea I had about finding a town and getting something good?" Astrid suggested, changing the topic.
Zuko merely shrugged. It's not like he had a better idea anyways. He had lost track of the Avatar after the run in with his sister. Plus, admittingly, Astrid's inability to remain in one place for too long had rubbed off on him, somewhat.
"The nearest town isn't that far from here," Zuko said, headed back towards their campsite. "We'll be there by sunup."
Astrid nodded and followed after him, packing up a bit as she walked.
Zuko had pulled out a hat out of his bag and placed it on his head.
"Uh… what are you doing?" Astrid asked, tipping her head to the side to mirror her confusion.
"It's a disguise," Zuko muttered. "I can't have people recognize me."
"Oh, okay." She said softly, pulling her pack onto her back and falling into place beside him.
"By the way, what do I call you if anyone asks?" She questioned.
Without missing a beat, he simply replied. "Lee."
"Oh," she fell silent, but it was short lived, as were all silences between them. "That was fast. You've used that cover before, huh?"
"I'd rather not-"
"Okay, no prob." She shrugged, letting the subject go.
True enough, Zuko was true to his word. Just before the sun peaked over the horizon, the two teens were within the city's area.
As they approached the entrance, Astrid saw red marking the dirt path, and began to feel uneasy.
"Looks like there was a some kind of skirmish here," Zuko said, also seeing the red on the road. "But no bodies. Perhaps they were taken care of, already."
Somehow that made Astrid's uneasy feeling only grow worse.
As they drew within the city's boundaries, Astrid had a flashback memory. She whimpered and grasped Zuko's hand with her own.
This caught Zuko off guard. "What?"
"Zu-" she stopped and corrected herself. "Lee, I'm getting serious Déjà vu…"
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A/N: Dun dun dun! Sorry, guys, but I had to do it. I had to put in a chiffhanger somewhere. Oh, and just so you know, the next chapter will be the last one that will directly include Aang, Toph, Sokka, and Makayla. This is a zutara fic, after all, and I really need to get there soon.
Please remember to review! This is my first fic and I need to know how I'm doing. I appreciate feedback, both comments or critiques. I don't care if you flame me, as long as you say what you're flaming about. None of that "You SUCK!" crap. Thank you.