I don't own the Avatar….but I'm currently holding Zuko hostage in my basement
Zuko must have spent over half of his savings on women and alcohol that night, but the only feeling that whole experience had given him was a splitting headache. He was stupid to think that sleeping around would solve his problems with the pretty girl he had met.
It had almost been another week since he had last seen Sai and it was driving him absolutely MAD! He couldn't stop thinking about her, ever! She was always on his mind from the time he woke up to the time he went to bed. The nights were the worst. Every night was spent restlessly thinking about what was she doing, where was she, would he ever see her again, and was she thinking of him?
And when the time came when he actually got the faintest amount of sleep she haunted him in his dreams. It seemed she would never leave his memories. He spent the majority of his days at the teashop day-dreaming and replaying the events of their last night together in his mind. What did he do wrong? Why did she leave so abruptly? What happened?!?!?!
God Damnit!
Over the week he had tried to find her again. Hoping that by some miracle he would be knocked to the ground again by her soft frame, and the two would take off running together. What the fuck was he going to do. He was a complete wreck.
Even Uncle Iroh noticed that his nephew was less like himself, not that that was a bad thing, it just troubled Iroh to see Zuko so preoccupied with his thoughts. Something was bothering him but he refused to talk about it with anyone. But Uncle Iroh would place any amount of money on it that his nephew was thinking about that sweet girl he had brought home a week ago.
It was now late and Zuko and Iroh were just about to close up shop. The night had been extremely busy and both of them were completely exhausted. Iroh was in the front wiping off tables while zuko stayed in the back and proceeded to wash out the old tea cups.
Just as Zuko was about to put away his last tea cup his uncle came in with and entire new stack for him to wash. Zuko stared at his uncle and grumpily grabbed the first tea cup on the stack and proceeded to scrub it down.
"Would you like some assistance Zuko?"
"No" Zuko responded grumpily
"Well then, I'm finished cleaning off the tables. If you don't need any help I am going to go and get some sleep."
Zuko responded with a faint grunt and Iroh proceeded to back to their apartment, leaving Zuko alone with his teacups and his thoughts.
Zuko was glad to be alone for once. It had been a long while since he had been by himself. Zuko enjoyed the quiet of the end of the day, no annoying customers or crying children just peace with himself. It was raining outside now and zuko listened intently to the dropping of the rain outside. It was such a relaxing hush that the rain made. Zuko had almost finished with all the teacups and began to put away the ones he had finished.
It didn't take long for the silence to be broken by the noise of footsteps in the front of the teashop. Zuko thought it was his uncle at first and ignored them but then listened intently to the noise. It didn't sound like the heavy steps of his uncle. These were much softer and light. Zuko got up abruptly thinking there was an intruder and cautiously made his was to the doorway to the front of the teashop.
"Uncle?" he called out. His response was a feminine gasp. Zuko rounded the corner to see the familiar girl of zuko's dreams standing in the center of the tea shop. She was wet from the rain and her brown eyes were staring directly into Zuko's. Sai's wet hair hugged the frame of her face and Zuko ignored the wet puddles her cloths were leaving as she came in.
She didn't say anything as she looked at him. Sai was surprised to see Lee here so late, she had been hoping that she would come here to find his uncle and NOT him. She had come here 3 times before wanting to return the shawl that Mr. Mushi had given her that night and apologize to him for her rude behavior. But every time she saw Zuko through the window she lost all her confidence and fled telling herself she would come back another day. She thought that tonight, since it was so late, that Lee wouldn't be here. She was wrong.
Zuko looked at her up and down as their silence dragged on. Her body was sleek and damp from the water and it wasn't helping that her clothes were clinging to her shapely body. Zuko looked away, unable to take it, when his gaze paused on her chest, which was heaving from her racing breath. (On her way it had began to rain and she ran the rest of the way.)
Sai shifted uncomfortably, suddenly feeling exposed. She crossed her arms over herself to shield her body. She got enough nerve to finally break the awkward silence between them.
"Is your uncle here?"
Zuko looked up at her. What!!! She came all this way to see his uncle!! "No" zuko told her offensively. "What do you want with him?"
"I just wanted to give him his stuff back, Jeeze! Never mind." Sai chucked the shawl on the table and turned around to leave running back into the rain.
"Wait" Zuko said suddenly. So suddenly that he couldn't stop himself in time.
Sai turned around slowly. "Yes" she said icily
Zuko had to think of something to say quickly. "Is that why you really came here?"
Sai didn't answer at first and drew out a long silence staring at him the entire time. She honestly didn't know what was the real reason. Why had she stayed. She should have left when she had the chance. "Yes" she finally responded.
Zuko's body became rigid and rolled his eyes. "God damnit you are so Unbelievable!!!" he mumbled more to himself as he turned to go back into the kitchen.
"What?" Sai gasped what had triggered this all of a sudden? What did she do this time?
"Nevermind…" was all the response she got
"No, I don't think I heard you correctly, what was that supposed to mean?" Sai had now followed him into the back room.
"Nothing, go away."
"NO, say it!" Sai shouted grabbing his arm.
Zuko turned around to face her his heated glare piercing with heated anger. He advanced on her as he spoke.
"Fine! You are unbelievably two faced!"
Sai's expression turned into outrage "What!?"
Zuko continued, "You go around all happy and carefree and then suddenly get all pissy at me for no reason, leave without saying goodbye and don't speak to me for 6 days. Now you come back to deliver a stupid fucking scarf that MY UNCLE GAVE TO YOU! What about me, huh? What do I get? I get a fucking attitude."
"What the hell! you're the one who hates me! YOURE THE ONE WHO CANT STAND TO BE AROUND ME remember! And you're calling me two faced! You have the worst temper out of anyone I know!!"
Zuko started again, "You are the biggest tease I have ever met! You go around pretending to like me and pretending to care then you suddenly treat me like the scum of the earth and hate me."
Both Zuko and Sai continued to argue like this for a while. She yelled at him about his attitude and he yelled at her just because he felt like it. Zuko had lost the argument a long while ago, it was his fault that she was angry with him because he couldn't be a good person, but he refused to back down. They continued to yell over eachother and get in eachothers face until it got to personal for Zuko.
"YOU ARE THE BIGGEST SELF- CENTEREDED LITTLE BRAT I HAVE EVER MET' Sai yelled. Zuko had unknowingly backed her up against a wall but neither of them noticed. They just kept on yelling.
"FUCK YOU! You don't know anything about me" Zuko yelled back
"That's because you don't tell anybody anything!"
"THAT'S BECAUSE NO BODY GIVES A SHIT!"
"God damnit, nothing makes you happy ever, does it!?"
"You don't know how shitty my life has been!!!"
"O yea, I'm sure YOUR life has been REALLY difficult!!"
Suddenly the slam of Lee's hand hitting the wall at the side of Sai's head hit her ears and Lee was there three inches from her face staring her down angrily. Sai stared back at him wide eyed with fear. Her breathing, as well as Lee's, had become ragged from the fight and Sai's chest was heaving dramatically. She hadn't realized how angry she had made him until now.
Zuko was so mad. He had never been so angry at a girl before but she made him want to strangle her. She had no idea what he had been through over the years. She had no idea why he was the way he was. He was sure her life wasn't all that great either but nothing could compare to the horrible pain he had felt in his life.
His mother was taken away from him, his father burned and banished his only son, he had become a fugitive from his country and was on the run from his sister, and now was suffering the life of a peasant, wanting nothing more in the world than to go home!!!!
Im sorry were to two whispered words that broke his blind fury. Zuko blinked twice and stared back down at Sai. Her eyes were towards the ground and her cheeks were flushed.
"What did you say?"
Sai looked back up at him. Zuko would have moved away if he could but her eyes held him captive. Here skin was glistening under the damp light of the candles in the room and her wet hair was framed around her face.
Zuko watched her lips
"Im sorry" she said once again. Zuko had see her lips move but didn't hear the words. All he could see was her exotic brown eyes looking up at him. All the anger he had felt only a moment ago had fled and now all his senses were tuned on her.
Sai realized that Lee was standing extremely close to her. She could feel the heat radiating from his body and his hot breath on her skin. Her body instantly sprang to life. Lee's gaze flickered down to her moisten lips and he fought the unfamiliar urge to kiss her. unfortunately he was losing badly.
Sai parted her lips slowly as Lee's head bent down slightly. She lifted her chin and closed her eyes slightly as she felt the soft flesh of his lips lightly grazing hers. They were so close it was unbarable. Only a sliver of air separated their kiss. She could feel his hott breath on her face and she licked her lips wanting him to kiss her so badly.
The only thing that stoped it was the sound of footsteps coming through the front door. Zuko pulled away immeadiatly as Uncle Iroh came through the door. He told Sai to stay put and not to move as he came out from the back room leaving her breathless and frozen on the wall.
"Hello nephew. Look I brought food"
"uhhh…Uncle. What are you doing here?" Zuko asked calmly.
Iroh had actually come back to assist Zuko with the dishes. He had brought back some biscuits with him for his nephew since he knew Zuko hadn't eaten anything that day.
As soon as Iroh saw his nephews composure he knew immeadiatly something was up. If his ragged breath and his hightened color didn't give it away then the red shawl lying on the center table sure did.
Iroh picked it up and saw Zuko's panicked expression.
"And what might this be nephew?"
Zuko didn't say anything. He tried to think of something quickly to say but no words came out. He was caught.
Then as if sent from the heavens, Sai appeared from out of the kitchen holding a tea pot and scrubbing it dry with a rag.
"Hello, Mr. Mushi"
Iroh beamed at the girl "Why, hello Sai. I must say it has been quite a while since we've last met. What are you doing here so late?
Sai smiled "O well, I came by to deliver your shawl you so kindly gave to me last time to borrow and Zuko said that I just missed you. So I volunteered to help him with cleaning the dishes so he could take me to see you so I could thank you properly"
Iroh smiled at the girls attempt but he was no fool. He knew what they were up to. O well, it was not like Iroh to embarrass the young teenagers.
"How kind of you, if you would like to stay I would be more than happy to make some tea"
"That's very kind of you Mr. Mushi, but it stopped raining and I really must get back home before people start to worry about me, thank you though"
Zuko was amazed at how she handled the whole situation. While he had become flustered and speechless she remained calm and made up an elaborate story all on the spot without ever showing any signs of what had just happened.
"Your welcome, I hope to see more of you, you should come back tomorrow and I will be more than happy to treat you to a cup of tea"
Sai smiled and gladly accepted the offer then made her way out the door smiling over her shoulder at both Lee and his Uncle… but mostly at Lee.