Story: Smokescreen

Pairing: ZukoxOC

Rating: T, possibly M

Genre: Adventure/Survival/Romance

Well, here's the new chapter :) hopefully, it makes up for the other one :/. Oh well, you get to see a bit more of Sian's personality in this chapter, and I hope she's not a Sue...

Oh well, enjoy.

…

"They're about to cut the line!" shrieked Ty Lee, from her perch on top of the gondola, as she looked down at the prison only to see a reflective blade sawing through the thick cable that functioned as the gondola's line. The brunette's usually cheerful face was tight with agitation, and panic laced her voice.

However, Azula remained calm and collected in the face of pressure. "Then it's time to leave." She said calmly, as she fixed her gaze on an incoming gondola. Unfortunately, before she took her own suggestion, she grabbed her brother by the collar and leapt off the gondola, trailing blue fire after her, with Ty Lee quickly following her.

Coincidentally, Sian found herself looking out of the gondola window, to see an unconscious Zuko, Azula and Ty Lee on a passing gondola.

So, acting rashly as she usually did, she swung herself out of the window and sailed through the air, wind whistling through her ears as she landed lightly on the gondola and grabbed the back of Zuko's shirt in one fluid motion.

Winded from the previous fight, Sian turned to spring back onto the other gondola…

…Just as Ty Lee leaped in front of her and hit her repeatedly in every single appendage, finishing off with the head.

And a pair of handcuffs encased one of Sian and Zuko's hands, linking them together.

Ty Lee and Azula loomed over the unconscious pair.

"What do you think we should do with them, Princess?"

"Put them on a raft to die. Somewhere where they will have no chance of survival, and where I will never have to see either of their faces again."

…

As Zuko eventually regained consciousness, the first thing that he noticed was that the ground was exceptionally shiny….and unstable. And wet, accompanied by a strange bobbing sensation.

They were on a boat.

As memories of his last few conscious moments came back to him, he became aware of a heavy weight on his chest, a feeling of confinement around his right wrist, and two arms bent at an awkward, albeit painful angle.

Glossy, long black hair and pale skin turning an angry red from the sun beating down on them.

And nothing. Absolutely nothing around them for miles but slowly moving ocean water.

Wonderful.

…

And Zuko thought joining Team Avatar was awkward and uncomfortable. What, with the reaction he received from many of the members, especially a certain female waterbender? But, this situation was much worse. And with a lower chance of survival. He glanced down at the girl resting, unconscious on top of him. He had to admit, they weren't in the most comfortable position. The small raft type structure was more like a floating rectangle with a small sail, and they were packed in like pickled sardine-tunas. He was bent in a 90 degree angle with his arm yanked upward and twisted behind his head, and Sian's body slung horizontally over his torso. Zuko's gold eyes scanned the boat. No water. No supplies. Nothing. He couldn't move without threatening to snap both of their arms off, her body temperature was sky high, and all of a sudden, he became aware of a dry patch on his tongue that refused to moisten, and how hot it really was. Ironic though, a firebender getting annoyed by the Sun. Zuko considered drowning himself.

Oh well, he thought to himself. At least she's quiet.

Of course, the universe wouldn't even let that last.

"Would you like to explain what's going on?" Sian rasped from her place on top of him. She twisted her body this way and that until pain shot up her arm, "And why are we cuffed?" she asked.

Speak of the devil.

"Just don't move, we can melt the cuffs, and then we'll be able to sort this out." Zuko growled from somewhere under her, as he did the exact opposite of what he had suggested.

"Are you crazy?" Sian asked, "Melt the cuffs, and risk those burns?"

"Yes, risk the burns! What, would you rather stay like this forever? If you're willing to put up with a few scars, we can maybe live to see another day!"

She sighed through her nose, exasperated, and her temperature began to rise, getting hotter, and hotter, and hotter, and—

"Are you kidding me?" he shouted in her ear, "Are you seriously doing that on purpose?"

She flinched, "Doing what on purpose?" she asked innocently, "And could you please stop yelling?"

Oh yes. Drowning was certainly an option.

…

After carefully wiggling around for about an hour, the two firebenders managed to get into a position in which they were sitting somewhat comfortably side by side, attempting to melt the chain holding the cuffs together. Sweat dripped down both of their bodies, pooling in the hollows of their collar bones, dripping from the tips of their noses, and staining the prison garb they were still wearing, as they both kept a continuous stream of fire directed at the middle of the chain, which was just beginning to glow yellow with heat. They were both too cranky and tired to complain about anything, the weather, the boat, their situation, or even each other. After a good twenty minutes, the chain links were sufficiently blue, and radiating with heat.

"Count of three," Zuko said, and Sian nodded grimly.

"One," he said, inching closer to the water.

"Two."

"Three." Both benders yanked their arms apart, successfully breaking the chain, and avoiding their skin. They submerged their arms in the cool salt water surrounding them, and hurriedly moved to opposite corners of the vessel.

Zuko chuckled, "I don't understand what you were so afraid of."

"I thought you were going to pull the dumbass route—you know, melt the actual cuffs instead of the chain." She answered back, as she lay back on the floor of the boat. She crossed her ankles, "What now?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" he retorted back, looking over his shoulder at Sian, who had successfully covered every inch of her already sun burnt body with prison garb. Agni did not intend for Fire Nation kids to play in the sun. He ought to do the same.

"Well I assume you have a plan," she said, her voice edged with something. Sarcasm or cruelty, Zuko couldn't tell.

Rather than panicking, Zuko's hardwired survival skills kicked in. Food. Shelter. Water. "Obviously we can't sit here and float forever. So I say we get off on the nearest bit of land we see. Find some food. A place to stay. Water. Then, we try to find our way back."

Or at least I do.

Secretly, he was contemplating leaving her in the first poverty stricken, run down town they encountered.

The only bright side of this situation was that the sun was going down, and the temperature was going down.

Way down, apparently.

In a matter of a few hours, they were both sitting back to back, huddled around the small fires that they had cupped in their palms. They weren't that desperate in which they would even consider holding each other for warmth.

…

Where the hell are we, Sian thought, the poles? Her teeth chattered and her fire grew dangerously low. Dammit, I've always been bad in cold weather. She gritted her teeth to keep them from chattering, but obviously, her body just had to be making noises at all times. Her stomach rumbled. Loud. Loud enough that Zuko elbowed her in the back.

He mumbled something that sounded uncannily similar to, "I can't do this," and exhaled hard.

"Yeah, yeah," she said, "I'm going to sleep."

"Pity." Zuko said flatly.

Sometimes Sian really hated sarcasm.

AN: Yeeeee, lots of timeskippy type things. Well, I did get a few reviews on the last chapter, and that's actually what made me post this one lol, anyway, if y'all have any questions about the story/anything, don't hesitate to drop me a PM or a review :)

I love reviews. Love. Them.

Alright :)

COMING UP NEXT:

Land Ho! excerpt:

"Shh," he murmured, pulling her closer to him, rubbing soft, slow circles on her back, "You'll be fine, we'll be fine...everything will be fine."
The wind sent an icy gust throughout the cave, playing a haunting melody on the trees outside. The moon and stars shone down in the sky, twinkling innocently,
they seemed to laugh at the misfortune of the pair below them.
"It was so awful," she said, clutching at his shirt, "So awful. I was so terrified."
"What would you do?" he asked, "What would you do if you were put through that same situation again?"
She pulled away from him, her golden eyes flashing in the moonlight, and fixing on his,"I don't know."