Previously on Lucky Jade

"That's it girl! I've had it! if you say one more word I'll burn those pretty little lips off."

"Akan-"

There was a heavy thud and a crash.

Without even waiting to breathe, Zuko slammed the door open, just in time to see the tall figure of Akan lunging forwards, his face alight with fury.

Below him on the floor an was Jade, her green eyes wide as she did her best to scramble away from him and towards one of the tables which was over turned.

However Akan was quick to raise his fist, which was covered in burning hot fire.

He punched hard, and the flames shot out straight towards Jade's head as she cringed away.

"NO!"

Chapter 8: Finding the Fine Line

Jade held up her arms high above her face as she tripped backwards onto the floor.

Good at fighting though she was, nothing could have prepared her for the horror of Akan's furious fire as it came shooting straight in her direction.

She squeaked as a blast of heat suddenly burst beside her, and quickly rolled over sideways. However she wasn't fast enough.

All at once a hot something, almost like millions of tiny blades, scraped by her shoulder.

She yelped in shock as searing pain shot straight through her entire body from the one spot of flayed skin, which was bleeding a little as the skin tingled with blistering heat.

She ducked her head down, biting on her lip to keep any noise from escaping as she saw Akan's shadow loom over her. His face set in a leer as he raised his flaming fist once more.

"No…please" Jade whimpered softly, doing her best to move away as her burnt shoulder ached.

But Akan did not seem to hear her. His face was alive with malice as he made to punch another ball of fire at her.

She cringed away.

"NO!"

Once more she felt the blast of heat as it blazed forth. But then, just before the smallest of sparks could even touch her something, like a large hand grabbed at Akan's clenched fist and twisted it hard.

The flame extinguished at once, its disappearing light plunging the room into darkness.

But that didn't seem to stop Jade's saviour, whoever they were, for she could still hear the thuds and crashes as well as Akan's grunts and cries of pain.

Just what is going on?

Doing her best to ignore the searing pain in her shoulder she slapped her hand hard on the floor. At once she felt like a tingling wave, the ground tremble ever so slightly and for the briefest of moments an image of the room formed in her head.

Though the details were fuzzy she could tell from her glimpse that her attacker and her saviour were currently fighting on one of the tables to her front right.

Her brow furrowed ever so slightly as she saw that one of the figures she had "seen" was a little shorter than the other. However in spite of this difference, he (she was only guessing it was a he), seemed to be winning, if the images she was getting from the vibrations he and Akan were making with every step in their bout, were anything to go by.

Finally after a few horrifying minutes of darkness and shouts there was a loud masculine roar and Jade squeaked in fright as something heavy crashed a few feet away.

A male voice groaned loudly in pain and she recognised it to be Akan.

But she barely had time to tap the floor again before a light flickered into being.

She quickly turned to face it and her eyes widened.

There barely a couple of meters away with a flame dancing in his open palm was-

"Prince Zuko…" Jade breathed.

Zuko just nodded as he stood there, panting for breath. His black silk tunic was ripped completely down the centre, exposing most of his sweaty torso, but otherwise he was unscathed, unless you counted the bruised and bloodied knuckles on both his hands.

Jade opened her mouth to speak but even as she tried to sit up her shoulder stung horribly.

She tried to clutch at her wound only to cry out in agony as it seared under her cool touch.

She was vaguely aware of a pair of feet striding over to her and barely acknowledged Zuko's presence even as she felt his body heat radiate off him in waves as he crouched beside her.

As he leant over her she winced and hunched over a little her uninjured limb making upwards to her wound. But this time Zuko was quick to grab it before she could make contact, the flame he was holding vanishing at once.

"Don't touch it!" he hissed into the dark. However Jade wasn't scared, indeed she hissed back just as angrily.

"Yeah I know that"

"Then why did you-"

"Reflex-agh! Hey what are you-" she snapped clumsily patting her hand against his chest as he dragged her up to her feet, with one hand, as the other tried to spark another flame to light the room.

"Hey! Watch it will you-" Zuko growled as he felt his toes get trodden on, as Jade winced again in pain.

"I'm sorry, but my ankle's a bit…twisted…"

"Typical!" Zuko rolled his eyes as he helped her to a nearby table bench.

She sat down with a ragged sigh and Zuko could not help but notice that her face was unnaturally pale.

He quickly glanced at her shoulder and saw to his horror that there was a fair amount of blood leaking from a slim but deep gash right in the centre of the burn, where Akan's flame had sliced.

"How dare he…" Zuko growled softly, his fists clenching tight.

Jade thought she could almost see the raging fire scorch hotly in the prince's eyes as he looked over the wound and then to Akan's bloodied, bruised unconscious form on the ground.

But even as Zuko he made to rise, Jade quickly grabbed his hand, with her uninjured one, and tugged him back down.

"No don't!"

"Don't what?" He glared down at her as he crouched beside her again.

Jade took one shuddering breath to brace herself against the pain before replying.

"Don't hit him again…"

Zuko stared at her dumbfounded.

Just what was it with this girl? She was defending the man that had just assaulted her. The man who, above all others currently, deserved to be hurt for compensation to the damages he had made, and the orders he had disobeyed.

Seeing his confusion begin to ebb back into anger, Jade gripped harder at his hand.

"Zuko don't, you'll probably break your fingers if you keep hitting him"

She did her best not to shudder, though whether it was from the feeling of the warm blood on his knuckles coating her palm, or the pain still coursing through her she could not tell.

"What in all the spirit world is wrong with you?"

Jade opened her eyes and saw that Zuko was still glaring at her as he breathed.

"You've just been attacked and burnt and you are more worried about someone else's injuries? Why?...Why?" he repeated a little louder, his eyes fierce.

However Jade was quick to realise that there wasn't anger in those amber eyes, but worry, very deep worry.

She felt her cheeks flush a little and dipped down her head to hide her face behind her hair, as she mumbled.

"Because I'm just a kitchen maid…and my injuries are not as important to worry about as yours probably are…what with you being a prince and all that…"

She trailed off, doing her best not to look as Zuko's eyes flashed.

However in spite of his touchy temper he sucked in a deep breath and stood up.

"Sit still and don't move. I'll be right back" he growled.

"W-Where are you going?" Jade stuttered in alarm. Zuko was about to snap back at her when he noticed she was eyeing Akan on the floor with fear.

He sighed heavily, and walked over to the unconscious man.

Akan's face, which was once pale and bearded and sneering, was now a bloodied and bruised mess. His nose had been broken quite badly and both his eyes were blackened, but most importantly, he was completely-

"Out cold. He won't be getting up any time soon" Zuko snorted back to Jade. But still she looked nervous.

He rolled his eyes again and pointedly kicked Akan in the guts with his heel.

Serves him right.

He smirked as he felt the small cracking of bone and relished a little the pained grunt that escaped his fallen opponent. But enough of that, he thought suddenly snapping back to the present. He had to get a move on.

Jade in the meanwhile was doing her best not to panic. Though she knew that Akan was down for the count she still felt rather on edge.

Like her uncle Zhao, Akan wasn't the most graceful of losers. It didn't matter that Prince Zuko had taken him down in a fight, in fact that would just make his anger so much worse when he awoke.

He had always been a brutal fighter. Even when training, if one could call him trained for he rarely held back on his fire on others, and more often than not it took a real powerful bender to stop him in his tracks when he was getting into it.

Had she been on earthy land Jade might have had the courage to take him on, however confined as she was in this metal husk of a ship, exhausted from a long days work, with no weapons to protect herself, it was a miracle she was even alive right now.

Jade shuddered as she remembered how he had loomed above her with that sneer. His eyes had been alight with savage sadistic pleasure as he had relished in her fear.

Either way, she was glad when Zuko came back five minutes later carrying a large lamp in his black box emblazoned with the red fire nation crest, with a brightly lit lamp on top in one hand and a bowl filled with cool water in the other.

She couldn't help but smile a little as she saw his face, it was now set back in its usual scowl as he made to sit down beside her on the bench

"What are you so happy about? You've still got to clean that. Take your top off" he grumbled, giving her burnt shoulder a very heated glare, as he dipped a cloth in water.

He completely missed the way Jade's eyes widened at his last statement.

"Excuse me" she spluttered her hands flying up to her robes.

Zuko growled and shook his head with aggravation.

"You heard me! Pull down your top, so I patch that up! Or do you want to continue bleeding?" he added with a sour glare.

Jade felt herself turn red.

"Oh…Right! Right! Sorry-ah Wait!" She coughed quickly though it was quick to turn into a small squeak as his impatient hand reached out to her ruined robe collar and tugged her top down.

Jade was quick to cover herself up in time, however Zuko barely seemed to notice anything as he made to press the cool cloth forwards to the burn.

Zuko's eyes darted down as he heard her hiss in pain, but otherwise she made no sound of discomfort, save the smallest of whimpers.

Truth be told he had to admire her stubbornness even as he cleaned the wound. Most people would've felt faint by now. But Jade was just sitting there still as stone and biting down hard on her lip to keep her whimpers to herself, though a couple did escape when he made to clean the bleeding gash.

"I'll have to get you to Chan once I'm done…I don't know how long this will stay on" he muttered, still not meeting her gaze as he made to carefully wrap a clean bandage from the black medical kit he'd brought.

Jade just nodded silently, her hand flying up to her temple as she swayed slightly.

"Just hold on" he growled as he made to secure the material tight.

Then just as he was making to apply a second bandage there came a familiar call.

"Prince Zuko? Are you there?"

"Uncle?" Zuko blinked and sure enough in the ruined doorway to the corridor stood Lord Iroh holding onto his large belly and puffing for breath.

"My dear nephew what has been going on down here? I can hear the ruckus all the way from the dec-" he blinked as he saw the unconscious man on the floor.

"What on earth is Akan doing on the floor? And in such a state?"

His eyes drifted nephew and the injured kitchen maid, widening to the size of dinner plates as they took in the latter's bandaged shoulder and the former's bruised knuckles.

"Uncle I can explain-" Zuko gulped but the older man just put up a hand up, his face grave.

The prince fell silent at once, his eyes darting to the floor nervously as his uncle strode back to the door and called out loudly:

"Guards! Guards!"

Barely a few seconds later and Jade could hear the thundering of booted feet running as four guards from the night duty ran in.

Night duty…oh crap…

She gulped and sure enough as she looked up she saw her father, dart in with three other guards.

His face turned livid at the sight of his daughter doing her best to try and fix her top to cover her modesty whilst Zuko very quickly but awkwardly retracted his hands from her.

They were saved from his shocked reprimand when Iroh coughed loudly.

"Ruishi I do believe Akan could do with some help getting to his cell."

"Akan?" Ruishi frowned. When he saw Akan on the floor his eyes widened.

Jade felt her gut sink as she almost saw the gears in her father's head begin to turn as they pieced the situation together before turning back to Iroh. His eyes glinted with such a terrifying fire that made everyone present in the room shudder, even as he bowed to the older general.

"It would be my pleasure sir"

Dear Diary,

Sorry it's been nearly three days since my last entry, but things have taken a long time to settle down.

Ever since Akan's attack things have been very boring.

I know it sounds odd. But trust me when you've been stuck in your room for nearly three days with a bunged up shoulder you'd also get bored no matter how tense the rest of the ship is. And worse still I've been forbidden to leave the rooms on any condition by order of Lord Iroh.

Yeah. Lord Iroh has placed me under house arrest until Akan has been shipped off to the nearest Fire Nation Prison mining rig which is a week away by boat.

I don't know why and I don't know how he thinks I'm going to survive down here. Spirits knows how much I miss the fresh air, and the company.

Speaking of company I have barely seen hide nor hair of my father for a long time. Shen's come to visit me in between his shifts and for meals, but he refuses to tell me anything save that father is standing guard over Akan's sorry ass in his cell.

Somehow I don't think he's telling me even half the truth.

Father and Akan have never gotten along in the time they've served together. Actually "getting along" is just a euphemism.

The last time Akan had messed with my father had been nearly six months ago, and that had been in the middle of a sparring practice on deck. Akan had said something as he had tried to pin him down to claim victory.

I had never heard the exact words but whatever was said was enough to make father completely snap and nearly break his neck.

Scary sight that was.

I wonder what he's really up t-

There was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Jade yelled hurriedly stuffed her diary under the pillow of her bed. However her visitor did not answer.

Odd…

Jade frowned. Instantly her hands began to twitch beside her as she made to call again.

"Who is it?"

Again her visitor said nothing though she could hear someone shuffling behind the door.

Quietly as she could, Jade tapped her foot on the floor keeping her eyes shut. At once the mental image of the shapes around her flashed over her mind. She could feel the wall there, but she could also feel that behind it someone was standing.

She couldn't tell his features (such was the limitations of her "sight") but she could tell he (she was assuming since majority of the crew were male) was only a little shorter than the average guard.

Engineer? No they're all still on work duty…so who could want to visit me

"Whoever is out there" she growled at the door "I won't let you in unless you state your name and business"

She waited with bated breath for the reply, her heart hammering a little until-

"Agh! I can't believe this" a male voice growled before calling out. "It's me!"

Jade blinked and opened the door.

There standing outside was Prince Zuko dressed in his casual dark tunic and pants, his arms folded as he glowered directly at her.

Not that that mattered to Jade because before could stop herself she blurted out:

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Good evening to you too" Zuko rolled his eyes only to catch a glimpse of her bandaged shoulder peeking out from her baggy red robes.

Jade, seeing his gaze, blushed a little as she quickly pulled her collar a bit tighter around her chest. But when his gaze didn't waver she sighed heavily.

"I'm fine"

"I wasn't asking how you were." Zuko snapped but nonetheless his cheeks turned pink. He turned away to look at the floor as he mumbled.

"It's music night on deck"

"So?" Jade's eyebrows rose, much to his irritation, though he did his best to keep it restrained.

"So, My Uncle and the others are short one musician tonight. And I am not going to play anything" he added when she opened her mouth to speak "So I was just wondering…since you're not doing anything…maybe you'd like take my place…that is…if you want to…"

The last bit of his sentence came out so softly that Jade would have almost missed it had she not had such sharp hearing.

But when she heard it her eyebrows almost disappeared into her hairline.

"I beg your pardon"

"You heard me the first time" Zuko clipped waspishly.

"But I don't have any instrument! And even if I did I couldn't play with my shoulder-"

"Who said you needed to play anything?" Zuko steamrolled smoothly over her "Besides you can still sing"

He had to smirk at the way her cheeks turned a bright vermillion at that.

When she answered he was amused to hear her stutter

"Y-yeah…w-well…um…that's just…I'm not good enough to really sing in public"

"Neither can my uncle but he does it any way" Zuko rolled his eyes before adding quietly, almost as if to himself "Besides…you're not half bad"

"Huh?" Jade blinked.

Crap I did not just say that out loud!

Zuko growled under his breath only to snap at the girl again.

"Do you want an excuse to get out of here or not?"

Jade nodded mutely, her mouth somehow seeming to have temporarily lost its connection to her brain to form coherent thoughts.

"Good come on" he grumbled and quickly grabbed at her hand. But even as he made to tug, Jade stood stock still, her feet rooted solidly to her spot.

"What now?" he grumbled.

Jade bit her lip nervously, and Zuko could clearly see the thoughts swirling through the depths of those green eyes.

When she spoke her voice was soft almost timid.

"Thank you"

Zuko felt his mind go completely blank as she caught his gaze.

Though she looked like she was trying to hold it back, there playing on her lips was the smallest of smiles.

Doing his best to gulp down the strange suddenly existing lump in his throat, he gave her a small nod, gripping her hand in his tighter as he made to tug her along behind him.

As they walked he sucked in a deep breath as he felt his cheeks, that had just been lukewarm, now burn with a ferocious heat as his gut churned as if small fireworks had been ignited and were popping off in it.

But instead of causing him much discomfort, it made him feel strangely…lighter…

He wasn't even phased from this strange lightness even when they'd reached the deck and his uncle had shoved the Tsungi horn into his hands.

In fact there was only one thing though that seemed to register with him as the evening drew on.

He'd somehow managed to do something that made Jade Shi smile at him…

HI GUYS!
So you all hung in for the cliffhanger did you? Good Job! i know i did leave you guys hanging at a rather precarious point but still...an author's got to have some fun.

(muahahahaha)

Keep R&Ring and i hope to hear from you soon ;)