"Zuko?" asked a sweet, girly voice.
"What Ty lee?" replied Zuko with a snarl.
"I wanted to ask you a question." She said, with a hint of tentativeness.
Zuko sighed and turned to look at the skinny, silly circus girl.
"When you were travelling…" she began and Zuko's scowl deepened. "You met…and travelled with a girl called Zoe didn't you? She was an airbender?"
Zuko jumped up furiously his stomach flipping and heart clenching at the name. "So?" he snarled, "what of it?"
Ty Lee nearly backed away; she knew he was on the boarder of snapping. "I…just wanted to know…how she is?" she said softly, looking down and Zuko had never seen her look so sad before.
"Why do you care?" he snapped, "she's your enemy." Ty Lee's head snapped up angrily, her pretty face curled into a frown.
"She is not my enemy!"
"Oh really?" mocked Zuko angrily, "then what are you doing here in the Fire Nation?"
Ty Lee sighed and looked away, "is she your enemy?"
Zuko didn't answer; instead he turned his back to her and gripped the windowsill of his bedroom, looking out to the sands of Ember Island. Her face filling his mind, she was smiling at him lovingly; her eyes sparklingly and pain gripped Zuko's heart. His fists clenched on the wooden sill and his face was contorted in…grief?
"I can tell you miss her." Said Ty Lee softly, but this wasn't the right thing to say.
"NO I DON'T!" shouted Zuko, spinning on the spot his eyes mad, "I don't even care about her!" Zoe's smiling face in his mind changed to a pained and hurt stare. Zuko growled angrily, "You don't know anything about us!"
Ty Lee made a 'tnh' sound and looked away annoyed. "So that's why you're getting so upset and defensive then is it?"
Zuko growled in fury and to an angry step towards Ty Lee, but then the door opened and Azula and Mae walked in.
"So tense already Zuzu?" teased Azula and Zuko's fists began to smoke.
"What are you all doing in here?" he snarled, trying to keep his temper from exploding so as not to burn the house down.
"We're going down to the beach," Said Azula, inspecting her nails lightly, "so hurry up and get dressed; we won't wait all day."
Ty Lee exited quickly, throwing Zuko one last glance and Mae and Azula followed soon after.
"Hurry up Zuzu…" sang Azula on the way out the door.
Zuko growled angrily and turned back to his window. Unwanted images of the girl he lost swarming into his head.
"Zoe, you got it!" Cheered Aang happily as Zoe finally perfected the air scooter.
Zoe grinned as she whizzed around on the spinning ball with perfect control. "Thank you Aang!" she cried as she passed him, S wheeling around him Toph, Sokka and Katara.
She came to a halt back in front of her teacher and jumped off neatly. "Tornado time?" She asked with a smile.
Aang laughed, "We could give it a try." He said kindly. Zoe nodded, her face determined. "OK," said Aang getting into a stance, "You need to really concentrate on the air around you so that it follows your lead exactly." He put his arms to his right hand side, holding his hands out flat and began to run in a circle, the air flowing with him. It created a cone shape getting bigger and bigger and Aang went faster and faster till he had a tornado twice his size that he directed straight at Zoe.
Zoe felt it and closed her eyes, concentrating really hard on the particles so she could control them herself and she spun herself round the tornado, sending it off into the dust where it weakened and disappeared. Immediately after sending a strong gust of wind at Aang, taking him by surprise and knocking him off his feet. Zoe grinned smugly.
"Wow," he said rubbing his head, "good job, do you want to try to make one now?"
"Ok." said Zoe, grin disappearing to be replaced with a face of pure concentration. Sokka, Katara and Toph all turned to watch. She began slowly, drawing the air with her, creating a large cylinder, and then she sped up, faster and faster in the circle. But, she was going too fast, she couldn't control the spinning air, it was too much! Before she knew it she was spinning round with the tornado and suddenly went flying off, crashing into the ground ten feet away.
Everyone laughed and Zoe scowled. "That was a really good try." said Aang in a kind, congratulating voice. "I've never seen anyone as fast as you." He praised. "You'd beat me in a race any day."
Zoe smiled at him, stood up and bowed. "Thanks Aang." She said, and then she had a thought, "Si Fu Aang."
He grinned and bowed to her too. Then, stretching they both walked over to where Katara was serving dinner.
"I still can't believe you guys used Hawky without telling me." Sokka was whining.
"Oh quit being such a baby Sokka." teased Zoe, going to help Katara serve and thanking her.
"Baby!" spluttered Sokka indigently, "how would you like it if I used Huan to send a message far away without asking you?"
"There's a difference between sending a baby rabbit-hen and a messenger bird to send a letter Sokka." replied Zoe with a roll of her eyes.
"Thanks for dinner Katara." said Toph uncharacteristically. She had been extra nice to Katara all evening, which was especially surprising considering their passed fights over the last few days.
"You know…I'm really not liking combustion man." said Zoe conversationally.
"It's a great name!" spluttered Sokka.
"Not the name," sighed Zoe, "the guy and the fact that he creates fire with his mind!"
"I wonder who sent him after us…" said Katara thoughtfully.
"Well…he definitely knows you're alive Twinkletoes." said Toph.
"I wonder if…" started Zoe nervously, but then she stopped, shaking her head.
"What?" asked Katara.
"Nothing…don't worry." she said, looking away. She had her suspicions that a certain Prince may have been behind combustion man…But, she didn't like to think he would send an assassin knowingly after them…after her.
Zoe shuddered violently, "I feel so sorry for those people Hama locked away in that cave." She said.
They were on Appa, on their way to the rendezvous point, but had previously had an interesting adventure with a creepy puppet master. "It's cruel…what she did." said Katara who had been teary all morning since the events of the previous night. She had been forced to learn blood bending, which she despised.
"I can't stand the thought of being imprisoned like that…" mumbled Zoe, it was something she truly feared; being locked away, hidden, a prisoner. "It reminds me of when I was with my family in the Fire Nation…they locked me away inside, hid me away from the world. I never even had a friend."
Toph looked at her in understanding, "That's not why you hate it though is it?" she said knowingly.
"No…" muttered Zoe, "it's not. It's because I know that they did it to protect me…and it's because I know when I ran away I hurt them and…" her throat began to close up and Katara shifted over to her, putting a comforting arm around her shoulder. "And every time I'm a prisoner of some sort again, I'm reminded of that…of them…and it hurts…"
"I know how you feel." muttered Toph and Zoe pulled her into their hug too.
"Well, it's certainly been an emotional night tonight." said Sokka jovially and Zoe gave a watery laugh.
"Well it will be all fun and games from here on in." she said wiping her eyes. "I mean we have the invasion, killing the Fire Lord…great stuff to come!"
Everyone chuckled appreciatively accept for Aang who looked rather worried, sitting curled up in Appa's saddle.
His mood did not improve by the time they arrived that night at the rendezvous point. In fact in worsened when Sokka decided to say how close the invasion was before they fell to sleep.
That night they were constantly awoken by either Aangs screaming from his nightmares, or his non stop training that he decided must be done in the black of night.
In fact, two days before the invasion he was practically going insane. He woke up that morning and forced Sokka to climb a cliff, made Toph spit her water out or she'd lead them to their deaths, told Katara to wear her hair back lest it get caught under a train, and made Zoe stand on one leg atop an armadillo-sheep because her balance was so bad.
Ok, so maybe that one was a good idea.
But, when it came to be the day before the invasion, something needed to be done. Tai Chi, therapy, acupuncture, and a game of air scooter tag had done nothing to calm his nerves. So they fashioned a bed out of wool from the many armadillo-sheep that surrounded them so tat Aang could get a good nights sleep.
And thank the spirits it worked.
On the morning of the invasion everyone's nerves were tingling with anticipation. Today was the day they overthrew the Fire Lord; the day they restored peace to the world. The thing that got Zoe most, was what would happen if they won. Inside her, the very annoying part of her that refused to let go of her past, was worried for Zuko. What would happen to him when they over threw his Father?
Everyone was dressed as themselves today. Aang even had his razor out to shave his head later. Zoe however could do nothing except let her hair out and free as she had no other clothes to wear that weren't burnt or torn.
She had her katana's strapped to her back and she was ready. The previous day she'd managed to defeat Sokka in a duel and even he admitted he was impressed and that morning Aang had told her she was very close to becoming a master air bender.
Zoe was very jealous though. Aang had been made another glider by some old friends of theirs and Zoe was struggling to hide her envy for the beautifully crafted item.
A boy in a wheelchair contraption, probably Katara's age came up to her. "Hey." He said with a kind smile.
"Hello." said Zoe raising an eyebrow.
"Aang tells us you're an airbender!" he stated happily.
"Ah…yeah I am…" muttered Zoe, "so?"
He looked her up and down, "you look like an airbender." He said simply.
Zoe frowned. "…good?"
"Very good." He stated and Zoe blushed. What was he insinuating? "My name's Teo by the way." He added smiling again, "you're Zoe, of course."
"Yeah, I guess I am." She said. "Well, um it was nice to meet you Theo, but I have to go talk to Sokka quickly about the eclipse later…ahh see you around." She flashed him a quick smile and the poor boy was captivated.
Captivated by a girl whose heart was long gone.
She ran over to Sokka, tying her hair back into a high pony tail on the way. "Hey Sokka." She mumbled.
He took a double take. "Wow." He said.
"What?" demanded Zoe defensively.
"Nothing…it's just you look really…" he struggled to find the right word, "scary." He finished.
Zoe's face went slack. "Gee, thanks Sokka." She said sarcastically.
"No, no. I mean you look…" he blushed slightly, "beautiful…but…" He looked her over again, from her sword to her determined glare. "scary." He decided again.
"Aww, Sokka." Crooned Zoe teasingly, "I think that's the first compliment you've ever paid me."
He rolled his eyes and Zoe pulled him into a hug despite his protests. "Be careful out there today, brother." She said sternly.
Sokka stared at her. "You just called me brother." He said.
"Did I?" said Zoe confused. "Huh…sorry, do you mind?"
Sokka grinned, "Not at all, sis." He said and then he ruffled her hair annoyingly.
"Come on, are you ready to give your speech?" asked Zoe and Sokka's face drooped and went a light tint of green. "Sokka, you'll be great. Believe in yourself." She patted him on the back and he nodded, unsure whether it was safe for him to open his mouth right now. She smiled encouragingly and they headed over to the others.
From there on in, everything was a blur. Just before they all boarded the boats, Teo came wheeling himself up to Zoe quickly, a long wooden staff clasped in his hands.
"Zoe!" he cried out and she turned round.
"Oh, hey Teo." She smiled.
"Here, we had some left over parts in the ship and I'd been practicing making things like dad, and, well this was already half done; so I finished it off." He handed the wooden staff to her. "It's a glider, I mean it's probably not as good as Aang's, but I figured since you didn't have o-"
Zoe knelt down and hugged Theo lightly. "Thank you so much." She said and she offered him a large smile, one of the first in a long while; the muscles were unfamiliar to move. He blushed. "I have never had a glider as brilliant as this." She opened it with a flick of her wrist like Aang did. Her glider was white and very elegant. She loved it. She grinned again, "Come on, Theo. Let's go!"
And with that, they boarded the ship. And the day of Black Sun commenced.
A/N YAY Zuko will be back next chapter! hurraay! Anyway, ty for the reviews! =) And aahh, yeah... please review hehe =)