"Lulu!" Zack cried, reaching one calloused hand toward me in desperation. "Please!"

He stepped closer to me, still reaching out, his eyes full of desperation and disbelief.

"No! Don't talk to me!" I shouted out, matching his tone, taking hurried steps away his advance. "I'm sick of this! Please, just give me Zuko and let us go!"

Frustration boiled up inside me, and I quickly made a decision.

Just as quickly, I bended a ribbon of water out of the small stream beside me, and swirled it around in front of me as I stopped my retreat and dug my feet into the soil. "Come any closer and I will harm you, Zack. I don't have a problem with it."

Lie.

But he didn't need to know that. Even though he might be suspicious from the way my voice shook as I spoke a lie that could end my life.

Would he even think twice before killing me?

I figured he would. Even though every event that had taken place before now could have very well been a lie.

I couldn't seem to hold that against him.

"C'mon, Lulu. Please. Don't act this way." Zack's voice seemed to soften as he stopped his advance and- surprisingly- he didn't take up a fighting stance as I had, but stood- defenseless and unarmed- in front of me. Arms by his side, eyes still pleading with me to understand.

"Please, Lulu, I cannot tell you where he resides." His eyes flashed.

"You know what," he muttered, closing his eyes, "harm me if you wish."

I felt my teeth unclench, and the water that was spiraling in front of me crashed down to the hard floor of the cave, forming a large fire-work pattern in the dimness- all intentions of violence forgotten.

I couldn't move.

My limbs were frozen, and my breath had caught in my throat.

His eyes remained closed, but I saw a smile form on the face of the devilishly beautiful boy in front of me.

"That's what I figured," I heard him whisper as he slowly opened his eyes and caught a glance of my present state.

I began receding from his devil-may-care expression, finally free of the sudden emotion that had taken over me just moments ago, clenching my fists and teeth once more.

"Can you really, honestly say that you felt nothing as you kissed me? That you didn't… enjoy it at all as our lips met?" Zack muttered, the devil-may-care smile still on his face as he started our dance again.

Me retreating from realization.

Zack chasing in hope of it.

Alright, the charm obviously came with the looks, because that really was… charming. No one actually talks like that realistically.

"No, Zack. I didn't feel anything."

Sadly another lie.

"And quit speaking to me that way," I added as an afterthought.

"But… why?" Zack's eyebrows pulled gently together as he considered my words. "How? How would you possibly not-"

"Because, you jerk, Zuko is perfect… and he loves me back. There's thing called unconditional love. You should really try it sometime," I snapped sarcastically, fuming. "Admit it, Zack, the only way you could ever love is for convenience. I can just feel that about you. Your nonchalance practically rolls off of you in waves…"

"You make me sound…" His nose wrinkled slightly as he pondered the word he was in search of. "Arrogant, or, something."

I closed my eyes in frustration. "I can't believe I'm standing here arguing with you about this!' I opened my eyes and sent my most frightening glare his way, only to realize that he was only about a foot away from me.

I was frozen for a moment, but quickly regained my frustration and used the closeness to prove a point.

I slammed my palm against his chest, shoving him away from me. "Of course you're arrogant! It's obvious that you wouldn't accept anything less of yourself!"

He feigned a hurt expression and took another step toward me. "Not true," he muttered just a millisecond before I felt his soft lips against mine once again.

I almost couldn't fight it this time.

It was trying almost as if I was fighting against the devil.

And the whole time, my subconscious was hoping I would lose.

Gathering all of the consciousness I could while fighting something as powerful as this feeling, I- once again- forced myself to think quickly.

I felt Zack's hands move to my waist, and I remembered that he was as vulnerable as ever with this as a distraction.

My hands round their way to his neck as my lips parted against his own, as I put 'Plan A' into action.

But he just continued to hold me in the same spot, not moving.

Great. 'Plan B,' it is, then…

I managed to deepen the kiss- which, as uninformed as I am from my only other experience being Zuko, was a huge leap of success- and started to gently walk us both towards the cave wall just a few feet behind Zack.

Once he was only a few inches from it, I pulled away, gasping from oxygen withdrawal, and looked into his eyes. "I'm actually sorry for this," I whispered gently.

I just caught the look of confusion that crossed his features before I slammed Zack beck into the wall, and myself a foot away in the process. I immediately bended another ribbon of water into the air- using all the concentration I could muster, which wasn't a lot- and quickly froze him in place, finishing the job by encasing the ice-cuffs in solid rock.

Lips swollen, hair disheveled, and frozen to a wall, Zack stared down at me, cursing silently. "Damn it."

I didn't stay to hear the rest.

I rushed down the only other escape I could see, which thankfully led into the deeper part of the caves.

The torches hung carelessly on the wall, lighting a small circle of space every few meters. It wasn't much, but it cast enough light to see what I was looking for.

A small opening perched just around a corner, completely lit by the dozen torches that were placed here specifically.

And there he was- bound three feet off of the ground onto a metal pole in the dead center of the pentagon shaped opening.

I managed to take care of the guards, utilizing the basics of earth bending that I had learned just yesterday to encase the hand full of guards in rock.

You can't say I don't work well under pressure.

"Thank you," Zuko breathed out as soon as I had removed the cloth from his mouth. "I appreciate it."

"I know," I responded gently. "Can you use fire to burn the metal that's binding your hands?"

Zuko nodded gently. "Yes. Now that I won't get killed for doing so."

I managed a weak smile. "Don't jinx it."

He managed a faint smile in return, his eyes flashing gently as one of the torches across the room reflected in them momentarily. "Step back, please."

I nodded, turning away and walking away from him towards one of the torches on the wall.

Might as well grab one, I thought, pulling it harshly off of one of the bronze brackets on the dark walls.

As soon as I turned, I saw Zuko landing deftly on his feet, as silent as a cat. "Let's get out of here. Fast," he added, turning away from me and running toward the exit.

Somehow, he knew which way was which, and we were soon dashing into the room that I had left Zack in.

One small problem.

He wasn't on the wall.

"Damn it!" I cursed, looking around the room. The torch in my hands was threatening to blow out as I spun quickly back and forth, looking in desperation for the face I now knew so well.

Zuko didn't question me, probably overriding it as looking for generic danger. His strong grip was soon placed on my wrist, and he tugged me forward persistently.

"Let's just leave," he muttered almost silently, looking at me with pleading eyes.

The look was too familiar.

I turned my head sharply away from him and nodded. "Let's."

I wrote this chapter and then my friend( Twilight1801) revised it. :) So almost all of the credit goes to her, except the original idea.