not from around here | Zuko X OC

| chapter sixty two |

Saki snapped her eyes open and stared at the ceiling above her. It was made of grey coloured stone, however lots of it was crumbled and had green moss growing on it.

She smiled. By now she had gotten used to this ceiling because of the amount of times she'd stared at it when trying not to fall asleep. Trying not to let it take over her.

But now? Now she felt a feeling of relief, a feeling of freedom like a weight off her shoulders. A feeling she'd forgotten about for so long.

She unbuttoned the sleeping bag and pushed the blankets off of her. She stood, her bare feet on the cold stone that she felt like she hadn't really felt in ages.

Yawning, she walked to the door and opened it, then walked down the familiar passageways in a mood that was better than any she had felt recently.

She walked into the main temple area, stretching her arms above her head and yawning again.

"Morning guys." She said mid yawn to the gang of people who were already up and pacing around. In one motion they all turned to her and their eyes went wide. Zuko was the first one to get to her, closely followed by Suki. He put his arms around Saki and squeezed so tightly she thought one of her ribs were going to crack.

"Zuko, you're hurting me." She squeaked out, trying to get some air into her crushed lungs. Zuko wasn't listening, he was too busy thanking the spirits she was okay. He buried his nose into her hair and and breathed in a sigh of relief as tears filled his eyes.

"I'm so glad you're okay." He murmured and squeezed her even tighter. Even though Saki was being crushed, she appreciated his concern and his warm embrace.

Before they could say anything else, Zuko was shoved to the side and Saki was engulfed in a hug from someone much shorter, who was just as excited to see her best friend alive and well.
"Saki! I'm so happy to see you again, I was so worried about you, you idiot." Suki told her.

"I missed you too Suki, but I wasn't gone very long." Saki laughed, hugging her friend back.
Saki had only been out one night, but it had felt like one of the longest nights ever for the rest of the gang.

"I know, but I was so worried about you! How are you feeling?" Suki asked her, pulling away. By now, the rest of the gang had gathered around her and were eagerly waiting her reply.

"To be honest... this is the best I've felt in weeks!" Saki exclaimed, waving her hands to the side to show how overjoyed she was to feel happy again.
"I feel so free now, like I can do anything I want without worrying about what's going to happen to the people around me! I feel free as a bird!" She continued to explain.

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief and smiles appeared on their faces.
"We were really worried about you, Princess." Toph said, punching Saki's arm with her fist and grinning.

A smile spread across Saki's face as she turned to Katara.
"Thank you Katara, without you I would've gone crazy by now." Saki smiled and pulled Katara into a hug.

They heard sniffling coming from something beside them and both pulled away to see what it was. They saw Aang wiping his eyes and sniffing as he watched them.
"It's just so amazing that you two are friends again and that Saki is back to normal." He sniffled, pointing at the two girls.

Everyone chuckled and Katara hugged Aang. Sokka smiled at Saki proudly and she returned the smile. Everyone was glad that Saki was alive and well.

As the others walked away, Saki felt a warm hand snake it's way into hers and she looked up to her side and saw Zuko smiling down at her. She smiled back at him and Zuko could tell it was a genuine smile and noticed her eyes sparkle like they used to. He felt an overwhelming surge of happiness flow through him and he moved down to gently kiss her on the forehead. Her cheeks went a slight pink and he chucked slightly as she looked away, embarrassed that he'd caught her off guard and made her blush.