Unbroken Spirit II (Zuko x OC) (Book 2)

Chapter 12

Nakota:

I woke up to shuffling and someone moving beside me. I peeled my eyes open and saw Zuko getting dressed quietly and quickly. I furrowed my brows and slowly sat up.

"Zuko?" He swiftly turned to me. "What's going on? It's still dark out." I began to get up until he rushed toward me.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." He assured and sat down beside me. "I heard Uncle in the kitchen and I wanted to check on him."

"Oh ok, well I'll come with." I got ready to stand up until he laid his hand on my shoulder.

"You should get some rest." He put his hand under my chin. "Get some sleep." He kissed my forehead and walked out, leaving me perplexed.

I sighed and laid back down, maybe he was right. Maybe it was just Iroh who had wandered into the kitchen, but my thoughts didn't help the feeling at the pit of my stomach. Something felt off, but I couldn't quite figure it out. I faced the window, the moon shined through which gave me some sort of comfort.

"Kota." I stirred as I felt someone shake me. "Kota, you have to wake up." My eyes opened to see Iroh looking down at me with a worrisome expression.

"Iroh? What's wrong?" I sat up quickly and noticed that Zuko wasn't around me. "Where's Zuko?"

"That's what I have to inform you on. I believe Zuko is going to do something regretful." His words had made me panic. "If we don't hurry now, he will make a huge mistake."

I got to my feet briskly. "Then we must go. Now."

~

We walked for a while until we stopped at the edge of the island. I was about to question Iroh until he started to walk ahead and to a path. I followed and saw a hole at the end of the pathway which made me glance at Iroh anxiously.

"He's down there?"

"I'm afraid so." Iroh answered and looked at me straight. "He must be headed towards the Avatar's bison. We must hurry." I nodded and climbed down after Iroh.

When we got to the bottom, the hallways seemed very eerie, giving off a bad vibe. I shuddered, sensing the same feeling in the pit of my stomach. I clutched the necklace Zuko had given me, finding it a little comforting. There were green lights that lit up the halls which made it even more creepy. I stayed close to Iroh, terrified of what could come out. We finally ended up at a room where I could hear Appa's frightened roars. I hurried to the door until Iroh stopped me.

"Kota wait!" He grabbed my shoulder and walked in front of me.

"Appa is in there, he sounds petrified." I told Iroh in a frantic manner.

"He will be okay. I will make sure Zuko doesn't harm him in any way." Iroh assured me which made me relax. "Just stay out here, I will be right back." I nodded as Iroh slid open the door and closed it. However, he didn't close it fully since I could hear everything.

"Uncle?"

"So the Blue Spirit?" I heard Iroh say. "I wonder who could be behind that mask."

Zuko sighed. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing. What do you plan to do now that you've found the Avatar's bison." I heard Iroh near Zuko. "Keep it locked in our apartment. Should I go put on a pot of tea for him?"

"First I have to get it out of here."

"And then what!" I flinched at the sound of Iroh's voice raising. "You never think these things through. This is exactly what happened when you captured the Avatar at the North Pole. You had him and then you had nowhere to go."