Wild At Heart (Zuko)

Chapter Eighteen

Later; Kali and Zuko are both sitting in front of the fire, the sun setting in the distance, the two ostrich horses curled up together close by. Zuko watches the two of them and then turns to Kali as she adjusts the blanket over her legs. Maybe he is a coward too. Maybe he can add that to the list of things that are wrong with him. If he wasn't, maybe he would be able to do what he wants. To pull her closer. To tell her how he really feels about her. To kiss her and hold her. But he doesn't. Maybe that does make him a coward. Maybe he isn't capable of those things. Maybe he doesn't deserve those things. Maybe he doesn't deserve her. Maybe that's why he never had a friend before. She leans into his side and he lets out a breath. All thoughts and doubts erasing from his mind. She is so quick to do things like this. To touch him without thought. He moves an arm to wrap around her shoulder, to pull her closer to him, she smiles and lets out a soft breath as she stares into the fire, processing everything they've talked about. He's told her everything he's been through since he left them. Everything he did. How he ended up out here. How he ended up feeling worse. She frowns a little.

"So you saved that boy," She tells him, he nods. "But they didn't thank you?" She asks, he shrugs a little.

"I.." He stops and sighs. It's not that simple. Not that cut and dry. "They didn't know who I was....and when they found out....it didn't matter what I'd done for them" She tilts her head in question.

"And who are you?" She asks him. He looks at her.

"No one" He answers. "Not anymore" She leans up.

"Who were you?" She counters, he shakes his head. That she doesn't know who he is, he likes that. To her, he is just Zuko. There is no pressure of title, no dishonour or the disgrace of exile. She has no idea. And he doesn't want to tell her. He doesn't want to shatter that naïve and oblivious little bubble she has. That they have. "Who were you?" She repeats. He sighs and looks away from her. She's not going to drop it. He knows that much.

"Fire Prince" He admits, she watches him as he keeps his eyes from her.

"You're the Fire Lord's son?" She asks him, he hums and nods. "Okay," She adds and then shrugs, not really caring. He turns a frown on her.

"That doesn't bother you?" He counters. "You don't hate me now?" She tilts her head in question. "Everyone hates the Fire Nation....you..." He looks at her leg. "You hate them, they hurt you" He points out, touching her leg "That..." He shakes his head. "How can you be okay with this?"

"I should blame you for everything your father has done? Or...ordered to be done?" She asks him. "Would you prefer for me to do that?"

"No" He argues quickly.

"Then don't complain" She points out, he smirks a little and presses his forehead to the side of her head. "Why are you out here then? Why are you not...I don't know, in some palace...with all your shiny things?" She asks with a frown. He pulls back and looks at her as she turns her head to him.

"I was banished" He answers, she pulls a face of confusion. "Long story" He whispers and shakes his head.

"What did you do?" She asks, shifting closer to him till she is practically sitting in his lap. He sighs a little.

"Disrespected my father" He admits. "Showed I was...dishonourable"

"But how?" She counters, he looks at her, she's frowning, adorably frowning at him. She really has no idea how things work outside of her own experiences, and she's been at the bottom of the pyramid for her entire life with not even a glimpse at the top.

"I spoke out of turn, in matters that I had no business talking about," He tells her. "Then I refused to fight my father in an Agni Kai..."

"What did you say that was so terrible?" She continues probing, he clenches his jaw. She's not asking to provoke or annoy him, he knows this, but it is dragging up things he doesn't want to think about let alone talk about. He looks at her, those green eyes of hers just staring up at him.

"Does it matter?" He asks her, she nods.

"Yes, of course, it matters" She defends. "It shows the kind of person you were...are....willing to talk up, to stand up for something...."

"I'm not that person anymore" He argues, she tilts her head and then pushes herself to her knees.

"What did you say?" She repeats, he clenches his jaw as she searches his eyes.

"It doesn't matter, Kali" He stops her with a look, he really doesn't want a reminder of what he did. She nods a little, not ignoring the topic, but at least putting it on the back burner, for now.

"So what were you going to do?" She changes the subject. "On your own....?" He lets out a breath and nods a little. Relieved that she's moving on.

"Capture the Avatar" He starts. "Maybe then I can go home, maybe it will make things right...my father will...restore my title. I will have my honour back" She hums a little, whilst she doesn't understand that whole thing, but she knows it means a lot to him. So she'll help him. If that's what he wants, then as his friend she'll help him.

"Which way?" She asks, turning her head to look out through the trees, he laughs dryly and shrugs.

"I have no idea" He admits, she chuckles a little and leans closer to him.

"Then you should be glad that I am here" She whispers in his ear before jumping up and moving to the nearest tree. He turns to watch her as she presses her forehead to the trunk. He realises and softens.

"Trees talk" He offers and watches as she smiles, knowing he's caught on. She draws her hands up to touch the tree, closing her eyes to concentrate.

........

A large train-like tank with smoke pouring out of its smokestack moves very fast along a dirt road, it has two large compartments connected to it, trailing behind. All have large treads, digging into the ground deeply, gauging its way along.

.........

Kali pulls back from the tree sharply, Zuko stands and moves to her. To check on her. She shakes her head.

"What happened?" He asks.

"The same thing I saw...it's vibrating through nature" She motions at the trees. "They are in pain" Her voices breaks. Zuko takes her hand and she looks at him. "But they do think it's following the Avatar" He raises an eyebrow and then nods.

"If we find the Avatar, then we find this...thing...then we can stop it" He offers, she sniffles and nods. He looks around the camp, thinking about their next move. They have to get on the road. 

"Zuko?" He hums in acknowledgement. "What's an Avatar?" She asks, he turns to her surprised before he smiles amused. "What?" She defends, he shakes his head and grabs his pack and swords from the ground. "What is it?" He moves back towards her. She raises an eyebrow at him.

"He's...elusive" He answers and brushes her hair over her shoulder. "And annoying.....and my ticket home" She nods a little and then lets out a breath. 

"Okay, so we find him...and you can go home," She tells him, he touches her cheek and nods.

"And you'll come with me?" He asks, she frowns a little. "No more chains, no more...hiding...If I have the Avatar, then I can ask for things....for you to be comfortable...For you to be safe" She doesn't know what to say, it's not something someone's ever promised her before. Safety. Comfort. She doesn't know if she believes it. She wants to, because she trusts him. It's other people she doesn't trust. He can mean it, but if his father doesn't. Then she will never have those things.