Anguish to Peace (Zuko x OC)

Chapter 2: Surprise!

Word: 1157

I woke up to two voices arguing over something... interesting.

"We can't take her back there. What if they find her? '' the old man tried to reason. I hadn't a single clue what they were talking about, however. Was the girl they mentioned, me? I rubbed my eyes and walked closer to the door barely making a noise.

"When did this mission become about her?" Zuko growled at the older man.

"I don't think she wants to go back to something she escaped!" The older man insisted. 

"So, we won't let her be seen by the north now, will we?" I sat there in shock. The moment I thought I was free they were going to take me back where I came from. "Besides it's not about her it's about the Avatar and he's heading to the north to find a teacher. I just know it" he apparently didn't want to keep his voice a bit quieter, so I listened in.

"We can find him somewhere else; we are putting her in danger by doing this" the old man Insisted I couldn't see either of their faces, but I didn't want to.

Suddenly I heard a clunking noise from above deck. I opened the door coming out with a panicked look.

"What's that?" I asked, looking at the old man who looked shocked at my sudden appearance.

"Prince Zuko it is General Zhao" one of the guards stormed into the hall "he wants to 'bargain'"

"Stay put Water Bender" he ordered going up to the main deck

"Stay hidden, I have a bad feeling about this," the older man calmly ordered. "There's a trapdoor in the closet." He quickly wandered off, probably to follow Zuko. I simply nodded going back into my room quickly finding the closet trap door that he had mentioned. I put a small wedge, so I'd have air and got in the hole. My hope was that they wouldn't look too hard for more people.

After a while I heard only silence my nerves got to me. After an hour or two since the orders I heard a man storm in the guards searched the room.  I saw someone grab the door to the closet. He smelled like smoke, and I could tell he was angry. Somehow, he saw the wedge and opened the trapdoor and pulled me by my coat out of the.

"Ahh so he snuck his girlfriend on the boat, eh? Although, you are way too pretty for that monster" he smirked looking me up and down which made me much more uncomfortable. He pulled me through the door of the ship and I saw Zuko scowling at him.

Iroh looked shocked when he saw me being dragged across the top deck. "I can do this one of two ways" Zhao smirked "I can take her with me and put her away like many of the Water Benders or kill her right now"

"You won't do either" Zuko growled looking at Zhao with the most hate I've ever seen him with. the older man contained him with two arms on each of his shoulders, but I knew even Iroh would not prevent him from attacking Zhao.

"Right." Zhao smirked, giving off an evil and disgusting laugh. He pulled out a bit of fire and put it right next to my neck while his other hand was holding my hair. "Step any closer and your pretty girlfriend will be as disgusting as you!"

"She's not my girlfriend" Zuko said with sneer

"You sure?" Zhao smirked at how much power he had over Zuko right now the heat leaned closer to my neck which burned my neck a bit, but out of rage and pain I kicked the general in the shin which made the general step back.

"I don't need him to protect me!" I yelled quickly, water bending some of the water from the ocean and using a method I learned from watching my older sister. I attacked him with ice spikes, but I was grabbed by someone.

"Calm down the more you attack the more you exploit yourself" it was the calm voice of the old man. I carefully nodded, staring at Zhao as he laughed evilly before walking off the ship.

"My offer still stands, Iroh, you can join me." Zhao tried but I saw the old man, apparently the retired general Iroh himself, shake his head.

"Thank you for the offer though" he went back to his happy go lucky Iroh self as Zhao left. I looked over to Zuko who went back to his cold manner. I felt a little warmth towards him though as he wanted to protect me from Zhao. I Water bended some water around my hands and put my hands on my neck focusing my energy on the injury.

"Thanks for trying," I said simply before going back to fixing the burn. Zuko nodded simply and walked briskly back to the bottom of the boat to his room.

"That's a beautiful thing you can do" Iroh sipped his tea "the healing is a good part about being a Water Bender" I nodded with a small smile as I sat down at the table "want some tea?" Iroh asked me simply and once I nodded, he poured some for me.

After around like an hour Iroh asked me about a walk. I just shook my head and laid back in the chair, the healing had taken a bit of my strength as well as the panic from earlier

Iroh left to ask Zuko if he wanted to go on a walk as well but assumed he said no when Iroh left alone.

I stumbled up from the chair and walked down to the lower deck to my room. I saw Zuko meditating in another room and decided to walk to him.

"Hey" I stood against the wall

"Water Bender?" he turned towards me "what do you want?" he sounded a bit aggressive, so I shrugged.

Suddenly I heard a large explosion from another part of the ship. "Zuko!" I yelled instinctively. I stumbled to the ground once another explosion hit

"Get up!" Zuko ordered, grabbing me by the arm as we basically trampled through the halls as more and more explosions made the ship rumble and shake. As we went through the halls metal splattered out to us hitting and cutting us. "Ouch!" I hear Zuko say a rather large piece hits him in the face. We got out of the ship onto the main deck and leaped off the boat as fast as we could. The explosions ended up taking over the ship and I bent us quickly away using the water to dart off and onto the land.

(A/N I'm trying to stick with the main plot but obviously she is added to the mix, so I have to change a few things)

(Has gone through second round of editing)