Wild At Heart (Zuko)

Chapter Eighty-Two

Note: Sorry for the slow down on this again, with all my other stories I actually totally forgot about it. I am going to try and get back to it and get it finished. 

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As the sun rises in the sky, bowls and bowls of different fruits sit on the ground as Kali adds yet another to it. She wants to make sure they are all fed for the battle to come tomorrow. To make sure they are all ready. This is a way that she can help. She can feed them. Sokka drops his arm around her shoulders and pulls her closer to thank her softly. They can all see how worried she has been. Between the coming battle and everything going on with them and Zuko. It's been hard for her. Trying to comfort both sides. Her lover and her friends. She might not have known them for very long, but she knows this is the right side of the war and she wants to help. And she deeply loves Zuko. It must have been so hard for her. And yet she bore it all with a smile and warmth. And with Aang's issues. Waking them all in the night with his nightmares. They are all starting to get tired too. But here she is. With a soft warm smile. Looking after them all. Taking care of them.

"Would you like me to make something else?" She asks Sokka who shakes his head.

"Save your strength" He counters. "If we need anything, we'll hunt for it" He then motions to the bowls of fruit. "Eat something...and take something to your boyfriend, make sure he's ready too" She hums in agreement and then turns to him.

"How did it go yesterday?" She asks him. Sokka nods.

"Good" He assures her. "He had things to help....a great help actually" He scratches at his neck. "I didn't know about the nets of fire" Kali looks at him and he shrugs. "It's a defensive mechanism that Azulon set up and has never been used, not enough that the general public knows about it....but I do now, and I can make adjustments, make sure we are ready for it" Sokka smiles at her. "He's pretty smart, you know" She chuckles softly and nods in agreement. "He'll be a great help...." He adds and glances across at Zuko who yawns as he leaves his tent, running his fingers through his hair. "I know he's only here for you" Sokka continues and Kali frowns at him.

"He's here because he knows it is the right thing," Kali argues. "He knows what his people have done. What his father has done. And he wants to put things right"

"Yeah, I see that, but still....he is here because you are here" Sokka counters. She nudges him.

"He would have gotten there himself, eventually, I believe that. I believe in him" She adds and then drifts away from him to head to Zuko who brightens seeing her approaching him. When she is close enough, he reaches out and takes her hand.

"Come on" He pulls her away from the group, she raises an eyebrow at him but allows it.

"Where are we going?" She asks him softly.

"We are going into war tomorrow, today I want to spend with you, just you" He answers, squeezing her hand softly. "We don't know what will happen...if we end up separated again..."

"We won't" She stops him. "I won't let anything split us up again" She assures him, firmly. They are here together and she intends for them to stay that way. That is all she wants. As long as they are together, the outcome of this battle doesn't matter, because she knows that they will figure it out. Together.

"Let me have today" He whispers softly and she nods. She can do that. For today at least. She has to have hope that they will win. She has to believe that. Otherwise she will break, take Zuko, and hide from the world. And that wouldn't help anyone. Zuko pulls her hand closer and kisses the back of it. Thanking her softly. Behind them, Ran-Ya, Bing and the hart follow along, never too far away from their companions. The five of them connected. Kali might have brought them all together, but the three animals are connected to Zuko too. The seven of them are a group on their own. A family.