The Girl No One Knew

Chapter 15

"Why would things change, Saki?" Zuko pulled back enough so he could look at me, arching an eyebrow.

I shook my head. "I don't know. I just need you to promise me that." When he didn't say anything, I urged him to say it. "Zuko. Promise me."

He smiled down at me reassuringly and nodded. "Of course I promise." I hugged him again, smiling. "You know, this isn't at all why I called for you."

"Then what?" I chuckled, breaking the hug. "You're not going to lecture me about being around Bao again, are you?"

"You were with him?! I — ." He cleared his throat. "No... No, that's not why I wanted talk about." He turned his attention to the map sprawled out in front of him. "I've been tracking reports of sightings of the avatar, hoping I'd somehow figure out a pattern. Find out where he's going to be next. But...."

"But you've hit a dead end and need my help," I finished for him. He nodded. "Alright... Let's see what we've got here...

A few hours of work led to repeated dead ends, which led to more hours of work. Which led to more dead ends. Which only made Zuko that much more frustrated. I hadn't realized how long we'd been working until Iroh entered the room with tea for everyone.

"The two of you have been working so hard," Iroh chuckled as he poured tea into a cup and handed it to me. "The sun has grown tired of watching you. It is nearly midnight."

"I won't stop, Uncle." Zuko grunted. "Not until I've captured the avatar and regained my honor." Ironic, I thought. I'm the one doing all of the work.

Iroh looked at me, smiling tiredly, then looked at his nephew again. "You deserve a break — both of you do. The chef has prepared a meal for you both. Relax from your search, Prince Zuko. Spend time with your friend."

It was then that Zuko's face flushed of color, and his cheeks went red. "Uncle!" I laughed, only making his cheeks glow brighter. Iroh laughed as well.

"Fine, Nephew. I will leave you to work, if that is what you want." Iroh picked up his cup of tea and said as he walked out, "I will have one of the soldiers send your meals."

When we were once again alone, Zuko sighed. "I'm sorry about my uncle."

"Zuko, how long have we been friends?" Before he could answer my rhetorical question, I continued. "Since the age of nine," I chuckled. "So there's no reason for you to apologize for him trying to play matchmaker. Besides, it's not like it's the first time."

I wasn't lying either. Back before Zuko's banishment, the Fire Nation citizens that weren't hoping for my demise were expecting that there'd someday be an announcement of our betrothal. Obviously, that didn't happen.

I looked over at my best friend to find him staring at me, and not in his usual "Wow, what a little weirdo" sort of way. He looked down at me in a way that made me feel small. Zuko gentle pushed a lock of hair behind my ear and leaned in closely....

Until a soldier suddenly barged in, making Zuko jump and move away from me. "Prince Zuko, I — "

"How dare you barge in here unannounced!" He barked back.

"My apologies," the soldier bowed, "but we have just received word from a Fire Nation facility. The Earth Kingdom prisoners have escaped with the aid of the Avatar and his friends."

This news changed everything.

Zuko ordered the soldier to return to his post and change course to the prison before looking at me again, now back to his typical obsessed-with-honor self. "This could be my chance, Saki," he said, squishing my face in his hands. "I'm one step closer to capturing him and returning home."

"Yeah...." I gave a weak smile before he hugged me and ran out to order around his crew. I stayed behind in the map room, looking at the routes we'd drawn out. "Ursa.... If you can hear me out....wherever you are," I huffed loudly, "I hope you know how hard I'm trying..." I shook my head and leaned on the table. This was not going at all the way I wanted it to.

Before I knew it, we had already reached our destination, and I was watching as Zuko inspected the damage left by the escape. Apparently, earthbenders had used the ship's coal to get into an all-out brawl against the guards during their escape. I shadowed Zuko as he walked around. "Everyone back to the ship," he commanded, holding something that looked like a ribbon in his balled up fist.

Everyone else followed his orders, except for me. I looked around at the black dust coating the floor, the only sound being the waves. It was like a ghost town.

"Saki," Zuko said from behind me. He must've just realized I wasn't back on the ship. "It's time for us to go."

"Yeah," I said quietly, still staring at the damage. "Right, yeah, I'm coming..." I turned to face him and began walking. He draped his arm over my shoulders as we walked. We were getting closer to finding Aang and the others....but then what? What was going to come next?

I skipped dinner that night, claiming I had a stomachache. I took the cup of peppermint tea that Iroh said would help with the "stomachache," and headed to Zuko's quarters to rest.

Something in his quarters caught me eye though.

I set the half-empty cup atop of the dresser and lit a small candle. The glow of the flame bounced off of a small object next to my cup. The ribbon that had been in Zuko's hand earlier.

It was Katara's necklace.