The Girl He Won't Remember

Chapter 1

There have been nights when I'd be unable to sleep, which would lead to me go days on end without any form of rest at all. I'd spend my days and nights trying to piece myself back together and make myself feel whole again. My mind would merciless remind that I had pushed away the only family I've ever really known. Out of spite and hurt feelings, I'd told my best friend to never speak to me again. In doing so, I'd broken my promise to Ursa. She asked one thing of me, and I failed her. The closest thing to a mother I'd ever had....

Granted, I was the only one to blame here. I was the hypocrite that banned Zuko from speaking to me after he'd lied to me, even after all the times I'd gone behind his back and lied to him. But you had good intentions, I tried to convince myself. You were saving lives when you lied to him. He only cared about his honor and his daddy issues.

I knew none of it was true, no matter what method I tried to use to convince myself otherwise. A lie was a lie, and the truth is always bound to come out eventually.

For instance, a day or two after leaving with the Avatar and others, sailing on a Northern Water Tribe ship, I felt the need to confess the one big thing I'd been hiding from them. So, that night while everyone was lying in their bunks in the quarters given to us, I took that opportunity to tell them.

"You were living with the Fire Lord?!" Sokka gawked.

"Sort of," I nodded. "It was a bit more complicated than that, though." I was already regretting this.

"What was it like?" Aang asked. All of them looked at me as if I was about to tell them a fairy tale. A story of living like a beloved princess among the people of a polar opposite nation. Well, that was definitely not what they were getting.

"It wasn't exactly easy," I started. "Everyone - and I mean everyone - hated me. The Fire Lord's wife had my back though. Ursa treated me as if I was her own child."

"Why did she take you in?" Sokka asked. "It's not like the village couldn't have taken care of you."

When I didn't answer, Aang cut in again. "What about Zuko? Was he always so-?"

"That's enough, you two," Katara interrupted. "She doesn't have to tell us everything right now. You guys are probably overwhelming her."

"No, no," I said. "It's okay." I sat up, playing with my hair a bit. "I really don't know much about why Ursa was the one to take me in. All I know is she never let anyone hurt me. She did everything she could to make sure I was happy." I caught myself smiling, as well as touching the ruby that dangled from my necklace. "As for Zuko....." I let out a breathy chuckle. "He wasn't that bad. I mean, when it came to tracking the you, Aang, he was....well you saw how he was."

"Not that bad?!" Sokka stuck his head out to look up at me. "Have you seen what he's done to get to Aang?!"

"Yeah," I answered sheepishly. "I did....I was there for all of it."

After taking a moment to think, Sokka spoke just as quietly. "That's how you knew to come warn the village."

"And how you knew to help us escape Zuko and the pirates," Katara added.

"So is that why you wouldn't come with us that day?" Sokka asked. When I nodded, he sounded furious. "You wanted to stay with that psycho?!" He'd gotten so worked up that he fell out of his bunk.

"Like I said, Sokka," I frowned, feeling small and inferior all of a sudden. "He wasn't always like that..." Or maybe he is, a voice in my head countered. Otherwise you wouldn't have left.

"I think that's enough for tonight," Katara said after studying me, much to my relief. "We should all get some rest."

The next morning, we all stood on deck as Master Pakku granted the group with parting gifts and last words of advice before our departure. He handed Katara an amulet, which contained water with rare healing properties. To Aang, he gave a small chest of waterbending scrolls, telling him that they were no substitute for a real master - it was cute, the way Aang had looked at Katara at that very moment. When it was my turn, Master Pakku stopped. "I've yet to know you," he said, looking down at me. "But after seeing what you did to help us in our time of need, I know that you're bound for great things, young lady." He reached Sokka, to which he said, "Sokka... Take care of yourself."

We climbed into Appa's saddle. Sokka and I were fastening everything down to prepare for liftoff as Pakku told Aang to head to an Earth Kingdom base, that someone would be willing to help us there. Within minutes, we were in the sky, waving goodbye to the Northern Water Tribe. It wasn't long before Sokka had fallen asleep, Katara not far behind. Soon enough, Aang and I were the only ones awake. It was foreseeable awkward.

What do you say to someone that you've been tracking for three years, even if you aren't the one trying to destroy them?

"So," he said hesitantly, eyes ahead, "is it easy being away from it all?"

"What do you mean?" I leaned forward on the saddle, resting my head in the crook of my arm as I watched the clouds roll past in the dusk sky.

"Being away from everything you grew up with. Everyone you loved." Though I couldn't see him, I could hear the pain he was trying to conceal. "It must feel like everything you know...is gone."

I heard him sniff. "It sounds like you're talking more about yourself than you are about me," I said quietly. No longer wishing to watch the clouds, I turned my attention to him. I'd never actually looked closely at him before ─ not enough to realize that he was only a child. He looked like he hadn't even hit puberty yet. Only a child, I thought, and already expected to be responsible for the well being of our world. I could only imagine the pressure he was under.

I crawled over the saddle, clutching on to Appa's fur as I moved to sit next to the Avatar. Don't look down, I willed myself. Whatever you do, do not look down.

I was never a fan of heights. Heights and I just don't get along. Yes, I've jumped from Zuko's ship into the sea dozens of times, but that's different. Each of those instances was adrenaline-fueled ─ whether it was the soldiers and crew chanting their dares for her to dive into the rushing waves, or it was the time she jumped ship to go warn the Water Tribe of an oncoming attack. Never would I have done that in my right mind.

Still clutching the bison's fur, I took a deep breath and looked straight ahead. Don't look down. "When Queen Ursa took me in, I thought I'd find a new home. Live happily ever after with the royal family, with a mother and a father and siblings. That was foolish dreaming, especially considering we're in the midst of a war. I felt isolated and like everything and everyone was against me. There was no one there that was like me, so I had no one to confide in. All I had was the Queen and Zuko, and Iroh, later on." He said nothing. "You remind me a bit of myself, Avatar. I can tell you've been through so much, even in your few years. But you stay strong. You have your support group ─ Katara, Sokka, your past lives ─ "

"Don't forget Appa!" He finally chimed in. I could hear the faint smile in his voice.

" ─ and Appa, too," I nodded. "I just want you to understand that you aren't alone in this world, no matter how exiled you may feel." I looked back at my sleeping friends and smiled. "They'll take care of you."

He looked over at me, his hazel eyes looking a dull grey. "Why do you sound like you're saying goodbye?" When I didn't reply, he frowned. "You're leaving? Already? But you've only just reunited with Sokka and Katara! After all the three of you have been through, I'd assume you'd want to stay and reconnect with them!"

"I'm not leaving right away," I sighed. "But soon. I can't stay with you guys forever. I need to venture out and write my own story."

"They'll be so heartbroken..."

"I doubt that, Aang. We haven't actually spent time together since we were six years old; they've only seen me when I came to save you all." I nodded, as if silently reassuring myself that I was making the right decision. "They have you now, and you have them. You're all in good hands." Without another word, I cautiously crawled back into the saddle and curled into a ball, opposite of Sokka and Katara. I closed my eyes and exhaled.

This was going to be harder than I thought.

Author's Note

Here it is, everyone! The sequel you've all been anticipating (thank you, by the way, for all 342 of those inbox messages asking me to stop torturing you by not publishing this book). I hope you all like this second book and I don't bore you. Saki pictures will be published as the story goes on, and, yes, there are even Saki/Zuko pictures.