Spark [Prince Zuko - Book One]

❃Chapter Five❃

Asake's breath came quick as she clenched her hands together. In the other room, she could sense the fire blasting from Zuko's hands, feel the way the flames curled at the ends and burned as bright as the noonday sun. Swallowing hard, she pushed the door open again, steeling herself for the onslaught of heat and fire.

She focused her gaze on Zuko, who was blasting fire at Aang. The small boy barely dodged each blast. Whenever the fire came within an inch of him, she could see the red and orange colors reflected in his gray eyes. He gasped slightly and rolled underneath Zuko, staying behind him. Asake caught her breath since Zuko's blasts fizzled out. Zuko locked eyes with her, and he frowned, slowing down. He seemed to take a step toward her, and Aang noticed Zuko's slight distraction, launching himself at his staff that was sitting in the corner of the room.

"Zuko!" Asake called out to him.

She pointed to the Avatar, and Zuko turned around. He airbended the mattress and hit Zuko with it. He slammed it into the wall, and it fell to the floor with a thud. The Avatar used his staff to airbend the mattress and Zuko again up into the air before the two things fell back down quickly with a loud clang. The kid held his staff in front of him, focusing his gray-eyed stare on Asake. She quickly shook her head, allowing him to run past her as she hurried over to Zuko. She grabbed onto the corner of the mattress and pulled it off of the Prince.

She touched Zuko's back, and he groaned softly. "Come on," she said, rolling him over. She reached toward his shoulder when, suddenly, his eyes shot open. They were wide with fear, so she pulled back and said, "Are you okay?"

"I'm good," Zuko said gruffly, sitting up. His hand massaged a place on his head, giving her a weird look. "Why did you disappear?"

"I needed my armor," Asake said in a rush. She ducked her head; the embarrassment crept up her neck in the form of heat. She looked back up and said, "The Avatar got away."

His worried face morphed into something of anger. She couldn't really tell what he was feeling in that moment, but she knew that her heart was beating so fast against her chest, especially after he stood up, grabbed her hand, and pulled her toward the door. "Let's go! We have to follow him!"

He dropped her hand as they ran through the doorway, the warmth leaving almost immediately. She wobbled slightly, but she caught herself on the wall. The panic subsided in her chest, leaving a feeling of trepidation and embarrassment. And she couldn't even believe that she let the Avatar go. If Zuko found out, he would have her hide.

She picked up her pace as Zuko raced around the corner. She quickly rounded it. Her footsteps faltered as she stared down the empty corridor. Both Prince Zuko and the Avatar had disappeared. Her ears strained to hear for any footsteps, but it was completely silent. Instead of following where he went, she turned around and ran quickly to the main deck. As soon as she burst into the bright sunlight, two things fell right onto the deck in front of her. The loud thud and even louder yell told Asake that it was Aang and Zuko who fell onto the deck.

"Zuko!" Asake cried, running toward him. The Avatar hopped up and grabbed his staff before she could make it to him. How many times was Zuko going to get hurt today?

"I'm okay," Zuko said, standing up. She touched his shoulder to make sure that he was okay before he sent a fiery blast at Aang. However, he ceased his firebending, his eyes scanning the sky. He pointed at something small that dotted the sky and asked, "What is that?"

"I have no idea."

The two of them didn't know what it was, but it looked like Aang did. A bright smile appeared on his face as he shouted, "Appa!" He turned his back on Zuko for just one second, and Zuko took that to his advantage.