Spark [Prince Zuko - Book One]

❃Chapter Twenty Five❃

Asake and Zuko stuck to the shadows as they traveled around the Northern Water Tribe. Otherwise, the Waterbenders and warriors around them would have seen them and attacked. Plus, Zhao's army was running around like the unagi with its head cut off, and they didn't want to get caught by them, either. There was one thing on her mind, and it was finding and ending Zhao.

Besides the other thing on her mind: Zuko chose the Avatar over getting her out of the block of ice. She stopped in her tracks at the thought of him choosing the Avatar over her. For some reason, she was still upset that he did that to her, especially after the moment they shared together.

"Zuko," she said quietly. He stopped walking and looked back at her with a frown on his face. "Why didn't you get me out of that ice? I would've helped you get the Avatar away."

Zuko sighed, looking away from her. In the dark shadows, she could only see his eyes as they shone in the firelight from the battle raging on near them. His eyes held something strange in them; she couldn't tell what he was thinking. "I had a choice between staying with you or grabbing the Avatar. You obviously know my decision."

Asake frowned, pulling on his arm to make him face her. She still couldn't tell what was going on through his mind. "Why don't you use your words and tell me what you're doing?"

"Look," Zuko snapped, tugging his arm out of her grip. He shook his head stiffly. "I figured you would understand. We both want to go home."

Asake barked a laugh, shaking her head at him. "After all this traveling we have done, I did want to go back home. But now . . ." She ran her hands through her hair. "What home do I have? My father was the reason why you even participated in that agni kai. My governess hasn't tried to find me. My mother is dead and gone, and my older brother ran away. Where else would I go?" He wouldn't even look back at her, so she reached up and made him look at her so he could see her anger. She didn't want him to get out of this unscathed. "So, no, I do not want to go home anymore."

"Maybe you could come to the palace with me . . ."

Asake ground her teeth together, knowing she'd never go to the palace. Zuko's father was even worse than hers, and she didn't want to be subjected to whatever situation rose up there. "I don't know why I jumped in front of you. You don't care that I did that for you, so why should I care?"

She turned away from him, storming away from him. She couldn't believe how angry he was making her. Somehow, she always had this type of reaction whenever they talked together. Everything always turned into an argument, no matter what it was they were talking about.

"Asake, stop," Zuko called out. She spun around, ready to punch him in the face. He still stood where she left him, his face dark. "I don't understand why this is such a big deal."

"Zuko, you said you'd give your life to get me back from Zhao," she whispered. Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat. "But you could run off with the Avatar and expect me to be happy? I thought we were a team. I thought we were in this together."

"Well, you just said you didn't want to go back home, so why does it matter if I got the Avatar and left?"

"It matters because I had a job to do today!" she yelled. "I need to get revenge on the man who took everything away from me! Because of you, I was stuck in a freaking block of ice for who knows how long and could only watch from the sidelines as Zhao walked by me." She angrily pointed at him. "You have every chance to go after the Avatar, but I can't do the one thing I need to do."

"You need to be quiet," Zuko snapped, rushing forward. He moved to slap a hand over her mouth, but she pushed it out of the way, glaring up at him. "What if someone hears you?"