Hot Leaf Juice

SCRAPPED CHAPTER

Chapter sixteen: the past?

As we approached the north pole I got nervous. How exactly am I going to pull this off? My part of the plan wasn't as hard as Zuko's and I've stuck to it well so far, But if I get caught now I risk screwing up everything. We are about a day away from the north pole, so now I have to disappear.

Looking over my shoulder I double-check no one is following before ducking down the next corridor slowly making my way towards the lifeboats. I'm not supposed to leave my room without Uncle Iroh. If I get caught now I could get myself in a dangerous situation. This is the only way I'll be able to get off this ship. Quietly gripping my bag closer to me I dash into a dark area of the corridor hiding behind the wall and making myself as small as possible. I know I heard footsteps. I just know it.

"Hey, did you hear about what commander Zhao did?" my ears perked up as I heard the conversation. What direction are they coming from and where are they going? Do I need to move or am I safe where I am?

"The rumors about hiring some pirates?" Random soldier two spoke out.

"Yeah, Apparently it was to kill the banished prince." Soldier one replied

"Really?"

"Yeah but let's not talk about that, someone could hear us and report it to commander Zhao" It seems like a small girl's conversation to the moon spirit was "overheard" I smirked to myself. Finally, the footsteps disappeared and I could continue moving throughout the ship. At least until I felt a hand clamp down on my shoulder and another on my mouth dragging me backward and down another hall and pulling me out of sight. I tried to fight whoever had grabbed me until they turned us around and pushed me up against the wall slightly. They took their hand off my shoulder before reaching up to take the faceplate off of the helmet. my eyes raced following their every movement until I realized who it was.

"Zuko, what the heck?!" I whispered

You almost got caught, and you went the wrong way. Stick to the plan, continue down this hall and then go left and down the stairs. It should be easy to find after that."

"Oh.. well thanks for scaring me"

"That's what older brothers do, be careful." I nodded as he put the faceplate back in place and walked back the way he came. Okay, follow this hall, take a left, and go down the stairs. Should be simple enough. If I planned the time right they should be having a meeting at the moment and I should be able to arrive shortly.

When I finally reached my destination, I quietly opened the door wide enough for me to slip in before shutting it behind me and looking around the room. Just like Uncle told me no one was in here. Perfect for me to hide, they normally skip patrolling this room and if they do I can hide in a lifeboat. When they do patrol in here they never check them. I know that from past experience. Slowly walking over to the farthest lifeboat I hid my bag under the small blanket they keep in these things and sat in a dark corner. Now I wait.

The rest of the plan is simple, once we arrive and Zuko figures out how to get off this ship without getting caught I go with him so they can't force me to stay on board another boat, and I don't end up back in the fire nation. I've completed my end of everything. Now all that's left is to hope Zuko figures it out. Oh, and that Uncle remembers to bring me some food and an extra coat. It's freezing down here!

Hours passed and no one even bothered checking in here. Hopefully, no one will realize I'm missing. It's been almost impossible to keep biting my tongue. I'm supposed to stay as silent and respectful as possible and to only speak when asked, I need to be easily forgotten. So they won't realize I'm gone right away. Spirits knows how hard that was for me. I heard a creak of the door and I quickly moved to the liferaft hoping in and hiding down making sure I was out of sight. Maybe this place wasn't the best idea. The footsteps led into the room as the door creaked shut. I listened as they grew closer and it seemed like they were inspecting each boat. I'm screwed. They grew closer and closer and I got ready to attack whoever found me. I curled into myself more and more until I heard the footsteps stop right next to the lifeboat I was hiding in. Until the blanket was ripped off and I jumped up ready to attack.

"Well hello, princess zora. It seems the past loves to repeat itself." Huh? is that

"Uncle?" I blinked twice before realizing he had a wrapped up coat and a mug in his hands. I let out a sigh before slowly climbing out of the lifeboat and walking back to my small corner. My Uncle laughing at my surprise.

"Deja vu." my Uncle said and I laughed.

"Definitely deja vu" He unwrapped the coat and handed me a few different fruits and some small desserts.

"I wasn't able to get much. I could only get this, but I did manage to sneak you some jasmine tea."

"Okay now, this is definitely some deja vu'' Uncle laughed at my response as I gently laid out the coat and ate some of the food he had brought me. Uncle sat with me and handed me the cup of tea. When I finished I shook the crumbs off the coat and securely wrapped it around myself. Did I already mention that it's cold down here?

I heard the familiar creak of the door opening and I buried myself into the corner as my Uncle stood in front of me blocking me from whoever was stepping in. I heard my Uncle sigh as he visibly relaxed and the door closed. I finally looked up to see Zuko standing there.

And this is about the point where I realized I should scrap this chapter because it's slightly boring. and no matter how hard I try Zuko's out of character. I was also going to go more into Zora's background on how she became a runaway and how she ended up on Zuko's ship. but i'd rather leave that further down the line. like a heart to heart with someone. sooooooo I hope you enjoyed this scrapped chapter.