not from around here | Zuko X OC

| chapter twenty three |

Spending every second of every hour of the day with the two royals was enough to drive anyone crazy, and Saki no exception.

Of course Saki didn't care for them any less, it's just they were so bad at looking after themselves, she felt like she had to constantly watch over them.

"ZUKO! Don't eat those, they're poisonous!" Saki yelled at Zuko as he picked a berry off a bush and was about to eat it.

She had to constantly make sure they weren't doing anything stupid. It felt like she couldn't let them out of her sight.
Like they were toddlers and she was the baby sitter.

Saki was laying down, doodling in the sketch book she had kept from their stay in the tiny house by the baths.

Iroh was busing himself by looking at plants, whilst Zuko was off looking for food.
Saki had asked to help him, but Zuko said she should stay back where it was safe.

For some reason, he seemed to feel like he needed to protect Saki even more lately. Of course, Saki knew she didn't need protecting and really he was the one to watch, but he would never listen.

No matter how many times Saki told him she would be fine, he wouldn't let her out of his sight. And if he did, he would make sure they were back at the camp and Iroh was there.

Saki felt like a child that was being looked after by an overprotective parent.

Saki and Zuko had also gotten into the habit of just attacking each other when they had enough of arguing. It wasn't aggressive, it was more play fighting than anything.
Whoever won, won the argument. Well, that was how it was supposed to be anyway.

Zuko emerged from some bushes next to Saki, looking angry.

They had all managed to find some earth kingdom clothes for cheap so they would blend in more.
The cheapest ones were obviously the ones that were torn, so Saki worked out if they bought a small sewing kit and the torn clothes, she could just fix up the torn ones and then keep the kit for later.

Zuko's hair had grown fast and was now a short buzzcut. Saki continually bullied him for it of course, but it was a lot better than that bald ponytail thing.

"I didn't find anything to eat! I can't live like this! I wasn't meant to be a fugitive." He raised his fist in anger and yelled at the sky. "This is impossible!"

"You're such a diva." Saki said, not looking up form her book.
"Am not!" His voice cracked slightly and he pouted like a child.

The only way Zuko actually knew what a diva was, because of the amount of times she'd called him that.

"Uncle, what are you doing?" Asked Zuko, glancing at him.
"You're looking at the rare white dragon bush. Its leaves make a tea so delicious, it's heartbreaking. That, or it's the white jade, which is poisonous." His face fell slightly at the prospect of this "delicious tea" possibly killing him.

"We need food, not tea. I'm going fishing." Zuko snapped at his uncle.
"Wait! I wanna come!" Saki shouted after him as he marched down a path.

"Hmm ... delectable tea? Or deadly poison?" Iroh pondered.
"Don't eat the flower, Iroh!" Saki yelled as she chased after Zuko.

"You should stay back at the camp, it's safer there." Zuko told her as she fell into step beside him.

"No! I want to come with you! I promise I won't go out of your sight, just let me come, please!" Saki asked, clasping her hands together and looking up at him.

"Fine. But you have to stay in my line of sight." Zuko told her sternly.
"Yes!" Saki cheered and ran ahead down to the river, jumping up and down in triumph.