Categories > Cartoons > Avatar: The Last Airbender > "What is a Heart Beat?"

Chapter 3

by FireChildSlytherin5 0 reviews

AU. Zuko was found in the Forest, half-wild, being attacked by a group of unknown beings wounded severely but yet somehow not effect by the pain afterwards. Read and found out the secret of the Fir...

Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender - Rating: PG-13 - Genres: Horror - Characters: Aang,Katara,Sokka,Zuko - Warnings: [!] [V] [?] - Published: 2007-04-24 - Updated: 2007-09-20 - 1658 words

0Unrated
THIS CHAPTER HAS NOT BEEN EDITED WITH A BETA!


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"What is a Heart Beat?"

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Summary: AU. Zuko was found in the Forest, half-wild, being attacked by a group of unknown beings wounded severely but yet somehow not effect by the pain afterwards. Read and found out the secret of the Fire Nation, the reason why the nation despise the rest, the reason why the nation seemed cold, and yet...

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Chapter 3

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Ba Bum ... the heart beat once.
Ba Bum ... the heart beat twice.
Ba Bum ... the heart beat three times.
Ba Ba Bum ... and the heart beat no more.

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When Zuko woken up, the first thing he noticed was that he was lying on the ground in prairie like place, just behind him was the cursed mountains and forest. He was again, tied, extra tight and not with rope but with leather bonds. Zuko cursed at his luck. He couldn't firebend out of these leather ropes without given himself painful burns afterwards. The next thing he noticed was the sun itself. It was above him, given warmth as if giving his love to him, as a father would do to a son. Zuko smiled just for a second. In the first time, in long time, he was at peace.

He slowly gotten up and looked around himself. Across from him was the water-peasant girl, fixing a meal in large pot over a fire, stirring it with a wooden spoon. Her brother wasn't in eyeshot, but didn't mean he wasn't near. The Avatar was tending the fly basin, giving it-Zuko gagged watching- it hugs and kisses. His uncle does that with creatures, which pained him of reminding him of his suasion. He was their prisoner. He was their enemy. He turned his head to the right and saw other 12-year-old blind girl, dozing off of boredom. He had never caught her name.

"Your up at last!" Zuko looked up and saw the water-peasant girl looking at him. "I'm sorry for hitting you in the head like that. I was angry. But I understand that you were angry with my brother, he did insult your people and all. I would too..."

"You know, you do talk to much." Zuko told her.

Katara's face went red in anger. "Well, sorry for trying to get in a good conversion." She muttered. She got up and walked up to him, lifting up his shirt.

"What in the hell are you doing?" Zuko asked, refusing fear coming into his voice.

"For your information I'm checking your wound." She said, checking the now stanched wound, the same place of where the shadow had stabbed him. "I patched it up when you were out. At least its not bleeding anymore. Are you hungry?" she asked him.

Zuko glared at her. "I'll take that as in yes." She said. "Aang, can you fetch Sokka? Dinner's ready."

"Okay, Katara!" Aang said.

For few short minutes, Zuko watched as Katara scooped stew into five small bowls. Zuko licked his lip hungrily at the stew. It has been weeks since he last eaten. At last Sokka came into the camp, muttering 'thanks' to his younger sister as she given him a bowl. Just as Katara was giving Zuko a bowl, Sokka asked, "What are you doing?"

"Giving him some food."

"You can't give him some."

"Says who?"

"Me. That firebender can not have any!"

"Sokka he needs some food. Just look at him, he's skin and bones! It just as if he hasn't eaten for days."

"I don't care! The enemy can't have food. Have you forgotten he tried to kill me the day before?"

"Yes, I still remember. He's a human being, he needs food."

"Fine." Sokka said angrly. He never did like it when his sister wins agurments. When Katara given Zuko's bowl, they watched in amusement as he stiffed the soup, sticking his finger in it, tasting it as if checking it if it was poisoned. Seeing it wasn't he started wolfing it down as if their was no tomorrow. Katara watched as Zuko eat, just seconds later he was finished. Zuko looked at his now cleaned bowl. He was still hungry. He started biting the bowl, which he could still taste the past meals this bowl has held.

"Umm, Katara, I think you better give Zuko some more or you might loose another bowl!" Aang said laughing at the sight of a fire-bender biting something that wasn't food. Katara shirked as she snatched the bowl from Zuko's tied hands. The whole camp started laughing (minis Toph who couldn't see what was going on). It wasn't every day that person would even try to eat a bowl let alone a prince being scrawled like mangy mutt.

"Bad, firebender, bad!" Katara said, sating the bowl far from him as possible, knowing that he couldn't get it, when he is tied up. "You can't eat the bowl! Bad!"

Zuko growled. That bowl was pretty tasty. And that wench just took it from him! She gave him the bowl; he was his, his only! "Give that back! It mine! You given the bowl to me, and now its mine!" he said. How dare that wrench female taking something from him!

"No. The bowl is not yours! If you're going to eat the bowl, then you can't have the bowl. Maybe next time you won't tried to eat it." Katara said firmly. Zuko licked his lips. At least he had a descent portion before that water wench stole his bowl from him.

"Why would any try to eat a bowl anyway." Sokka asked to no one is particular.

Aang's eyes widen in realization. He should've known. He had met people with the same condition as him, before he ranaway from the Air Temple. "Someone that is almost starved to death." He said slowly. Everyone else looked at the firebender. "How long haven't you eaten?" Aang asked him, wondered in his voice

"Don't know...." Zuko said slowly, trying to remember. Come to think of it, why should he tell them? Why should the Avatar care anyway? Give him a break, food was one of the last things you might not care if everyday, 24-7, your either being chased from Earth benders and every now and again the Shadows attacking you. He and the others were always traveling, trying to escape things that want to hurt them. "Weeks maybe? The last food I ate that I could remember was rotten bread that my uncle found near a rode felled with wrenched Earth Nation. It is not safe for us to go near a village or even try to steel from anyone. If they found out we are Fire Nation, short trip to the gallows they'll send us."

"Gallows?" Sokka asked. He never heard of that word before. Maybe it a Fire Nation word.

"Thirteen steps, a sudden drop, no air to breath... death with come before you know it." Zuko answered, smirking at the thought, that he, like hundreds of others in the past, had died like that.

"Your insane aren't you?" Toph asked him. Zuko didn't answer, but smirked, giving her the answer that she asked, also knowing that she couldn't see his answer, which bothered her. Toph scowled at him.

"It's a hanging, Sokka. It's one of the Fire Nation ways of execution." Aang told him, knowing. "I never seen one, but the monks told me it very barbaric way die: innocent or criminal. I was told the Fire Nation citizens actual watch!"

"Barbaric or no, we need to figure out what to do with it." Sokka didn't want to get attached to the firebender or feel any guilt if the prince was to die.

"Let me go is a good one." Zuko said. Sokka ignored him.

"We have these choices: kill him or bring him to King Bumi because according to this map, it the closed kingdom." Zuko looked at him in horror. Anything but that! Kill him would be better then being given to Earth Nation King!

"I don't want to kill him, Sokka." Aang said. Zuko looked at him, in slight surprised. Knowing the Avatar, he didn't want any blood shed. It was bad enough that both earth and water nation hunted the Fire Nation and killing them all to get rid of them as if they were animals. The Avatar knew it. Men, women and children from the Fire Nation are being slaughtered and his companions either don't care or turn a blind eye. "Where bring him to Bumi." Aang decided. Zuko shook his head in horror. They talk about him as if he was cattle!

"No! You will released me now!" Zuko yelled, now struggling the bonds that bond him, very termed to burn the leather, not caring what's the cost. "I know how to get home. Let me go NOW!" Aang turned away from the firebender. Toph shook her head, thinking 'Wimp.'.

"I'm sorry." Katara whispered. She wouldn't let him go. The Fire Nation had hurt her and other people. He was a Firebender, a prince, and a killer, someone who helped caused pain to others. It was a fact that all Fire Nation had once killed or cause some sort of evil in the 'Hundred Years Old War'.

"No, your don't. If you did, you'll let me go." Zuko said, his eyes narrowing. His yellow orbs glowed into evil light. Katara medetly shriveled. "Ori'gato uns'aa alu xor su'er !"(1) Zuko yelled.

The group ignored him, sitting up camp. They must not stay for long, fearing that the unnatural being would find them. When all of them was safely on the Appa, Katara said, "Aang, stop near a watering hole. Zuko needs a bath." Zuko looked at her in horror.

End of Chapter


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(1) "Let me go or suffer!"

Words: 1,679

Author's Notes: Thanks for the Reviews!

Next chapter: Zuko is forced to take a bath, litterly. Lol!

Read and Review!

--FireChildSlytherin5
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