Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Messing with Heat ❯ A man's honor ( Chapter 9 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: YolandaFriella 
A mans honor is special to him.
Non Anime: Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Self Insertion | Uploaded On: 11.26.2009 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.6K | Visits: 395 | Status: Work In Progress
A mans honor is special to him.
Non Anime: Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Self Insertion | Uploaded On: 11.26.2009 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.6K | Visits: 395 | Status: Work In Progress
Messing with Heat Ch9: A mans honor
Hey, guys. Uh, if ya’ll have ANY suggestions or opinions, please let me know ;D
You woke up awhile later with Katara over you, doing something. Jumping slightly, you shove her off of you and stand up. Bad mistake. You were still on Appa, and they were currently in flight and you fell to your knees, for you would’ve fallen off. You grab onto it, not really holding anything, and close your eyes imagining gluing yourself onto this animal.
In the show it looked easy to stay on this thing, but you held on for dear life. The wind was rippling everything around you, making it feel kind of unstable. You felt your hair flapping around like a flag, and you wonder what in the world to do. First of all, you should be happy and glad you’re with the Avatar. And the fact that Sokka was staring at you. But Zuko flashed in your mind and you felt like you were betraying him for some reason, since you were with his enemies right now.
You felt guilty.
He trusted you to stay in the room, and you got swept off your stupid feet by the Avatar, literally. Part of you blamed Aang, and the other part blamed yourself. You could have at least fought harder or something, for the look on Zuko’s face looked….
Sad.
Longing.
Depressed.
Like he was losing more than just his prisoner, like his friend. The thought of him being your friend warmed your heart, like you had a secret connection with him somehow. You thought if he ever kissed a girl before you, or if that was his first as well. You sure hoped that was his first, for it would be weird to picture himself with someone else.
Mai flashed through your mind, making you growl out loud and sit up. Everyone looked at you, alarmed and you glared at them like they were evil.
“Where the heck are you taking me?” You yelled, over the heavy wind.
“Far away from Zuko.” Sokka snapped, sounding bored and like he didn’t care.
You leaned against the edge of the saddle, rolling you eyes. “You know, he’s not as bad as you think. Really.”
“Really?” Katara said in a sarcastic tone, sitting up on her knees and glaring at you now. You narrowed you eyes, knowing you were a bender and could fight too. “Cause last time I checked, he’s trying to hunt down Aang, the worlds last hope, and take him to his father who wants him killed or something. That sounds pretty bad doesn’t it?”
“Plus the guy knocked my igloo down, the one I’ve been working on.” Sokka added darkly, shaking his head. “Oh, and he attacked out village.”
“Yeah, and he also KIDNAPPED YOU!!!” She shouted, looking meaner than ever. Even Sokka looked at her weird. “Remember? I don’t know what you did to the guy, but he locked you up and hurt you. He’s a bad guy, just like his stupid father and his nation.”
“He never hurt me! I saved his life!” You yelled, in hysterics now.
“Why would you save his life? I’ll bet he would never save yours.” Sokka asked, in shock.
“You have to give people a chance before you simply judge them.” You muttered, suddenly looking away and at the ocean. You guys were in the middle of nowhere, and Zuko’s ship was following with a trail of smoke behind it. You stare at it, imagining Zuko standing on the deck and watching the avatar, and you feel remorse and sadness.
Sighing, you think of a plan. Glancing back, you wonder if you could jump off and ‘fly’ back to his ship. Would he want you in his ship anymore? Wait, why wouldn’t he want you on his ship? He just tried to get you back, so why would he do that?!?!
Without a second thought, when you see his ship come closer, you jump off. When you realize what you just did, you let out a shriek and this time you weren’t going to land on his ship. This time, you were going to the water.
God, you thought in your head. ‘I’m going to hit the water and get run over by his ship, or get eaten by weird shark things. I’m gonna die!’
Appa was suddenly under you, and you couldn’t help but growl. Heck, you’d rather be in the water than them. So you release this energy from your hands, when sends Appa splashing into the water and propels you upward. Screaming again, you fly up, and go back down along with gravity. Then, you realize, that you air bended again! Smiling proudly, you cross your arms across your chest and seemed to stand up in the air.
That is, until you hit the water.
Salty water went into your mouth as you silently plunged through the thick water, not knowing how deep it was. You feel yourself fly down a few feet, and still for a moment. Heck you almost forgot which way was up as you kept your eyes tightly closed. You knew if you opened them the salty water would invade and burn your eyes, which would hurt. Moving your arms, you feel around for something, anything.
A splash was heard through the water, and you flinched and stilled. Was it an animal? What was that? Dolphins were what you thought of, and you always wanted to see one. Heck, you might even get to touch one, and SWIM with it! Your lips turn up into a small smile, from excitement, and you once again feel around for something like a dolphins skin. You imagine it to be slick and smooth, with a lot of water on its skin since it was most of the time in water.
You hands landed on something that felt like…
Human skin?!
You instantly pulled back but the thing grabs your wrist, and your fully against it. You heard was against something, and you slowed your breathing, trying to calm down. A sea monster comes into your brain, and you gasp and water drowns into your mouth. Choking, the thing lifts you up and soon, air replaces the water and you cough and gag, most of it now coming out.
Someone calls your name and you look up, to find yourself staring at Zuko. He looked concerned and worried, his eyes gentle looking and his brows turned down as he studied your expression. Lifting your lips into a smile, you nod and cough up more.
“Are you okay?” He asked, holding you through the water. His body seemed to be floating!!! WTF?!
“I’m fine.” You wheeze out, shivering now. Zuko’s body felt so darn warm and you feel yourself snuggling up to him, and the weird thing is, he holds you tight. Your head lays softly against his bare chest, and a blush finds to your cheeks, making you all warm inside. His head was laying on yours now, which makes you feel so protected.
“I almost lost you,” He breathed, like he was talking to himself.
You realized he said something, and inhale deeply, making sure your lungs were cleared. You feel him lift his arm and grab onto some rope his men lowered, and soon, both of you were out of the water and being lifted up on the ship/
Looking up at the sky, you watch as Appa vanishes into the clouds, getting smaller and smaller until totally gone from sight. Guilt washes through you since you know Zuko could have went for the avatar instead of you right now. But no, he dived in and risked his life just for you, some weird girl. And you felt completely touched and special for that.
They put you guys on your feet and you backed up out of his arms, staring deeply at his chest. Zuko was busy ordering people around, still worrying about his precious Avatar though. Watching him, as his expression changes over and over, something tugs at your heart. When you watched the show, you always thought of him being bossy and rude, arrogant. But you now saw another side of him, just now. For when he looked at you and met his eye, a truly happy smile lit his face and he looked away, with a hop in his step.
He wasn’t what you thought he was.
He was mostly just a confused teenage boy, like most teenagers. He had bigger problems than most though, which made him a stronger person. You kept your eyes on him, watching as he took control of his ship once more. You then felt out of place, like you didn’t belong here. You knew you were meant to be in your world, but you liked it here. A lot. Especially being with Zuko, he was the best guy you’ve ever really met in your school. He looked even better than the boy football star who most of the girls dreamed of when he smiled at them. Zuko was a handsome man, and nobody in your mind could change that now.
Turning around, you find somewhere to sit. Looking up at the sky, you watch a cloud roll by. It looked almost like Appa, and you thought it was for a moment, but it moved along slowly, combining with another cloud next to it. Now it looked like…. A cloud.
“So did you have a nice swim?” You jump and look to see Iroh giving you a playful smile.
You laughed and nod, in agreement.
“Was it because of the water, or my nephew?” He asked on, giving you a sly look.
You. Almost. Died.
“What?” You choked out, in horror. You felt a blush go across your cheek and you quickly hide your face from the retired general.
“I know you two lovebirds have something going on. I’m not blind, but am wise. I think you guys make a perfect couple though.” He added with a wink, nudging your rib cage.
Laughing you nod and gulp, kind of nervous right now. “Uh, I think we do. He never asked me though.”
“Asked you what?”
“If… We had something going on.”
“Uncle!” Both of you jumped when Zuko was suddenly standing behind him, glaring at his uncle.
“Yes oh patient nephew of mine?”
“Why is he changing course? I said do not change course no matter what!” Zuko snapped, narrowing his eyes.
Iroh blinked. “Oh, yeah. I told him to, since I have misplaced my lotus tile. It is very special to me.”
You know exactly why that tile is special to him, since he was part of a secret agency remember?
“You’re changing my course for a stupid tile?” Zuko asked, in disbelief. His expression was adorable, like he was horrified or something.
“Yes.”
Zuko looked to the sky, making his fists go into tight balls, and he closed his eyes. Smoke came through his nose and surrounded you all, making you start to cough. It came through your nose, and you tried to breath but you couldn’t find any air. A little noise came out of your mouth as your knees buckled and fell to them, coughing violently.
“Zuko! Stop that right now! Look at what you’re doing to her!” You heard Iroh yell, and the smoke stopped instantly.
“Oh,” You heard Zuko mutter, and he was crouching in front of you, eye level with your eyes. Blushing from his sudden closeness, you avoid his eye and cover your mouth as he simply stared at you like in a daze.
“It’s all right Zuko. I’m fine.” You told him, now clearing your throat. You throw him a crooked smile, trying to look normal once more.
He even let a small smile cross his lips, making your heart skip a beat. In the show he smiled, but you’ve never really been in front of him and watching him do it. God, sometimes you thought he looked good in the show, but right now… He was frickin hot.
“Uh, I shouldn’t have done that. My bad.” He whispered, and you nod to show him you heard clearly. He nodded and helped you up, and you swore he brushed his lips against your but he was facing away from you.
“Anyway, you might want to stay in your room. I’ll be out looking for the avatar anyway, since I need to regain my honor.” He told you, sounding older and like he meant it.
Your eyes soften. “Zuko, can I tell you something?”
He turned to look at you, giving you a questioning look. But nonetheless he nodded, looking curious.
“I say, you have regained your honor.” The words sounded determined coming out of your mouth, and you smiled.
“What? That’s wrong, I still need to get the avatar to my father and get it back.” He snapped, seeming uneasy.
“Zuko, here’s a thing about honor. You can never lose your honor, no matter what you do. For nobody in this world can simply get their honor, it’s not giving. But I say, you have already earned more honor, for saving me in the water.” You told him, gently.
He looked shocked for a minute, like a little boy. He looked exactly like he did in the episode where he had to fight his father, and he saw his father and he found out he was the one he had to fight.
“Really?” He breathed, turning fully to you.
“Yes Zuko. I know you have more honor than you know.” You told him, taking a step towards him.
His eyes looked like they were watering, but he blinked them away. Rushing forward, he wrapped you up in a hug, an honest hug. You dig your head in his neck, enjoying the smell and feel of him against you. He was kind of taller than you, okay, a lot taller. Heck, he was shorter than a lot of guys here, but he was taller than you! Those guys were giants!
“Thanks.” Was all he said, truthfully.
“That’s what friends are for.” You tell him, and he pulled away, staring down at you. You waited for him to ask you out or do something, and he looked like he was going to say something. But he nodded and turned back around, walking down to his crew.
There was still much he had yet to learn.
Hey, guys. Uh, if ya’ll have ANY suggestions or opinions, please let me know ;D
You woke up awhile later with Katara over you, doing something. Jumping slightly, you shove her off of you and stand up. Bad mistake. You were still on Appa, and they were currently in flight and you fell to your knees, for you would’ve fallen off. You grab onto it, not really holding anything, and close your eyes imagining gluing yourself onto this animal.
In the show it looked easy to stay on this thing, but you held on for dear life. The wind was rippling everything around you, making it feel kind of unstable. You felt your hair flapping around like a flag, and you wonder what in the world to do. First of all, you should be happy and glad you’re with the Avatar. And the fact that Sokka was staring at you. But Zuko flashed in your mind and you felt like you were betraying him for some reason, since you were with his enemies right now.
You felt guilty.
He trusted you to stay in the room, and you got swept off your stupid feet by the Avatar, literally. Part of you blamed Aang, and the other part blamed yourself. You could have at least fought harder or something, for the look on Zuko’s face looked….
Sad.
Longing.
Depressed.
Like he was losing more than just his prisoner, like his friend. The thought of him being your friend warmed your heart, like you had a secret connection with him somehow. You thought if he ever kissed a girl before you, or if that was his first as well. You sure hoped that was his first, for it would be weird to picture himself with someone else.
Mai flashed through your mind, making you growl out loud and sit up. Everyone looked at you, alarmed and you glared at them like they were evil.
“Where the heck are you taking me?” You yelled, over the heavy wind.
“Far away from Zuko.” Sokka snapped, sounding bored and like he didn’t care.
You leaned against the edge of the saddle, rolling you eyes. “You know, he’s not as bad as you think. Really.”
“Really?” Katara said in a sarcastic tone, sitting up on her knees and glaring at you now. You narrowed you eyes, knowing you were a bender and could fight too. “Cause last time I checked, he’s trying to hunt down Aang, the worlds last hope, and take him to his father who wants him killed or something. That sounds pretty bad doesn’t it?”
“Plus the guy knocked my igloo down, the one I’ve been working on.” Sokka added darkly, shaking his head. “Oh, and he attacked out village.”
“Yeah, and he also KIDNAPPED YOU!!!” She shouted, looking meaner than ever. Even Sokka looked at her weird. “Remember? I don’t know what you did to the guy, but he locked you up and hurt you. He’s a bad guy, just like his stupid father and his nation.”
“He never hurt me! I saved his life!” You yelled, in hysterics now.
“Why would you save his life? I’ll bet he would never save yours.” Sokka asked, in shock.
“You have to give people a chance before you simply judge them.” You muttered, suddenly looking away and at the ocean. You guys were in the middle of nowhere, and Zuko’s ship was following with a trail of smoke behind it. You stare at it, imagining Zuko standing on the deck and watching the avatar, and you feel remorse and sadness.
Sighing, you think of a plan. Glancing back, you wonder if you could jump off and ‘fly’ back to his ship. Would he want you in his ship anymore? Wait, why wouldn’t he want you on his ship? He just tried to get you back, so why would he do that?!?!
Without a second thought, when you see his ship come closer, you jump off. When you realize what you just did, you let out a shriek and this time you weren’t going to land on his ship. This time, you were going to the water.
God, you thought in your head. ‘I’m going to hit the water and get run over by his ship, or get eaten by weird shark things. I’m gonna die!’
Appa was suddenly under you, and you couldn’t help but growl. Heck, you’d rather be in the water than them. So you release this energy from your hands, when sends Appa splashing into the water and propels you upward. Screaming again, you fly up, and go back down along with gravity. Then, you realize, that you air bended again! Smiling proudly, you cross your arms across your chest and seemed to stand up in the air.
That is, until you hit the water.
Salty water went into your mouth as you silently plunged through the thick water, not knowing how deep it was. You feel yourself fly down a few feet, and still for a moment. Heck you almost forgot which way was up as you kept your eyes tightly closed. You knew if you opened them the salty water would invade and burn your eyes, which would hurt. Moving your arms, you feel around for something, anything.
A splash was heard through the water, and you flinched and stilled. Was it an animal? What was that? Dolphins were what you thought of, and you always wanted to see one. Heck, you might even get to touch one, and SWIM with it! Your lips turn up into a small smile, from excitement, and you once again feel around for something like a dolphins skin. You imagine it to be slick and smooth, with a lot of water on its skin since it was most of the time in water.
You hands landed on something that felt like…
Human skin?!
You instantly pulled back but the thing grabs your wrist, and your fully against it. You heard was against something, and you slowed your breathing, trying to calm down. A sea monster comes into your brain, and you gasp and water drowns into your mouth. Choking, the thing lifts you up and soon, air replaces the water and you cough and gag, most of it now coming out.
Someone calls your name and you look up, to find yourself staring at Zuko. He looked concerned and worried, his eyes gentle looking and his brows turned down as he studied your expression. Lifting your lips into a smile, you nod and cough up more.
“Are you okay?” He asked, holding you through the water. His body seemed to be floating!!! WTF?!
“I’m fine.” You wheeze out, shivering now. Zuko’s body felt so darn warm and you feel yourself snuggling up to him, and the weird thing is, he holds you tight. Your head lays softly against his bare chest, and a blush finds to your cheeks, making you all warm inside. His head was laying on yours now, which makes you feel so protected.
“I almost lost you,” He breathed, like he was talking to himself.
You realized he said something, and inhale deeply, making sure your lungs were cleared. You feel him lift his arm and grab onto some rope his men lowered, and soon, both of you were out of the water and being lifted up on the ship/
Looking up at the sky, you watch as Appa vanishes into the clouds, getting smaller and smaller until totally gone from sight. Guilt washes through you since you know Zuko could have went for the avatar instead of you right now. But no, he dived in and risked his life just for you, some weird girl. And you felt completely touched and special for that.
They put you guys on your feet and you backed up out of his arms, staring deeply at his chest. Zuko was busy ordering people around, still worrying about his precious Avatar though. Watching him, as his expression changes over and over, something tugs at your heart. When you watched the show, you always thought of him being bossy and rude, arrogant. But you now saw another side of him, just now. For when he looked at you and met his eye, a truly happy smile lit his face and he looked away, with a hop in his step.
He wasn’t what you thought he was.
He was mostly just a confused teenage boy, like most teenagers. He had bigger problems than most though, which made him a stronger person. You kept your eyes on him, watching as he took control of his ship once more. You then felt out of place, like you didn’t belong here. You knew you were meant to be in your world, but you liked it here. A lot. Especially being with Zuko, he was the best guy you’ve ever really met in your school. He looked even better than the boy football star who most of the girls dreamed of when he smiled at them. Zuko was a handsome man, and nobody in your mind could change that now.
Turning around, you find somewhere to sit. Looking up at the sky, you watch a cloud roll by. It looked almost like Appa, and you thought it was for a moment, but it moved along slowly, combining with another cloud next to it. Now it looked like…. A cloud.
“So did you have a nice swim?” You jump and look to see Iroh giving you a playful smile.
You laughed and nod, in agreement.
“Was it because of the water, or my nephew?” He asked on, giving you a sly look.
You. Almost. Died.
“What?” You choked out, in horror. You felt a blush go across your cheek and you quickly hide your face from the retired general.
“I know you two lovebirds have something going on. I’m not blind, but am wise. I think you guys make a perfect couple though.” He added with a wink, nudging your rib cage.
Laughing you nod and gulp, kind of nervous right now. “Uh, I think we do. He never asked me though.”
“Asked you what?”
“If… We had something going on.”
“Uncle!” Both of you jumped when Zuko was suddenly standing behind him, glaring at his uncle.
“Yes oh patient nephew of mine?”
“Why is he changing course? I said do not change course no matter what!” Zuko snapped, narrowing his eyes.
Iroh blinked. “Oh, yeah. I told him to, since I have misplaced my lotus tile. It is very special to me.”
You know exactly why that tile is special to him, since he was part of a secret agency remember?
“You’re changing my course for a stupid tile?” Zuko asked, in disbelief. His expression was adorable, like he was horrified or something.
“Yes.”
Zuko looked to the sky, making his fists go into tight balls, and he closed his eyes. Smoke came through his nose and surrounded you all, making you start to cough. It came through your nose, and you tried to breath but you couldn’t find any air. A little noise came out of your mouth as your knees buckled and fell to them, coughing violently.
“Zuko! Stop that right now! Look at what you’re doing to her!” You heard Iroh yell, and the smoke stopped instantly.
“Oh,” You heard Zuko mutter, and he was crouching in front of you, eye level with your eyes. Blushing from his sudden closeness, you avoid his eye and cover your mouth as he simply stared at you like in a daze.
“It’s all right Zuko. I’m fine.” You told him, now clearing your throat. You throw him a crooked smile, trying to look normal once more.
He even let a small smile cross his lips, making your heart skip a beat. In the show he smiled, but you’ve never really been in front of him and watching him do it. God, sometimes you thought he looked good in the show, but right now… He was frickin hot.
“Uh, I shouldn’t have done that. My bad.” He whispered, and you nod to show him you heard clearly. He nodded and helped you up, and you swore he brushed his lips against your but he was facing away from you.
“Anyway, you might want to stay in your room. I’ll be out looking for the avatar anyway, since I need to regain my honor.” He told you, sounding older and like he meant it.
Your eyes soften. “Zuko, can I tell you something?”
He turned to look at you, giving you a questioning look. But nonetheless he nodded, looking curious.
“I say, you have regained your honor.” The words sounded determined coming out of your mouth, and you smiled.
“What? That’s wrong, I still need to get the avatar to my father and get it back.” He snapped, seeming uneasy.
“Zuko, here’s a thing about honor. You can never lose your honor, no matter what you do. For nobody in this world can simply get their honor, it’s not giving. But I say, you have already earned more honor, for saving me in the water.” You told him, gently.
He looked shocked for a minute, like a little boy. He looked exactly like he did in the episode where he had to fight his father, and he saw his father and he found out he was the one he had to fight.
“Really?” He breathed, turning fully to you.
“Yes Zuko. I know you have more honor than you know.” You told him, taking a step towards him.
His eyes looked like they were watering, but he blinked them away. Rushing forward, he wrapped you up in a hug, an honest hug. You dig your head in his neck, enjoying the smell and feel of him against you. He was kind of taller than you, okay, a lot taller. Heck, he was shorter than a lot of guys here, but he was taller than you! Those guys were giants!
“Thanks.” Was all he said, truthfully.
“That’s what friends are for.” You tell him, and he pulled away, staring down at you. You waited for him to ask you out or do something, and he looked like he was going to say something. But he nodded and turned back around, walking down to his crew.
There was still much he had yet to learn.