Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Messing with Heat ❯ The role ( Chapter 17 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Messing with heat Ch17: The Role

A/N; I actually wasn't supposed to update on this, but was aiming on updating my Zutara story. But I reread this for fun, and I'm excited to go on! LOL go figure! Oh and thanks for people who let me know what they did on this holiday, some were really amusing!!! LOL

I have a question for you guys.

Should I make 'you' tell him about the whole different world thing, or do it the end. I was firts going to do it in the very end, but I don't know. I wanna hear from you guys, even though nobody ever reads these boring things!!! (I know I sometimes don't, I just hop right to the story ;D)

Anyway, I'm gonna write now, and enjoy!!! ;D

YOUR POV

The water was like tiny splinters flashing into your skin, each inch getting plagued by the freezing water. Your body sunk into the deep, dark underworld and you felt like you were in a whirlpool. One moment you were latched onto Zuko, and the next, he was out of your grip. Panicking, you opened your eyes without a second thought.

Bad mistake. It seemed the ocean here was just as salty in your world.

You opened them for a second, just to glimpse a dark blackness around you. A feeling of cold fear shot through your body, and the pain penetrated almost instantly. Wincing, you sunk lower as you shut your eyes closed once again. Your hair lapped around your head as you bustled your arms, trying to get somewhere.

Zuko.

You needed to find him, now. Since he was a firebender, he obviously wasn't a very good swimmer. But how would you find him? You couldn't see, and you obviously can't stay under here for long. However, the simple thought of him drowning made you force your eyes open, trying to ignore the pain.

Everything was pitch black, which made your stomach fill with dread. You surmised a shark or whale wasn't below you, and wondered if you were at the bottom. Kicking your legs, you knew you weren't for all you kicked was water. You moved you arms, slicing through the water, and looked down for the Prince.

You saw a dark form a few feet below you, and you instantly swam towards him. The water level was getting to your ears, and starting to make you ache. Zuko just floated there, which worried you to bits. Eyes on his form, you kicked your legs and reached out for him. You made contact with his shoulder, and gripped tightly onto the clothing. Dragging his heavier body to you was difficult, since he was heavier.

The loss of air was starting to make you jerky, and you kicked your feet, hard to get to the surface once more. It went very slow, since Zuko was tagging you down, so you kicked harder and faster. You would've used your hands, but you were holding onto Zuko for dear life. No way you were going to let him go for one moment.

The air became a problem, making your muscles weak from the lack of element. Your mouth was starting to want to open up, and your eyes were starting to burn more. You had to get out of this now, or in a few seconds. And you didn't have a clue where the heck you were right now!

Closing your eyes, you struggled to keep moving. The air was weaking you to the point of now being able to move, or getting knocked out. Right now you were the key to Zuko's survival, and you knew you had to save him even if you got hurt right now.

You felt your bodies defence take over, and moving your arms, you felt air come back to you. Remembering you were an airbender, you thought of bringing back air and bending. You moved your legs in attempt of an air move, and you focused on your element. Grinning inside, you felt the air pool around your legs, and you shot it out.

You flew through the water, and your grip onto Zuko tightened in the process. Breaking through the water, humid air of the night hit your wet face, and your mouth opened to take in a huge gulp of air. Your eyes were still burning, but you ignored them, and looked for land. The waves were small, but rammed into you without any mercy. It was challenging to hold Zuko while concentrating on what to do, or where to go.

You found a distant plank a few inches from you, and with a grunt, you shoved Zuko on it. The thing was huge, bigger than Zuko itself, but it thankfully held Zuko on it. You felt yourself get drained, and leaned against it, gripping the edge as you felt yourself lose your mind.

"Hello once again," You were in a world- like place when you saw Aang talking to Avatar Roku that one episode. The white fog pooled at your legs, and you looked up curiously to see Zuko's mother smiling at you like an angel.

She was gorgeous, and knew where Zuko got his looks from.

"Hello," You greeted, nodding to her.

"Thank you for saving my son," She said, and you noticed tears were in her eyes. She truly looked grateful, and you blushed.

"I wasn't bound to let him drown, ma'am. It's the least I can do."

She nodded, lifting her pale hand to whipe a stray tear from her face. "I don't know how to thank you, but thanks so much darling. I don't know what I'd do if he ever...."

"Me either," You cut in, not wanting her to cry anymore. "Stop blaming yourself for all this; it's not your fault. Don't hurt yourself, for Zuko is fine. And I know how weird how this sounds, but I'll protect him with my very life."

"This was the second time you saved his life," She told me, "and I know he cares very deeply for you. I have never seen him smile that much around the opposite sex, and I am very happy of your relationship. He could've never picked another girl as perfect as you."

"I'm far from perfect," You said, blushing deeply.

"I must disagree," She told you gently, coming forth. You watched as she moved silently, holding out her hands. You hesitated, not knowing what to do, but she wrapped you in a warm hug. You knew why Zuko was always comforted by this woman, for when she touched you, it was like a wave of relief washed through you. Her hug was warm and as if she knew you forever, and you closed your eyes as you leaned into her warm embrace. "You are very special to him."

"But what am I to do?" You murmured, "What will he do when he finds out who I really am? He's going to think I have been lying to him this whole time, which I was, but he will most likely not to understand."

"The truth will set you free," She told me, sadly pulling away. She had a heavenly smile on her face, and she was starting to face. "But sometimes a light lie will not hurt."

Then she was gone.

Your eyes opened and the first thing you saw was a knocked out Zuko, and your mind set to work. It was like energy pumped through your veins, and you grabbed onto the plank and kicked your feet like a motor boat. Zuko still wasn't awake, and his lips were starting to look blue.

Worried, you found the shore was closer than you thought, and you were walking in seconds. Not knowing how to carry him, you helplessly dragged him across the waves that crashed onto your feet like little bugs. His hand was feeling cold, which made you panic.

Lowering him on his back, you looked over his body. His clothing was wet and he looked paler than usual- which was saying something. You looked at his mouth, wondering how to do mouth to mouth. Taking a deep breath, you lowered your mouth to his and pushed some air through your mouth, wanting to know how to do this.

After getting as much air out, you pulled away and pushed on his chest, hoping the water would easily come through his mouth. However, it wasn't that easy and he looked just as bad. Tears gathered in your eyes, but blended in with the water dripping from you, and you let out a dry, desperate sob as you gathered your strength.

You put air through his mouth again, and did the process three other times. He still didn't move, and another sob wracked through your body. No, you weren't going to allow him to die right here. His face had a lot other cuts and bruises from the ship exploding, and you had the feeling you had some too. He looked a wreck, and that worried you to no end.

You put your mouth to his one more time, and suddenly, his body jerked towards yours, and you flinched back. He gagged one some water, and leaned over to throw up everything from his content. Blushing and without thinking, you ripped off your shirt and cleaned him up, whiping his mouth. You weren't cold since the air around you was warm, and you knew your current bra was ruined. You were just grateful you had on a bra right now!

His eyes opened, and you let out a cry and hugged him. He looked surprised and confused for a moment, and stiffly hugged you back.

"What happened?" He asked, and his voice was hoarse from the almost drowning moment. He winced, grabbing onto his throat as you pulled away to look over him. "Ouch,"

"Try not to talk," You said in a soft tone, standing up to throw away the dirty, old shirt you used to clean him up. His eyes finally focused on you, and now he looked confused.

"Why are you without any shirt?" He asked, shocked.

Blushing, you glanced his way, wanting to cover up. "I needed to use mine to clean you up,"

He looked grateful, and stood up shakily. "You saved my life,"

"Yeah, I guess I did."

"Again." He said, staring at you as if in a daze.

"You're welcome," You teased, giggling a little as he continued to gaze at you.

"You look awful." He pointed out, and shame washed through you.

Trying not to show him how much he hurt you, you walked away to look around for anything to show where you two were. You body was feeling numb now, and you felt lightheaded. Ignoring the feeling, you gulped when Zuko was suddenly by your side.

"I didn't mean to sound rude," He told you, "I was just worried. You have cuts on your face."

He cut you off, and you almost ran into his chest but stopped just in time. He held onto your shoulders, and he looked hurt. "Why did you save me?"

You smiled sadly, blushing again. "Because you're my boyfriend."

"But why didn't you save yourself?" He demanded, angered for a moment. "Why did you stay behind, risk your life, just to save someone like me?"

Your eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, 'someone like me'? Who do you think you are?"

"I don't know," He said, softer. You noticed his eyes were getting wet, and you knew he had tears. You sighed, moving to hug him, and he invited you eagerly. His warm hug reminded you of his mothers, and that made you smile.

"Zuko, I will always do anything to save you." You told him, feeling protective of him.

"Yeah, but sometimes I can take care of myself." He snapped, blushing as he turned away, moving out of your grip. "It is kind of sad that I cannot ever save you, but you always end up saving me. I should be the one saving you,"

"So you've got something against girls huh?" You teased, pretending to look insulted.

He looked back, shaking his head. "Never." He then looked forward to scan the area, and he looked excited. "I know where we are. My ship was only a few feet from here, past those trees."

He walked through the trees, and you didn't move. Your exposed skin was making you slightly uncomfortable, and you blushed when Zuko came back.

"Hey, are you coming?" He asked, looking at you questioningly. "We kind of need-"

It was then his eyes traveled down to your torso, and you shuffled your feet in the snow, feeling your bare feet squish in the wet ground. You eyes avoided his, and he walked forth. You heard the sound of clothing moving, and when you looked up, he was putting his shirt over you.

"Here," He said gently, easing it over your wet head. "You need it more than I do."

The shirt smelled just like him, and you inhaled as if slid past your head, blushing even more. It was warm like a blanket, and you knew that was because he must've firebended right before he put it on you. If he didn't, it would most likely be soaking wet or something.

"Thanks," You told him, nodding.

He grinned, "Hey, it's the least I can do." He held his hand out for you, and you instantly held it, feeling safe in his grip. He squeezed your hand, and you noticed he was staring at you so tender, it made you want to turn and run away.

"If anything ever happened to you," He said, shaking his head, trying to not think about it. Leaning forward, he laid a kiss on your forehead and then started to walk in the direction of the ship. You walked behind him, eyes looking around you.

The area did look very familiar, and you watched as the remains of the ship came into view. Your eyes watched as the woods floated above the water, and you cringed, just from the sight. Even Zuko seemed disappointed just from the sight.

"Hold on," He said, and pulled you both into a bush nearby. The sharp plant poked into your arms, and you felt bad for Zuko because his whole chest was bare. He held you behind him, and was lookin out from the bush.

Suddenly, he lurched forward, and you heard a groan. Shocked, you noticed the person Zuko grabbed was a soldier for that commander guy. Or whatever he was called, it didn't really matter to you. In seconds, Zuko had the soldier stripped from his uniform and on the floor, unconsious, and he had the uniform on. He held the pale, white mask in his hand as he looked back at you.

"Stay here for me, and I will come back to get you. I must speak to my uncle." He told you, nodding.

"Zuko, wait!"

He stopped, looking over his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"Be careful." You said, wanting to hug him. He read your mind and wrapped his arms around you, giving you a tender hug. Blushing, he moved back and slid the mask onto his head. He walked quickly from the bush, and you watched him sadly.

What were you to do?

Sit here and wait?

No!

Sighing, you waited for another soldier to walk by. Seconds later, you heard the footsteps of someone, and jumped out to grab them. It was a soldier, and they jumped from the sudden movement, and you took the advantage.

Tackling the person into the bushes, you quickly poked him in his pressure point and he grew limp as he hit the ground. Grinning proudly, you started to undress the guy. The armor and all was very heavy, but you ignored it without thinking, and slid it on. It did make you feel strong and like you could kick some butt, so you took the mask and put it on. Taking a deep breath, you moved from the bush and walked towards the ship, trying to look like one of those soldiers.

"Hey!" You looked over your shoulder to see another soldier run from around the corner, catching up to you. Wanting to look calm, you slowed down for him, and watched as he walked by your side. "Going back to the ship?"

Not wanting to talk, you simply nodded.

The soldier laid a hand on your shoulder, and walked along with you. "Same here. I can't wait for tomorrow when we set sail to the norther water tribe. My old man has always wanted me to fight in a battle, and I was going to be part of the biggest one ever!"

You grew worried from the declaration, but tried to hide your intake of breath. You nodded again, still not wanting to soldier to hear your voice.

"Hungry?" The soldier asked, laughing. "I'm starved, man! I can't wait to see what's for dinner."

You took a chance and barely muttered, "Me either."

"That's the spirit!" He slapped your back, and you gritted your teeth. This guy was obviously your age, since he acted arrogant. "Lets go!"

The both of you walked to the ship, barely talking now. More soldiers were around, and they were all silent. Both of you walked up the plank of the ship, and you watched how different this ship was from Zuko's. Zukos was much smaller, but looked more humble. This was really fancy, and looked completely huge to the eye. And that thought, intimidated you extremely.

You walked into the ship following the soldier in front of you, and the halls didn't look different than Zukos. It was still small and dim, but you ignored it and continued walking. When other soldiers passed you, you looked into the small slits, hoping to find the familar, warm, golden eyes of a certain Prince. However, you couldn't really tell, which bothered you to no end.

How were you ever going to find Zuko?

Wow, this was long for me!!! I'm proud!

(Does a super hero pose)

Please review!!!