Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Messing with Heat ❯ Can't Buy me love ( Chapter 20 )

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

Messing With Heat Ch20: Can’t Buy Me love

A/N: Here’s another chappie!!!

Can't Buy Me Love
Can't buy me love, love

Can't buy me love

I'll buy you a diamond ring my friend, if it makes you feel alright

I'll get you anything my friend, if it makes you feel alright

'Cause I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love

I'll give you all I got to give, if you say you love me too

I may not have a lot to give, but what I got I'll give to you

I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love

Can't buy me love, everybody tells me so

Can't buy me love, no no no, no!

Say you don't need no diamond rings, and I'll be satisfied

Tell me that you want the kind of things, that money just can't buy

I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love

Owww!

(guitar solo)

Can't buy me love, everybody tells me so

Can't buy me love, no no no, no!

Say you don't need no diamond rings, and I'll be satisfied

Tell me that you want the kind of things, that money just can't buy

I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love

Can't buy me love, love

Can't buy me love, ohh!

By the Beatles

YOUR POV

The rest of the day rolled by slowly, just sitting on the raft as you and Zuko and Iroh passed by on the waves. The day was without any major events, maybe seeing a weird sea creature that you’ve never seen before. After pointing it out, Zuko or Iroh would then explain to you what it was. All through this explaining process, Iroh would stare at you weird, like trying to read some hard puzzle.

“Is something wrong?” You asked one time when you, too, noticed Iroh was gazing at you strongly.

“I am just curious,” Iroh said, “do you have a father?”

You laughed, picturing your real father back in your world. “Of course I do; if I don’t- I wouldn’t be here.”

He didn’t look like he believed you. “I know that, but is he alive or here?”

“No,” You murmured, feeling Zuko’s eyes on you now. “He died along with my mother.”

“How?” Iroh provoked, and you didn’t like the look in his eye. It was like he was staring at a stranger, so you turned your back to him.

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” You breathed, feeling the cold air of the water nation invade your lungs. They froze instantly, and you kept in a cough.

“Uncle, you don’t have to ask her all these questions,” Zuko snapped, standing up for you. “It’s not even your business.”

Iroh said nothing and lay down, probably getting ready for a nap or something. You frowned and looked out onto the horizon, watching the sun go down. Minutes later, the area around you was completely dark.

And let me tell you, being in the middle of an ocean in the complete darkness with the temperature below freezing, was very frightening.

Gritting your teeth, you scooted back to the middle of the raft, leaning against the pole in the middle. Iroh was across behind you, and Zuko was sitting on the other side. It was only seconds before you started to hear Iroh start to snore in his sleep.

Thinking Zuko was asleep; you sighed heavily and leaded your head back to the pole. The sound around you was eerie, some groaning off in the distance of an iceberg. You imagined a giant shark creature right under the raft, and you shuddered from the thought. Could this whole thing go under over night?

“Are you still awake?” You jumped a little when Zuko spoke, and you strained your eyes to see him move in front of you. You saw his bright scar through the heavy blackness and you blushed, meeting his golden eyes.

“Obviously.” You said, chuckling.

“Are you scared?” Zuko asked, and you felt his eyes watch yours.

“Nope.”

“Honestly?”
“What should I be afraid of?” You teased.

You saw as Zuko shrugged in the darkness. “I don’t know. Maybe of random pirates coming to kill us or the possible idea of a giant, mean eating fish right under us right now.”

“Shut up.”

“Now are you scared?”

“I’m not listening.”

“Or is it the fact that I’m right?”

You gave him a playful glare and he laughed, sounding like a teenager. Briefly, you wondered why he was acting so strange earlier. Maybe it was teenage hormones?

I don’t think so.

“Want to play a game?” You suggested casually, ignoring what he just said.

Zuko froze, seeming what to think. “Um, what game?”

“It’s cool,” You muttered, “I ask you a question, and you have to answer, then you simply ask me a question. The thing is, you have to answer the question. No matter what, unless the other person takes it back for another.”

“I guess I can play it,” Zuko said hesitantly, seeming shy, “so can you go first?”

“Sure.” You grinned and took a moment to think, wondering what to ask. “Do you have a brother?”

You were shocked that Zuko was serious. “No, I don’t.”

“Okay, your turn.”

“Um, have you ever kissed a guy before I came along?” Zuko asked.

You quickly answered without even thinking, “No.”

Zuko was shocked. “Really?”

“Yeah, you’re the first.”

Zuko was silent as he leaned closer, and you shrank back instinctively. He moved so he was leaning against the pole besides you, his leg pressed against yours. You instantly blushed from his closeness, wondering what he was doing.

“And I’m gonna be the only one you will kiss right now,” Zuko whispered, his lips sounding right next to your ear. Having no clue he was that close, you shivered and bit your lower lip. “Right?”

“I can’t imagine anyone else,” You admitted, forgetting all the other guys back home.

“Good,” Zuko leaned closer and your body stiffened, blood rising to your cheeks again. His body felt so warm right now- so inviting….

“Ah, you’re so warm,” You murmured happily, and leaned your head against his shoulder. Eagerly, Zuko lifted his arm to wrap it around you, pulling you tightly against him. You buried your head in his warm shoulder, enjoying how his warmth invited you in.

“And you’re cold,” He said with a concerned tone of voice, and his warm breathe snaked across your face, making you smile. “Which isn’t good at all.”

“Thank you,” You whispered, thanking whoever brought you two together. Oh yeah, it was Ursa herself.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Uh,” Zuko shuffled his feet for a moment, acting hesitant and unsure. “Why did you get all quiet when Uncle asked you about your father? Did something happen to him?”

You said nothing for a couple of seconds, not knowing what to say. Your mind went totally blank and you stared into the darkness ahead of you. Every time you exhaled, you could see your breathe. Yeah, that’s how cold it was. Your arms were shaking, despite the warmth radiating from Zuko’s body.

“I knew I shouldn’t have asked.” Zuko whispered, kissing your hair.

“It’s all right,” You reassured quietly. “It’s just kind of personal.”

The sudden thought of telling Zuko about how you got here invaded your mind, and you were urged to pour out everything to him. Biting your lower lip, you grew intensely nervous.

“Zuko, if I tell you something, will you not hate me?” You asked, full of guilt.

He froze for a moment. “What’s wrong?”

“Promise me.”

“Promise you what?”

“Promise me you won’t hate me.”

“Fine. Okay? I promise I won’t hate you. You’re my girlfriend- how can I hate you? Now tell me!”

You took a deep breath then the words came pouring out of your mouth. Once they came out, they wouldn’t stop. You told him about your world and how you used to watch this show. You told him how you know every character and what happens. Then you tell him how confused you were when you found out you were an airbender. Zuko listened without one word, which scared you.

You were silent when you were done, waiting for him to say something. Your heart was beating 100 miles and hour, and you blushed. Great. Maybe this wasn’t the best time to tell him about this. Does he hate you? Does he think you’re crazy?

Sighing, you pulled from his arms and moved to the edge, right before the water. “You hate me.” You stated flatly, knowing it was true.

“No,” Zuko breathed. “No, none of that is true. It can’t be true! How can it be true?”

“I knew you wouldn’t believe me.” You said sadly, tears coming into your eyes. “I wouldn’t blame you.”

“It just sounds so crazy!” Zuko argued back, in hysterics. “I mean, what do you expect me to say? Be happy that you’re like an alien?”

“I’m not an alien!” You snapped, turning to give him an annoyed look.

“Then what are you?” He asked, curiously.

Turning back to the darkness, your eyes peered out into the vastness. “I don’t know.”

“I can’t believe you lied to me.” Zuko breathed out, sounding hurt and mad.

“I had to! I had no choice- I was merely waiting for the right moment.”

“And you call this the right time?”

“No, but I feel so guilty….”

“You should!” Zuko exploded, eyes wide. “I mean, I’ve been completely honest with you this whole time! And what have you been doing? You’ve been lying to my face. How do I know that you’re even telling me the truth right now? I don’t even know you anymore!”

You’re making this worse for me,” You whispered, feeling broken. Yeah, that was the worst idea to ever do. Your knees buckled and you sat on your knees, a tear escaping your eyes. Your body suddenly became numb from the cold, and you stifled your sob so Zuko wouldn’t know that you were crying.

“How about me, huh?” Zuko demanded. “If I told you this, how would you take it?”

“I would be a little more understanding.” You snapped back, eyes cold.

“Yeah right. You’d be doing the same thing I’m doing.”

“You don’t know me.”

“I know you enough!”

“Shut up!” You shouted, your voice cracking. That when you lost your cool, and air escaped through your hands to shoot forward. Too bad an iceberg was a few feet to the left, and it shattered violently from the blast of air. A loud whistle sounding sounded, and an ice shot out at you. Not even thinking, you shrieked when a dagger looking ice hit you right on the cheek. It cut you deeply, and that’s also when you broke down.

All the stress and fear inside of you poured out, and you wailed out in pain. Not from the physical pain of the cut, but from the internal pain. All this confusion and frustration caused you to sob out loudly and hide your head in your hands. Never in your life have you felt this alone before- until now. At least in your world you had your friends, but here, you had nobody. You knew Zuko would react that way, but you still had to tell him. You also knew he was going through an eternal fight in himself, and he always exploded right now. This was a stupid move!

“I hate this,” You said to yourself, sobbing again. The coldness was making your tears feel cold on your skin, and you cut through another sob.

“Stop this,” Zuko said helplessly, moving forward to touch you.

“Please,” You choked out, not moving. “Don’t touch me. Just leave me alone right now.”

Little did you know, that Iroh was secretly awake this whole time.

THAT MORNING

“When are we landing?”

“Patience, nephew.”

“Don’t tell me patience, Uncle!”

“Well hush, she is sleeping.”

Your eyes opened and you were looking up at a gray and dreary sky, looking just like your mood. Your eyes felt so tired right now, and your body felt numb. With a blank face, you sat up and looked around.

In the middle of the ocean. Again.

Everything in the show happened so fast; so who knew it moved this slow in real life! You hoped you would never go on the water again.

Sniffling, you realized you had a stuffy nose. Your throat was burning right now, and you stretched slowly.

“Good morning!” Iroh greeted cheerfully, with a big grin on his face.

Without even saying anything, you nodded in a greeting. Your eyes remained guarded and you sat up, feeling your muscles pop under the sudden weight. You actually felt worse right now, since you stayed up all night without any blankets in freezing weather. You didn’t even have a jacket or long sleeved shirt!

Your hands were shaking and your heart felt steady, but you ignored it. Your whole body right now felt like it was breaking, which you weren’t used to.

Hiding the sickness in you, you stood up and looked around. “Where are we?”

“Entering the earth nation.” Iroh said, and Zuko didn’t bother looking up. His back was to you, and you knew he was mad at you.

Too stubborn to do anything, you gulped heavily and looked out into the dark landscape. “Have you seen land yet?”

“None so far.”

“That sucks.”

Iroh gave you a bewildered look from the language, but you ignored it. Something felt like it was in your throat, and you bent over to cough roughly into your hand. Nothing came out, however, and you continued to cough. However, the painful heaves turned into gagging, and soon, Iroh was patting your back gently.

“Is something wrong?” He asked, concerned. “Are you sick?”

You finally paused and gave him a weak grin. “Never felt better.”

Iroh was about to smile in relief before you bent over the raft quickly to throw up, everything you ate recently. Iroh gasped and you heard Zuko say something, but you ignored him with ease.

“I think you are sick!” Iroh said, holding your hair out of your face. “We must get you to a healer.”

You felt Zuko’s eyes on you.

Blushing, you felt like you were done so you leaned back up. Taking calm, deep breathes, you looked back up.

“I’m not sick,” You lied, again, “it’s probably just seasickness.”

“Is that normal where you come from?” Zuko asked bitterly, eyes burning into yours. You knew the double meaning, and glared at him.

“Actually, yes it is.”

“Am I missing something?” Iroh asked innocently, looking at both of you.

“No.” You said, but Zuko said something different.

“She’s been lying to us the whole time!” Zuko snapped, enraged again.

“Zuko, I overhead everything last night,” Iroh admitted, shrugging. “I honestly do not know what the big deal is. She is still the same girl she was yesterday, so what is the big deal?”

“The fact that I’ve been lied to.” Zuko said, turning to give you a dirty look.

You felt hurt when he looked at you like that, and looked away. “It was the only thing I could do.”

“Zuko, you are letting all these random feelings get in the way of your friendship.” Iroh said gently, grabbing the boys shoulder. “I think that if pretty foolish. I know you two have great feelings for one another, so why ruin it over something stupid?”

Zuko said nothing as he looked out over the ocean, thinking. You sighed and felt your lungs feel tight from the intake of air, which was actually bad.

Uh oh!

Maybe you are getting sick!

Shaking that thought from your mind, you shook your head. “Nevermind, Iroh. I know I was sent here for a reason, and I’m going to do that reason. I’m not going to tell either of you just who sent me, but I know one thing.” You looked right at Zuko, “I don’t care if you hate me, but I will always love you and protect you.”

With that, you blushed and lay down, closing your eyes to take a small nap.

LATER

“Psst, psst,” You woke up groggily to see it was sunset, and Zuko was shaking your shoulder. He looked like he just saw an angel! “Get up,”

“Why?” You groaned, yawning again.

“I had a dream,” Zuko gushed, pulling you into a sitting position. You rubbed your eyes lazily and stared at him, remembering the fight. It all seemed stupid right now, you knew that all along, but both of you were too stubborn to givr in.

“Was it a nightmare?” You asked, not really caring.

“No, it had my mother in it,” Zuko said, eyes glinting with love for his mother. “And guess what she said? She said she’s the one who sent you here! She didn’t tell me why, but she said for me to give you another chance and stay with you.”

Feeling saddened, you looked away. “So if your mother never even came to your dream you still wouldn’t have talked to me?”

“No.” Zuko shook his head. “I was going to anyway. Iroh’s words got to me today, and I’m sorry for not understanding. It’s just…. I’m so confused right now it’s not even funny. I don’t know anybody right now, and I just….”

“It’s all right, Zuko.” You said, grinning. “I forgive you.”

He grinned and leaned forward to kiss you, but you moved back. Noticing instantly, he looked hurt from the unwanted gesture.

“It’s not you,” You said, chuckling a little. “I think I’m getting some kind of sickness and I don’t want to give it to you.”

Zuko shook his head. “I don’t care.” With that, he forced a sweet kiss on your lips and hugged you to him. His lips felt so good right now, and you even forgot Iroh was watching. Zuko’s breath smelled like hot mint, and it warmed your body up instantly.

“I’m also sorry for not saying anything earlier,” Zuko said when he pulled away, nuzzling his head in your neck. You wrapped your arms around his shoulder and practically held onto him for dear life- not wanting to ever let go. “I love you.”

“What?”

“I love you.”

Tears came into your eyes from hearing him say that, and you sprang down to kiss him again. He eagerly went along, and you cried as he kissed you. For one, you never even heard him say he loved his mother. And for him to tell you that was a major honor, which you most likely didn’t deserve.

“Why?” You asked, wondering aloud. “Why do you love me? I’m not even pretty.”

“Yes you are,” Zuko murmured, kissing you again. “I love you because you don’t need to look pretty by buying fancy clothes or jewelry. I love you because you look so beautiful by doing practically anything. You don’t need to buy my love.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Land hoe!” Iroh interrupted, and Zuko looked up, followed by you. Trees were off in the distance, and Zuko slowly stood up along with you.

Things were starting to look up.

Because now, you’re not the only one who knows why you’re here. It’s always better to be with someone than to stand through something by yourself. Grinning shyly up at Zuko, you kissed you hair and you blushed deeply.

Okay. Now you’re glad you told him.

A/N: Please review!!! I will update faster with the more reviews I get!!!