Warriors || An ATLA Fanfiction

Chapter 45

"Hello..! Zuko here!" Zuko cheered before waving at us.

My eyes widened, my mind flashing from when he saved Appa,and then shifting from when he shot fire at us. My eyes widened as I remembered when he freed Appa and me. I still never told the group what happened under the lake and it might come out today.

Not more lies.

"Hey, I heard you guys flying around down there, so, I just thought I'd wait for you here. I know you must be surprised to see me here." Zuko spoke before Appa stepped forward, covering the prince in slobber.

Where was Iroh and Saki? Surely he wouldn't leave them. Unless there was nothing to leave..

"Not really, since you've followed us all over the world." Sokka grumbled.

"Right. Well, uhhh ... anyway ... what I wanted to tell you about is that I've changed, and I, uhhh, I'm good now, and well I think I should join your group, oh, and I can teach firebending to you. See, I, uhhh ..." Zuko stumbled across his words, making me feel somewhat bad for the boy.

"You want to what now?" Toph asked in shock. "You can't possibly think that any of us would trust you, can you? I mean, how stupid do you think we are?!" Katara snarled, rage seeping through her kind smile.

"Yeah, all you've ever done is hunt us down and try to capture Aang!" Sokka shot, causing Zuko to lose his weird kind behavior.

"I've done some good things! I mean, I could have stolen your bison in Ba Sing Se, but I set him free. That's something!" Zuko exclaimed, causing Appa to lick Zuko again.

"Appa..does seem to like him" Toph stated, making Katara and Sokka look at her. 

"He probably just covered himself in honey or something so that Appa would lick him. I'm not buying it." Sokka scoffed.

"Actually, I didn't tell you guys something" I sighed, making the others look at me. "After Sokka dropped me off at my house back in Ba Sing Se, I was taken by Long Feng to where Appa was. Who knows what would've happened to us if Zuko, Iroh and Saki didn't show up.." I trailed off.

Zuko looked down at the mention of Saki and Iroh but the others looked at me in shock. "Saki?!" Katara exclaimed, her motherly ways intact.

"So he really did save Appa?" Aang asks looking at me. I give a firm nod.

"I can understand why you wouldn't trust me, and I know I've made some mistakes in the past." Zuko sighed looking at us with hope.

"Like when you attacked our village?" Sokka growled. "Or when you stole my mother's necklace and used it to track us down and capture us?" Katara questioned glaring at the Prince.

I looked down. I wanted to insult Zuko as well, but honestly, I can't. He saved me and is or was a good friend to Saki and Iroh. I couldn't possibly hurt him. I had to ask him about them.

"Look, I admit I've some awful things. I was wrong to try to capture you, and I'm sorry that I attacked the Water Tribe. And I never should have sent that Fire Nation assassin after you. I'm going to try and stop-" Zuko started before Sokka yanked out his boomerang.

"Wait! You sent Combustion Man after us?!" Sokka exclaimed pointing his weapon at Zuko.

"Well, that's not his name, but-" Zuko tried again. But Sokka interrupted him with "Oh sorry! I didn't mean to insult your friend!"

"He's not my friend!" Zuko growled angrily.

"That guy locked me and Katara in jail and tried to blow us all up!" Toph snarled before looking at me. Looking down, I knew they expected me to join the fight, but I couldn't.

"Why aren't you saying anything? You once said you thought we could be friends. You know I have good in me." Zuko asks looking at Aang. Aang then looks at the rest of us.

"There's no way we can trust you after everything you've done. We'll never let you join us." Aang spat angrily.

"You need to get out of here. Now." Katara growled.

"I'm trying to explain that I'm not that person anymore!" Zuko exclaimed but it caused Sokka to step forward, a look of hatred on his face. "Either you leave or we attack"

"If you won't accept me as a friend, then maybe you'll take me as a prisoner." Zuko mumbled before getting onto his knees. But Katara quickly shot water onto him, knocking him over.

"No, we won't! Get out of here, and don't come back! And if we ever see you again, well, we'd better not see you again!"

Defeated, Zuko turns and walks away.

My head slowly lifts up. And I do something that I probably shouldn't do.

"Zuko!" I called before my feet pushed me towards the retreating Prince.

As I ran, I heard the calls of my friends behind me, but I needed answers.