The Commander's Daughter (Zuko X OC)

Chatper 15 ~ Zhao

A/N: Trigger Warnings for this chapter, references to abuse but no actual mentions. All the stuff in Italics is a flash back, and not being said. Thanks again for reading!

Zuko looks sheepishly over to the silent Karina as they make their way back to the ship. He can tell that she is thinking, the slight twitch of her nose tells him that he is correct in his observation. Almost as if she senses his eyes on her she turns to look at him with an easy smile, before resuming her earlier position. 

He liked this new comfort between them, things had been so tense at first with the anger and fighting, but he liked how he could actually spend time with someone in a similar age range to himself. It was something that he had not done for a long time. She actually seemed to like it as well,she actually seemed to like him. Something he was not overly familiar with. Even before his scar, and banishment he could never remember anyone particularly liking him. 

"Karina?" she paused in her tracks eyes looking into his, "What was he like?" he can see the confusion in her face, Zuko couldn't actually bring himself to say his name, he wasn't even sure why he brought it up. He supposed he wanted to know more, about her, about her past. Desperately searching for similarities to cling onto. He can see the shift in her when she finally understands his question, her posture goes inwards, almost like she is trying to shrink away from the answer.

"When I was younger he seemed kind," She looked off away from him trying to control the tears that threatened to spill out from her eyes, " I'd never met anyone else's fathers, I'd just assumed they were all like mine. He used to train me for long hours of the day, we'd spar and he'd show me bending positions in the hopes that I'd be able to bend fire just like he could." The tears spilled over ignoring her protests "But then we realised, that I wasn't a bender, I couldn't do what he wished of me. I, the daughter of the Great General Zhao could not bend. This infuriated him, and what I had thought was love was gone."

Karina watched through the small crack in the door as her father pushed objects from his desk onto the floor. An angry growl escaped his lips as he planted balled fists on the desk before him. 

"Stupid, no good whore!" He slammed his fist to the table again, " I should have known she'd only produce offspring as useless as her!" Karina felt her feet shift and the door creaked slightly at her new movement. Her fathers eyes flew upwards recognising her frame in an instant. "Karina," his voice was cold and unfeeling as he beckoned her towards him. The small girls feet carried her over to her father's side green eyes filled with a mix of fear and concern. 

"You are useless to me girl." A flame burst to life in his fist as he raised it above her. " Useless."

Zuko opened his mouth, not sure what he was going to say, he closed it again. 

"It's okay Zuko," Her greens eyes looked over to him face still wet from the tears, " You have taken me away from that life, and for that I am forever grateful." 

Looking away from her tear stained face, Zuko turned his attention to the sky. 

His uncle had been a long time. 

(A/N: I'm thinking of going back to old chapters and editing them so they fit more with the style I write in now.. What do you guys think I should do?)