Spark [Prince Zuko - Book One]

❃Chapter Twenty Five❃

Asake and Zuko stuck to the shadows. Otherwise, the Waterbenders and warriors around them would have seen them and attacked. Plus, Zhao's army was running around like the unagi with its head cut off, and they didn't want to get caught by them, either. There was one thing on her mind, and it was finding and ending Zhao.

However, her mind flashed back through the events that had happened so far during the night. Her and Zuko still hadn't spoken about their kiss, but he had been treating her slightly different than before. Besides when he left her. She stopped in her tracks at the thought of him choosing the Avatar over her. For some reason, she was still upset that he did that to her, especially after the moment they shared together.

"Zuko," she said quietly. He stopped walking and looked back at her with a frown on his face. "Why'd you leave me earlier?"

Zuko sighed, looking away from her. In the dark shadows, she could only see his eyes as they shone in the firelight from the battle raging on near them. His eyes held something strange in them; she couldn't tell what he was thinking. "I had a choice between staying with you or grabbing the Avatar. You obviously know my decision."

Asake frowned, pulling on his arm to make him face her. She still couldn't tell what was going on through his mind. "I'm not your first choice? How long have I been traveling with you? You'd throw that away just to go home?"

"Look," Zuko snapped, tugging his arm out of her grip. He shook his head stiffly. "I figured you would understand. We both want to go home."

Asake barked a laugh, shaking her head at him. "What home? My father turned into a ruthless monster, and I doubt he would ever take me back." He wouldn't even look back at her, so she reached up and made him look at her so he could see her anger. She didn't want him to get out of this unscathed. "I had never seen that side until you decided to speak out against him. So, no, I do not want to go home and see that man again."

"Maybe you could come to the palace with me . . ."

Asake ground her teeth together, knowing she'd never go to the palace. Zuko's father was even worse than hers, and she didn't want to be subjected to whatever situation rose up there. "I don't know why I jumped in front you. You don't care that I did that for you, so why should I care?"

She turned away from him, storming away from him. She couldn't believe how angry he was making her. Somehow, she always had this type of reaction whenever they talked together. Everything always turned into an argument, no matter what it was they were talking about. She had told him once that she enjoyed arguing with him, but that wasn't true anymore. Now, she was truly broken, and she couldn't handle the person she cared about most treating her like that.

Before she could get very far away from him, Zuko grabbed onto her hand, tugging her back to him. They were standing so close that she could see every little fleck of color in his eyes. Even if the moon was gone, she could still see him better than anything else in this world. However, anger raced through her body at the look in his eyes. He looked upset. He had no right to be upset. 

"Zuko, you said you'd give your life to get me back from Zhao," she whispered. Her voice cracked as few tears slipped out of her eyes. "But you could run off with the Avatar and expect me to be happy? I thought we were a team. I thought we were in this together."

"I knew you were safe there," he said softly. Zuko reached out and brushed her tears off of her cheeks. "I knew you wouldn't get hurt in the oasis."

Even though he looked sincere, Asake was still angry. She didn't dare allow his touch to sway her emotions right now. He shouldn't have left her, and he knew that. "Whatever. Next time you have a choice, don't include me in it."