Ash [Prince Zuko - Book Two]

❃Chapter Fifteen❃

The soft early morning sunlight floated into the room, but Asake was already awake long before the sun began its journey upward. She was laying in the comfortable bed, sprawled out as far as she could, not wanting to get up and go to work. Pen Feho was expecting her to get there early to rearrange the front part of the pet shop, but she wasn't sure if she could. Her left arm was throbbing, probably because she accidentally slept on it during the night. On top of that, her leg that had been burnt by Fire Lord Ozai was hurting. It seemed like today wasn't going to be a good day. 

Asake stood up, limping over to the dresser that came with the room she was given. Iroh had come back the night before with extra clothes for her, which was amazing. She was so thankful for that man, more than she had realized when she was alone on her journey. When she was alone, she was the one providing for herself. She did everything to make sure she was safe and healthy. It was much harder to accept Iroh's help again, but it was a welcome relief to know that someone else cared for her and wanted her safe, too.

She grabbed an olive-green dress from the top drawer but couldn't find any leggings to pair with it. Her heart did a nervous little flutter when she realized that the dress would have to do by itself. Her legs were scarred and ugly. She hadn't ever shown a single soul what they looked like. Today was different, though. People would stare at her burns, but they were a part of her, even if they were ugly. 

Stripping her shirt off as slowly as she could, Asake tried not to move her left arm too much. She slipped her pants off, not even bothering to look at the burns that dotted her legs. She hated them with a passion and didn't want to be reminded of what had happened to her. The olive-green dress fit her better than the other clothes she had. It hit her knees, proudly proclaiming her scars. Asake tied her short hair up into a ponytail, glad that it could do that again.

She passed the mirror that was situated in her room and stopped. She scanned the body looking back at her in the mirror. Short black hair went just beyond the bony pale shoulders that peaked out from the green dress. Amber colored eyes had darkened up as they met the others in the mirror, casting shadows across the hollow cheeks. Fire blazed deep in the irises, telling Asake that she was still alive.  

Her body was thinner but not too thin where her ribs were sticking out anymore. Even though she didn't want to, she looked down at her legs. Both were scarred, the discolored skin making her feel disgusting. Small scars dotted her arms, and she looked like a battlefield. Her body showed everyone what happened to her, and she wasn't sure if she liked that. There was nothing she could do about it, though. These scars were a part of her, no matter what. They showed her history, for better or worse, and she had to be okay with that.

Asake tore herself away from the mirror, busying herself by making a sling for her arm with one of the shirts Iroh bought for her. Today, she needed it up. The other days, it was alright if it dangled by her side, limp, but today, it was hurting way too much for her to ignore it. She slipped the homemade sling over her arm, and then her neck, her arm settling on her rumbling stomach. 

Asake walked into the front room and saw Iroh making some tea. He had his back to her, so she couldn't see the expression on his face. "Good morning," she said to him. Iroh jumped but turned around with a smile on his face. "I'm sorry for scaring you."

"It's alright," he said quietly. His eyes darted to the other room where Zuko was probably still sleeping. "I didn't expect anyone to be awake now."

Asake explained why she was awake early to Iroh. She didn't bother mentioning that a nightmare woke her up, the same one she had been having since the day that her life went downhill. "I think I can stay here for a couple more minutes before I head to work, though," she said, pointing to the tea with a smile on her face. "I'd like a cup of that, please."