Ash [Prince Zuko - Book Two]

❃Chapter Twenty❃

The only sound that echoed around was the sound of her footsteps on the earthen ground below her. Asake walked through the dark streets of Ba Sing Se without even paying attention to where she was going. She escaped the apartment an hour or so ago after fighting with Zuko. Iroh tried to talk to her, but she left before he could even finish his sentence. She left them in that apartment that had begun to feel like a prison. She left them.

This time, she left them for good. 

Asake didn't take anything with her like she did last time. She just left without a second thought. It was time for her to get away from that life she was living with them. This was what she had wanted when she first ran away from them, but somehow, they found her again in Ba Sing Se. Now, though, she was taking matters into her own hands. It was her destiny that was spiraling out of control, and it was time for her to try to fix it, even if it killed her in the process.

She just wished she could sort out her feelings for everything that had happened. She knew that she definitely felt a certain way for Zuko, so why couldn't she just follow through with it? It was because she couldn't trust him. He obviously cared more about gaining his title back than anyone else in his life. He grabbed onto her waist without consent, scaring her more than she ever realized he could. She knew she would get hurt if she went through with her feelings for him, just like she did tonight. It wasn't worth it. She deserved better than that. At least, that's what her mind was telling her against her heart's bitter sayings.

Her whole body ached as she continued walking. It was probably from her little tumble earlier from the apartment all the way to the ground. That was the only thing keeping her tethered on the ground, though. It told her she was still alive. It told her that she could still feel things instead of the numbness that was spreading through her heart. That was the only reason she kept walking through Ba Sing Se; she was alive and ready to try to find a better life somewhere in this world.

However, Asake had to stop walking because she had to catch her breath before she passed out from the hesitant hope that flooded through her chest. She leaned against the side of a building, feeling the cool brick underneath her fingertips. She took deep breaths of the humid air, allowing the liquid to coat her lungs, screwing her eyes shut as tightly as they could. Was this what it felt like to start getting better? Had she taken the first step to her uphill climb the moment she left Zuko? She wasn't sure at all. All she knew was that tonight was the start of her new life as Asake, the girl who had no past that could haunt her. She only had a future waiting just beyond her grasp.

The sound of the many people still out and about in the night washed over her, jarring her from her thoughts. She hadn't heard the chatter until now, which was a pleasant distraction. Asake opened her eyes and looked out across the little square she ended up in. There were people of all different ages strolling around, chatting amongst themselves with happy faces on. Laughter echoed around her; it was the best noise she had ever heard in her life.

Across the square, a guy had his head lowered as he was looking at a small merchant table. Though, that didn't feel right because it was nighttime. Merchants weren't open at night. Upon further inspection, she saw that there was actually nothing on that table at all. Something in her gut told her that this man in the green tunic wasn't part of the celebrating crowd. Her eye got caught on the sword situated around his waist. 

The familiar metal shone in the moonlight. Asake saw the flower designed rain guard, making her mouth drop open in surprise. It looked exactly like her old sword! The last time she saw it was when she got taken by one of Zhao's men. What was his name? It was the name of a serial killer . . . Zasai! Zasai was the man who took her from the island, and he took her sword away from her. Was that him over there, or was it one of Zhao's other men? Were they after her even though Zhao was dead?

Dread settled over Asake. The fear she had felt earlier with Zuko crept back into her body, making the ground beneath her shudder. They couldn't have been after her. Zhao died before he could tell them that Zuko and her had attacked him at the Northern Water Tribe. Maybe they weren't after her . . . The man glanced up at Asake, but his face was in the shadows of the building above him. However, she still saw the smirk on his face. 

She couldn't let the fear have a hold on her, though. No, she needed to get rid of it quickly before it hindered her. Shoving it down to the depths of her soul, she allowed the anger to rush through her veins. He knew she saw him and her sword. That meant that he knew she was in Ba Sing Se and that she would be out here tonight. But how?

The man turned away, heading toward a little alleyway away from the crowd of happy people. Asake didn't want to go there, but she wanted her sword back. The sword was very important to her. She was a little girl when she first got it, when she was trained by an old master back in the Fire Nation. It was one of the only things she got as a present, and she was very proud of it. This man was taking it away from her for the second time in her life, and this time, she wouldn't let it go that easily. 

Just as she started heading toward the dark alleyway, a familiar face appeared at the edge of her vision. Standing on the corner of the street, away from the crowd of people, close to the alleyway, was Lisha, the girl she had met on her journey to Ba Sing Se in the first place. Her eyes shone brightly as she looked at Asake. In that moment, she looked so much older than she was. There was something in her eyes that told Asake that she knew a lot more than she let on.

She tripped over her feet as she started to run over to the alleyway to get Lisha away from the dangerous person before they could hurt her. Asake went down hard, landing directly on her bad shoulder. Stars dotted her vision, and she thought she was going to pass out with the intense pain that erupted all through her arm. She had to take many deep breaths to be able to see properly. 

When Asake stood back up, she couldn't find Lisha anywhere. That scared her. What if the man that had her sword took her hostage? She needed to save her before something bad happened to her just like it happened to Asake. 

She ran toward the dark alleyway and entered it quickly. Glancing around, her heart dropped in her chest when she saw nothing out of the ordinary. No one was waiting for her. Lisha wasn't here, waiting with a smile on her face. The man with her sword wasn't ready to stab her with it. She groaned and stalked forward.

"Where are you?" she muttered to herself. Asake looked to the right and saw feet retreating into a separate alley. "Come out, come out wherever you are." Her face settled into a dark frown as she coldly said, "I'm coming for you."

Asake trailed the man, making sure she wasn't making a lot of noise. However, she did make sure to walk as quickly as she could to catch up with him to save Lisha. He was taking his time through the alley, so she decided to tackle him. Her legs tensed up, but before she could launch herself, something dark went over her face. She clawed at the fabric around her head, saying, "Let go of me and fight like a man!"

The man grunted as she kicked out behind her. Her foot connected with some sort of tissue, so she tried again and again and again. She wouldn't get kidnapped again. The last time she got kidnapped, she got hurt. She would never let that happen again. Asake would die trying before she got hurt again.

"You're going to have to knock her out," another voice said. It sounded familiar, but she couldn't figure out who it was in her panic. Her hands flew around her body, trying to connect with anything. She couldn't see anything, but she could hear their frantic footsteps as they dragged her away from where she found them. It sounded like there were at least two guys with her. But where was Lisha? "Do it now!"

Asake yelled as she let the fire out of her. It had been a long time since she last firebended, and it felt so good. She shot blasts every which way. A groan of pain alerted her that she had hit someone. She didn't take time to celebrate. Instead, she kicked out with her feet. One of the guys slammed into her left shoulder, and she screamed out in pain. The fight was knocked out of her lungs as she stumbled into one of the people, barely having the strength to stand because of the pain.

"Now!"

The pressure on her head was overwhelming. The pain from her left shoulder mixed with the hit on the head made her vision slowly turn black. The last thing she could hear before she fell into darkness was, "We have to get her out of here. She's not safe anywhere."