Water Attracts Lightning // Zuko X Kasami (OC) FF

Chapter 2: "It's hard to hate someone once you understand them."

Zuko's P.O.V

"Excuse me, Fire Lord."
I shoot up from my bed. Who the hell has the nerve to come into my bedroom and wake me at this hour? My dark brown almost black hair is unbrushed, and in a complete mess. My face obviously tired, the bags underneath my eyes are getting more noticeable every day.
"Show yourself."
I angrily spit out. I know i'm being unreasonable but at this point I'm so tired I don't even know what I'm doing. The woman steps into my room from the doorway.
"Mai. How many times do I have to tell you to not come into my chambers."
I turn away from her, clearly distraught and running my fingers through my hair.
"Well Zuko-"
"Its Fire Lord to you."
Mai crosses her arms and rolls her eyes, shifting her weight. Clearly unamused from my tone of voice.
"Sorry, Fire Lord. The generals requested your presence in the dining hall."
"Great,"
I roll my eyes.
"You can leave now."
"Zuko, if you hate me so much then why am I still living here?"
"Mai..just drop it."
"No Zuko. I'm tired of this hostility, it feels like you don't even care about me anymore."
She must think I'm stupid. As if I'm going to sit around and let her underestimate me. Take me as some fool. No. As the Fire Lord I have eyes and ears all over the entire fire nation.
"Don't think I don't know exactly where you go after dark, Mai. Leave. Now."
I snapped at her. I see her eyes widen as she realizes that I know everything.
"Z-zuko I'm sorry. With you and I fighting all the time I took comfort in him and-"
"Save your lies. We're done here. Leave the palace and don't come back,"
"You're lucky I'm not banishing you."
Mai goes to say something but quickly bites her tongue. She looks down sadly and finally decides to leave my chamber. I hate this. I hate this dark place. Thinking to myself, I'm suddenly interrupted by a small knock at my door.
"Mai I told you to get out, dont make me-,"
One of my servants peeks her head in through the door and lifts a cup of tea to my view.
"Oh. Sorry."
"I'm sorry to bother you Fire Lord Zuko, I was wondering if you would like some Jasmine Tea?"
"Thank you. Is there any news?"
"Yes sir. Your beach house on Ember Island has been completely redone and is ready for you whenever you wish."
This is great! I finally get to take a break from this dreadful palace. I finally get to relax on my own. No Mai, no people, no problems.
"Pack my bags and ready a ship right away. I want to be there by tonight."
"Yes sir."
She scurries out of my room after setting my tea down on my night stand. I take a few sips and breathe. Finally. I get up out of my king bed and look in the mirror. My tired eyes and disheveled appearance staring back at me.
"I look like shit."
I wash my face and brush my hair, excited for my night at Ember Island. I haven't been there since I went with Katara, Aang, Sokka, Toph and Suki a couple years ago. I can't help but be a little envious of Katara and Aang, and Sokka and Suki. I haven't seen them in so long. All of them seem to be so secure in their relationships, loving, and know how to communicate. When Mai and I were dating, all we did was fight. I shake my head and try to forget those times. I put on my traditional Fire Lord clothes and get ready for my depart. As I exit my door the captain of my ship notifies me that everything is ready.
"Lets go."
I step onboard. We take off and finally, I have a smile on my face.

Kasami's P.O.V

"My head.."
I groan in pain as I open my eyes.
"Oh no,"
I notice my hands are bound with metal and chains, and I frantically look around to try and figure out where the hell I am. I hear a small whimper come from next to me. Aang's hands and feet are bound as well.
"Aang! Wake up!"
With no response, I realize he's still out cold. Shit! What the hell happened? I close my eyes and try to remember the events of the other morning. It comes back in bits and pieces, but as I look around I notice something.
"Where's Katara and Sokka?"
I whisper to myself, looking around for my friends. Suddenly, I hear the sound of a door being opened in the distance.
"Well what do we have here?"
I whip my head around to see a tall man, not much older than myself. His light brown eyes glaring at me like he knows that I am powerless.
"What's your name again sweetheart?"
He smirks at me. I glare back at him, staring him down.
"What do you want?"
I spat at him, stepping closer to the bars of my cage.
"That was not the answer to my question gorgeous."
"Where are my friends?"
"Still not the answer, but I'll let that one slide."
"Where do you have them?"
I raise my voice, obviously getting angry. He swiftly runs up to my cage while getting his small, pitch black pocket knife out from his jacket.
"You should know better than to speak to me with that tone little girl,"
"After all, I'm the one who knows how to chi block. I can easily take away your bending."
Little girl? Chi blocked? What happened to us?
"If you don't tell me where they are I swear to god I'll-"
Before I can finish my sentence he grabs my neck and pulls me closer. He opens his knife and puts it on my throat.
"You'll do what?"
He angrily spits at me. I look up at him, staring with all the hatred in my body.
"Just tell me if they're okay."
"Well..I wouldn't say that they are doing too well. That Sokka has a smart mouth you know, the boss doesn't let anyone, and I mean anyone disrespect him."
My eyes widen at his words.
"and Katara...she's got too much of a temper. Lets just say we had to give her a small punishment."
He smirks at me as he runs his blade dangerously close to my neck. With one swift move he could easily end my life right then and there. Thankfully, he lowers it down. If anyone knows me at all, the one thing you should never do, is mess with the people I love.
"I promise you, if you do anything to them I will end you."
"Shhh..we wouldn't want your friends to end up like mom and dad, would you?"
My eyes widen even more, my blood boiling. My fists balled inside their metal prison, and my nails digging into my palms.
"It's so pathetic watching someone beg for their life when you threaten them with a little...fire."
He lifts his pointer finger, a tiny flame sprouting from it. That's enough.
"Who the hell do you think you are? Let my friends go now before I end you and anyone-"
My face reddens and my eyes glowing with spite. I see him drop his blade as he looks at me with fear.
"-you've ever loved. You are going to wish you had never been born."
At this point I'm screaming, blinded by my loathing for this boy. I don't notice until after I'm done unleashing my words that he's now on his knees looking up at me.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"Its not m-me!"
I look down and notice my hands pointed towards him. Am I...blood bending? I make him stand up as I watch him groan in pain.
"How...are you...doing this?"
He musters out as I lift him off the ground.
"Making you wish you were never born."
I bend his blood to make him point his own blade towards himself. I smile as I see the fear in his eyes, my own hatred and guilt from not being able to save my family blinding me from seeing anything else.
"P-please! I'll do anything! Please stop."
"Unlock my cage and my hands, or I will NOT hesitate to drive this blade straight into your-"
"Okay! I'll do it!"
I drop him from off the ground and he lands on his knees. He unlocks my cage and releases my hands. Observing and shaking them off, I look up at him.
"Finally."
My smirk suddenly turns into a face of concern as I hear Aang behind me.
"Kasami?"
I whip my head around to see him rubbing his eyes in his prison.
"Aang! You're okay!"
I run over to his cage and hug him through the bars.
"Are you hurt anywhere? What ca-"
"WATCH OUT!"
I turn around and move swiftly out of the way as the man who unlocked my cage throws his blades in my direction. Missing most of them, one blade cuts my side pretty deep. I yell in pain as I look down to see the side of my waist bleeding profusely.
"I thought I already demonstrated to you what happens when you make me angry!"
Lifting my hands up and focusing on his blood, I make him drop the remainder of his blades and lift him off the ground. He writhes in pain as I continue to bend him. Before I can notice the shadow behind me, a different man comes up from behind and chi blocks me, temporarily stopping my bending abilities but not my arms.
"Shit!"
They boy drops onto the floor as I turn around to fight. I swiftly aimed for his face and connected. As he jabs and punches I manage to dodge his every move. He must not know who he's fighting. I smirk as I chi block his arms, making him unable to move them.
"You're not the only one who knows how to chi block."
The other boy comes up from behind and swings his legs onto mine, effectively knocking me onto the ground. I jump back up quickly and go for a hit to his face. He blocks my jab, then counter punches me in my jaw, and then in my nose. I cough and step back as I wipe the blood off my face. I jump up as he swings at me again, holding onto the bars on the ceiling above him. He misses me and accidentally punches the other man. I hop down behind him and kick his back, effectively pushing the both of them onto the ground. Their heads hitting the ground and successfully making them go unconscious.
"Kasami! Are you alright?"
Aang yells as I limp over to him, bruised and bleeding.
"I'm fine. Now let's try to find a way to open this cage."
"I don't think we're gonna have enough time for that."
He points over to the group of guards entering from the east doorway, one group after the other.
"No..There's gotta be more than fifty men."
They all start running up the staircase towards them.
"Kasami quick, take this whistle climb to the top and call Appa. Get out of here!"
"Aang are you crazy?! No way am I leaving you here."
The men getting dangerously close every second, Aang looks down at me.
"Kasami, you have to go get help, there's no way you can take every single one of these guys yourself."
I look up at him, tears swelling in my eyes.
"You have to go. You cannot win by yourself. I know you'll come back for us with reinforcements."
Aang gives me a goofy, but reassuring smile.
"I promise. I'll come back and save you guys as fast as I can."
It goes against everything in my body to leave the most important people in my life, but I know Aang is right. I have to go. I climb back up onto the next floor and find a doorway that leads me up to the roof. I blow Aang's bison whistle and hope Appa will hear it. A couple seconds go by and I notice Appa flying in the distance. I flail my arms in the air and yell for him.
"Come on buddy! Right here!"
Appa lands on the roof next to me. I run up to him and hug his huge body
"Thank you."
Before I could even begin to get on Appa, a group of fire bender guards appear from behind me.
"Stop right there!"
They all charge at once, I get burnt and hit multiple times.
"Stop...please."
I whisper quietly as I try to get out of their grasp. I know its too late to climb onto Appa from the roof. I know what I need to do. A guard tightens his grip on my ankle before I kick him, forcing him to let go. I scramble to my feet and begin to run to the edge.
"Come on Appa!"
I scream for him hoping he'll understand what to do. I fling myself off the edge of the roof, Appa speeding towards me. A couple seconds too late, I manage to grab on to one of his legs.
"Go boy, go!"
I urge him to keep flying even though I am hanging on by a thread. The guards start throwing fire towards our direction, successfully burning me on my side and arm. I wince in pain, my entire body in agony. As Appa flies away, I can feel myself slipping. My skin burnt and bruised, my cut still bleeding profusely. I manage to hang on to Appa for a little bit longer before I notice a small island coming into view.
"I can't...I can't hold on any longer."
My consciousness slips from me as I let go of Appa, falling onto the the small island.

Zuko's P.O.V

"Fire Lord Zuko, welcome to your Ember Island villa."
My servant opens the huge doors to my vacation home, I walk right in and look out my windows to see the beach right in front.
"Thank you. You may leave me now."
He bows and quickly runs off. Finally. Relaxation. This is the first vacation I've had in years and the most privacy I've gotten in a long, long time. I step outside on my own private beach, and lay down my towel to lay in the sun. Without warning, I hear a faint scream from the woods surrounding the beach. Followed by a thud, I swiftly get up and look around.
"What was that?"
I step into the woods, walking in the direction I heard the scream from. I notice broken branches in front of me, so I must be going the right way. I peer over the corner of a rock to see a girl, laying on her stomach on the forest floor. Her long dark hair in a complete mess. I quickly run over to her. Shes bleeding and hurt, bruises all over her body. I notice a water tribe symbol on her bracelet. Whats a water tribe girl doing in the fire nation? I turn her over and brush the hair out of her face. My eyes widen and my body grows tense as I finally realize who it is.
"Oh my god...Kasami?"
She opens her eyes just the tiniest bit and opens her mouth to say something.
"Help."
She manages to muster out one word before falling back to sleep. As much as I hate this woman, she's bleeding out. I can't just leave her here. That's something my father would do, and I refuse to be like him. I take my shirt off and rip it into strips, tying it around her wounds to make sure she do
esn't bleed too much. I pick her up, her head resting on my chest. I trek back to my villa and call out for all my assistants.
"Get the healers here immediately and make sure she doesn't die."
"Right away, sir."
I lay her broken body down onto my bed, and begin to collect the supplies for my healers. Good thing I brought then, or she would certainly be dead right now.
After hours of helping clean her up and bandaging her wounds, I finally got to lay down. I rested on the couch next to my bed. I watched her for hours to make sure she was still breathing.
"What happened to you?"
"Wheres Katara, Sokka, and Aang?"
I whispered quietly to myself, wondering about everything that happened.

After a while, I drifted off in to sleep.