Spark [Prince Zuko - Book One]

❃Chapter Eight❃

Asake brushed her hair with the orange comb, staring at herself in the mirror. Her bright eyes shone against her dark hair, the bangs pushed to the side pleasantly. Asake had changed a lot from two years ago. Her hair grew longer and darker; she wasn't as short as she was when she left the Fire Nation; she had matured greatly. However, the only thing that didn't change was her eyes. They had the same spark they did when she was little. 

A knock on her door startled her as she was brushing her hair. The loud clang of the knock and of the brush falling to the ground made her sigh. She bent over to grab the brush and winced in pain. The slice on her side had healed up nicely in the past few days, leaving her only with a scar and some pain. 

Another knock sounded on the door, so Asake quickly picked up the brush and set it on her dresser that was next to her bed. Her chest plate used to sit on the dresser, but, since it failed her the last time she wore it, she shoved it underneath her bed for it to collect dust. She decided that she wouldn't ever wear it again because it didn't protect her like it should have.

After setting the brush on the dresser, Asake pulled open the door. A loud squeal rose up from the hinges on the door, and she winced again. She would have to do something about that soon. She was sure that Daza would help her fix the squeaky hinges. 

Asake shook her head and glanced out into the corridor. A frown settled on her face when she saw Iroh standing right outside her door. It was nighttime. She was getting ready for bed. What was he doing there at that time of night?

"Hello, dear Asake," Iroh said, a kind smile on his face. 

"Hi, Iroh," Asake said, her brow furrowed. "What are you doing here? Is there news on the Avatar?"

"No," Iroh said. He shook his head. He must have seen her confused look and said, "I want you to distract my nephew."

"Distract him? From what?"

"He's pacing the floor again, worrying about the Avatar." Asake nodded slightly. She knew that he was pacing in his room because she could hear him. His room was down the hall and around the corner from hers, and she could hear every footstep he took. Last night, she was tempted to go into his room and murder him, but she thought better of it. "He won't listen to me."

"What makes you think he'll listen to me?" Asake laughed and shook her head. She pictured Zuko with a sigh. They hadn't really spoken to each other since his agni kai with Zhao. "Even if we did make up a couple days, that doesn't mean he'll listen to me."

"And that's why I ask you to distract him," Iroh said, a confident smile on his face. 

Asake glanced down at her clothes. She wasn't dressed to go out and see other people. She wasn't sure if she was even fine with Iroh seeing her in her pajamas. "I was getting ready for bed," she said, but her voice faded when Iroh kept smiling. "Okay, fine. Where is he at?"

"His room." Iroh moved out of the doorway to make room for her. 

"Can I at least get changed first?" Asake said, gesturing to her nightgown. 

"You'll be okay." Asake rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but smile. Before she left her room, she grabbed a red robe that was draped over her bed. She quickly tied it around her body and followed Iroh to Zuko's room. Asake took a deep breath and looked over at Iroh. "You just need to talk to him, Asake."

"Okay," she said, nodding. She knocked on his door, and a few seconds later, it opened widely. An angry looking Zuko was on the receiving end. 

"What are you doing here?" Zuko asked, his eyes piercing hers. 

"Iroh wanted me to . . .," Asake said, pointing to the empty spot next to her. She frowned as she dropped her hand back to her side. How could that old man move so fast? "I promise you, Iroh was standing right there a moment ago."