𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍 ⎯ 𝐙𝐮𝐤𝐨

Chapter 4

❥・❥

Just as he had said, the journey was long.

"You need to eat something..."

The boy wouldn't even look at him. Each time he offered food or water, he was simply ignored. Shoko stayed curled up in the farthest corner from him with his head in his arms, hiding even his expression.

He was a mess. But Iroh was patient.

The general had never gone through amnesia, but he understood it took time to regain those precious memories. And after all, he had plenty of time to be with him.

His clothes were wrinkled, the vivid blues and whites dimmed by dirt and a few tears here and there, he had received them from... right, he couldn't remember who exactly had given them to him. His hair was a tangled mess, it didn't help that it was waist-length and his hair tie had fallen off at one point.

"How about we get yourself cleaned up? We can't have those wounds infected."

Shoko obediently stood up, looking around him with caution. He was stubborn, but he wasn't going to die because of infected cuts.

When the fresh air pulled his long hair back, he sighed in relief, it was quiet. But the sight of numerous Fire Nation soldiers walking toward his direction put him on edge again.

He faced Iroh.

Had he called them? After gaining minimal trust he called the soldiers to drag him away, why?

No.

Iroh's face was almost calm with a hint of uncertainty.

The soldiers in front of them separated, creating two lines as they allowed a person to walk in between. Shoko's eyes locked on a boy near his age, he had a familiar burn scar on the left of his face. His head hurt, somehow this isn't the first time he's seen him.

"What is he doing here!?" He loathed, harshly pulling Shoko's collar.

Iroh quickly jumped to action and separated them, frowning disappointedly, "Prince Zuko. He is a guest. And as I was saying, he needs to get his wounds checked, or he'll die from an infection. He already has amnesia, we wouldn't want to make it worse."

Zuko gritted his teeth, pulling his helmet off and tossing it to a soldier behind him, "Uncle, he is nothing but a peasant. It doesn't matter if he forgot everything. I'm only using him to track down the Avatar!"

What?

What does the Avatar have to do with this?

Was the Avatar reborn? And why would they want with him?

Iroh sighed loudly and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Nephew, we will discuss this matter another time. Right now, he needs to get his wounds checked. Please excuse us." The older man said as he grabbed Shoko's hand.

Warmth engulfed him once more when he was guided inside a room. The captain greeted them with a slight smile before directing his eyesight to the water. "Here you go, unfortunately, that's all we have for now. We should be docking for more supplies in a few hours" Iroh handed him a roll of fresh and clean bandages, strolling over to a soldier stationed at the door and whispering something in their ear.

Shoko sighed and pulled his shirt over his head. His own bandages were dripping with blood, specks seeping onto his shirt.

❥・❥

"How are your new clothes? Comfortable I hope. After all, your wounds will take a long time to heal. As I can imagine, there aren't a lot of people living in the South Pole to get your wounds checked."