Ruka (3)
Sokka and I walked into Suki's cell with Zuko waiting outside as a lookout. When I walked in, an image of myself sitting on the cold floor flashed through my mind. It took me off guard, making me lose my balance.
"Woah, hey-" Sokka placed his arm around me, helping me balance myself. "I got you, you're okay."
I shook my head quickly. "No, yeah - I'm fine."
"Are you sure? You don't have to do th-"
"No," I gulped. "I do."
He cautiously let go of me. I breathed in deeply then nodded, letting him know I was okay. We both turned our heads at Suki who sat at the edge of the metal bed.
"What is it? I must've done something wrong for there to be two of you."
Sokka took off his helmet with a smile. Suki's eyes lit up. "Sokka, it's you!" She ran over to him, jumping into his arms.
"The other Kyoshi Warriors, are they here?" Sokka asked her when they pulled away.
She glanced down to the floor with a frown. "No. I don't know where they are. They locked me in here because I'm the leader."
"Well, you won't be here for long. We're busting you out."
She cocked a brow. "We're?" When she turned to look at me, she crossed her arms. "What does he owe you?"
"Actually," I finally take my helmet off then hold it on my hip. "I think I'm the one who owes you something."
It took a second for her to recognize me, but when she did, it didn't take long for her to embrace me too. "You made it out."
I nodded slowly as tears started to form. "Mhm."
When she pulled away, she brushed my hair back. "But what are you talking about? Why would you owe me anything?"
I grabbed her hand and held it tightly. "I was literally lifeless in that cell. But because of you - because of what you said... it saved me. You saved my life. And I want to say thank you."
She shook her head quickly. "You look so much better, thank you for taking care of yourself."
I rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly. "It wasn't easy."
When a knock was heard at the door, we all froze. Sokka carefully looked out through the small opening before turning back to us. "We have to go." He whispered as he grabbed my hand.
We all ducked down when there was a loud bang on the door. Sokka and I placed on our helmets then slowly stood up.
Suki walked back to the bed, getting back to her position from earlier. I carefully opened the door then we quickly slipped out of the cell.
In front of us, Zuko was pinning the guard down, making it easier for us to not be seen. We tried to scurry away, but the Guard spotted us and called for us.
"Guards, help! I think he's an imposter! Arrest him!"
Sokka and I looked to each other for a moment before running back to the Guard and Zuko.
I grabbed Zuko's arm then pinned him down the floor. He slammed the ground pretty hard, which I may or may not have wanted. "You're under arrest!"
"What are you doing?!" He gritted. I leaned down to his ear and whispered, "Playing the part. It's kind of fun."
Once I let him up, I pushed him to my brother.
As he and Zuko walked away, the Guard placed her hand on shoulder. "Thanks."
"Huh? Oh, yeah, no problem."
>>>
Later that day, I found Zuko and Suki on chore duty. They were both mopping the floors when I walked up to them.
"I see you two found each other."
Neither of them said anything, which I found kind of awkward, but I ignored it.
"Sorry if I hurt you earlier." I apologized to Zuko. "I didn't intend to push you down that hard."
Zuko scoffed, "Yes you did." He then sent me a small smile. "But I deserved it."
I returned the favor until Sokka showed up. He crossed his arms. "Oh, good. You guys have met."
"Actually, we met a long time ago." Suki said, glancing at Zuko with a frown.
"We did?"
"Yeah. You kinda burned down my village."
"Oh. Sorry about that." Zuko's voice sounded light and kind. "Nice to see you again."
The four of us gather together behind the staircase.
"So listen, I think I have an escape plan." Sokka said. "I checked out the coolers again - the whole point of them is to keep firebenders contained, right?"
"Yeah." "Mhm."
"So they're completely insulated and sealed to keep the cold in. Well, to keep the cold in, it also has to keep the heat out, right?"
"Sure, but can we get to the part where we escape?" I asked, wanting him to get to the point already.
"It's how we're gonna escape. It's a perfect boat for getting through the boiling water."
Zuko widened his eyes. "The cooler as a boat? Are you sure?"
"I'm tellin' ya, it'll work." Sokka was clearly confident, which made us a lot more hesitant. "I walked around the perimeter. There's a blind spot between two guard towers. It's the perfect launching point. I already tested it out. We'll roll the cooler into the water and just float with the current. It'll take us straight across. As long as we don't make a sound, no one will notice. And bing-bang-boom, we're home free."
"But how are you gonna get the cooler out?" Suki asked him.
"Yeah, how are you going to get the cooler out?"
We all jumped at the voice above us. Chit Sang stood over us from the stairs before he jumped down.
"What? We didn't- wha- we didn't say that." Sokka waved him off with a nervous laugh.
"Yeah, you heard wrong." Zuko added.
"I heard you hatching an escape plan and I want in." Chit Sang said.
I shrugged, "There is no escape plan."
"Yeah, the only thing we're hatching is an... egg?"
We all groaned at Sokka's attempt to lie. And his innocent smile wasn't making it any better either.
"Okay, well, I come with you or the Warden hears about this egg too." Chit Sang threatened.
"I guess we have no choice." Suki frowned.
I slumped my shoulders down. "Thanks a lot, Sokka." I muttered.
"Okay, you're in. Now first we need someone to unbolt the cooler from the inside." He hands Zuko a wrench. I watch him hide wrench behind his back.
"Oh, I can get you inside." Chit Sang smirked.