#The red dragon has his back at all times. It protects Zuko from his past—from everything that he has left behind and is walking away from.

[demaparbat-hp]

On your most recent From the Couch post... is that a dragon tattoo I see poking out of Zuko's collar? ...................may we see more of it?

You may see all of it.

[discordiansamba]

Protect the dragons.

It's been twenty years since Zuko was pulled from his mortal life when he's given that task. The dragon hunts his father started have begun to spiral out of control- and now threaten the original firebenders with extinction. For once, he thinks this is a result he thinks his father didn't actually intend to happen- not that what the man intended matters much.

His father is dead now. His brother has ascended to the Fire Lord's throne. He's married now, apparently- with a child. He wants to be happy for him, but it's hard to be when he knows his Azulon has carried on their father's war. That he doesn't see anything wrong with the way the world is burning in the Fire Nation's wake.

He's not surprised when one of the first challengers he faces is Azulon.

His brother is older now- he must at least be in his late thirties, if not nearly forty. The Fire Lord's five-pronged headpiece rested in his top knot. He wore the Fire Lord's royal armor, only with the cape removed- presumably to make it easier to fight a dragon in. The creature in question lay behind Zuko, simply watching the pair of firebenders stare each other down.

Azulon looked at him like he was a ghost.

"...Zuko?"

He knew what his brother saw- his younger brother, unchanged from the last time he saw him twenty years ago- save for the large burn that marred half his face. Zuko had grown out his hair, and was wearing it tied back into a ponytail- not quite the phoenix tail of his youth, but close enough that it made him even easier to recognize. He wore no armor- only a simple red tunic and earth brown pants, with a sturdy pair of Water Tribe boots.

"Azulon," Zuko says, "-or I guess it's Fire Lord Azulon, now. Doesn't matter. You should leave. No one is killing any dragons today."

He can see the million questions Azulon has written all over the man's face. He can also see the way his lips twist downwards at his words. He knew what they'd sounded like- a challenge. It must have sounded laughable to his brother's ears. After all- he was the prodigy, and Zuko had always been the failure. He was willing to bet Azulon's bending had gotten even stronger these past twenty years.

Azulon demands to know what he's doing here. Where he's been. Everyone thought you were dead. How are you still so young? Something clicks in his brother's mind. He'd heard a report of a scarred firebender fending off a contingent of Fire Nation troops. Yeah. Zuko remembers that. They were trying to desecrate an important shrine to the great Earth spirit. He doesn't even try to deny it.

The war is wrong, Zuko says. It's cruel, and it's wrong- a shameful stain on the proud history of their nation.

Azulon stares at him like he's never known him in his life.

His words can't get through to his brother. They end up fighting. It's true- Azulon's a much stronger bender than Zuko is.

But Zuko can't die.

His brother fires lightning at him. Zuko exhales, and doesn't move. It hurts like hell- searing every inch of his body. He wants to scream, but he keeps his mouth firmly shut. He's still producing sparks when the lightning fades- but he's also still standing. His skin is probably charred- but he can already feel it healing. He looks at his brother and asks him if he's got anything else he wants to throw at him.

Azulon looks at him like he's a monster. As far as Zuko's concerned, he's not the monster here.

(His brother will never see it that way.)

The first clear thought Zuko has after his father burns his face is that he has no idea where he is.

He sits up. His head is still groggy, but at least he can think straight. He's not delirious from the pain anymore. He lightly touches his face where his father burned him and finds that it's swathed in bandages. His hair has been shorn- probably to treat the burn. He's not in the medical wing of the Caldera, or in his room. He has no idea where he is. It looks like a room one would find in a fine manor, but it's not the palace. There's no windows for him to look out of.

He gets out of the bed, and walks towards the door. He half expects it to be locked, but it opens without a problem. It leads into a long hallway- one that is also unfamiliar. Zuko frowns. Did father have him taken somewhere else for treatment? He doesn't remember anything, but he knows some time must have passed- he's just not sure how much.

He doesn't know what else to do, so he heads down the hallway.

It's strange. There's no windows. No other doors. No sign of anyone. Just when he's starting to get an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, he sees the end of the hall. There's a great door before him, etched with designs of the moon and the sun- the ocean and the earth, and the four winds that blow across the world. He suddenly feels like he shouldn't be here.

The door opens at the slightest touch.

Zuko suddenly realizes he's in the company of spirits.

The door shuts behind him.

Agni- he is sure that it is Agni- is the one who speaks to him first. He tells him that the Avatar has disappeared- leaving the world without a bridge between the two worlds. Zuko frowns at his choice of words. Disappeared? Not killed? Zuko's stomach twists as he thinks of his friend Aang. Has father already raided the air temples? Has the comet come and gone?

...is his friend alive or dead?

The spirits won't give him an answer. They say they've brought him before them for a reason. They've chosen him to fill the Avatar's duty while they are gone- not their worldly duty, to mortal men. But their duty to the spirits- the bridge between worlds. In order to resolve this, they have chosen another human to fill that role.

They've chosen Zuko.

He doesn't understand. Why him?

But they don't give him an answer. They have given him a gift, they say- a blessing. He does not have the power of the Avatar- and they cannot give him that. But they can give him an undying body and an unchanging face. Zuko doesn't understand what they mean at first.

He will eventually.

He cannot die. He cannot age. Time passes and he will not change. The rest of the world will move on without him- until the day the Avatar returns, and they release him from his service. He is bound to the spirits- what they ask of him, he must fulfill- no matter what it is.

He cannot refuse. The spirits have chosen.

[eurydicees]

August Prompt Challenge Prompt: do-over. Maybe with Zukka

thank you for the prompt! it's a bit rushed, but this was super fun to write :)

to begin again, with new names and familiar faces

summary: in a tea shop in ba sing se, sokka and lee start over.

pairings: gen fic, but can easily be read as pre-relationship zukka

words: 1785

warnings: none

The first time that Sokka goes to the Jasmine Dragon, he’s served by a boy whose hands shake when they set the tea cup in front of him. Sokka doesn’t look too hard at him, distracted by the biscuits that are on the tray with the tea.

The tea is good, and that’s really all that he cares about.

The second time that Sokka goes to the Jasmine Dragon, he goes right before closing. It’s an asshole move, but he’s had a long day of searching for Appa and if he has to sit in that house with the rest of the kids one more minute, he’s going to lose his mind. He can only think of so many places in Ba Sing Se that are open at this hour, and so, before he can regret it, he’s stepping into the tea shop.

The boy at the cash register groans.

“Now, Lee,” Sokka hears someone say, “we’re welcoming of all our customers, no matter what time they come in.”

The boy seems about to protest, but then his eyes lock on Sokka and he cuts himself off. Sokka isn’t quite sure why, until he looks at the boy. At the shaking hands. At the scar on the left side of his face. At the curl of his mouth.

It’s Zuko.

Except, the boy who must be Zuko says nothing. He doesn’t light his fists on fire, doesn’t take aim at Sokka, doesn’t narrow his eyes in anger. He gives no sign of recognition other than the subtle shake of his hands.

Have Zuko’s hands ever shaken before? Or have Sokka’s?

Sokka can’t remember any moment in their many fights when Zuko had done anything other than growl. There had been no trembling hands. There had never been this tense silence between them; there had never been anything even remotely similar to this. To Zuko, standing there with his mouth in a hard line, his hands gripping the counter tightly. To Sokka, standing there with his lips parted, his hand halfway to his boomerang.

“How can I help you?” the boy says. His voice is hard, flattened out into the same voice all customer service workers use. There’s no fire in it; there’s no threat in it. If Sokka didn’t know better, he might think that there was a sliver of anxiety to the formal speech.

Sokka finds himself standing in front of the cash register, money in hand, and convincing himself not to be afraid. Zuko can’t attack him here, not with the groups of people finishing their teas. His boomerang burns where it rests, tied against his back. If the worst happens, Sokka is prepared to fight.

“Hibiscus tea,” Sokka says, swallowing down any fear.

The boy— Zuko, it has to be— bites his lip as he writes down the order. “It’ll be a few minutes.”

Sokka just nods. He doesn’t know what to do with his hands. He and the boy— Zuko, he must be Zuko— just stare at each other, until there’s a clanging in the kitchen and the boy turns away. All that Sokka can see is the red of the scar.

It’s exactly the same as Zuko’s scar. How many people, Sokka wonders, could have been hurt like this? Who could survive such a burn but a firebender?

But Sokka can’t do anything about it. Not here.

So he sits at one of the tables, crosses his arms, and keeps his eyes on the boy. He watches him clear the tables, wiping them down with a rag. He carries several trays in one hand, balancing them perfectly. He talks with the customers, people that Sokka guesses are regulars, who laugh with him rather than wincing at him.

It’s strange and uncomfortable and Sokka itches to run, but he can’t flee now. He can’t give in— he has to figure out what Zuko is doing here. He had been trying to escape the house because Aang was annoying him by virtue of being twelve, but he would still kill for that boy, and right now, all of his protective instincts are telling him to stay in this tea shop.

“Here’s your tea,” the boy says, setting down a tray. The words aren’t a growl, but they’re rough, as if they’ve been burnt, as if Zuko has just coughed out a collection of embers in his throat. Even just this simple sentence, spoken in a tea shop, is enough to set Sokka on edge. The boy seems to realize it, too, because he flinches away from Sokka’s gaze. “Enjoy.”

Sokka, before he can stop himself, grabs the boy’s arm. “Zuko.”

Zuko freezes.

There’s a moment of silence.

Then Zuko tears his arm out of Sokka’s grip. He stands still, staring at the wall, refusing to meet Sokka’s eyes. Sokka, though he wants to fight, take him down here and now before he can get to Aang, is grateful that they aren’t looking at each other. Zuko doesn’t turn around to glance at him when he says, “I don’t know who that is.”

“What’s your name then?” Sokka says.

“My name is Lee,” Zuko says, “you must have confused me for someone else.”

Sokka swallows down any protests. He can see the lie just as well as Toph might have been able to feel it, but he also knows that he can’t fight Zuko in a tea shop. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Lee says, and then, with the stiffness of the hunted, he walks away.

Sokka watches him go, and tries not to flinch when Zuko turns around, his eyes meeting Sokka’s for the first time. In the candlelight of the tea shop, his eyes are a molten gold.

Sokka shivers.

The third time he goes to the Jasmine Dragon, it’s in the middle of the day, at the height of the lunchtime rush. Zuko, standing alone at the register, is hastily scribbling down orders as people come in, barely having time to count out the coins before he’s handing the change off to the customer. He’s rushed, frazzled in a way he hadn’t been when Sokka was there in the empty hours.

Sokka orders his tea— he’s been trying a new one off of the menu every time he comes, and today it’s a blend of lavender and chamomile— and Zuko barely glances at him. The only sign of recognition is the flicker of his gaze from Sokka’s eyes to the boomerang strap at his chest to his eyes again. But still, he doesn’t bring out his fire and he doesn’t attack. He only waves Sokka towards a table and promises that the tea and macaroons will be ready momentarily.

Sitting down, Sokka watches the rush die down from his table by the door. It’s a strategic placement, he tells himself. There’s an easy escape route, and he can keep an eye on Zuko without craning his neck towards the register.

It’s not long before Zuko comes over to his table with his tray. His hands are steady as he sets it down in front of Sokka and pours the tea. It’s slow and careful, like Zuko has been practicing pouring tea his entire life. He can’t have been, though, because Fire Nation royals don’t pour their own tea. Sokka watches Zuko’s fingers, wrapped around the handle of the tea kettle, knuckles paling until he sets it down.

“You’re busy today,” Sokka says casually.

“It’s lunch hour,” Zuko says. His voice is rough, but there isn’t the same nervousness that there had been on Sokka’s last visit. “It’s always busy around this time.”

Sokka nods. Then, because he doesn’t know how to control his mouth, he says, “Sit down with me. Take your break.”

Zuko falters, his hand slipping as the tea kettle clatters back on the table. Nothing spills, but Zuko shakes out his hand like he had been burned. “What?”

“You look overwhelmed,” Sokka says, trying to figure out what he’s doing and why. It’s part of a plan, he decides. His mind just hasn't caught up with the plan his tongue is weaving. “So take your break.”

Zuko stares at him. Sokka can feel his skin burning with the glare of the afternoon sun that floods through the wide open windows. Sokka thinks that maybe Zuko is going to run away, but instead he just swallows. “I’ll tell my uncle I’m taking lunch.”

“Okay,” Sokka says, and Zuko turns towards the kitchen. Just before he walks out of earshot, Sokka calls out, “Don’t keep me waiting.”

He doesn’t realize it sounds like a threat until Zuko flinches. He doesn’t realize how scared his voice sounds until Zuko disappears behind the kitchen doors. There are a lot of things that Sokka is unsure of, right now, and one of them is whether or not Zuko is going to come back— and if he does come back, if he’ll be coming back with fire-hot hands.

Zuko does come back, though, and he comes without any weapons. He’s wringing out his apron in his hands, like he needs something to keep him steady. As he slides into the seat opposite of Sokka, he drops the apron against his lap and clasps his hands on the table.

“What do you want?” he asks, voice small. “I’ll do anything. Just… leave this place alone.”

Sokka frowns. “What?”

Zuko still doesn’t meet his eyes. “I’ll turn myself over to the Avatar. I will. Just let my uncle have this.”

He’s serious, Sokka realizes. He really will turn himself in if it means keeping the Jasmine Dragon peaceful. He’s willing to give up this false identity that he’s created, he’s willing to give in to whatever Sokka asks for.

There’s a rush of power that runs through Sokka’s head— Zuko has been making his life hell for the past few months, and he has the ability, now, to take him prisoner.

But Zuko— Lee, now— looks so tired as he sits there, head bowed. Zuko drops his hands from the table to his lap, pulling at the strings of his apron.

“Your name is Lee,” Sokka says quietly, “I don’t know why I would ever introduce Lee to the Avatar. I don’t know why Lee would want to meet him, either.”

Zuko’s head snaps up, widening eyes meeting Sokka’s. They stare at each other for what feels like years— the kind of years that bring the wisdom that comes with a stalemate. Or, not a stalemate, nor a surrender, but a peace treaty. Sokka doesn’t bring Aang here, and Zuko doesn't start a fight with them.

“Right,” Lee says quietly. “I don’t know either.”

Sokka takes a breath. “Then let’s start over, Lee. Do you want a macaroon?”

[to-a-merrier-world]

blessed-by-the-sun-spirit!Zuko AU

another atla au, lads🍻

while (heavily) pregnant with zuko, ursa finds out that her parents have died. realizing that she doesn’t have anyone to protect but herself and her unborn child now, she decides to risk running away. unfortunately, ozai figures things out pretty quickly and sends people after her. while running from her pursuers, ursa ends up getting hurt and is afraid that zuko may have been hurt, too. she’s able to drag herself to a cave entrance and ends up giving birth alone in the mountains, and while she makes it, zuko isn’t crying and seems to barely be breathing. she’s terrified that this is it, that the risk she took just cost her son his life, when she hears a rumbling from within the mountain. 

she looks into the deep darkness of the cave and suddenly something massive is rushing past her and out of the cave. she cowers against the wall, trying to protect zuko. after several moments, the creature is finally all out of the cave and ursa looks up again. perched on the side of the mountain and looking into the cave at her is a huge, golden dragon. ursa can do nothing but stare in awe and fear. then, something within tells her to present zuko to the dragon, and as though her body is moving of its own accord, she does. she lays zuko in front of the dragon and looks up at it with pleading eyes.

the dragon lowers his head until it’s nearly touching zuko, and then after a long moment of just looking at him, rears back and breathes rainbow fire in a swirling vortex around him. ursa is terrified and nearly throws herself into the flames to save zuko but by the time she’s able to get her body to move, it’s over. the flames dissipate and zuko begins to cry. ursa is astonished and rushes to take her son back into her arms. she’s so relieved to see him taking heaving breaths as he cries that it takes her a moment to notice the difference. around his left eye, traveling around his neck, across his chest and torso, and down one leg and one arm is a dark pink, almost red marking with jagged edges like flames. at first, she fears he really was burned, but the skin is smooth and unmarred, as though it’s a birthmark.

she looks back up to--she isn’t sure, since the dragon can’t talk, but she has so many questions. however, the dragon is no longer there. she’s been sitting with zuko for several hours, resting and feeding zuko, when the dragon returns again. he leaves the cooked leg of some large animal for her, as well as--mysteriously--a water skin and a blanket. then, the dragon sits back and waits for ursa to eat. when she’s finished, he eats the rest and then disappears back into the cave. (if you haven’t figured it out, ursa has just met the physical manifestation of the sun spirit, the original firebender)

ursa waits a day to see if the dragon comes back, but when he doesn’t she climbs back down the mountain. she eventually finds her way to a small farm house and the residents there help her and zuko (she doesn’t tell them their real names, obviously. she calls herself yuuri and zuko she calls li). they let ursa stay a week, but then ursa gets worried the longer she stays the more at risk she is of getting caught. so, she leaves and makes her way for the earth kingdom--somewhere massive where she and zuko can disappear.

years pass, and ursa and zuko are happy. they’ve settled in a coastal town only a few days journey from ba sing se. ursa makes a living as an apothecary, and zuko grows up learning about his great-grandfather, avatar roku, and not knowing anything about his father’s family. he knows no one can ever know he’s a firebender or that they’re originally from the fire nation, but he’s still a happy, sweet boy (even if he does get angry when people make fun of his birth mark).

he lives a fairly normal life until, one day, he stumbles across some fire nation scouts. he tries to get away and when he’s about to get caught, resorts to firebending (which he’s not supposed to ever do in front of other people). the men are so shocked he ends up getting away. zuko runs as fast as he can back home, but doesn’t tell his mother what happened.

two days pass, and zuko is finally starting to relax when an entire company of fire nation soldiers arrives at their town. everyone knows the fire nation has been aiming for ba sing se, but their town was far enough away that it’s a major shock when they arrive, led by none other than general iroh, crown prince to the fire nation.

(to be continued...)  

Part 2

[mycomfortblanket]

Written in Ink

Chapter 2

“You’re Aang,” there was no question in her voice.

“You’re Toph.”

“And we’re leaving, come on Zuko,” Katara says, pulling Zuko away from the other two.

The air between the two of them gets immensely awkward. Aang can't take his eyes off of her, his thoughts are running a million miles an hour, and the only thought that would come to the forefront of his mind was of all the soulmates out there, he certainly could have gotten worse.

“Listen, I really don’t want to come off as this arrogant bitch who is always unsatisfied, but the whole soulmate thing doesn’t sit well with me. It’s nothing against-” Toph started but Aang lets out a big sigh of relief.

“Oh, thank god. I was trying to figure out how to break it to you that I didn’t want to do the soulmate thing either.”

“Seriously?” Toph asks, her eyebrows raised, “Well, alright then. Uh, I’m going to head home. Long day and all,” she says, standing up and begins to walk towards the front door.

Aang immediately jumps up and reaches for her elbow, “Wait, you’re walking all the way home?”

Toph turns towards him, “Yeah. I do it all the time, Katara and Zuko are dating, and I don’t exactly like to be third wheel.”

“Let me walk you home.”

“Ha. Aang, no offense, but I’m not some damsel in distress. I can get home fine on my own.”

“I’m not saying you’re a damsel in distress, but it’s not polite for me to just watch you walk out the door at this time of night and let you walk home,” he says, his voice taking on a frustrated tone.

“Whatever. But, you’re wasting your time.”

“How long have you worked at Iroh’s place?” she asks, her cane clicking against the concrete every now and then.

“About a year now, I think. I’m not entirely sure.”

Toph looks over in his direction, “You mean to tell me you’ve worked there for a year and I’m just now meeting you? Katara and I go there all the time.”

“Well, Zuko and I didn’t get along too well at the beginning so Iroh had us working different shifts, so that’s probably why we never met. Or I wasn’t assigned to your table, although, all things considering, I think I would have remembered seeing you,” he says, muttering the last part.

A blush spreads across Toph’s cheeks and she dips her head hoping that he doesn’t notice. She really wasn’t liking this. The small butterflies that she had been feeling all night while talking to him had erupted to giant ass pterodactyls seconds after she learned his name.

She was trying her damn hardest not to walk closer to him or lean into his space to smell him. She kept repeating in her mind her beliefs about the Names and how horribly suffocating they were. She should be free to choose who she wants and when she wants, not when some stupid inscription shows up on her skin.

Toph was trying to keep the distance between them and not ask any personal questions but somehow, they seemed to be pulled together by an invisible wire until their hands brushed. She would pull herself away and she could feel him pull away as well, the blush rising higher on her cheeks.

They finally come to her apartment building and she begins walking up the steps but stops and turned back towards him, “Thanks for walking me home. Sorry about the Names.”

“It’s fine. Was bound to happen, right? Anyways, I’ll see you later,” he steps off the bottom step and watches her walk into the building and punch the button for the elevator.

--------------------

“I just don’t see how a guy working with Zuko that he didn’t get along with never came up!” Toph says harshly into the phone. She’s pacing back in forth in her living room trying not to lose her cool too much.

“I’m sorry! I thought the name was familiar but it was so long ago that it didn’t even register who it was.

“Whatever. Did you tell Zuko anything?” Toph asks slightly more calmly.

“No, you told me not to. When he asked, I just... distracted him.”

“I don’t want to think about how you distracted him. It’s fine. I probably won’t see him again. I mean, he worked at Iroh’s place for a year and we never bumped into each other, so it’s fine!”

It was not fine. Now that they have met, they couldn’t seem to stop running into each other. Literally. The first time was a complete accident. Aang had opened the door to the Jasmine Dragon, Iroh’s restaurant, rather quickly and Toph’s cane became stuck underneath the door. The two of them spent at least ten minutes trying to get it unstuck and arguing about whose fault it was.

The next time is in her own home. She had walks out into the living room after a shower in nothing but a towel and her headphones in and makes her way over to the kitchen. Apparently, Katara, Zuko, and Aang were hanging around the kitchen table doing various forms of homework.

She's digging around in the fridge looking for her Naked smoothies (ironic right) when a gentle hand came to her shoulder and takes out an earbud, “Toph, people are here.”

“WHAT?!” Toph whips around and rips out the other earbud. She clutches the towel close to her body, “Who is here?!”

“Uh, it’s me, Zuko, and uhhh… Aang,” her voice going low when she says his name.

Toph’s face immediately went blood red, “Why didn’t you tell me we had people over?!” she hisses.

“Well, you were in the shower and I wasn’t paying attention when you got out, I’m sorry.”

“Whatever, it’s fine. Fuck. Just warn a girl next time,” and with that, she opens the fridge back up and continued looking for her drink.

--------------------

He's focused on the algebraic equation but glances up with he heard a soft voice singing along to Black by Pearl Jam, his favorite song. Toph’s walking through the living room, skirting the furniture and reaching out to lightly set her fingers on corners as she passes.

She’s in nothing but a short towel, her hair piled on top of her head and her earbuds placed firmly in her ear. She walks over to the fridge and begins rummaging around, her fingers dancing from item to item. When she leans over, more of her legs become visible, and Aang can’t help but stare. She’s fucking gorgeous and the more skin that exposed to him, the more he wants to see.

As soon as Toph bends over, Katara is out of her seat and moving over to Toph to let her know of the audience in the kitchen. Even though Katara spoke low when she said his name, he instantly knew when it registers with Toph that he is seeing her in little to nothing.

Her eyes scan the kitchen listening for a sound that would direct her to him. Somehow, her eyes land right on him and they make unintentional eye contact which steals his breath away.

He immediately drops his head onto the table unable to keep looking at her. Toph’s bare shoulders were free of any freckles or acne and looked as smooth as silk. He so badly wanted to run his fingers across her shoulders to see if his assumption is correct.

Once Toph’s freak out is over, she bends back down and continues looking for something before she snatches it out of the fridge and walks back to her room.

Katara sits down, her cheeks having a slight blush to them. She glances up at Aang who still has his head down on the table.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. It's just a lot harder to stay away from her than I thought.”

“I still don't understand why you two won't just talk to each other and get together. You guys had such a great time at the party,” Katara says in a low voice so Toph doesn't hear from her room.

“I just… I can't get emotionally attached to someone right now. It's… complicated,” Aang says, hoping that's the end of the discussion.

“Explain it to me then,” Katara says smartly, leaning back in her chair with her arms over her chest. She raises an eyebrow at him and waits for him to start talking.

“I just… I don't know. My guardian, Monk Gyatso, he past away a year or two ago from some form of rare lung cancer. And just, ever since, I- I don't know. I just haven't wanted to be close to anyone I guess? It sounds stupid when I say it out loud but, in my head it makes sense to me…” Aang says, his voice trailing off at the end of his sentence.

Katara makes a humming noise in the back of her throat in acknowledgment and cuts her eyes away from Aang and over to Zuko.

“Has Zuko ever told you about his family?”

Zuko's eyes go wide when she brings the topic up. Why on earth would she want to talk about that?

“Long story short, when I met him, he was this super angry person, could barely get a word in without his temper flaring up,” she says, waving her hand in the air.

“That's not true,” Zuko grumbles.l

“It totally is true. When his Name first appeared on his skin, we had actually just made eye contact. He immediately came up to me and started giving me shit for walking into his life, saying that he had enough to deal with and I didn't need to add to it.”

“Oh whatever, I did not say that!”

“You most certainly did. And being the stubborn person I am, I poked a finger in his chest and made him back down. It was slow and hard work, some serious fights broke out between us that I won't go into. But, in the end, it was completely worth it,” she says, her eyes softening when she looks back at Zuko.

Aang takes a deep breath and sits back in his chair, drumming his fingers on the table in front of him, “Yeah, that's great and all, but it's not always like that. Plus, she doesn't want it either.”

“Oh, I know her reasoning and it's because she's stubborn about having things decided for her, that's it. Her parents growing up were incredibly over protective cause she’s blind,” she gestured towards Toph’s room, “She would act out any chance she could, which honestly, just made the whole situation that much worse.”

Aang looks over to the hallway that Toph had disappeared down. Glancing back at Katara, he just shrugs his shoulder before picking up his pen and continuing his homework.

--------------------

Later that night, Toph heard Katara yell for her from the kitchen. She walks in there in a large tshirt and sweatpants, her hair down and falling over her shoulders. She had put on her baggiest clothes to hide herself after the incident that had happened earlier

“Sokka and his girlfriend are coming over to watch some movie that Zuko has been raving about. Do you want to watch with us?”

Toph just nods her head as she walks into the kitchen and hops up on the counter as Katara rummaged around the kitchen, preparing something to eat.

“Is Aang going to be there?” She asks, fiddling with the wooden spoon Katara had just taken out.

“Uh, I'm actually still here,” he says from the kitchen table.

“Oh. My bad. So, princess, what's for dinner?” Toph asks, trying to ignore Aang and the butterflies that erupt in her tummy.

“Zuko ordered some pizza, I'm making brownies, Sokka is bringing snacks and yes, before you ask, he did get you your blue sour straws,” Katara says, cutting off any outburst Toph may have had.

An hour later, everyone had arrived and Aang had been introduced to Sokka as Zuko’s coworker and nothing more, and Sokka’s date had been introduced at Suki, and nothing more. Katara had set up the tv to the opening scene of the movie and wis waiting for everyone to grab their slice of pizza, snacks, and drinks and pick their spots for the movie.

Toph was the last one into the living room as usual, “Okay all you seeing-eyed creatures, let’s just make this easier for everyone, where am I sitting?

“Mmm,” Katara says, swallowing her bite of pizza, “Other end of the main couch, next to Aang.”

“Shocker,” Toph mumbles, too low for anyone to hear. She makes her way over to her spot and sits down between Aang and the arm of the couch. She leans her elbow on the arm of the couch and attempts to move herself a little further away from him nonchalantly.

Aang leans into her a little more and she can feel his breath move the hairs around her neck just before he says, “You’re being totally obvious you know.” His light laugh causes the corners of her lips to turn up involuntarily.

“My bad,” she says, sitting back normally on the couch.

“If my cooties really bother you that much, I can sit on the floor.”

Toph snorts which draws the attention of Katara and Suki but they say nothing, “No, sorry. I’ll behave. I’ll be normal.” She pulls her legs up on the couch with her, sitting criss cross applesauce, her knee resting against Aang’s thigh and the other resting on the arm of the couch. She puts her elbow on the arm as well and leans her cheek against her fist and listens to the movie.

The heat from Toph’s knee seeps into his pants and it’s all he can think about as the movie continues. She opens her bag of sour straws and points them over his way, offering him one. It takes him a full three seconds to take his mind off her knee touching his thigh to acknowledge the fact that she is offering him some of her snack. Grabbing on quickly, he shoves it in his mouth and looks over at her.

She is still looking straight ahead, although a lot more bored. “You bored?” he whispers to her.

She jumps slightly, but turns her head to whisper back, “Yeah. Action movies are kind of hard to follow along with since, you know, I can’t see the ‘action scenes’,” she says, using quotation marks around ‘action scenes'.

About half way through the movie, she shifts so that both of her feet are curled up on the couch with her, resting against the arm of the couch and just barely touching him. She lays her head down fully onto the arm of the couch as well and closes her eyes.

He honestly doesn’t blame her for being bored. He’s bored.

He’s always hated action movies so he can’t imagine how bored she must be trying to decipher people with British accents talk during loud car chasing scenes. Eventually, he leans his head back against the couch and closes his eyes as well.

--------------------

The screen finally fades to black and it seems that only Katara and Zuko are still awake. She looks around the room and notes that Aang is leaning against Toph, his head resting against her shoulder as she rests against the arm of the couch.

Sokka is spread out longways across the other couch with his back tucked into the corner and Suki in between his legs, using his chest as a makeshift pillow.

“No offense, but that movie sucked,” Katara whispers standing up from the couch and stretching, popping her back in multiple places.

“Hey, 007 movies are amazing, you just don’t appreciate them correctly…” the two of them head towards her bed room as he continues ranting about the cinematic wonder world of Agent Bond.

[latraviesascott]

What kind of dreams (or nightmares) do you think the Avatar characters have? Obviously Aang's got some wild ones and Sokka dreams about food eating people xD but what do you think The rest of the gaang and the Fire Nation kids dream about?

Okay so this is just my opinion but, even if Aang's dreams and nightmares in Season 3 were funny, they all came from the fear of failing that Aang had. So if the dreams/nightmares are influenced by the character's feelings/ insecurities then this is what i imagine each of them would dream about:

Katara- even though the fandom jokes about it a lot, she does mention/talk a lot about her mom in the series, and that is completely understandable considering the fact that she's dealing with that trauma since she was a kid. The North and South comics begin with Katara dreaming of her mom back in the SWT, and the dream was both happy and sad for her. She even woke up feeling nostalgic. Therefore i feel like Katara's more significant dreams consist of memories of her mom , and the good times she had in the water tribe before the Fire Nation altered that forever. Her nightmares could be heavily influenced by the amount of stress she has with being the "mom" of the group. She truly does act motherly with her friends, but it's all because she cares and she's has been doing so with Sokka since she was a kid. The idea of not being able to protect them probably haunts her dreams..

Sokka- i sometimes feel so bad for Sokka. Many people often overlook the fact that he was also a child personally affected by the war. In Season 1 we see that he feels this big responsibility to protect his tribe. After all, he is the oldest "man" left. That's a huge responsibility! He also has this need to prove himself as a warrior to Hakoda. Not only that, in the episode "Sokka's Master" we see that he also has this issue with being a non-bender in a group of powerful benders. This doesn't come from him being selfish, but he feels bad when he sees that he can't help people as much as the rest of the gaang does. So if you add that to his usual easy going, fun personality his dreams could honestly range from silly things like him being eaten by food, and him being awesome with Suki, to more serious nightmares that involve him not being/doing enough to protect those that depend on him.

Toph- out of all of the Ember Island players i feel like Toph's representation is most accurate 😭 that kid is tough as nails. The many statues she makes of herself in both Imbalance and later on in Legend of Korra make me think her dreams mostly consist of her being awesome in super badass scenarios! Or her being MELONLORD!!! Her nightmares however are the complete opposite. In "The Blind Bandit" she says she hasn't had a single friend in the 12 years of her life! like omgg bby let me give you a hug!!! And I thought it was super interesting how vulnerable she looks in the episode "The Avatar and the Firelord" when she asks if its truly possible for friendships to last more than one lifetime. She found more than friendships, she found a family with the gaang. In The Rift, her own father denied knowing her, which proves that family is not defined by blood ties. So letting go/ losing those friendships is a concept that seems to scare her. I feel like this is something she might have nightmares about.

Suki- because Suki is part of the gaang!!! She does have her own group with the Kyoshi warriors, not trying to erase that, but i consider her to be a part of the gaang too! With that being said we really do not know much about this queen, and i am so glad that she's getting her own comic! Hopefully we learn more about her! But from what we know, she began training since she was 8 years old! She is a brave warrior and a great friend. I feel like she takes her job as a Kyoshi warrior super seriously and is honored to be their fearless leader. I imagine that her happy dreams consist of her meeting Kyoshi herself. As for her nightmares, we do not get a lot of her (unfortunately) to really perceive her fears, but if Azula's taunting in "The Day of Black Sun Pt.2" are true, then Suki has been waiting on Sokka to rescue her for some time now. Seeing that time passed must have been hard for her. Her nightmares might have been influenced by her feeling abandoned, or her worry about the other Kyoshi warriors. (Also i love Azula, but Suki probably also dreamed of dragging Azula's big head on the ground.)

Zuko- omggg where do i even begin with this boy?! I feel like the Fire Nation teens are just so angsty! But when one's father burns off half of your face then that's the way it is igs. So I feel like the show was pretty in detail when it came to Zuko's character and his personality. Throughout the show, we see how he sometimes gets this flashbacks whenever he's feeling a specific way or when he's reminded of something. This was seen most in "The Beach". Despite being this angsty, emotional guy he is always remembering his early childhood very fondly despite being part of the most dysfunctional family in the Fire Nation. During his fever, we see his nightmares being this representation of the constant fight between good and evil inside him. Therefore i think this is what Zuko most likely sees when he has nightmares. (It is quite interesting how the "evil" blue dragon in his nightmare seems to represent Azula and the "good" red dragon is Iroh. That kind of made me wonder why Zuko seemed to associate the evil aspect with Azula rather than Ozai🤔). But back to the point. If the flashbacks he has are any indication, then his dreams most likely involve the good times he had with his mother and family during their vacations on ember island. (And because of his trauma, he might also relive the Agni Kai with Ozai in his nightmares.)

Azula- i could write essays on this girl. Her character is just so complex! And literally nothing in this world is gonna convince me that she didn't deserve better. Im gonna try to keep it as short as possible with her because quite honestly i could go on forever. But im having a hard time figuring out what a happy dream might be for Azula. Conquering Ba Sing Se?? Mastering Firebending at a young age?? Oh right she did do that! She wasn't like Zuko, in the way that she could look back on the past and remember it fondly. Quite the opposite actually, she refers to their beach house as "depressing". Then, later on in the bonfire, she treats everyone's emotions and confessions as a "performance". It's quite interesting to think that truly the only one who was trying to perform was her. Everyone else was very honest and open with their insecurities even if they didn't realize it. The fact that she thinks showing emotion is a performance of some sort makes it clear that everything she does is a perfectly put-together performance. Her nightmares could consist that facade falling apart, and her status as the perfect daughter being reduced to nothing along with her many achievements. The difference with Azula is that just as she became everything she dreamed of, she also ended up being everything her nightmares doomed her to be. ( I also have this hc that she dreamt of having a cat with ty lee and just living together at Ember Island after she got help and just lived their happy gay life of wtvvvv)

omggg this post is gonna be super long, but i had so much fun answering this! thank you for that! it was a nice surprise 🥰 i can do ty lee and mai later if you'd like just lmk! im just giving my thumbs a lil rest rn. hope this sorta answered the question😌

[willowdove]

Eyes Like Fire: A Soulmate AU

A couple months passed by.  The green in Katara’s eyes started to morph into a rich yellow-gold.  Kya found herself lost in them as she bounced Katara in her lap.  Perhaps it was temporary.  Maybe they would shift again, into a brown, maybe.  Brown eyes, at least, were potential allies.  Golden eyes, though- golden eyes were dangerous. 

Since there’s been some interest in this I’ve decided to post an update.  My work pace is slower than a snail- BUT I haven’t abandoned this WIP by any means.  This is not all of the work I have so far (please note that there are chapters in between that are missing) but it is what I’m happy with.  I’ve included the first couple chapters again because they’ve been slightly reworked.  Hopefully it’s not too much to put it all in one place here.

PROLOGUE

“Her eyes are darkening,” said Kya, watching her two children play nearby.  The eldest, Sokka, rolled a ball towards his sister Katara.  She scooted excitedly to grab it in her chubby little fist, then spastically hurled it at the ground between them.  She giggled with delight when this made Sokka toddle after it.

Kya’s husband Hakoda squeezed her shoulders and kissed her on the forehead.  “Sokka’s eyes changed about this time too,” he remarked.  When Sokka was born, he had possessed the crystal blue eyes of any Water Tribesmen.  But before he was a year old, they had lightened to a pale green.  Hakoda claimed this meant Sokka was destined to be an adventurer.  He would have to leave home if he wanted to find the person those eyes belonged to. 

Katara’s eyes were changing too, but they weren’t getting paler.  Green was blazing up from underneath the blue, vibrant and consuming.  Green definitely would point to an Earth Kingdom origin.  “Maybe they’ll go on their adventure together,” Kya suggested.  

Hakoda chuckled.  “They certainly do seem to get along,” he said.

***

A couple months passed by.  The green in Katara’s eyes started to morph into a rich yellow-gold.  Kya found herself lost in them as she bounced Katara in her lap.  Perhaps it was temporary.  Maybe they would shift again, into a brown, maybe.  Brown eyes, at least, were potential allies.  Golden eyes, though- golden eyes were dangerous.   

She must have been staring a little too intently, because Sokka seemed to pick up on her concern.  “Katara eyes pretty,” he declared.  He clambered up Kya’s knee to sit with his sister and hugged her tightly.  Katara popped her thumb out of her mouth to hug him back, babbling happily.  

Kya forced herself to smile, kissing them both on the head.  “Yes,” she agreed.  He was right, they were pretty.  But that didn’t stop a dark ache from tugging deep at the center of her being.

***

Kya was preparing sea prune stew for the family when her daughter asked the question.  “Mommy, why does everybody look at me funny?” she said. The spoon in Kya’s hand clattered into the pot as she quickly turned.

“Who said people were looking at you funny?” she demanded, bristling.

Katara seemed to shrink in the fur lining of her dress collar.  She looked down at her feet, mumbling, “Nobody said.  I just see them do it.  You look at me funny too, sometimes.”

The air went out of Kya and guilt pricked at her like a barb.  She knelt slowly, taking her daughter’s face in her hands.  Katara resisted the gentle tug at first, but quickly gave in and met her mother’s gaze with wide, golden eyes.  A stranger’s eyes.  “I’m sorry, baby.  We’re just… worried about you.”

“Is something wrong with me?” Katara asked, tears welling up on her thick lashes.

“Oh, sweetie, no,” she shushed, giving Katara a tight hug before holding her out by the shoulders.  She struggled to put together the words she needed. “…Has anyone told you what a soulmate is?”

Katara sniffled loudly, but managed to contain her tears.  “Gran-Gran said it was someone special who will love me forever and ever.”

A thankful smile quirked at the corners of Kya’s mouth as she nodded.  “Do you know that until you kiss your soulmate, you’ll have each other’s eyes?”

Katara’s brows furrowed in confusion for a second before she gave a little shriek, pressing her fingers into the top of her cheeks just under her lower eyelids.  “These aren’t my eyes?” she asked, horrified.

Kya had to laugh a little at the unexpected outburst.  “No, those are your soulmate’s eyes,” she reiterated.

“Why?!” Katara demanded.

“Well, it’s to help us to find each other, I expect,” she explained.

Katara considered that for a long moment.  She walked over to her mother’s bed furs and pulled out the mirror.  Her fingertips brushed lightly over the metal as she peered studiously at her reflection.  “My soulmate… isn’t from here, is he?”

“No,” Kya answered softly.

“Are people worried I will have to go really far away?” she asked.

Kya followed and kissed her daughter’s forehead fiercely, trying to blink away the tears that were welling in her own eyes before Katara could see them.  “They’re worried… you’ll have to go to the Fire Nation,” she replied.

“Oh,” Katara said, “Well, I won’t then.  I’ll just tell everybody I’m not gonna go.”

The ache in Kya’s chest was so great that she could barely breathe.  “Ok, baby,” she agreed, “I’ll try not to worry so much anymore.”

***

CHAPTER 1: THE SOUTH POLE

When the black snow began to fall, Katara felt her heart seize. The last time she had seen such snow fall was the first day Katara ever saw eyes like hers. It was also the last day she ever saw her mother.

 She ran to the middle of the village, to stand with her brother. He was the only man left in the tribe, and she was the only waterbender. They were only two, and untrained, but it didn’t matter. They were all that stood between their people and the enemy.

 The Fire Nation steamer that had carved through the icy harbor to their port was small compared to others that had come before, and alone. Still, it was formidable looming over the tattered remains of their village. Its stern detached with a metallic hiss, then slowly lowered to form a ramp. Sokka tensed beside her, his club raised.  A figure in red metal plate began to descend the ramp.

 Sokka gave a yell and charged forward as Katara started to gather water into her palms, but inexplicably he stopped midway up the ramp, casting a look of fear and confusion over his shoulder towards her. The armored stranger stopped in front of Sokka. Both boys were about matched in height, but the stranger’s position on the ramp allowed him tower over her brother. Sokka pressed his club into the center of the boy’s chest, muttering a low warning. The stranger growled something in return and pushed past him roughly, nearly knocking Sokka off the side of the ramp in the process.

 Once he got closer, Katara had to stifle a gasp.

 His eyes were as blue as the heart of a glacier. Water Tribe blue.

 She stumbled backward, reeling, reflexively bringing her hand up to shield her own eyes. He hadn’t looked at her directly yet. He hadn’t seen.

 “Where is the Avatar?” the stranger demanded. The villagers in the square shifted uneasily. Many of them were casting worried glances between him and Katara. She pulled the hood of her parka close to the side of her face.

 The stranger reached into the small gathered crowd to grasp her Gran-Gran’s wrist. “They’d be about this age-“ he started to say. Panic and fury spiked hot in the pit of Katara’s stomach, and she forgot herself. The ice beneath the stranger’s feet lurched upward like a living thing; twin maws swallowed his feet whole.

 He looked at her then. Her hood had fallen away and a few strands of hair had come loose from her hair loops. She was panting with exertion, the air in front of her fogging like smoke from a dragon’s mouth. Their gazes locked, and her eyes were like fire.

 The stranger’s brow furrowed. He had since dropped Gran-Gran’s wrist, and he brought the now free hand to his good cheek, as if he could feel the color of his eyes through the pads of his fingers. His other cheek was marred, a thick red scar beginning there, traveling over his left eye and ending just above where an eyebrow should have been. As she studied him, steam started to issue from the ice encasing his feet and rivulets ran down the sides as it melted.

 “Who are you?” Katara asked.

 The stranger frowned harder, his gaze dropping to the snow between them. His jaw ticked, but as it did, something in his demeanor seemed to fall away. When he looked back up at her, it was with such unguarded, raw hope that it took her aback.

 “I’m Prince Zuko,” he answered, finally. “Will you help me find the Avatar?”

 She was so startled by his vulnerability that she almost let it sway her.  A part of her was drawn into the depths of his too familiar blue eyes. But he was Fire Nation, and she was Water Tribe.

 So she said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Nobody’s seen the Avatar in over 100 years.”

 It was as the surface of his open soul froze over, suddenly, so that it hissed and popped and cracked. His face twisted into hard, angry lines, and fire burst from his clenched fists.

 “I know you’re hiding him. I saw the light!” he insisted.

 Katara took a wary step back, reaching for the snow on the ground and trying to pull it into her grasp. It shifted, turning to slush, but it did not flow up to meet her. She tried desperately not to let her panic show. More Fire Nation soldiers were descending the ramp, hands ablaze and ready. There were too many. She had shared a grim look with Sokka, who reached behind his back for his boomerang.

 And from out of nowhere, a powerful gust of wind guttered out all the flames. The Airbender had returned, and he landed himself protectively in front of her.

 The stranger- Zuko’s fighting stance faltered. “You’re the airbender?  You’re the Avatar?” he asked with disbelief.  “But you’re just a child!”

 Aang tilted his head to the side.  “Well, you’re just a teenager,” he pointed out. 

Zuko shook his head once, and then with a surging roar punched a fireball at Aang.  Aang spun his staff to disperse it.  The prince let loose a couple more fireballs, one high and one low, before launching into a torrent of blows.  Aang was able to dodge and deflect all of them, but Zuko’s soldiers started to draw in from his sides, and the villagers behind him started to press together in fear.

“Wait!” Aang said.  Zuko paused midform, his arms still flexed and ready.  Aang held his glider out to his side, his hands up in a gesture of surrender.  “If I go with you, will you promise to leave everyone alone?”  Aang asked.

Zuko looked over the villagers again as if he had forgotten they were there.  Straightening, he nodded.  

“Aang, no!  Don’t do this!”  Katara cried, rushing forward.  Zuko gestured wordlessly to his men with a jerk of his chin.  The soldiers encircled the Avatar, taking away his staff and roughly grabbing him to restrain him.  Zuko stepped around them in order to block Katara’s path to the boy.

“You can come with him,” he offered, almost quietly.  With me, he implied, unspoken.  His too blue eyes pierced into her, confusing her, beckoning her.  She had a kinship with those eyes.  They looked like… they looked like her mother’s.

“You should leave him here,” she countered.  A blaze of indignation was starting in her chest and clawing its way up her throat.  

“I’ll be okay, Katara,” Aang assured her.  The soldiers started dragging him up the ramp to the ship. “Take care of Appa for me while I’m gone!” 

Zuko held Katara’s eyes for another moment before he ripped himself away.  Her heart guttered with an inexplicable feeling of loss.  “Head a course for the Fire Nation,” Zuko called to his helmsman, “I’m going home.”

***

After Zuko finished doing the rounds to make sure his ship was in order, he retreated into his private cabin.  After three years of hard, fruitless searching, they were finally underway towards his true destination.  He was supposed to be feeling triumphant.  He was supposed to be feeling relief.  He had accomplished an impossible task after all.

But he didn’t feel that way.  Nervousness eddied around him like the tide washing over a rocky shore.  He felt unbalanced.  How would his father react when he brought the Avatar home?  What if something went wrong along the way?  What would be the young boy’s fate once he was taken from Zuko’s hands?

That last thought disturbed him most of all.  He leapt from his seat on the bed and began pacing, trying to force his mind to quiet.  Instinctively he reached out to the torches along his wall, connecting their energy to his breath.  In, and out.  Ebb, and flow.  Rise, and fall.

Panic crashed over him when he heard one of his soldiers call out, “The Avatar has escaped!”

Zuko began to rush for the door when he spotted the boy’s staff sitting in the corner of his room; he’d had that delivered to his quarters for safe-keeping.  The boy had used to fly into their first encounter.  There was a good chance he would come back for it, if not out of nostalgia, then out of necessity.  Zuko could use it as bait.  He hid himself behind the door and waited.

The Avatar child flew into the room without even looking.  It should have been easy to trap him; Zuko immediately shut the door after him.  But somehow the young boy had deflected all his attacks and wrapped him in a tapestry.  Zuko had to chase him up through the control room to the main deck, and only just barely managed to catch him by the ankle before he flew off.  He moved to pin his opponent, with a fiery hand raised in warning, but he was interrupted by a loud, guttural lowing.

Zuko and the Avatar both looked up.  “What is that?” Zuko asked in shock.

“Appa!” the Avatar cheered.  Two of the Water Tribesman were mounted on a giant, floating, furry… thing.  One was the boy who tried to rush him.  The other was his water-bender girl.

But Zuko wasn’t one to lose focus for very long.  The Avatar had shimmied his ankle out of Zuko’s hold and was moving to get up.  Zuko kept the newcomers in his peripheral as he blasted incapacitating shots at the Avatar.  The boy was able to deflect most of them, but the force of the last one sent the Avatar tumbling over the edge of the ship.  He hit his head on the way down.

The Water Tribe girl screamed.  Adrenaline surged in Zuko, who immediately began shucking off his armor in preparation to dive in after the boy.  He had tossed his shoulder guard aside and was reaching for the clasp on his breast-plate when a strange white glow came from the water.

A raging waterspout surged forth to tower over the ship, the Avatar at its top.  His narrowed eyes and tattoos were glowing with white light, and his face was crossed with a severe frown.  He was different than he had been before.  More powerful.  Angry.  The icy cold spray from the waterspout bit into Zuko’s skin.  He took a step back.

With a wide circle of his arms the Avatar flowed down to the deck, bringing the water with him in a great protective sphere.  Gathering his determination, Zuko made to advance, but a torrent of water was sent blasting into his chest and he was thrust backwards. His back hit the rail and suddenly he himself was spinning towards the Arctic water below.  

His outstretched hand banged against a protruding metal bar.  The service ladder.  He forced himself not to flinch away so he could catch the next one down.  Pain exploded in his shoulder as his fall was yanked to a stop, but he managed to haul himself into the curve of the ship, planting his feet on the ladder.  

On the deck he heard the water slosh to the ground and a soft thud.  The Water Tribesman jumped aboard, calling out to the Avatar in concern.  Zuko gritted his teeth and climbed.  

His waterbender appeared at the rail above him just before he was able to pull himself over.  He thought he saw relief flash in her eyes, but that emotion was quickly followed with concern and fear.

If it was anyone else he would have yelled at her to move.  Instead he simply requested, quietly, “Get out of my way.”

Her eyebrows creased.  “No,” she said.  They looked at each other.  Zuko reached across the rail and shoved her to the side.

She stumbled and he hauled himself onto the deck of the ship, now slick with ice from the Avatar’s water attacks.  Zuko turned to face the direction where he’d heard the Avatar fall.  The Water Tribesman was helping him fend off attacks from Zuko’s soldiers.  

“No!” his water bender repeated, planting her feet.  She siphoned ice from the deck to form globules of water that she suspended from her hands. 

Zuko growled at her in frustration. “This isn’t your fight, peasant!” he snapped, gesticulating.  Why did she keep trying to stop him?  “Get out of my way!”

She scoffed with clear distaste, saying, “My name is Katara!”

He found himself committing that to memory.  Katara.  Katara.

The Avatar and the Water Tribesman were able to retreat onto the giant fluffy monster.  They flew around the nose of the ship to Zuko’s side of the deck.  The Water Tribesman reached out his arm to scoop the water bender into the saddle.  

There was an odd look of regret on her face as she swung out of his reach.  

The fluffy thing was getting away fast.  “Shoot them down!” Zuko ordered frantically.  His soldiers coordinated together to launch a huge fireball after the fluffy beast.  As it arced through the air Zuko’s heart went into his mouth.  It needed to hit them.  But it couldn’t hit them.  He didn’t want to hurt them, not really, he-

At the last second the Avatar gusted it off trajectory, right into a cliff above the port-side bow.  Zuko barely has time to jump back out of the way before snow and ice came crashing down in an avalanche onto the deck.  

***

CHAPTER 2: KYOSHI ISLAND

Something compelled Zuko to look over the rock.

Katara hoped faintly that it hadn’t been the force of her eyes on him.  She and Aang had been smashed against the shore by the Unagi’s wake, beneath a large outcropping of rock.  Unfortunately the prince’s ship had landed just to the other side.  And he was headed this way, flanked by more komodo-rhino riders.

“Katara!” Zuko called.  Lightning shocked through her stomach at hearing him say her name.  She tamped it down, frantically shaking Aang’s shoulder to rouse him from unconsciousness.  The boy gave no sign of waking.  His head lolled to the side.   Katara‘s gaze flicked around with growing panic, finding only sand and rock and surf, before lighting back on Aang.  She started digging through his pockets.

“Surrender the Avatar!” Zuko demanded, his rhino just stepping around the rock.  The sun glinted off the tips of his metal helmet as his soldiers filled in around him.  Cloth, cold metal discs, slippery round marbles, fluffy lint... Katara‘s fingers closed over something smooth and wooden.  “Step away from him!” Zuko demanded again.

Katara gathered Aang’s unconscious body up in her arms, awkwardly heaving his arm over her left shoulder so that she could balance his head against her cheek. With her right hand, she brought the bison whistle to her lips, and she started backing up into the sea.

Zuko let out a sharp breath.  He tapped his heel into the side of his Komodo-rhino and it trotted dutifully into the rocky surf, its great feet kicking up big arcs of water.  “Get back!” Zuko insisted, “You have nowhere to run!”

The rocks were uneven underfoot, but Katara refused to turn around.  She strained her senses to map the terrain behind her, where the water flowed and caught and eddied.  She took another careful step backwards, and another, wincing as her ankle turned just the slightest bit.  The water was up to her knees now.

The other rhino riders hovered uncertainly at the edge of the beach.  One called, “Permission to engage, Prince Zuko?”

The prince’s eyes were locked with Katara’s.  “No! Stay back!” he said quickly.  Then, his right hand opening to produce a small font of flame, he added, “Hold your position.  I’ll capture the Avatar myself.”

Katara stumbled backwards further over the slippery rocks.  The water was lapping at her waist.  ”Not today you won’t!” she denied hotly.  

“You can’t swim with him like that.  Surrender,” Zuko pressed, advancing.

The adrenaline burning her veins was drying out her mouth.  She was out of options.  She was cornered.  She was going to do something incredibly, phenomanally stupid.  “I don’t need to swim,” she said, half as affirmation, half as prayer.  She tucked her knees, sinking her and Aang both in up to their necks, and pushed.

To her hysterical relief and dread the water flung itself away from her outstretched hand in a forceful jet, just as it had earlier, propelling them backwards towards the center of the lake.  Zuko swore, calling for his men to fetch the boats.  He dismounted and started shucking his armor.

She stretched and stretched her senses, deep into the water until the reaching wisps of her concentration felt taught enough to snap.  Fish wriggled thinly through the net she had cast, and seaweed brushed against it in a whisper. The Unagi was so deep it was almost out of her reach, undulating far below them in the water column, a vast yet smooth obstruction to its flow.  Katara sensed it’s head turn to track their movement.  It’s great muscled coils tightened beneath it in preparation to launch upwards.  The edges of a scream started licking up the inside of her throat.  She was going to have to dodge, somehow.  At the shore, Zuko was running into the surf.  He stumbled.  And suddenly, inexplicably, the Unagi’s great head turned towards him instead.  

A bellowing roar signaled the arrival of Appa.  He landed in the water with a huge splash, and Katara heaved Aang onto the bison’s leg so she could clamber up into the saddle.  Sensing urgency, Appa flicked his tail to launch himself from the water as soon as both passengers were aboard, still balancing Aang on his leg.  As they climbed, Katata reached down to pull Aang up the rest of the way.

“Back to the village Appa!” she urged the bison, “We have to go get Sokka!”

***

Zuko roared in frustration, slapping the water as the Avatar was carried away on his bison. He had been so close!  If his soulmate hadn’t insisted on getting in the way...

It was just his luck.  A Water Tribe girl, of course.  A stubborn, meddlesome, distracting girl for a weak, honorless, useless prince.  Was it too much to ask that she was at least a supporter of the Fire Nation?  Zuko had always assumed it would be someone from the colonies- with Water Tribe heritage surely, but a Fire Nation citizen nonetheless.  Someone loyal, and helpful, and kind...

Well, it didn’t do to dwell on that now.

“Riders!”  he called.  They snapped to attention.  “You’re letting him get away!  Follow that bison!”

Zuko hobbled to shore, blood trailing from a cut in his heel that he had sustained on the uneven rocks below the water.  Ignoring how each step ground more sand into his wound, he and threw his armor into a carry sack on his own mount before climbing on, figuring he wouldn’t bother with putting it on again.  It would take too long, and besides, it kept getting in the way.  

When the riders reached the village, they were met with a wall of female warriors, dressed proudly in green armored dress.  

“Halt!” called the one in the center. Her pale amber eyes glinted with mistrust.  “Foreign combatants are not permitted on Kyoshi soil.  This is neutral ground!” 

“I demand to be let through!” Zuko responded with fury.  Taking a breath, he ground out, “You are in defiance of the Fire Nation.”

The warriors took a ready stance, their golden fans sharp and gleaming in the sunlight.  Their leader continued, “We do not want to violate our peace with the Fire Nation.  Dismount and remove your helms, and I will take you to our governor for negotiations.”

Zuko’s scowl deepened.  “We don’t have time to talk.  You’re in my way.  Bring me the Avatar before his bison leaves, or I’ll go through you.”

“The Avatar is our guest,” the warrior hissed.

“Then you’re on his side!” Zuko replied, ordering, “Riders, engage!  Break the line!”

Fire surged forth, and the warriors burst into motion.  More seemed to pour in from above and the sides, dashing up the long torsos of the rhinos and vaulting over them to strike at their riders.  The leader zeroed in on Zuko, slashing at his legs in the saddle.  Zuko yanked the reigns to the side, his rhino dodging beneath him as he punched retaliatory fire at his attacker.  She followed, making a dash at the komodo-rhino’s side.  Zuko angled his foot so he could flick flames from the toe of his boot, unbalancing her approach, and in the same motion dug in his heel to urge the komodo rhino forward.  It surged beneath him.  But even as he streaked past the Kyoshi guards, a sky bison rose into the air.  

He had lost.

***

CHAPTER: THE NORTH POLE

“Are we there yet?” Sokka complained loudly, shaking Katara out of her reverie. They had not seen the Fire Nation Prince for several weeks now. The memory of his face was haunting her. The dark, severe eyebrow, the gaunt, angular cheekbones, the red, leathery scar, and the too blue eyes. She wondered if he was searching the sky for them right now. A shiver ran down her spine at the thought, though whether it was a pleasant or unnerved shiver it was hard to say.

 “We’re getting close!” Aang replied cheerily to her brother. “We should be able to see the walls soon.”

Suddenly, they were jolted off balance as Appa careened to the right.  Then Katara saw a battering ram of ice launch towards them from the sea on her side.

“Incoming!” she screamed, scrambling back to her spot so she could grab tightly onto the saddle.  

Bombarded with icy projectiles,  Appa was gradually forced lower and lower until he was snagged by the foot and slammed into the water.  The wave that formed from his hapless impact was frozen around his body, encasing him in place.  He roared in frustration, the sound reverberating through Katara’s body, and thrashed against his imprisonment.  Ships appeared around the icebergs on all sides, carrying waterbenders that hurriedly refreshed the cracks in the ice that Appa was making.

“I thought they’d be friendlier,” Aang said before hailing them.  “Hey!  We’re here to find a waterbending teacher!”

 One of the boats approached closer, headed by a severe old man with a thin mustache and pointed goatee. “Show yourselves, intruders!” he demanded.

Katara and Sokka stood up in the saddle by Aang, raising their arms.

 “It’s just me and my sister, Katara,” Sokka said slowly.  “We’re with Aang.”

 He looked searchingly past them for a moment before accepting that they were the only ones on the flying bison.  “I see.  I assume not all of you require a teacher?” the old man asked.  He looked dubiously at Aang, taking in his pale skin, grey eyes, and bright autumnal attire.

 “Well…” Aang began, trailing off as Sokka cleared his throat.

 “Aang is the Avatar.  My sister is the last remaining waterbender in the Southern Water Tribe.  I am not a bender- I came to protect them on their journey.”

 The other benders on the boat behind him exchanged an incredulous glance, but the old man appeared unruffled.  “And you are?”

 “Sokka, son of Hakoda.”

 At this he did seem surprised, his eyebrows raising just a fraction of an inch.   “The Avatar AND the Chief’s children.  Of course.  You can verify this?”

 The question silenced Sokka, who looked at once alarmed and perplexed.  Katara reached tentatively for her necklace.  Aang shrugged, then jumped off of Appa’s back towards the man-made ice sheet that extended a couple feet all around his bison.  In the span of an instant the old man dropped low, and as he came up, an ice spear flew forward from the water in the direction of his thrusting arm.  Wide-eyed, Aang produced a gust of air to propel himself backward.  The ice spear stopped just short of where he would have landed.  

 “I was only getting down to show you my airbending,”  Aang protested, clearly a little shaken.

 The old man retracted the ice spear, straightening.  “We don’t have many… pleasant visits here.  I have to assume that you’re attacking when you move that suddenly.  Next time, give some warning.  In any case…” he signaled to his crew members and to the boats around him.   “Chief Arnook will want to deal with this matter personally.  I will escort you."  He brought his arms together in front of his face, hands clenched into fists above his head and, exhaling, released them so his palms were open towards the ground in front of his hips.  With that release, the ice around Appa melted and crashed back into the sea.

 Katara tried to file away how he moved, and watched enraptured by the easy way the waterbenders propelled their craft through the sea.  The bending that had been displayed to apprehend them was more powerful than she had ever dreamed it could be.  Once they reached the city she would finally be able to find a teacher. She eagerly searched the horizon for a sign of the gate.  When it finally appeared out of the maze of ice, it took her breath away.

 The structure was absolutely immense, carved into a towering glacier at least 500 feet high.  Even with the aid of master waterbenders, the construction of this glittering behemoth must have been a massive undertaking.  And everything in the city beyond those gates had to be cut from the heart of the glacier itself.  Beholding it filled Katara at once filled with profound awe and profound loss.  THIS was what it meant to be Water Tribe. 

 They were waterbended into the city through a series of several draining lock chambers which emptied into a series of canals.  Inside was a glittering expanse of buildings that stretched so far it took Katara’s breath away all over again.  She watched with wonder as Appa floated them down current.  

 ***

Sokka had studied scrolls on the history and architecture of both the Southern and Northern Water Tribes, so he had had a fairly good idea what to expect when they passed through the gates.  Still, seeing the grandiose, glistening city in person was moving.  He had to admire the sheer craftsmanship of it all, particularly in the detail work.  It was while he was considering ways to replicate the building of a small tower they had passed that he saw her.

 The most beautiful girl that he had ever seen was riding in the back of a small rowboat, being guided along the canals by the smooth motions of a waterbender.  She had a rounded face and full lips which were quirked into a serene smile.  Her shockingly white hair was coiled in sections, one high atop her head and two in plaits that hung almost to her waist.  There was a regal bearing about her- her back was straight, her shoulders squared, her chin held high.  The most entrancing thing about her, though, was her wide, black eyes.

 Sokka had to shake himself out of a daze as they were finally brought before Chief Arnook.   

 The throne room was just as vast and dazzling as everything else in the city.  At its center sat the Chief upon a stark white, tall, crystalline throne draped in blue furs.  The Chief had a wide, open face and a strong square jaw.  His posture was entirely neutral as they were herded before him, his gaze appraising.  “I hear we have distinguished visitors,” he said by way of greeting, “The Avatar.  Sokka and Katara, children of Chief Hakoda.”

 “Uh, yes, that would be us-” Sokka confirmed as Aang zipped forward, holding out his hand enthusiastically for Chief Arnook to shake.

 “My name’s Aang.  Super nice to meet you.  Do you think you could help us find a water bending teacher?”

 The Chief seemed a little taken aback by Aang’s brashness, but he took his hand nonetheless, a smile stretching across his face.  “Indeed.  I will be happy to arrange adequate accommodations and tutelage for your group.  In fact, Pakku,” he addressed their escort, “As you are our best instructor, I will charge you with the Avatar’s instruction.”

 “Yes, Chief,” he replied.

 “Katara, you will report to Yugoda in the morning.  She will be notified that she has an honored guest joining her female class.”

[cottage-babe]

Burning Scars part V

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Masterlist

I really be having the weirdest atla prompts in my head, like i have a spirit world one that i keep thinking abt but i feel like i wont be able to squish it into one post. who knows, maybe ill make a 10,000 word one shot :)

Also, abt that last question I asked abt how you see her wolf... I lied, it’s gonna be important in the NEXT chapter; I never realize how much I write for each event.  

Summary: Y/n, a werewolf from a hidden village, comes across Zuko and Iroh after being exiled. How has fate intertwined the wolf into the avatar’s destiny?

*****This chapter takes place on Season 2 Episode 11*****

___

It had taken a whole day and some more to reach the dry, barren desert that Mushi had wanted to go to. 

Damn, it’s Iroh now, not Mushi. 

Calling the pair by different names took Y/n a little time to get used to. Sometimes she was left stuttering as her mind switched between names, but she knew that she would get used to it soon. 

Zuko had gone back to his old self; he didn’t talk as much and hardly answered anything she asked him. It seemed as if his talkative side just completely retracted back into him as soon as they set out of their previous campsite. 

Y/n had kind of expected the teenage boy to be nicer to her after she shared all of her secrets, but she supposed that that was asking for too much. Him allowing her to tag along was enough to show his welcome. 

Iroh, on the other hand, spoke to her a lot more. He would ask her questions about her traditions and culture, but whenever they became too personal, he would reassure her that he didn’t need to know it. It made her relaxed to know that she wasn’t obligated to share everything, only the bits that she was comfortable with. 

She wanted to ask them many questions as well, but the timing didn’t seem right. Also, she wasn’t sure how sensitive the information was. Why was a Prince out here instead of a castle or something?

They had traveled for the entire day before making camp for the night. The trees around them grew scarce as the area flowed from sandy-dirt to a completely soft and loose desert. 

The next morning, they packed up all of their things once again and set out towards the small town that Iroh called “The Misty Palms Oasis.” The boys had put on hats to block the sunlight, but unfortunately for her, Y/n didn’t have that luxury. While the heat bore down onto her, she leaned her head on Zuko’s back as she complained about the sun. She was definitely grateful that they were heading somewhere with Misty in the name, it sounded so refreshing. 

Finally, after what felt like a year, the three of them made it to the Oasis and, let her just say, it was extremely disappointing. The only thing that seemed the slightest bit refreshing was the melted block of ice that dripped away in the center of the Oasis. A dog lapped at the cold water that was produced from it. 

Spirits, I wish that were me. 

The trio tied their Ostrich-Horses to a stable and followed the Uncle to an old building. All the while, Zuko was complaining quietly about how all of this was a waste of time. 

“There can’t be anyone that can actually help us, Uncle.” Zuko whispered. “Not anymore.”

“Quiet, Nephew. You’d be surprised on how much an old friend will be willing to help you.”

The girl only tuned in slightly to their conversation, as she still felt like she was going to melt straight into the ground. Soon, however, she felt tingles go up her spine; someone was watching them. Y/n looked around, but no one met her eyes.

They’re probably just staring at my scars, I should’ve covered them up when I had the chance.

Throughout the day’s travels, her mind barely wandered to the bite on her thigh. She didn’t feel the need to hide it from her new travel buddies, but she didn’t even think about how it would look to the people who had never seen her. Maybe when they finished meeting Iroh’s friend, she could ask Zuko for some new wraps. 

They walked into the pueblo and past the wooden door; Zuko holding it open for Y/n to pass through. Iroh walked up to a counter with a man behind it to order something while the two teens found a table to sit at. They waited for the old man to return and sat in silence, all while Zuko glared at each individual person in the tavern. 

“Are you okay, Zuko?” Y/n asked while she tilted her head to meet his eyes.

His gaze jumped to her as a light red formed on his cheeks. It must’ve been the first time she’d used his real name. 

“Yeah,” the boy spoke, “I just don’t like it here.”

Just then, Iroh returned with cups and a teapot. He filled each with the flavored drink before settling on the seat beside Y/n. Zuko looked at his uncle from his seat across the table with his nostrils flared. 

“No one here is going to help us, these people just look like filthy wanderers.” 

Y/n choked on her tea while Iroh’s smile stayed on his face. 

“Well, so do we,” the uncle responded. 

Did Zuko think of me that way?

Hearing that Zuko was a prince gave many explanations to why he acted the way he did in times like these. She decided that it wasn’t entirely his fault; it was the way he had grown up. The only thing that the girl could wish for is for something to humble him down... just a notch. 

Iroh hummed as he looked directly behind Zuko. 

“Ahhh, this is interesting,” the old man pointed to a table far in the back, “I think I found our friend.”

“Did you bring us here to gamble on Pai Sho?” The boy said with annoyance laced through his voice as he turned around slightly.

Y/n gasped in her seat. “A game? Can I play?”

Iroh laughed in response to both teens and rose from his chair, “Maybe next time, Y/n.”

The two boys followed him to a table with a short, slim man sitting closest to the wall. He had a bald head and a mustache whisking around his mouth like a dragon. Y/n could see how Iroh was friends with him; he had the same wise look that the Uncle carried with him no matter the situation. She almost envied the amount of knowledge the two looked like they treasured. 

The werewolf looked down at the table to see an almost checkered pattern splayed out on the round edges. Every point and line met up directly in the middle. The board was beautiful. Iroh walked up to the table and stood in front of the chair opposite of the man. 

“May I have this game?” He asked.

The bald man stuck out one arm and gestured at the board. “The guest has the first move.”

Iroh sat in the wooden chair and fumbled around with the tokens on his right. Zuko moved the side of the table silently and pulled Y/n to stand next to him. She wanted to look at him questioningly, but her eyes remained on the game before them as Iroh picked out his first piece and placed it in the center. 

“I see you favor the white lotus gambit,” the friend stated. “Not many still cling to the ancient ways.”

The man held out both his hands with the palms facing upward. His head bowed as Iroh mimicked the gesture. 

“Those who do can always find a friend.” 

They maintained eye contact before the bald man spoke one final time.

“Then let us play.” 

The two old men took turns placing the tiles around the board for a long time. Despite watching them play the game, Y/n still didn’t understand the rules. 

“Zuko... how do you win?” She ripped her eyes away from the memorizing pattern that the men had fallen into. The girl noticed that Zuko’s hand was still wrapped around her arm from when he had pulled her before. 

The teen looked at the girl and blinked a couple times, seemingly dazed from the game as well. He gently removed his grip on her bicep. 

“I don’t really know,” he began. “Uncle always invited me to play, but I never wanted to.”

Their focus returned to the game as they heard the clicking of tokens stop. On the board, a beautiful picture was created; the outline of a flower. 

Maybe you have to make a picture to finish? That’s a silly game...

“Welcome, brother,” the old friend spoke. “The White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets.”

There was a slight pause as Zuko looked between the two players. “What are you old gasbags talking about?” 

Y/n’s eyes widened in surprise of his words. She quickly stuck out an elbow and jabbed him in the stomach; the boy groaning out in pain with an arm clutching his gut. This boy definitely needed to be humbled. 

“I always tried to tell you that Pai Sho is more than just a game,” Iroh smiled. 

Suddenly, yelling could be heard over the chatter of the tavern. Y/n looked over and noticed that two tall men were arguing. After their brief conversation, the men strode over to their gaming table. One was old and stoic; he walked with a cane, but something about his composure told the wolf that he didn’t really need it. The other man had long, dark hair and a strong build. He had his fists clenched and a snarl etched onto his lips as he glared at Y/n, Zuko, and Iroh. 

“It’s over!” The long-haired one yelled. “You three fugitives are coming with me!”

Hold on, three?!

Before the wolf could even think another thought, the old ‘friend’ of Iroh jumped in front of the hunters and pointed at them threateningly.

“I knew it! You three are wanted criminals with a giant bounty on your heads!”

Zuko quickly returned his hand to Y/n’s arm and pulled her behind him, blocking the girl from the bounty hunter’s view. The girl probably would see this as sweet later on, but right now, she wanted to be ready to wolf out and Zuko’s protectiveness was stopping her. The boy looked over at his uncle in a panic.

“I thought you said he would help!” Zuko glared.

Iroh placed a hand on both teens shoulder to calm and reassure them. “He is. Just watch.”

How could this help the trio right now? If any of the men took even a step toward them, Y/n was ready to protect them by any means necessary. Of course, the thought of needing to keep her wolf concealed crossed her mind, but this was an emergency, right? Maybe her subconscious could excuse her this one time.

Then, the friend turned toward the two bounty hunters and held his head high. 

“You think you’re going to capture them and collect all that gold?” He exclaimed loudly. 

The intensity of his voice drew the attention of almost everyone in the bar. Men began to rise from their seat and pulling out swords, knives, almost anything that could be used as a weapon. There were about twenty or more men and they all whispered the same phrase: “Gold?”

The two hunters that approached the trio originally grinned and stepped forward, not aware of the crowd that was escalating quickly. Before they could get any closer however, two random men jumped between them, ready to attack. The long-haired man quickly took care of them, but soon even more men charged at him from every direction. 

Y/n almost wanted to stay and watch the tavern fight, but Zuko pulled at her arm to tug her toward the exit. They were following Iroh and his friend closely, but suddenly the girl heaved herself out of the boy’s grip. Y/n quickly grabbed a random bottle off a table and chucked it toward a fugitive that was about to join the big fight. The bottle smashed against the back of his head and the poor man dropped to the ground, completely knocked out. The girl grinned and turned back to Zuko.

The teen was so shocked at her actions that he was frozen in his place. Iroh had already escaped the tavern, most likely assuming that the children were following him. Y/n grabbed Zuko’s wrist, just as he had done before, and dragged him out of building. 

“C’mon Zuko, we gotta go!” She said while running in a full sprint. 

The boy shook himself out of his head and sped up to reach her speed. 

“You are so weird, Y/n.” 

The smile on her face spread to Zuko’s and he couldn’t stop looking at her. Fortunately for him, Y/n was too busy looking for the uncle to notice his stare. 

She noticed that the sun was gone already; the night sky darkening all of the Oasis with nothing but the moon to shine its dim light. Soon though, she spotted the familiar figure of Iroh standing beside a far building, looking for the kids. They ran up to him and his friend.

“Sorry, we got caught up with something,” Y/n explained as her and Zuko caught their breaths.

“Yes, I can see that.” The Uncle smiled and raised his eyebrows toward something between the two teens.

They both followed his gaze until it landed on their connected hand and wrist. Y/n quickly let go of the boy’s arm before hugging herself tightly. A light blush dusted both of their cheeks and they hoped that the other couldn’t see it in the darkness. 

“What’s happening now?” Zuko asked to get past the cloud of tension. 

“We’re going to follow Fung and see if he can do more to help us.”

The bald man from the Pai Sho table came out from behind Iroh and led the way through the small sand town. Zuko almost protested, but the looks from Y/n and his uncle made him shut his mouth begrudgingly. They weaved through the shadows of the buildings and hid from the eyes of random travelers. It was very exciting for Y/n; she would’ve taken the lead if she knew exactly where they were headed. They were doing what she always had done in her pack; hiding in darkness of the earth waiting to strike. Well, not that last part, but the rest of it was enough for her to wish she was in her wolf skin. 

Soon enough, they ended their journey at the edge of town. When they entered the building, the aroma of fresh plants filled Y/n’s nostrils and she was greeted with the sight of potted greenery lining the walls and tables. It was a nice change of scenery compared to the dry sand that had filled her vision for the last day. 

Fung, as Iroh had called him before, shut the door behind the trio before turning to look at them. 

“It is an honor to welcome such a high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus. Being a Grand Master, you must know so many secrets.” The man spoke with a slight bow. 

He continued down the hall of plants to a door on the opposite side of the room. They all, of course, followed. 

Zuko, being the boy that he is, crossed his arms with annoyance. “Now that you played Pai Sho, are you going to do some flower arranging, or is someone in this club going to offer some real help‌?”

At this point, there was nothing Y/n could do to stop the stupidity that spewed from the boy’s mouth. Instead, she placed her palm on her forehead and waited for the two adult men to talk. 

“You must forgive my nephew. He is not an initiate and has little appreciation for the cryptic arts,” Iroh said with a sigh. “The girl, on the other hand, might become a very promising member in the future.”

The uncle winked at Y/n before turning his attention to the door they stood in front of. She tried not to think of his comment too much, but it still reeled in her mind. The future? Does he really want her to stay with them for that long?

Fung knocked on the door twice and a little slot near the top opened. A man’s eyes peeked through.

“Who knocks at the guarded gate?” The man behind the door asked. 

Iroh took a step toward the voice. “One who has eaten the fruit and tasted it’s mysteries.”

Iroh smiles as the door opens to let him and the Pai Sho man through. Zuko and Y/n attempt to follow the two men in, but the door is slammed in their faces before their feet could even be near the doorway. The teen beside Y/n pouts excessively before the little slot opens once again; his Uncle’s eyes replacing the ones that were there previously. 

“I'm afraid it's members only. Wait out here.” Iroh explained as he shut the small window with a snap.

Y/n could feel the annoyance radiating off her travel buddy as he stomped over to a table near the doorway and crossed his arms; the pout still ever so present on his mouth. 

The girl went to stand next to him and waited silently for him to say something. When nothing was heard, she sighed and took a seat, patting the empty space next to her. Reluctantly, the boy followed her lead.

“This is so stupid!” Zuko exclaimed, saying the exact thing that Y/n expected him to say. “We should be allowed inside; it can’t possibly be that private or even helpful! It’s a waste of time coming here.”

Y/n just nodded her head along to his words, not wanting to fuel his fire. She figured that he would be angry if they stayed on the topic, so she tried to change it. The girl looked at the scars on her thigh and traced the bumps. 

“Do you have extra bandages? I feel like people are constantly staring at my bite,” She said.

Zuko looked at her slow moving fingers before nodding his head.

“We left everything with the ostrich-horses, but I think I might be carrying the wraps.” He reached into his pocket and rustled around a bit before pulling out the white cloth. “I forgot to put it away after that night before the Rough Rhinos.”

Zuko held out his hand toward her leg as an offer to wrap it for her. She gently moved herself until she was closer to the boy; her leg touching his knee so he could easily reach her. 

As he began to wrap her thigh, the girl continued the conversation. “Those huge animals... Rough Rhinos, you called them? Are they from that place you talked about before? A... Fire Place?”

The corner of Zuko’s mouth twitch. “The Fire Nation.” He corrected. “And yeah, they are. We brought them here on the ships since they were so easy to ride.”

That’s why I hadn’t seen them before!

“Did they not teach you about the four nations?” Zuko asked before she could say something again.

“No. They didn’t.” Y/n shook her head.

“Well, the whole world is split up into four nations; fire, water, earth, and air. They represent each element and in each one, there’s a certain amount of people who can bend it; sorta like how my uncle and I can bend fire. There’s supposed to be a balance, though, so not everyone can do it,” He stated with a shrug. “Well, that’s what my uncle says, at least.” 

This was a lot to take in. There was so much that her pack never talked about, never once mentioned, and here was Zuko, explaining it so nonchalantly. Of course she knew that the humans lived differently than the werewolves, but this drastically? So much so that they can control the elements?

“Wait, so if everyone is part of a nation, does that mean I am too? Do you think I can bend?” The girl asked. She hoped that he would say yes; the thought of being able to control water or shoot fire out of her hands like Zuko excited her.

Unfortunately, the teen paused to look at her sheepishly. “I honestly don’t think you can. I think you show signs of it as a kid, but you can always ask Uncle. I’d probably guess that you were part of the Earth Kingdom, considering where we first met.”

Y/n pouted slightly; what did she expect? It probably does’t apply to animals like her. But still, the title of the Earth Kingdom raised her spirits slightly. Maybe she could find a place in the world outside of her pack.

“Do you mind if I ask you something personal?” She asked.

Zuko, after returning to the wraps, froze in his seated position. He looked so worried; she almost wanted to take back her question all together. There was no way that he’d let her budge into his personal life.

Surprisingly, though, the boy slowly nodded his head.

“Sure, go ahead.”

Y/n paused to put her question together. She didn’t want to be too harsh, but if she was too nice then he might avoid it completely. She had to word this perfectly. 

“So before, you mentioned that you were a Prince from the Fire Nation.” She began, “But if you’re royalty, then why are you out here?”

Silence.

The girl assumed that she had stepped way to far and truly believed it; who was she to question him about his past? After he had taken her in so generously?

“Here, I’m finished.”

Zuko tucked in the final strap of her bandage and let go of her leg. She moved it away from his knee, but didn’t scoot away. She was about to apologize, but he spoke up once more. 

“I was banished, just like you were.” The hands were clenched into tight fists and he looked down into his lap. “The scar on my eye... my dad gave it to me because I disrespected him by speaking out of line. And he gave me a task to do that would let me go back, but I’m not sure if I can do it... I don’t think I’m strong enough.”

Y/n was trying to meet the boy’s eyes, but he wouldn’t look at her. It wasn’t until she saw a single drop of water drip down to his lap that she reached out to pull his face in her direction. 

The face she saw was not the same hardheaded boy she had been traveling with for the last couple of days. This one was soft and vulnerable; just a teenage boy who has dealt with too much too early in his life. The whites of his eyes were red, but the other amber shade still peeked out of the light color. How had she never noticed how pretty his eyes were?

“I don’t think you’re weak, Zuko.” She stated firmly. “You’re one of the strongest people that I know; and there were some fantastic warriors in my pack. I know that we barely know each other, but from what I’ve seen, there’s not much you can’t do. If you really want to go back, then I know you can do whatever your dad wanted you to.” 

Y/n really hoped that she was telling him the right thing. If she had been given the opportunity that he was given, she would’ve tried her hardest to complete the task. Her pack was her home and she missed her family; even the ones that betrayed her. She wasn’t given the chance to talk to them before they kicked her out and she knew that she never would be able to again. Perhaps all she sought was closure, but this world that she was forced to explore was terrifying. She could only assume that Zuko felt the same. 

The girl hadn’t realized it, but the entire time the two teens were staring at each other directly in the eyes while silence enveloped them. Her hand still cupped the boy’s cheek and he had yet to shy away from her.

Were we always sitting this close?

She could feel Zuko lean closer to her; just the slightest movement, but it felt like he had come so much closer. Y/n’s mind was racing. Should I lean t-

The moment was ruined as the door they were sitting near creaked open. The teens jumped apart, the girl’s hand dropping down to her lap and blush blazing on both their cheeks. She almost wanted to scoot away from Zuko, but decided that it would give him the wrong impression.

What, are you saying that you want to kiss him now?

She wasn’t entirely sure of what she felt yet. Y/n hadn’t really thought about him in this way before, so it was kind of alarming for her. With one glance to the boy next to her, it seemed like he was in the same predicament as her. 

She looked up at the door that broke their “moment” and saw a youngish man closing it gently. He had come from inside the room that Iroh entered before, so Y/n assumed that he was part of the Club. The man completely ignored the two and their tension and left the flower shop quickly. Maybe he hadn’t seen what was happening?

For the rest of the night, the two had sat in silence as they sat in the most awkward bubble. Zuko had muttered a thanks for her honest words of comfort from before and turned away, claiming that he was tried and needed to sleep. She knew that he was lying, as he constantly twisted to find a comfortable position before forcing his eyes closed while facing forward. Y/n stayed up for a couple more hours, thinking about the days events and waiting for Iroh to return to them. 

The wait, however, consumed her too as she drifted off into a dreamless sleep with her chin resting on her chest.

___

Yeeshhhh... also im sleepy, so i didn’t reread it :( sorry

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Masterlist

Taglist: @bucky-blogs @hopefuloperaangelnerd @simplyfandomish @oddlypointlessescapes @lozzybowe @woohoney @whalerus @cece-lives-here (bolded couldn’t be tagged!!!)

[forever-more-never-again]

Light and Dark (Part Three)

Summary: What changes would occur if there were Two Avatars during Aang’s adventures? One that has a connection to the banished Fire lord Prince?

Word Count: 1627

Pairings: Zuko X Avatar!Reader, Aang X Avatar!Reader, Platonic!Katara X Reader, Platonic!Sokka X Reader, Platonic!Toph X Reader

Warnings: Mentions of angst

A/n: We meet a minor character that everyone should remember

Part One / Part Two

Matsterlist

It took a few minutes, but eventually you were in the saddle atop Appa flying through the air with the rest of the Gang.

Aang sat on his head, glancing back at you every so often in concern. You sat on one side while Katara, Sokka and Toph sat on the other side. 

You were emotionally drained after your confrontation with General Iroh. Dragon of the West. 

“So. Where are we going exactly?”

Aang spoke up from his seat, “We’re gonna find a small village to lay low for a while. Don’t worry about it [Y/n]. We’ll figure all of this out. I have faith in us.”

Aang turned and you saw the spark of truth in his grey eyes. Feeling heat creep up your neck, you quickly looked away, out over the clouds sailing past.

You heard movement from beside you, and turned to see Sokka stretching out, his head now near your crossed legs.

“Um.” Was your eloquent wording.

Sokka Smiled up at you, and you were immensely grateful that he was quick to warm up to you, unlike his sister and Toph.

“Oh hey [Y/n]. Come here often?” And then he did a ridiculous wave with his eyebrows.

You snorted, bringing a hand up to try and stifle it but more giggles burst past your lips and soon you and Sokka were both laughing.

Faintly, you picked up some quiet chuckles from Aang.

“Stop messing around guys. We’re in Fire Nation territory. Do you want to be caught because someone looked up at a laughing cloud?” Katara’s icy cold voice cut through the light atmosphere.

Sokka looked over at his sister, a hint of disappointment on his face.

Katara looked away, her arms crossed, a frown on her face.

In an attempt to dissuade a sibling fight, you hummed in acknowledgement, “You’re right Katara. I’m sorry I was careless.”

Her blue eyes flew back over to you and you saw the shock in them. You hadn’t expected that to hurt as much as it did though.

True you had only been apart of this group for a handful of days, but you had already grown close to Sokka and Aang and hoped to be friends with Katara and Toph.

After all those years on the run, it was nice to be with a set of people and let them in.

“Alright. We’re going down.”

At Aang’s words, everyone grabbed the sides of the saddle as the giant sky bison slowly descended into a wooded area.

Once on solid grown, you slid down and wobbled when your feet made contact with the ground.

Before your face could get reactuanted with dirt, hands wrapped around your waist and stabilized you.

That’s how you found yourself face to face with a red faced Air Bender.

His hands flew to his sides like they had been burned as he opened and closed his mouth a few times.

“Thank you for catching me.” You smiled softly at the teen.

One hand went to rub the back of his neck and he mumbled something before rushing back to finish unloading the saddle.

Confused slightly by his behaviour, you brushed it off as you watched Sokka laugh and kiss a black sword he called his ‘Moonbeam’. Which made your mind go somewhere dirty and you covered your giggles by coughing.

“The Village is a few miles that way.” You jumped with a shriek at the voice that came from right next to you.

Hand on your chest you glared at Toph even though she couldn’t see it.

She seemed unfazed by your freakout, and remained stone faced as she pointed South.

Aang walked up on the other side of you, “Yeah that’s what I spotted from up above. It looks pretty small, but not small enough that we’ll draw attention to ourselves.”

Breathing deeply, you shouldered your courage, and your bag, and began walking, “I guess we’ll see what happens when we get there.”

Silence descended as your group walked under shaded trees. Listening to bird songs and lizard chirps.

You found yourself walking behind everyone. Noticing the quick glances Katara would occasionally give you, showing her unease at having you at her back.

Aang drifted towards you after a short conversation with Toph and Sokka that you couldn’t hear.

“So.”

You looked at him from the corner of your eyes. His tattoos were once again covered by a headband, his dark hair covering the rest of his head.

“You want to talk about the whole Avatar thing. But honestly, I have no clue...and I’m scared Aang.” Your last words came out in a whisper, barely a breath.

You knew Aang heard you though by the way he stiffened ever so slightly and his hand twitched like he wanted to comfort but didn’t want to overstep.

Instead, he ended up clasping his hands together behind his head, staring ahead at the others, “I know we don’t have a lot of answers [Y/n], but we should go over what we do know so we can figure it out.”

Closing your eyes for a moment, you thought back over the events that led you to your current position.

“So we know that you’re the true Avatar.”

Your statement startled Aang and he opened his mouth, but before he could argue, you shook your head and met his grey eyes head on, “You know it’s true Aang. I’m not supposed to be here. Simple as that. I’m only a- a multi bender because some dark spirit got released.”

You struggled with calling yourself an Avatar and settled with Multi Bender. Because that’s what you truly were, weren’t you. The Avatar was someone merged with the spirit of Raava not Vaatu, like you were.

“Let’s not forget, Avatar Roku said it was a sign of change. And that you can control how Vaatu merges with your soul.” 

You were thankful Aang didn’t argue with you, but his words brought a round of nausea through you.

“Yeah. And I feel like I might have already screwed up.”

At Aang’s curious glance, you sighed and elaborated, “How I reacted to General Iroh and my past...that wasn’t all just me. I could feel Vaatu coursing through me, feeding my anger, stoking it higher.” Your tone was dejected, and you couldn’t look at Aang anymore as you felt the shame of your actions.

A gentle touch on your arm had you startling and looking back at the Air Bender.

A soft smile graced his lips and you felt the sudden urge to hide behind your hands but at the same time protect that smile with everything you had.

“[Y/n], you can’t beat yourself over that. You acted rashly, but you can choose how you react from now on. And with us beside you,” he gestured ahead to where Sokka was teasing Toph and Katara was shaking her head good naturedly at them, “I know you can achieve great things!”

Aang’s words of encouragement had your breath catching in your throat. You felt hot tears sting your eyes but you refused to allow them to fall.

This was a first for you. People believing in you, having your back.

Sure Prince Zuko had been there for you when you were a simple servant and child in the royal palace, but this was different.

These people had no reason to be this nice and understanding, and yet here was Aang, smiling softly at you, his hand gently holding your arm as if to cement you into the moment.

Which was broken when a cry rose out from in front of you.

“We’re here!” 

Looking ahead, you saw sunlight illuminating some rooftops as the village came closer into focus.

As you entered the village, you villagers glaring distrustfully, and ushering their kids into their houses.

Lowering your voice, you whispered to Aang, “It doesn’t look like they get strangers that often.”

Aang frowned, head going back and forth watching the villagers, “Something’s wrong here.”

As you reached the center of the village, you saw an elderly woman pulling up a bucket of water from a well.

As she bent over to shoulder a wooden pole with a bucket filled on each side, you rushed forward and gently took it from her grasp.

She gasped but then smiled at you from her hunched position, “Why thank you dearie.”

You smiled back at the grandmotherly woman. Even slightly hunched from age, the woman had an eerie beauty to her with her long gray hair and cloudy gray eyes.

Looking behind you, her eyes widened at the sight of the other four, “My my. Travelers? We barely get any this time of year. Come come, Hama here runs a small inn where you can rest.”

Waving a gnarled, age spot riddled hand, she turned and began hobbling towards the edge of the village.

Shrugging at everyone, you hoisted the water buckets up and began following the lady.

Soon you were all walking close together following the woman. Katara was on your left next to Aang as well.

Whispering, her voice laced with concern, “Should we be trusting this woman so early on? We know nothing about her or the village.”

A hoarse laugh caught you off guard.

Realizing that a small cottage style house stood before you and you were on the doorstep, Hama turned around, her eyes glinting in the sun.

“Just because I’m old doesn’t mean I have bad hearing.” She tapped the side of her head playfully.

Katara flushed, and you tensed, ready to run at the first sign of danger.

Looking intently at Katara, Hama said something that sent all of you reeling.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen another waterbender besides myself.”

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[awkwardpenguinproductions]

Mission

Part 6 of the Dragon of the Yuyan

Read on AO3 | Series Masterpost

Please beware the tags!

Zuko crouches on the thick tree limb, bow poised and arrow nocked, and silently watches the small herd of fox-deer grazing down below. One of the animals shifts, and between one breath and the next, Zuko aims, pulls, and looses, downing a medium-sized buck. A split second later, Private Shun of Haili Squad looses and brings down a second buck. He catches his eye across the clearing and grins at him, feeling his facepaint crinkle a bit. Shun nods back, cracking a tiny smile of approval, his own Yuyan “mask” smooth and flawless.

The fox-deer have run off, spooked by two of their own dropping dead from flying sticks, and Zuko and Shun clean and dress the kills before lugging them back to camp.

Kai is mending a net and sulking a few feet away from the campfire as Zuko and Shun approach, and he turns to pout at them pathetically.

Zuko, Jiyoti won't let me help make dinner! He signs, puffing out his cheeks like a child, although his eyes twinkle behind his own facepaint mask.

Because we don't all want to die of food poisoning, dumbass, Jiyoti replies, rolling her eyes and sticking out her tongue. On a bamboo mat in front of her is a pile of chopped tomato-chokes and a kitchen knife, while a pot full of boiling water and noodles hangs over the campfire.

Captain Hiroki is sitting nearby with the Captain of Haili Squad, Satomi, pouring over maps of the local terrain. He watches the conversation with a smirk, and signs, I have orders from Commander Toshiaki himself not to let you cook anything, Private Kai.

Kai groans silently and flops backward onto the ground. Why is everyone so mean to me?

Zuko places the fox-deer carcass on a bamboo mat that Mika spreads out, and gently kicks at Kai's hip. Cheer up, if you really want to help out, you can do the dishes after!

Somebody kill me please, Kai signs limply, wrinkling his nose.

Captain Satomi rolls her eyes. You'll have to wait until the mission's over, Private. We've got a job to do here.

Zuko butchers the two fox-deer, separating some of the meat out to be cooked fresh, and using his firebending to dry the rest into jerky. Jiyoti takes the fresh meat and spears it on thin sticks to roast over the fire, and once Zuko is done with the jerky, he takes over control of the fire while Mika and Haili Squad's sergeant, Ai, divvy the jerky up between the two squads' supplies.

After dinner, Captain Satomi orders the two squads to gather for a briefing.

We're a day out from Huzhen, where the Third Infantry Corps is waiting to take the last Earth Kingdom outpost west of the West Lake, she signs. The 63rd and 59th Divisions will reinforce the Third, while we keep watch on the rear and make sure the Earth Kingdom forces don't attempt to surprise our own. When we move out tomorrow, Haili Squad will take point and Chihese Squad will cover until we reach the Third's encampment.

Zuko isn't thrilled about having to trail behind two whole divisions of infantry all marching across the Earth Kingdom for a whole day, but at least he'll get to practice his tree-running.

The two squads and the divisions they're accompanying break camp the next morning and are formed up and marching as Agni rises before them. Zuko spends the morning leaping from tree limb to tree limb, racing Kai until the moron misses a step and gets a tree branch in the gut for his trouble, then following the cart Kai is assigned to "protect" and making stupid faces at him. The small force marches all day, eating on the go and only stopping for a few minutes at a time to refill waterskins as needed.

The sun is low behind them when they finally reach the Third Infantry Corps' encampment. The commanding officer of the Third, a Lieutenant General Hanzou, greets the arrivals and relieves the two Yuyan squads of their escort duty. Captains Satomi and Hiroki are to report to a strategy meeting in the morning with the rest of the Third's command staff, otherwise the squads are to stand down for the time being.

Zuko sleepily helps Kai pitch the tent, starts the campfire with an exhausted wave of his hand, and collapses into his bedroll with a silent sigh. It’s been a long week, and he has a split second to enjoy the idea of not having any real duties tomorrow before he's fast asleep.

As always, he rises with the sun, and joins the Third's firebenders in their morning meditation and drills before returning to his squad for breakfast. After a quick meal of fox-deer jerky and noodles, the captains go off to their meeting, while the sergeants drill the half-dozen privates for morning PT. After PT ends and the captains haven't returned, Zuko decides to spend his downtime exploring the Third's camp. He shimmies up a tall tree to get a good look at the lay of the land.

The Third Infantry Corps is camped on top of a bluff overlooking the village of Huzhen, which is a ramshackle cluster of buildings hugging the shore of the massive West Lake of the Earth Kingdom. Between the Third's camp and the village is a good half mile of open ground, which Zuko figures is where the battle with the Earth Kingdom forces camped just outside the village will take place. He peers at the haphazard collection of green tents huddled in a tight square less than a hundred feet from the edge of the lake, and his stomach sinks as he compares it to the sprawling complex of the Third's encampment on the bluff. He can't imagine such a small force, barely a company's worth, being so much trouble that a whole corps, made up of five divisions of Fire Nation Army Infantry, is needed to ensure victory. It feels a bit like treason, but he can't help but think that the Fire Nation Army's response to this situation is a little excessive.

But if there's anything his burning and abandonment has taught him, it's that nobody with any real power cares what he thinks.

Zuko leans back against the trunk of the tree and breathes. He can distantly hear the sounds of military life coming from the Third’s camp, and he lazily scans the neat assemblage of red tents until his eye falls on a dark, squat, rectangular box about the size of a mess tent. It’s a mobile prison, meant to contain earthbenders captured in battle, and Zuko is immediately on fire with curiosity. He’s never seen an earthbender before, and this could be his chance to get close without having to worry about them burying him alive or grinding him to a bloody paste between a pair of boulders. No one can bend metal, after all.

Zuko makes his way to the mobile prison, grinning and waving at the soldiers who called out friendly greetings, and ducking away from the ones who leer or swipe out at him.

The squat iron building seems much bigger now that Zuko is standing beside it than it had when Zuko had seen it from afar, but he shakes off his sudden nerves and circles around it. It’s made up of multiple panels of iron bolted together, with a single door and one long narrow window at the top of each panel for air. It can be put together in a matter of hours, and taken apart just as quickly.

“Who’s there?” A powerful male voice rings out from within. Zuko startles, then takes a running jump and lands lightly on the prison roof. Each panel of the roof has a large square barred window for light and air, and he approaches the closest one and peers down.

Narrowed green eyes glare murderously back. “Well?” Demands the hugely muscled man they, and the voice, belong to. “Who in Koh’s name are you? What do you want? If you’re just here to gawk, then you can go right on your merry way and leave us alone.”

Another man, with less muscles but an impressive brown beard, stomps over to join his fellow in glaring up at Zuko. “Something the matter, Corporal?”

“Got another visitor, Sergeant,” the corporal replies. “Not very chatty this time around.”

The sergeant’s face goes slack as he stares up at Zuko. “Oma and Shu, that’s one of those Yuyan demons!”

Demons? Zuko’s pretty sure no one in his Troop is a demon, except maybe Lan during that time of the month.

“For real, sir? A Yuyan?” The corporal asks, hostility melting slightly into curiosity.

The sergeant sneers. “Yeah, you can tell by the face markings and the uniform. They don’t talk, though, so good luck getting anything out of it.” The sergeant claps the corporal on the shoulder and ambles away to sit against the wall with some of the other earthbenders. The corporal stays where he is, fist propped on one hip and the other hand rubbing his stubbly chin, stance wide and firmly rooted as he stares up at Zuko. He almost looks… thoughtful, if Zuko is reading his face right.

“Hey up there,” he calls, far more curiosity than suspicion in his tone this time. “You understand Common?”

Zuko rolls his eyes, but obligingly taps out yes.

The corporal blinks, and his mouth works a bit without sound. Zuko wonders if the man actually expected a response.

“Does… does that mean yes?” The man asks, voice slow and careful, as though Zuko is a mongoose lizard about to spit poison.

Zuko taps out yes again.

A broad grin spreads across the corporal’s face. “Wow, okay, what’s “no”, then?”

Zuko taps out no, then again when the corporal asks. Then, seemingly emboldened by their interaction so far, the corporal asks, "Are you actually a demon?"

Zuko wants to bang his head against the metal, but settles for a simple no.

The corporal smiles sheepishly. "Sorry, had to ask. Nobody's ever gotten close enough to one of you to find out for sure. My name's Hwan. Do you have a name?"

Of course Zuko has a name. But he can't teach this Earth Kingdom corporal the signal language, Captain Hiroki would throw a fit, and Commander Toshiaki would never let Zuko out of the Stronghold again. So he can't actually tell Corporal Hwan his name.

And why would he even want to? He wonders to himself. These are earthbenders. They're savages who refuse to submit to Fire Nation superiority. Earthbenders killed Lu Ten, and broke Uncle Iroh's spirit. Why is he even thinking about trying to communicate with them?

But how superior can the Fire Nation be when they sacrifice their own for a meaningless victory? When the response to a tired, bedraggled force on the verge of surrender is overwhelming numbers?

Yes, Zuko taps out.

"Huh, I don't know a lot of Fire Nation names… is it Lee?"

Honestly, that would've been a really good guess––Lee is a popular name in the Fire Nation. Zuko shrugs, and taps out yes.

Hwan lights up like a Solstice firework. "Awesome, first guess! Is it true that the Yuyan Archers are non-benders?"

Yes.

"Wow, that's amazing. I'm an earthbender, I can't imagine not being able to bend," Hwan says, then looks around himself and bares his teeth in a sheepish grimace. "Of course, that was before I was put in here."

Now that is a question Zuko would love answered. What in Agni's name is Hwan and his unit doing here? Why are they being held prisoner on the front lines? Most prisoners of war captured in battle are immediately sent back to holding facilities within Fire Nation territory, either to be ransomed for their Fire Nation equivalents (not that there are many, given that any Fire Nation soldier would rather fight to the death than be taken captive) or to be conscripted into labor for mines and factories that supply the war effort. Depending on how long ago Hwan's unit had been taken, they should've been sent on their way long before Zuko and the Archers had arrived.

Hwan asks more questions, and Zuko marvels as everything he was ever taught about Earth Kingdom people is systematically proven wrong. Hwan is friendly, inquisitive, and intelligent, and honestly makes Zuko wish he could talk without having a panic attack because he has so many questions. The other men in Hwan's unit scowl and glower and mutter darkly, but Hwan happily chatters at Zuko without regard for their status as enemy combatants, and it blows Zuko's mind.

A gong sounds, signaling evening mess. Zuko has to go back to the Yuyan camp, or Captain Hiroki will send someone to retrieve him.

"Do you have to go?" Hwan asks.

Yes, Zuko taps out, reluctantly.

The Earth Kingdom soldier bites his lip, looking conflicted. "Will you… come back? When you can?"

Zuko blinks. While their interaction has been pleasant, and for Zuko, rather eye-opening, he hadn't expected Hwan to want to continue talking to him.

Yes, Zuko replies, resolving to steal some writing supplies to use on his next visit.

"Bye then! See you next time!" Hwan calls, waving. Zuko waves back, leaps off the mobile prison, and books it back to the camp, mind whirling.

Normally Zuko wolfs his food down at meals, partially a holdover from his six months of surviving in the wilderness where every second he lingered over food was one more second something stronger and fiercer than he was could steal it from him, and partially so that he could use his hands to sign with his squad and his other friends. Tonight he eats slowly, thoughtfully, turning over his odd conversation with Corporal Hwan of the Earth Kingdom Army in his mind. Kai has to snap his fingers five times to get Zuko's attention, but before his best friend can even position his hands to sign, Captain Satomi is already doing so.

Squads, fall in for briefing, she orders. Zuko puts aside his noodles and does his best to focus.

The Third Infantry Corps will move out at dawn tomorrow morning, she says, and then pauses to draw a diagram in the dirt. The 63rd and 59th Divisions will flank the Third on either side, surrounding the enemy. Chihese and Haili Squads will be stationed along the bluff to protect the Third's rear. We'll move out before dawn to select perches. Everyone needs to do a weapons check and get a good night's sleep tonight.

Zuko suppresses a sigh and goes to his bedroll. With sure, practiced fingers, he checks over his arrows and his bow, waxes his extra bowstrings, and sharpens his dao and throwing knives. Looks like he won't be visiting his new friend any time soon.

Getting up before dawn is easy for a firebender who meditates with the rising sun, but getting his non-bender best friend up is a process as long and tedious as filing expense reports with the rice counters back in Caldera. Zuko finally resorts to kicking Kai in the ass, hard, which does the trick but results in Kai shooting him baleful looks all through the hurried breakfast of cold onigiri. Zuko ignores him. This is his first real military action, and he is not going to let Kai's determination to sleep in ruin it for him.

The squads split up, with Chihese going northwest and Haili going northeast. The bluff is lined with scraggly tree-bushes, and every couple dozen feet, a squad member sets up a nest. Zuko is positioned between Jiyoti on his right and Mika on his left. He sets down his swords (he would only need them if things went completely to Koh's lair in a handbasket), resettles his quiver on his back, and strings his bow. Sunrise is moments away.

The sky lightens as the Earth Kingdom forces array themselves before the village. Zuko digs out his spyglass from his pack and raises it to his eye. His initial estimate of the enemy's numbers was pretty accurate: there's barely two hundred Earth Kingdom soldiers on the field.

As dawn breaks, the Third Infantry Corps marches out onto the field. Lieutenant General Hanzou and two of his close subordinates ride out on mongoose lizards to meet the Earth Kingdom commander, but the meeting is only a few minutes and both parties return to their respective forces.

A horn sounds, and the Earth Kingdom soldiers roar in response.

A small group of Fire Nation soldiers move forward to meet them, but something is wrong. They're shuffling awkwardly, not marching, and it seems like… they're being prodded along… at spearpoint?

Zuko raises his spyglass, frowning.

The uniforms on these soldiers are ill-fitting… too tight across backs and shoulders, and bunching too much at joints. There's also… shackles?... around the soldiers' wrists and ankles…

Zuko's insides twist.

One of the soldiers turns around, and Zuko's heart stops. Hwan.

The huge earthbender's eyes are wide and his face is pallid in the frame of the Fire Nation helmet on his head.

The disguised Earth Kingdom soldiers shout in terror as their comrades on the other side of the field charge.

Rocks whistle as they fly.

The air fills with screams.

Zuko feels numb. He feels like throwing up. But he can't look away.

The Earth Kingdom soldiers are merciless. If they realize that they are fighting their own brethren, they don't show it. The disguised captives try to scramble backwards, but they're chained hand and foot to each other. They're stuck, and the Earth Kingdom soldiers are relentless.

The captives are slaughtered, one and all.

In the echoing silence after the last boulder falls, all Zuko can hear is his heart thundering in his ears. A quintet of Earth Kingdom soldiers creep out of their trench and approach the dead. Wails rise up as they realize what has happened.

Then an arrow flies, trailing a crimson ribbon. The Third roars in unison and attacks.

In minutes that feel like days, the Earth Kingdom soldiers are all but wiped out. The 59th and 63rd Divisions move in less because they are needed, and more because they want to join in the fun. The Earth Kingdom company is torn to shreds like a fox-deer under the claws of a tigerdillo.

Zuko drops his bow, sweeps his dao out of the way, and vomits.

Then he curls forward with his forehead pressing into the dirt and sobs.

Previous | Next

[the-yellowturtle]

ZKDD Day 30: Forever Family

Title: If One of Your Soulmates Told You to Go Jump in the River, Would You?

Rating: T (cussing, mentioned past character death, brief mention of infanticide)

Summary: Zuko always believed his destiny was tied to the Avatar, he just never thought it would be in this way. (Fruits Basket!AU)

Note: A/N can be found on AO3 (including a chart to figure out your atla zodiac lol) Also! I would appreciate feedback because I’m thinking of expanding on this idea more for the Zutara Big Bang :)

@zkdrabbledecember

A long time ago, the Avatar lived together in harmony with their twelve friends: the shirshu, the flying bison, the tiger seal, the jackalope, the dragon, the koi fish, the ostrich horse, the koala sheep, the winged lemur, the turtleduck, the polar bear dog, and the badgermole.

Unfortunately, those idyllic days did not last forever. Strife was brewing between the Spirit and Human Worlds, and only the Avatar was capable of restoring balance. There was no choice, but to leave the Spirit World and to live among the humans. The Avatar was heartbroken to be separated from their closest friends, but they knew they must do so, or great calamity would befall the world.

The Twelve understood why the Avatar must go, however, they could not bear to be parted from the one that had brought them all together.

“We will follow you. We will join you in bringing balance to the Spirit and Human Worlds,” the Twelve told the Avatar.

“Let us be together forever,” the Avatar responded with joy. “May we always find each other in every life.

From that day onward, the Avatar has always been accompanied by members of the Twelve. For there is nothing on this planet that is more powerful than the bond between the Twelve and the Avatar. They are destined to be together. Forever.

___

Everyone had always thought he was a fool for choosing to pursue the Avatar.

Zuko had been given two avenues to regain his honor, and he had opted to search for the mythical figure that had been missing for over a century. His crew detested his decision, and Uncle… Uncle was apathetic towards his efforts at best; most likely disappointed he could not relive his glory days through his nephew.

He knew others thought that he had given up, that he had never planned on returning to his place in the Fire Nation, that he was too weak and too much of a coward to hunt members of the Twelve. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

He would gladly struggle and fight for as long as possible because he knew his destiny. His destiny was to capture the Avatar, and the airbender’s reemergence had proven him correct. It was only a matter of time now.

The first few attempts had gone astray, but Zuko had a good feeling about collaborating with the pirates to capture the waterbender to use as bait. It didn’t matter that Uncle did not agree with his methods, and that Zuko had to set off by himself with only a small squadron. He would prove Uncle and everyone else wrong; he had to.

___

When you were one of the Twelve, touch was the most intimate of things. Any form of embrace would trigger the transformation, so most Zodiac members learnt to dance around it; learnt how to get out of the societal norms that would so often lead to falling into other’s arms.

But Katara thrived on it. She patted heads, held hands, bumped shoulders, and kissed foreheads. She loved to touch others; to get as close as possible. She knew it was dangerous, but she loved it. She wanted others to know that she cared for them.

Before Aang, she had only ever been hugged by her family. Some of her favorite memories were of when her mom would let her transform and spend the whole day cuddling together in the furs. (Only under duress would she admit that Sokka carrying her around like a polar dog pup were also some of her favorites).

For her whole life, an embrace had only ever been a signifier of the utmost trust and affection. Hugs and cuddles were sacred, not a thing to be feared.

However, that was before Aang and before leaving the Southern Water Tribe and before seeing the wanted posters of rumored members of the Twelve.

That was before Zuko had snuck up on her, said that spirits awful line, and sent her careening back into the arms of one of the pirates. That was before time stopped for a moment and her stomach dropped and she thought to herself: fuck .

___

Katara expected to see a few things when she opened her eyes:

The puff of smoke from her transformation? Check.

Her pile of clothes on the ground? Check.

Pirates and Fire Nation soldiers charging at her? Check.

What Katara was never expecting to see —not even after a thousand years — was a poof of smoke similar to her own clearing up, and a turtleduck emerging from a pile of red and gold armor.

Before her mind could even form the question of what in the Four Nations just happened, one of the soldiers shouted, “Prince Zuko is a traitor! Seize him and the tiger seal!”

“Oh no you don’t,” the Pirate Captain sneered, “We’ll be the ones gettin’ the reward for the turtleduck and tiger seal.”

And then all hell broke loose.

With all of her might, Katara bounced her way between the fighting pirates and soldiers, biting and tail whipping as she went. She needed to get to the river; outswimming them was the only plausible method of escape.

She was almost there, the water practically touching her flippers, when she heard a familiar raspy voice command, “Get back! I’m your Prince!” followed by hisses of pain.

Zuko.

Her enemy. The boy who relentlessly chased them around the world, trying to kidnap Aang and destroy any chance at peace. And the boy, who apparently was one of her soulmates. One of the people she had shared countless lifetimes with maintaining balance. The boy who was near the water, but was too busy breathing fire at the advancing troops to notice his surroundings.

She didn’t know why he spent so long pursuing them when he could have joined them, but she did know that he needed some help. And Katara never turned her back on people who needed her.

So she screamed, “Zuko! Go jump in the river!”

___

Zuko did not know what was happening.

He did not know why one of his men stumbling into him caused a tiny explosion. He did not know why he’s suddenly the size of a cat. He did not know why he appeared to have a beak and a shell now. He did not know why his men were calling him a traitor.

Zuko only knew one thing: the spirits hated him.

So he ran because the men chased him. He screamed because they further besmirched his honor with lies. He breathed fire because they attacked him.

He was disconnected from reality; the only thing that felt real was the pounding in his ears and the churning of his stomach.

“Zuko! Go jump in the river!”

It was the waterbender. The tiger seal. She called to him from the river bank, slapping her fins against the water for emphasis. “Jump in the river!”

So he jumped.

___

There was a saying in the Fire Nation navy: A decent sailor knows the changes of the tides; a great sailor knows the cycles of the Twelve .

As important as the knowledge contained in the official seafaring manual was, it did not bring glory to their homeland. Any average Lee could spew off the fuel consumption rate of a Fire Nation cruiser; only the greatest of men could present the Fire Lord with a member of the Twelve in chains. And even then, only the best of them would be permitted to carry out the execution themselves.

Captain Zhao had been granted this honor thirteen times. In fact, he was the most successful hunter of the Twelve in the history of the Fire Nation. Not even the Dragon of the West, with a measly count of three kills, could compare to him. There was a reason the old man was wasting away on a dilapidated rust bucket, and Zhao was being heralded as the Zodiac Killer.

Yes, Zhao was quite proud of his accomplishments, but he wanted more. He had brought thirteen members of the Twelve to their knees before the people of Caldera City, but four of those had been repeats. And where was the glory in that?

No one had ever managed a complete set, but Zhao would most definitely be the first. The jackalope, koi fish, and turtleduck were the only ones left.

The jackalope was still at large in the Earth Kingdom, but was most likely under the protection of Omashu’s Mad King. After dealing with the Northern Water Tribe, Omashu would be the next stronghold to fall to the Fire Nation.

The koi fish had always been the trickiest of the Twelve to catch. This was not due to the koi fish being particularly intelligent or skillful, but simply because it was a creature cursed with terrible luck. Most parents were terrified when their newborn transformed into a fish, and by the time they realized what was happening; their fish child had already suffocated. As a result, it was impossible to know for sure how many incarnations of the koi fish had been reborn since the start of the Hundred Year War.

The koi fish of the Zodiac would be an excellent addition to his collection, but Zhao had it on good authority that there’s an even better prize in the Northern Water Tribe. Besides, it’s been at least two decades since the North had presented the Fire Nation with one of the Twelve, perhaps Zhao would come across a pleasant surprise during his expedition.

And then there was the turtleduck. After confirmation that the previous turtleduck had been an Earth Kingdom warrior, Zhao had been scouring the Poles for rumors. He had assumed the next would be of Water descent, but oh how shortsighted he had been.

How could he have forgotten how often Earth liked to mix themselves with others? The warrior had not been an Earth incarnation, but one of Air.

The current cycle was Fire. And after reading the memo on his desk about reports of pirates seeing a scarred boy transform into a turtleduck, he knew exactly who to look for.

Zhao had always enjoyed the hunt, but this was shaping up to be his favorite. It’s not everyday you get to kill a prince, after all.

[chlodani]

This is my new smau. It's a Sokka x F!Reader pairing smau. Title: More Than A Roommate

Trigger warning: Mature! Slight swear warning! If your sensitive to mature language and swearing, I've warned you ahead of time. Mentions of sex!

Y/n's new roommate seems intensely interested in her life and wants to know everything about her. She's flattered and a little freaked out, but it’s nice to have someone to talk to. Though she thinks it's a problem that he's so handsome and their living together. But what will he do when he finds out Y/n's a Firebender? Will he accept her for who she is or will he shut her out because of his bad past with the Fire Nation?

Special Edition Part 19 Continued. . .

Y/n's P.O.V.

I quickly gathered what I needed. It wasn't much, but I did grab my sword. I never know when I'll need that. Even though I'm a Firebender that can bend red flame and red lightning, I'm still badass with a sword. Though I can't take all the credit, Sokka helped me with part of that. He's helped me to practice and he's taught me what he knows. A tear slipped from my eye as I stood in Sokka's room for a moment, staring at his boomerang on the wall. As I turned my head, I looked at the picture he had of us on his nightstand. I picked it up, looking at it, as a couple more tears fell. I cleared my throat, closing my eyes forcing the rest of my tears away. Wiping away the tears that remained, I opened my eyes setting the picture down. I looked directly at Sokka in the picture.

"Dont worry Sokka, I'm coming for you,"

With that said, I walked out of the room, heading out of the apartment.

. . .

Adelina's P.O.V.

I paced back and forth in my sister's apartment waiting for my friends to arrive. They were taking forever. I just wanted to leave on my own and go find my sister. She could be in serious danger right now. As Toph said I can believe that she went off alone, but I'm just so angry with her. If something happens to her, I would never forgive myself. She's my everything. She's my Boo. I need her. And whether she admits it or not she needs me to. And this is one of the times she needs me. Ughhh! I wanna kick her ass so bad. Though I guess I cant blame her. I am as much in love with Zuko as she is with Sokka. If Azula was doing this to Zuko, I'd wanna do more than just kick her ass. I jumped as the door opened. Pretty much all my friends walked in at the same time. And Iroh was behind Zuko. I face palmed myself. I looked directly as Zuko.

"Zuko, what is Iroh doing here?" I asked him trying not to show him how angry I was for my missing sister and future brother-in-law.

"We're not the only ones who are Y/n's family Adelina. Iroh is to. Uncle's known you guys since you were kids, he wants to help. He cares for her too," Zuko explained to me.

"And you forget Lina, that my nickname used to be, Dragon of the West - I am still a Firebender and I want to make sure nothing happens to the people I love," Iroh explained to me calmly.

I sighed as I looked at him. I didn't have time to debate.

"Fine, - But we have to go, - Right now - We're already running out of time," I told them in a hurried panic as I headed to the door.

Nothing will stop me from protecting Y/n and Sokka.

. . .

Y/n's P.O.V.

I headed to the Earth King's old quarters. I figured if Azula is going to be hiding out anywhere in Ba Sing Se, with that sicko of a dick waffle Jet and the Dia Lee agents, its gonna be there. And I wasn't playing around. As soon as I got to the door, I blasted two of the Dia Lee out of the way. I want my Sokka back and nothing will keep me from him. I walked throughout the halls and the main throne room but I didn't see Azula. I knew they both were hiding here somewhere. As I walked throughout the throne room, I felt a familiar presence. I stood firm not wanting to turn around. He quickly grabbed my wrists as he stood behind me, standing as close to me as he could. He made me drop my sword. I closed my eyes as the sound of the sword hitting the floor hit my ears. Jet held my wrists tightly, as he pressed himself against me.

"Its nice to see you again Y/n, -"

I could feel shivers running through my entire body. And they weren't the good kind.

"Jet? -"

"We haven't seen each other in awhile Y/n. I've tried texting you but you didnt answer -"

He was getting closer to my neck. I had my eyes closed, because I didnt want to admit this was happening.

"When texting didnt work I tried calling but you still didnt answer -"

Jet moved his lips along my neck so softly, it drove me insane. My breath hitched as he pressed himself against me.

"Though, I can look past you ignoring me for weeks, if you - give me the chance I deserve, -"

"You know you don't deserve it," I told him.

"Really? -"

Jet quickly turned me around, pressing me to the wall behind us, pushing himself against me. He had my wrists held down, so I couldn't fight back. He still moved his lips along my neck. He knew just how to do it, in ways that would drive me crazy. I tried to move, but Jet had me held down.

"You lied to me Jet," I said to him.

I tried to show him I was angry, but he was hitting the sweetest spot on my neck. The spot he knew was my favorite before when we were together years ago. I honestly hate him right now.

"I lied to you only because I love you - I needed you back. I cant live without you. - "

He gently pressed his lips harder. I wanted to cry, but I forced myself not to. I still forced my eyes to stay closed.

"I need you in my life - I dont want to be forced to live without you - "

"Then you shouldn't have lied to me and joined Azula,"

He moved his lips down farther.

"You don't understand - I needed you - I still need -"

He brought his knee up between my legs, creating friction. A slight whine left me.

"Where's Sokka?"

I tried to speak sternly, but with what he was doing, it was really difficult to keep my composure.

"Look Y/n, I know you still love me, - You cant deny it,"

"Yes, I can - You're nothing that Sokka is - You never have been and you never will be,

! - He's better than you in every way!"

Jet said nothing for a moment as he looked at me.

"How can I prove to you that I still love you?"

I stared directly into his eyes, with the straightest face I could possibly have.

"You can't,"

I could see the anger hidden behind his eyes. In an instant he pressed his lips onto mine with force. He pressed himself against me as hard as he could. I honestly didnt know what to do. A part of me still did love him. Those feelings dont just go away. Jet still had me held down, but he kissed me like he used to when we were together before. Before I even know what I was doing I kissed him back only slightly. I honestly wish he'd never come back. I wouldn't have to deal with any of this. Just as I felt him moving his hands down to my thighs, he was ripped off of me and thrown to the ground. I looked over to see Mai.

"Thank you Mai," I said to her in a soft tone.

"Damn Y/n, if you were over Sokka that quickly, you could've just dumped him," Mai said to me.

I shook my head.

"No, I'm not -"

I was just staring at Jet. Mai had her foot on him, holding him down.

"What happened with me and Jet is a long story, but the only person I care about right now is Sokka. I need to find him. As far as Jet is concerned, he can go to hell," I told Mai.

She knew I was upset with Jet by the tone of my voice.

"Well, I may need your Firebending as an assistant while I tie him to this post," Mai said to me forcing Jet to his feet.

I stared directly into Jet's eyes as Mai held him. Jet knew I was angry.

"I'd be my pleasure," I spoke in a calm voice.

"Y/n, don't do this! - You know that we're meant to be together," Jet protested as Mai dragged him over to the post.

"We were once - But life goes on Jet - Not everything has to stay the same. I moved on from you. You should do the same -"

"I can't," Jet spoke as Mai finished off the knot.

I squatted down in front of him.

"You can,"

Jet almost had tears in his eyes as he looked at me.

"I love you,"

"Then let me go, - There is someone out there for you Jet, but it's not me. - Maybe it was once, but we've grown apart. And deep down you know that. - When you kiss me you try to hard to make the feelings real, when you know they're not -"

"I love you Y/n, I always will,"

I gently took hold of Jet's hand.

"Of course you will, - You'll always love me - I was your first love, and you were mine we will always love each other, but that doesn't mean we should get back together just because we feel our old feelings and we think they're the feelings of now. - I fell in love with Sokka - Deeper than I ever did with you - And that's okay, because that means I can move on, and you need to move on too, -"

"I dont think I could ever let another girl kiss me,"

I exchanged glances with Mai. She gave me a knowing smile. She knelt down beside me, quickly grabbing his face, attaching their lips, kissing him with a passion. I could tell he was surprised, by the look on his face. He didnt even know what to do. Mai and I both stood up at the same time.

"Where's Sokka?" I asked her.

"He's just down that hall, in the third room on your right, - I'll stay here with Jet so he doesnt try anything too crazy. Just be careful of Azula, she could be lurking," Mai warned me.

I nodded to her. Without another word I left them alone, to find Sokka. Azula is going to pay, for even thinking about hurting my man. I headed down the hall, to the room Mai told me of. Sure enough when I entered, there was Sokka sitting against a bed on the floor, tied to the frame. He had his head down looking at the floor. I cautiously entered the room.

"Sokka, -"

He perked his head up, when he heard my voice.

"Y/n! Oh thank God you're here!" Sokka exclaimed as I rushed over to him.

I smiled as I looked into his face. I couldn't stop myself as I touched his face softly.

"Yeah, - I had to come," I told him softly.

I started to untie him.

"I knew you would, love - Jet and Azula are insane. Once I get outta here I'm gonna give them both a piece of my mind,"

"Don't worry baby, Mai is taking care of Jet and I'd suggest leaving Azula to me,"

I helped Sokka stand to his feet.

"What you think I cant handle it?"

I put my hand on his arm.

"No, sweetie that's not it. It's just I dont want you to be in the crossfire of one of Azula's lightning blasts,"

"Fair enough,"

I gave him my sword as a defense mechanism. Just as we started to walk out of the room, I heard footsteps down the hall coming this way. I put my hand on Sokka's chest, stopping him. I waited and listened. Just as they were right outside the door, I blasted them with fire, knocking them back a few feet. Sokka and I rushed out the door. It wasn't Azula like I had thought. It was one of the Dia Lee. I took Sokka's hand and we rushed off together to find her. Once we were outside in the courtyard, we stood there and waited. I could feel the presence of someone around. I listened and waited and made sure of my surroundings carefully. Just as I felt her a few feet behind us, and I knew she was going after Sokka, I stepped in front of him, putting a huge firewall in front of us, to protect him.

"So, I see you've defeated my Dia Lee and my secret weapon," Azula said to me in a challenging tone.

"It wasn't much of a secret weapon, - I mean come on using my ex-boyfriend, you really think I couldn't defeat him?"

"I just thought he was more angry than he actually was - Pathetic really, -"

"Well, now you have no beef with us, so you can let us go willingly," Sokka said to her.

"That's where you're wrong, - You see Jet mentioned something to me about helping me get revenge on Zuko and his friends for betraying me and lucky for me Y/n happens to be one of his best friends since we were kids. Today is just my day," Azula explained to Sokka.

A challenging look crossed my eye.

"Bring it on," I challeneged.

A devious smile passed her as she just stared at me. Just as she shot a huge flame of blue at me, I fired back at the same time with a huge flame of red. Our flames collided making an even larger flame of red and blue in the middle. I wont let Azula win. I'm stronger than she is. And she knows it. That's why she's trying so hard. Azula was trying to fire back stronger, but I was better. I went even larger with my flame, causing hers to dissipate, knocking her to the ground. Anger crossed her face as she looked at me. I stood before her with a determined look to my face.

"You've always been jealous of me Azula. - I can fight better than you - I never focused on my anger as a fuel for my fire. Your Uncle didnt just teach Zuko, he taught me and my sister too. We followed by everything he taught us. And we've stuck to it everyday of our lives since, -"

In her anger Azula got herself up and shot a fire kick at me. I quickly blocked it.

"You should've listened to your Uncle," I told her intimidatingly.

"Oh, I've learned a few things from my Uncle," Azula said to me through her anger.

I watched as Azula got into her familiar stance. I knew exactly what she was doing. I readied myself. Iroh told me I might need to use this to defend myself someday. Azula shot a bolt of lightning my way. It pushed me back as I caught it. I almost couldn't breathe or hold onto it. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the terrified look in Sokka's face. I let that fuel me. In just a few seconds I was the one controlling the lightning. I felt the energy and it was exhilarating, but it was also terrifying. Just as Zuko had stated once before. I redirected the lightning to shoot just past her head, singeing her hair. She was beyond angry as she looked at me.

"I've learned a few things from your Uncle too," I told her now even more intimated.

Sokka stood by me proud as he put his arm around me. I looked over just as our group of friends came running in. And Iroh was there to. Adelina ran over to me trapping me in her arms tightly. Zuko had hold of Azula.

"I am so glad you're safe," Adelina said to me in a slight panic.

"Yes, Lina, I'm fine," I told her.

She leaned away from me.

"It was so awesome! Azula shot lightning at her and she just stood there in firm ground and redirected the lightning at her! She was so cool!" Sokka exclaimed.

I chuckled at Sokka's reaction. I love him so much. It's hard for me not to love him.

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[royaltealovingkookiness]

I was totally not going to do Zutara Week, but seeing all the great stuff around I just had to write this. Story inspired by this fantastic piece of art.  Read on AO3 or below. @zutaraweek

Day 1 - Gifts

The Painted Lady glided through the red-and-gold hallways silently. It had been so long since she set foot in this place. Not since the virtues of justice and charity were abandoned by its owners in pursuit of glory and riches. But there were murmurs that things had changed. She was curious. 

The kitchen was bustling with activity. Knives dancing on chopping boards, pans sizzling with sauces, the fire burning in the oven.

“Don’t forget the plum-glaze on the pig-chicken, Michi, it’s the General’s favourite,” the head cook elbowed a sleepy sous-chef. 

Two young women were working on a dessert in the shape of a pond made from sparkling blue jelly, sculpting delicate turtle-ducklings out of melted candy. “It’s coming along nicely,” the chef gave them an encouraging nod.

She tasted the soup steaming in a huge pot with an uncertain expression. “Perhaps add a little bit more lemongrass? I’m afraid that the recipe I’ve had sent in from the South Pole is dreadfully unspecific on the spicing. But don’t make it too hot,” she instructed the plump woman in charge. 

The Painted Lady continued her way up to the second floor. Servants were busy decorating the dining hall with garlands and lampions. It was a cavalcade of colours and shapes; the sun and the moon, red and blue dragons, pink, green and yellow fish and birds. The long tables were already covered with crisp white table-cloth, and set with fine china bowls and plates. Laughter and chatter brightened the hall as the servants worked eagerly, careful to make everything perfect for the omiyamairi. 

The Painted Lady continued her way and came to a halt in front of a heavy wooden door. 

A young guard passed by her, unaware of her presence as he came running, yelling excitedly. “The guests have arrived.”

The woman standing in front of the door in Kyoshi uniform, motionless like a statue, scolded him on low voice. “Shhhh, she’s sleeping.”

The Painted Lady slid past them, into the room. It struck her how different it was from the rest of the palace. Brighter, softer. Instead of heavy crimson and gold curtains, the windows were covered with light white and blue linens. The paintings on the walls depicted curious animals from all around the world; penguins and turtle-seals ducking in icy ponds, sky-bison and flying lemurs soaring in the blue sky peppered with fluffy clouds, badgermoles clawing their way around their intricate tunnels under the green grass, dragons circling in the setting sun, turtle-ducks swimming in a pond, komodo-rhinos and ostrich-horses running wild in green pastures. A world once believed to be irrevocably lost. But hope sprung again that things could change for the better.  

She frowned when she noticed the figure covered in black leaning over the cradle. 

“You!” she said in alarm. “I didn’t think I’d find you here.”

The figure lifted his face, a familiar blue-and-white mask of permanently mischievous grin.

“Well, I could say the same, my Lady. It’s been far too long,” the Blue Spirit greeted her, his voice low and gravelly. 

She lifted her hands. “Step away, evil spirit, she’s under my protection. I’ve brought her gifts.”

There was no way he had a better claim than her to be the baby’s guide.

“Get in line then, I suggest,” he snickered, “because I got here first.”

“What could you give her that she’d want?” the Painted Lady grimaced. “The world has had enough evil already.”

“The spirit of freedom and self-reliance.” The Blue Spirit placed his hands over the cradle in a motion of blessing. “And that of selfless sacrifice,” he added quietly, like it was something private, something he didn’t want to share with her. 

“What would you know about selflessness?” She didn’t believe him for one second. He was a well-known trickster and trouble-maker, only ever looking out for himself.

“The truth is, we spirits are shaped by the beliefs of humans in us. And thanks to her father, people see me differently now. Something of a hero. Savior of the Avatar, I’m sure you heard,” the Blue Spirit winked at her. Yes, the Painted Lady had heard something about that, even if it was hard to believe that he of all spirits could ever change. “He helped me remember who I was and what I really stood for.”

The Painted Lady pondered his words. His story was strangely familiar. It was something they apparently had in common. 

“I know what you mean. I have started to fade away - there was too little justice and charity left in the world to sustain me. But her mother reignited the flame in people’s hearts and my shrines are once again alive. I’m stronger than I’ve ever been.”

“Justice and charity are noble gifts indeed. Go ahead, my Lady,” the Blue Spirit stood aside, letting her close to the crib.

Lifting her veil, the Painted Lady leaned over the sleeping baby. Fine, dark-brown curls framed her delicate face. 

“She’ll have her mother’s hair,” she noted with satisfaction. She felt connected to the young woman whose spirit awakened her from a long lull of frozen sleep, and by extension to this child.

The Painted Lady marked the baby’s sand-coloured skin with red spirit-paint for justice and drew a silver-moon on her forehead for charity. Her fingers were light as the night breeze, yet the little girl stirred and opened her eyelids. Her eyes shone like golden gemstones, as she stared at the spirits calmly. 

“She has her father’s eyes,” the Blue Spirit pointed out with satisfacton and reached out to tickle her arms gently. He seemed surprisingly warm, almost fatherly. 

The baby started to wiggle, kicking off her covers. The spirits gasped when they noticed the two rag-dolls lying next to her in the crib - black and white, blue and red, a man and a woman.

“That’s us!” They looked at each other in wonderment. 

The baby made excited noises. The connecting door opened immediately and a young man dressed in red pajama pants appeared with a worried face. 

“That’s him,” the Blue Spirit whispered.

The Painted Lady watched him curiously as he leaned over the crib and lifted the infant. Was he good enough to have stolen the young girl’s precious heart? He held his daughter close to his bare chest, supporting the back of her fragile neck with his strong hand. The baby quieted against his heartbeat, her little fists gripping his long, black hair. 

“You think she’s hungry, Zuko?” A voice from the other room called. The Painted Lady recognized it immediately as the voice of the caring, young girl. 

“Maybe,” he replied. He ran his fingers along the baby’s cheek. “Come little Turtle-Duck, time to see Mummy.” 

They disappeared behind the connecting door. 

The Painted Lady hurried after them, but the Blue Spirit planted himself in her way.

“Where are you going, my Lady? Our mission is done here. You know the rules,” he reminded her.

He was right of course. The divide between the world of humans and spirits couldn’t be crossed lightly. The spirits were not to meddle unnecessarily. But the Painted Lady wanted to see her so badly, to make sure she was happy. She smiled coyly at the Blue Spirit, he was known for bending rules after all.

“Just a glance,” she promised and he let her pass. She glided through the door and he followed her only after a moment of hesitation. 

The room was veiled in silvery-soft moonlight. There she was on the large bed, propped up against the pillows, cradled in her husband’s arms, her blue eyes sparkling with the purest joy. The baby rested on her breast, small hands grasping unto her mother’s skin. The hungry gulps and snuffles of the infant as she suckled were the only noise in the room. 

“What a beautiful family,” the Painted Lady sighed happily. 

“I think they were made for each other,” the Blue Spirit nodded in agreement. “And however small, we had a part in this.”

“Ssshhhhhh,” someone shushed them. They looked around startled. Yue, the moon spirit scowled at them from above. 

The Painted Lady and the Blue Spirit backed out of the room quietly; it was never a good idea to anger the greater spirits. 

They paused in the empty nursery, unsure of how to proceed, now that fate brought them together in such a strange way. 

“Well, I guess, this is it, my Lady. Until next time,” bowed the Blue Spirit. 

The Painted Lady was about to say good riddance, for old times' sake but she couldn’t shake the picture of the happy family from her mind. Creation, rebirth, peace, unity, love. Maybe the spirits could learn from the humans too every once in a century. Maybe their faith in the spirits could really change them for the better. She watched the Blue Spirit pensively, remembering the young man cradling his family. 

“Actually, I’m heading south,” she started hesitantly. “Gaipo region is suffering from floods - I could use the help.”

To her surprise, the Blue Spirit nodded eagerly. “It is a worthy cause. Lead the way, my Lady.”

[bellatrixobsessed1]

A Flame For A Cabbage (Part 14)

Sneaking into the boiling rock is much easier than expected. All it takes is a long and convoluted plot. Such is easy for Azula to come up with. Really, all she had to do was put on a false mustache and claim that her name is Jake, from State Farm, there to update them on company policy. Everyone knows that State Farm is the insurance company used by the Boiling Rock. But Azula does not like such simple thinking. Instead she had come up with a much grander scheme. She journeyed deep into and past a plethora of boobytraps until she came to a lost tribal society. A society that owns the last few dragons in the world. Her world anyhow. They were kind enough to allow her to borrow dragons red dragon, free of charge. Azula, however, felt a sense of kinship with the blue dragon.

The tribesmen had clicked their tongues, tsking. But they said that she could take the blue dragon, all she needed to do was part take in a ritual sacrifice. Being that, according to mother dearest, she is the spawn of Satan himself, this was no big deal for Azula. Unfortunately they were not expecting to do a ritual so soon so they did not have all of the necessary alter tools. So it was that Azula had to journey to find the special dragon atheme. She searched each of the four nations but came up empty handed. She knew that she needed to enter a different dimension.

Unfortunately, Bosco had been in charge of all interdimensional and alternate universe travel--since his death glitches in time and space have been far and few in between. So Azula made her way to the Foggy Swamp where she met with the witch doctor, who informed her that witch doctors and necromancers are not the same thing so he could not  resurrect Bosco. But the witch doctor was kind enough to point her in the direction of the Foggy Swamp necromancer.  Feeling optimistic, she had knocked on the woman’s door. The woman said that she would help resurrect Bosco, but she was all out of ritual candles.

So it was that Azula journeyed back to the Fire Nation to pick up several ritual candles. But they were all out of black wax. However, the candlemaker was willing to make her a special order if she could procure an item for him. Azula had nodded and asked him what item he seeks. The man said that he needed some protective paper. Easy enough, Azula had thought, forgetting that the virus had left toilet paper in short supply.

After combing through dozens of stalls and finding them baren of toilet paper, the merchant decided that she would have to break into the palace and steal some from the Fire Lord’s stach. She had tried to bribe the guards but he wanted a free cabbage. By all means that was easy enough but Azula never sells her cabbages for free. Instead she seeks out an unlikely alley.

It had taken a lot of searching, but finally she found the hideout of team avatar. Upon asking for help, Katara threw several items at her including a crowbar,  a ceiling fan,  a spare tire, a walrus, and an electric stove. “You killed Aang!” She accused. And it was a true accusation. And so Azula informed her, “if you help me break into the place to steal toilet paper, I can go to the candlemaker who will make me some ritual candles to take to the necromancer will summon Bosco for me. And while she is resurrecting Bosco, she can resurrect that arrow-headed cabbage killer, Aang.”

Wholly confused by the whole situation, Katara agreed to help Azula break into the palace. “Here, you can borrow our Toph. That ought to get you in.” She had lifted the blind earthbender up and handed her to Azula.

Azula thought that it would be smooth sailing from there, but she was wrong. The Earthbender said that she would only help if Azula could make her see. So Azula tried seeking out Christ. But Azula is an unholy creature, according to her mother, and so it did not work. What she did not know is that all she had to do was go to confession and then she would be forgiven. But Azula is afraid of confessing anything so she chuckled nervously and accepted that it was a hopeless cause. Toph had laughed and said, “man, I’m just messing with you, I’ll help.”

With that they broke into the Fire Nation palace and stole a few rolls of toilet paper as well as the Fire Lord’s toothbrush. Sie cried out in frustration because it was actually his toothbrush.Toilet paper in hand, Azula returned the Toph and fetched the Katara. Katara followed her to the candlestick maker.

“I promised you enough black candles for one ritual!” The candlestick maker had noted. But Azula is intelligent. She had planned for this, “which is why I brought you two rolls and the Fire Lord’s special bedazzled roll!”

The candlestick maker’s eyes had lit up and he procured the black candles. So the cabbage merchant and Katara journeyed back to the foggy swamp where the necromancer lit the candles and resurrected Bosco and Aang. Aang muttered an apology to Azula for destroying her cabbages so many times. Azula faintly thought that she should have apologized to him for murdering him, but apologies are dumb. And for people who are wrong. Azula is, in fact, always right 100% of the time. The merchant and Katara parted ways. Bosco, thankfully was a slave to the necromancer who summoned him was forced to obey her commands. So he had to help Azula with her interdimensional travel. Unfortunately, the author forgot what Azula was supposed to fetch so she had to scroll all the way back up. Azula used this time to file her taxes. With her taxes done and out of the way she journeyed through several dimensions similar to her own but not the same and found the super special, magically sinister, dragon atheme. Having accomplished this she sought out Mai and her Kenu Reeves knife, fought Bosco, and banished him back to the other side. She returned the Kenu Reeves knife, but only because it was along the way to the tribe.

She arrived at the tribe and set the dagger before the tribesfolk who gathered around it and said, “ooo, ah” and “wow that’s so purtty” and “ain’t she a beauty.”  They put the dagger aside and began the ritual which consisted of doing the soulja boy twice and the macarena once, followed by the cha cha slide. EVERYBODY CLAP YOUR HANDS!!! The closed the ritual by creating their own hybrid variation of all three dances. Satisfied, the blue dragon accompanied Azula to the Boiling Rock. Thank spirits that they have State Farm insurance, because they were about to need a good neighbor. For the dragon had punched through the window and placed Azula into one of the cells. “Watch my cabbages.” Azula requested of the dragon.

“I will if you bring me two cheez-its.”

With that promise in mind, Azula sets out on her real mission.

“Hello, Suki.” She greets.

Suki flips her off before apologizing and saying, “sorry I mistook you for someone else.”

“Who?” The merchant asks.

“That guy who put me here!”

Azula nods. But she has no more time for discussion. She needs to find Iroh now.

.oOo.

“I'm telling you it wasn't me!” Vows the guard.

“Save your breath! I know you were working together. You threw Chit Sang in the very cooler they used to escape. It was all part of your plan.” Says the warden.

“That didn’t even happen.” The guard points out. And he is right. But now the warden feels all awkward so he decides that he will keep pretending that he is right, despite knowing very well that he is wrong. Before he can begin reveling in his wrongness the door opens and someone enters. “There's someone to see you.” Informs a less troublesome guard.

“Who told you to interrupt me?” The warden snaps.

“I did.” remarks princess Sie.

“Princess Sie, brave and powerful, Princess Sie!  It is an honor to welcome you to the Fire Nation's most exemplary prison.” He backpedals. “I didn't realize you were coming.”

Sie enters the room and takes notice of the guard being interrogated. “Who is this?”

“He's a guard who was involved in a recent and feeble escape attempt.”

“What escape attempt!?” Asks the guard with more ferocity. With no real defense, he resorts to a harsh, “Quiet, you!”

Sie folds his arms. “You're wasting your time. Zuzu isn’t around to try to help Sokka break his father out of prison.”

The warden turns around with a look of shock and befuddlement. He does not realize what has transpired, dear reader. You see, in Ozai choosing not to acknowledge the eclipse, the eclipse had never happened. It had been skipped. But this has caused a horrific rift in time. It was in this chapter that Zuko was supposed to break free, but with the opportunity lost, the void had sucked him in and claimed his existence. Perhaps one day he will emerge again.

Presently, the warden looks at Sie. “How do you know?”

“Because I'm a people person.” This is not why. It is actually because he saw the void claim Zuko and he has seen enough bizzare happenings to know how it works. But, ‘I’m a people person’ sounded so much cooler.

.oOo.

Azula sits in her cell feeling like a complete and utter moron, but she knows that the absurd deeds that she is doing serve a greater purpose and she has never been one to shy away from a task. So,  without thinking too much, she makes another hideous and obnoxious screech. She has been going for pterodactyl but she is not practiced enough to manage that yet. So she is only able to manage a brontosaurus screech.

It serves its purpose, for Iroh responds back. They have been communicating like so for the better part of the day. By the next morning each and every guard is equipped with a pair of ear plugs (the higher ranking guards get air pods). It is to her advantage for they, having their air pods in, don’t hear her slinking out of her cell.

She takes a moment to think of her cabbages because we have gone several paragraphs without mentioning them once. After listing off the anatomy of a cabbage in her head, Azula proceeds down the hall and finds Iroh’s cell. She gives a faint brontosaurus call to let him know that it is her before opening the cell.

“Here, take this.” Azula hands him a top hat and a wizard cloak. Azula, though off screen, has managed to acquire a guard uniform. She leads Iroh out of his cell. No one questions it because she looks like a guard. But really, she is a cabbage merchant. The top hat and the wizard cloak aren’t strictly necessary. They just make Iroh feel cool™. They please him. Suddenly the plague begins to retract.

The two confidently march out of the prison, Azula wearing gucci shades and Iroh wearing pimp shudder shades. Iroh had found himself a gun holster and is now packing! This would have worked out well and it would have looked so cool™, had the blue dragon not taken off. Azula had not been able to get her hands on any cheez-its.

Azula still isn’t worried. She looks at her new business partner. He gives a cool™ wink and pulls out his gun. He doesn’t have a chance to fire it when Hakoda shouts,  “wait! Who's that?” You see, Hakoda was beginning to feel left out, this was supposed to be his time to shine.

“That's a problem. It's my sister and her friend.” Says Zuko as he emerges from the void. But he is different. Changed. His abs have abs and his eyes have a haunted look (and somehow they also have abs). Momo has abs too (but we already knew that). Iroh got abs in prison. Azula has abs. Literally everyone has abs right now. Everyone has abs except Haru who only has a mustache. Nothing else. Just a mustache.

Sie looks up at the gondola that Iroh and Azula are riding as they make their escape. Unfortunately the bit about abs had not been long enough for them to escape unnoticed. Sie decides that this is it. This will be the moment that he gets rid of that pesky merchant and her meddling cabbages.

.oOo.

Offering a guard no word of warning, Sie snatches a set of handcuffs from his belt. But it doesn’t matter because that guard is only a background character and everyone knows that background characters don’t have feelings. TyLee, happy for the opportunity to pretend like she is at the circus again, dashes up the cable.  Sie blasts himself with a wave of green fire onto the gondola.

Azula is there. Iroh and Zuko are there (but they are not talking; everytime Zuko tries to speak Iroh ‘hmmps’ and turns his back). Hakoda is there. And for some reason, so is Suki. No one knows how Suki managed to get up there. She hadn’t even been a part of the breakout. No less she declares how excited she is for a rematch against TyLee.

“Me too!” Says Zuko. He looks over at Sie, who he has actually been getting along with rather well lately. He realizes that it is actually Azula who needs to fight the princess Sie. His fight is with Iroh. He knows how it will end. It will end with him in tears. And then Iroh crying for making him cry. And then he crying harder for making Iroh cry. And then Ursa crying for leaving her family behind and losing so much free entertainment.

Sie strikes first, kicking an arc of fire at Azula. The cabbage merchant dodges the attack. She wishes that she had her cabbages to throw. A hole in the sky opens up and her cabbage stall drops onto the gondola. Like a kid on a seesaw at the park, Suki is catapulted back to Kyoshi island. She is not happy that she didn’t get her rematch. But she is glad to be home, she had left the stove on.

Sie snarls, why did things always come so easily to that vile merchant. Nothing ever comes easily to him. He is just regular old princess Sie and his father expects so much from him. No less, he keeps blasting green fire at her. All the while TyLee is jabbing and swiping at the air, not realizing that her opponent is no longer there.

“I don’t need you Zuko, I have cool™ sunglasses now.” Iroh remarks.

“But I need you, uncle.” Zuko replies. “I made a mistake.” Sie was being supportive and everything, but Ozai! Ozai is a beat. A toilet paper shrouded absolute fiend. “I care about you, uncle.”

Iroh readjust his shades, “Did I ever tell you the story of the old man and his pet rabaroo?”

Zuko shakes his head and prepares himself for a long story with a confusing metaphors. Instead, Iroh relays the tale of the two lovers but with a rabaroo and an old man instead.

Hakoda doesn’t ‘do anything because he has stage fright and the guards have taken to watching the scene unfold with bowls of popcorn.

Sie does not have stage right, he kicks more fire at Azula who begins her magical girl transformation. “I don’t think so!” Sie declares before doing the unthinkable. He takes one of her own cabbages and throws it at her, knocking her to the floor, which is actually the roof because they are on the gondola, not in it. So the floor and the roof are technically the same thing???? Sie does not have time to contemplate the circumstances under which a roof can become a floor, for he finally has the upperhand.

“There's the warden! I see him!” One of the guards points out through a mouthful of popcorn. Sie shudders, he knows that something is going to go astray. Nothing ever just comes easily for him.

“Cut the line!” The wardan hollars. Unlike Suki, he is in the gondola for a reason. He likes to read sappy romance novels and shonen manga on his breaks. He is fine with everyone knowing that he likes romance novels, but no one can know that he is a weeb so he hides in a random gondola on his lunch breaks.

“He wants us to cut the line” Says the guard.

“But if we cut the line, there's no way he'll survive!” Declares the guard next to him. The first guard does not know why this one is shouting as they are sitting right next to each other.

“Shhhh!” hisses a third guard. “I’m trying to hear the movie!”

The first guard jams the gondola system with the nearest object he could find, which, surprisingly, is a mechanism specifically for emergency braking. The abrupt halt causes the merchant’s stall to teeter precariously. Sie smirks but the stall does not fall.

“WOOOO HOOO!” Aang shouts as he sails by on his glider. “I’M ALIVE AGAIN! WHEEEE!” The gust of wind that follows him, pushes the stall closer the the edge. Azula is twitching anxiously and Sie is watching smugly.

He swoops down a second time, this time Momo follows. Momo, who is still unapologetically jacked, only nudges the stall and it finally falls over the edge.

Azula’s eyes seem to narrow, but she doesn’t even have time to shout, “my cabbages!! Before TyLee exclaims, “they’re about to cut the line!”

Sie does not have time to relish in the cabbage merchant’s visible distress. “Then it's time to leave.” For once things go according to plan and her blasts himself onto a gondola that just so happens to be approaching. “Goodbye, merchant.”

“They're cutting the line! The gondola's about to go!” Zuko notes.

“Come on nephew, we will cry at each other later.” Iroh gives a particularly loud pterodactyl screech. The sky splits and a flock of the prehistoric marvels swoop down. Iroh extends a hand and helps Zuko onto one of them.

“What are you doing?” A guard shouts, drawing attention to Mai, who throws a fidget spinner in Sie’s direction.

“Testing out my new weapons.” She shrugs. She is confident that figit spinners are more effective than knives because in PG-13 shows blood is not allowed to be shown and she is very tired of having always missing her targets or simply pinning them to walls by their clothes. “I think that this one is going to work.”

Azula, not one to back down over a simple mild inconvenience, realizes that not all is lost. Her new business partner might have abandoned her, but her cabbage stall is still clinging to the gondola. She must stop them from cutting the line! “What is she doing?” Sie asks upon noticing Azula pickpocketing Mai for her fidget spinner.

Ty Lee shrugs and gives a mumbled “I dunno.”

Azula flicks the fidget spinner and it lands a few hits and one critical strike before returning to her. The guards have fallen. She watches the gondola and her cabbages drift off to safety. “My cabbages.” She sighs with relief.

“Leave us alone.” Most of the guards leave at Sie’s command. “I never expected this from you.” She looks to Mai and TyLee as though it was they who had assisted the gondala’s escape.”The thing I don't understand is why. Why would you do it? You know the consequences.”

Mai shrugs and says, “I didn’t know she could do that much damage with a fidget spinner.”

Sie turns to Azula. “And you! You know exactly what happens to people who interfere with my plans.” He pauses for a moment to recall his objective. For a moment, he doesn’t think that he has one. But then he remembers that his father had wanted him to find Zuko for betraying his nation again. He was also sent there to make sure that no prisoners escaped. Ozai bet one of his war generals 300 gold pieces and a roll of toilet paper that no one would ever escape the Boiling Rock. But now Hakoda, Suki, Iroh, and Zuko have escaped. “You know how this is going to end.”

“I guess you just don't know people as well as you think you do.” Azula says. She shudders to herself. Something is not right about this. No, she does not like this at all. She has a deep aversion to what she is about to say and she can’t place why. She ignores the unsettling feeling growing within her.  “You miscalculated. I love cabbages more than I fear you!”

Sie’s face twists into a snarl and pulls out a calculator, it reads ‘12’. Just ‘12’.  “No, you miscalculated!” He points furiously at the calculator. “You should have feared me more!”

Azula is in fact afraid. But not of the princess. She is afraid of the princess’ words. Not because they have been directed at her, but because of that something. That strange something, that she cannot place. She feels like she should be offended. She is suddenly overcome by a sadness. A feeling as though she has lost something dear and important. But her cabbages are safely sitting on the other rim of the volcano. So what then? What has she lost? Why did his words make her feel so hollow? Why did it leave her feeling so haunted to inform him that he has miscalculated.

Sie begins to generate lighting. Azula clutches the fidget spinner. Mai too holds a fidget spinner. But before Sie can send off his lightning bolt, TyLee jabs him several times and he falls. Azula can’t help but feel a hint of shock; she has no connection to TyLee whatsoever.

“Sorry, my hand slipped!” She explains apologetically, clearing up any confusion.

Sie is well aware that TyLee sometimes has muscle spasms. They mostly happen when she stands or sits still for too long. But in his disgust and outrage, he forgets this. Laying with his cheek pressed firmly against the floor, Sie declares, “you're both fools!”

Azula looks between Mai and TyLee. She isn’t sure which one of them isn’t a fool.

“What shall we do with them, princess?” Asks one of the remaining guards.

“Put them somewhere I'll never have to see their faces again, and let them rot!” Sie says. He realizes that he is being very harsh and that this is probably a misunderstanding. But he has had a taste of power and power changes people. He is a new man now. He decides that he is no longer going to be timid and shy. He is going to be a badass like Iroh.

The guards cuff Mai and TyLee and whisk them away before he can say that he was referring to Azula and TyLee, not Mai and TyLee. He does not have a problem with Mai, as far as he is concerned, she is a victim of the evil merchant too.

The merchant in question had pickpocketed two cheez-its and is smirking at him as a blue dragon flies her to safety. This is the worst day of Sie’s life.

.oOo.

Feeling a sense of accomplishment, Azula sets up her cabbage stall next to the one she had left in the Fire Nation capital. She takes down her ‘back in 15’ sign. And what an eventful fifteen minutes those had been!

“Oh good, I’ve been waiting for you for ten…”

Azula does not let the female soldier finish, for she knows that the woman is only going to set her stalls on fire again. She hastily packs up and hustles to find the tea man.

.oOo.

“Hello?” The warden says into the phone.

“Hello, warden!” Greets the man on the other end.

“Is this Jake from State Farm?”

“It is!” The many replies.

“Wonderful, I’m calling about a busted window and a broken gondola system…”

[jotunlokisuggestion]

I’m gonna illustrate to you the Thanos-problem not so quickly.

The studio went to Kenneth Branagh in 2010 and told them they want a villain as good as Magneto for their Avengers film.

And almost 10 years later the MCU wanted to write an interesting, political villain called Thanos for Infinity War/Endgame.

Now, when Kenneth Branagh got the (really annoying) custom-order for a good villain, he didn’t look at the villain the studio liked and copied him. Instead he had the brains to write Loki as a character. With his own personality traits, qualities, quirks, a unique backstory that appeals to Branagh’s strength as a writer, whose origin story can be used and re-used in future films and plots, who has unique and adaptable strengths and weaknesses and who is played by an actor who is really good at playing roles like that.

Meanwhile Thanos is just...going through the Killmonger/Loki/Magneto motions of: political villain: ✅ tragic backstory:  ✅ destruction: ✅ big baddie speech ✅ --- but there is no heart to any of that, no sense of detail, no moment for him to shine no personality.

And you know (I really tried to stop myself from adding this) in the 90s we had this flood of dark, gritty anti-heroes with their giant guns and ten thousand pouches. And some of them like Cable were really good while later characters became pale imitations of Cable (think of that famous video of Liefeld inventing a character and he just draws Cable number 8948320 and his backstory is that he’s a cyborg) and all those rehashes of the Killing Joke. And in the end they all lost track of what made these characters good in the first place.

And in the late 2000s and early 2010s we had this wave of young, hip, funny for the lulzs supervillains who just had quirks and no reasons and personality and in the end, basically nothing of substance remains of any of them - an epidemic starting with Heath Ledger’s Joker but were later replaced with young men in suits who were also kinda pop-culturally - ironically Leto’s Joker hopped onto that bandwagon like 9 years late with a starbucks 

And I understand why in the last few years, political villains have entered mass-production, but a villain like that doesn’t work unless your writing challenges their ideas. Okay lemme give you another example: Since the (in)famous Far Cry 3 with its very 2012 villain quirky-crazy-Joker-y villain Vaas we now had Far Cry 4 playing in the land of a slightly quirky fashionable young man dictator and Far Cry 5 and New Dawn with an evil Christian cult right in the US. 

The transition from early 2010s to late 2010s is obvious but - these are video games and by the time we fight the final boss, we have automatically actually spent a lot of time in their respective worlds. We know why these are horrible people. We are challenging their methods and ideas already when we encounter them. In the MCU, we see Killmonger actually rule over Wakanda and we know while his ideas are good. his methods aren’t - while at the same he challenges Wakanda and forces T’Challa to accept that his father was not perfect. Each time we see Loki rule over Asgard, imperialism is challenged - in the first time when he actually attacks Jötunheim (thus executing exactly the things he had been taught his entire life) and by not intervening in the colonies in Ragnarök.  But, you are going to say, Thanos ideas are challenged! We see that people are sad that he killed half the universe! - and I mean yeah, but I didn’t need to watch the movie to know that people would be sad. Instead, everything happens exactly as you expect it would. All these previous examples were interesting because we wouldn’t know what the villains would do and how it would affect the population. Also the final notion - that the universe would eventually be better of if half the universe was destroyed, remains unshaken and unaddressed.

And honestly, their attempt to make Thanos likeable or understandable might be the huge problem of the film. Thanos as a morbid, unlikable killer who’s in love with death works because we don’t need to relate to him for that. We don’t need a connection. Many good villains are absolutely detestable. You can do a lot not by making them seem sympathetic (which is almost impossible with villains like Thanos anyway) but you can make them interesting to the audience-

let’s talk about villains who are absolute giant assholes but I like them:

Yeah him <3 You remember the first season of Hannibal? As members of the audience, we know who Hannibal is before we even start watching. Hannibal Lecter is one of the most famous villains there are. In the movies, he’s arrested in Red Dragon right in the first scene - there is never any doubt about who he is. But in the show, he’s yet an active serial killer and working with the police. The police that solves his murders. The police who doesn’t know that he’s the killer. The killer whose name literally rhymes with cannibal and who makes cannibalism puns. There were hundreds of memes about how fucking frustrating it was that the police always just walked right past him.

That was the thing: We, the audience, knew something the characters didn’t. Like in a horror film when we know the killer is hiding behind the door and the main character doesn’t. You want to fucking scream at the screen in frustration. Okay what does that have to do with Thanos? Imagine all those glimpses and we saw of him in previous movies would have presented him in a likeable light. Imagine if his disciples were actually seen gaining people’s trust or if people in GotG would actually casually mention “oh Thanos will fix this, I heard he has a brilliant plan” or he tried to convince them that there was a huge famine coming. It would have been so frustrating to see people trust him because obviously everyone who reads the comics would know that Thanos is bad news and if we saw people actually trust him? maybe actually give him Infinity Stones to fix the universe because he’s the only one who can use them? Fucking rude.

Reveals :)

I guess I don’t have to tell tumblr who the first guy is but a quick rehash: In season finale of Sherlock, a guy who appears in one scene as the girlfriend of a colleague of Sherlock turns out to be Moriarty. 

And guess what? It absolutely doesn’t matter one single fucking bit that Moriarty is the lab guy. And the big reveal doesn’t matter because we’re not given any of the clues. He might as well have been the mailman. Now, the Man In Black from Westworld however? That was a huge reveal. (Major spoilers if you haven’t watched it but I’m keeping it vague). We saw the Man In Black commit the worst crimes imaginable throughout the first season of the show, he killed hundreds of people without remorse. And in his defence, we thought that he thought it was all a robot theme park. Except? We find out that he’s actually the older version of one of the main-characters who absolutely saw robots as people once and evn protected them and loved one. This was both a horrifying reveal, an origin story and it made his crime even worse. That’s good villain-writing.

What does that have to do with Thanos? - Technique. Just how the reveal was written has a huge impact. Imagine if there had been no mention of Thanos at all until Infinity War - and the characters were actually forced to figure out who brought Loki to Earth, who supported Ronan, who attacked Asgard. Maybe you catch some glimpses of his disciples and maybe you get to hear the name of one of them at the very end or Loki even whispers “Thanos” in Thor’s ear before he dies and he as to figure out what that means. Make us work to get there. 

Relevance!

Now, they wanted a political villain, right? AHS Cult gave as a political villain who is absolutely detestable every step of the way. But the reason he was scary and interesting is because...it was relevant af. Every word he said, every political opinion he expressed, the way he staged attacks on him by migrant workers and spread fear in his community - that rings very close to home right now. I  can get why someone would say you can’t do the same in a Marvel film, but Sci-Fi has always been a projection screen for political subjects for decades now. Star Trek has been doing it since the 1960s and if they had actually committed to making Thanos allude to actual political slogans of today, he would have been way more relevant.

Dynamics (aka how to make someone likeable without condoning their actions)

On my main, I made a post once about Loki and Magneto and how having, forming and developing relationships helps to flesh out a character. In short: We learn to understand them. We see them grow. We see (ideally) how they learn from encounters and how it shapes them. Now we are entering the realm of likeable again with Azula, because what made her a brilliant villain was not her brilliance or her abilities (they made her a great opponent though) but her motivations. The more we see her family, the more we learn that she, too, is a victim of a dysfunctional family. She allows a whole new perspective on the royal family. That scene where she tells Ozai that he ‘can’t treat her like Zuko’? - those were ten fucking books written in one line. Her descent into paranoia basically rewrote every scene of her in the past and is also a reminder that she’s 15 and yes, of course, she’s a victim. She’s a child fighting in a war.

How many meaningful relationships does Thanos have? He’s quite fond of Gamora I guess? Less fond of Nebula? There was an embarrassing attempt to create a connection between him Tony. Now, remember that in the comics, Thanos is someone driven by love. He loves death - that’s the relationship that drives him. It’s important that there is a face to everything. Show me Thanos family, show me his homeworld. Show me his previous desperate attempts to save the people he loved and how he was held back and driven to more and more desperate measures. Show me how he finally gives in and wants to destroy everything.

“show don’t tell”

I’m going to argue for a Thanos solo movie now :)      (kinda) 

Okay I feel kinda compelled to put David in this when I’m already posting this on my rp blog but also a) I love him and b) shut up. short summary: David was created an android that is programmed to serve humans. He grows to resent them more and more, especially because many of them are petty and abusive towards him until in the second film, he just wants them dead.  Now in his first scenes of Prometheus, we see him alone on the ship while the human crew is in cryosleep. We see him eat, play basketball, ride a bicycle, watch people’s dreams. He also watches Lawrence of Arabia while dying his hair to look like him and quotes the above sentence several times just before the rest of the crew wakes up. 

It’s a tiny sequence in the film but we learn various things about David: He’s vain, he does things he - as a robot - doesn’t have to do, he identifies strongly with a man torn between two cultures, he has a lot of fun when he’s alone, he habitually spies on people, he is feeling pain in some capacity and he associates it with humans. We learn all of that in those few tiny moments.

compare all of what we learnt in this short sequence to what we know about Thanos. After seeing him in...I think three films by now? And having people talk about him in even more? With literally every character I listed now (excluding Moriarty bc he’s a negative example) we know what drove them to do what they did. We know their pain. We know them.  Even if the things they are cruel because here it comes:

They are a Story.

And Thanos is a plot device.

or to quote fellow tumblr user hackedmotionsensors:  I’ve never liked Thanos because hes like a video game villain. Like he’s the annoying equivalent of finding the final boss in a FF game and its just a giant head or something stupid.

[salixj]

Weird Headcannon 812

Maybe I shouldn’t get up early to do stuff because that is when these ideas come to me. So, Suki and the original Kyoshi warriors decide to go back for a quick visit to Kyoshi Island. Zuko goes with them. They get to the island and as soon as they step on shore they are surrounded by women dressed in deep purple, masked, and you guessed it. Screaming and yelling all the way they are brought before Azula, crowned and grinning, dressed all in gold. She’d look smashing in gold. “We arrested these intruders Empress.” “WE ARE CITIZENS HERE!” Suki yells. “Not anymore,” one of the villagers says. Lots of nods. “I mean, you did kind of desert us,” says an older woman. Followed by yeahs, and ummhms, and that’s right! “How can you trust her?” Zuko sputters. He jerks his head at his sister. “You are the one who burned down our village. THEY have promised to protect us. Far as we have seen our Empress has always been loyal.” Agreement all around, Azula smirks.  “But he apologized!”  “Maybe to you but not to us!” a middle aged man asserted. “My house was burned down. I lost everything!! All my carvings, that was my business! We lost all our clothes, all our possessions!”  All around him came choruses of “that’s right!” “The gown my mother wore at her wedding,” “All my toys!”  “But I was coming...” started to say. “Besides, we have dragons!” someone brags. And several dragons swoop down, landing about Azula. “Our Empress hatched the egg.” Zuko’s eyes are wide, his mouth drops open. The Kyoshi warriors stare at each other. “And you spoiled the surprise,” Azula chides him, her face in a faux pout.”I was about to send you a message,” she lies. She lifts her hand, makes a gesture, as if calling something down from the sky. A small, red dragon lands on her upturned hand.  “I’m sure they hadn’t  meant any harm,” she indicates the warriors and Zuko with her free hand. “You may free them.  The dragon warriors free the prisoners. Azula lifts the little red dragon in the air slightly, and the dragon flies to Zuko, lands on his shoulder. Zuko, in amazement, draws the young dragon down into his arms. The dragon curls into Zuko’s arms, and bops its head against Zuko chin. Zuko grins. “Its a male,” Azula tells him. “Zuko we shouldn’t. trust her!” Suki tells him. “A dragon. Its mine?”  Azula nods. “A peace offering, between my nation and yours.” “Your nation?” Suki splutters. Zuko sighs, and pets the dragon. “I’m going to name you Druk. Azula and Suki both roll their eyes.  “I can’t believe you are falling for this,” Suki mutters under her breath. “You do know Druk means dragon don’t you?” Azula asks her brother. He doesn’t and she knows it. “Of course! That’s why I gave him his name.” Zuko scratches Druk under the chin. “Suki, peace is good. And she hasn’t done anything in the past five years. And you haven’t been back here in all that time.” Suki is about to protest, then her shoulders sag. “Longer,” she admits. “And you are welcome to visit anytime.” Azula smiles. “Well everyone, party time!