#izumi and father are just... not being very gentle with him

[imkazz]

i was rereading and i feel bad for how many times roy was shoved to the ground when blind T~T

[aifanfictions]

Write a story about single dad Fire Lord Zuko falling in love with a girl that’s a servant and she takes care of Izumi. He catches them playing and the servant being very nurturing and caring. He likes that’s she’s very affectionate and loves to teach Izumi firebending.

Embers of the Heart

In the grand palace of the Fire Nation, Fire Lord Zuko was a single father, devoted to his responsibilities and his young daughter, Izumi. Since the loss of her mother, he had dedicated himself to being both a parent and a ruler, but he couldn't deny that the absence of a maternal figure in Izumi's life weighed on his heart.

(Y/N), a gentle and caring servant, had come to the palace years ago to serve in various roles. Her arrival was unassuming, but her nature stood out in the bustling palace. She had always been drawn to children and had a natural talent for making them feel safe and loved.

One sunny morning, as (Y/N) and Izumi played together in the palace garden, their laughter echoed through the courtyard. The little princess was fascinated by the gentle, affectionate servant who took the time to play with her. With every passing day, Izumi had grown fonder of (Y/N), and she had come to think of her as a second mother.

Zuko observed from a distance, hidden behind a pillar, as (Y/N) showed Izumi how to create small flames with her tiny hands. Her patience and encouragement were heartwarming, and he found himself smiling as he watched the two of them bond. It was a sight that warmed his heart, a sight he hadn't seen in his family for years.

(Y/N) noticed Izumi's father watching from afar and decided to include him. She motioned for Zuko to join them, her warm smile inviting him into their world. He hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should intrude on their moment, but (Y/N)'s welcoming gesture was too irresistible to ignore.

As he approached, (Y/N) handed a small fireball to Izumi, who proudly demonstrated her newly acquired skill. "Look, Father, I can bend fire!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement.

Zuko couldn't help but be amazed by his daughter's progress, and he felt a deep sense of gratitude toward (Y/N). He admired the way she connected with Izumi, her nurturing and affectionate presence filling a void in their lives. He had always been an advocate for nurturing the potential of the next generation, and watching (Y/N) guide Izumi in bending warmed his heart.

"Thank you," he said softly to her, his amber eyes reflecting his sincere appreciation. "You're incredible with Izumi."

(Y/N) blushed at the compliment but accepted it with grace. "It's my pleasure, Fire Lord Zuko. Izumi is a wonderful child to spend time with."

Over time, (Y/N) continued to be an important presence in Izumi's life. Her bond with the young princess deepened, and she saw in the little girl a chance to share her love, knowledge, and the art of firebending. She taught Izumi not only the fundamentals but also the importance of control, balance, and using one's power wisely.

Zuko admired the bond that was forming between the two of them. He had seen the isolation and strictness that came with being a royal, and he was grateful that Izumi had someone like (Y/N) to teach her not just firebending but also compassion and understanding.

One evening, as the palace bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun, Zuko found himself alone with (Y/N) in the garden. The atmosphere was serene, the gardens adorned with the radiant colors of the Fire Nation's flora. He took a deep breath, the words he had been wanting to say for a long time weighing on his heart.

"(Y/N), you've been a source of light and love in Izumi's life," he began, his amber eyes locking onto hers. "And I can't help but feel a connection between us too."

(Y/N)'s heart raced as she met his gaze. She had felt a growing connection with Zuko, and she had longed for the day when he would acknowledge it.

Zuko took a step closer, his hand reaching out to gently touch (Y/N)'s cheek. "I want you to know that I appreciate everything you do, not just for Izumi, but for me as well. And I'd like to get to know you better, (Y/N). Would you consider joining us not just as Izumi's nanny but as a part of our family?"

Tears welled up in (Y/N)'s eyes as she nodded, her heart overflowing with happiness. "I would be honored, Fire Lord Zuko. I care deeply for both you and Izumi."

Their hands intertwined, and in that moment, amidst the blossoms of the Fire Nation garden, a new chapter began. (Y/N) became not only Izumi's nanny but a beloved presence in Zuko's life, and they discovered that the embers of love, once kindled, could grow into a warm and enduring flame.

As the days turned into weeks, they would embark on a journey together, as a family. Amidst the challenges of rulership, parenthood, and love, they found that their shared affection and commitment would guide them through it all. And as they faced each day with the warmth of their newfound family, they knew that love could truly transform even the most scarred hearts into embers of pure, enduring affection.

NOTE! This story was generated by OpenAI

[naha-division]

Relationship: Family - Kyō Sakuma

.｡.:*･FAMILY TREE･*:.｡.

==========================================================================

Kai Sakuma (44 years old) — Kyō’s father who works as a fisherman. He shares the same personality as Kyō, always optimistic whenever something exciting is about to happen. However, his father also has a tendency to be obsessed with sea monsters—like Nessie, mermaids, the Kraken, and Moby Dick. Even though they aren’t real, he and his dad remain very close and Kyo still loves him deeply. Kyo finds his own obsessions kind of interesting and doesn't care what others think about how weird they may seem. Whether he’s listening to his dad’s made-up stories about encountering sea monsters when he was young or hearing about how his dad wanted to catch them and hang them on the wall as trophies, he still loves him. After all, what can he say? His dad always does whatever he wants.

Izumi (Nagata) Sakuma (40 years old) — Kyō’s mother who works at Okinawa’s Churaumi Aquarium and she’s also a dolphin trainer. Izumi is a gentle and soft-spoken woman who loves her job caring for sea animals, especially her favorite animal: dolphins. Kyō shares this love for dolphins and adores his mother deeply just as she adores him. She showers him with affection, sometimes spoiling him rotten. Kyō enjoys visiting her workplace and watching the dolphin shows and it was Izumi who introduced him to his love of fish. Although Izumi feels guilty for relying on her son to live with his grandparents and help care for them, believing he should be living independently and enjoying life. She doesn't oppose it if Kyō insists on staying. In truth, she's happy about it because she isn’t ready to let go of her baby boy.

Toumo Sakuma (68 years old) — Kyō’s grandfather and Kai’s father. Even in his old age, he works as a fish vendor alongside Kosei. He's a hot-tempered, stubborn man who tends to rant whenever he gets angry and often swears. Toumo is the crankiest in the family, lacking the enthusiasm others show as he finds it too embarrassing. He’s particularly hard on Kyō, frequently criticizing everything he does, especially when it comes to Kyō’s relationship with his father. Despite this, Toumo is a good man at heart. He worries about Kyō's involvement in rap battles, fearing he’ll get hurt. He tries to teach him that life isn’t all 'rainbows and sunshine,' though Kyō understands that this is just his grandfather’s way of showing he cares.

Chinatsu Sakuma (63 years old) — Kyō’s grandmother and Kai’s mother. She also works as a vendor alongside her husband, Toumo and Kosei. Chinatsu is quite the opposite of her husband, who is calm and logical. She often helps to soothe Toumo’s temper. Like Izumi, she adores her grandson and pampers him with love, though she was initially suspicious of the recent rap battle event and forbade him from participating, thinking it was too barbaric however, Kyo can persuade her. Despite her appearance, Chinatsu is strong-willed and hates being treated like a frail old lady. She would rather work hard in a stable job to support her family and has risen to the role of manager and vendor.

Kosei Nagata (66 years old) — Kyō’s second grandfather and Izumi’s father. He also works as a fish vendor and is a business partner with Toumo and his wife, Chinatsu. He is described as a laid-back and kind-hearted old man, especially sweet towards his lovely wife, Ran. With his easy-going nature, he is always kind to others and like the rest of the family, he deeply loves his grandson, Kyō, and is very proud of him. When he found out that Kyō was participating in DRB, he immediately supported his decision, despite knowing how devious Chuohku's plans for the tournament were. He also kept a secret from Kyō—that he used to be a street rapper—and gave him tips on spitting hardcore rhymes and becoming his mentor.

Ran Nagata (65 years old) — Kyō’s second grandmother and Izumi’s mother. For her, life mostly consists of staying at home and doing light household chores while the rest of the family works. She is very timid, partly due to her frail and weak body, which sometimes causes her to collapse unexpectedly. Making it difficult for her to help her husband, Kosei, Toumo, and Chinatsu at the fish market. Despite this, Kyō deeply loves and cares for his grandmother, always worrying about her health and attending to her needs. However, she remains spiritually strong and doesn’t falter easily. She offers words of encouragement to him, supporting his desire to help others and cheering him on in his rap battles.

[lilac-melody]

I think, personally, I prefer Roy Mustang to be a father figure over someone like Maes Hughes or Sig or anyone else is because Mustang was the first person (ie; male figure) to genuinely hold Ed (and Al, by extent) for their actions.

He saw the human transmutation circle. Instead of being gentle with Ed, he immediately scolds him, before calming down and offering him a way to fix his mistake.

He works hard to keep Ed and Al’s secret safe, even stammering a bit when Shou Tucker asks about them. He’s there for them, and he’s the one who pushed them forward, exactly like a father would. This post explains the dynamic better than I could, to be honest.

Sure, Mustang and Ed argue a lot, and it’s 100% valid to see them more as brothers! I thought so too for a while, until I rewatched the 03 anime. There’s a lot of moments where it just screams “wow, Mustang’s a dad”. I personally think this post explains one episode really well.

At the end of the day, everyone has their own opinions, and that’s fine. But to the people bashing on the concept of Mustang being fatherly...don’t.

A direct part from “The Abducted Alchemist” here shows that it’s not impossible for Ed to consider Mustang a father figure:

“Well,” the man was saying with a smile, “maybe you can tell your father to get his act together for us!”

“Yeah, we’re on your side, kiddo.”

“And if he ever comes this way, you tell him to drop in for a drink on the house.”

It looked like this inn, at least, welcomed the military’s business. Edward smiled. All this talk of his father being in the military reminded him of when they ran into Roy on the train, back before they’d heard about the terrorists. For those few moments, when he ran up to Roy, Edward did have a father in the military, and he was surprised to find he wasn’t exactly sure how he felt about that.

So...no more bashing, saying that it’s “impossible” for them to view each other in a familial light. Or, a father/son light.

As for the whole situation with Hughes...he is a good father. Completely the opposite of Hohenheim. However, he isn’t the one to push the boys to do their best, and he isn’t the one who helped put them on the right path. He’s there for the Elric Brothers, and they enjoy his company, but he mostly pops in and out whenever he pleases. Me personally, I feel like he’s more like that one obnoxious (very affectionate) uncle who jokes about taking the father’s place.

But that’s just me.

For Izumi and Sig, they no doubt helped fill holes in the Elrics hearts, and when Izumi is being gentle and kind, she is very motherly. There’s no doubt that, with the knowledge she lost her baby and they lost their mother, they can identify with her. But, like Mustang, she isn’t biologically related to them.

The best they can be is parental figures.

I’m not 100% sure how Sig feels about the boys, but we do know he clearly cares for them.

I like the idea that Ed and Al have two sets of parental figures- his military family, and his non-military family.

That being said, I personally still prefer Roy Mustang being his main parental figure, as he’s the one who sees them off the most. (Also, as many people have pointed out, Ed is a minor, so there will be things he needs a legal guardian for, and that duty would fall on Mustang, since he’s his commanding officer...but, again, that’s just a bonus)

Anyway I’m done ranting I just needed to get this off my chest

[ofherlionheart]

ok ok so according to ur boo chronicles timeline u dont have anything planned post talkin shit, so now i simply must know how izumi + zukka dads happens in the boo chronicles universe 👀

omg anything for u, beau. the chad to my ryan <3

there was actually a point in time when i considered making pt 6 abt izumi coming into their lives, but then decided i didn’t want to do that. izumi 100% eventually becomes part of boo ‘verse zukka’s lives, but ending boo chronicles on ‘they obtained a child!! look at that family unit!! dads being domestic!!’ seemed a bit. uh. less interesting to me. (the current ending i have planned is more compelling to me, narratively/structurally speaking. still tbd how exactly i get there tho lol)

but ANYWAY you’re not here for that you’re here for izumi!! ursa’s cousin gets pregnant but does not want the child. z happens to be visiting ursa around when the child is born; he goes with ursa to the hospital and hears everything abt the situation. feels some kind of way abt it … later when he’s talking to s on the phone abt it he realizes, sokka, i want to ask if i can adopt her. s: yeah, you should do that. z: … are you sure? we haven’t rly, like, talked abt kids that much. s: i’m sure

so z asks, the cousin says yes. z asks the baby’s name; cousin doesn’t want to name her. z’s like, i’ll wait just in case. i want you to know that this is for-sure what you want

for the next several weeks while z and ursa and ursa’s cousin are navigating baby stuff in thailand, s’s going into a research frenzy in his and z’s apartment. calls katara and suki and yue and hakoda and bato every few hours, freaking out because how can he be a good dad if he only has, like, a month to prepare?? he hasn’t done the spreadsheets he should have been preparing for this YEARS ago. his loved ones remind him he’s insane and help him thru dialing back the spreadsheets and the parenting resources he keeps rush-ordering. when he’s awake he’s definitely freaking the fuck out but almost every night he dreams of z being very gentle and warm with this soft little thing swaddled in his arms and s always wakes with a sense of excitement

the day before z’s going to fly back home, ursa coming with him, he asks the cousin one last time if she wants to name the baby; she says no. z tells ursa, i don’t know how to name her. i still kind of feel like i shouldn’t be the one to name her.

ursa looks at the newborn, who was just shitting and screaming and crying 20 mins ago but is now sleeping peacefully on her son’s chest. it feels like an out of body moment for her. how about izumi? ursa suggests. 

izumi? z asks. isn’t that japanese?

ursa: it’s what i wanted to name azula.

z: why?

ursa: childbirth was painful the first time, and i didn’t want to go through it again. i’d already given your father a son. but one day, i took you to that fountain at the end of our street, and another mother had also taken her children to play in the water. her sons were maybe a year apart, with the younger about your age. and as i watched them play together, and i saw you watching them … in that moment, i wanted to give you a sibling more than i wanted to avoid that pain again.

z: oh.

when z and ursa finally arrive back in nyc, they reach an apartment that’s been baby-proofed to high hell and a bedroom that’s been rearranged to make space for the crib that s spent half a day building. s sees his hubby holding a tiny human like he has been in s’s dreams for a month, but this time it’s real. z’s got deep bags under his eyes but he smiles so genuinely anyway. ‘want to meet your daughter?’ he asks s. ‘her name’s izumi.’

[melzula]

Hi I was wondering if you can write an General Iroh x reader where she tells him she’s pregnant and how he reacts

a/n: I hope you don’t mind but I used Kya’s daughter for this (reader from these hc’s)

It was your mother who revealed the news to you during her visit to the Fire Nation to see you and your husband of one year. She pulled you close and held you tight to her figure in a hug, but it was with a faint smile and watery eyes that she then pulled away, rested a hand upon your stomach, and uttered the words, “You’re pregnant.”

“I-I’m what?” You had uttered in shock, glancing down at your abdomen then trailing your gaze up your mother’s arm and back to her gentle face.

“You’re pregnant. I’d say perhaps about a month along from what I can feel,” Kya explained with furrowed brows. “Did you really not know?”

“I... I didn’t,” you admit quietly, features falling as you sink into the nearest chair. Her face softens as she joins you, a comforting arm rested upon your bicep as she gauges your reaction. “Oh, mom, I don’t know what to do.”

“Do you not want a baby?” Kya asks gently, voice quiet so as to prevent any prying ears from hearing the news.

“No, of course I do,” you interject with the shake of your head. “But this is so soon! We’ve only been married for year, a-and Iroh is leaving soon and I can’t possibly bother him with this!”

“I’m sure the news of his first child isn’t going to bother him,” your mother says with a quiet laugh. “You know Iroh is nothing like that. He’ll he so happy, he loves you.”

“But I’m not ready!” You cry, and Kya has to quiet you down when a curious head peeks into the room to assure that the General’s wife is unharmed. Your mother shoos them away quickly before returning her attention to you. “I know nothing about being a mother, what if I’m terrible at it? What if they don’t like me? What if I can’t do it?”

“I thought the same thing when I had you,” Kya utters thoughtfully much to your surprise.

“But... but you’re an amazing mother. How could you have been scared?”

“You were my first, and even though I knew nothing about having kids I had you anyway. From the moment I laid eyes upon you I knew I would love you forever, and with some help I got the hang of the whole mom thing. Now it’s not going to be easy, and you’re going to make mistakes, but you also don’t have to do it alone. You have me, you have your Gran Gran, you have Izumi, and you even have Zuko, but most importantly you have Iroh. Your husband who loves you unconditionally and will love this baby the exact same way. The universe works in mysterious ways sometimes, but everything happens for a reason, and everything will fall into place so long as you let it.”

The reassurance from your mother is enough to assuage your nerves, and with a small breath you carefully rest a hand upon your stomach with a watery smile. There is life inside of you, beautiful and growing and made completely by you and your husband, nothing for you to be afraid of. A single tear slides down your cheek and Kya is quick to wipe it away before pressing a kiss to your forehead and brushing back the hair that falls in your face.

“Go tell him,” she encourages you. “I’ll be here if you need me.”

“Thank you, mom,” you say as you throw your arms around her figure in a tight hug before rushing through the palace halls in search of your husband.

You find him in his study, features focused and concentrated on the map before him as he calculates the length of his next trip. He hopes it will be no longer than a week for he can’t bare to be away from you for any longer than that. Your quiet knock on the doorway pulls his attention from the scroll, and it’s with a smile that he greets your lingering form before rising from his desk and making his way towards you.

“Y/n,” Iroh says with a smile as he takes your hands in his own and presses a chaste kiss to your lips. “I was just thinking about you. Has Kya arrived?”

“Yes, she’s getting settled,” you reply timidly, your quiet tone of voice catching your husband off guard.

“Is everything alright, my love?”

Iroh watches curiously as you shut the door behind you before gesturing for him to sit down. His first instinct is to worry, but he knows that you can handle yourself so for now he keeps it to himself.

“You know my mother is water bender and a healer.”

“I do.”

“And she’s very in tune with the human body.”

“Yes...?” Iroh drawls uneasily. Are you sick? Is something wrong? Spirits, he’s already planning to cancel the trip and you haven’t even given him the news yet.

“She hugged me, and when she did she could sense the baby...” you explain, wincing as the words leave your mouth. For a moment Iroh’s features remain stoic, as if he hadn’t even heard you, but then his eyes widen and he’s rising out of his seat in an instant.

“The baby?” He repeats almost excitedly. A small smile forms on your lips as you nod.

“I’m pregnant,” you finally announce. “We’re going to be parents.”

You don’t even get to finish recounting the news before Iroh is lifting you by the hips and gleefully spinning you in a circle. Laughter bubbles up in your throat and your dress flows daintily around you as Iroh sets you down before pulling you into his arms.

“A baby!” He repeats with a laugh. “Oh, y/n, I’m so happy! This is the greatest news I’ve ever received.”

“I was worried it might be a distraction,” you admit sheepishly.

“A distraction? It’s a gift! Nothing is more important to me now than you and this baby,” Iroh reassures you. “For the next year I won’t be going anywhere. General Bumi can handle things without me, I’m sure.”

“You promise?”

“I promise. You’ve always been my top priority, and now so is our child.”

You smile then, tears sliding down your cheeks that Iroh wipes away with his thumb before carefully cupping your face in his hands and pulling you in for a kiss. You can feel the love and appreciation and gratitude that Iroh so vigorously pours into the kiss, and you feel silly now for even thinking the news would be a bother to him. You have the best husband in the world, and you have no doubt in your mind that he’s going to be the best father to your baby.

When the kiss finally ends Iroh keeps you close to him, forehead resting against your own and noses brushing against each other’s lovingly as you bask in the warmth and happiness at the news of a new addition to your family.

Hand resting tenderly against your stomach, Iroh looks to you with a loving smile and says, “I love you, y/n. More than anything in this world. I can’t wait to start this new journey with you.”

You’ve never been happier.

| Iroh tags: @nataliahaslosthershit @zukh03s |

[imnotusedtobeingloved]

EQUALLY LUCKY

(PLEASE DON’T REBLOG!)

Warnings: Internal conflict / Mental struggles.

Pairing: Azula x f!Reader

Characters: Azula, Zuko, Izumi.

Requested: Yes!

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, nor the gif. Credit to the owners.

Summary: You get a glimpse into Azula’s life years after Sozin’s Comet, with you by her side.

A/N: This was my first time making an x reader with Azula, so i’m very nervous to post this lol. It got way more angsty than i intended it to be, but i also wanted to try and stay true to Zula’s character to some extent. And i very much hope i did. Thank you for the great request @the-desert-shewolf​ i hope this is what you were looking for.

“Zuzu, you don’t look so good!”

The last Agni Kai. It was a day that was forever branded into your mind. You could still remember the heat of her flames. How her patient, strategic mind slipped into a rash and impulsive demeanor. She’d fataly wounded her own brother. Ready to do the same to Katara, if she hadn’t stopped her. And that was when you’d found her. Chained to a grid on the floor like an animal, crying in despair and spitting fire like a dragon. Nobody dared to go near her for hours. Nobody but you. “You need to stop, Azula,” You’d cried tears of your own as you forcefully hugged her, body winding against yours. Still trying to free herself. Still trying to fight. Still trying to win. “Please... I’m begging you...” Her whimper broke your heart. You were all that she had left.

There were times when not even a heartfelt “I love you,” could save her. Instead it was interpreted as a further manipulation through her mother. The so called ‘Puppetmaster’. She felt so far out of reach.

But not all days were bad. Sometimes Azula remembered. In the bright hours she recalled your supportive actions and words. You always hoped they would give her some kind of strength. And it wasn’t any easier to face those hardships yourself. To love someone who was hurt so very deeply.

“Being damaged doesn’t give you the right to abuse others,”

A lot of people called her crazy. Called you crazy for feeling affection towards the princess. But what were you supposed to do? You couldn’t just ignore them. Or turn them off. It wasn’t possible. It wasn’t what you wanted. All you were trying to do was to care for a person you’d known since you were a kid. A childhood friend, teenage crush and an adult lover. Where Zuko had been saved by Iroh, Azula had been saved by you. But it wasn’t quite the same. You'd just been a little kid yourself at the time.

“Are you going to see Azula?” You nodded, smiling at Zuko over your shoulder. The robes of the Fire Lord really suited him. “I am. I want to surprise her with a picnic,” He raised a brow, curiously leaning over the little basket on the table before you. You’d spent hours picking out different kinds of tarts and snacks, trying not to get in the way of the cooks.

It was a perfect summer day. The climate was warm and mild. Your timing couldn’t have been better.

Years had passed since Sozin’s Comet occured. Years full of anxiety and anger. But finally you’d arrived in a part of your life, where things were looking up again. The time spend supporting Zuko as the Fire Lord hadn’t been wasted. Both of you worked together on a daily basis. Especially when it came to his sister. Despite everything she had done, he couldn’t deny that he held a soft spot for her. So it was no wonder that she resided in one of the finest suites of the palace. After being monitored and treated for ages, her mental heatlh finally regained stability.

“She’s lucky to have you, (Y/N),” He said, attempting to steal one of the tarts only to earn a slap on the hand. Grumbling he retreated, watching as you checked the contents again, before closing the lid. “Maybe,” You turned around to face your friend. “But i’d like to think we’re equally lucky,”

Your picnic was set up in the gardens, by the fountain, under the old apple tree.

Her whole life Azula only gained approval from two people. Her father and you. The few moments of empathy she experienced were supported by you. If she had a nightmare late at night, you’d crawl into bed with her. When you reduced the choice between you two to physical affection, Ozai couldn’t keep up with you. The mixed messages her parents gave her as a child were what lead her into misery. But her best friend, someone of the same age, stuck by her.

Eventually you’d won her over. Relationships were rekindled. Needs were met.

And right this moment, you were beyond glad that you had. “There you are, sugarplum,” An involuntary grin spread on your face. You’d been so busy with displaying everything perfectly that you hadn’t heard her come up behind you. “I see you haven’t grown tired of the petnames,” That nickname would truly stick with you for life. She’d once used it mockingly, back when you visited Ember Island. And she did ever since. It was always used with an edge of sarcasm, but never empty of love.

“You wouldn’t have it any other way, would you (Y/N)?” You turned around to her, reaching for one of her hands. Her fingers intwined themselves with yours. “Of course not, Azula,” Pulling her towards your little arrangement, you sat down on the blanket, leaning against the strong stem of the tree and patting the spot beside you.

Since her recovery she’d formed a habit of over-sharing her feelings and often apologizing more than nessecary. Those were new sides that you had to grow accustomed to, but that weren’t unwelcome. Nevertheless you were relieved that she also kept some of her wit. She knew she could be free with you. Didn’t need to fear any jugdement. Some days were harder than others. On those Azula would cry a lot. And so would you. You couldn’t stand seeing her so broken.

“Keep it together, (Y/N),” She would say at first, making you laugh through your tears. “It’s okay,” You’d reassure her time and time again. “Healing takes time,”

It was hard to face all those bottled up emotions after such an amout of time. It wasn’t her favorite way to deal with things at first, but she quickly found it helped. And it didn’t take long for her to tell you.

“Sharing your tears doesn’t make you weak,” She’d repeat your words in her darkest times. It brought her comfort. Kept her from going back to her old ways.

The princess moved to sit in the spot next to you, but she never made it that far. Small feet rushed through the grass, running straight into her legs. A tiny, little person curled around them, hugging her as far as she could reach. “Zula!” They squeaked.

The so-called ‘Zula’ raised a brow and crossed her arms, looking down at the little troublemaker. “What do you think you’re doing here?” The girl only lifted her hands in response. You stiffled a smile as Azula picked her up. “Where is your father? Didn’t he want to spend time with you?” Yes he did. And he arrived right on time. “Izumi?” Zuko looked around, searching for her, until he spotted you. The princess was snuggling into her aunt’s chest, a place that always felt warm. You knew it best. “There you are!” His sister raised a brow, tapping her foot on the ground, when he walked up to the three of you. When they stood next to each other, the family-resemblance was undeniable. They shared the same shade of amber eyes, the soft umber strands, and the fair, spotless skin.

It was another person that had helped Azula on her journey. Izumi.

The girl got to experience the childhood the siblings never had. She was proof that princesses didn’t have to be perfect all the time. Nobody did. And she loved her aunt without any doubt or fear.

“You really need to keep better watch on her, Zuzu. This is already the fifth time this has happened,” The Fire Lord nodded, holding his hands out. “Of course. It won’t happen again, i promise,” Azula tried handing her niece over, who whined, clinging to her neck. “But i mean, now that we’re already here, we could also just join you on your picnic,” He argued, pointing to his daughter who held onto Azula’s clothes with all her might. “Izumi seems to like the idea,” You squinted your eyes at him. This was definetely not a coincedence. Accidents don’t repeat themselves that often. “Admit it, Zuko. You’ve purposefully told Izumi that her aunt is here, only so you could get your clutches on our food again!” You’d connected the dots and read the situation. He’d taken a glimpse into your basket every time before you went out the past times. Particular interest always occured when it contained those delicous fruit tarts. With rose pedals on top. He gasped. “No, i didn’t!” 

“He’s lying,” Azula said, rolling her eyes. Izumi proceeded to tell her father that “Lying is bad!” which earned her a gentle pat on the head from her aunt.

Nevertheless they swayed you to share some of the ‘goodies’ as Izumi liked to call them. Finally you had Azula were she belonged. Next to you. Her niece sat in her lap, munching happily as your lover ran her hand through her hair. It had taken some time until she’d been allowed to see Izumi at first. Zuko and her mother hadn’t let them meet each other until his sister was completely stabile. Additionally he didn’t want to put Azula through something she couldn’t handle at the time. Their first meeting had been nervewracking for everyone who watched, but an eye-opening event for the two princesses. They seemed comfortable. Content with each other. Sometimes Azula would act as if Izumi bothered her. But she couldn’t deny that she was fond of the girl.

It was also no secret that Azula was clearly the ‘coolest aunt’. At least from Izumi’s perspective. She looked up to her as the strongest female firebender, to be known. Of course she was still too young to fight. But that didn’t stop her from constantly begging the siblings for stories. “Can you tell me a story?” She’d ask, making a pout. “I’ve told you stories countless times,” Her aunt replied, booping her upturned nose. “Another one, pleeease?” Azula sighed. Zuko chimed in, coming to her aid. He started telling the tale of the ‘Dance of Dragons’ in great detail, paying no mind to his sisters sarcastic comments interrupting the tale. Izumi was exstatic about both of them engaging in the narrative. When the story was completed, he beamed at Azula. “Remember when mother used to take us to watch the Ember Island Players perform this play? Afterwards you and i would reenact every scene. I don’t get why i always had to be the dark water spirit, tough,” His sister scoffed, not hiding her gleefull smirk. “Clearly, i made a better dragon emperor,” Her niece laughed at their antics, clapping her little hands. You could comprehend her joy. It was hilarious to have them both participate.

Unfortunatly, Izumi couldn’t escape her duties forever. “Bye, auntie Zula! Bye auntie (Y/N)!” She waved when Zuko carried her back inside. Upon her loopsided smile, Azula couldn’t help but grin, waving back. It wasn’t a sneer or a grimace. It was a genuine expression of so much beauty, that it took your breath away. When she turned back to face you, she furrowed her brows. “Why are you looking at me like that?” There were a ton of reasons. You didn’t even know were to start. So your delight had to be expressed differently. Her lips weren’t far from yours. It took a mere second to connect them. They were soft, as always. She tasted sweet, like the pastries she’d eaten before. “You’re my everything,” you mumbled, her lips still brushing yours. You see her eyes watering as she struggled to speak her next words. They reminded her of all that she’d endured. And yet you’re important enough for her to pull through. “I love you, (Y/N),”

A moment later the tears were replaced by a smile. Her hands came to rest on your cheeks, one of her thumbs running over your bottom lip, removing the lipstick hers had left. You yelped as she abruptly grabbed your shoulders, pulling you to rest your head in her lap.

She worked to untangle your locks, massaging your scalp in the process. Her nails lightly scraped your skin every so often. It felt relaxing. Heavenly. The smell of smoke and leather teased your senses. Something so familiar that it was like home. You allowed yourself to close your eyes for a moment, being at peace with just... feeling her. Being in her presence.

“Agni, you look just as self satisfied as my niece,” She playfully remarked.

The slight breeze made the leaves rustle softly. “Why wouldn’t i?” You chuckled, slowly opening your eyes to look up at her. Her slim fingers hadn’t stopped spoiling you. She looked stunning in the midday sun. Her eyes glowed like molten gold, framed by long, dark lashes, casting shadows on her cheeks. “I’m being pampered by the princess herself. I consider myself to be very lucky,” Her lips pulled into a smile as she caught your gaze.

“You’re right, (Y/N). We are lucky,”

Because everything you did for her, she would return tenfold.

Despite all the hardships, neglect and abuse she’d suffered, Azula had managed to get out on the other side.

Stronger, and better than ever.

Reconnected to the world around her, she remained one of the most powerful fire benders. Her blue flames offering protection wherever you’d go.

When she’d first felt affection towards you, she thought you were her weakness.

Now she knew you were her strength.

[aitarose]

MAKE A WISH | ZUKO

PAIRING: Zuko x Reader [fem]

PLOT: They’d deserved more time, perhaps even more than forever—but there was no telling what could’ve been, when all they had is now. loosely based on this request by anon

WARNINGS: death, angst

WORD COUNT: 1.1k

A/N: i like to wake up everyday and choose violence.

MY MASTERLIST

“Why don’t we have forever?” Izumi whispered, nestled in the nook of her mother’s arms, blissfully unaware of the infamous feeling of death that was slowly overtaking Y/N’s body.

The little girl shuddered, snuggling closer towards her favorite person in the world, who was soon to be no longer. She rested her chin on Y/N’s chest, memorizing how it lifted up and down with her short breaths.

Whilst her daughter was consumed with grief, Y/N herself felt unworldly. She’d been ill for nearly two years now, knowing full well that her time was terminal, and had finally come to terms with leaving her physical body.

Her only regret was that she’d be leaving behind a daughter and a husband. A daughter that was her absolute pride and joy, that she couldn’t imagine a lifetime without.

And a husband who’d been by her side since she was a mere child, playing in the local Fire Nation markets and gawking at the royal family. The royal family that she was now graced to be a member of.

“Forever is a strange word, my dear.” Y/N pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Izumi’s head, ruffling her hair in a motherly manner. “Why should we dwell on forever, when we have now?”

Y/N felt a tear begin to roll down her cheek, soon followed by twins and triplets of its own. She buried her face in Izumi’s shoulder, drowning her sobs in the fabric of her bright red, satin robes.

It was a strange feeling, knowing that she would no longer be conscious in the morning. Counting down the hours until her very last breath and waiting for complete darkness or enlightenment. 

As a child, Y/N had never feared death. She viewed it as another step in the path of life, something that everyone would eventually have to endure. There was no point in antagonizing it while it followed her like a lonesome shadow.

Izumi seemed to still, quieting herself as she reevaluated her thoughts on the subject. Her little hands were trembling, shaking as they held the small paper crane between her fingers. 

The item was delicately folded, a creation made by Zuko himself, something that had become sort of a tradition between him and Y/N over their many years of knowing one another. 

He’d gifted his first paper crane to Y/N when they were only seven years old. Zuko was the esteemed prince, while she was merely a village girl—yet he had shown her kindness, and offered her the craft in the midst of a royal parade.

In her juvenile eyes, the crane was the most precious thing in her possession. Y/N had held onto it for the entirety of her adolescence, presenting it to Zuko when they’d finally been properly introduced in their teen years. 

They’d been married shortly after that, having fallen in love in a short span of time, and conceiving Izumi only six years later. Y/N loved her life, she had had everything she could’ve possibly dreamed of—until she was diagnosed terminally ill by the royal medics.

“Do you know why your father makes them?” Y/N asked her daughter, frailly gesturing towards the thin origami. Her eyes were beginning to dull, the usual light dimming in response to her disease.

Izumi, on the other hand, was full of youth and energy. She had a full life ahead of her, free of the genetic wears that Y/N had had to endure throughout her entire lifetime. 

She held up the small figurine, her thin eyebrows furrowing in confusion as she awaited her mother’s explanation. Y/N weakly grinned, closing her eyes tightly and reminiscing on her old days. 

Before she could speak a word, their serenity was interrupted by a soft knock on the door, followed by the creaking sound of rich wood and bolts. Their party of two, had become one of three.

Zuko’s face was pale, his normally rosy cheeks were drained of color. His appearance could be compared to that of a ghoul. A spirit not quite present, yet also not fully ascended. 

He approached his favorite girls, laying down on the vacant side of Izumi whilst he stretched an arm around the both of them. “Your Grandpa Iroh taught me how to paper fold when I was just as young as you.”

“He would say that if you made one thousand paper cranes out of love,” Zuko nuzzled Izumi’s nose, his free hand rubbing Y/N’s shoulder affectionately. “Any wish you’d dream of would come true.”

At that, Izumi’s curiosity began to spark. Her head perked up, suddenly being distracted from the melancholy mood. “What did you wish for then, father?” She tilted her head, wonder flowing through her veins.

Her father’s soft amber eyes grew distant, his gaze settling on the woman in his arms. “I wished for a better life, one full of love.” Zuko bit his lip, trying his best to keep his composure in front of Izumi. “And I think that wish came true.”

“I’m still young, my dear, and I still have a lot to learn—but the two of you have shown me more love than I’ve known in my life.” With tears beginning to form in his eyes, Zuko’s head lulled onto Y/N’s shoulder. 

The words began to trail off, his answers no longer being spoken aloud, but through the gestures of memories and emotions. He didn’t need to explain his dreams—the three of them had experienced them, together.

Love had become evident in the royal family, their bloodline no longer being filled with hardships and anger. In the new era of peace, Zuko had unintentionally made it obvious to onlookers that their nation was built on stability and joy.

Things that would hopefully stay present after the inevitable loss of his people’s beloved Lady. Things that he’d keep ingraining in Izumi’s life even though he was losing one of his main sources of happiness. His main source of love.

“What about you, ‘Zumi?” Y/N croaked, her voice growing weaker by the second. Zuko could practically feel her heartbeat slowing to a halt, a final stop. “What do you want to wish for?”

As Y/N’s breathing grew rapid, her family’s eyes had run dry. Their tear ducts were empty, having no waterworks left to shed. Her own daughter’s face was barren whilst her breaths became no more.

Zuko’s hold was loose, her lifeless corpse feeling weightless in his arms. The room had grown cold, no longer filled with warmth and radiance. He buried his face in Izumi’s hair, gasping for air between his screams.

Every emotion hit him at once like a sudden storm, destroying every ounce of composure that he’d hoped he would have. Rather than Zuko being the comforting character, it was Izumi—who was expressionless, silent in her thoughts and features.

As she had made a wish, and with the knowledge of the outcome of their story, her wish would never come true. It just couldn’t. The fates can’t rewind death, the only thing to do is learn to live on.

TAGS: @practicallylivesonline​ @cherryskyies​ @shell-bells-ringding​  @xapham​ @mochminnie​ @bombardia​ @xxspqcebunsxx​ @missmorosis​ @mysticpeacecrusade @akiris​ @simpinforsukka​@protect-remus​ @lammello​ @user12345321 @duh-dobrik​

[zukoscomet]

I realised recently that I never actually collated all the ideas I had about my Zutara kids so here, have some steambabies! Idk I just really like the idea of Katara and Zuko having a big family after all they’ve lost when they were young, and as an only child, I guess I kind of romanticise the idea of having siblings. 

TW: I hc that Katara would have had a miscarriage, so if that is a trigger for you then maybe don’t read on.

Shameless plug but if you wanna read more about this, my series on AO3 is roots and wings.

Their firstborn is a boy who they name Kai after Kya. His full name is Kaito but nobody who knows him ever calls him that, not even when he’s in trouble. I’m not going to go into too much context about like the pregnancy bc you can already find that stuff here. He turns out very much like Zuko physically - tall, golden irises, straight black hair, narrow angular face - but he has mixed tawny skin and his eyes are shaped round and wide like Katara. He’s born on the last day of summer in 109 AG, so because of superstition that firebenders are born in peak summer, there’s some uncertainty about what he’ll bend - if at all - but then when he’s three and a half, he makes a flame. Iroh trains him to firebend until he’s about 16, then he goes off to the Sun Warriors for a year to finish off, and he ends up a very spiritual firebender. Kai is like the dream first child - the softest boy ever to live - and when Katara and Zuko go on to have more children, he’s a really great big brother, like wholeheartedly adores his little sibs even if they drive him completely nuts about 95% of the time. He’s quite a conflicted and confused kid growing up. He’s never quite sure of what he wants in life but finally, when he’s 17, he decides that he realises that he doesn’t want to be Fire Lord and passes along the heir status to his sister. After that he joins the Sun Warriors and eventually marries the chief’s daughter, Himari, and they have two firebender girls, Aiko and Sol. 

Izumi arrives not long after her brother in 110 AG. Katara and Zuko planned to wait but it ends up that there’s barely a year between Kai and Izumi and it comes as an extra shock as Katara didn’t figure out she was pregnant again till like 18 weeks in. Katara goes into labour early at 35 weeks and Izumi is born really small - she never completely catches up either and it’s hilarious because after successive generations of tall male Fire Lords, they get Izumi who’s barely 5 feet - but she’s otherwise fine. She’s physically a mish-mash so overall she resembles nobody especially - Katara’s hair, complexion and big round eyes, Zuko’s irises, Azula’s heart-shaped face and highly arched brow line, Hakoda’s facial features. The superstition about summer births for firebenders peters out real quick when Izumi, born in the autumn, bends blue fire at two and a half and, taught by Jeong Jeong, she grows into a prodigal master. When she’s young, Izumi is the polar opposite of her brother - feisty, stubborn, determined and whip smart - and she’s a heathen teenager but by about 15 she mellows and matures, and part of Kai’s reasoning for abdicating is that Izumi seems a better fit for Fire Lord. Izumi was always kinda apathetic to kids but at 19, she accidentally gets pregnant and has her son, Kazuo, then her daughter, Kira, eleven years later. Izumi becomes Fire Lord at 37 but she only rules for about 14 years before retiring. Since she had Kaz so young, if she stayed on the throne much longer, Kaz would also be an older man when it came time for him to inherit, so she decides to step aside and Kaz is coronated just after his 33rd birthday. 

(Kazuo takes after his Gran Gran in more ways than just his blue eyes; he’s a waterbender so Kaz is the first waterbender Fire Lord)

After a break, Katara and Zuko decide to try for a third addition and Katara gives birth - in the Southern Water Tribe, for the first time - to Bashira, four years after Izumi. Shira looks probably the most like Zuko out of all the children, even more than her elder brother does. They share the same tall and lean physique, the same long black hair, Shira is mixed but still the palest of all the steambabies and their faces are practically identical. They’re characteristically very similar, too - serious, intense and reserved. The only differences is that her hair is curly, her eyes are blue and finally, Katara gets her waterbending child. Both of them suspected that Shira was going to be a waterbender even at the early stages of the pregnancy, but it’s still super exciting when Shira tosses a wave at her elder siblings when she’s two. Katara is teaching her as soon as she possibly can but over time some tension develops between them when Shira turns out to be quite different from her mom in terms of natural bending style. Shira is very fight-oriented, she learns dao swords from Zuko and never shows as much of an interest in the healing arts, but when things blow up and eventually Shira is able to explain that she wants to be able fight like her mom did during the war, things straighten out and Katara guides Shira all the way through to mastery. She eventually moves to the South in her late teens to lead the tribe’s warriors. There, she has three children - waterbender twins Kenzo and Kenji, then a daughter named Kanna who’s a firebender like Grandpa - but the marriage to their father doesn’t last and in her 50s, she ends up in a relationship with Aang and Toph’s daughter, Lin.

Katara gets pregnant for a fourth time - planned - just after Shira turns two, but this time she has a miscarriage. Zuko was overseas when it happened so she went through it alone. Katara is devastated and resents Zuko for not being there. She knows it’s not his fault but she can’t help her emotions and that makes her feel even worse so she just shuts down - stops doing her Fire Lady work, stops spending any more time with Zuko and their children than necessary, won’t let the rest of the family visit them and spends most of the day lying in bed. Zuko doesn’t know how to help her so initially he decides to give her space to grieve however she feels she needs to, but it just deteriorates until one day Zuko suggests that maybe they should both go to therapy or marriage counselling or something because it can’t go on like this. Katara just completely loses it at that and ends up yelling at him all the things that she’d been bottling up over the last couple of months. Katara says some awful things and she’s expecting Zuko to take it poorly, hence why she kept it all inside up till now, but Zuko just accepts every bit of it and after that, she’s finally able to grieve properly and mend.

About six months after they come back together, they decide to try again and Katara eventually falls pregnant. The pregnancy itself goes smoothly but both of them are so stressed about something going wrong like last time and the effect that might have on both of them, then Gran Gran passes away when Katara is in her thirtieth week, so the full ten months were incredibly hard-going. 

It’s a big relief when the baby is finally born on Ember Island, three years after Shira in 117 AG. They name her Lili in honour of their recent losses, since lilies can ease scars and Iroh once referred to them as lights in darkness. From the beginning, Lili is the image of Katara in every way physically and characteristically - kind, patient, gentle, but does have quite a temper if she’s pushed too far. She’s also a waterbender, though it takes her a little longer to manifest her abilities than any of her siblings, first gaining control of the water at the age of six. Lili is incredibly endearing, as both a child and an adult, and she becomes so particularly popular with the Fire Nation public that the firebending qualification to be considered an heir to the throne is reversed, so Shira and Lili are inducted into the succession. Born in the same year, Lili had a long-term relationship with Tenzin, Aang and Toph’s thirdborn, but as they grew older, Tenzin was concerned that if he married her, their children would have heritage of all four elements and degrade the chances of Tenzin producing airbenders and continuing the Air Nation. That concern resulted in a kind of on-again-off-again thing but eventually Lili sent him off with an "I don’t want to be with someone that isn’t even sure he wants me" and went travelling the world for a few years. When they’re both in their thirties though, Lili and Tenzin reconnect and get back together, eventually marrying and producing five children - Jinora, Aya, Hiro, Rohan and Kano, the elder four airbenders and the youngest a waterbender.

A few months after Lili is born, Sokka and Suki have a baby girl and when Katara and Zuko go to visit their new niece, they agree that night on a spur-of-the-moment that they want one more child. The morning after, they talk about it properly and decide it’d be better to wait till Lili was a bit older, but Katara found out six weeks later that that one time had been successful. About halfway through, they find out that they’re expecting a boy and Katara is especially excited since their son had always been more closely attached to her whereas their girls were very firmly Daddy’s girls. Sure enough, when Kallik arrives in 118 AG, he’s a big Mama’s boy and remains so his entire life. Apart from his curly black hair, Kallik is the spitting image of his uncle, to the point that Hakoda says that seeing Lili and Kallik together is like seeing young Katara and Sokka. Kallik is the hardest to handle out of their children - loud, playful, mischievous and an exhausting troublemaker. All of the siblings fight like cat and dog but Kallik and Izumi are by far the worst, on the level of one walks into a room and the other is like “And I took that personally” and they never seem to grow out of it even when they’re both old and grey. Kallik is the only nonbender in the family and initially he struggles with this a bit but he spends a lot of time hanging out with Uncle Sokka, learns dao swords with Shira and Zuko, and by the time he hits his teens, he comes to view it more as something that sets him apart from his siblings. When he’s 18, he goes to join the United Forces and he stays in service till his late thirties, when he meets Ren, another serviceman from the Northern Water Tribe. After beginning a relationship with him, the pair settle in Republic City and end up adopting two daughters, Kirima and Alasie.

About a decade after Kallik is born, it seems like things are kind of slowly drawing to a close as the kids are getting older - Kai is 19 and has left home, Izumi is 18 and living away in Republic City while she studies at university, Shira is 14 and already talking about moving South the first chance she gets, Lili is 11 and wanting to go Northern Water Tribe to train with the healers there, and Kallik is 10 and dreaming of being a great military commander like Grandpa Koda and Uncle Sokka - when suddenly Katara starts to get really, really sick. Zuko is absolutely terrified, thinking that there’s something seriously wrong with his wife, but after some deduction, it turns out that Katara is actually pregnant again. The relief at realising she’s not dying is short-lived and the reaction from both of them is basically holy shit holy fuck we are too old for this our other kids are practically all grown up now we are done with babies we can't seriously have six children what are we going to do. There’s a lot of discussion, especially since Katara is 43 by then and the risks for her to be carrying another child are higher, but they ultimately decide to go through with it. Ironically, it’s the easiest of all her pregnancies and when Katara delivers a baby girl in Republic City in 128 AG, there hadn’t been a single complication to speak of. Iroh had passed away two years earlier, devastating the whole family but Zuko in particular, but the baby is born with his irises - a darker gold - so they name her Ilah. Her eyes are big and round like Katara’s but other than that, Ilah resembles her Grandma Ursa most strongly, with her thick chestnut-coloured hair and slight, delicate facial features. Naturally, Katara and Zuko think all their babies were the cutest baby but Ilah is probably objectively the cutest, with her big honey-coloured eyes, chubby cheeks and soft little curls.

Inevitably, since Kai, Shira, Lili and Kallik had all either left home before she was born or did so when she was still a little girl, Ilah gets a lot more concentrated attention from Katara and Zuko. She’s completely spoiled and doted upon by the whole family, including her elder brothers and sisters who visit her as often as they can manage. Since Izumi still lives in the palace permanently as the Crown Princess, she and Ilah are close, but Ilah ultimately ends up being closest with Izumi’s son, Kaz, who is only a year younger than his aunt. Ilah was even in the room when Kaz was born, though it wasn't an intentional move. Zuko was supposed to be watching Ilah when things got intense with Izumi’s labour but things escalated from 0-100 real fast and Katara didn't have time to hand Ilah off, so she stayed tucked in a sling on her mother’s back as Katara helped her eldest daughter to deliver her own baby, somehow sleeping through all the noise and commotion. Ilah and Kaz end up more like a brother and sister or best friends than an aunt and nephew, though Kaz always calls her Auntie Ilah when he’s teasing her. Ilah is perhaps the shyest around strangers of her siblings, uninterested in celebrity and attention, but she’s the most adventurous, determined and creative, interested in science and invention from an early age. Growing up, Ilah felt a little pressured by the renown of her family, especially when her firebending turned out to be just about average in power, but when she’s 12, Ilah figures out that she can combustionbend. From there, she applies her bending abilities to science and when she leaves home for university, she invents the combustion engine at age 20. The rest of her adult life is spent travelling virtually non-stop, working on innovation projects for the different nations. She never has children, on the account that it would be unfair to expect a kid to move around as much as she does and she’s happy enough with her numerous nieces and nephews, but she eventually marries her long-time girlfriend Li-Mei, an Air Nomad tasked with searching the world for new airbenders. 

[yuzusorbet]

Translation of Kikuchi-san's book.  A friend shared the earlier parts of the Chinese translation with me, so I decided to start from the beginning.  Little Yuzu is too adorable. :))

Chapter 1, part 1.  On the balance beam, a special boy.

If there are natural inborn qualities, then for Yuzuru, that would be the "ability to attract people". 

Yuzuru came to my clinic for the first time when he was in elementary school 2nd grade;  he had sprained his ankle because of jump training.  When his ankle healed, he started to come for "torso training class" that I conducted.

The Yuzuru exercising in the gym, and the Yuzuru talking non-stop in the clinic, are like 2 different people.

Firstly, his body movements are completely different from the ordinary child. His body posture is very good, and there is a flow in all his movements..... Perhaps these are also the special qualities of a figure skater.

For example, his running.  Usually when children want to run fast, even if the posture is good, the legs  will make uncontrolled heavy steps.  But Yuzuru ran lightly and rhythmically.  And it didn't slow down his speed.  The way he ran gave a gentle and graceful feeling, there's always something that draws your attention.  "What an interesting little fella," he left a deep impression on me.

But, in my training class, he wasn't so enthusiastic all the time.  Although he was working hard at figure skating, he often slackened for training in the gym. Like running with not much power, or being sluggish with exercises, I often had to hold up the shinai (t/n. light bamboo sword for kendo practice) and roar at him.  When I did that, Yuzuru would yell, "Waa~~ no!!!!" and start running to escape.  Chase battles like this between us were always going on.  (t/n. so funny!)

Another area that made me feel "this little fella is really interesting" was during circuit training.  This is a way of training by combining a few different items like running, hurdles and simple jumps.  It is an effective exercise for the respiratory system, so I often get the children to do it.

That day, the last item was walking on the balance beam.

For Yuzuru with his well-developed motor nerves, he walked across the beam too easily;  this was uninteresting to me.  "What?  You simply walked across? What sport are you training for?  Don't you have to show beauty?  So do it!"  I gave ridiculous instructions like that.

He started to walk on the beam while making figure skating poses.  Standing around watching him were some children who were quite mischievous.  To be made to do figure skating poses and movements in front of everyone, normally you would feel that you're being made fun of, and feel conflicted.

However, Yuzuru confidently and naturally showed signature figure skating moves in front of his peers.  In this sport of figure skating, if you feel embarrassed by the movements or the costume, you will not be able to keep going.  Especially for a boy.

But Yuzuru is like the main character that draws attention, in the good sense of the word.  And in his posture and movements, there is some power that strongly attracts you.

Watching him do all those skating poses, "Ah this child must really be in love with figure skating, from the bottom of his heart," I thought.

How much do you love what you are doing?  Not just for figure skating, but for any situation, that is the best short-cut that leads to progress.

Chapter 1, part 2.  Growing kids are "good at making requests"

Yuzuru trained at Konami Sports Club, Izumi Ice Rink (the current Ice Rink Sendai);  after training, he came to my clinic, it's something he had to do everyday.

If there was a problem with any part, I would treat that part.  If there was no pain anywhere, I would do a massage for him and taping.  Besides this, he also participated in the 'Sunday night training' in the gym, so  I saw Yuzuru almost every day.

Initially he was quiet and spoke few words, but before I knew it, he had already become very talkative.  But most of what he said were related to figure skating.

"Axel is like this, Loop is like that," he would be telling me endlessly as I was treating him.  I had no concern for figure skating at all, so I could only say, "I don't understand all these things you are saying!"  "Be quiet and receive the massage properly!"   But still, he went on and on by himself.  From that time, in that child's head was figure skating only.

We saw each other almost daily, but I had never heard him say "I want to play" or "I want to stop skating", these sort of complaints.

When Yuzuru was in lower elementary school, I think because of a large amount of figure skate training and also the thought that it's a girl's sport, he told his family, "I want to play baseball," but he had never said such things in front of me.   (*notes by me, not from the book:  In his autobiography, Yuzu said whenever he told his parents he felt like playing baseball instead of skating, they always said OK but he himself never made the switch in the end.)

Elementary school students will naturally talk about TV games and manga.  But at that time I never heard him talk about these topics.  I heard him say he watched TV, so I asked him what programme.  Turns out, he was just watching a video of Plushenko's performances.  And he watched it over and over again everyday, until the video tape was worn out and could not be played anymore.

Yuzuru came to my clinic after training ended, always at night.  I had to extend the opening hours of my clinic.  Everyday, my clinic was open until late, waiting for Yuzuru to come over.

"Sensei, tomorrow I will come again after training, is that alright?" requested this 3rd or 4th grade child, looking very apologetic.

If parents asked me this, I could still refuse in some way, but to an elementary school kid, I could only reply, "Okay!  I will keep my clinic open and wait for you, just come over."

To a child working hard, I wanted to give a helping hand in any way, I guess it's quite natural to have that thought.  And without me realising, I started to look forward to his arrival each time.

From here we can also see, from that young age, Yuzuru was already very good at making requests.

But it was not only Yuzuru who was working hard.  From his home to my clinic, he came by car.  Bringing him here always, was his father.

And also, I heard from Yuzuru himself, that his mother and sister worked on his figure skating costumes, sewing on glittering crystals one by one, late into the night.

After hearing this, all the more I wanted to support him.

2004 October, All-Japan Novice B Championship that elementary 3rd and 4th grade students participated in (9-10 years old), Yuzuru competed in this for the first time and won the championship.  As a skater, he was growing well.

Not only Yuzuru, the children who joined the Sunday night torso training class were all "good at making requests", all full of enthusiasm, they made me want to support them from the bottom of my heart.

(t/n.  awww........ Kikuchi-san is really a kind and soft-hearted grandpa.)

Translated by me from a Chinese translation by QuailAries@weibo, much thanks to her.  Please consider buying the Japanese book to show your appreciation: HERE.  I have just placed my order.

(pic: screenshots from gif by redfar@tumblr)

[derireo]

sad little pair ↦ itaru & izumi

cw: high school au, a story spoiler or two from kniroun. angst? hurt/no comfort?

"Hey." Izumi gently pokes Itaru's arm with the button of her pen to catch his wandering attention. It's currently study hall, but Izumi can't focus, and her friend doesn't seem too keen on doing work either.

Her prodding at his arm makes Itaru look up from the intricate wood patterns on his desk. His overgrown fringe falls over his eyes, but he can still see Izumi.

He rests his cheek in his palm, gaze staring at her through his fingerprint stained glasses. "What."

His tone is uncaring, but Izumi knows he's just bad at his delivery. She quietly gets up from her chair to stand beside Itaru's desk, and she crouches, hands gripping the edge of his table.

Her eyes are sparkling, albeit dimly. It looks like she has an idea in mind.

"Let's dip." She murmurs with a little upwards tilt to the corner of her mouth. "I wanna go home."

Itaru lazily nods his head in agreement. "Same."

Izumi's light up just a bit more, and Itaru feels kind of happy although he was barely able to lift her mood.

"Let's go at lunch." Itaru suggests to which Izumi smiles.

“‘Kay.”

"Sometimes looking at you makes me feel sad." Izumi mumbles softly, sitting cross legged above Itaru's head as he lies on the floor with a handheld game console in his grip.

She says that sentence with a barely amused smile, but it only makes Itaru scoff half-heartedly. He takes a glance up at her towering figure as he feels her fingers brush back his messy fringe.

"Then stop looking at me." He shrugs.

His tone is indifferent, but Izumi knows that his response is lighthearted. She smiles a little more. Readjusts his glasses for him.

"But looking at you can also make me happy." She urges, just in case there was a little part of Itaru that was annoyed with her comment. Izumi's fingers help keep Itaru's hair away from his face as he plays his game. "I feel less lonely.”

Itaru looks at her again, clearer this time now that he paused his game to pay more attention to the conversation they're having. "Well. We're friends.”

He puts his handheld console on his chest, screen down. Folds his hands above his stomach as Izumi playfully flattens his fringe to cover his vision.

"Yeah." She says after a pause. "But sometimes I feel like you get tired of me. My presence can be a bit much. I know.”

Itaru scoffs. "What presence? And if I was tired of you, I'd have left long ago." His voice tells Izumi that she’d gone and upset him.

"Where is this coming from, Tachibana?" Itaru asks her. His pink irises glimmer in the lowlight of the living room as he searches Izumi's face for any non-verbal cues. He doesn't find any

"I don't know." Izumi shrugs. She fixes his fringe and moves to shove her hands between her thighs to warm them. "The night makes me think.”

Her expression is slightly bashful, but it doesn't endear Itaru one bit. He crosses an arm beneath his head and gently reaches out to poke her cheek with his hand

"And it's still the afternoon. Stop thinking so hard.”

And, well... Yeah. Okay. She can probably do that.

Izumi turns her head to look out the window of her living room and smiles blankly. She nods in acknowledgement, looking back at Itaru with an eerily unfocused gaze.

"Yeah..." She trails off slowly.

It makes Itaru want to sigh.

Her mom never really liked showing her face when Izumi was around. And when they did end up seeing each other at home, Izumi's mom wouldn't stay around long enough to hold a conversation.

She'd leave the room if Izumi entered, and sometimes she'd even leave the house if she found no reason to stay.

This started around the time when Izumi's father left, so really. Izumi was just stuck.

Stuck being alone.

Itaru understands why she's being like this right now, but it still makes him wonder: Doesn't she get tired of feeling this way?

"Looking at me now, how are you feeling?" Itaru asks quietly. He watches her movements through his overgrown fringe and he can tell that she's slowly beginning to smile again.

"...I'm happy." She murmurs.

"Less lonely?" He asks another question.

"A little." Izumi frowns. Her brown eyes meet Itaru's, and she reaches out to lightly pat her palm against his cheek. "You're lonely too."

Her gentle touch isn't enough to quell the annoyance that flares inside of Itaru when she points out his similar problem. He still tries to keep his ill-temper at bay, though. For the sake of Izumi.

He blinks his eyes twice, thrice. Gazes up at the ceiling with pursed lips and an indifferent hum.

"I don't think I am." He argues, voice quiet.

It makes Izumi smile again. It's very much like him to pretend and deny things about himself.

"You and I both know that we're hanging around each other more because that guy is gone."

The mention of 'that guy' makes Itaru sip in a quick breath. His pink irises grow sharp as he looks at Izumi who was staring back; looking innocent as if she had done nothing wrong.

"Don't mention him." Itaru says lowly.

He didn't really care about the incident that had happened weeks ago anymore, but just remembering that he was friends with that type of person was something Itaru wanted to forget.

"If only he hadn't pulled that stunt, I'm sure you'd be with him instead of me right now." Izumi muses; observant as always.

And well, she's probably right. At this time of day, he'd usually be in the classroom with his 'friend', talking about Knights of the Round Table. Itaru only talks to Izumi after school, when he walks her home or when he stays over to study.

It's rare for him to be with Izumi for longer than three hours a day, actually. So it's funny. Funny how Itaru doesn't even know if he considers Izumi a friend.

A real one.

Does she consider him a friend?

Is she lying when she says he makes her feel less lonely or is it true?

And why does it feel like he's being selfish?

"Do you feel like I'm only using you as a substitute for his absence?" Itaru asks after a while of silence between the two students, and he frowns, vision briefly going out of focus due to Izumi going back to playing with his fringe.

He gives Izumi time to mull over her answer to his question, but Itaru's only given a shrug.

"I guess, but it doesn't bug me."  She starts, pinching a few strands of his hair between her fingers. "I'm a nice replacement, don't you think?"

Her teasing smile is what barely makes Itaru chuckle, but the young boy goes back to his normal brooding.

"I'm sorry."

The apology makes the girl pause in her messing around with his hair and frowns down at him. She couldn’t see the hundreds of thoughts that ran through his head, but it felt like she still saw right through him. "...Why?"

"I didn't mean to cast you aside." He mutters quietly and scratches his cheek, eyes darting between his friend's face and the ceiling of her living room. "I left you alone for too long."

"It's okay. You two were always happy when talking about Kniroun." Izumi shrugs. She doesn't really understand why he's feeling bad.

She knows that Itaru feels more comfortable around Tonooka than he feels with her so how can she blame him?

Itaru doesn't want to think about Tonooka. "I should have kept you some more company, at least."

"It's okay. I'm fine with the quiet walks home."

"Izumi. I don't... Ugh, I—I don't want you to say that." Itaru grasps for straws at this point. "You need to be more vocal with your own thoughts, wants, and needs."

"Well... If anything. I just want us to stay friends. For a long time." Her wish is simple and barely satisfies Itaru's need to feel less guilty, but he doesn't argue.

He gathers the courage to look at Izumi again and feels himself falter when he notices her smile.

"Do you think we can manage that?" She asks him, innocent.

And don't get mad at him, but the question almost had Itaru laughing at the absurdity.

People don't stay friends after high school.

People in high school aren't worth keeping as friends.

Itaru doesn't want to make a promise he can't keep.

"I don't know." He says honestly, lightly brushing away Izumi's hands from his face. "Seems a little difficult."

"Since our interests don't really align, right?" She says what Itaru had been thinking and the blond frowns.

Izumi smiles kindly, not at all upset. Of course, she knew. Itaru, busy with his games, busy with his studies, busy with anything else that didn’t pique Izumi’s interest. He sees her the same way; busy with acting, busy with working, busy with self-loathing.

None of that interested Itaru just as much as Izumi to him.

Funny, that, although they were completely different, they were also quite similar.

Lonely. Closed off. Acting like someone they’re not.

“I’m surprised we’re still friends.” Izumi muses, brown eyes staring straight through Itaru as his eyes looked up at her ceiling.

“We tolerate each other, if anything.” He says, avoids returning Izumi’s stare. His throat bobs, and suddenly there’s a vine of guilt climbing up his spine and wrapping around his neck.

He’s making it sound like he doesn’t consider her a friend; disregarding everything he said earlier in their conversation.

But, after Tonooka...he isn’t sure if he even wants one anymore.

There’s still a lot more he can lose if Izumi turns on him too.

Their silence stretches on for what feels like hours after Itaru’s last statement, Izumi’s eyes unblinking and void of any emotion. She isn’t sure if he’s pushing her away, having experienced much harsher treatment from her mother, but she prepares her heart for the icy hurt that would soon come.

Itaru’s uncomfortable by her stare. Almost like she’s staring at the floor and not him.

Almost like she’s choosing not to see him.

“How am I making you feel now?” He asks, quiet, as to not startle her.

Her unfocused eyes revert themselves at the question, and thankfully, he’s in her sights again. Itaru lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and runs a hand through his hair.

“Um.” She starts, wringing her hands in her lap. Her lips are red with how much she’s been biting them, and she looks almost conflicted. Like she didn’t want to tell him the truth.

Itaru reaches out, tenderly brushing his fingers against her cheek. “You can tell the truth.”

She barely registers his touch; something that doesn’t happen often. Izumi loves it when he initiates physical affection, but it seems that she doesn’t even notice this time around.

“Lonely.” She says, softly. “You want to leave.”

Itaru flinches at the sudden warmth of her tears dripping onto his fingers, and his breath catches when he sees that she still isn’t blinking.

Her face doesn’t move a muscle although there are tears leaking from her eyes and Itaru has to drop his hand from her face so that they would stop sliding down his arm.

Her voice is oddly calm, void of the sadness that her eyes show and Itaru sits up with an anxious feeling digging into his stomach.

“I didn’t say that.” He croaks. There’s a fire crawling up his throat that makes him struggle to speak, the burn making him stumble over his words as he reaches for Izumi’s shoulders to pull her limp body into his chest.

“I just—I-I...I don’t know if I can promise that I’ll stay.” He says truthfully, but still winces at the words that brought no comfort.

“It’s okay.” She speaks into Itaru’s shoulder, his arms wrapping around her.

Her nose stings and brings a fresh wave of tears to pool in her eyes. She laughs it off though, albeit weakly, and lets her face twist into a pained expression when she knows Itaru isn’t looking at her.

“It was fun being your friend.” She whispers, lifting a heavy hand to comfort Itaru by patting his back.

As they say. Nothing lasts forever.

[flourchildwrites]

One is All, All is One

Izumi Curtis:  Passing Housewife, Master Alchemist and... Teacher?  It's more likely than you think.

Fandom:  Fullmetal Alchemist:  Brotherhood & Manga

Relationships & Characters:  Izumi Curtis/Sig Curtis, Pinako Rockbell, Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric

Genre:  Family Feels, Alchemy Training, TW Canonical Reference to Child Loss

Rating:  Teen And Up Audiences

Word Count:  3,076 words

A/N:  Happy (belated) holidays, @ratsbys!  I'm your pinch-hitter for the @fmasecretsanta2020.  When I saw that you liked Izumi Curtis, I couldn't help myself.  She's my favorite character (hence my AO3 pseud). Thank you for waiting so patiently for your gift.  I hope you enjoy this fic as much as I enjoyed creating it for you.

Read on AO3

“How can I say no to that?  Of course, they may go.”

Izumi is almost taken aback by the ease of Pinako Rockbelk’s answer, but there seems to be a lot of that reasoning going around today.  Perhaps, this is just the effect that the Elric brothers have on ordinarily reasonable people.  Housewives suddenly agree to become teachers, and trusted guardians allow their wards to live with strangers while studying alchemy.

“My husband and I run a butcher shop in Dublith,” Izumi explains. “If the boys pass a preliminary test, they would live there with us while I teach them.  I would also insist they train in martial arts to provide a practical application for their skills.  Both aspects of the training are rigorous.  Many pupils wait until they are older to learn.”

Pinako smiles congenially. “Dublith sounds like a nice place, and I think you will find both boys are ready to learn what you have to teach, especially if they are allowed to do it together.”

The short, elderly mechanic sits opposite Izumi and puffs happily on her long pipe.  She answers each question with ease, and the passing housewife realizes that Pinako’s demeanor is unshakable. She might be doing something as mundane as ordering breakfast at her favorite local restaurant, not handing over custody of two young boys to complete strangers.

The thought almost makes Izumi smirk before she remembers where they are, a small farming town named Resembool that sits precariously close to the troubled Ishvalan territory.  In this town, the sheep outnumber the people, and though there might have been charming restaurants dotting the streets surrounding a bustling train station in the past, this progress was wiped away by the 1907 terrorist attack.  Resembool, much like their residents, gives the appearance of a pastoral paradise, but beneath the pretty picture, there lies loss and hardship.  Honestly, Izumi isn’t surprised that Alphonse and Edward want to travel for alchemy lessons; however, she is wary of the fact that Pinako, their guardian, will so casually allow it.

“Dr. Rockbell,” Izumi entreats, mindful of automail textbooks lining a nearby bookcase that prominently bear the elderly doctor’s honorific on their spine.

“It’s Pinako, dear,” she corrects with gentle (but firm) intonation.

Izumi grins awkwardly in reply and sets down the tea that young Winry served them earlier.  It smells divine—ginger tea with a hint of lemon and mint, but she has no stomach for it.

“Pinako, the training I specialize in can be physically and spiritually trying, especially for children.  Unfortunately, I can’t make exceptions.”

“Nor would I ask you to,” Pinako is quick to respond. “The boys’ father was an accomplished alchemist, and they’ve been playing around with it ever since they were old enough to read.  I would rather them learn under the guidance of a master.  Forgive me for being blunt, dear, but I believe the real question is if you think you are ready for students.”

Pinako takes a drag from the end of her pipe and exhales in a steady stream.  Izumi is grateful for the warm smoke clouding the sunny sitting room as the old woman peers through the glasses perched on the bridge of her nose.  Her question cuts dangerously close to the quick.  The Flamel on the left side of Izumi’s chest pulses when she hears the word “master” and thinks of the boys as they are:  alchemy students, perhaps, but first and foremost, they are children—something Izumi has too little and too much experience with.

Is she ready?  For children under her roof?  For students eager to learn a skill that left her marred?

The grandfather clock on the sitting room wall counts three seconds before Izumi is pulled out of the mire of her mind by the comforting pressure of Sig’s hand on her knee, and when he speaks, it is with a gruff softness that makes her heart swell.

“We would have no trouble looking after the boys, though I think my wife wouldn’t want to deprive the boys’ father the opportunity to train them.”

At the mention of the absent man, Pinako tilts her chin downward; shadows deepen her wrinkles. “I’m told he has his reasons.  Still, Edward and Alphone’s father deprives himself of the opportunity to train his sons well enough on his own without anyone else helping him.  You would not be intruding.”

Her short arm leans toward the coffee table separating the couple, and she places her pipe in a metal ashtray before bringing her hands to rest in her lap.

“I never was an overbearing parent,” she states, “and I am also not as young as I once was.  Some days, these old bones feel too tired to look after three children. Winry’s interest in automail is something I can manage, but alchemy is beyond my field of expertise.  Edward and Alphonse would greatly benefit from some vigorous direction to channel their passion, and I sense in Izumi a tireless spirit.”

Sig beams down at his wife in agreement.

“If dear Trisha, their mother, were here, I believe she would agree.  They are determined to learn alchemy, and they have the gift to perform it.  But they can’t do that properly in Resembool, so I will allow the boys to train with you if you are agreeable.”

Izumi isn’t sure what persuades her, be it a reason or a feeling, but her resolve requires nothing more than her husband’s agreement.  Likewise, when she looks to Sig and finds his burly face full of admiration, she knows they are of the same mind.  The boys will return to Dublith with them, and if they pass the test, Izumi will teach them the art of alchemy.

“I will consider them as students,” Izumi announces, “provided they have the perseverance to learn alchemy.  They may not be ready, but there’s only one way to be certain.  I will test them as I was tested. We’ll see where they stand after a month.”

To the couple’s surprise, Pinako chuckles at the prospect of Edward and Alphonse not being ready as if she knows something Izumi and Sig do not.  With business concluded, the three adults rise from their seats and prepare themselves for the short walk to the nearby Elric family home to tell Edward and Alphonse the good news.

...

One is all; all is one.

This is the basis of alchemy.  It is a lesson that the boys must learn, divined in isolation through the cycle of life itself.  And until her new apprentices speak this law into being, Izumi cannot teach them.  They must figure it out by themselves.

She takes Pinako’s words to heart and does not shy away from the vigorous direction the good Dr. Rockbell prescribed.  Edward and Alphonse will be instructed in the same manner Izumi was taught.  They land upon a nearby island with soft sand, warm water and lush greenery that teems with life.  The passing housewife breathes in the humid air and pushes the last of the city smog from her lungs.  She doesn’t think about the ache in her belly during moments like these.  It is all part of the same alchemical cycle.  Each end engenders a new beginning.

And honestly, this new beginning on a beautiful island is a far cry from her first alchemy trial at frigid Briggs. Izumi’s methods may be bold, but she is hardly cruel.  Edward and Alphonse are, after all, still children.  Children stranded on a deserted island, but children nonetheless.

“You two are on your own,” she announces to a slightly bewildered Edward and Alphonse.

The boys stare back in surprise, and Izumi grins with confidence.  She places her hands squarely on her hips, and her voice swells with conviction. It’s been quite a while since she felt this sort of rush.  To be needed and valued.  And to be seen as both a housewife and a master alchemist.

It’s nice, very nice.  But that won’t soften Izumi’s resolve as a teacher.  She owes her students this much.

“If you do well, you will move on to the main training phase.  During this first stage, the use of alchemy is totally forbidden.”

But one little clue is in order, she thinks.  That is only fair.

“One is all, and all is one.  You have one month to figure out what that means.  You better find the answer in the allotted time, or else you are headed back to Resembool.”

To underscore her point, Izumi tosses a knife at the boy’s feet. It’s another gift, though they may not see it that way until later.  To be talented alchemists, they must understand the value of sacrifice.  They discard their daily comforts for the benefit of knowledge, and to sustain their lives, they must know what has been taken firsthand.  A knife is, simply put, essential to that task.

With one arm raised and a grin on her face, Izumi bids her pupils a fond farewell, almost wishing she could travel back through the threads of time to complete her own training again. “Bye,” she says confidently before the boys can respond.

As Sig paddles back toward the shore, he hums thoughtfully under his breath.

“A clue and a knife,” he observes.

“Too much?” Izumi asks.  The bridge of her nose wrinkles playfully with indecision.

Sig chuckles. “I think it’s just enough.”

...

Four days.

It’s been four days since she marooned abandoned purposefully left Edward and Alphonse on a nearby island in the name of introductory alchemy training (with a knife!).  Outwardly, Izumi is the picture of levelheaded confidence.  She says loud and proud that her pupils will have an abundant supply of food and water when her husband questions her methods.

But inwardly, she’s forever grateful that Sig chose to check in on them this morning.

He set off with a small knapsack after closing the butcher shop early.  And when she told him to “do what he felt he had to” with a stiff upper lip, Sig smiled so softly in return as if he knew what she really meant was, 'thank you.'

Now that she is alone, nervousness twists her belly into knots.  With her work in the butcher shop done for the day, the housewife wanders from room to room in her home, wondering how the boys might spend their days and taking note of her furniture’s construction.  No doubt, a few pieces are bound to be destroyed during their training.  Rigorous martial arts training requires an ambush or two.  Broken furniture is a fair trade for solid combat skills.

Yet, Izumi finds herself drawn to the details in each room:  family photos filled by two and fragile mementos from her travels around Amestris.  When she reaches the spare room at the end of the hall, she notices that the doorknob looks just like new, and indeed, this room is not a place she likes to dwell.  Though it is now filled with odds and ends that have no place in her home, it was once a nursery.

Soon, if Edward and Alphonse pass their test, it will be a student dormitory of sorts.

Izumi doesn’t know how to feel about this change.  Nevertheless, she chooses to focus on the new beginning laid at her feet rather than the dream of motherhood that slipped between her fingers.

It takes her hours to transmute the old furniture into a set of twin beds with a matching nightstand placed in between.  She dusts and busies herself into the evening, finding new places for old keepsakes and cleaning off an old desk at the far side of the room.  By the time Sig returns, Izumi has made a list of supplies the boys will need and has scoured the house for suitable fabric for new curtains.

It is only when she sees Sig’s dirt clad knees and windswept hair that Izumi realizes she might have acted too soon.

“How are they?” she asks, trying to summon her earlier confidence.

Sig smiles reassuringly, and her heart beats faster in relief.

“They’re doing ok,” he says. “I was close to calling off the exercise, but Edward decided to eat some ants.  Strange choice, but shortly after, they were setting traps for rabbits and making fishing poles.  I think they’re starting to understand your lesson.”

Amusement painted Izumi’s features. “Of all the things to eat on that island, he ate ants?”

“Everyone has to start somewhere,” Sig responds gently. “Maybe we should set aside some time to take the boys camping during their training.  Survival tactics are essential.”

A picturesque image burns itself into the housewife's mind before she can curb her enthusiasm—Izumi and Sig with Edward and Alphonse, camping under the stars.  She would like to teach them how to transmute shelter while Sig cooks a delicious meal over a modest campfire. Indeed, there’s an element of training in that activity, but there’s also a feeling of blissful domesticity that Izumi doesn’t want to put a name to.  At least, not yet.

“I’ll consider putting survival training in my curriculum,” Izumi announces as she turns on her heel and heads back down the hallway. “Now, I need to show you where the boys will be staying. I’m torn between two fabrics for the curtains, and we’ll need to go shopping for a few more things before they return.”

She doesn’t turn to see Sig’s expression, but somehow, Izumi knows he is also smiling.

...

There’s an impressive spread laid out on the table when the Elric brothers return from the island. It’s a feast for the senses, and the boys do not hesitate to tuck in.  They load their plates with thick cuts of beef, potatoes and a few spoonfuls of veggies.  Each dish is topped with a river of gravy and a crusty slice of buttered bread.

Izumi can’t remember the last time her kitchen felt so full, and she grins to herself when she thinks no one is watching.  Edward and Alphonse adapt to their new surroundings quickly. The boys eat exuberantly as they tell Sig about their time on the island.  The burly bear of a man listens intently to Edward’s exaggerated account of their time as if he hadn’t secretly checked in on the boys every few days. As she finishes serving her own plate and sits down to dinner, Izumi mentally confirms her plans to take her students camping sometime.

For survival training purposes, of course.

“You should have seen us, teacher!” Ed exclaims. “We made traps and fishing poles without alchemy.”

Izumi checks her enthusiasm despite the way her heart jumps at the name they’ve given her: teacher.

“You did well, boys, but the real work begins tomorrow. You’ll need to study and practice to learn alchemy.”

Alphonse perks up. “Oh, we will, teacher. We’ll be the best students you’ve ever had.”

She begins to say that they’re the only students she’s ever taken on, but something about the way their golden eyes gleam with passion and pride causes Izumi to pause.  Her introduction to alchemy was nothing like theirs.  Her reception was cold; her preliminary test was colder.  And she cannot recall such a fine meal shared with her master.

“Honey,” Sig interrupts.  His timing is impeccable as always. “Why don’t you tell them about your test and how you had to fight a bear.”

Izumi can’t help the confident smirk that settles on her mouth.  As Edward and Alphonse hang on her every word, she recounts her experiences in Briggs with as much fearsome detail as she can remember.  The children lean in to listen while they continue to shove heaping spoonfuls of mashed potatoes in their mouths.  By the time their plates are cleared, Izumi feels as if she is a living, breathing legend, an all-powerful alchemist that has much to teach her students.

It occurs to Izumi, sometime between dinner and dessert, that Edward and Alphonse need more than an alchemy education.  These orphans from Resembool need guidance in all things.  They need care and concern from people not spread so thin as Pinako.  The phrase ‘role models’ burrows its way into Izumi’s mind, and as she watches Sig help the boys set dessert plates around their small table, she begins to understand what Pinako might have seen in the passing husband and wife from Dublith.

It’s too soon to say they are a family and too much to call the warm, tight feeling in her chest ‘love.’ But there is something wonderful about the easy way the Elrics belong in this home, like puzzle pieces tailor-made for empty spaces that Izumi once believed could never be filled.

After dinner, Edward and Alphonse wash up and tuck themselves in bed.  Their tired bodies sprawl out over the new sheets.  They sleep soundly on a pair of soft mattresses that cushion their ambitious dreams.  Sig busies himself cleaning up the kitchen while Izumi settles at her desk in the study.  She selects a recipe for breakfast alongside her lesson plans for the boys’ first formal alchemy instruction when an idea strikes her.

Izumi isn’t entirely sure why she feels compelled to write Pinako a letter, but the delicate fibers of her favorite stationery are pressed underneath her pen before she can second guess herself.  She shares the good news about the brothers passing their preliminary exam with Pinako and thanks the doctor for the opportunity to nurture their talent.  In the last paragraph, the housewife makes a small request for recipes that the boys favor to make their stay more comfortable.  

Lastly, Izumi’s pen hovers over the signature line for a moment, wondering which phrase to use in closing.  She goes with her instinct and writes the first thing that comes to mind.

‘One Is All, All Is One,’ she pens in the space above her signature block.

Perhaps, the perceptive Granny will know the phrase’s meaning, or maybe she’ll consider the odd saying little more than a mantra Izumi favors.  Both are true.  Still, the concept of a beginning within an end, of equivalent exchange and interconnectivity of all things, seems particularly poignant tonight.

Izumi sits back in her desk chair and sighs softly to herself.  She knew that the next few months would be life-changing for the two boys occupying the room at the far end of the hall.  Until this moment, she had not expected how impactful their presence would be for her in return.

[zelzenik]

my latest installment of “family portraits” is here! no prompts this time, but please feel free to keep sending them in if you have any ideas!

to read this on ao3/sub there/drop kudos, please click here :))

The waves crest and fall, and Sokka is restless, nearly frantic, by the time the boat finally reaches the harbor. Not wasting a single moment, he doesn’t even bother to gather his belongings before stumbling off the gangway and onto the dock. “Ty Lee - Is there any news?” he sounds breathless, as though he’s gotten the wind knocked out of him.

Ty Lee, head of the Royal Family’s contingent of Kyoshi warriors, twists her lips into an unusually worried frown. “She’s been struggling, Sokka. We need to get you to the palace as soon as possible.” Without further discussion, she motions for his luggage to be carried behind them, taking off as his escort to the palace.

The air is unsufferably hot and sticky, and Sokka’s already taken off his parka, draping it over his free arm. “How’s Zuko handling it all?”

“He’s worried,” Ty Lee replies shortly, glancing back at the Water Tribe chieftain. Her gray eyes, typically alight with laughter and life, are heavy with unshed tears. “He’s asked about your father and gran-gran. Will they be journeying here as well?”

“No,” Sokka shakes his head quickly. “Gran-Gran’s been feeling weak, and Dad decided it’d be best if he remained with Pakku to take care of her and look after the tribe in my absence. We’ve all been very concerned since receiving Zuko’s last message via Hawky.” He strides quickly up the palace steps where he and Ty Lee will part ways.

Twisting her torso and lifting her arms up in an elastic stretch, Ty Lee replies, “Katara’s very strong, Sokka. She’s already survived two pregnancies, and she won’t go down during her third.” She then extends her arm in a sweeping gesture. “Katara and Zuko should be in their chambers.”

Clunky boots thudding against the clean floors of the palace hallways, Sokka isn’t going to see Katara and Zuko. Not yet, at least. He reaches Ursa’s gardens in a matter of minutes, servants jolting out of his way as he tears down the corridors with the ferocity of a madman.

Under the cover of arching trees, by the calm of the turtleduck pond, his little nieces play. Izumi, recently five, and Kya, a robust two. Another figure sits beside them, but Sokka barely has time to register their presence as Izumi and Kya launch themselves at him. He drops his parka to the grass as his arms shoot out to catch them.

“Uncle Sokka!” Izumi exclaims, throwing her tiny arms around his torso.

Kya, with her gummy grin, beams up at him, repeating after her older sister, “Uncle! Uncle!”

Sokka can’t help it. His heart melts at the sight, and he scoops them both up in his arms as they let out identical squeals of delight. “My Zumi and Kya,” he nuzzles both their cheeks in turn as Kya giggles, tugging at his warrior’s wolftail and pawing away at his stubble. “I’ve missed you both so much.” His attention is drawn back to the figure sitting by the pond, fiddling idly with breadcrumbs. His voice gets caught at the back of his throat. “…Azula?”

“Sokka.”

“Auntie Zula’s feeding the turtleducks with us!” Izumi explains with a bright grin, beginning to squirm in his arms. He sets her down, and she makes her way back to Azula, throwing her arms around her aunt with a look of pure adoration.

“What’re you doing here?” he can’t help the edge that creeps into his voice. He bites back a harsh retort, acutely aware of Kya and Izumi’s presences.

In all honesty, he’d forgotten that Azula still lived at the palace. He’s seen her a few times since the end of the war, back when he visited the palace more often to be with his family and a certain Kyoshi warrior. After breaking things off with Suki, though, he hasn’t been back much since then. Suki was needed back on Kyoshi Island, and he was needed at the South Pole. Shortly after, Suki relinquished her position at the palace to Ty Lee, and Sokka succeeded his father as Chief of the Southern Water Tribe.

He visits on occasion, of course - He was present for Izumi’s birth, calming his anxious brother in law as Zuko wore down the carpet beneath them with his constant pacing. He was there for Kya’s birth too, taking care of Izumi as Katara and Zuko adjusted to life with a second baby in the family. Azula wasn’t present for either of those. What is she doing here now?

Azula, ever sharp and straightforward, replies, “I’m playing with my nieces.” Her pert chin is lifted, and her golden eyes follow him appraisingly. She’s twenty four now, the same age as Katara. It’s been ten years since the end of the war.  A mere decade ago, she was a broken fourteen year old girl, breathing blue fire and lashing out at all who dared to get close to her, screaming in anger, ever haunted by ghosts that didn’t exist to anyone but her.

“I think you mean my nieces,” Sokka cuts in smoothly, tickling Kya who shrieks in laughter.

A slender brow arches. “They’re my nieces, Sokka.” Gaze never dropping Sokka’s, she breaks off little pieces of bread for Izumi to feed to the turtleducks. Her limbs are folded delicately, and her light red robe hangs from her lithe body gently. Unlike the topknot she wore when she was younger, her long dark hair hangs loose, framing her face. Izumi bears a startling resemblance to her, he realizes.

He’s just about to protest again when Kya’s arms fling out from him, her tiny hands reaching for Azula. Instead of handing the wiggling toddler off, Sokka reluctantly sits down beside his former enemy, shifting Kya in his arms. Izumi’s tossing bread into the pond with reckless abandon, accidentally hitting herself on the head with her enthusiasm.

“That’s definitely your side of the family showing,” Azula notes dryly. The corner of her lips turn up ever so slightly, though, and Sokka bears it silently, forgoing retaliation as Kya pats his cheeks happily.

Izumi pops in between them, throwing an arm around their necks and tugging them into a warm embrace. “I’ve never played with you both before!” she exclaims in excitement, and Kya claps her hands in agreement. “I can’t wait to show you my fire, Uncle Sokka! Daddy and Auntie Zula’ve been helping me, and Daddy wants to take me to see dragons one day!” She lights up a small flame in the palm of her hand, and Kya reaches for it with a giggle.

Jerking Kya back quickly, Sokka can’t help the jolt of fear that courses through him at his tiny niece wielding such bright fire.

Thankfully, Izumi doesn’t seem to register his scared reaction, but Azula places a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I know you’re excited, Izumi, but we still have to be careful with your fire. Do you remember what we spoke about the other day?”

Izumi’s small face scrunches in thought before her golden eyes light up. “We protect people by protecting and being the boss of our flame. I remember, Auntie Zula. That’s what you and Daddy always tell me.”

“I’m proud of you for remembering,” Azula says, her voice cracking lightly. “My smart, kind Izumi.” Stiffly, she opens her arms to the little girl who returns her affection freely.

Sokka doesn’t quite know what to make of the situation. Ten years ago, he would’ve laughed if someone told him he’d be sharing such a tender family moment with the firebending prodigy who chased them around the world and constantly tried to kill them. Granted, he probably would’ve done the same if he were told that his little sister would one day be Fire Lady, bearing children of Fire Nation blood.

He opts, instead, for silence, threading his fingers through Kya’s dark curls. Together, they wait by the turtleduck pond for what seems like hours. He desperately wants to find his sister and make sure that she’s okay, but he knows that Katara needs him here more, looking after her children. Ty Lee was right - Katara has Zuko, countless physicians, and herself. She’s a master waterbender, more than capable of taking care of herself and her baby. If he went to visit her now, she’d likely grow tired of his fussing, knock him upside the head, and get Zuko to kick him out of the room. Or worse, she’d do it herself.

Shuddering at the thought, Sokka focuses his attention back toward his nieces. He’s still floored at the way Azula has mellowed over the years, patient and tender toward both Izumi and Kya. She never raises her voice, and she’s attentive and doting with them in a way that even Sokka isn’t.

As the sun slowly begins to creep its way beyond the horizon, they spend the afternoon feeding the turtleducks, reading picturebooks, and eating a meal that’s brought out to them by the servants. By dusk, there’s still no word from Zuko and Katara.

Just as an overly calm Azula’s suggesting to an overly anxious Sokka that they get the girls ready for bed, a servant comes bursting into the gardens. “Fire Lord Zuko and Fire Lady Katara have summoned you all to their chambers!”

Sokka’s so relieved that tears begin to course down his cheeks as he hoists a wide-eyed Kya onto his shoulders. Izumi, who typically tires by the time the sun sets, is bouncing on her heels excitedly. Even Azula appears more at ease as she holds Izumi’s hand, the heavy crease on her brow finally gone. They make quite the little caravan, Sokka decides, as they make their way through the palace to Zuko and Katara’s chambers.

Standing at the entrance, Zuko is haggard, sweat beading at his brow, fingers pressed to his temples. At the sight of his children, though, he breaks into a relieved smile, sweeping them into his arms and kissing the tops of both of their heads. “Sokka,” he greets, extending his arm and meeting Sokka in a strong Water Tribe grip. “Azula, thank you both for watching them.” He folds his little sister in a tight hug before turning his attention back to his children, “Are you ready to meet your baby brother now?” Grinning at their exuberant reactions, he leads them into the room. “I’ll be back out in just a second,” he promises, lightly closing the door behind them.

Sokka’s left standing in the hallway with Azula. “A nephew,” he can’t help but grin. He adores his nieces, and they can easily bend him to their every whim, but he can’t help the thrill he feels at the prospect of having a nephew too.

Hugging herself tightly, Azula repeats in a whisper, “A nephew.”

Finally, after what seems like an eternity later, Zuko returns, poking his head out of the door. “Hey. I believe you both have a nephew to meet.”

Unable to contain his excitement, Sokka quickly strides forward to follow his brother in law, pausing when Azula reluctantly peels herself from where she’s leaned against the wall. There’s such an uncertainty in her eyes that, after a beat, Sokka extends a hand out to her, and she hesitantly slips her soft one into his rough one.

They follow Zuko into his chambers where Katara smiles tiredly, propped up against a mountain of pillows, a tiny bundle in her arms. Izumi and Kya are at either side, curiously peering over her to look at their baby brother. “Sokka. Azula. Come.”

Zuko gathers his little girls into his arms, falling into a plush armchair and pulling them both to sit on his lap. He tousles their curly hair and hugs them both to his chest, watching over his wife proudly from the bedside.

Azula’s feet seem to be rooted to the floor, and Sokka tugs her forward gently, fighting the instinctual urge to rush to his sister’s side. “Katara,” he grins at his little sister, kissing the top of her head lightly. “I’ve missed you.”

Wrinkling her nose, Katara shoots back easily, “I haven’t missed you.” She then gives a small laugh, glancing back down at the little bundle in her arms. “Here,” she offers it up to him. “His name is Iroh.” Her blue eyes are heavy, and there are dark circles beneath them. This pregnancy was very difficult for her, he knows.

“Uncle will be pleased,” Azula says, the words sounding choked and strangled in comparison to her normally elegant speech.

With his girls tucked in his arms, Zuko watches them softly, love shining in his eyes. “He will. He’s to arrive within the next week or so from Ba Sing Se.” At that, both his girls twist up to look at him, wearing mirrored expressions of delight.

“Grandpa’s coming?” the question bursts from Izumi’s lips, and Zuko hushes her gently, nodding his head. She climbs out of his lap, crawling back up to nestle into her mother’s side, and Kya remains in Zuko’s arms.

Peering down at the little face, Sokka cradles the bundle against his chest, noting the shock of black hair atop the baby’s head and the tiny curled fists. He leans down slightly so that Azula can peek too, and his blue eyes drift toward hers before he can stop them.

Tears have been freely trailing down Sokka’s cheeks this entire time; he’d been overwhelmed both with fear for his sister’s life and sheer joy at the thought of her baby son. Now he can see that Azula’s had a similar response, albeit a more subdued one.

Hesitantly, she lifts a finger, catching Katara’s gaze from where she lies on the bed. At Katara’s nod of encouragement, Azula strokes a gentle finger along baby Iroh’s face, from his forehead, down to his nose, and across his soft cheeks. Unconsciously, she grips Sokka’s arm, gazing at the baby with such an unbridled love that he’s almost content to watch her instead of little Iroh. Almost.

“He’s our little nephew,” Sokka finally says, his voice heavy with emotion.

Azula looks up at him, the sharp angles of her face softening. “Our little nephew.”

His lips curve up into a smile. Their little nephew.

[queentargary3n]

blessings

SasuSaku month 2020 Day 17 

Reincarnation AU  - Police Officer Sasuke AU

There isn’t a single day of his life that Uchiha Sasuke isn’t thankful for his life. For his mother’s gentle smile and kind nature, for his father’s silent praises, for his brother’s company and support. He’s even grateful for his loud mouthed, blond, best friend, who annoys him most of the time, but has his back when he needs it the most. He doesn’t know what he did to deserve such great people in his life.

At 24, having graduated college, and finished training in the police academy, he sets up for a bright career as a police officer and hopes to make detective before he is 30.

So, he goes to work every day, knowing he is making a change. Watching over the people he grew up with, protecting his beloved town, and actually doing something about the crime that has begun to infest it.

Sasuke knows his life is good, he was born in a good family, went to a top tier university, he never lacked for anything. He knows that having his family, being able to afford his own place, buy a new car, and work in something he actually likes is a luxury many don’t actually have.

But even as he counts his blessings every day, he can’t escape the feeling that he is missing something. Like there is a hole inside of him, he can’t seem to fill with anything.

He doesn’t remember when his nightmares started, perhaps he’s always had them. Sometimes it’s the bloody corpses of his parents that terrorize him during the night, the sadness of his brother’s eyes, as he looks at him from afar, eyes shining red and spinning unnaturally. Other nights it’s a white-faced man, with snake-like features that hunts him, forcing him to drink potions that taste horrible and burn down his throat, telling him that they will make him stronger. On other nights he dreams of facing gigantic humanoid creatures, dead bodies littering the ground he steps on.

But some nights, he dreams of pink cherry blossom hair and green eyes. The spring girl, as he calls her, cries behind him, begging him not to leave, or stands in front of him as one of his hands reaches for her neck and the other holds lightning, readying to electrocute her, he assumes.

Not every dream is violent with the spring girl, sometimes it’s just him and her. She hugs him or holds his hand as they look over magnificent vistas he’s never actually seen in real life. Sometimes they are children, sometimes they are grown, sometimes he taps his fingers to a strange diamond tattoo on her forehead and she blushes. Sometimes he kisses her and makes love to her. He wakes up to a feeling of sadness and tears rolling down his eyes. He doesn’t know who the girl with the cherry blossom hair is, or why is she a constant in his dreams, but the dreams bring him to tears he’s not one to usually shed. He can never shake the feeling that there is someone out there in the world, waiting for him.

On the day of his annual mental evaluation he is very concerned. He always seems to be expecting something to happen. Someone to attack him or his family. He has so much fear over losing it all, it causes him anxiety and panic attacks in the most unexpected times. He’s afraid the new department psychologist will find out and deemed him unfit for service.

It’s unnerving, feeling this way, because in reality what does he even know about pain? He’s never seen blood; he’s never even had to fire his gun on the job, what could possibly be the explanation for his nightmares? He wonders.

Itachi, who’s on the department of youth and family services, always tells him that is not how mental illnesses work, his anxiety has nothing to do with how good his life is or how lucky he is, and that he should never dismiss his own struggles or be comparing his suffering to others.

Sasuke understands but doesn’t actually believe it.

“I think you should be honest with the psychologist” He tells Sasuke, even if they take you off duty Itachi thinks, but he leaves it unsaid.

“I’m not going to tell her anything she doesn’t ask me… It’s not like having bad dreams makes me unfit for work” Sasuke responds.

“Maybe you should go see my psychic” Izumi chirps in from the doorway to Itachi’s office. “I wasn’t eavesdropping I promise! I was just coming to take my boyfriend out to lunch and I just happen to overhear”

Sasuke only glares at her, he doesn’t like anyone meddling in this, it feels too personal to share with his soon-to-be-but-not-quite-yet-sister-in-law. Itachi gives him an apologetic look on her behalf but says nothing.

“Still those dreams huh? She has really interesting ideas about those! Do you believe in reincarnation?” She asks him.

“That you believe all that craps she sells you, tells me so much, you’re crazy for starters” Sasuke tells her, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“No but hear me out!” Izumi tells him, ignoring his previous comment. “Like, our dreams don’t just make things up, right? You have to have seen those things somewhere, like that girl you keep dreaming about, you met her somewhere, your brain didn’t just invent her, but the circumstances you dream her in don’t match your life, right? Maybe you met in another life! And my psychic can tell you all about that!” she looks in her massive handbag and produces a presentation card that Sasuke takes, out of politeness, but doesn’t bother to look at.

Sasuke doesn’t even believe in that sort of thing, his beliefs always been on the more secular side of things, but even if there is a remote chance he might have lived another life before, where he saw wars, and monsters, and his parents death, he sure as hell doesn’t want to know about it.

So, he goes about his day, entirely forgetting the non-sense Izumi was blabbing on about. He goes to lunch with Naruto, ramen again unsurprisingly, makes a visit to a home for a noise complaint, files his paperwork, and tries to go home early for a change.

He attempted to postpone his psych evaluation as much as he could, that is, until his father, the head of the police department catches him on his way out, and orders him to medical immediately so he can get it over with.

“Go on, you know its protocol, she’s there now” His father chastises.

Sasuke is irritated to no end, but he still obediently makes his way to the new psychologist’s office in the back of the building.

Just keep it simple, don’t elaborate, it’ll be fine, he thinks to himself.

The door to the psychologist’s office is open, so Sasuke stands in the entrance and knocks on the door to announce his arrival. The space is completely littered with boxes and mountains of papers, stacked on top of another and covering the desk in its entirety, so much so that he can’t even see the person seating behind it.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m new, I’m still getting everything settled! Are you here for an eval? Did I get your file? Where are my files!? What’s your name?” She says in a rapid succession.

He stays quiet, so she can gather herself, and takes a seat in front of her crowded desk, and it isn’t until she moves the two gigantic boxes of documents in front of them that he is able to see her.

He sits complete frozen, utterly speechless upon setting eyes on her. Because the person seating in front of him now, is unbelievably and irrevocably the Spring girl.

The shiny pink hair, wide emerald colored eyes and a blushing face he’d never mistake for anyone else’s are facing him now, with a look of surprise on it.

And he is sure his face mirrors hers, especially since the next thing she says to him, is an almost whispered, “Sasuke-kun….”

“I can’t believe this…” She mumbles and looks like she’s about to jump on him, but the look on his face stops her. “Do you… am… do you know who I am?” She asks, a hint of hope sparkling in her eyes.

“The new psychologist… about to perform my yearly eval?…” He responds, unsure of himself.

He can see the deflated expression and disappointment spreading thought her. “Right… I haven’t seen your file… ahem sorry… I think we are going to have to postpone this… maybe someone else can do your evaluations tomorrow, I apologize” She tells him, in a more composed and professional tone.

She stands and grabs a small purse from one of the drawers and tries to make a quick exit.

Sasuke stares at her unable to say anything. He observes every detail he can about her, every slender curve of her body, the way her neat short hair hangs on her delicate neck, and he is suddenly overcome with the image of her, wearing a red tunic instead of the sensible suit, a red and white fan crest in the center of her back.

His hand moves almost of its own accord and grabs her tiny wrist to prevent her from leaving, and she turns to look at him, green eyes wide and full of emotions he’s not able to understand.

“I know you from somewhere” He says, in a statement not a question.

“Do you?  I don’t think so, sorry” She responds and tries to shake his hold on her wrist.

“You said you hadn’t seen my file; how did you know my name?” Sasuke asks her, in the demanding voice she remembers so well.

“I… just… ahem… I don’t….”

“What are you hiding?”

“Do you remember something… anything… about me?” She asks, the adorable blush from earlier spreading through her face again.

Sasuke isn’t sure what she means, but now that she’s facing him, he becomes completely lost in her eyes, his instincts screaming at him to hold her, and never let go. “Who are you?” He asks. Because saying, yeah, I remember you from a dream sounds entirely too stupid to mention.

The moment feels as if suspended from time, the atmosphere too suffocating, he’s afraid of even closing his eyes, sure that the moment he reopens them, she’d be gone like every dream he’s ever had.

“My name is Sakura” she says, and her name sounds like music to his ears. “This is going to sound really strange, and possibly unprofessional, but do you want to go get a drink?” She says, biting her lower lip and taking a strand of hair behind her ear nervously.

He only nods his head yes and releases her hand. “Just… how do I know you?” He whispers.

She giggles in response, her face more assertive than before. “It’s a long story Sasuke-kun… maybe… I’ll tell you later” She says, poking his forehead with two fingers before grabbing his hand and pulling him to follow.

He doesn’t know anything about the strange girl with the cherry blossom pink hair other than her name, still he would follow her anywhere. He can’t help but to feel his blessings are finally complete.

[avatarstories]

izumi’s birthday part three:  sources of wisdom

The next morning, breakfast with the family is awkward. Izumi was a few moments late, having had to stop by the royal seamstress to have the last adjustments fitted for party outfit finished. By the time she arrived at breakfast, everyone was seated, and the only empty chair was between her father and Bumi. Bumi’s stony expression made her want to just be swallowed up by the floor. Maybe she could go find Druk and convince him to eat her. She gives Bumi a sad smile, and he rolls his eyes with a noticeable exhale. Izumi takes her seat quietly trying her hardest to give him as much space as possible. 

“Are we going to talk about how Izumi and Bumi are making the air in the room extremely uncomfortable?” Kya says. “Lover’s quarrel?” she jokes. 

“Fuck off, Kya” Bumi mutters, looking down at the table in front of him. Kya is across from him and leans in trying to get his attention. 

“Excuse me?” she says with a joking lilt in her voice. 

Bumi doesn’t say anything. Instead, he throws his tea at Kya and storms out of the dining room. Everyone is silent but all eyes are on Izumi. Having managed to stop the tea from hitting her, Kya bends it back into a cup. 

“Well, Happy Birthday, Izumi! What an exciting way to start the day,” Kya deadpans. Zuko looks at Izumi with a concerned expression. Azula looks ready to go to murder. Toph and Lin have their eyebrows raised and are taking a big sips of their mango juices. Tenzin hangs his head and focuses intently at his rice. Izumi notices Katara giving Aang a look that says go after him and when he doesn’t move she shakes her head. 

“This looks like a job for a wise old man like me,” Iroh says, pushing his chair back so that he can stand up. 

“General Iroh, it’s really ok, Aang can take care of it,” Katara says. 

“Uh, I kinda agree with General Iroh,” Aang replies sheepishly. 

If looks could kill, the ice in Katara’s eyes would have Aang pinned to the wall. “You are unbelievable,” she says quietly, though the anger and disappointment in her tone are unmistakable. She follows Bumi out the door 

“Looks like Twinkletoes is in the polar bear doghouse,” Toph says. Aang groans and then goes after Katara and Bumi.

“Care to enlighten us, Izumi?” Azula asks. 

“Not really,” she mutters. “I’m going to the training yard,” she announces quietly, and she walks out the door. 

Azula looks between Zuko and Iroh “I would go after her, but I was planning to go boss some staff around to make sure her party is perfect, which I think now needs to be even more perfect,” she says. 

“I will see what is bothering our dear Izumi,” Iroh says pushing out his chair once again. He and Azula leave the room. 

“Man,” Lin says “I thought mom and I would be the ones to start drama.” At that, Sokka laughs so hard he snorts, and Suki punches him in the side for it. ————————————————————————————————— 

Izumi is moving through advanced katas when Iroh finds her.

“I have told you before, forms practiced in anger are like tea steeped in unclean water, dear Izumi.” 

She finishes the form sending an arc of a flame towards the stone wall with an audibly annoyed exhale. 

“Now, are you going to tell me what is wrong or should I guess? Kya suggested a -” 

“IM NOT DATING BUMI! CAN EVERYONE STOP THINKING THAT!” 

Iroh chuckles. “Everyone used to think the same of your father and Katara when they were yours and Bumi’s ages. When people share a special bond others cannot help but wonder. But of course I did not come here to talk about your father’s youthful affections. It appears you and Bumi are experiencing a strain. Care to inform your old grandfather so he can help you?” 

“We had a misunderstanding.” 

“I know that I am old, Izumi, but I am not blind.” 

“Bumi was telling me about some issues in their family between him and his dad, and I basically told him that he should be lucky not to have the weight of a legacy on his shoulders.” 

“So your problem stems from your fear of your future,” Iroh affirms. “Rightfully so on an occasion as momentous as your 17th birthday, but Izumi, you are a kind, gentle, and fair minded young woman, and your father is a picture of health, what has brought about this anxiety?” 

Izumi crosses her arms and says nothing. 

“Izumi?” 

“I overheard some of the noblewomen talking about a curse on the Fire Ladies.” 

“And what is this curse?” 

“That Fire Ladies who die in childbirth give rise to evil Fire Lords. The spirits make them pay the ultimate price for what they bring into the world.”

Iroh takes in her words. “And so you have applied this to your own birth?” Izumi nods.

“You’re young yet Izumi, but I think you will find that destiny is what you make of it,” he says. “You and your father are the descendants of Sozin and Azulon, but you’re also the descendants of Avatar Roku on your grandmother’s side. There’s light and dark in you, and you will have to chose what nature you will allow to flourish. But knowing you, I would largely place my bets on the light side. And,” he takes a pause, “you can always seek to redeem yourself for your faults. I tried to break through the walls of Ba Sing Se, and then I took it back from the Fire Nation. Your father chased Aang halfway across the world, and now they are best friends. Azula was one of the most terrifying people in existence -” 

“She still is.” 

He chuckles. “Yes, she still is. But the original fire bending masters deemed her worthy of regaining her power when she lost it and repented, and they even gifted her a dragon egg as they did to your father,” he explains. 

“Your father’s legacy was to end a war. Yours will be the equally important one of maintaining peace,” Iroh says. “Now, maybe you should go practice that and make your amends with Master Bumi. I am off to make some tea.” 

“What if he won’t speak to me,” she asks. 

“Well then your partner dance in front of the court later on at your party will be terribly uncomfortable!” he says walking back inside. ——————————————————————————————————— Bumi does not really know where he is walking to, and he just follows the direction that instinct takes him. He can hear his parents behind him, but he does not stop. 

“Bumi please,” Katara calls. 

He groans and walks faster. In this instance, he was incredibly pleased with himself because he still remembers some of the secret passageways in the palace that Izumi had showed him as children when they would play hide and explode with Izumi’s Aunt Kiyi and Aunt Azula, so he ducked into one that he knew was coming and hears his parents run right passed. It was slightly dark inside, which made perfect sense considering that usually only firebenders used these hallways and had no need for any other light. 

Bumi went off memory and kept his right hand on the wall. If he had to figure this out like a maze in order to get out, that’s what he would do. After about ten minutes in the dark, he feels a variation in the stone that tells him he’s found a door. If he remembers correctly, this one will let him out by the portrait gallery. However, when he opens the door, he’s stopped by a piece of furniture. 

“Huh?” he hears someone ask, and soon the furniture is being shoved out of the way and the door opens and bright light blinds him, and Azula is standing in front of him.

She stares him up and down. “I would offer to help you but I will warn you first that if you ruin Izumi’s birthday, not even the fact that your father is the Avatar will save you from me.” 

Bumi remains frozen, unsure what to do. 

“Well don’t just sit there,” she says, raising a brow. He stumbles into what he realizes to be Azula’s office. 

“If you are avoiding your parents who ran after you when you caused quite the commotion at breakfast, then my office would definitely be the best place to hide. Push that back into place,” she commands gesturing to the small table she had just moved. 

Bumi has not spent much time alone with Azula. Whenever he would visit the Fire Nation, he and Izumi were attached at the hip. Every summer when Kya would go to the Southern Water Tribe and his dad and Tenzin would go to an Air Temple, Bumi would get dropped off in the Fire Nation for a few months of sword training with Master Piandao. After Piandao passed away, Zuko offered to continue training him since Sokka was busy trying to get Republic City up and running. In all that time, he’d never really gotten to know Azula. From what Izumi had told him, Azula was Zuko’s right hand. She lead his small council and sat in on meetings when he was away on diplomatic trips, which made her an extremely powerful person. 

He looks around her office. It’s clean and tidy. There is a small ink portrait of Izumi on the wall to the right of Azula's desk, and vases of Fire Lilies around the room. 

Azula studies him while he looks around the room. “Should I ask what’s bothering you or should we pretend this exchange never happened?”

“Whatever you prefer,” he replies. 

“I prefer to be well informed.” 

“Izumi and I had a fight.” 

“I gleaned that,” she says flatly. There’s a pause. “Izumi hates celebrating her birthday. She tells us every year it makes her feel guilty, but the 17th birthday of the Heir Apparent is a rite of passage in the Fire Nation.” 

“Why’s that?” 

“Traditionally, it’s when the Crown Prince, or in Izumi’s case, Princess, starts sitting on the small council and has to take up a stronger political role than just kissing babies and doing well in school… it’s seen as the last day of childhood.”  

Oh Bumi thinks. “That’s why she’s so stressed.” 

“Most likely a factor.” 

“She never mentioned it.” 

“Well, you know Izumi. Unless it’s Zuko, getting her to tell you what’s wrong is like pulling teeth. She is like you in that regard.” Bumi looks puzzled. “I read people very well,” she says in reply to his reaction. There’s a pause as she regards him. “I do not imagine it is easy to be a non-bender in a family like yours.” 

“Man, you really don’t hold back.” 

She offers him a half smile. “I understand the fear of being a disappointment too. When I was 12 I was so scared of failure and what would happen if I disappointed my father. It was not even two years by the time I self destructed.” 

“I’m not going to self destruct,” he mutters. 

“Then you might need some help carrying that weight on your shoulders around.” 

He is quiet for a minute. “What if there’s no one to help me?” 

 She glances down at a small ink drawing of her mother, Zuko, and herself  that sits on her desk. “From my experience,  you can often find help in very unexpected places, but you have to be open to being helped.” 

AN: you cannot convince me Azula didn’t get a redemption arc and a lot of healing and become a strange source of wisdom. you just can’t. azula redemptions are a peak of feminist literature. 

I imagine redeemed Azula serves Zuko in a position similar to the hand of the king from GoT. 

[melzula]

Could you write a cute Iroh II x Reader oneshot?

a/n: this is a clunky little blurb bc I love General Iroh but am terrible at writing for him apparently

“My love, you’ve been looking over those battle plans for hours now. You missed dinner,” you note with a small frown, approaching your husband from where he sits at his desk and resting your hands gently upon his tense shoulders. His muscles seem to immediately relax at your touch and he lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“I’m sorry,” he apologizes with a faint smile, “I just got a little caught up. I just want to make sure everything goes according to plan when we arrive in Republic City to help Avatar Korra.”

“You’re a strong man and a wonderful leader. I’m sure everything will be just fine,” you comfort, leaning down to press a chaste kiss to Iroh’s cheek.

“I’m glad you think so. What’s Lu up to?”

“Playing with her dolls,” you reply. “She missed you at dinner.”

“Perhaps I should pay her a visit,” he smiles before rising from his seat. Taking your hand in his own, the two of you venture into your daughter’s room where she sits having a tea party with her favorite dolls, one of them being a gift from her grandmother Izumi. Her eyes brighten at the sight of her father and she’s quick to abandon her toys and run straight into his arms.

“Papa!” She exclaims as she throws her arms around Iroh’s neck and burrows her face into his shoulder.

“Hello Lu,” he smiles, “I missed you this evening.”

“I missed you too, papa. Mommy says you have to work.”

“I do. But I’ll be done in time to tuck you in for bed.”

“Promise?” Lu asks with her famous puppy dog eyes, prompting your husband to laugh.

“I promise.”

He sets her back down to play before returning his tender gaze to you. You raise a brow in response to his sudden fondness, but there’s a playful smile tugging at your lips.

“Something the matter, General?”

“Not at all,” he smiles, carefully cupping your cheek in the palm of his hand. “I’m a lucky man, y/n. A very lucky man.”

He presses a gentle kiss to your lips, soft and sweet and chaste due to the fact that Lu is in the same room, but it’s enough to convey just how much he cherishes you.

“I love you,” you grin.

“I love you more,” Iroh counters with a smile before pulling you in for another sweet kiss.