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ozai-the-bonsai · 4 months

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Cry for the Moon

Pairing: Zuko x firebender!reader

Warnings: none

A/N: We are about to arrive at the Crossroads of Destiny and I am so freaking excited for it!!! Ever since I have started working on this story, I have been daydreaming from time to time about what I wanted to do once they all go back to the Fire Nation - which will be happening soon enough ^.^ hope you enjoy this chapter!

Taglist: @annonymatic @yoongiesstar @lost-inthe-v0id @lokigodofmyheart @4l3x1s @potato87123 @asciendo @angelruinz @unamused-boss @junieshohoho @yourlivewire @itszzmoon @coolgirl458 @vyliie @6000-fandoms @aerikim246 @mymummydustxx @xenop0p @saikikusouswife @marsbars09 @stell404

Once again, the amber eyes full of sorrow, disappointment and fury appeared out in the dark the moment he closed his eyes. Zuko took a deep breath as he stood up from where he lied on the deck and walked towards the railings. Everyone else was deep in sleep.

The look of disgust on his face was almost shouting out how much he hated being on that damned ferry. He hated being a refuge, and he hated having to eat disgusting leftovers. He was sick of everything that had been happening to him lately. But still, none of those haunted him the way she did.

Ever since their encounter, Zuko hadn’t been able to get any sleep without the ghost of her words hanging around his neck as if it was some heavy rope. He had long known how heartbreaking it should have been for her, hearing those harsh words from him; however, what he had encountered that day was way worse than what he had been anticipating.

She wasn’t only heartbroken – no. She was angry, disappointed, and most importantly, she had been lying to herself for the last three years. It had never occurred to Zuko that she would, at some point, make herself believe that everything had been a lie. That Zuko had never really loved her. That everything had been part of a plan.

And the worse part – it did hurt him, knowing she had so little trust in his love for her so that she had managed to make herself believe in such a huge lie for the last three years.

Being replaced by Azula was enough to make Zuko feel all different kinds of green because of jealousy, and knowing how his place was being filled only made everything even more unbearable. It felt like a nightmare from which he couldn’t wake up, no matter how hard he would try.

What if there is someone else? The poisonous thoughts slowly crept into Zuko’s mind as his eyes got lost inside the dark, deep waters of the sea. I knew it would be inevitable the moment I left her behind but I never thought how real this could get.

The truth was, Zuko didn’t know whether he could bear seeing her with someone else, finding comfort in someone’s arms other than his. During his banishment, he avoided this very thought every time it tried to come out into the light from that dark, dusty corner it was hidden. He didn’t let himself consider such a possibility; however, now knowing that she had made herself believe she had been never really loved by him, it could very well be the case that she was already over him.

Even the simplest thought about it was enough to bring Zuko on the verge of throwing up.

Shaking his head, the Banished Prince wrapped his arms around his torso, slowly heading back to where he was sleeping before. I need to get some more sleep, he thought as he laid himself down on the hard floor once more that night. I don’t know how long I can go on like this.

[POV Change]

“You were wrong, though. I did love you. Every single day.”

Hearing Azula call out your name made you come back to reality as you straightened your back while riding your mongoose lizard. Ever since you faced Zuko, you were being haunted by the last words he said. Whenever you were left alone with your thoughts, his voice kept echoing in your ears, driving you crazy.

“What did you say, Azula?” You asked, causing the Princess to roll her eyes at you.

“I said that we have caught up with the Avatar.” She said and frowned. “Have you been daydreaming again?”

Ty Lee chuckled upon seeing the way you averted Azula’s gaze. “Azula, don’t get mad – she is simply missing her boyfriend!”

You winked at Ty Lee. “See, she gets it!” You spoke playfully and turned your gaze to meet Azula’s. “We haven’t been apart this long before – it is kind of difficult to get used to.”

Every single time, you ended up more amused with your lying skills and how naturally it came to you.

Azula rolled her eyes once more.

“Why didn’t you bring him with you?” Ty Lee asked curiously, completely unaware of how stupid her question sounded, which made you realise that she hadn’t met Shuzi at all – she did run away before you started dating him.

Azula and you ended up laughing before responding to Ty Lee’s question. “Oh, sorry – it’s just, when you know Shuzi, such a question sounds way too funny.” You said as you took a deep breath. “He is a total sweetheart, but he cannot fight – I think he would have a heart attack if he had to face the earthbender girl traveling with the Avatar.”

“We cannot allow anyone to weigh us down on this mission,” Azula added. “So, he wasn’t even invited in the first place.”

“Oh,” Ty Lee’s cheeks carried a light shade of pink, she probably felt silly for asking such a dumb question. “I just… I never thought you would be with someone who isn’t as much of a fighter as you are.”

Azula sent you an I-told-you-so look. “See, she gets it!” She repeated what you said earlier, causing you to roll your eyes this time. “Wait until you see him, Ty Lee – she can do much better and she insists on not acknowledging that she is settling for less!”

It was common knowledge that Azula never approved your relationship with Shuzi. She didn’t hate him, of course, but she didn’t like him either. At first, you found it quite annoying that she criticized him all the damn time; however, after understanding the reason behind it, her words stopped annoying you.

This was Azula’s way of showing that she cared about you, and she wanted you to have the best. Hence, seeing you settling for less didn’t really make her happy.

Ty Lee shrugged. “I mean, she did do better.” She said casually, completely ignoring the fact that Mai was still there with you. “I believe it is quite hard to find someone better than the Crown Prince himself, right?”

“Well,” you spoke with a cold tone. “The said jerk isn’t coming home anytime soon.”

“And even if he did come home, I don’t believe you would forgive him just like that.” Azula said as she snapped her fingers. You simply nodded.

Mai tried to shift the subject back to Shuzi to avoid feeling more uncomfortable than she already did. “I never understood what you see in Shuzi in the first place.”

The edge of your lips curled upwards as you thought about how happy he made you, which pushed away all those weird feelings Zuko and the remnants of your past relationship had been stirring within you. “He just… makes me happy. He loves me so much and he does everything he can to make me happy. Also, he is super sweet, and we spend the best of times when we are together.” Sending a quick look at Mai, you raised an eyebrow at her. “Was that enough reason for you?”

Carrying the same old indifference on her, the raven-haired girl shrugged. “Whatever.”

Azula cleared her throat. “What I understand from what you have just said is that he indeed loves you, but you don’t really love him, do you?” Her words made you frown as you waited for her to elaborate more on what she was pointing at. “If he stopped spoiling you and making you happy, you wouldn’t let him hang around much longer – correct me if I’m wrong.”

To your relief, your eyes found the Avatar’s flying bison before you had to answer Azula’s question. She had touched a point which you had been carefully avoiding ever since you went on this mission with her and, to be honest, you didn’t really intend to think about it for now. The topic was complicated, you feared the conclusion you could come to, and more importantly, you had the feeling that it could somehow lead up to starting an internal discussion about your past with Zuko.

I don’t have time for this.

“Ladies, that is enough gossip for today.” You said as you pointed at the flying bison. “We have found them.”

Azula’s amber eyes shone with victory as she started to move her arms in a circular motion. Not long after, lightning stroke the tree near the flying bison, causing it to fall down and block the path. “My, my, you are easy to find.” Azula was speaking mainly to the Avatar but he wasn’t to be seen, yet. “It is really astounding that my brother hasn’t captured you yet.”

As you all arrived by bison on your mongoose lizards, a group of girls came into sight. They were in bright green kimonos with black, torso armour and dark green pants. However, the most prominent feature of their look was their unique make-up: their whole face was painted in white other than their red lips and the red paint over their eyes, lined up by black paint as well. It slowly came to your attention that they were all carrying different kinds of golden head pieces.

Wait a second, I think I have seen this kind of face paint before… Was it in one of my books?

The girls suddenly took a v-formation and with a swift movement, they all reached for their fans while activating their shields which carried the Earth Kingdom insignia. “What do you want with us?” The girl standing on the front spoke, she seemed to be the leader.

“Who are you?” Azula asked with a condescending tone. “The Avatar’s fan girls?”

Ty Lee started giggling as soon as she got the joke. “Oh, I get it. Good one, Azula!”

The leader spoke with a strong voice. “If you are looking for the Avatar, you are out of luck.”

You didn’t bother hiding the shocked expressing appearing on your face. Why is the Avatar not travelling with his bison in the first place? This doesn’t make any sense.

Unless… They are separated.

Mai sighed. “I knew this was a waste of time,” she muttered with her voice as lifeless as ever.

Azula raised an eyebrow. “No Avatar, huh? Well, that’s okay.” As she jumped off the mongoose lizard, she firebended at the flying bison. “Any friend of the Avatar is an enemy of mine!”

Taking the hint, you jumped off your lizard as well, following Azula into the fight. While you used your firebending to create a giant fireball, the fighter girls protected the bison by moving their shields together. However, they weren’t ready for the heavy fireball coming right at them with full speed – your attack ended up knocking them all from their feet.

At the meanwhile, Mai pinned one of the girls to a tree. “You are so colourful; it is making me nauseous!” She complained loudly while throwing a bunch of darts at another one. The girl reached for her sword just in time to deflect the darts; however, she ended up getting chi-blocked by Ty Lee.

“You are not prettier than we are!” Ty Lee shouted at the girl.

You rolled your eyes at Ty Lee as you performed a backwards flip in the air, all the while firing blasts from your fists and your feet around you. The edge of your lips curled upwards as you heard one of the girls screaming and falling facedown onto the ground.

“By the way,” you spoke cooly while looking at the almost unconscious girl with the burnt kimono. “That is one really ugly shade of green.”

The leader of the fighter girls deflected another blast from Azula, which ended up setting the fallen tree on fire. The flying bison started acting in a frightened way upon seeing the fire, causing you to raise an eyebrow as you approached Azula.

“Afraid of fire?” You asked, only to earn a small chuckle from Azula.

“That is good,” the Princess said while looking at the bison. “You should be.”

[Time Skip]

You kept looking at their awfully familiar makeup as the prisoners were carefully put onboard the tank train. The itching in your brain was enough sign to tell you that you knew who (or what) these girls were – you just couldn’t remember it! Their makeup seemed to remind you of someone else, some famous Earth Kingdom person who also wore a similar kimono and used fans for airbending…

Your amber eyes widened with realisation. Airbending?!

“I know!” You almost shouted without noticing, causing the leader of the warriors to leap up in her place. She was going to be the last to board the tank train since Azula wanted her to see all the others being dragged in, one by one. This was one of her strategies to break the leader’s strength. “Azula, these are the Kyoshi Warriors!”

The Princess turned to look at you with a frown on her face. “Oh, that explains the… interesting makeup.” She muttered, earning a nod from you. “But aren’t they supposed to live on an island?”

With a sceptic look in your eyes, you turned your look to the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. “Indeed, they are supposed to be on the Kyoshi Island near Southern Watertribe, not on the way to Ba Sing Se.” Crossing your arms over your chest, you asked her. “What are you and your friends doing here?”

The hatred in her blue eyes was so dense that it could materialise any second. “Because some of your friends burnt down our village while hunting down the Avatar!” She spit out the words as if they were venom. “We then decided to help out the others here, in Earth Kingdom, who also had their fair share of the brutality of the Fire Nation!”

You had a feeling that this friend could be someone you knew. “Do you remember who exactly burnt down your village?” You asked, completely ignoring her latest remark. “I can guarantee you, none of us have been anywhere near Kyoshi Island lately.”

She shook her head as she closed her eyes tightly. “I don’t know his name – he had this weird ponytail and a scar on his face.”

“Yep,” you said as you turned to face Azula. “Definitely Zuko.”

The Princess rolled her eyes.

After the guards took the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors also inside, Azula spoke to you with a low voice and a naughty shimmer in her amber eyes. “I think I know how I am going to conquer Ba Sing Se.”

Your jaw dropped upon hearing her words, you immediately stopped in your tracks and turned to face the Princess. “How to… what?!” It was hard to tell whether she was being serious or sarcastic. “Ba Sing Se?”

Azula placed one of her hands on your shoulder. “You have read all about these Kyoshi Warriors, right?” You nodded. “Then you must also know whether they would be trusted allies to the Earth King.”

Still not getting her point, you frowned while you searched for all the information you had about the Kyoshi Warriors in your memory. “As far as I know, these girls are an elite order of female warriors with no official loyalty to any nation – they just care about protecting their homeland.” Placing your hand under your chin, you dove deeper into your thoughts. “However, considering Kyoshi Island is formally part of Earth Kingdom, I can imagine they could arrange an audience with the Earth King without much difficulty.”

A satisfied smile formed on Azula’s lips. “Excellent,” she said as she pulled you behind herself into the tank train. “I guess the kimono of their leader should fit me – what do you say?”

[Time Skip]

To your left and right were guards in Earth Kingdom uniform, they all stood in a single line without letting their gaze leave you and the others. You didn’t remember feeling that observed your whole life and the feeling wasn’t exactly pleasant. It made you aware of every little thing your body did – from breathing to winking to the sweat forming on the nape of your neck.

Following the footsteps of the warrior in front of you, you realised how faster your heart started to beat as you came closer and closer to the Earth King.

“In our hour of need, it is with the highest honour that I welcome our esteemed allies, the Kyoshi Warriors!” The Earth King announced with great joy in his voice as you bowed down in front of him, just like the others.

The warrior in front of you raised her head to look at the Earth King. You and the other two girls followed her lead.

“We are the Earth King’s humble servants.” Azula spoke with an evil spark in her amber eyes.

#prince zuko #atla zuko #zuko x reader #the last airbender #avatar the last airbender #princess azula #zuko #zuko x oc

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