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imagines--galore · 4 months ago

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||The Thread of Fate|| Part Thirty-Five

Summary: Soulmate AU. They say the Thread of Fate connects you to your one true love. It may tangle. It may stretch. But it will never break. Wrapped around your little finger it tightens when it feels your soulmate is close and loosens when they are far. And becomes visible with the colors of your soulmate’s Nation when you finally fall in love with them.

Pairing: Zuko x OroraOC (ATLA)

Rating || Genres || Warnings: T+ Romance. Adventure.

Previous Chapters - Masterlist

A/N: EMBER ISLANDS!!!!! WOOHOOO!!!!!! FINALLY! I am so so so excited for the next chapters! And guy seriously if you have any scenarios or moments you might want to see between Zuko and Orora or even the whole Gaang or any interactions between any characters let me know!

The first night was spent out in the courtyard.

Katara had been so exhausted that the second she had laid down on her bed roll, she'd been asleep. The rest of them had tip-toed around her, going about their business of making and eating food. Sokka had quickly asked Orora to leave a bowl of food out for Katara. In case she woke up in the middle of the night and was hungry.

Orora watched as Sokka set the bowl beside his exhausted sister. She didn't even stir when Sokka adjusted her blanket to cover her properly.

"You know, she didn't mean what she said." The older girl glanced beside her at Toph, who was finishing off the last of her food. "That you're not a part of the family." The girl clarified, and though her words were meant to be comforting, Orora couldn't help but feel a twinge of ache inside her. Setting aside her half-finished bowl, the girl swallowed against the strange feeling that rose within her.

"I can pretend how much I want Toph." She said in a low voice. "But what she said is true. I'm not a part of their family." Playing around with her rice with her chopsticks, the Waterbender shrugged, giving a small teary smile. "But they are a part of my family." She nudged the girl sitting next to her. "Just like you."

Which was why Toph had been the first person she'd gone to after Katara and Zuko had ridden off on Appa. She'd ranted until she had no more words left. And once she was done, Toph had been the one to reassure her that Katara would be alright.

"She's a good person with a good heart Orora." The girl had said, finding it strange that, for once, she was the one comforting the older girl. "When the time comes, she'll make the right decision."

And she had.

Seems Orora had nothing to worry about.

Though given how much she tended to worry, Orora was beginning to wander if perhaps Yue had given her the patch of white hair so she wouldn't start growing actual white hair out of the worry and anxiety she felt all the time when it came to the people she cared about.

"So, this was like your vacation home when you were a kid?" Suki asked as they finished up their dinner. Zuko nodded, glancing around at the pathway that ran along the entire courtyard, leading away into the rooms. "That was a long time ago." The boy said. "The last time we came here was a year before my cousin and Uncle went to the war front. Since then, no one has been here."

Aang raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then why was the door kicked down when we came in?" He asked, lifting his bowl of food towards his mouth and taking a bite. Suddenly looking sheepish, Zuko's eyes darted towards Orora briefly before he explained. "I came here a couple months ago, when my father sent my sister and I out on a forced vacation." Toph snorted. "And what, you couldn't walk in like a random person?" She asked, her tone obviously mocking, one that had Sokka sniggering to himself.

Annoyed, Zuko pursed his lips. "I was working through some stuff." He grumbled. Sokka rolled his eyes. "You're always working through some stuff Zuko. Should we keep an eye on you? Make sure you don't kick down any more doors?" His eyes landed on Momo who was happily chomping away on a fruit. The boy grinned. "Maybe we should have Momo follow you around. Keep you from harming unsuspecting doors."

They were all laughing now, except for Zuko, who glanced at Momo. The flying-lemur glanced back at the human.

Before quickly gathering his fruit and dashing off to hide behind Orora.

"Ouch."

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She had wanted to go to sleep, she really had. But there was something nagging her. At the back of her mind, something was pushing her to ask what she wanted to. She'd caught Zuko's eye while everyone had begun to lay down their sleeping bags. Motioning to the dark corridor that led to the inner rooms of the house, Orora stood from where she'd been adding logs to the fire to keep it going through the night.

Even though it was Summer, the wind coming in from the sea was chilling at night.

Zuko, dropping his sleeping mat on the floor, walked after the retreating form of his girlfriend. He found her waiting for him, leaning against the side of the many windows that ran along the corridor. She was gazing down to the beach, where the waves were crashing against the shore. The sound of the waves breaking was quite prominent even this far up.

It was calming.

"About Katara." She began, raising her eyes to Zuko. The girl had thought her questions about the younger girl's well being would be endless. But all that came out of her mouth was: "Is she really alright?"

Sighing, Zuko rubbed the back of his neck, pursing his lips before he spoke. "As well as she could ever be after the confrontation with the man who killed her mother." Orora tried not to wince at his bluntness, but her features twitched anyway. "She was quiet, the whole ride back, like I told you. And after that I went to get you guys, and then when she was speaking to Aang, she finally forgave me for all that I did."

Orora smiled, peace settling in her heart. Perhaps now Katara wouldn't be so opposed to her and Zuko being Soulmates.

But then she remembered the tiny detail Zuko had mentioned while he told them all of what had happened. "Did she......did she really use blood-bending? On that man?" She asked, her voice hoarse as she wrapped her arms around herself, as if her body could feel the phantom pain of how that felt.

To have someone take control of your body.

To make it do things that were out of your control.

She remembered how devastated Katara had been. How she had broken down after the run-in they had with Hama.

Zuko frowned, looking to the side, unable to fathom the fear in Orora's eyes at the mere mention of such a dangerous bending form. She had told him about it. He had never thought he would witness it.

"She did." He admitted. "She allowed her feelings of hatred and rage rule her, take over her completely." Closing his eyes, he sighed sadly, before lifting his head to look at Orora. "Anger is an ugly emotion Orora. It takes hold of you. Every fiber of your being is a slave to it, and there is nothing you can do about it. You loose your true self to it. But Katara was strong." He was quick to amend. "She was strong and though she made a few mistakes, she broke through."

He paused. "I know more then anyone how anger can take over your entire life. I almost let it ruin the best thing that could ever happen to me." His lips pulled in a small smile as he gazed at his Soulmate. "Katara fought against that rage, and she won."

Though there was a part of her that believed that speaking to Katara would reassure her fears, Orora couldn't help but feel her entire body relax at Zuko's reassurance. Her heart lightened, and new hope breathed into her.

A hope that made her believe that she had her sister back.

With one final sigh, she allowed her worries to rest completely. "I'm glad you helped her out Zuko." She admitted. "She wouldn't have allowed anyone else to help her, so I'm happy she had someone that I could trust to keep her safe."

The pride was obvious in Zuko's expression as he smiled at Orora. "Yeah, well, I had to get her to forgive me somehow. I mean I couldn't have your sister disapproving of me when I finally took you out on that date." He had laughter in his eyes, a sight she never got tired of seeing.

Humming, the girl shrugged. "She'll find some other reason to disapprove of us. Though it wouldn't be as bad as what was before." She teased, knowing it would only make Zuko nervous about the situation.

And it did.

His shoulders dropped, as did his smile.

Orora laughed softly to herself as she walked towards him. "So try to stay in her good graces now that you're there." She advised. Leaning up, she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.

"Good night."

With that she walked away, leaving Zuko to stay back for a few moments longer, his mind working a mile a second as he thought of what he had to do to achieve something he'd been waiting a long time for.

And his mind kept racing with ideas until he fell asleep underneath the open sky with the stars twinkling down at him.

The reason behind his thoughts asleep just a foot or so away from him.

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"I cannot believe I am spending my day cleaning your house."

"Technically it belongs to my Dad."

"I'm slaving away for the Fire Lord. That's even worse!"

"You know if you shut your mouth and focus on cleaning, we might get this done much faster."

"Oh no. If I'm gonna clean this place, I will be complaining every second of it."

Zuko resisted the urge to throw the already dirty rag at Sokka's face. But he didn't have to, since Katara walked by just then. "If you're done complaining Sokka, you missed a spot." She gestured to the roof which had several cobwebs hanging from the ceiling.

Since they would be staying in the house, Katara had suggested that they clean up some parts of it. Areas that would be in their use, and not have them sneeze and cough every time they went from outside and into the dust and sand covered rooms.

Muttering under his breath, Sokka lifted the long piece of wood that had a cloth wrapped around it, wiping away at the cobweb. Thinking that perhaps his sister's presence would keep him from complaining, Zuko turned back to his task. "How come Toph and Aang get to sit out?" Sokka bemoaned, finding yet another thing to complain about.

The Prince gritted his teeth, fighting with all his strength not to hit the water tribe boy over the head.

"They're not sitting out, they're training. Really Sokka, its not like you have to clean the whole house. Just the rooms we'll be sleeping in." Katara looked around. "Is Orora here?" She asked, her voice sounding just as tentative as she looked. Zuko glanced over at her, as Sokka responded. "She went to the other room with Suki." He said, oblivious to the turmoil his sister felt at the moment. Nodding, the young waterbender Master walked out. And no sooner had her steps receded, when Zuko was following her.

"Hey! Where're you going?" Sokka called out to his retreating back. "Katara's gonna go talk to Orora and I wanna hear it." Call him nosy, but he wanted to listen to what the two girls had to say. Especially since he would be one of the topics of the conversation. "You coming?" Glancing at the dusty, cobweb covered stick he was holding, Sokka allowed it to fall to the floor before following after Zuko.

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Swinging her legs from where she sat atop the newly cleaned counter that ran along the length of the kitchen, Suki watched Orora as she bended water along the surface of the floor. "I feel bad that I'm not doing anything." She said, her eyes tracking how every last grain of sand and dust was taken away by the water Orora was moving to and fro.

"Well think of it this way, I'm practicing my bending by you not taking part in the cleaning." Orora said, lifting the water in the form of a bubble and throwing it out of the window and into the foliage that surrounded the house. "And with that we are done." The girl said, looking around at the recently clean kitchen with a proud grin. Suki nodded. "It looks good." She giggled. "The boys won't be happy with us for finishing our work so easily and with barely any effort."

Orora waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, let them inhale some dust clouds. Might do their egos some good." The two girls laughed, missing Katara as she stood at the entrance to the kitchen. The younger waterbender girl cleared her throat, catching their attention.

"Suki, I need you to bring the food and pots from the courtyard please." The girl said with barely a glance in the Suki's direction, before her eyes met Orora's.

Sensing the sudden shift in the air as the two Water Tribe girl continued to look at each other, Suki nodded. "Yeah sure Katara!" Jumping down from her seat, the girl began to retreat. "I'll just go!"

Though the moment she stepped outside the door, the girl flattened herself against the wall next to the kitchen and just about held her breath, waiting for the conversation to begin.

Her surprised eyes landed on Sokka and Zuko, who were pressed up against the wall opposite her. The three of them glanced at each other, before coming to a mutual agreement.

And continued to eavesdrop.

"Was there something you needed to say to me Katara?" Alright so maybe she was being a little cold towards the girl, but whatever Katara had been going through in that moment, what she had said hurt more then the other girl's rejection of her and Zuko's bond.

The younger girl bit her lower lip, guilt gnawing at her from within. "I....." She trailed off. "I have a lot of things to say, but I think I should start with, I'm sorry." She choked out, feeling the lump in her throat growing as tears burned behind her eyes.

"Orora I am so sorry about what- I was just so angry at the time, and I said some horrible things." Katara's gaze was pleading as she continued to look at Orora. "And I'm also sorry about the way I treated you and Zuko when you decided to give him another chance. I let my anger cloud my....well....my everything." Honestly, Katara was at a loss. She was usually so good when it came to voicing what she was feeling out loud, but in that moment, watching her older sister look at her with that strange expression on her face, words failed her.

A look that was a cross between endearment and sorrow.

Maybe she had rushed into it. Maybe she should've given Orora a little bit of distance before approaching her with an apology. Give them both some time. But, in truth, Katara didn't want to wait.

She missed her sister. She missed their talks, Orora's playful teasing, their waterbending sessions. Not to mention the knowledge that no matter what, Orora would always have her back.

Not that Katara had ever doubted it even when they weren't speaking to one another.

"I can't pretend that what you said didn't hurt." The older girl finally spoke, her voice soft and gentle, which only made Katara's heart twinge with guilt. "And that when you were against my decision to try to be with my Soulmate, I felt like I had been betrayed by my own sister."

Katara couldn't help the whispered apology that echoed in the otherwise empty room.

"But I'm not going to hold anything against you." Orora revealed, chuckling when she saw the obvious expression of shock shoot across Katara's face. "We've had too many bad and-and negative feelings cooped up inside us Katara." She continued. "And I just don't want to feel them anymore. I'm tired of being sad, or angry, or depressed all the time over something."

She sighed. "And I just want it to stop."

A moment of silence, where neither girl moved or said anything.

Before Katara shot forward and Orora raised her arms, gathering her younger sister in an embrace that was returned just as lovingly as it was given.

Just beyond the two hugging sisters, three heads floated, partially hidden behind the doorway.

Suki, with a smile on her lips, glad her friends had finally made peace. Zuko, with a look of satisfaction, ecstatic for his Soulmate to have her sister back.

And Sokka?

Well......

"That was beautiful!" He sobbed, stumbling to stand in the doorway, tears streaming down his cheeks. The two girls turned to look at him with identical expressions of bemusement. Orora raised an eyebrow. "Really Sokka, you're overreacting a little." She said, but her words were met with a comically loud sob as Sokka launched himself forward, wrapping an arm around each girl's shoulder and hugging them, or rather squishing them together.

Completely ignoring their protests as he pressed a rather messy kiss on each of their cheeks.

"Gross! Sokka get off!"

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They were at the last stages of their clean up.

Aang and Toph had returned awhile ago, and Katara was having Aang airbend some of the cobwebs that were too far out of any of their reach. And since Orora was finished with sweeping the floor with water and collecting the dust and sand, she was quick to escape to the inner courtyard and settle herself down next to Toph.

"How was training?" She asked, watching Toph break some nuts open with a small swipe of a rock she was bending. "Twinkletoes still has a long way to go before he can call himself a Master." She revealed, smashing some nuts open and handing them out for Orora to take. The older girl muttered her thanks before popping them in her mouth.

"You really think stealing Aang's secret stash is gonna win you any points with him?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at the small sack of walnuts she'd seen Aang sneak out and eat from on several occasions.

Toph grinned. "Nope. But maybe it'll teach him to hide his food better." She laughed, before finishing off the last of the nuts. Orora simply shook her head, making a mental note to buy Toph her own bag of nuts to snack on later. As well as a new bag for Aang, since Toph finished his. "So, how're you holding up?" The older girl asked, stretching her legs out in front of her, her hands resting against the floor behind her as she leaned back slightly. The younger girl frowned. "What do you mean? Am I supposed to be holding something up?" She asked, to which Orora shook her head, smiling softly though looking sad at the same time.

"I mean how're you holding up with The Duke not being around." She elaborated.

And her words were met with complete silence.

A silence that stretched on for a good few minutes before Toph was finally able to speak. The question had come so out of the blue that the girl was actually at a loss for words. A first for her, since she was always prepared with a snippy quip for anyone who happened to come her way.

"I haven't actually really allowed myself to think about that." She finally admitted, frowning slightly as she did. "Because when I do, I feel this really overwhelming feeling. And I don't like it." She admitted, crossing her arms over her chest defensively, as if she could shield herself from within from feeling what she was in that moment.

Orora nodded, reaching out to gently lay a hand on Toph's forearm. "Like you left a piece of yourself behind?" She asked, her voice soft and comforting as she shifted a little closer to the girl. Toph, sensing the shift, didn't hesitate to lay her head down against Orora's shoulder, drawing comfort from her older sister's presence. Feeling more then a little overwhelmed, and not trusting herself to speak, she simply nodded. Drawing her arm up to wrap around Toph's shoulders, Orora gave her a squeeze.

"I know it feels really difficult, and honestly, it does suck. But trust me when I say that when you meet him again, there is no other feeling like it."

Loud voices approaching had the waterbender looking up in the direction of the owners, namely Zuko and Aang who were now done with their tasks and walking towards the courtyard as well. "Believe me." Orora said, her ice blue gaze never wavering from the unaware Zuko. "I know."

Toph, sensing the two boys approaching shook her head. "Don't you go going all sappy with me, Ice Princess." She teased, glad to have spoken to Orora, and getting everything off her chest. She would still miss The Duke, but the promise of their meeting again had all her worries slowly disappearing.

Rolling her eyes, Orora gave the girl a playful shove, before pushing down the green headband she always wore. In response, Toph flicked her foot upwards, causing the earth underneath the wooden platform they were sitting on to shift and send Orora sprawling to the side.

"Toph!" She called out, rubbing the back of her head. The blind girl only grinned. "What're you complaining about?" She asked, sensing Zuko's steps rushing to where Orora had fallen and helping her sit up. "You have Firebug's arms around you now don't you?"

Orora pursed her lips, blue eyes shining with annoyance, despite the blush that painted her dark brown skin because yes, she didn't particularly mind the position she was in right then. Zuko chuckled under his breath, prompting Orora to punch his arm. "Don't encourage her." She admonished him.

Toph laughed loudly, standing up and throwing the now empty bag of walnuts in Aang's direction. "You're welcome!" She called over her shoulder as she walked away, leaving Aang to groan over the loss of his snack.

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Once everything was clean, everyone had settled down for the night. There wasn't a shortage of rooms in the house, but for some reason, they'd all opted to sleep together in the living area of the house. It was large enough for all of them to fit in comfortably, and it opened up to the courtyard outside where Appa would sleep.

Inwardly, Orora was glad they weren't sleeping in separate rooms. She liked being near all of them, knowing everyone was safe and sound asleep.

Plus she'd kind of gotten used to sleeping with Zuko's face just a few feet away from her own. More then once she had fallen asleep while simply looking at his face. Then again, he had done the same every night since he'd gotten her back.

They'd all been much to exhausted to stay up long and chat that night.

Which was why they were all up bright and early the next morning. Aang and Zuko had gotten up even earlier to practice their firebending. Orora was just waking up when they returned. She was a little miffed about it, having wanted to see how Aang was progressing and to see Zuko use his firebending from a source that was other then anger and rage.

"We need to go into town." Katara stated as she surveyed a rather long piece of paper that she held. Everyone looked up from where they'd been finishing their breakfast. "We're almost out of food." The waterbender continued. "We need to get a few other supplies, and get Suki a new outfit." She added, glancing in the girl's direction who gave a nod of agreement. Sokka frowned. "Whats wrong with what she has on?" He asked, to which Suki, Katara and Orora all threw him a look.

"Sokka, do you really expect me to walk around in prison clothes?" His Soulmate asked, raising an eyebrow at him. The boy shrugged. Personally, he didn't think it mattered. They were just clothes. Then again, he did like his girlfriend in her Kiyoshi outfit more, so maybe it did matter.

Aang looked around at the group. Each of them supporting the colors of their Nation. "Well, if we're gonna go out and explore, its best we change into our Fire Nation disguises." He suggested. The new information had Zuko looking around. "Fire Nation disguises?" He asked, to which Toph nodded. "What we wore while we roamed around the Fire Nation before the Invasion. We really blend in rather well." She said, already standing up to get ready. Sokka grinned. "Maybe I can wear my beard again!" He stated gleefully, before racing off at a speed that left Orora thinking that he was maybe part Airbender.

"So wait, we're all going shopping?" Zuko asked, looking around as everyone dispersed, eager to change and get out of the dreary house. Katara rolled her eyes. "Of course we're all going Zuko." She smiled. "Its more fun to go as a group. And its been ages since we went out and just explored." With that she grabbed Orora's elbow, who grabbed Toph, and disappeared to the rooms where they had stored their supplies.

Leaving Suki and Zuko behind to clean up.

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"No! Absolutely not!" Suki stated with a tone of finality in her voice.

"Awww but why?!"

"Sokka, it makes you look ridiculous."

"I thought you would think it made me look dignified."

"If you mean dignified-edly horrible, then yes, you're right."

Sokka pouted, though it was rather hard to see with the huge bushy beard he was wearing. Toph, who had been listening to the exchange while leaning against the broken door of the house, grinned. "I think you look dignified Sokka." She called out, prompting Zuko and Aang to snigger as Sokka turned to Toph with a hopeful look on his face.

"Thanks Toph! I knew I could-" He cut himself off, catching the wide grin on Toph's face. Scowling, he yanked at the beard, he pulled it off and tossed it aside, grumbling certain words under his breath that would have him earning two swats over the head by his sisters.

Who still hadn't appeared yet.

"Where are they?" Zuko asked impatiently, a little annoyed that he wasn't using the time to have Aang run through some fire drills again. While he was supporting a cloak with a hood to hide his face, Aang adjusted the tall hat he had found in the closets of the house, hiding his blue tattoos from sight. "Is this your first time waiting for a girl to get dressed Zuko?" He asked. The Prince's mind flashed back to the time when he had waited for Orora to come down from the apartment when they were supposed to go serve tea to the Earth King.

He remembered what his Uncle had said. “You should prepare yourself for such tardiness my nephew. A lady always takes her time. But it is always worth the wait.”

"Hey, I'm a girl and I got ready quicker then they did." Toph pointed out. Footsteps from within the house caught their attention, with Katara stepping out first. "That's because you opted to not take a bath after all that cleaning Toph, and Orora and I like to feel clean." Toph rolled her eyes as Orora stepped out as well.

"Its called a healthy coating of dust Sugar Queen." She argued, though the rest of whatever she said was barely heard by Zuko as his eyes found Orora and he stared at what he saw.

His Soulmate, in the clothes of his Nation.

Orora, wearing Fire Nation clothing.

The mere sight of her had his lips parting, and eyes widening in utter amazement. The bandeau top she wore just about covered her chest area, leaving the rest of her torso, namely her shoulders and navel completely bare. And though the bare navel did show the scar she now supported, that ran along her side, it was hardly noticeable against her dark brown skin. Her pants were cinched in just below her knees, and the skirt she'd wrapped around her hips only accentuated the curve of her body. A trait he had noticed before. Though now he could admire it more openly. Her shoes, funnily enough, were identical to the ones he wore, probably because they were the latest fashion.

The accents of gold along the edges of her clothing only enhanced the gorgeous color of her skin, as she pulled up the armbands that reached her elbows.

Her hair was completely down, the tips brushing her shoulder, settling in soft curls against her bare skin. Only a small portion of it pushed to the side to keep the hair from falling into her face. It was, of course, in place with the help of the blue comb he had returned to her.

His Uncle was right.

It was worth the wait.

There were only a handful of times Zuko had been struck speechless by someone.

And it seemed Orora had the honor of being the one to render him voiceless more times then anyone else.

Adjusting her armbands in place, Orora glanced up to see Zuko staring at her. She couldn't help but feel a blush crawling up her neck and blooming in her cheeks, the intensity of his gaze prompting her to suddenly feel shy and avert her eyes from him, brushing her hair behind her ear.

To say the both of them were as subtle as Appa in a china shop would be an understatement. Aang and Sokka were making faces at one another, identical expressions of playful disgust as they waited for the two Soulmates to break out of their little bubble. Toph had the honor of feeling both their heartbeats reach to a crescendo level. She couldn't help but grin though, already preparing a wide variety of teasing quips and jokes that she would be throwing at them both later. Suki, for all her tough warrior act, was a romantic at heart. And she could only exchange a happy smile with Katara, who had secretly planned the entire entrance because yes, she was going to help her older sister out by making Zuko see just how amazing she was.

Not that he didn't know that already.

"Are we waiting for anyone else?" Katara asked, still smiling as she finally broke the bubble the two Soulmates were happily encased in. Zuko's cheeks burned red as he quickly pulled up the hood of his cloak to try and hide his face. A little too late for that though.

"Yeah, we're just waiting for Zuko to pick up his jaw from the floor." Aang said, before bursting out into a laugh that had him leaning against Sokka for support, who wasn't any better, since he was laughing his head off just as hard as Aang was.

Suki grinned devilishly as she hooked her arm through Orora's and began to lead her down the steps. As she did, the two girls passed Zuko, and Orora's hand brushed against his.

By accident or on purpose.

Neither of them knew.

But what they did know, was that the small patch of skin where they had touched, seemed to zing with an electric charge that they both felt. One that had Orora nearly reaching out and taking his hand, just so she could feel more of that heart stopping sensation. And she would've done it too, if Suki hadn't been pulling her along.

Despite the fact that she could feel the cool sea air against her bare skin, Orora had never felt hotter before as she did under Zuko's gaze. Though this heat had nothing to do with the elements.

Oh no, this one seemed to come from inside her. And only wanted to burn brighter, engulf her entire body, mind and soul.

"Since I want my Soulmate to look at me like that as well." Suki declared, pulling Orora out of her mind as she pried her away away from Zuko's molten gold gaze. "I vote Orora to help me find the perfect outfit." She threw over her shoulder, grinning at the scowl on Zuko's face, knowing she had annoyed him by stealing Orora away.

As the rest of them moved to follow, Toph grinned. "I hope you're ready Firebug. Cuz none of us are gonna let you live this down."

Sighing, Zuko reminded himself that it was his choice to make friends with all of them. The added bonus? He was close to Orora.

So if he had to endure a little teasing as a price, then it was all worth it.

And despite what was to come, and knowing anyone could see him and tease him even more for it, his eyes never once left Orora's figure as she walked in front of him.

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32 notes · View notes

erisenyo · 2 years ago

Note

“I’m coming, just sit tight!”

for zukka please and thank you! <3

For this prompt game!

“Sokka, come on, we’re going to be late!”

“I just need a minute,” Sokka calls back, unconcerned, like he didn’t just get out of the shower, fuck.

But it’s okay, it’s okay, this is fine. This is still fine. Zuko might have meticulously planned every bit of the day, because Sokka loves nothing more than a thorough and well made schedule, but it’s fine. They can just…not do the walk along the pond that Sokka’s favorite local painted is always painting, and Zuko can scale back the time he’s allotted for lunch and afternoon snack, and—

“Sokka, it’s going to take forty-five minutes just to get there! Hurry up!”

“Which is where, again?” Sokka calls back, sounding fucking breezy.

“Somewhere we need to be in forty minutes,” Zuko grits out, finally giving into the urge to shove off the couch and pace the living room.

“Relax, hot stuff,” Sokka laughs from their bedroom, thank fuck. At least he’s out of the bathroom. “It’s a staycation, isn’t it? What’s the big deal?”

Like the fact that they’re already going to show up late isn’t enough? “If we leave too late the traffic is going to be awful,” Zuko says, aiming for something reasonable and logical and hearing it come out more pleading and whiny. Great.

Sokka snorts. “You only care cause you want to go ninety the while way there.”

What Zuko wants is to get there on time. “I thought you cared about plans,” he accuses.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Sokka huffs, audibly rolling his eyes. “Sit tight.”

“I’m sitting,” Zuko growls, “Plenty tight.”

“Yeah you are, babe,” Sokka calls back, smirk obvious just before the fucking hair dryer whirs to life—

“You haven’t even—Sokka! We don’t have time for that!”

“It’ll just take a minute,” Sokka shouts back over the noise, like he’s ever taken less than twenty minutes to dry his hair in his life. “And then I just need to pick out earrings—”

“Oh, are you fucking—there’s no time.”

“—and maybe do some braids—”

“I put it on the shared calendar, your fucking shared calendar—"

“—and touch up my nails—”

“—and now you’re going to be fucking late to your own fucking proposal your nails are fine!”

The hair dryer shuts off, Zuko breathing heavy in the sudden silence, horror slowly creeping into his chest as he plays back his words and—

Sokka swings into the doorway, bare-chested and definitely naked, hair dry and braided and beaded, nails a fresh deep blue and his favorite Hawaiian shirt dangling from his hand. “…Did you just propose to me?”

“…No,” Zuko tries, feeling himself frozen, caught.

“While yelling at me?” Sokka grins, delighted.

“No,” Zuko repeats, more forceful this time, scrambling. “That wasn’t—that isn’t—it’s not—that doesn’t—”

“Nope, that totally counts,” Sokka crows, grin huge and shit eating like this is the best thing to ever happen to him and Zuko is going to die. “It absolutely counts, and I say yes, and I’m going to tell everyone—”

“No, Sokka, come on.”

“—that I made you so mad you proposed to me on the spot—”

“You can’t.”

“—I’m going to put it in our wedding website and in my vows and—”

“Fucking hell, fuck you, you can’t—”

“Sweeter words have never been said,” Sokka says airily, ducking back out of the room to finish getting dressed and if it’s just a matter of pants it really will be only another minute… “It’s what everyone longs to hear from their fiancé!”

Zuko opens his mouth and then closes it again, letting himself slowly smile to himself as he mouths the word back again. Fiancé. He does like the sound of that…

And he’s pretty sure he can still surprise Sokka into silence with the matching armbands.

And the pig roast.

#asks and answers #aclusterfuckofglitterbugs #This one was so much fun to write #(Sokka was absolutely ready to go out the door the whole time)#Sokka #Zuko #Zukka #my writing #fic writing

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freetobee1216 · 4 months ago

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Hi I'm writing a Zutara fic and this is the first chapter

Warning, literally zero mention of Zuko yet, I plan for this to be the slowest of slow burns. Also I change cannon slightly, basically the events of the show take place over the course of 3 years instead of 6 month, just cuz I think it makes more sense.

Anyways, enjoy chapter one!

Chapter 1:

The wind ripped at her howling skin as she tried to manage the swelling gathering under her eyes. Far below, she could feel the crashing ocean waves of her element calling to her, screaming a familiar song that sounded like home. Pull yourself together she scolded herself, Aang was expecting her for dinner. Katara took one deep breath. Two. Three, and the emotions that moments ago were ruling her every action, telling her to run to where she belonged, ceased to exist.

Walking away from the cliff that overlooked the clouds swirling around the southern air temple, she stuffed the crumpled letter deep into her pocket. She could hear the sounds of meditation instruments coming from the gardens. Here, the newest air acolytes were coming to terms with their decision to turn their back on the life they once knew in order to follow the teachings of the Air Nation. A worth cause, a good decision, but that fact still couldn’t take away the sting of homesickness.

Raja, a girl from the southern tip of the Earth Kingdom, sat cross legged struggling to focus on her breathing. Her knee kept bouncing at an alarming rate and her eyebrows were so scrunched together that they looked like a unibrow. Katara waved to the girl and she sheepishly smiled back. Raja was sweet, only a year younger than Katara at 18, and the two had become fast friends in the month she had been here. Katara raised her eyebrows at her friend as if to say, need a break? Raja quietly looked at the rest of her group, specifically at Angi, the group leader, to see them all peacefully meditating. She silently stood up off the orange pillow and tip-toed to the path where Katara was waiting for her. The pair linked arms as they walked trying not to laugh and get Raja caught for playing hooky. When they cleared the corner and the music faded into the wind, they both broke into barks of laughter.

“You looked like your head was about to explode back there,” Katara said through her snorts.

“I honestly thought it would, I just can’t seem to get this sitting still concept.” Raja laughed back. “They’re doing that for the next hour, hopefully no one will notice I left.”

“I doubt it, wanna help me cook some dinner in the meantime?” Katara asked her friend.

“Yeah, anything other than that sounds good to me, what’s on the menu tonight?” She responded gratefully.

The pair went off to the vegetable patch to grab some ingredients then spent the next half an hour cooking together. Raja told her all about the drama with the new acolytes; who was just trying to rebel against their parents, who had already been caught hooking up, and who was out to steal her boyfriend. Katara laughed at all her friend’s stories, she had a way of imitating the others and embellishing just the right amount to make the story compelling. She was also aware of the many girls who joined the acolytes just to try and get closer to Aang, though she didn’t feel that pang of jealousy like she used to. She assumed she was just so desensitised to it at this point. Two and a half years of fending off pursuers and watching your boyfriend be absolutely oblivious to it, will do that to a girl.

“So, are you gonna pull out some master waterbending on the new ones to clear them off?” Raja joked as she chopped up carrots.

“Honestly? I don’t really care anymore, is that bad? O-or mad?” Katara contemplated while stirring the stew boiling beneath her making her face flush.

“Or wise?” Raja interjected adding in the carrots to the large cauldron.

“But, shouldn’t I feel something? You know just something more than nothingness?” Katara blurted out before she could help herself, these were thoughts that shouldn’t be voiced. Katara hid her face from her friend as she went to grab some herbs from the shelf on the other side of the kitchen.

Raja was quiet for a little bit before smoothing over with, “I think its fine, I mean it’s not like any of those girls are a threat to what you and Aang have, he loves you and would never cheat on you with some floozy.” She laughed out the last bit.

Katara swallowed and turned back to her friend with a smile and joked back, “Oh he’d never even dream of that, he knows he couldn’t take me in a fight if he did.”

The girls dragged the bulky cauldron filled with the vegetable stew out to the communal mess hall on the other side of the door. The room was already filling with hungry acolytes and Katara heard Raja curse under her breath. A stern looking Angi was stomping her way through the crowd that was gathering and making a beeline straight for Raja.

Raja sighed, “Well, I gotta go deal with her wrath, this is the third mediation I’ve skipped out of this week.”

“Wait, it was my fault, please let me talk to her,” Katara said, guilt spreading through her bones.

“Nah, it was my choice, I was looking for any excuse, don’t worry about it,” she said before skipping up to Angi. Katara could hear he start to apologize when she felt someone sneak up behind her.

The master bender was about to steal the water from her pouch and get ready to fight when she felt a pair of familiar hands cover her eyes. “Guess who?” the voice said. Aang.

Katara’s shoulders relaxed and she turned around to give her boyfriend a hug, “Hey Aang.”

“The stew smells great, thanks for cooking tonight! I know it wasn’t your night, but Sheejik wasn’t feeling great and I didn’t know who else to ask” Aang apologised.

“It’s fine, I like having something to do, should we grab a bowl and go to our normal spot?” Katara asked.

“Yeah, sounds great!” Aang said. Normally, they would eat in the mess hall with the rest of the air acolytes, but occasionally the two would sneak off to the private balcony downstairs that was build directly into the cliffside. It was beautiful, overlooking the other mountain islands in the sunset. It was a place where they could feel both of their native elements, the ocean below and the whipping winds around them. It had felt balanced, or well, it mostly did.

“The sunset is beautiful tonight,” Aang remarked. It was burning a bright orange that let into a salmon-like pink on the edges of their vision. The waves below perfectly reflected the light of the sun, and far to the east, dots are starlight where starting to breakthrough the periwinkle.

“Yeah, it is,” Katara said, being drawn to the last lights of the sun.

“Not as beautiful as you though,” Aang said softly.

Katara once might have blushed at a comment like that, but she was far too mature now. At least, that’s what she thought was keeping the heat from creeping up her neck. She did however paint a smile on her face and lean over to kiss his cheek, when she puled away Aang was bright red. “Thank you.”

“Have you, uh heard from Sokka?” Aang asked changing the topic.

Katara felt the letter in her pocked multiply in weight tenfold, “Uh yeah, you?”

“I got an awesome letter from him this afternoon, he’s been named Chief in Training! And he told me all about his plans to expand the Southern Water Tribe with the aid they’re getting from both the North and the Fire Nation. It’s really great what he’s doing down there,” Aang rambled on about things Katara already knew about.

She tried to hide her face by looking south towards her home, “Ye-yeah, I got a letter today too.”

“You don’t sound that excited,” Aang noticed.

“Well, I just, I don’t know Aang, it’s a lot of change.” Katara said, frustration beginning to build in her chest.

“But change is good Katara, it’s a natural part of life,” Aang tried to reason with her.

“I know that,” she snapped, then tried to regain control over her words when she saw his hurt face, “It’s just, it’s hard that all of this is happening without me.”

“All of it is happening because of you Katara, without what me, you and Sokka did, going to the Northern Water Tribe and getting them to care about the South again, stopping the war. Without that, this wouldn’t be happening.” Aang said.

“But it’s not fair! That’s my home, and it’s changing without me there! Am I even going to be able to recognize it when I return? What if the North takes over too much? What if I wake up one day and my culture is so different it doesn’t make sense anymore and I did nothing to stop it because I wasn’t there?” Katara yelled, her anger and confusion bubbling up to the surface.

“Katara, it’s going to be okay; you just have to trust in your tribe, they’ll find the right way,” Aang tried to reassure her, grabbing hold of her hand.

“It’s not about trust it’s-” Katara started pulling her hand away, but then she sighed. He doesn’t understand her anger, how could he? He has to put all of his hope into trust at the moment for his nation, or else there would be nothing left. He is trusting these new members from all over the world to find it’s way back to some semblance of the Air Nation and what he lost all those years ago. Looking at Aang, she sees the scared homeless kid from the iceberg, the pain that is still there hiding under the surface. She takes a deep breath and dissipates her anger, grabbing back hold of his hand; this isn’t something that is helpful for him to hear. “You’re right, it’s all going to work out, I was just being anxious. Of course, Sokka will figure it out.”

Aang smiled at her and leans in for a kiss, she closes her eyes and reaches within herself to try and feel how she used it, something small in her chest tried to wiggle its way out, but it feels as if it has been locked away. Their lips touch and she’s just going through the motions. It’s fine, she tells herself, this is just what happens when you’ve been a couple for a while.

The door behind them bursts open and a young boy no more than age 13 named Ren blushes profusely, “I am so sorry Master Aang to bother you and your girlfriend, but there is a reporter from Ba Sing Sei here and he wanted to get an interview about the progress of the Air Nation,” he blurts out in one single breath.

“Uh yeah, Katara do you mind?” He asks, still concerned about their earlier discussion.

“Of course, send them in.” Katara says giving Ren a maternal smile, not wanting to make the boy any more akward than he already looked.

“Of course!” he squeaks out and turns down the hall. They can hear him say something to the other side of the door then pronouncing, “Right this way sir.”

A well-dressed man in his mid-20s appears at the threshold. He is wearing a traditional Earth Nation robe and sports the most fashionable facial hair in Ba Sing Sie, a well-groomed moustache and goatee. He gives a low bow in the way of greeting towards Aang, “Avatar Aang, it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Manu Sho and I have been writing for some time about the tireless efforts you have been making towards restoring the Air Nation with the Air Acolytes. It would be an honour if I could receive an interview with you.”

“Of course, come join us, Katara and I were just finishing our dinner, would you like a bowl as well?” Aang offered.

“That would be lovely,” he said and looked expectantly at Katara. “Oh, you must be Katara, Avatar Aang’s faithful girlfriend.”

Katara squirmed in her seat a bit but said, “Yeah, that’s me.”

“And you are from the Watertribe?” he asked gesturing to her outfit.

“Yeah, from the South, that’s where I first found Aang.” Katara said, feeling as though she was being looked at through a microscope.

“It must have been so nice for you to get to travel with the Avatar and learn waterbending from him!” He said joyfully.

“Oh, actually, I was Aang’s teacher.” Katara said, and edge entering into her voice. This wasn’t the first time she had to clarify this.

“I thought the Avatar was taught by Master Pakku in the North?” Manu said in confusion.

“Well yeah for about a month or two, but I was the one teaching him for almost 3 years,” Katara said haughtily.

“Yeah, Katara is a master waterbender!” Aang added in helpfully.

“Oh, I’m sorry I was misinformed,” the reporter said looking more like the uncomfortable one now. Good, Katara thought to herself. “Um, may I have some of the stew please?”

“Oh right, of course, uh Katara, would you mind grabbing Manu a serving?” Aang asked trying to smooth over the rough interaction.

“Sure,” Katara said through her teeth and crossed arms. She stomped back upstairs to the mess hall and grabbed Manu a serving, muttering to herself the whole time about blatant sexism and forgotten female narratives. When she returned, Aang and Manu were laughing together, talking about cabbages.

“Here you go,” Katara said shoving the bowl into Manu’s hands, then sat down next to Aang. Manu looked a bit unsure at Katara, but she was refusing to move. She had been helping with the efforts to rebuild the Air Nation just as much as Aang was. Katara stared the journalist down in a dare, he didn’t take the bait. Instead, he continued to ask about the progress from the last two years after the war ended. Both Aang and Katara answered his questions about the acolytes, the program they were following, the diet and efforts to restore traditional Air Nation vegetables in the gardens, the newest recruits, everything. It was going pretty well and Katara had calmed herself down now that Manu was actively listening to her. But then it happened; he brought up the idea of kids. This was something she and Aang had been avoiding speaking about ever since they got into a huge argument last month about it.

“The air acolytes are great, but when are you planning on hopefully producing the new generation of airbenders?” Manu asked bluntly looking between the two of them.

“I’m sorry what?” Katara asked her mood going south immediately.

“The new generation of airbenders, when will you be producing them?” he asked as if she were slow.

“Yeah, I heard your question, what I don’t understand is why you are asking it,” Katara snapped at him.

“Well, Ms. Katara, it’s an important question, the world is out of balance, we will be needing more airbenders,” he said.

“Well, Katara and I aren’t sure on the timeline,” Aang answered trying to be diplomatic.

“Aang, I do not want to discuss this publicly,” Katara hissed at him.

“You are a few months away from being 20 are you not? And the Avatar has just turned 18, that is a perfectly respectable age to start having children, especially because you will probably need to have a lot in order to get the new generatio-” Manu began.

“Okay that it, we are done here!” Katara interrupted grabbing his quill and scroll out of his hands that he was taking notes with and packing them into his bag, “You can go now.”

“But, I, uh, miss I am not finished,” Manu sputtered.

“Master.” Katara said.

“I’m sorry what?” He asked.

“It’s Master Katara, and you are dismissed,” She ground out, pulling the water from her pouch and getting into a defensive stance.

“Uh yes of course, Master Katara, Avatar Aang,” he said quickly bowing to them both and running off.

Katara slammed the door to the balcony shut and let out a grunt of frustration. She then walked over to the balcony to put her head down onto the railing. Aang watched her quietly from the bench. “Katara, we need to talk about this.”

“What’s there to talk about?” she huffed moodily, still staring out at the horizon. The sun was almost completely set by now, just a small sliver of it that was reaching out towards her.

“I had a feeling people were going to start asking us this, that’s why I’ve been really wanting to talk about it with you, but you keep avoiding this,” he said gently, standing up to walk towards her and putting hand on the small of her back. “I could make you a necklace first if that’s what you’ve been waiting for, well I have been car-”

“No!” Katara said, protectively placing a hand onto her mother’s necklace and backing away, “No, I don’t want a new necklace.”

“Well, what do you want? We need to talk,” Aang repeated.

“But I’ve already told you how I feel about this. Yes, I want kids someday, sure, but on my terms. I’ve been acting like a mother since mine died, and I want my freedom Aang. I never got the chance to be young and, I’m just not ready,” Katara spoke feeling as if they had been here before. The moon began to shine above them as the sky went dark.

“But, when will you be ready?” Aang pleaded.

“I don’t know, I’m just confused right now and I can’t give you an answer. I… I don’t know if I’ll ever have an answer for you…” Katara trailed off.

“Katara, being a dad, it’s not only something that I really want, but it’s also a duty I have to fulfil. It’s my destiny to bring balance to the world, our destiny,” he said reaching to hold her hands in his.

“Well, I didn’t know that falling in love with the Avatar meant I would have to sacrifice so much!” Katara yelled in frustration dropping her hands out of his grasp.

“Sacrifice?” Aang asked, his voice cracking in hurt.

“Yes! This is a sacrifice! I don’t want to be a breeding farm for airbenders! Or give up my culture to serve another! Or lose myself in your projects!” Katara shouted, her anger getting the better of her. She was saying things that she had hid deep inside her soul, things she never wanted to tell him because she couldn’t bear the pain it would cause.

“I’m not asking you to do any of those things!” Aang yelled back at her.

“Yes, you are, that’s exactly what you ask of me every day, how do you not see that? Where am I in any of this? People don’t even remember what I have done, what I have given up already to bring peace to the world. Where is my peace?!” She couldn’t stop the hot, angry tears from spilling down her face at this point. Everything she had been holding in was spilling out of her in thunderous waves of hurt. Every breath was strained with emotion.

“I thought I was your peace, like how you’re mine.” Aang whispered, tears filling his eyes as well.

“I thought you were too, but…” Katara said and turned away from those eyes, so filled with hurt and betray. Her guilt was eating her alive. She sobbed inwards, crossing her arms over her chest as if she could hold herself together.

“I’m not anymore. Am I?” he asked, emotion welling in his throat.

Katara’s sobs turned silent now, but the tears wouldn’t stop. She couldn’t see out her eyes. Why was this so hard? What had happened? This place, once lovely, now was her prison. She cried, “I don’t know why you stopped, why I stopped.”

“Do you think I could be it again?” he croaked out.

“I don’t know,” she whispered back, staring at the dark waves below.

They stood there, her back still turned to him, silently crying for an interterminal amount of time. At one point, Aang reached out towards her, taking one step, but then stopped. His reach hung in the air for a full breath, but then he turned and walked away. Out of the balcony, out of the building, and took off towards the skies on his glider. She was left to drown in a bed of her own making.

That night, Katara packed a bag.

#atla fanfic #atla #kataang breakup #katara #justice for katara #katara deserved better #katara defense squad #katara's anger #katara's rage #southern water tribe #southern air temple #aang #zutara fanfiction #taylor swift inspired #atla oc

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the-badger-mole · 1 year ago

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OTP Prompt: Katara gets in a heated argument with someone. She begins threatening them, so Zuko picks her up and carries/drags her out of the room before anyone gets hurt. lol

“Scarfaced freak,” the boy muttered. Zuko froze, his shoulders coming up to his ears. From the corner of his eye, he could see Sokka turn to him, wide eyed and stunned.

“What did you just call him?” Katara’s voice was low and dangerous. That snapped Zuko and Sokka out of their shock.

“He heard me,” the boy said. He smirked at Katara. “What? Did I insult your boyfriend?"

“For it to be an insult, your opinion would need to matter,” she snapped. “But jerks like you need to be taught some manners.” She stepped towards him, arms moving up from her sides. Zuko gasped, and grabbed them from behind. He pulled her towards him, wrapping their arms together so that Katara was essentially hugging herself.

“You can’t do that here,” he whispered to her. “You’ll blow our cover.” Katara gritted her teeth but stopped struggling.

“At least you know how to keep your girl under control, Scarface,” the bully laughed. Katara strained against Zuko’s hold again.

“I’m just going to talk to him!” she insisted.

“I’d get out of here,” Sokka warned the boy. “He’s holding her back for your safety. He won’t be able to keep it up forever.” The guy scoffed, but turned away, laughing as he walked down the street. Zuko loosened his grip on Katara, but didn’t dare let her go just yet.

“That guy needs to be frozen to the bottom of a lake,” she muttered.

“What a creep,” Sokka agreed. Zuko just shrugged.

“That’s not the worst thing anyone’s ever said to me,” he told them. “We should head back. We’ve drawn too much attention.” He finally released Katara, only for her to start towards the direction of the other boy. Zuko caught her wrist and stared at her incredulously.

“I’m not going to draw attention,” she promised. “I just have some words for him.”

“You always have words,” Sokka complained. “I know that guy aggravated your sense of righteous indignation, but Zuko’s right. We don’t need the heat. Let it go.” Katara glared down the street. She could still just make out the back of the rude boy and she wished that she could earthbend, just for a few minutes.

“Seriously, do you want me to carry you back?” Zuko huffed. Katara turned her attention from her thoughts and raised her eyebrows at Zuko. She opened her mouth to tell him off, but paused a moment.

“You know what?” she said. “Yeah. I want you to carry me back.” Zuko balked.

“I was kidding!”

“Yeah well, I’m not.” Katara folded her arms and smirked at Zuko challengingly. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”

“Fun!” Zuko snorted in disbelief.

“For me,” Katara clarified. “It’ll be fun for me.”

“Nope.” Zuko shook his head and he and Sokka started for the path leading back to the beach house.

“I could always go find that guy,” Katara said offhandedly. “I wouldn’t have to let him see my face when I freeze him to the side of a building.” Zuko looked back at her, eyes narrowed.

“You’re bluffing.” He was sure of all the members of their group, she wouldn’t do anything so rash.

“Am I?” She met Zuko’s eyes meaningfully. Zuko groaned and looked at Sokka. He threw his hands up as if to say ‘this is your problem’. Then with a sigh, Zuko looped his arms around Katara, one behind her shoulders and one behind her knees.

“You two are the biggest dorks, I swear.” Sokka shook his head and rolled his eyes.

#atla #zutara #ask game #otp prompts #THE YEAR OF CONTENT!!!!

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safereturn · 1 year ago

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let me hold your hand (and dance around the flames)

Another Ember Island Players Fic Word Count: 1956 Zutara one-shot Read on ao3

Zuko is sure his shame will consume him, obliterate him, turn him to ashes and blow him away in the wind. The only evidence of his existence will be that awful play and the wake of destruction caused by his own implosion.

And yet, it pales in comparison to the anger flowing off the water bender walking beside him. Fearing retribution, he keeps his gaze steadily ahead, focusing on the trio walking in front of them. Sokka, Suki, and Toph chatter about their portrayal; Toph lets out a roar that sends Sokka yelping into Suki’s side. Suki laughs so hard she snorts and slaps Sokka’s back as his cheeks tinge red.

Zuko bites back a snarky comment. It’s simply propaganda, the events told with the inevitable agenda of a Fire Nation playwright, but at least they were written as comic reliefs.

They weren’t failures and traitors.

As they approach his family’s old vacation home, Katara’s sandal gets caught in the transition of cobblestone to sand. She loses her balance, but just as Zuko reaches a steadying arm out toward her, she rights herself on her own. Aang huffs behind him.

Not to mention the resentment radiating off the young Avatar. Aang all but limps toward the house like a wounded puppy, head tucked into his chest.

Katara pulls away from the group and storms off toward shore, back stiff, fists tight. Zuko slows to a stop as he watches her. She marches on to the beach, right where the tide stops overlapping the sand, and slumps to the ground, knees to her chest.

The rest of the group carries on into the house. Aang sends one last glare at Zuko, then runs up the stairs and slams the door behind him, rattling the frame and sending an explosion of sound that evacuates nearby cicada-crickets from the trees.

Zuko feels his chest constrict at the thought of following them inside the house. He isn’t claustrophobic–years spent at sea on a Fire Navy cruiser in close quarters with his crew desensitized him to any fears of being too enclosed. But there was a sort of heat burning under his skin. He was restless and itchy. Like if he walked into that house, he would explode, bringing the walls down around him in a terrible blaze.

Zuko glances over to the silhouette of Katara sitting in the sand again, still hunched, gently swaying back and forth with the tide. He’d seen her move like this once before, flying high over the ocean on Appa, the rain coming down around them.

After confronting her mother’s killer, Katara had been near catatonic. They’d walked away from the quaking old man, but the further they got, the more she had withdrawn. Zuko had helped her climb onto Appa’s back, and she collapsed onto the saddle and stared blankly ahead. She might have been crying, but the rain had cast everything in a haze. As if it were all a dream. And then, like a child being comforted by a mother, she rocked herself side to side.

She hadn’t spoken to him until they landed back at camp, and Katara had thrown her arms around him and granted him forgiveness. He remembers the warmth of her body against his, it had spread through his chest and she gave him a gentle squeeze before letting him go.

Zuko decides he would rather drown at her hand than suffocate amongst childhood memories. He approaches her as one would approach an injured turtle duck, softly and with no sudden movements.

“Go to bed, Aang.” Katara’s words are thick, tinged with finality that left no room for argument. It doesn’t escape him how maternal she sounds, as if she were scolding a petulant child.

“It’s me,” he says. Katara peeks at him over her shoulder, then looks out toward the ocean. “I can go further down the shore if you want to be alone,” he offers, “but I’d rather not be in the house right now.”

He watches her shoulders rise as she fills her lungs with a long breath. Then, slowly, she places a hand on the sand beside her and gives it a pat.

“You can stay.” She sounds tired now, but her tone is softer than her previous chiding.

He sits cross legged beside her, sitting a little closer than intended, his shoulder brushing against hers. Zuko’s nerves were raw, his fingers had been trembling since the end of the first act. The gentle warmth of Katara’s arm against his was like an anchor, grounding him, giving him something to brace against. She doesn’t acknowledge it, she simply sways into him, then back, her chin resting atop her knees.

“I’m sorry about tonight,” Zuko says. “That wasn’t a good play.”

Katara raises an eyebrow. “You didn’t write the play, Zuko.”

“No.” He grabs a handful of sand, it’s clumpy and coarse, still damp. Zuko squeezes it in his hand, then lets it crumble between his fingers. He does it again. “I'm just– sorry. I’m sorry you had to relive that. Relive me.”

She’s examining him. Zuko doesn’t dare make eye contact, but his skin prickles at the heat of her gaze on his face. It travels down his arms, to his hands, until she’s watching the grains of sand trickle between his fingertips.

Again, he feels too large. He waits for his skin to burst open.

“That wasn’t you on that stage, Zuko.”

“It was all the things I’ve done. All the ways I’ve hurt people.”

How much good would he have to do to counter balance all the bad? Terrorizing citizens for any knowledge about the Avatar, burning down villages…

The Catacombs under Ba Sing Se.

The look of terror on Katara’s face, the smell of burning flesh, the cry that tore itself from her lips as she fought to get to Aang, fought to get them to the surface, fought against Azula, fought against him.

The look of anguish on Uncle’s face as he fought to keep Aang and Katara safe.

Zuko chokes on a shuddering breath. His skin burns, his chest burns, his eyes burn.

“I’ve hurt so many people.”

So much blood.

Katara grasps his hand, grains of sand gently chafing against skin as she twines their fingers together. “Stop,” she whispers. “That was not you on that stage.”

His mind stutters, trying to pull himself from the memories. Katara squeezes his hand once and brushes her thumb over his knuckles. Back and forth. He sucks in a breath, then lets it whoosh out of his lungs. The tension in his shoulders drops.

“You have done more than enough, Zuko.”

Enough.

If there is wetness on his cheeks, Katara doesn’t mention it. She simply keeps rubbing soothing circles in his skin with her thumb. They watch the waves crash over the horizon.

“Maybe I should apologize to Aang,” Zuko says, thinking of Aang’s glare.

He can feel her deflate next to him, slumping into herself. Katara presses her face into her knees and heaves a sigh.

“He’s not angry with you,” she mumbles.

“You didn’t see the look he gave me.”

Katara shakes her head and with a shrug says, “He’s angry with me. We had a fight at intermission.”

“What could he possibly be mad at you for?” Zuko saw the way Aang looked at Katara. He worshiped the ground she walked on, what could she have done that was so bad? And why would Aang take it out on him?

“It’s complicated.”

Zuko huffs. It’s not quite a laugh. “Try me.”

Katara gives him an uncertain look, then turns her gaze back to the ocean. Just when Zuko thinks she’ll ignore him, her voice breaks over the sound of the waves.

“Aang had… a hard time distinguishing between the play and reality. Ever since we met we’ve been really close. For months it was just me, Sokka, and Aang. And then Toph joined and it was the four of us. I always trusted them with my life, but it felt like Aang was on my side when Sokka and Toph pushed me too hard. He helped me through some pretty bad things, and I helped him, too.

“I found him in an iceberg, so I was possessive , I guess. He was going to save the world. My world. And I would have done anything–” Karata’s voice cuts off, followed by a frenetic breath. The waves wash higher on the shore, in time with her quick breaths. The water sweeps against their feet.

“I would have done anything to make him happy. He’s my best friend and of course I love him, but what he wants...” Katara heaves a shuddering breath. And then another. Her next words come quickly, garbled. “It’s too much. I’m trying to win a war, and so is he! But I can’t–I feel like I can’t even breathe.”

And then Katara makes an awful sound, a low whine cut off by a choked gasp. And then, even worse, she’s apologizing .

“I’m sorry,” she breathes, pulling her hand from his and swiping under her eyes. “This is stupid, just like that ridiculous actress.” Her hands leave behind grains of white sand on her cheeks.

And for the first time, Katara looks defeated. Not even nine months ago, in a much colder continent, with her family's lives at stake and only a water whip to protect them did she look so small. She had built herself up with fury, indignation. She made up for what she didn’t know in determination.

Now, with her eyes squeezed shut and shoulders hunched, there was nothing she could fight to make this hurt go away.

Zuko is at a loss for how to comfort her, and he hates himself for it. She so effortlessly brought him from the edge of panic. Forgave him when he was the face of everything that was taken from her.

He thinks of her arms thrown around his neck. Her thumb brushing circles into his hand.

And he does what he should’ve done when Katara sat numbly in Appa’s saddle. Zuko pulls Katara into his side, tucks her head into his shoulder, and hugs her. He winds his arms around her back, and sways her gently, his chin tucked over top of her head. Katara lets out a whimper, and then her arms circle around his waist. She buries her face into the crook where Zuko’s neck meets his shoulder.

For a moment, all there is is the roar of the waves and his stiffness. He doesn’t want to jostle her, spook her. But her fists clench handfuls of his shirt and she is shaking, chest heaving with silent sobs.

Zuko thinks of his mother and turtle duck bites and cries met with warm arms and soothing whispers. And he sways her, side to side, soothing a hand down her hair. She smells of sea salt and the old bath oils left in the wet room.

“Okay,” he says into her hair, “okay.”

It’s not okay. Zuko knows what it’s like to collapse under the weight of expectation, knows what it’s like to choke on the disappointment of others, knows the taste of desperation. It had almost killed him, back in that apartment in Ba Sing Se. And when he’d made it back to the Fire Nation on the basis of Aang’s murder, there were times he wished the fever had taken him.

So much pain.

“Nothing like the actress,” he says. There is wetness and sand and shuddering breaths against his neck. “You are strong, this is strength.”

Katara takes a deep breath. Then another.

The waves wash back out to the ocean and quiet to a lull.

“You’ve given more than enough."

#zutara #avatar the last airbender #atla #is it romantic or platonic? squint at it and let me know what you find #zuko #katara #ember island players #ember island players fic #fanfiction #safereturn write fanfic #zuko has a panic attack #katara shoulders too many burdens #a civil wars song as a fic title #zutara fanfiction #Zutara fic #there is hugging #hurt/comfort #safereturn writes fanfic

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thepublishingpress · 1 year ago

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A Civil Conversation

(Alt. title: Midnight Talks)

Zuko was feeling rather proud of himself. He had done it. He had managed to convince the Avatar to let Zuko teach him firebending. They had given Zuko a chance. Zuko absently poked at the fire with a stick. Though, not everything was ‘sunshines and rainbows’, as his mother would put it. He shuddered when he remembered the Southern Water Tribe girl’s threat.

Hm. Perhaps betraying her was not the best idea.

He’s broken out of his thoughts when he hears footsteps. Zuko tenses; he’s ready to defend himself if Katara has come to deliver on her threat.

“Um… Hi?”

Definitely not waterbender girl. “Hi.” Zuko narrowed his eyes at the newcomer. “Are you coming to make threats at me?”

Water Tribe boy chuckled. “Nah. I think my sister’s already taken care of that, don’t you think?”

“How…?”

“I saw her walking out of your room with a grin, and when I asked her what she did, she said the whole story. So, no, I’m not gonna bother you with threats of extreme bodily harm.”

“Um. Thanks…?” Zuko said hesitantly. The boy gave a shrug in response. “May I ask why you have come to visit me?”

“Wow, so formal,” The non-bender snorted, “I just wanted to ask you some things, since, you know, I didn’t have much time before.”

“Alright,” Zuko said, nodding, “Ask away.”

The other boy plopped down beside Zuko. “You’re the Blue Spirit?”

“I-uh…” Zuko blinked in surprise. Out of all the questions the non-bender could’ve asked, Zuko was not expecting this. “Yes. Yes, I am.”

“Oh! Cool!” Exclaimed the younger boy. “We’ve seen the Blue Spirit in posters and whispers around Fire Nation towns, you know.”

Zuko bowed his head. “Thanks, I guess, but how did you know?”

“Aang told us.”

The Avatar. His name was Aang. Zuko filed away the 12 year old’s name for later use. “Oh. I see.”

“So…” The boy in blue swung his feet like a child. “If it’s, um, not too personal, why’d you leave?”

“I…” Zuko paused, thinking about his answer. “Something felt wrong, I suppose. There was something missing that I knew the palace, my home could not provide. I felt discontent. But now…” Zuko trailed off.

“Now…?” Water Tribe boy pressed, curious.

“I feel more complete.”

The fifteen year old boy smiled. “Good for you, then.”

“Thanks.”

“So!” The non-bender said, clapping his hands together. “About you joining the team…”

“I won’t betray you, I promise,” Zuko blurted, “I know I betrayed you before, but I was unstable, but now–”

“Ah, ah, ah,” The blue eyed boy shushed him, “It’s not about that. I think we can trust you, for the most part. What I am saying, though, is that if you are to join this group, you need to know about the members, hmm?”

“Oh. Right.”

The boy beside Zuko offered him a grin. “Let’s start with me! You know I’m from the Southern Water Tribe, and I’m fifteen!”

“You’re a year younger than me.” Zuko noted.

“Mhm!” The boy continued chattering, talking about his life in the Southern Water Tribe. Zuko eventually relaxed and they fell into a conversation, comparing each others lives, searching for similarities to bond over.

Finally, the Water Tribe boy glanced at the sky. “I should go to bed now…” He said quietly. He smiled. “It was nice talking to you, Zuko.”

“You too, um…” Zuko mentally smacked himself for not asking for the boy’s name. He had always called the members of the Avatar's group certain names in his head, such as Waterbender, The Avatar, Blind Earthbender, and Boomerang Boy. Said boy, however, laughed it off.

“Sokka,” He told Zuko, “It’s Sokka.”

“Good night, Sokka.”

“Good night, Zuko.”

Yes, joining Avatar Aang's group was a wonderful idea.

~*~

lol happy (early?) new year everyone!! finally got out of my writer's block and artist's block (if that's a thing ofc) just in time hehe hope you have a great 2024! <3 - basil dela cruz

(P.S: i love the idea that zuko has no idea what the gaang's real names are, so he made up nicknames. it's so silly and i simply adore it <3333)

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mysticwolfshadows · 24 days ago

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Taken - Zutara - Part 93

First / Previous / Next / Masterpost

Katara spends two weeks in the Fire Nation, organizing everything for the culture exchange. She wrote a letter to her father and did some paperwork with the council. After managing to get General Wan to agree with her, the council was more open to her suggestions, save for Financial Minister Chang.

Minister Chang was her least favorite of the council. All he cared about was how much money was in the treasury, because that determined how much he got paid.

When the festival for Zuko's birthday rolled around, Katara was ready. She had managed to convince the council to set the festival up in the old style, with the parade and palanquin. Minister Chang was the only one opposed, as the tribute would help pad the treasury until the end of winter. Katara told him to shove it, since Zuko had already agreed to change.

What none of the council knew, however...

"What are you doing?" Zuko asked, when Katara slipped into the waiting room where he was about to load into the palanquin. "Who's this?"

Katara grinned, gesturing to the anxious 16 year old behind her. "Zuko, meet Tadashi. He's a runner and cook in the kitchens. And he's going to be your body double for today."

"Body-?" Zuko groaned. "Katara. This is-"

"Your birthday," Katara said. "So Tadashi is going to put on the robes, and pretend to be you until they get to the boat at the docks, where we'll switch you out again."

"And why would he want to do this?"

"It's an honor," Tadashi said, quickly. "To... To help the Fire Lord. And... And the Ambassador."

"I helped his sister last week in the clinic," Katara explained, as she moved to help Zuko out of the outer layers of the robes. The bottom layer, while a bit fancy for walking around a festival, would have to do for now. "Infected burn from an accident with one of her classmates. Tadashi's been asking if there's anything he can do for days. Now help me get Tadashi dressed and into the palanquin so we can sneak out the back."

Zuko let out a snort of laughter, but moved to help. He walked Tadashi through how to sit, how to wave, and told him to not speak at all. If they pulled this off, there would be a special promotion in Tadashi's future.

They managed to sneak out right before the palanquin team came to join the parade.

Going out into the crowd wasn't as easy as it was in the Earth Kingdom, as more people in the Fire Nation knew what Zuko looked like. Katara did her best to have them both blend in, using a hood for Zuko and a shawl for Katara. They drew attention, but most brushed off their out of season appearances to go back to watching the parade or going to booths. The parade would go down the main road, following a path similar to the invasion. The docks had been cleared out for watching the boat launch and fireworks at dusk.

They watched a bit of the parade. There were fire dancers, a marching band, and Ty Lee was even leading a small group of the Kyoshi Warriors in a small demonstration. Zuko had made it clear he wanted as many examples of Fire Nation culture in the parade as possible, and Katara had made sure of it between her clinic shifts and weekly special visit.

After a bit, they went to stalls for games and food. There were a lot of food stalls. Fried noodles with savory sauces, kamodo chicken skewers, candied fruits in a rainbow of colors. Katara tried everything she could get her hands on. They tried games, Katara doing shockingly well at the fish scooping.

"You were definitely cheating," Zuko accused with a laugh, as they headed for the docks, more candied fruit and bottles of cherry soda. "You can't catch that many fish with just one of those flimsy paddles unless you were waterbending."

Katara stuck her tongue out at him, sliding down the cliff side to where Suki had left a boat for them earlier that day. "I was not! I'm just better at it than you are."

They climbed into the boat, Katara using her bending to carefully guide them to where the big ornate barge was sitting in the water. They arrive at the back, where the palanquin and small roof block them from sight of the docks. Suki is waiting just out of sight of the others, ready to pull back the curtains so Tadashi, sans ceremonial robes, could switch out with Zuko. As Zuko hauled himself up, Tadashi slipped down, trading places as if nothing happened. Then, Katara hopped up, giving Suki room to jump down.

"They're going to notice," Zuko whispered as he pulled his robes back on. "You and Suki look nothing alike. And you aren't even wearing the same clothes."

"And what are they going to do?" Katara asked, not bothering to keep her voice down. "Tattle on me to the Fire Lord?"

A few guards glanced over, doing a double take at Katara, but they turned away when Zuko laughed. As the fireworks started, Katara hummed.

"Dad says happy birthday," she said, watching the pops of color as she leaned on one of the palanquin posts. "So does Sokka. They want to know if you'll be coming for Sokka's birthday in a week. He's turning sixteen, so dad is going to officially name him as his successor. Thinks it might be a perfect introduction for the culture visits."

"Jee told me when he arrived last night." Zuko frowned. "I don't know. It's such short notice, and I don't know who I would leave in charge. Uncle is in Ba Sing Se for another three weeks."

"If we send word now, Uncle should be able to arrive in time."

Zuko hummed. "I'll think about it."

Katara smiled, knowing that Zuko would be going with her.

First / Previous / Next / Masterpost

#fanfic idea #atla #avatar the last airbender #fanfic #zutara #katara #zuko #wip

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kvohru · 10 months ago

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bachelor - maiko week '24 day 1

prompt: wedding

Zuko and his friends had had no specific expectations for the former’s bachelor party, but they certainly hadn’t expected this.

The party was in full swing, with his friends from all over the world attending, but Zuko was frankly very over it. He had originally wanted this to be a smaller, more private affair. With him being the firelord and everything, he felt like got his fair share of extravagant parties with too many attendees.

Not that this was in any way comparable to the luxurious galas he hosted and attended, of course. There was far too much… debauchery here for that.

But I digress.

‘This’ being Zuko drunkenly and incessantly complaining about ‘missing Mai’ and ‘being over this bachelor party thing’. His argument was that he hadn’t been a bachelor since the age of, like, fifteen, so this was essentially completely unnecessary. He’d much rather have stayed in with his beautiful fiancee tonight to prepare himself (mostly mentally, honestly) for their wedding, but, knowing him, he would have just spent those last few hours stressing over nonsensical things, so Mai had insisted on him throwing a bachelor party.

Of course, he said yes to her. To exactly no one’s surprise.

Presently, he could be found slumped in a chair doing something that can only be described as sulking. You know, with the hunched shoulders and the pouted lips and all. He’d miraculously extricated himself from a crowd of party-goers he vaguely knew—he assumed they were probably friends of a distant relative thrice removed, or something—and escaped back to his best friends, Sokka and Aang, secluded in a little corner away from everyone else. He knew he’d regret making Sokka in charge of the invitations. He didn’t even know half of these people!

“I miss her,” he complained again for what seemed like the millionth time, speech slurred from the liquor he’d consumed. “I wonder what she’s doing right now.” He was positive he looked very un-Firelord like, but he couldn’t really find it in him to care at all, unfortunately.

“I’m always shocked at how much of a lightweight he is,” Sokka murmured to Aang, amused at their friend’s antics, and drained the last of his fireball whiskey. “How much longer do you think he’s gonna last before blacking out?”

Aang laughed good-naturedly over his glass of soda, “No idea.” He grinned. “Won’t be much of a question of how long he’s lasting if this keeps up, though, if he ditches his party. He’s clearly ready to get back to Mai.”

Sokka snorted, “Don’t act like you weren’t the same way back when… honestly just everyday, actually.”

Aang laughed again, but this time with a dopey lovesick grin. Him and Katara had gotten married a few months back, and since then, he’d proudly carried the title of Katara’s Husband. In fact he’d taken to introducing himself as such, much to people’s confusion, because why in hell would the Avatar not introduce himself as exactly that?

He shrugged. “Guilty as charged!”

⁎⁺˳ ✧༚ ˎˊ˗ ♡ ˗ˏˋയ ✩

“Mai!”

Finally, finally, the party had ended.

Don’t get him wrong, Zuko really had enjoyed himself, being surrounded by the closest people to him (and their plus-two’s) (blame Sokka), all gathered to celebrate him. But frankly? Enough was enough. His social battery was thoroughly drained, and he was very ready to fall into his comfortable bed. Preferably in the arms of his wife-to-be.

“Hi, darling.” She smiled when she saw him, supported by Sokka and Aang. She rolled her eyes affectionately. Clearly, he’d overestimated his limits and had too much to drink. As usual.

He shook them off and walked towards her, engulfing her in a hug as soon as he was close enough.

“I missed you,” he breathed, kissing the top of her head repeatedly and swaying side to side with her against him, his strong arms kind of just resting on her shoulders and around her head, holding her close to his chest. Although he wasn’t necessarily stingy with his affections, inebriated Zuko was much more brazen. Much to her satisfaction.

He briefly loosened his hold on her to tilt her head up. She had to crane her neck much more to look at him now. Over the past few years, he’d grown taller and just… bigger. In many ways. Although he wasn’t bulky by any means, since his style in bending and martial arts favoured a leaner build to aid in the fast, precise movements, he’d certainly filled out over the years.

He cupped her cheeks, almost squeezing her face, and stared at her with an adorably awestruck expression. She stared back, one eyebrow arched in a mix of amusement and confusion.

His eyes roamed over her pale face. Everything about her was beautiful. From the rows of dark, long lashes that rimmed her slanted golden eyes, to her pointed nose and pink tinted lips.

“Is something the matter?” she asked, her words slightly muffled from his hold on her face. “You’re staring.”

His face broke into a boyish, lopsided grin, and his voice took on a playful lilt. “And you’re beautiful.”

Her cheeks pinked, and before she could think of a response, he leaned down and captured her lips in a loud, smoochy kind of kiss.

And then another. And another. And another.

“Gorgeous,” he said against her lips between kisses. “Incredible.” Another kiss. “Brilliant.” A kiss. “Devastatingly beautiful.” Kiss. “I can’t get enough of you.” Kiss. “I can’t believe you’re mine.” Kiss. “I can’t believe I get to spend the rest of my life with you.” Kiss. “I love you.” Kiss. “I love—”

“Okay, okay!” She pushed him away from her, her face burning. She was positive her skin was the colour of her robes. Clearly, inebriated Zuko was also very dramatic. “You can’t just say these things,” she murmured, averting her eyes in embarrassment. Her heart was beating entirely too fast for comfort—he really needed to stop making her feel these embarrassingly mushy, sappy, and entirely too positive emotions. At least not in public.

She was suddenly all too aware of Aang and Sokka’s presence. Great.

She groaned, putting her face in her hands. He laughed, pulling her into him again. “God, for how deadly you are, you really are adorable.”

She melted into him. She supposed she could really see herself marrying this guy.

#atla maiko #maiko #pro maiko #mai #zuko #maiko fic #maiko fanfic #fluff #oneshot #maiko week 2024 #tooth rotting fluff #fanfic #fanfiction #ao3 #wedding #writing prompt

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randomwritingguy · 2 years ago

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The Myth of Y/N (Korra x Reader) Part 35

THREE YEARS LATER - PART TWO

Y/N’S POV

It was dark when we arrived.

Landing gently on an open space of Air Temple Island, I get off Spectre. No-one is outside. Makes sense. All of the Air Nomads are probably asleep right now. Speaking of which…

“Go with the rest of the bisons.” I tell my furry friend, stroking the fur on his forehead. “Make sure you get some sleep. You earned it.”

With a rumble of agreement, the bison flies off to join the with other flying bisons.

Spectre will soon be asleep. I should probably head to bed too.

I glance at the sparkling lights of the beautiful Republic City, appearing like a cluster of stars from the island. But I look at one area in particular in the right.

I really should head to bed.

But on the other hand…

TIME SKIP

Knocking lightly on the all too familiar brown door, I wait patiently for an answer.

“Coming!”

At the sound of her voice, I quickly inspect myself, tidying my robes and hair. Then, when I finally finish, the door swings open. At the entrance, I see the familiar jet-black hair, golden eyes, and small scare on the right side of her face.

Kyuni freezes in place, eyes widened, as she sees her visitor: Me.

“Surprise?” I say with a cheeky smile.

My voice snaps her out of her trance and a blink of an eye she pulls me into a massive hug!

“Y/N!” She squeals, voice muffled by her face in my shoulder. “You’re back early!”

Closing my eyes, I reciprocate. “Guess I’m faster than you thought.”

We pull apart and the firebender gives me a soft smile. “Clearly.”

I smile back. Then, I notice that she is in her pyjamas. “Oh, uh, I hope I didn’t intrude. I know I came here out of the blue at a late time.”

Instinctually, she looks down at her clothing and blushes in embarrassment. Then she looks up at raises her hands in assurance. “No, no, it’s fine. Come in!”

Walking into her apartment, I sit back on the highly soft and comfortable sofa. Meanwhile, Kyuni walks to the kitchen. “Do you want a drink?”

“A water, please.”

“Coming right up.”

A few moments later and she walks up to me, two glasses in her hand, and places them on toe wooden table. Taking one of the glasses, I feel the ice-cold liquid pour down my throat as I sip the drink. It’s freezing temperature releases some of the tension within me.

“How was the Fire Nation?” Kyuni curiously asks and sits down on a nearby chair.

“The usual.” I nonchalantly say. “Managed to settle that trade dispute that was going on. I also went to a village and dealt with a gang there.”

“A gang, huh? Were they tough?”

“Hardly. Had them screaming in a minute.”

A cute snort emits from Kyuni. “I thought Air Nomads didn’t like violence.”

“Now, wait a minute,” I start, giving her a grin. “I gave them two chances to surrender. Not my fault they were too stupid and stubborn to listen.”

“Of course, Master Y/N.” She mockingly replies, accompanying with a mocking bow.

“Stop it.” I half-heartly tell her while chuckling. The light atmosphere diminishes, however, as I remember the rest of the story.

Sensing the change in the air, Kyuni leans forward in concern. “What’s wrong?”

“The village was in deep poverty. You should have seen it, Kyuni. The conditions the people were in were terrible! They tried sending letters for help but they were just ignored. Even the Fire Lord wasn’t aware of it, and I had to tell her about it! Even the

“Is she going to help?”

“She said she would. I think she’ll keep to her word. She’s better than most world leaders I’ve spoken to.”

“Well, at least the problem is solved now. Right?”

“It shouldn’t have been a problem in the first place.”

Kyuni sighs. She knows all too well about how I feel about stuff like this. I’ve ranted enough about it as it is.

Sighing, I lean back onto the sofa. “I met Lord Zuko and Princess Azula too.”

At the names, my friend’s face lights up. “Really? How were they?”

“They were all right. The princess was…strange…but all right.”

I paused for a moment. Then, I continue. “They mentioned Korra too.”

“Oh, Y/N…”

“I know, I know.” I tell her, raising a hand to stop what I know is going to be a tsunami of apologies or words of sympathy. I don’t want to hear it. I’ve already heard them all. “Still, it hurt.”

“Well, since Korra is coming back tomorrow, I’m sure you two will have time to reconnect and talk things out.”

WHAT?!

I jump forward in complete shock which causes Kyuni to jump backwards in her own surprise.

Did I just hear that right?

“What did you say?” I ask her breathless.

Kyuni frowns initially but softens when she comes to a realisation. “Oh, yeah, you weren’t there when it was announced. Korra’s coming back tomorrow. Tonraq’s coming too.”

My heart pounds rapidly in excitement and fear as I process all of what I just heard. I lean back onto the sofa and take a long, long, sip of my drink until I eventually finish it. Placing the glass back onto the table, I don’t look at my friend at all. Instead, I just keep my focus on the now empty glass.

“I see.” Is all I say, not knowing what else I could say. What should I say? After all these years, Korra is coming back. Korra, who I or anyone haven’t been in contact with during that time. What will she look like? Will she look the same? Will she act the same? Will she be completely different? How would she feel about all of us? Would she still be mad at me?

A gentle hand on my knee snaps me out of my overwhelming amount of questions barging through my mind.

“Y/N, it will be fine.” Kyuni assures me softly.

Will it, though?

“I know.” I respond weakly, not really confident with my statement. “I’m just shocked, that’s all.”

Kyuni knows all too well of how I feel with the situation of Korra. She knows I don’t want to talk about it.

“Yeah, I get it.” She says. “We all were. I still am. But it’s going to be great seeing her again, that’s the important thing.”

I nod and give her a weak smile. “Yeah, it is. You’re right.”

Kyuni smiles back. “We’re all gonna meet her at Air Temple Island. But before that President Raiko is holding a public ceremony about the reopening of the remodelled Central City Station. Asami helped working on it, remember? We can meet up with her then. Mako will probably be there too. It will be nice.”

“Yeah, it will be.” I tell her, silently thanking her for the change in topic. “I’ll probably hold a couple of classes and I’ll meet up with you. In that case, I should be getting some sleep.

“Ditto.” Kyuni agrees and yawns loudly. “The flower shop was really busy today. I could use a good night’s rest.”

“You can say that again.” I say and rising to my feet. “I’ll see my way out. Have a good night, Kyuni. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Kyuni softly smiles. “You too, Y/N. Good night.”

And, with a smile back, I walk out of the apartment and gently shutting the door. I walk a few steps away before I slowly come to a halt and lean against the wall of the now empty and silent corridor. Letting out a tense breath, I gaze upwards at the dull ceiling.

No, don’t worry. Kyuni was right. Everything will be all right.

Restarting my journey, I begin walking to the exit as I silently repeat mantras of reassurance and calming. They do little to soothe my pounding heart ready to burst.

Korra is coming back…

I eventually return to Air Temple Island and begin walking to right outside the door of my room. I don’t open it just yet. I just stare at it, zoning out into my thoughts.

“Y/N?”

Snapping out of my thoughts again, I look to my right and I see Tenzin in his night gown, eyebrows raised in surprise. Then, his features soften and he smiles. “You’re back from the Fire Nation. It’s good to have you back.”

Feeling warmth in my chest, I smile in return. “It’s good to be back too, Tenzin. I hope you didn’t wake you up.”

“You didn’t.” He assures me. “I was just about to head to sleep. How was the Fire Nation?”

I shrug in nonchalance. “It was all right. Fire Lord Izumi told me to send you her thanks.”

I pause for a moment, wondering if I should say the next thing that comes to my mind. Then, I continue. “I heard Korra is coming back tomorrow. Is that true?”

Tenzin’s eyes briefly flash with understanding and sympathy but then subside. “Yes, she is arriving here along with Chief Tonraq.”

Despite having a while to process this information, hearing the confirmation from my mentor reignites the tension inside. Swallowing, I nod. “I can’t believe it. After three years…”

“I know. I’m sure it’s going to be surreal for Korra too.”

“I’m sure it will.” I mutter. Before Tenzin recognises my conflict, if he hasn’t already, I change the topic. “I also heard President Raiko is reopening the Grand City Central tomorrow. I take it you’re going to be there?”

“I will.” Tenzin says. “So will Lin and Prince Wu.”

The mention of the latter makes me scowl slightly, a tightening in my stomach.

Wu. The next in line to the throne of the Earth Kingdom. Or, at least, he’s supposed to be. In reality he’s the most egotistical, childish, immature man-child I have ever seen. I can’t believe he is going to be running the Earth Kingdom. I pity Mako for being forced to be his bodyguard.

“I see.” I simply say, resisting the urge to on a rant about how Wu is a terrible candidate for a leader. “Kyuni and I are planning on heading there to support Asami too. I can come with you.”

“That would be great.” Tenzin says. “I better leave you to it, then. Have a good night, Y/N.”

“You too.”

Walking into my bedroom and gently shutting the door, I gaze at my silent, empty room. Due to the belief that the Air Nomads should have no worldly possessions, the interior was very simple with no decorations. Just a simple desk and bed.

And a box underneath that said bed.

Walking silently, I bend down until I’m on knees and reaching forward I pull outwards. Then, I open it.

There, in the box, are letters. Letters I have received over the years. Some from Bolin, some from Jinora, Kai, and Opal when they are off on their own duties and settling disputes. One from Kuvira…

And, on top of the pile, is my unsent letter to Korra. Gently taking it into my hands, I read the letter again. I was such an emotional mess when I wrote it. I can’t remember what really sparked the tornado of feelings. I guess it just exploded after three years of buildup. I don’t know.

This is MY fault! It is!

I’m supposed to be wise and powerful and yet I feel so hopeless and powerless sometimes.

I love you so fucking much, Korra. And I failed you.

I poured all of those three long years into that letter.

And now Korra is coming back.

Fuck!

Placing the letter back inside and closing the lid, I violently shove the box back under the bed with a force that it hits the wall.

Tenzin will be so ashamed of me if I know I kept these. I’m not even supposed to HAVE them. But…I can’t throw them anyway. I can’t.

When I’m finally bed, I just stare at the blank ceiling with my thoughts tangled in webs of confusion and contradictions.

What am I going to do?

TIME SKIP

Morning comes and work is busy.

After giving happy hellos to Pema and the Air Kids, I begin my pathway to all too familiar round ying-yang platform that gives out a view of the spell-bounding Republic City. Thankfully, I only have one lesson today and then later Tenzin and I will leave to attend Central City Station’s reopening.

I begin to near the platform but, before I make myself visible to my students, I pause as I hear excited and challenging proclamations.

“You take that back!”

“No way, man! You won’t ever be a good airbender!”

“We’ll see about that! Let’s do this right here and right now!”

“Uh, guys, do you think that’s a good idea? What if one of the masters come?”

“Don’t worry! This fight will be over before it starts!”

“For me, it will! You are going down!”

“Come on then, tough guy!!”

I sigh in complete frustration. Newbies. They have no idea what they are doing.

But I don’t intervene. Not yet. I need to catch them in the act.

“Okay, count of three!”

I smile mischievously. Perfect.

“One!”

“Two!”

“Am I interrupting something?”

My voice loud and seething with disappointment echoes across the platform as I make my presence known. A dozen Air Nomads stand in a big circle, two in the centre in battle stances, all turn to their heads to my direction, eyes widening in shock. The two in the centre of the circle, the ones who started all of this, have their jaws dropped and I can just barely make out the look of sheer terror on their features.

I raise an eyebrow. “Well?”

“Uh, Master Y/N!” One of the two in the circle, Gao, I believe, sputters in nervousness. “We were just, uh, um…”

“Just what?” I tell him interrogatively, crossing my arms. “You were about to start fighting a fellow nomad to see who was better? That’s what was going to happen, right?”

Gao wipes his hair to the side and gulps. “Yeah. But…”

��I started it, Master Y/N!” The other of the two, Xan, quickly adds in. “This is my fault! I-I provoked him!”

He’s trying to take the blame. How noble. Unfortunately, that isn’t going to work.

I begin down the stairs, not saying a word, and get closer to the two airbenders. The circle splits open to allow me to enter and I stop dead right in front of them.

“Your desire to protect Gao is admirable, Xan.” I begin, voice stern. “But you are both to blame. You may have started it, but Gao continued it.”

The two young men look down in shame. “We’re sorry.” They both say at the same time.

I hum in acknowledgement, but I don’t say anything for a while. Instead, I let the moment of shame wash over them for a while. Then, I sigh in disappointment. “Everyone sit down.”

Everyone silently rushes forward and in an organised fashion sit down before me, crossed legged. They all look at me with anticipating eyes.

I don’t turn around. Not yet. I clasp my hands behind my back and continued to gaze out to Republic City. I don’t say a word for a good five to ten minutes. That is intentional, of course. One of the most essential qualities of an Air Nomad is patience. If they can’t be patient to wait until I start my lesson, then they are already failing.

After another five minutes, I turn and finally begin.

“When you became an Air Nomad, you swore an oath of non-aggression.” I speak up loudly. “In our culture, violence is always the last resort. Always. There are no excuses. We do not glorify violence, nor do we enjoy it. It is a necessary evil.”

I pause, letting my words sink in, and then continue. “When we were blessed with the gift of airbending, we were given the responsibility for finding peaceful solutions in places where peace does not seem possible. That is our duty.”

“But, Master Y/N.” one of the students speaks up with curiosity. “I thought that was our role until Avatar Korra recovers.”

I frown slightly at the mention of my friend’s name but quickly recover. “It will always be our role, before and after Avatar Korra returns.”

The questioning student nods, and silence reappears.

I continue. “It doesn’t matter who is better or who is worse. We are not children on a playground. We are peacekeepers. How can you keep the peace when you start petty fights over petty squabbles? In doing so, you go against everything what it is to be an Air Nomad. Of course, there is no harm in a friendly competition. There are many times where I’ve been sparring with other airbenders or racing on air scooters. We are allowed to have fun and enjoy life. But what was about to happen before I arrived was not that. The fight that was close to erupting was going to be violence born of rage. Do you all understand the difference?”

The Air Nomads nod in confirmation, including Gao and Xan. Good. They have learned something at least.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I nod. “Good. I hope not to see anything like that again. We are all family. There should not be any resentment between us. We are better than that. We are Air Nomads.”

I gaze upon my students and see them glancing at each other, now beginning to understand. They are brothers and sisters, now. They should love each other like family.

Despite everything going on, one thing that I love is teaching. Seeing my students progress is so satisfying to watch and I am honoured to be a part of that progress.

Seeing this, I reward them with a warm smile. “Now, swiftly moving on, let’s begin the actual lesson.”

TIME SKIP

Tenzin, Pema, the Air Kids and I arrive at the Central City Station just in time. As I arrive onto the scene, I see Kyuni, Mako and Prince Wu discussing about something. The former spots us at the corner of her eye and her face lights up.

“Y/N. You made it.”

With the mention of my name, Mako and Wu turn to me, and smiles go on their faces too. I give them a big smile and exchange a quick hug with Kyuni.

“Of course I did.” I tell her and then Mako and I lock hands and pull each other into a hug. “Mako, its great to see you. It’s been a while.”

“It has.” The bodyguard says, a small smile on his lips. “It’s great to see you too, Y/N.”

After dealing with my inner turmoil these past few hours, this is just what I need. A reunion between friends.

“So…Y/N.” Wu leans in, an eyebrow raised in what I guess is supposed to come across as attractive but instead comes across as embarrassing. “We meet again.”

I hold back a disgusted and tired sigh. Not this shit again. This is another reason why I dislike this guy. He seems to flirt with anyone he finds remotely attractive immediately without any shame. This is the second or third time with me I swear.

“Unfortunately.” I say in the most disinterested tone as possible. “Is it your coronation yet?”

“Nope!” He replies, completely unaware of my lack of enthusiasm. “Soon, though!”

“Not soon enough.” I mutter. Then, I realise something. “Where’s Asami?”

“Over there with President Raiko.” Kyuni answers, pointing to the entrance of Central City Station. Turning to where she’s pointing, I see Asami in her red and black clothing, jet-black hair tied in a ponytail while one half dangling on the right side of her face. Standing on the left, President Raiko stands tall and proud with his usual purple suit and tinted glasses.

Asami and I exchange eye contact and she waves with a smile. I wave back.

“Attention, everyone!” President Raiko begins, voice loud and proud. “Thank you all for attending to this wonderful occasion. This is a historical moment in our beloved Republic City.”

His speech goes on for a few minutes. He talks about the station and thanks to all the people who contributed to its construction. Then, finally, he gestures to Asami.

“And of course, my biggest thanks goes to Asami Sato and Future Industries.” He says, sounding even more prideful than before. She brought our old central terminal into the modern era. Ladies and gentlemen, the world is entering a new age of peace and prosperity.”

My smile widens at that. I’m so proud of Asami. She deserves it.

But Raiko continues. “Soon, Prince Wu will take his rightful place on the Earth Kingdom throne. And thanks to our updated rail system, Republic City and the Earth Kingdom will be united like never before!”

While the crowd applause, me included, as Raiko and Asami cut the red ribbon in front of them to make the reopening of the station official, I frown in displeasure as I see Wu arrogantly striking pose after pose in front of a reporter with a camera.

Why is this idiot taking over the Earth Kingdom? He’s childish, immature, arrogant, irresponsible, and a wimp. He’s not fit to be King. Spirits, he isn’t even fit to be a babysitter. I can’t tell what’s worse. A dictatorial Queen or an incompetent King.

Speaking of Wu, as soon as the crowd dies down and Asami finishes talking to a reporter he walks up to her with a smug look. Uh oh.

“Hey there! Asami, right? Great train house. Maybe you can give me a personal tour sometime, what do you say?”

Oh spirits.

Thankfully, Asami isn’t putting up with his crap. I do like the idea of putting you on a train and sending you far, far away.”

Ohhhh snap.

The prince chuckles, trying to play her annoyance off cooly. “That's ... that's funny. I like funny dames. Maybe I should introduce myself. I'm Prince Wu, future king.”

Okay, I’m not letting this continue.

“Sorry, your majesty.” I say to him, saying his royal title in a mocking tone. “But you got business to attend to.”

Mako adds on, clearly enthusiastic as I am to get rid of him. “President Raiko wants to talk to you. Now.”

Clearly disappointed at having his chances to “woo” Asami have been thwarted, he lets out a disappointed sigh. “Fine.” Then, he winks at her. “I’ll be back.”

I hope not.

As he walks away, I turn back to Asami and I give her a hug. “It’s nice to see you, Asami. I’m so happy for you!”

“Me too.” Mako adds on.

“Thanks, you two!” She cheerly responds, reciprocating the hug. “It’s good to see you both again too! How was the Fire Nation, Y/N?”

Trying my hardest not to wince at the name which brings back the uncomfortable memories, I give her a casual shrug in an attempt to look nonchalant. “Eh, the usual. Got to meet the Fire Lord and the Princess. And Lord Zuko too.”

Kyuni snorts. “Oh yeah, Asami, I just met three of the most powerful people in the world. You know, normal stuff.”

Asami chuckles at that while I playfully elbow Kyuni at the side. Then, I elbow Mako and begin chuckling too. “Mako here gets to meet royalty every day. Very lucky guy.”

Knowing full well how he feels about who he is protecting, Mako lets a disgruntled sigh. “Yeah. Lucky. That’s one way to put it.”

“How can you even stand him?” Asami asks him.

“Well, I just remind myself that once he's on the throne, I go back to being a detective.”

“And that works?”

“I also go home, and smash my head into the wall for an hour, you know, just to get the stress out.”

That makes us all erupt in laughter, my laughing getting so bad that I have to wipe tears from my eyes.

“It’s been too long.” Asami says when we finally calm down. “Have any of you heard from Bolin?”

I shake my head. “Nope. It’s been a while since I got a letter from him. Last time I heard from him he said he’s doing good with Kuvira.”

Kuvira.

No. Don’t think about her also.

“I haven’t spoken to him in a while either.” Mako adds. “But he is coming for the coronation in a few days. The Chief told me Korra is arriving tonight too.”

I resist to wince once again. Spirits, this is going to be hard, huh?

“Yeah, I told Y/N about it last night.” Kyuni says. “It’s going to be great to see her again. It’s been so long.”

“It really has.” Asami adds. “I can’t wait to see her again.”

“Same.” I force out, trying to sound as casual as I can. I glance around and I notice Wu talking to Tenzin, Lin, and Raiko. They all look pretty serious about something, the prince in particular looks kinda nervous.

My curiosity rising and unable to resist it, I quickly mutter a “Be right back” and start walking towards the group. I manage to catch a bit from Beifong with the word “assassinated” and I further tense up a bit.

“Is something wrong, Tenzin?” I ask him, standing to the side of him and catching their attention.

“Nothing to worry about.” He assures me. “We were assuring Prince Wu that he will be protected by the United Forces when he is escorted to Ba Sing Se after the coronation.”

“Apparently Kuvira has mostly dispersed the bandits.” Wun grumbles, not really sounding assured himself. “Whatever that means.”

I frown at the mention of the name. So long trying to not think about her.

When Kuvira took on the task to stabilize the Earth Kingdom, I was completely proud and impressed by her. Suyin was being her typical selfish self and turned her back on the people suffering all over the nation while she sat in her fancy home in her utopian city. Hearing her protégé defy her mentor’s wishes and do what is right was so admirable.

And then…the whispers started. Terrible whispers. Whispers about Kuvira acting like some sort of dictator. Whispers of “re-education camps.” Whispers of people suffering.

The words of her letter to me flash in my mind. She wanted me to join her. I refused. She hasn’t written to me since.

I have told Tenzin all of this and he’s sent this all to President Raiko but he’s being stubborn. He’s so convinced that the situation can be handled once she steps down after the coronation. If she steps down, I mean.

“Knowing Kuvira, she probably has made the Earth Kingdom secured.” I say in a displeased tone. Then, staring at Raiko I add “Even if it came at a great cost.”

Raiko frowns at my last comment. He knows all too well how I feel about this.

“Um, I’m not sure I’m following?” Wu adds, voice mixed with confusion and worry.

Crossing my arms, I continue glaring at the President. “I’m just saying that Kuvira might not be completely trustworthy given the rumours spreading around.”

“Y/N…” Tenzin mutters warningly.

Wu’s worry amplifies. “Uh, rumours? What rumours?”

Finally, I glance at the prince. “Rumours that Kuvira has-“

“-Rumours you shouldn’t worry about, Prince Wu.” Raiko interrupts with a sharp edge. “Because they are just that. Rumours. Even if some of them are accurate, they will be dealt with when Kuvira steps down.”

I turn back to him. “If she steps down.”

“Wait, what?” Wu asks. “She might not step down?”

“She will.” Raiko says, glaring dead into my eyes. “With all due respect, Master Y/N, but I do not appreciate what you are spouting. You have already made your point loud and clear these past few months. You need not to repeat yourself.”

Oh, that arrogant-

“I apologise on behalf of Y/N, President Raiko.” Tenzin cuts in before I can retaliate. “While I too have similar concerns, we shall trust your judgement.”

The airbending master then gives me a narrowed stare which probably means “Stop this now.”

I resist an exhausted sigh then force an apologetic smile. “I apologise, President. I shall leave you all be.”

I can feel their stares on my back as I walk away from the group and back towards my friends.

Again, this inaction. Again, the incompetence. Again, the arrogance! DAMMIT!

When I became an airbender I swore an oath to non-aggression. I, along with every Air Nomad, must find a peaceful solution first and foremost and must not act violently and aggressively. We only fight when it’s the last resort. I’ve been teaching that to dozens of students since becoming a master. And yet, despite the confidence I display in the words I lecture to my students, the reality is much different.

Peace must always come first. I know this and I admire the Air Nomads for trying to find a peaceful resolution in a troubling situation. But one crucial flaw of their, quite frankly, naïve ideology is that they aren’t willing to do what’s needed to be done as soon as possible. Kuvira’s growing power and threat must be dealt with and yet Tenzin contends with telling President Raiko about it, who of course will just dismiss it.

The New Air Nation is a great improvement to the isolated old nomads but there is still room to grow. But I have a feeling this is one flaw that will never be corrected.

Finally releasing a tense sigh, I force a smile as I reunite with my friends.

Tenzin is probably going to talk to me later. I just know it.

TIME SKIP

“Y/N, can I have a word?”

Yep. He’s gonna talk to me about it.

“If this is about earlier, I am not apologising to you for what I said.” I bluntly tell my mentor as we reach to a quiet corner of the dining area of Air Temple Island. Its now sunset and President Raiko, his wife, Lin, Mako, Asami, Kyuni, Prince Wu, and the rest are here.

Its been a good amount of hours since the reopening of the Central City Station. This lecture I’m probably going to be given any second now really should have been earlier, but Tenzin was busy. Plus, I have a slight feeling he has been putting off somewhat. I know he knows how I feel about this situation.

“And I’m not asking you to.” Tenzin replies. “However, you have to be more careful what you say sometimes.”

I scoff. “I was just speaking what we both think. You are worried just as much as I am.”

“I am.” He admits. “But we heard what Raiko said.”

“Raiko isn’t always right.” I retort with a huff. “We can’t just sit here and do nothing!”

My comment seems to have rubbed the airbending master the wrong way as I see him frown slightly. “What are you suggesting, Y/N?”

Dammit.

I bite back a retort. I don’t want to start an argument. Not here and not now.

“Forgive me, Tenzin.” I say. “I meant no suggestion. I’m just frustrated.”

“I know.” He says, placing a comforting hand onto my right shoulder. “But remember the principals we uphold as Air Nomads. It isn’t too late for a peaceful resolution to happen. For all we know, Kuvira might step down when Prince Wu is coronated.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

He doesn’t respond for a while. Then, he lets go of my shoulder and sigh.

“I don’t know. But I’m certain we all can handle it.”

A vague answer. I guess that’s the best I’m going to get.

When we depart, I walk up to Kyuni who is drinking a glass of water, leaning against the wall.

“Hey.” I tell her. “You good?”

“Never better.” She says, then nods towards where I just was with Tenzin. “What was that all about?”

I sigh. “I had a slight argument with President Raiko earlier at the Central City Station. Tenzin was just telling me to watch what I’m saying.”

She snorts. “I mean, he’s right about that. You do have a habit of speaking your mind a lot.”

“Hey!” I retort half-offended. “I think that’s an admirable quality to have.”

“It’s certainly an attractive quality.” Kyuni agrees. “But it can sometimes get you into trouble.”

“At least it gets stuff done.” I counter. A weak argument, I know, but I still persist.

Kyuni sighs and gives me a playful nudge. “Hey, I know you’re worried about what’s going on in the Earth Kingdom. I am too. But maybe it won’t be as bad as you think its going to be. With Korra back, maybe she can do something.”

Yeah. Korra, who’s going to be back in any second.

I open my mouth to speak but before I can get a word in, an Air Acolyte walks into the room with complete excitement.

“There’s a Southern Water Tribe ship pulling up to the dock!”

While the children let out an excited cheer of “Korra!” my blood freezes to ice. I hear nothing but the pounding of my heart.

Korra is here.

A hand wraps around my own and tugs me forward. I look up and see Kyuni giving me a small smile. I force one back and let her pull me forward. I see her opening her mouth to say something but I don’t hear it. I just keep hearing my heartbeat.

Korra is here.

We walk outside the Air Temple and down the ramp where the large and powerful ship is waiting for us.

Korra is here.

Naga rushes out the ship with obvious enthusiasm.

Korra is here.

Tonraq walks out the ship…alone.

The frantic heartbeats stop. I return to reality.

Wait…alone?

“Tonraq.” Tenzin greets, shaking hands with him. “It's good to have you back in the city. And everyone is excited to see the Avatar again.”

The Chief of the Southern Water Trible looks…puzzled. “What do you mean? Isn't Korra already here?”

The frantic heartbeat returns, more powerful than ever, but for an entirely different reason.

What is he talking about?

“No, we thought she was coming with you.” Tenzin replies but his excitement is now gone, replaced by confusion and…worry.

Tonraq too begins to worry, his eyes flashing with concern. “Korra left the South Pole six months ago. She's written me letters. She said she was here in Republic City.”

As the words leave his lips, everything falls apart.

Left six months ago…

Left six months ago.

LEFT SIX MONTHS AGO!

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!

I don’t think. I act.

Dropping Kyuni’s hand like its on fire, I rush with a speed that rivals the strike of a lightning bolt further into the island. I ignore the cries of my name and pleas with me to stop. I ignore them all.

KORRA HAS BEEN GONE FOR SIX MONTHS! SHE COULD BE ANYWHERE! SHE COULD BE IN DANGER! FUCK FUCK FUCK!

“Spectre!” I shout into the wind and a few seconds later my air bison emerges from the now night sky. I quickly hop on top of the bison.

“Y/N!”

I look back and see Kyuni, Jinora, and a few others rushing up to me. “WAIT!”

I ignore them all.

“Yip yip.”

And in a flash, Spectre lifts off and flies into the sky with an urgency. Our bond allows him to know the panicked state I’m in.

I don’t know where I’m going. I don’t know where she is. But I will find her. I will save her.

I will not fail her again.

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

And that's it!

I hope you all enjoyed it!

Feedback is appreciated!

See you all in the next chapter! :D

42 notes · View notes

burntsecrets · 2 months ago

Text

A Frosty Friend

Pairing: Zuko x Reader Word Count: 782 Prompt: @fluff-cember Day 3: snowman Summary: You help Zuko make a snowman for the first time. Warnings: mild language, mentions of firebending, mild teasing, brief physical touch, implied emotional vulnerability

The crisp winter air stings your cheeks, but you don’t mind. The snow-covered Earth Kingdom village feels like a dream, its narrow streets lined with snow-laden rooftops and quiet serenity. You kick a puff of snow with your boot, grinning as the powder swirls in the breeze. For someone who’s never seen snow like this before, the possibilities seem endless.

Behind you, Zuko walks with his usual guarded intensity, golden eyes scanning the quiet village for threats that aren’t there. His breath fogs in the cold, and his arms are crossed tight over his chest as if he can will the chill away through sheer determination.

You stop in your tracks and spin to face him. “Let’s build a snowman.”

Zuko raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“A snowman,” you repeat, crouching to scoop up a handful of snow. “You’ve seriously never built one?”

“No,” he replies flatly. “And I don’t see why we should start now.”

“Because it’s fun,” you say, tossing the snow lightly into the air and catching it. “When’s the last time you did something just for fun?”

Zuko exhales sharply, his brow furrowing. “This is ridiculous.”

“Oh, come on,” you tease, stepping closer. “What would Aang say if he saw you refusing to enjoy the snow? He’d probably call it a crime against nature or something.”

That earns you a dry glare, but after a moment, Zuko sighs. “Fine. But if this is some elaborate scheme to make me look stupid…”

“Too late,” you quip, grabbing a handful of snow and starting to roll it into a ball. Zuko mutters something under his breath but crouches beside you.

At first, he watches as you roll the snowball across the ground, the base growing larger with each pass. “You’re just rolling it?” he asks, his tone skeptical.

“That’s how you start,” you say, grinning. “Then you pack it tight.”

Zuko hesitates before scooping up a handful of snow. His movements are stiff and cautious, as if he’s handling something explosive. “Like this?”

“Yeah, but more pressure,” you instruct. “It’s snow, not glass.”

He huffs and presses his hands into the snow, his brow furrowed in concentration. For someone who regularly wields fire, he’s surprisingly meticulous about packing the snow. It’s kind of endearing.

After a while, the two of you manage to stack three uneven snowballs atop one another. Zuko steps back, frowning critically. “It’s… lopsided.”

“It’s perfect,” you counter, brushing snow off your gloves. “Now it just needs a face.”

You gather pebbles for eyes and a crooked twig for a nose, then start sticking them onto the snowman. Zuko watches with his arms crossed again, his skepticism palpable. “This is what people do for fun?”

“Yep,” you say, sticking on the snowman’s mouth with a flourish. “And now… it needs something extra.”

You step back, tilting your head as you study your creation. The curved base, the round body—it reminds you of something. Or someone.

“It looks like Appa,” you declare, grinning.

Zuko snorts softly. “Appa? Really?”

“Don’t tell me you don’t see it.” You point to the snowman’s round shape. “All it needs are some horns and a tail.”

Zuko mutters something about wasting time but crouches to help anyway. He shapes a stubby tail at the back while you add twigs for horns. His hands are sure and steady, and you’re struck by how much effort he’s putting into something so simple.

When you’re done, you step back together to admire your work. The snowman—Appa, you’ve decided—looks ridiculous but lovable, with its lopsided body and crooked grin.

“It’s not terrible,” Zuko admits grudgingly, his golden eyes scanning the snowman. “For a snow bison.”

You grin and nudge his arm. “See? You’ve got a hidden creative side.”

“I don’t have a creative side,” he replies, though the faintest smirk tugs at his lips. “I just followed your instructions.”

“Sure, sure,” you say, laughing. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Your Majesty of Snow Sculpting.”

He huffs, but his ears turn red—not from the cold, you’re certain. The two of you stand in companionable silence for a moment, watching as snowflakes drift lazily from the sky, catching on your snowman’s horns.

When you glance at Zuko, his gaze isn’t on the snowman anymore—it’s on you. The usual intensity in his eyes has softened, replaced by something warmer, quieter. It makes your chest feel lighter, like maybe, just maybe, you’re chipping away at his icy exterior.

“Thanks,” you say softly, nudging his arm again. “For helping.”

Zuko shrugs, but the corner of his mouth lifts in that almost smile you’re starting to recognize. “It wasn’t terrible.”

And for a fleeting moment, in this snowy little village, everything feels just right.

43 notes · View notes

imagines--galore · 30 days ago

Text

||The Thread of Fate|| Part Thirty-Nine

Pairing: Zuko x OroraOC (ATLA)

Rating || Genres || Warnings: T+ Romance. Adventure. Angst. Hurt/Comfort. Family.

Previous Chapters - Masterlist

A/N: And here is the second and final part of the date. Meep! I just wanted to say thank you so much for sticking with this story for so long. I appreciate and adore every single one of you. Thank you for your reblogs, shares, hearts, and comments. They mean so much to me.

After the unplanned, yet refreshing nap, the two teenagers were ready to continue with the rest of their date.

"So have you planned anything for the day?" Orora asked as they walked towards the small town that also served as a marketplace for the visiting patrons. Zuko had pulled on his hood again, to avoid anyone recognizing him. It would be easy to spot him in the crowd should she loose him. Though that would be impossible since he was holding on to her hand like he never wanted to let go.

"It's a rough draft. And a work in process." He replied honestly with a shrug of his shoulders. "Not like I've done anything like this before." The Prince added, allowing some of the nervousness he felt to slip into his tone as he continued. "I should warn you, because I don't want you to be disappointed." He paused in their walk so he could face her. "Don't expect to be swept off your feet or anything. That's not how I do things."

Zuko didn't believe in grand gestures. Whenever he had the chance to encounter anyone who would go up and beyond to please the person they loved, he figured they were making up for some mistake they had made, or compensating for something.

Letting out a rather unattractive snort of laughter, which Zuko admitted to himself he found adorable, Orora reached under his hood to ruffle his hair. "You don't have to worry about that Zuko. Because what I do know, is that whatever you have planned, or will plan in the future." She gently tapped his shirt, the area under which his heart was beating, steady and sure. "It'll come from here."

Smiling and pressing a fond kiss to his scar, the Waterbender began to walk down the path. Unaware of the effect she had on her boyfriend, who stared at her with just the barest hint of a blush on his cheeks.

He may have the advantage of making her blush when he flirted with her, Orora, however, had the power to make leave him flustered and unsure, in a good way, about what to do next, with her faith and belief in him.

It took a few more steps before Orora realized her boyfriend wasn't following her. With a playful roll of her eyes, she marched back, grabbed his hand and began to tug him forward. "Come on! I'm starving! Those candies and fire flakes were hours ago."

With a smile that could only be described as smitten playing about his face, Zuko followed her lead.

————————–

Since the usual time for dinners at restaurants started after sunset, and the two of them were more then an hour early, they got the best seats. Right by a window, overlooking the beach. "You know I had only ever been to a restaurant twice before I left the Water Tribe." Orora commented, once they had given their orders to the polite server. She was looking around at the beautiful decorations that made up the interior of the restaurant. Sitting on the floor across from her, Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Because the Water Tribe didn't have many restaurants?" He teased, prompting Orora to shoot him an annoyed look, which he grinned at.

"No." She defended. "More like the women in our family were meant to stay home like the good obedient wives and daughters they were meant to be." The anger in her voice was evident, as was the glimmer of it in her ice blue eyes. Thinking that maybe having her talk a little about it would help her let go of her anger, Zuko decided to prod further. "And what were the two occasions when you went out to a restaurant?"

The girl shrugged. "One was an invitation from the Chief himself. A celebration for some achievement my oldest brother attained." The dismissive tone had Zuko smiling slightly as he pictured Orora trying to get through a dinner by having to be polite and quiet. The arrival of their drinks had both teenagers pausing briefly in their conversation. Orora took a refreshing sip of the mango juice she had ordered, smiling at the sweet taste coating her mouth. Smacking her lips, she set her glass down and turned her gaze back to Zuko who was still sipping on his watermelon juice.

"And the second was when my father secured a marriage proposal for me."

Her revelation had Zuko inhaling sharply while he drank, prompting him to cough, the juice getting caught at the back of his throat. Orora winced as she leaned forward, the concern obvious in her eyes as she said. "Are you alright?" With one final thump to his own chest, and another sip to help settle his throat, Zuko nodded. "I'm fine." He replied, his voice a little hoarse as he wiped the corner of his eyes where they had started to water from coughing so hard. "I forget you were almost engaged to someone." He admitted, a dark frown creasing his brow, as if the very thought of Orora being with someone before he had even met her offended him.

She waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "It's not as if anything came of it. I ran away before the official betrothal necklace was given to me, so technically, I wasn't engaged to him." And a good thing too. Orora had no desire to have any links to her past, because lets face it, there was nothing there that appealed to her.

Well, maybe except her Mother. Only because she felt pity for her, and not out of the love she had for her.

Not like Zuko, she thought to herself, casting her boyfriend a look that had him raising an eyebrow in question. She shrugged. "Nothing, I guess I'm just a little envious of relationship you had with your Mother." She admitted. "I figured you weren't close to her." Zuko said, thinking back on how she barely mentioned the woman. "Was it because she forced you to follow the rules, or something else?" Unconsciously, his hand slid across the table to cover hers in a comforting grip.

Orora pursed her lips. "More like, she stood by and did nothing." The girl sighed, a sad lilt in her voice as she continued. "My grandmother, my mother's mother, used to say I reminded her of her daughter when she was younger. That I had the same fire she had. But I never saw that. I only ever saw a woman who would bow her head and quietly obey whatever her husband and sons demanded of her." Her gaze flitted to the view outside the window, where the sun had begun to set, casting the it's light across the ocean as the waves broke against the beach. "I guess." She continued, her voice soft and low. "Whatever spirit she had left was leeched out of her, a long time ago by my Father."

Silence followed her words, as they both sat there, staring out of the window, their minds racing, thinking and pondering on just how different and yet similar their family lives had been. The one thing they had bonded over so long ago beside that lake, during their time as refugees.

"You know, considering the family you had, it's amazing you turned out the way you did." Zuko commented, to which Orora scoffed and rolled her eyes. "If we're going to do that comparison, then you win in the depraved and demented family department. Minus, yourself, your Mother and Iroh, of course."

The mention of his Uncle, had Zuko's heart twinging with guilt as he retracted his hand from Orora's and clenched them in fists. "I'm still so ashamed for what I did to him in Ba Sing Se. And the things I said to him when he was in prison." He admitted, his voice breaking slightly as he spoke.

The length of the table between them was an empty space she didn't like. She was too far away from him. Which was why Orora rose from her place, and in two strides, was sitting down cross-legged beside Zuko. She took his hand, much like he had taken hers a few minutes ago and tilted her head down so she could meet his gaze from where he had his head bowed in shame.

"You made a mistake Zuko. That's all it was. And you made up for it by turning against your family and your entire Nation to help us fight the war. And since you've been with us, you've done so much. You've helped Aang with his firebending. You helped Sokka rescue his Father and Soulmate from prison. You helped Katara finally come to terms with her Mother's death. And you're the perfect victim when it comes to Toph's teasing." The last one had an involuntary laugh falling from his lips, as he tilted his head upwards to, unable to help the smile she coaxed out of him.

"Besides." She continued. "Once we win this war, you and I can go on a little trip ourselves and try to find him. I'm sure Aang will let us borrow Appa." Zuko squeezed her hand, drawing comfort from the warm softness. "That's what scares me. What if we find him, and he doesn't forgive me for what I did. Not that I deserve it." He muttered the last part to himself, which earned him an eye roll from his girlfriend.

As well as a slap to the back of his head. "Hey!" He protested, his hand lifting to rub the tender area. He turned to shoot her a look, but thought better of it when he caught her glaring at him instead. "You even think of going down that self-pitying, 'oh I'm worthless and never to be forgiven for what I did' road, and I swear Zuko I will leave you here right now." She claimed, already pushing herself on her knees to stand up.

"No, wait! I'm sorry. I won't go there." Zuko mirrored her movement, placing his hands on her shoulders and gently guiding her to sit back down. The girl crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him. "Do you really think your Uncle won't forgive you? I've only known him a few months Zuko, and I know that he loves you so much that he wouldn't even have to think about it."

Silence followed her little proclamation. Zuko sat there, his heart feeling light for the first time in weeks. All because of what she had just said. Somehow, so far, whatever Orora had claimed and deduced about him, had always been true.

She was still glaring at him. And no matter how much he liked seeing her riled up, with that glint in her ice blue eyes, and the way she looked like she would have no qualms about hitting him again, Zuko had no desire to be beat up by his girlfriend in public.

"I did think that, but I'll take your word for it and hope that he forgives me." He finally said, watching as Orora nodded in satisfaction. "Good to see your skull isn't as thick as it was when I met you." She playfully knocked against the side of his head with her knuckles. Chuckling, Zuko pushed away her hand, the remnant dark clouds hanging around his head dissipating as he smiled at her.

Suddenly, Orora laughed softly, prompting Zuko to look at her quizzically. "What?" He asked smiling, though he had no qualms about her laughing because in his opinion she didn't laugh enough. The girl shook her head. "Nothing. It's just.......this morning, I was thinking how we already knew one another's trauma and demons and we wouldn't have to go into all that bad stuff, and yet here we are." She gestured between them. Zuko shrugged. "At least we're never bored." He offered as a positive to which Orora nodded. "No." She admitted. "And I doubt we will ever be bored and tired of each other."

No, he thought silently to himself, his warm gaze never once wavering from her pretty face. Reaching out, he pushed back a loose tendril of her white hair, tracing the shape of her ear with the tip of his finger as he did. "I know I won't ever get tired of looking at you." He admitted, watching as her eyes widened in happy surprise, as a shy smile pulled at her lips. Her lips parted, as if she were about to say something, but she paused.

Unable to find the words, and not liking the way how his eyes were glowing with the triumph over the fact that he her rendered her speechless, Orora playfully pushed him away with a shove to his chest. He caught himself before he fell, laughing as he did.

Luckily, the food arrived before he could retaliate, which averted both their attention as they dug in.

During the remainder of her meal, Orora didn't return to her seat across the table.

————————–

The rest of the dinner was spent conversing over lighter topics and eating their fill. Halfway through the spice had started to get to Orora, prompting her to order two more mango drinks. She was getting used to the spice though. Zuko was actually proud of her for trying the broth he had ordered for himself. It was extra spicy, and she only took a few spoonfuls of it.

By the time they emerged from the restaurant, the sun had set, and the lamps were lit all along the streets. People were walking around, the shops were still open, and the scent of the food various vendors were cooking masked the smell of the ocean nearby. Not that Orora minded that smell.

"So, where to next?" Orora asked, watching Zuko adjust the hood of his cloak from where it had begun to slip. He had worn it throughout their dinner. She wished they could go somewhere he could take the hood off, so she could see his face properly.

Zuko smiled, tugging at her hand, which he had taken the moment they'd stepped out of the restaurant. "There's this traveling performers who put up plays, and I heard they're doing Love Amongst the Dragons tonight." He told her, trying his best not to let his own excitement show. Orora nodded as she smiled. "Well, I guess it's a good thing I have an expert on that play as my boyfriend who can explain it to me if I get lost." She teased him, to which he rolled his eyes at her. "Come on. If we get there early, we'll get good seats."

"Oh yes. You-I mean I wouldn't want to miss a single word by sitting in the back."

And they did get good seats, right in the center of the small temporary set up that served as the seating area in front of the stage. It wasn't a grand set up by any means, but the play made up for it in more ways then one.

From the moment the lights dimmed, the chatter fell away, and the first actor stepped on stage, Orora was entranced. The story played out just as Zuko had told it the previous day, yet the actors brought the characters to life in ways she had never thought possible.

She barely uttered a word as the play progressed, emotions rising and falling like the waves she loved to watch so much. Zuko, who had seen the play in the past on several occasions, found his gaze torn between what was happening on stage, and the plethora of emotions that was playing out across Orora's face as the play progressed. Though she was more open with what she was feeling then in the past, Zuko always found her to be too guarded at times.

This was the first time in a long while there was no metaphorical veil for her to hide behind. Her emotions were free and unrestrained, just like his feelings for her, he thought to himself as he smiled.

Orora wasn't ashamed to admit that she teared up when the two lovers reunited in the end. Neither did she object to Zuko wrapping an arm around her shoulders to pull her close halfway through the play.

As the two lovers embraced one final time, the audience rose to applaud the performance, with the two Soulmates joining along.

"I enjoyed it more then I thought I would." Orora stated, sounding a little surprised herself. Honestly, she had thought it wouldn't catch her attention, but in the end the actors, the story and the characters captivated her just as much as ice sculpting did.

Zuko, glad that she had enjoyed it just as much as he had, smiled. "Well your boyfriend has good taste." He stated, sounding a little too smug for her liking. "More like an obsession." She muttered, before darting out from his range as he tried to pinch her in retaliation.

"Alright now that we've done an activity you liked-"

"Which you also enjoyed."

"-yes, yes. Which I also enjoyed. It's my turn!"

"What did you have in mind?"

————————–

The bush rustled as it spoke.

"Move over! I can't see!" In a distinctly feminine voice.

"You don't need to see." The bush responded to itself, now in a masculine voice. "You're blind!"

"I meant move your feet." The female voice came again. The voice was followed by two heads popping out of the bush, hair full of loose leaves and twigs.

"Would you two stop fighting." Aang appeared beside Sokka and Toph. "I can't hear them!" He trained his ear in a general direction, using his airbending to pick up familiar voices.

Katara's head poked out beside Aang. "I think I heard them say something about a game as they passed earlier." She said, eager to share her knowledge.

Suki, who was the last to emerge from their leafy hideout, raised an eyebrow at Katara. "I thought you said we shouldn't do this."

Never one to let an opportunity to berate his sister go, mostly because she did it to him on a daily basis, Sokka nodded. "Yeah! And now you're the one more invested then all of us."

Rolling her eyes, Katara picked a few leaves from her hair. "Well call me curious or nosy, I don't care. I'm just hoping they finally kiss and stop mopping about it."

Her brother shuddered. "And stop giving each other those disgusting looks. Bleh." He gagged.

Toph poked him painfully in the shoulder to get his attention. "You do realize that will only increase after they kiss?" She reminded him, while Aang nodded.

"Not to mention we'll probably catch them kissing more then once." He added, his grey eyes flitting to his Soulmate almost unconsciously before he went back to try and listen in on the conversation happening several feet away.

"Argh! Why can't they just be in love and not kiss?" Sokka pouted, crossing his arms over his chest as he did. Suki gave him a look. "Really? So would you not want to kiss me then?"

While the other three giggled at Sokka's obvious slip up, the Water Tribe boy turned to his girlfriend with a panicked expression. "I didn't say that!" He exclaimed.

Aang, who had suddenly caught wind of two very familiar voices, panicked. "Monkey Feathers! Hide!"

Heads popped back into the bush, minus Sokka who was looking around confused.

"Wha-why? AH!" He was pulled into the bushes by an annoyed sister and disgruntled Soulmate.

————————–

"How long have they been following us?" Zuko asked casually, throwing the ball in the air and catching it as the two of them began to walk down the path again. Orora giggled, her peripheral vision allowing her to see Sokka and Aang duck out of sight behind a stall of watermelons. "Since the play. I'm surprised they didn't find us earlier." She said, walking a few paces ahead and holding her hands out, indicating Zuko to throw the ball at her.

He did, smiling when she caught it deftly and began to juggle it from one hand to the other. They'd stopped at a little game stall, where Orora had cheated the already cheating vendor by using her waterbending to knock down the water containers that were nailed to the floor. The aim of the game was to hit them with a ball to make them fall and since that wasn't about to happen, Orora had decided to take slightly drastic measures.

Especially when she had seen a little girl on the verge of tears after loosing twice.

She'd won the girl a doll, and had taken another prize. A ball that she'd given to Zuko with a grin.

"I have a way we can loose them." Zuko suggested, approaching Orora and ignoring how Katara, Suki and Toph were trying their best to hide behind a stand of jewellery, just a few feet away from them.

Orora grinned. "What did you have in mind?" She asked.

Zuko grinned.

————————–

"Why are they separating?" Suki muttered to Aang as the two of them huddled behind a flyer that barely hid them. The boy peaked over the paper, eyes following the retreating figures of Orora and Zuko.

As they walked off in the opposite directions.

Katara, who had taken to wearing a mask she'd purchased from a vendor, frowned. "I thought the date was going well." She mused, glancing in her brother's direction, who was also supporting a mask. Albeit one that was utterly ridiculous and drew attention rather then make him discrete. "Let's split up and follow them." Aang suggested as Toph joined their little impromptu meeting, supporting two sticks of meat in each hand, not even bothering to hide herself.

Sokka grabbed Suki's hand and raced off after Orora, while Katara and Aang decided Zuko's trail.

Toph, feeling them walk away, sighed before shaking her head.

Turning where she stood, the girl made her way to the final destination she knew they would reach.

And sure enough, at the very edge of the town, Toph sat atop a boulder and enjoyed the food she'd bought. The first to arrive, were Katara and Aang. The two stubbornly idiotic Soulmates stared at Toph. "What're you doing here? Where's Zuko?" Katara asked, looking around as Aang checked behind the boulder to make sure they had covered all their basics.

"They were on to us Sugar Queen." Toph revealed, just as Sokka and Suki joined them. "I heard Zuko tell Orora about the hidden paths they could take and give you guys the slip." She finished off her food, unaware of the annoyed and disgruntled looks her friends were giving her.

"You could've told us." Aang muttered under his breath, annoyed at having the fun cut short. He'd been enjoying spying a little too much.

Toph grinned. "What? And miss the expressions on your face?"

"You can't even see!"

"A minor detail."

————————–

Laughing as they raced down the well hidden path that led them into the wilderness of the island, the two Soulmates came to a halt.

"I think we lost them." Orora gasped out, her lips pulled into a wide smile as she glanced over her shoulder. Zuko shook his head. "This is their first time on the Island. They'll never be able to find this path." He reassured her, adjusting his hood, missing the way Orora's blue gaze traced the outline of the offending item with disdain.

She frowned. "So you're saying, not a lot of people know about this path?" She asked, to which he nodded. "The locals do, and even they barely come along here." He admitted.

That was all the assurance Orora needed.

In a stride she was standing in front of her boyfriend and was untying the hood from where it was fastened just under his chin.

A little taken aback by her close proximity, the Prince blinked. "Wh-what're y-" He didn't get the chance to voice his question, as Orora pushed the cloak from his shoulders, the hood of it slipping from his head and falling to the ground with a dull thud.

At the sight of his face, unobstructed by the shadow of the hood, Orora smiled. "That's better." She spoke softly, fingers running through his always messy hair. "I missed seeing your face." The girl admitted, her expression just as tender as her voice, the fingers trailing down from his hair to trace his cheek and jaw.

If she saw the blush that suddenly streaked across his face, Orora made no comment of it.

They just stood there for awhile, lost in one another. Blue against amber.

"I want to show you something." Zuko said, finally finding the words he'd been lacking as he gently took her hand, not noticing the way their strings tangled together, glowing bright and steady. He began to lead, with Orora following his request.

The trust that burned in her heart, was unlike any she had ever felt.

And for someone who had to rely on herself, it was a rather nice feeling.

An understatement, but then in that moment, as she followed Zuko deeper into the wilderness, nothing else came to mind.

————————–

The last time he had walked along this path was when he had come with his family. The small discovery had been one of pure chance, and was one meant to be shared with the world.

And yet he never mentioned it to anyone.

He'd come back to it several times as a child, but this would be the first time he would be coming back to the location.

He hoped he still remembered the way.

"Where are we going?" Orora asked, a little confused to see the determined expression on her boyfriend's face. He came to a halt, his eyes focusing on a rather familiar looking rock formation. "This is it." He smiled, his ears picking up the sound that had become so familiar to him all those years ago. "Come on!"

"Zuko, what...."

Whatever she had been about to question her Soulmate was lost as the rounded the rocky structure and were met with a truly gorgeous sight.

The clearing was surrounded by towering palm trees and other manner of tropical foliage. But all that was nothing compared to the several small waterfalls pouring out from the rock formation, trickling down into the pond that snaked away into the trees somewhere. Several smooth rocks were jutting out of the water, looking as if they were stepping stones, leading to the waterfalls themselves.

The clear waters seemed to shine under the light of the moon, and the sound of the falling water was soothing, almost like a gentle hum a mother would sing to her baby to help go to sleep.

"What is this place?" Orora whispered, afraid she would break the tranquility of the moment if she spoke loudly. Standing next to her and watching her react exactly how he had hoped, Zuko smiled, slowly leading her towards the edge of the pond. "I found it when I was a kid. I guess it's one of the places that are still undiscovered on this island."

Still mesmerized by the sight that was in front of her, Orora missed the way Zuko's amber gaze spotted something. He dropped her hand to pick it, before returning to her side.

He tapped her on the shoulder, prompting the girl to turn to him with a smile, only to gasp in delight at what he held out for her.

"I realized I've never given you one." He admitted, smiling softly as he watched her take the Fire Lily from his fingers, and bring it to her nose to inhale the sweet scent. "Thank you." She said, her gaze turned up towards him. After a moment, the girl placed the flower behind her left ear.

Unbeknownst to either of them, when someone placed a flower behind their left ear, it was to indicate that the person was taken.

And in that moment, Orora had never been more taken by Zuko.

"It looks beautiful." Zuko said, tucking the flower more securely, allowing his hand to linger in her hair as his eyes glowed with the feelings he had for his Soulmate.

"You're beautiful." He admitted, his voice just as ardent as he regarded her with a look that had her stepping even closer then she already was. "When we were separated." She said, referring to those months of pain and suffering they had both spent. "I had a dream about you once, promising me that you would come back to me."

His eyes widened in slight shock, lips parting to voice his surprise, but she continued. "I didn't believe the dream, because I didn't want to give myself false hope." She admitted, her voice trembling slightly as she closed her eyes, trying to push away the thoughts of sheer sadness and despair that had filled her not long ago, and yet it felt like it had been years since that time.

"But I'm glad I was wrong." Lifting her head from where she had pressed it against his chest, unable to meet his eyes, until now. Now, though, she looked at him with a kind of fervency that had him wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her even close.

"Because then I wouldn't have been able to do this."

Was this it?

Were they about to share their first kiss?

Zuko seemed to think so, as his head leaned towards her, slowly closing the distance between their lips, his eyes closing.

Where he had been expecting something completely different, the young Prince felt something cold and wet hit the side of his head. As he sputtered and rubbed his eyes to get the water out, his clothes soaked through, he heard Orora laughing in delight as she pulled out of his embrace, and skated along the length of the pond, stopping in the middle atop a floating disc of ice.

"You look surprised Zuko. Were you expecting something else?" She called to him, trying to keep up an innocent expression. Only to burst out laughing as she watched the steam rise from his shoulders where the water began to evaporate as he glared at her.

She may have the advantage of being in her element, but Zuko had the upper hand when it came to speed. A little too busy laughing, Orora didn't notice him leaping from one stepping stone to the other. Only when he was one leap away did she notice. A squeak of surprise cut her mid laughter, as she tried to skate out of his range.

A little too late, as Zuko managed to catch her by the elbow, his jump and her attempt to escape him, throwing them both off balance, and straight into the pond. It was only a few feet deep, though the dip was enough for the both of them to be thoroughly soaked. Zuko emerged from the watery depths first, followed by Orora. And when the boy made to grab her once again, she retaliated by splashing him with the water she'd scooped up in her mouth.

Sputtering and giggling, the girl quickly swam out of his reach once more, with Zuko hot on her tail.

And so began a playful game of keep away, with Orora doing her best to dodge Zuko's attempts to pin her, by either simply dancing or swimming away, or using her waterbending to her advantage. For his part, Zuko was relentless and stubborn. He had never been one to give up easily, and the little game they played only solidified that aspect of his personality.

The small clearing echoed with the sound of splashing water, shrieks, shouts of triumph that turned to groans of disappointment, and laughter that was both mirthful and mischievous.

Stepping behind the waterfall, underneath an overhanging rock, she watched Zuko approach her, pausing just beyond the gently cascading water. He could make out her figure standing there just a step or two away. And though he wanted to continue the game, Zuko felt the shift in the air between them as their gazes met through the water.

He held out a hand in silent surrender and plea, smiling when she took it. Stepping back, Zuko watched as his Soulmate emerged from behind the waterfall, soaked through and looking disheveled. And yet, with that gentle smile on her lips, and the warmth and laughter that shone in her eyes, she had never looked more beautiful.

It was rare to see Zuko act so freely and laugh as if he had no care in the world. Too much weighed on his shoulders, and Orora's heart clenched with happiness at seeing him so happy. Water dripped from his hair, prompting her to reach up and caress his forehead, pushing the strands away from his eyes.

And that level of affection, that simple gesture of caring, was all it took for Zuko to wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her body against his. Orora responded by intertwining the fingers of the hand that already held his. Her head was tilted back slightly as her gaze turned shy, though she didn't look away. Truthfully, she was unable to. Because the way Zuko was looking at her in that moment, as if she were more precious to him then anything in the world, it was something she wanted to remember forever.

Whatever laughter they had shared, whatever teasing moments they had had just a few moments ago melted away like ice under the sun. All that mattered to Zuko was that he finally had her, and he would never let her go.

This time, Orora was the one to lean up, slowly closing the distance between their lips, using the hand that was resting against his cheek, to angle his head. He'd been the first to kiss her last time. He'd taken the chance to show her that she meant something to him.

This time, she would take that step. Orora wanted him to know she cared and adored him just as much as he did her. Perhaps more.

Their eyes slid close as their noses brushed for a heartbeat.

A pause.

One last, agonizing pause.

Before their lips finally met in a fervent embrace.

Their hearts beat as one. Their breaths mingled. Their souls sang.

And their strings?

They flared with color.

Bright and incandescent.

Hers red.

His blue.

The world had fallen away.

There was only him.

There was only her.

Just as Fate had meant for them to be.

Together.

The sound of multiple cheers was what brought them back to reality.

Reluctantly, Orora pulled away, her eyes fluttering open, heart melting at the expression on Zuko's face. One of complete and utter tranquility.

The shouting and cheering seemed to crescendo as he opened his eyes. Not wanting to pull away just yet, Zuko pressed his forehead against hers, sharing her breath.

"Is playing in the water gonna be a foreplay thing for you guys?" Came Sokka's voice amidst the cheers. Suki thunked her boyfriend on the head, though her attempt to punish him was halfhearted as she grinned at her friend. Toph was smiling from ear to ear. "Don't let me catch the two of you in secluded spots like these two!" She jerked a thumb in Suki and Sokka's direction, the latter of whom protested loudly.

Aang's gaze drifted from the embracing couple to Katara, who seemed to be glowing with happiness at the prospect of her sister getting her happy ending. He hoped, one day, she would look at him, the way Orora was looking at Zuko. He turned his attention back to the couple still standing in the water, completely missing the way Katara's gaze slid in his direction, hope and yearning evident in her blue eyes.

Across the pond, Zuko couldn't help but sigh in disappointment at having the moment being cut off quickly. Orora soothed him with a quick kiss to his lips.

"The first of many." She promised him, before pulling away. The Prince nodded, raising the hand that still held hers and brush his lips against her knuckles.

"The first of many."

With that mutual promise, the two teenagers stepped out of their little bubble to the relentless teasing of their little family.

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