#zuko: has black hair has red marking on his face that was part of a childhood thing that causes him shame learns to be a better person

[kagedbird]

I am being hit with the ATLA maladaptive daydreams help

[melzula]

Fire Lilies

pairing: Zuko x princess!reader

warnings: fluff, angst, forbidden lovers au

notes: this is my first zuko piece and also my first atla piece ever so pls excuse the fact that it’s a little clunky 🥺 this isn’t really canon to the show but the reader is princess of the southern Water Tribe and a water bender. also this may or may not have been inspired by the secret tunnel song... anyway, i may make a part two to this but for now enjoy!

summary: “Two lovers forbidden from one another. A war divides their people.”

Tensions between the Fire Nation and the Water Tribes had never been higher, and the possibility of war was a continuous threat that loomed over both nations. Constant efforts of parley and council meetings proceeded throughout the years, but neither side could ever seem to reach an agreement both deemed satisfactory. As chief of the Southern Water Tribe, such negotiations seemed to weigh heavily upon your father’s shoulders, and despite being the crowned Princess there was nothing you could do to help him.

“A council of negotiations is no place for a princess,” he would remind you every time you attempted to give your own insight and opinion on the troubles your people faced. Your father would leave you then in the care of your mother and your handmaidens, an apologetic kiss placed upon your forehead before his departure.

“The council is overrated anyway,” you would huff in an attempt to conceal your disappointment and annoyance at the unfairness of it all, “it’s just a bunch of angry old men who are too stubborn to set aside their differences for the sake of peace.”

And yet despite your renouncement of such a meeting, you always found yourself sneaking away from home and towards the council chambers where the negations often took place. Your people believed that women held no place in war, only meant to be gentle hands and spirits that served and guided their people. Such expectations were set even higher for Princesses, and so you were restricted to activities such as practicing your healing and providing aid to your people. You loved your tribe with all of your heart, but you found the traditions they practiced rather... well, for lack of a better term, stupid. You could be doing so much more to help if only your father would let you participate.

The stars are bright on this particular evening, a glimmer of hope that hangs over the dark blacks and reds of the Fire Nation ships arriving at the docks; it’s the southern tribe’s turn to host the meeting. You can’t see much from where you stand other than the outlines of the soldiers, guards, officials, and the royal family, but you know for a fact that the minacious figure leading the procession is none other than Fire Lord Ozai. You’d only ever crossed paths with the man once when you were four, and it had purely been an accident on your part, but you knew that if you hadn’t been the Chief’s daughter you would definitely have marks to show for the encounter.

Considering the fact that you’re the only Princess and heir to the throne, it’s surprisingly easy scaling down your balcony and sneaking off into the night without a second thought. Though you found the underestimation of women in your tribe extremely insulting, the “helpless princess” front sure kept suspicions off your back. The nation is quiet with everyone either tucked inside for the night or present at the meeting, and there is no one to stop you from hiding yourself amongst the shadows outside the meeting hall and taking a peek inside.

Various political figures sit at the long table, your father and the Fire Lord sitting at opposite ends. The atmosphere is heavy and thick, the air silent as each side dare’s the other to speak first, and perhaps part of you is glad that you don’t have to sit through such a meeting.

“What are you doing?” A voice calls, and you’re grateful for the fact that you’re able to contain your startled gasp so as to not blow your cover. You whirl around with a murderous glint in your eye and the intent to blast whoever almost gave you away with an icy cold wave of water, but your demeanor changes in an instant as you realize who the voice belongs to.

“Zuko!” You squeal, all caution thrown to the wind as you fling yourself into his arms. The sheer force of your impact sends you both toppling back onto the snow, but the prince can’t help the laugh that leaves him as he winds his arms tightly around your waist.

“I guess I don’t have to ask if you missed me,” he teases. The two of you sit up from the ground once you release him, and he watches with a fond smile as you carefully brush the snow off of his clothing.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come. Things have been so tense.”

“You know I’ll always come see you,” Zuko comforts before pressing a delicate kiss to your temple. Your relationship with the Fire Nation prince was a complicated one, but there was no denying the love you two shared.

You had first met when you were four and Zuko was five. Originally you were meant to be a playmate for Princess Azula, but she had made it clear that she would much rather torment the white hamsters than spend her time pretending to be your friend. It was Zuko who took interest in your companionship, sledding on the otter penguins with you during the day and sharing secrets at night.

“Princesses aren’t allowed to water bend, but sometimes when no one’s looking I practice my combat skills,” you had told him. “I can also do cool tricks.”

“Really? Like what?”

Zuko watched in awe as you used the water in the air to swirl the snowflakes that fell from the sky into the shape of a butterfly, delicately flapping its wings so that it landed on tip of the young prince’s nose. Joyful laughter escaped him at the sensation, and it was then at four years old that you knew the Fire Nation boy would always hold a special place in your heart.

You kept your courting a secret for the sake of making things less complicated for the both of you. It wasn’t necessarily against the rules for the two of you to be together, but it was just easier to keep it to yourselves. Keeping politics and prying eyes away from your relationship was what made it so strong; you weren’t the Fire Prince and the Water Tribe Princess when you were together, you were simply Zuko and y/n. And it was nicer that way.

“Close your eyes, I have a surprise for you,” Zuko smiles, rolling his eyes at the way your eyebrows immediately furrow in protest. “Just do it.”

With a reluctant sigh you shut your eyes and let out a small hum, waiting for whatever prize may come your way. Something gentle and sweet smelling is placed in your lap, and you open your eyes to see a bouquet of flower lilies resting upon the skirt of your dress.

“Oh, Zuko!” You gasp, picking the bundle up and admiring the beautiful petals. “They’re gorgeous.”

“I knew you’d like them,” he grins. “There aren’t many flowers around here.”

“The snow prevents anything from growing,” you agree with a small smile. “You’re so thoughtful.”

“Anything for the Princess.”

“I love you,” you profess, sighing happily as his lips meet your own in a tender kiss. Times like these were few and far between considering you both came from opposite sides and only saw each other once a month, so you liked to savor the feeling for as long as you could. However, your moment of bliss ended much sooner than you had anticipated.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Your father’s voice bellows from the entryway of the meeting hall. You’re quick to scramble onto your feet and away from Zuko, but the fire lilies are still clutched tightly in your hands.

“Father, I-I can explain,” you begin to say only for him to take hold of you by the elbow and yank you away from a terrified Zuko. The bouquet of flowers falls from your grasp and drops onto the snow.

“How dare you try and soil my daughter!”

“I-I didn’t mean any harm, sir,” Zuko tries to say, “I love and respect your daughter.”

“Love,” your father scoffs. “Fire Nation monsters aren’t capable of love. They only bring pain and heartache wherever they go. For as long as I live I never want to see you near her again, is that clear?”

“Father, you can’t!” You cry, but the deterrent glare he sends your way has you backing down in an instant. You know better than to argue with him when he has that crazed wide eyed look on his face; your father was a good man and a great chief, but he could be ruthless when it came to his people and his family- especially with you.

“Yes, sir,” Zuko utters quietly, eyes cast downward and refusing to meet your gaze. Fighting your father’s decision would only make things worse, and he doesn’t want you to suffer any more than you have to.

“Now run along child,” your father instructs gruffly, “and don’t come back.”

Zuko takes one last longing look at you, and the pleading you look you give him that begs him not to go has his heart breaking into two. Chances are this is the last time he’ll ever see you again, and he wants to commit the details of your memory permanently to his mind. He wants to remember the curve of your lips and the smoothness of your hair, the red of your cheeks from the cold and the tears that brim at the corners of your sparkling eyes. You are beautiful, ever since you were children he thought so, and in his mind he’d always remember you as the Princess with the snow butterfly and the bouquet of fire lilies.

Tears steadily fall down your face as your father guides you home by the elbow, carelessly stepping on the lilies in his path. They crumple and wither under his boot much like your heart had at his banishment of your beloved Zuko.

“Your mother should have kept a better eye on you,” he mutters harshly, glancing sideways at your trembling form. If he holds any remorse for breaking your heart he doesn’t show it, and it makes you feel all the worse. “It was for your own good, y/n. You may not see that now, but someday you will.”

“What happened to keeping the peace?!” You cry in protest. “I thought you wanted our nations to come together in harmony? Zuko and I are proof that it’s possible!“

“There will be no peace,” is your father’s solemn reply. “The Fire Nation has declared war.”

A small gasp leaves your lips at his confession, your stomach tying itself into knots so tight it almost makes you want to vomit. Your father says nothing more as he hands you off to your nurse maids and orders extra guards to ensure you can’t escape again. Everything feels as if it’s come crashing down upon you, and there isn’t a single thing you can do about it.

Snow begins to fall with the departure of the Fire Nation ships, and your forgotten lilies are suffocated underneath the clean sheets of ice.

*part two

[the-last-cuddlebender]

I straight up check your profile daily for the southern raiders analysis you’re working on. 👀👀 where IS IT 😩

bRUH I am so excited to drop this analysis you have no idea (It’s creeping up to 22k+ I am gonna cryyyyyyyyyyyy). The only problem is that my TSR analysis and “Moon theory” are so incredibly hard to structure and articulate. I’m happy you’re so excited for it, though!!! Truly, it’s an honor. I’ll give you a taste of my madness and what’s to come, but be warned: it may be a bit hard to follow because TSR (from how I’ve come to understand it) is about the vagueness of beginnings, endings, and cycles, so there isn’t really a starting point for me to begin with. (So it may seem a tad bit like a ramble in some points that I haven’t fleshed out yet/am summarizing for this ask)

This analysis has me on trails like THIS brilliant nonsense, and I am 1000000000% here for it:

Roku: “The spirit's name is Koh, but he is very dangerous. They call him The Face Stealer.”

Katara: “We’re going to find the man who took my mother from me.”...“That’s him. That’s the monster.”

Lion Turtle: “To bend another's energy, your own spirit must be unbendable, or you will be corrupted and destroyed.”

Roku: “When you speak with him, you must be very careful to show no emotion at all. Not the slightest expression, or he will steal your face.”

Hama: “Congratulations, Katara. You’re a bloodbender.”

(If Katara had killed Yon Rha, she would be giving up her identity--her face. Not only would she have become a killer, but she would be killing what made her Katara)

Aang: “Let your anger out, and then let it go. Forgive him.”

Forgive him--approach him for what he is, not the faces your memories or your heart are having him wear. See him for the pathetic man he is in that moment right in front of you.

Aang’s forgiveness is seeing someone for the sum of their parts. It’s judging them and seeing through into their very soul, just like the Firebending Masters saw through Zuko being the Crown Prince and Aang being the Avatar. That meant nothing to the Masters. What did matter to them was who the boys were right there, right then, right in front of them.

“Why should I hold a grudge against you for something you did in a past life? After all, you’re a different person, now. You’ve come to me with a new face.”

But anyways...

If I can give no other take-away from my analysis and moon theory, it’s that Yin and Yang are not two entities; they are three. I think the fandom’s misunderstanding of it may be why the discourse on TSR (and Aang, Katara, and Zuko) is so black and white (pun intended lol). 

“But Yin and Yang are obviously two things. Don’t you know the symbol?” I hear some people already saying.

Wrong, sir.

It has never been just Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang have never existed as just two things.

They are Yin and Yang and Wu Wei.

(Aunt Wu has her name for a reason, and she has the mark of the wise in her hair for a reason, too...AND she is at odds with Sokka in The Fortuneteller for a reason, too!!!...but that’s for the analysis😉)

Balance isn’t good triumphing over evil. Balance is good and evil. Balance is standing on the flow between two opposites--it’s the compliment that connects them. (The koi fish live in an oasis for a reason.)

I’ll explain what Wu Wei is later in the full analysis (like many things in here), but here’s some of my evidences and proofs for the “Yin Yang trio”:

The Tibetan “Wheel of Dharma”

(I’ll also explain the Wheel and Dharma and etc. later because it has everything to do with Koh and the moon) Long story short, the wheel and its spokes are representative of the 8 steps to enlightenment and the cycle of rebirth. 

Look at the hub of the wheel. It’s a swirl made of 3 parts.

It is also a white lotus

Here’s the colored version of the wheel (as an alter):

Recognize the colors?

BLUE, WHITE (or gold, depending), & RED

These are the “THREE TREASURES” OR JEWELS.

They symbolize DHARMA, BUDDHA, & SANGHA respectively. 

KATARA, AANG, & ZUKO

water, air, & fire

T H R E E

Bato: “Ice dodging is a ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery, and trust.

Bato: “The spirits of water bear witness to these marks...”

Why does Bato say spirit(s) plural? The Ocean and the Moon are only two spirits. The Ocean can’t be two things. Right?

WRONG

Yue: “The legends say the Moon was the first waterbender. Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves.”

The Moon--singular. The Tides--plural (push and pull)

Lion Turtle: “In the era before the Avatar, we bent not the elements, but the energy within our senses.”

The moon pushing and pulling the tide is the moon bending the energy of its world. 

Katara finding balance between “being too weak to do it” or “strong enough not to” is her bending the energy within herself.

It’s two solutions written as a question but said as a statement.

Yue: “Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves”

THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS IS ABOUT AANG AND ZUKO LEARNING FROM KATARA. Katara had already learned from Aang and Zuko all leading up to TSR. That was her studying. TSR was her test.

TSR is Zuko’s and Aang’s studying. Sozin’s Comet is their test.

Bato: “For Sokka, the Mark of the Wise. The same mark your father earned. For Katara, the Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us. And for Aang, the Mark of the Trusted. You are now an honorary member of the Water Tribe.”

Aang - Wise (”you’re pretty wise for a kid”)

Katara - Brave (the same mark her mother earned)

Zuko - Trusted (”I was the first person to trust you”)

Sokka - Bato ("I am to have no part in this--you pass or fail on your own.”)

Yin and Yang are nothing without their dance. The Avatar and the Firelord mean nothing if they don’t have a world to rebuild.

The valley means nothing if there isn’t anyone to live in it.

Fighting is useless if there isn’t someone to fight for, otherwise it is “selfish and stupid”

Katara had to have a reason to return from Yon Rha. She needed to have Aang waiting for her. If she didn’t have a reason to stay, then she wouldn’t have a reason to go.

To have a reason to sleep, a person has to have a reason to wake up.

Katara: “Aang. He just took his glider and disappeared. He has this ridiculous notion that he has to save the world alone; that it's all his responsibility.”

Hakoda: “Maybe that's his way of being brave.”

(Bato: “For Katara, the Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us.”)

Katara: “It's not brave! It's selfish and stupid! We could be helping him! And I know the world needs him, but doesn't he know how much we need him, too? How can he just leave us behind?!”

(It was, in fact, not easy for Aang to ‘do nothing’)

Katara: “I understand why you left. I really do, and I know that you had to go, so why do I still feel this way? I'm so sad and angry...and hurt.”

Hakoda: “I love you more than anything. You and your brother are my entire world. I thought about you every day when I was gone, and every night when I went to sleep, I would lie awake missing you so much it would ache.”

(AND YUE IS ONE OF THE ONES TO SAVE AANG IN THE OCEAN FOR A REASON)

Thinking and missing: a matter of mind (who) and heart (want). 

Iroh: “Who are you? And what do you want?”

Sokka: “We need to go back. I wanna see Dad, but helping Aang is where we're needed the most.”

Mai: “I love Zuko more than I fear you.”

BUT YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT THE MOON FOR A HOT SECOND???

I’LL TELL YOU ABOUT THE MOON

I’LL TELL YOU ABOUT 2 MOONS

OH

OH REALLY???

OH REALLY, ZUKO

A FEW HOURS YOU SAY?

THEN TELL ME, ZUKO

WHY IS THE SUN GOING UP

WHEN IT IS THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT A FEW HOURS LATER

AND KATARA IS SLEEPING SO YOU CAN’T TELL ME IT’S BECAUSE YOU RISE WITH THE SUN OTHERWISE SHE’D BE WIDE AWAKE DURING THE FULL MOON THAT SHE USES TO BLOODBEND NOT EVEN TWO MINUTES LATER

THIS, MY FRIENDS, IS A HARVEST MOON

WHICH IS THE LAST FULL MOON OF THE SUMMER 

(and looks off color when it rises/falls because of the angle of the rise/fall in the atmosphere...it’s normal once overhead)

AND SYMOLIZES HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF

“We’re going to find the MAN who took my mother from me.”

“That’s him. That’s the MONSTER.”

8 spokes on the wheel

Katara was 8 when Kya was killed

8 steps to enlightenment (the “Eightfold Path”)

8 phases of the moon

8 faces of Koh

“One of your previous incarnations tried to slay me! Be it 8 or 9 hundred years ago” (but time is an illusion, so hundreds mean nothing)

THE OTHER TWO MOONS THAT ARE CONSUMING MY EVERY WAKING MOMENT???:

1.) The WOLF MOON--the first full moon of the new year (a love between the wolf and the moon in the harshest winters...connection is kindof obvious lmao)

2.) THE THUNDER MOON

The Thunder Moon is the full moon of July. It is also known as the Buck Moon--for when young buck regrow their antlers.

Yue: “My hair turned white.”

Zuko: *cuts and re-grows his hair*

Aang: “I have hair?”

The Thunder Moon--the full moon of July--is also the beginning of a certain Buddhist holiday.

DHARMA DAY

WHICH CELEBRATES THE BEGINING OF BUDDHISM AND THE FIRST OF THE 8 STEPS (the first spoke of the Dharma Wheel) TOWARDS ENLIGHTENMENT

AVATAR IS ALL ABOUT CYCLES

THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS IS ALL ABOUT BREAKING THEM

I haven’t even touched Jung, Koh, Hinduism, and Buddhism yet

or the fact that Katara and Kya are the only characters in the entire series to wear moons on their clothing and that, together, they form an actual lunar phenomenon

or why the spirit oasis isn’t a complete circle

or the fact that this thing that Aang is told to chase is just like Whaletail Island:

or how important the Great Divide and the Solstice are

AND I’M JUST GETTING STARTED

BECAUSE EVERYTHING IN THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS--RIGHT DOWN TO THE SOUND DESIGN--IS ABSOLUTELY MONUMENTAL IN UNDERSTANDING THE SHOW, ITS MESSAGE, ENERGYBENDING, AND LITERALLY EVERYTHING ELSE

TLDR: Idk how the heck I’m going to arrange or articulate this analysis because it is WILD. Be warned: There is literally no exact beginning and ending to this analysis because the whole point of Yin and Yang is that is has no beginning or ending (...kindof...), so you’ll have to bear with me once I’m done editing it into something that’s somewhat coherent.

These are just SOME of the things I’ve been able to answer with my moon theory and analysis of The Southern Raiders as it currently stands:

Why “letting go” isn’t really letting go (as we understand it...see: Aang’s confrontation with Koh)

Why Lake Laogai and the Spirit World are symbolically the same thing.

Zuko’s advice to the bullfrog is actually a summary of the show, energybending, the origin of bending, and the definition of Aang’s “forgiveness” I stg

Why “Sokka’s instincts” are the reason Katara yells at Sokka

Believe it or not, every time Katara mentions her mother, it is at specific times for specific reasons.

^^^same thing for the moon, lack of moon, moon positioning, etc.

Katara’s mother’s necklace is more important than we realize.

Who the faces of Koh are and WHY they are there.

The true meaning of Jet’s sacrifice.

Why Jet’s episode about the dam explains the entirety of TSR as it pertains to Katara (all the way down to the little girl who runs to get her doll after the dam breaks)

Why Katara actually DID forgive Yon Rha, and the fact that she doesn’t even know it is proof that she did

^^^^^Aang’s definition of forgiveness is completely misunderstood by the fandom, and the way he “forgives” is sososo much deeper than “moving on”, and it is DEFINATELY by no means “doing  nothing” or “excusing” past actions.

The importance of lightning, Zuko, Aang, and Katara.

The absolutely monumental and not nearly talked about importance of Jeong-Jeong like holy crap.

How Katara and Azula are just as much of a Yin and Yang as Zuko and Aang but not in the way we think they are

Why Koh has the Blue Spirit’s face

Why Koh DOESN’T have the Painted Lady’s face.

Who Ni-Ni from Katara’s campfire story in The Puppetmaster is 

How and why Iroh was able to learn firebending from the Masters even though he didn’t have a partner. 

How/Why Azula had her breakdown and why she saw her mother in the mirror

Why “Leaves from the Vine” and “Four Seasons” are the same song, explain Azula’s downfall, and explain the Yin and Yang of TSR.

Why Katara and Sokka are so often mistaken for parental figures.

Why Aang’s flashbacks to the Air Nomads are so important in understanding TSR.

Why Toph and Suki disappear after the campfire in TSR.

How Hakoda, Gyatso, and Kya are all connected.

Why it is so dang important that Azula shows up in the beginning of TSR.

The importance of the Spirit Oasis.

Energybending, healing with waterbending, Aang’s trauma, and Zuko’s scar.

Why Zuko gives Katara the exact opposite advise in TSR that he gave her in the catacombs. 

How everything could be predicted and read by the moon.

WHY YIN AND YANG ARE THREE THINGS AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THREE THINGS.

HOW ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL OF THIS TIES BACK TO THE MOON AND BUDDHIST BELIEFS--AND YEAH THE MOON AND BUDDHISM AND HINDUISM ARE MORE CONNECTED IN ATLA THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE.

AND HOW IT LEADS INTO OUR MODERN UNDERSTANDING OF THE SELF--BECAUSE JUNG TOOK GREAT INFLUENCE IN HIS DEVELOPING THEORY OF THE CONSCIOUS AND THE SUBCONSCIOUS FROM THE HINDU/BUDDHIST RELIGIONS 

^^^^AND ALSO THE THEORY OF THE SHADOW AND THE PERSONA 

The ocean is a deep, dark, unknown place with a lot of hidden monsters (like Yon Rah). Katara needed a light to find her monster, but she also needed somewhere she could breathe when she came back up for air.

If she didn’t have both Zuko and Aang, Katara would have drowned. 

I wasn’t kidding when I said this was a thesis, and what I’ve said and listed here isn’t even all that I have.

btw This all does line up on the traditional Yin Yang symbol we know and see in the show, but I don’t have enough space here for that lmao. That’ll be in the analysis

I hope you enjoyed this little taste, my friend, because I need to sit down for a hot second before my brain leaks out of my ears. Sorry for the ramble. I promise the analysis isn’t like this lol. This is just me trying to summarize as best as I can. 

***Disclaimer: My points are always subject to change since I am still researching. These are the facts as I’ve found and applied them to the evidences I’ve noted from in the show. I’m always open for friendly discussion or any directions to better sources on Buddhism/Tao/Jung!***

[a-d-curtis]

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle

Read on AO3 or FanFiction.net

This is it friends! I’m finally posting the first part of my new story! I’ve been mulling this concept over for almost two years, so it is time I finally get it out there!

.............

Description: AU: Aang was never found in the iceberg by Katara & Sokka, but by the Fire Nation instead. Firelord Ozai adopts Aang as his son, making him a Prince of the Fire Nation, with hopes of using the Avatar as his Weapon — after all, the hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world. 

Aang has mastered all the elements but one. But what will happen when a certain waterbender is brought in as his teacher…?

I also need to warn that there is some abuse in this story. What more would we expect when Aang shares a father with Zuko...?

..............

Prologue

As expected, my execution was a public display.

I would expect nothing less from Firelord Ozai, for attempting to corrupt his most prized pet. I’d heard of punishments as much as this for far less than I was guilty. 

Ozai only allowed a small number to interact with the boy. (Although I suppose he is nearly a man now—even if he still looks so young to my old eyes.) Only those handpicked and vigilantly fed the same carefully measured lies the boy was nourished with daily were allowed near him.

Which was easy enough for his servants and slaves, the poor brutes who carried his palanquin and cleaned his chamber pots. Those who tailored his silk robes and brushed his hair into a royal topknot knew better than to speak to him, and his educators were all well versed in what deceits to serve. 

(I don’t know if his torturers knew anything at all beyond the whip they held at the ready if he was delivered to them for ‘re-education’.)

But such thought-clones were not quite so easy to find when Ozai finally decided it was time for his pet to learn to command Earth and Water. I had heard that one of his Earthbending teachers had been shot through the eye by a Yuyuan archer mid-lesson, on command of the Crown Princess. As far as I know, the Princess never accounted for her reasons. She didn’t have to. Ozai trusted her implicitly. And her Word was Law, second only to the Firelord himself.

I was told this grisly tale on the first day I began teaching the young Avatar, no doubt to remind me of my place and what I stood to lose if I were to step out of line. I took the caution to heart, but perhaps not in the way Ozai’s fools would have liked. My efforts with the boy were subsequently evermore subtle. 

Command of water came easily to him; he learned quickly, too easily -- his raw power unlike anything I had ever seen. Teaching him I walked the sharp edge of a sword, holding back but all the while needing something to show for our efforts. And I could see that he held back as well. Just as much as I did. There was no hurry to complete his training, when mastery only promised both of us ruin. I don’t know if he knew that. 

But I did.  

For centuries, teaching the Avatar to bend was seen as a mark of honor, a way for one’s own name to go down in history along with the Avatar he served. But now, for one from my nation, to teach the Avatar is a mark of submission, of surrender. Proof that all shame could be bought with the right kind of leverage. To teach the boy was to sell your mothers, your grandfathers and children to servitude, or flames.  

And I, Master Pakku of the Northern Watertribe, had sold my soul to be his teacher. My name would be spat forever more among my tribe, a hiss and byword only to be uttered in derision. 

But they don’t know, that I taught him more than what the Ash-lovers knew. 

I only pray he learned the lesson. And that one day he would use it to end this eternal inferno, this war without end. But who knows if he could discern my cryptic teachings? Or if he would even want to? He’s been in the Firelord’s pocket since he was a child, after all. 

I guess now I will never know.

For now I am to pay for my secret lessons with my life. But I hold my head high as they roughly tie me to the stake in the square.

I can feel the execution drums bang deep within my chest, my skull full of the sound. I feel the sweat begin to drip down my back. As the torches are brought high and close, I think of my beloved home, longing with sudden potency for the chill of the ice and snow of the North. I am an old man now, but I am not beyond the fear that clutches in my stomach like a small child frightened and alone in the dark.

I fear. But I will not let them see my fear.

I lift my chin in pride. At the last moment I look up toward the palace, the very place I had committed the heinous crime of Truth that brought me to this moment. And there on the balcony, three figures emerge in royal glory to watch me die. 

At the center is Firelord Ozai himself, as imposing and commanding as ever, the Golden Flame in his hair glinting viciously in the high-noon sunlight; On his right, the Crown Princess Azula stands, a smirk on her blood-red lips. 

And there, standing on the Firelord’s left and nearly as tall as the Firelord himself is The Reason I risked this infiltration. His long black hair is pulled up as always in a Fire-nation topknot, leaving only the end of the sky-blue arrow of his ancestry visible on his forehead. His face is carefully neutral, but I imagine that behind his dark eyes is something like sympathy. Sorrow? Repulsion? 

Or maybe nothing at all. Perhaps I am just an old man wishing for my pyre not to have been for nothing at all.

The last thing I see is fire reflected, flickering brightly in those ancient and youthful gray eyes before I pinch my eyes tight in pain. 

And against all my best efforts, I scream.

……………..

Keep reading in the Next Chapter

[dreaming-of-assclass]

AssClass Halloween Costumes

I’m a few days late lmao...but here we go 👻🎃

Karma: Edward Scissorhands. A classic. He goes all out in his costume and it looks really good...scary but awesome yeah. Waves his scissors in front of people’s faces to be annoying.

Isogai: The Phantom of the Opera. Gets complaints later from his fangirls that the mask was covering his “beautiful face.” 

Okajima: A sexy devil costume. It’s not too revealing but it’s certainly quite feminine, which throws people off guard. But he struts with confidence and 3-E supports him all the way.

Okano: Princess Mononoke. She looks like such a badass with the wolf cape and the red markings on her cheeks. 

Okuda: Mickey Mouse. She looks so so cute in the little overalls and gloves, and ear headbands. Matching with Kayano.

Kataoka: Audrey Hepburn. Sis got legs for days and the tights/heels emphasizes them even more. Turns so many girls gay, let’s be real.

Kayano: Minnie Mouse. She looks adorable in the dress and cute ears headband. She’s matching with her bestie Okuda UwU.

Kanzaki: Mario!! The comical handlebar mustache looks hilarious on her, and she’s just such a cutie in the outfit.

Kimura: a Mummy, who looks legitimately terrifying with dark makeup and gold contacts. Ends up having a crisis when he needs to pee but can’t get out of the wrapping.

Kurahashi: Belle from Beauty and the Beast. The yellow dress looks gorgeous on her. Lowkey wanted to ask Karasuma to be the beast, but thankfully, she didn’t.

Nagisa: Luke Skywalker. The tunic looks really adorable on him ngl, and his lightsaber is actually so cool. Half the night, his friends keep trying to steal it and play around. Didn’t expect to coordinate with Mimura but they take a bunch of great pics together uwu.

Sugaya: Doesn’t really dress up. But he has the best and most elaborate face makeup. Dude seriously looks like a monster or demon or whatever he intended. It looks so good and professional. Other than that, he’s wearing plain sweats he just threw fake blood on.

Sugino: A werewolf umpire, of course. He’s dressed in the baseball outfit with a scary mask on. Definitely gets called a furry by multiple people.

Takebayashi: KIRITO FROM SWORD ART ONLINE FSDJHKS. He spends forever (and with some help from Hara) on his costume, having the black trenchcoat and swords and everything. His hair is messy and unlike it’s usual style, and he lowkey gets some attention for his visuals.

Chiba: Howl Pendragon. He looks so charming in the outfit. Is he blonde or does he keep his dark hair? I can’t decide. Also Kaho is Sophie.

Terasaka: Totoro. He goes as Totoro. I’m not kidding at all. He may have lost a dare to his sister, and had to wear this giant onesie of the beloved character. But as much as he’s laughed at for the night, the joke is on everyone else. He (smugly) stays warm and cozy even when it starts to get more chilly.

Nakamura: A Zombie prom queen. Bought the dress part for the costume but she made the sash herself. And her makeup is on point, it’s so scary and good. Loves making guys squirm with creepy looks, then flirting with girls.

Hazama: A ghoul. But it’s literally the most horrifying, gut-wrenching costume ever seen. Straight out of a horror movie. Super detailed, makeup is on point and terrifying. Carries weapons and scares the shit out of everyone. Makes some people even pee, and cry.

Hayami: A cheetah, in a full body costume and hat with ears. She looks so GOOD. Her sharp eyes look even more bright and feline than usual in such a dark outfit.

Hara: A ballerina!!! She looks so pretty and angelic in her pink tutu outfit, and it highkey looks so professional too. She made it herself after all haha. But yes, our Hara is a pink princess, ok?

Fuwa: Piccolo. It’s ridiculously accurate and well-made. Halfway through the night, she changes to be a One Piece character.

Maehara: Thor. Let his hair grow out a bit just for this costume. Slings the hammer around everywhere and almost accidentally kills someone with it.

Mimura: Han Solo. It’s so accurate and well made...the only thing wrong is his height lmao.

Muramatsu: the KFC guy, except he keeps advertising his ramen shop to everyone at the same time.

Yada: a bloody Alice in Wonderland, with a basket full of cookies that she carries around, and a ripped apart white rabbit plushie.

Yoshida: Danny Zuko from Grease ADJHKS. Takes out his dreadlocks for the night to have a pompadour. All his friends roast him hard and say he looks no different than he usually does lmao. Itona voice: “Are leather jackets the only things you own?”

Ritsu: Who else would she go as other than the legend Hatsune Miku. Turns her hair blue too, and sings a couple songs for everyone.

Itona: Iron Man. He looks so cute ok, this tiny little 14 year old in a bulky superhero costume that doesn’t suit his face at all.

Korosensei: Tinkerbell. One of his favorite Disney characters. Totally rocks the green dress and blonde bun. But then he starts crying and whining when his students tease him. “Tinkerbell? How fitting, Sensei! You’re both such attention seekers!”

Irina + Karasuma: They go as a sexy vampire couple, much to Karasuma’s hesitance. They look really good though. He has to hold Irina back from killing someone when the students dub her a “trampire.”

Gakushuu: A skeleton, but it’s way more elaborate than it sounds. It’s like a very detailed black tux outfit, made of 3 pieces. And every piece of it has a bone design on it, with like a blue glow so it looks he’s literally an X-ray picture. Hella cool. And he refuses makeup but reluctantly compromises with just dark eye stuff. 

[jessiewritesthings]

Saudade - Pt. II

Prince Zuko x Reader

Hiiiiiiiiii!! I done made myself even sadder and i’m not sorry about it! Thank you all for reading you are all my children and I love you dearly xx

Part I - Part III - Epilogue

The Crystal Catacombs were cool and damp, with the strange green hue almost making you feel queasy. Your hands were extended out in front of Prince Zuko’s face, fingers just inches away from him. They quivered in hesitation, before Zuko, trepidation evident in his gaze, leaned closer to you. His hands reached for yours, softly pulling you closer and placing your palm on his cheek. Your fingers grazed his scar, and you were pleasantly surprised at the warmth that seeped from his skin. It had never occurred to you that Firebenders would be able to keep themselves warm at all times, even though it made perfect sense. Zuko closed his eyes at your touch, and your fingers gently traipsed over the map of his scar, brushing dark strands of hair from his forehead.

No one had ever touched him like this before – gently, delicately, as if he were made of precious porcelain. Only his mother had ever held him so carefully, and the vicious taunts from his father and sister had forced Zuko to grow out of that earlier than he would have liked. It made him feel safe and secure, and as he took a deep breath in he imagined a world where there was no Hundred Year War – no Fire Lord, no Azula, no hunting the Avatar to regain his honour – just the two of you, spending an eternity in soft gazes and caresses.

Smiling softly, you raised your other hand to cup the right side of his face, running your thumb over his cheek. He looked at you now, amber eyes piercing through yours as a surge of breathlessness ran through your body, halting your breath at your lips.

 Bowing his head towards the ground, Zuko exhaled, his shaggy hair drooping to cover his face. Your hands, now resting on his folded knees, were clammy, and you couldn’t prevent the occasional twitch of your fingers as you willed yourself to remain calm.

 “I-I don’t understand.” His voice was tight, as if he was being held together by a set of strings neither of you could see. Zuko watched you through wisps of his hair as you bent your head closer to his, foreheads almost touching. Your grip on his knee tightened, giving it a quick squeeze to encourage him.

 “How you can bear to touch it,” he whispered, hoarsely. You pressed your forehead to his now, moving your hands to the back of his head, running your fingers through his thick hair. You felt shattered, unable to fully fathom the pain that Prince Zuko had been through. His lineage and place as Prince of the Fire Nation aside, who would be so cruel, so full of hatred for another, that damage like this could be caused? The way his scar draped across his face, curving from the edge of his nose through to his left ear – it was entirely obvious that this was a deliberate attack, which made it all the worse. As if the culprit had held a ball of fire in their hand and held it to Zuko’s face, ensuring the damage would be a permanent marker, something that would distinguish him forever. A burnt, scarred, Firebender – what sort of message did that send?

 Zuko was allowing his vulnerability to completely fall away with you, allowing you to come inside and open all of his locked doors and inspect all of the cobwebs. His heart was pounding, thick and heavy and in his throat. The feel of your fingers in his hair, on his skin – he knew in that moment that nothing would ever compare, shuddering as your nails lightly scratched his scalp. A soft moan escaped him, and his cheeks roared in red. He could feel your questions, unspoken, but hanging limply in the air. His head still bowed and your fingers still twisting through his hair he attempted to explain the red mark on his skin.

 “I… disrespected someone I shouldn’t have. My punishment was to duel… an Agni Kai.”

 Pulling away, your hands returned to Zuko’s knees. You watched him intently, his hands forming fists on top of yours.

 “I didn’t want to hurt anyone. Everyone knew I wasn’t the best bender. It is punishment, for my betrayal,” he continued. His left hand reached up to gingerly touch the scar, before he flinched and pulled it away. “I can’t even touch it myself.”

 “You must have been so young, Zuko.”

 “Thirteen,” he replied, lips parted as if in disbelief himself.

 “But surely – you’re the Prince of the Fire Nation – your father-”

 “My father gave it to me, as a parting gift,” Zuko said coldly. Momentarily, the warmth of his body disappeared and a wave of cold, harsh air ebbed through you. Rising on to your knees, you wrapped your arms around Zuko’s shoulders and pulled him closer, cradling his head as he slowly allowed himself to return your embrace. He was stiff and awkward, and you wondered when he had last been embraced like this.

 “You are more than what he makes you to be,” you murmured softly. “You are more than a mark on your skin.” Slowly, the warmth that Zuko radiated returned, just as suddenly as it had vanished. Zuko held you tight, flooded with memories of his mother, and how good it felt to receive true care.

_____

 It had been two months since you’d arrived on Capital Island – or rather, you thought it had. You’d been aptly thrown into a new cell, not entirely different from the one you were holed up in on the ship, except this one was attached to the ground and not floating on the open ocean. The cell walls were made of heavy bricks of stone, with iron bars inside – a cage within a cage. Heat seeped through the atmosphere, a constant sweat coating you.

 When you had first arrived, you’d been dragged to the Caldera, along with Iroh, to pay your respects to Fire Lord Ozai as Azula had instructed. Cold, clammy fear ran through you when you were thrown at his feet, once again falling on your wounded leg. The burn itself was healing, albeit slowly – Azula had permitted the use of water for healing only once more whilst onboard, and the constant presence of guards meant you weren’t able to attempt healing it with your own sweat.

 Fire Lord Ozai had merely glanced at you, face shrivelling in disapproval, before moving on to inspect his older brother. Your heart swelled for Iroh when Ozai raised his hands, angry flame flickering in his palm, convinced he was going to do to his brother what he had to his son.

 It seemed as if Ozai was looking for some sort of retaliation from his brother, but Iroh did not give him the satisfaction, instead merely listening as the Fire Lord declared his brother a traitor to the Fire Nation, before ordering the guards to accompany him to Prison Tower.

 “Let him rot.”

 Ozai returned to his seat on the throne, a quick wave of his hand indicating he was finished, before he halted and stood once again.

 “Wait. Bring the girl back. She can heal, you say?” The Fire Lord looked to his children for confirmation. 

“Yes, father. You see how she has prevented further damage to her burns, with only two healing sessions.” Your brows furrowed as Zuko spoke, his voice raspy. It was confusing, and almost painful, to see him stand with his father – one who had caused him so much pain.

“Show the Fire Lord your wounds, water rat,” Azula sneered.

You rose to your feet, delicately peeling off the fabric you’d used to cover your wound.

“Closer.”

Keeping your eyes on the Fire Lord, you shuffled closer as he had commanded. You were in pain, tired and drained, but you’d be damned if you relented now.

“A mark that will be with you forever. How does it feel to be branded?”

A heated wave ran through you – you couldn’t even be sure if it was your own anger at this point, but you swallowed it down anyway as your eyes met with Ozai’s. Like his son, his were also amber – but there was something that seemed off about them – there was anger and greed and hunger, but he lacked any sort of real human depth.  

“I’ll wear this with pride,” you retorted, a scowl slowly forming on your face. Hatred was all you felt. “My people will revere me. They will tell stories about how I stood against your children.”

Ozai’s eyes widened in shock, orange flames flaring from the palms of his hands. From the corner of your eye you could see Azula and Zuko reacting to your statement – Azula more than happy to wrap more flames around your right leg.

“Brave, aren’t you? You dare enter my nation, my palace, my throne room and insult me!? Tell me girl, which scum of the Northern Water Tribe do you belong to? I’ll be sure to send some… parts their way.” Ozai’s hot breath washed over you as you glared up at him. His black hair flared over his shoulders, stepping closer as he gripped onto your forearm.

“Master Pakku is my grandfather. Your great nation burnt my parents alive before I could even speak.”

The Fire Lord considered your words, his menacing glare doing little to frighten you. Behind his father, Zuko glanced to the floor before returning his gaze to you. Azula looked immensely pleased, and you wondered how she planned to make it through life with everyone fearing her – surely something would go wrong, somewhere. 

“Y/n is a master healer and waterbender. I have no doubt she will prove useful in the coming weeks,” Azula urged, looking at her father with a raised eyebrow. Fire Lord Ozai seemed to think his daughter’s words over, releasing his grip on your arm.

“You may be right, daughter. Send her to the Prison Tower with my brother – in the deepest, driest cell you can find. Don’t remove those chains.”

 _____

Just as Princess Azula had suggested, you had been deemed useful for your healing abilities. Talk of your healing sessions while onboard the ship had spread like wildfire, and you were frequently put to work healing a myriad of different Fire Nation citizens – while under close, careful supervision. Your water supply was limited, and even though you were recuperating well, you knew better than to attempt any sort of escape. Besides, even if you were able to fight the guards, there was nowhere to run.

Sighing, you raked your hands over the iron bars of your cell. You’d spent the last few days in the infirmary, healing various superficial wounds. It was tiring work, and the soldiers always liked to taunt you, as if being grateful for your ability to heal their wound was a concept they couldn’t simply comprehend. Guards always flanked you, and your feet were always in chains. When you’d first arrived, someone had shoved a bundle of clothing into your arms, and you’d been pleased that you’d at least be able to change out of your dirty, damaged Water Tribe clothing. When Azula saw you being traipsed from the Prison Tower to the infirmary for a day’s work, her eyes had gleamed maliciously – how better to break you down than turn you into one of them? At least your scar was hidden from view – that was one small mercy.

Light flooded through your cell as the door opened, two guards entering, one holding a hot flame and the other holding a tray, which held a small bowl of rice.

“Dinner, water rat.”

The bowl was sloppily placed on the ground, in front of the iron bars. You leant forward to retrieve it, before a heavy boot was pressed onto your forearm.

“Not so fast. You’ve got some guests, first.”

The guard removed his foot and you pulled your arm back through the bars, folding your knees and resting your palms on top of them.

Princess Azula entered the cell, followed by her two friends. You’d come across them before, back when Azula had been chasing you all across the world in order to capture Aang. You’d been surprised to find that Azula even had friends – though sure she had it within her to force a friendship if she so desired.

“Ah, my favourite guest,” Azula remarked as she cocked an eyebrow, hands on her hips. 

Behind her, the other girls watched you carefully. One had her black hair fashioned to fall down the sides of her face, with two buns on top of her head. She looked awfully severe, her tawny eyes looking straight  through you. The other girl had large, round brown eyes but they were missing the same, cold look you’d seen in Azula and the girl to her left. Raking over the three of them, your fingers tapped in anticipation. 

“As much as I’d love to make some new friends, I’m rather hungry. How can I help you, Princess?”

Azula snorted, hot smoke coming from her nose. 

“Your negative attitude is not becoming, water rat. This is Mai, and Ty Lee.”

Azula gestured to the girls behind her as Ty Lee stepped forward, next to Azula’s side. 

“Hi! It’s so great to meet you officially! We’ve heard so much about your healing abilities - you’re quite the talk of the Caldera you know,” Ty Lee began excitedly, bouncing up onto the balls of her feet. 

Azula rolled her eyes, seemingly unimpressed with Ty Lee’s enthusiasm. Giving Ty Lee a soft smile in return, you returned your gaze to Azula. Mai stood behind her, completely disinterested in you as she picked at her fingernails, flicking the broken pieces away.

“You’re not here to make friends, Ty Lee. Y/n is still a prisoner of the Fire Nation. And, in any case, we’ve come to inform you of an important… event happening in a few week’s time. I’m sure you’ve heard from your little friends about the upcoming eclipse?”

The atmosphere seemed to freeze around you, goose bumps shivering their way across your body. You opened your mouth to speak, but the air felt thick, too heavy, your brain unable to put the right words into your mouth.

“Bingo.”

Resisting the urge to put your face into your hands and scream, wail and howl in frustration, you calmly looked up at Azula, taking a deep breath before you spoke.

“I’d sooner feel your fire one hundred times than fight for the Fire Nation, if that’s what you’ve got in mind.”

Ty Lee’s brows furrowed in concern, Mai watching you from the corner of her eye as Azula laughed.

“Oh, don’t be so silly! No, you’ll be out there. You are aware of your healing abilities, right? You’ll be right where we need you, healing our loyal soldiers. Of course, it’s unlikely we’ll take any damage – we do know they’re coming, after all.”

Triumph bloomed across Azula’s face as she folded her arms, waiting and hoping for a dramatic reaction from you – but you knew better than to rise to the occasion.

“If that’s what you so desire, Princess Azula,” you responded dryly. Inside, your body was raging, and you craved water like you never had before – to even just smell it, would help to quench the anxiety racing through you.

“Oh, not just me, water rat. Prince Zuko thought you would be an excellent asset for us on the day, as did my father. There’s nothing better than a fun day out with friends, after all.”

At the mention of Zuko, Mai’s gaze finally flicked back to Azula. It was apparent that she had no real interest in what Azula had to say, and merely came along to get a good look at you.

“Speaking of Zuko, can we please go. This is boring, and he’s waiting for us in the palace,” Mai exclaimed, voice low and husky. She wasn’t wrong – she looked entirely bored.

“Zuko can wait!” Azula retorted, her voice rising. “It’s important our little pet knows her place in this. Besides, it’s not like your boyfriend even wants to go on our little vacation. Father has his meetings with his advisors, and precious Zuzu just can’t bear to be left out.”

“Gee, I wonder why. The family dynamics so great and all,” you muttered, though your heart did a quick few somersaults in your chest at the new revelation. Not only was the Fire Lord aware of the invasion, but Zuko – Prince Zuko – was out here dating one of his sister’s best friends.

Before you could blink, Azula had thrust a ball of flame in your face, her stare angry and menacing as she bent closer to you through the bars. The flame caught you off-guard, and you tried to shuffle back, getting tangled in your chains.

“If you don’t watch your mouth, water rat, I’ll give you a mark to match the Prince. It’s a shame for you he likes his women unmarked, otherwise you’d make the perfect pair. Both weak.” Just as quickly as she had pulled out the flame, Azula snatched her hand away, extinguishing it. Her eyes were deranged, almost animalistic. Ty Lee had one hand to her chest, and Mai stood with her arms folded, watching you with a careful expression. With a sharp turn and no goodbyes, the trio left your cell, slamming the door as they departed.

The scar on your leg stung, a phantom burn slowly scalding it. Letting out a deep breath, you sighed, running your hands over your leg. Your body shivered as it remembered the pain from Azula’s blue flame and in an effort to calm yourself you closed your eyes, imagining yourself sitting in a pool of spirit water, your energy being restored. Exhaustion seeped through you as you leant forward, finally able to collect the bowl of rice and eat. A small, tired sob escaped you, and for a very real and confronting moment you realised that perhaps, just maybe, Azula was right. Maybe Aang wasn’t supposed to defeat the Fire Lord – maybe he really was dead. You couldn’t confirm anything from your cage. Another short, sudden burst of sobs fell as you curled into a ball on the cell floor.

_____

A soft creak roused you, as a flickering orange hue seeped into your cell. Without even looking, you could tell that someone had brought you water, and the scent alone was enough to entice you, bringing you to the bars on your knees.

A hooded figure knelt in front of you, face shielded from view. The bowl was placed to their left, hands resting on their lap.

“For me?” you asked, throat hoarse from your previous tears.

“I’m… sorry it’s taken so long.”

“S’fine. I can tell you’re hiding,” a smile evident in your voice. “A real-life master of disguise.”

“Admittedly, not my best work.”

You both laughed, a secret little chime tingling through the air. Placing your hands on the bars, your eyes drifted back to the water bowl and you licked your lips without even realising.

“Can I?”

Another chuckle came from the robe, before the bowl was pushed towards you. “Go ahead.”

Without a second thought your palm reached out, pulling the water into your palm. You felt a release of pressure in your body like nothing you’d ever countered before – this was the longest you’d gone without being able to use your bending, and it had felt like you were missing not just one limb, but all of them. Crossing your legs, you straightened your back and pushed the water above your head before opening your palm and letting the water cascade over you like rain drops. A soft breath turned the water to ice, and you revelled in the cooling sensation. With a flick of your wrist, you sent the water to softly drizzle over your robed guest, laughing as they flinched but relented anyway. You continued to focus on the cascade of water, slowly turning into snowflakes as you recalled your last evening at home in Agna Qel’a.

“Why have you brought me this, Zuko?”

Sending a flurry of snowflakes at him, the hood fell back, confirming what you had already known. Zuko’s neck flushed a hot red, his pulse quickening. He wasn’t entirely sure how to answer your question – what exactly had brought him here? Other than that annoying, nagging feeling he’d had since you’d been thrown in here, his interaction with Azula after she’d returned from her own visit to your cell had reinforced the feelings he’d been having all along. Azula had commented on your appearance – bruised, battered and burnt – but the one that struck Zuko the most was wilted.

He’d once picked a magnificent fire lily, a gift for his mother, but distraction in the name of Azula had caused him to forget it, leaving it without water on his nightstand. When he had remembered it, he ran to collect it, hopeful that it would bring a smile to his mother’s face. Of course, it had wilted, and no amount of water was able to bring it back to life. The thought of the same thing happening to you – an absence of water wilting and drying you out for good – was not something that Zuko wanted to consider, and so he had evaded his sister, evaded his girlfriend, in order to deliver a bowl of water to a waterbending prisoner. Smiling to himself, Zuko thought of his Uncle Iroh – it seemed the exact type of thing that he would do if he was in this situation himself.

“I just don’t want you to dry out,” he answered, simply.

 _____

Day of the Black Sun

“You can’t be here,” you urged, hands clasped around the seam of Zuko’s robes.

“Come with me, then.”

Zuko had approached you in the infirmary, wounded soldiers filling the space quickly. The Fire Lord’s plan for the invasion was working, and there was nothing you could do to help. Zuko had his robe on, hood up, shielding himself from view.

“Zuko, please. Azula has threatened me with more than just fire. Just one week ago I was taken down to Harbor City, to heal. Azula has promised me, that if I attempt anything today, they will all be toast.”

Zuko watched you, eyes low and hands in his sleeves.

“Children, and families – innocent people will be harmed if I go with you. And-” You cut yourself short, words almost spilling from your lips. Your hands left Zuko’s robes and went to your chest, feeling your thumping heart.

“And what?” he said, darkly.

Glancing down, you picked at your nails, a sweet sweat coming over you. Spirits, did you want to believe in Zuko, you really did. But how could you be sure?

“Zuko… how can I,” you started, voice shaky. “You’ve hurt me too. How do I know you won’t do it again?”

A violent shudder rippled through Zuko at your words. He wasn’t surprised, though there was some small part of him that had hoped you had been able to see through the layers to the real Zuko that had lain hidden and dormant for years. Placing his hands over yours, he pulled you closer to his chest, foreheads once again touching like they had months ago in the Crystal Catacombs.

“Y/n, I will become the man you deserve,” Zuko murmured, his fingers delicately rippling through your hair.

I will. I will I will I will. 

Closing your eyes, you fumbled through the pockets of your robes before ripping into the seams, pulling out a delicate silver hair clip, adorned with white and blue gems and beads.

“Take this. Give it to Katara. Let the others know I’m okay,” you murmured as you placed the clip in his hands, holding your palms in his.

Gulping, you raised your eyes to look at him. Zuko framed your face with his hands, pressing a chaste kiss to your lips, before he slipped away – away from his father, his sister, his nation, and away from you.    

_____

oddment-niwit-blubber-tweak

eridanuswave

coldlilheart

thirstyforsometea

lammello

whalerus

astroninaaa

[koala-otter]

a little gaang modern AU

more (zukka!) prompts coming but for now have some modern AU silliness featuring the gaang as a bunch of goofy young adults on a road trip

might write another part to this but also might not :) (so lmk if you like it)

that’s all i have please enjoy 

2k words

Aang rings the doorbell of the small, white house only for the door to swing open as soon as he pulls his hand back. Katara stands in front of him with a dazzling smile, immediately grabbing his arm to pull him into the foyer. 

“I watched you walk up,” she explains. She lets him go and starts up the stairs to her room. “I just have to finish packing, and I’ll be right down. Two seconds.” At the top of the stairs, she turns and calls back down to Aang, “Sokka’s in the living room!”

Aang smiles as he watches her go and tugs on the straps of his backpack on his shoulders. He hears someone walking toward him, but where he expects to see Sokka, Hakoda appears in the archway leading to the kitchen and dining room.

“Aang,” Hakoda says warmly, coming forward to clasp the young man’s arm. “It’s good to see you.”

“You, too, Chief Hakoda,” Aang replies, grinning broadly. 

Hakoda stands back and looks down at the empty space next to Aang. “No Appa?” he asks of the dog normally at Aang’s heels.

“Appa hates long car rides, so Gyatso offered to take care of him for the week,” Aang explains. “Now that he’s getting older, we just want to do what’s most comfortable for him.”

“Makes sense,” Hakoda says with a sympathetic smile. “How is your grandfather?”

Aang shrugs, but keeps the smile on his face. “He’s managing. I keep asking him to lower his hours at the bakery, but he won’t let up.”

Just then, Sokka walks in bearing a duffel bag over his shoulder. “Hey, Dad, have you seen—Aang!” Sokka rushes over to rub his bald head, even though Aang has grown taller than him in the last year. 

“Hi, Sokka.” Aang laughs good-naturedly as he pulls away. “Are we ready to go?” 

“Almost.” Sokka turns back to his father and asks, “Have you seen my keys? I can’t find them anywhere.”

“Are they not on the hooks?” Hakoda asks, gesturing to where they’re mounted on the wall. 

“My car keys,” Sokka clarifies. 

Hakoda’s face betrays his complete ignorance of their location. “Maybe you should ask—”

“They’re in the pocket of your blue hoodie.” 

The three men look up to find Katara coming down the stairs, a large tote bag tucked under her arm, and her wavy hair loose and bouncing around her shoulders. She points out the hoodie in question, tossed on a bench under where the family hangs up their jackets, while she steps into a pair of white sneakers. 

“You left them after we got back from dinner last night,” she explains as Sokka fishes through the sweatshirt. 

He holds the keys up triumphantly. “Finally, men, our journey begins!” he cries. He lowers his arm, tossing the keys in the air and catching them, and then flinging the hoodie over his other shoulder. “All right, let’s go.”

They each take turns hugging Hakoda and promising him to drive safely, and then pile into Sokka’s car, a fifteen-year-old SUV, sporting big tires and a fairly high ride height, handed down to him by his father.

“Aang, you sit in front,” Sokka says as he pulls open the driver’s door and climbs up into the car.

“Why does Aang get to sit in the front?” Katara asks even though she’s already seated behind them.

“Because Zuko’s actually going to sit in front,” Sokka replies matter-of-factly, checking his mirrors, “and I don’t wanna fight with you when I have to tell you to get in the back.”

Katara scoffs. “We wouldn’t have to fight.” She grabs the backs of their seats and leans toward Aang. “Aang, trade seats with me.”

“Okay,” Aang says readily. He unbuckles his seatbelt.

Sokka puts his arm out across Aang’s chest to keep him where he is. “Aang, don’t move,” he says. “Katara, he’s 6’3”, you’re going to make him sit in the back where there’s no leg room?”

“You’re about to make him sit in the back where there’s no leg room!” Katara exclaims. 

“Uh, guys,” Aang says uneasily, “it’s really no big deal.” The fight is typical of the dynamic he’s been managing since they were all kids.

“See?” Sokka says, finally pulling the car out of the driveway and out onto the road. “Aang says it’s no big deal.”

Aang hears Katara retreat to the backseat with a little huff of breath. 

“Don’t worry, Katara,” he says, craning his neck to look back at her. “I’ll be in the back with you soon.”

Katara smiles back at him despite herself.

It doesn’t take long for them to arrive at Zuko’s house, and as soon as they do, Sokka gives two short blasts on the horn. Almost immediately, three figures emerge from the house. Zuko and Suki wave goodbye to Iroh and begin walking toward the car, while Sokka jumps out and runs over to help grab their bags.

“Hey, Iroh!” Sokka calls out to the older man. He kisses Zuko’s cheek and grabs his boyfriend’s black leather backpack. 

“How wonderful to see you again,” Iroh says kindly. His expression turns analytic as he scans the space between Sokka and the car. “Where is your sister? I thought she was going with you.” It’s no secret that Katara is a favorite of his.

Katara rolls down her window and thrusts her upper body through the new hole in the door. “Hi, Uncle Iroh!” she calls.

He waves at her enthusiastically. “Have a fun trip,” he tells her. “You must be very excited; you are practically glowing, like an early summer moon flower.”

Aang cannot help smiling and agreeing as he watches Katara brighten. 

“Thank you,” she says sweetly. “You look wonderful, too! I hope Zuko’s help at the shop is giving you the chance to get more rest.”

“He didn’t say I was glowing,” Suki hisses to Zuko. After going over to Zuko’s to wait for their ride, she’s just spent an hour bonding with Iroh herself.

“You don’t write your thesis and buy three pots of tea at the shop every day,” Zuko whispers back with a shrug. In a louder voice, he says, “We should hurry. We don’t want to be stuck in traffic.”

“Zuko, where are your manners?” Iroh stops him. “You haven’t asked your friends if they’d like any tea.”

“But, Uncle, we’re about to leave,” Zuko says in a slightly exasperated tone.

“So? It’s no excuse not to offer them a refreshment. You’re in for a long drive.”

Zuko turns to his friends with a sigh. “Would anyone like a cup of tea?” he asks, clearly conscious of his uncle watching expectantly from behind him. 

“I’d love one,” Aang says, popping his own head out of the car, “but Toph just texted me asking if we were on the road yet, and I really don’t wanna see what she’ll do to me if I tell her no.” He waves his phone in the air. “Sorry, Iroh!” 

Iroh raises his hand in the air as a greeting. “It is no problem,” he says with a smile. “You mustn’t keep her waiting.”

“We’ll come by the shop as soon as we get back,” Aang promises, gesturing between himself and Katara. 

“Well, you heard him, team,” Sokka says, leading the charge back to the car. “Let’s not keep Toph waiting.”

Aang gets out of his seat so Zuko can sit next to Sokka, and Katara moves into the middle so Suki and Aang can sit on either side of her. They all wave goodbye to Iroh as the car pulls out of the driveway and heads for the highway. 

“How far is it to Toph’s house anyway?” Suki asks after a while.

“Well, I wouldn’t really call it a house,” Aang says thoughtfully. “It’s more like an estate.”

“It’s the old Beifong summer home,” Katara clarifies, “built over a hundred years ago with their mining fortune. ‘Estate’ might not even cover it—it’s not quite a palace?” She looks to Aang for confirmation. “But it’s as close as you’ll get to one today.”

“And the real question,” Sokka adds, removing his hand from Zuko’s thigh to raise it in the air, his index finger extended to emphasize his point, “isn’t how far it is, but where it is.” 

He puts his hand back, and Zuko smiles contentedly.

“Wait, what?” Suki asks. “Did you just say we don’t know where we’re going?”

Sokka shrugs and glances in his mirror before moving his eyes back to the road. “Don’t worry, I put together the directions,” he says. “Zuko?”

Zuko pulls something out of the glove compartment and unfolds it to reveal a laminated map of the western Earth Kingdom. Roughly-drawn red arrows point to blue circles sketched on top of mountain ranges and lakes, and a looping dotted line has been thrown in, too, seemingly to throw the viewer off any sort of trail. Suki tries to study the markings. Katara sighs when she sees them. Aang takes one look and chooses instead to stare out the window.

“The Beifong summer home sits in a valley between two mountains an hour outside of Gaoling,” Zuko explains. He points to the map. “Here.”

He waits for Suki’s nod before continuing. 

“And we’re all the way over here,” he says, pointing again. “So, we have to go through—huh.” He studies the map. “Oh, we have to go through here. But wait, that’s not right. The Serpent’s Pass? Oh, no, what I meant was here. Or, hold on.” He stares at the map and its markings again, and the only sound in the car is the rush of the wind coming in through the windows. 

“Sokka, this is impossible to read!” 

Sokka gasps. “You called it ‘meticulous’ before,” he says with an accusing tone. 

“Yeah, before I actually tried to use it.” Zuko shakes the map. “How the hell are we going to get there with this?”

Suki leans in close to Katara to whisper, “Boy, am I glad it’s not me up there.”

Katara stifles a laugh into her hand.

“Look, I made the map, so I can read it,” Sokka says with finality in his tone. “It’ll take us right to the Beifongs’ front door.”

“But Sokka, you’re driving,” Zuko almost complains.

“So? I can look over if I need to.” Sokka starts craning his neck to view the map on Zuko’s lap. “I can even keep one eye on the road while I—”

“Sokka,” Katara says sharply.

“All right, all right,” Sokka says, focusing back on the stretch of road in front of them. “Sheesh.”

“Come on, guys,” Aang says cheerfully, “I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”

“I asked if you were prepared this morning, and you said you were,” Zuko continues arguing.

“I was! I made the map!” Sokka cries indignantly.

Zuko shakes the map once more. “How is this prepared?”

Sokka sighs in aggravation. “Look, if you’re so worried, Wan Shi Tong it.”

“What?”

“I said, just look it up!”

“Are you crazy? The Beifong summer home is not going to be on Wan Shi Tong maps,” Zuko says almost condescendingly.

A loud beep sounds from the backseat, followed by an automated, wise-sounding voice monotoning, “Starting route to the Beifong Summer Villa.”

Everyone but Sokka whirls around to look at Aang. 

“Hey, look at that,” he says. He holds his phone up with a grin. “They have it.”

Katara laughs out loud as Zuko begrudgingly looks up the address on his own phone. Everyone settles into companionable silence, allowing the sounds of the wind and the automated voice giving directions to replace any conversation. After a while, Suki even begins to drift off, her temple pressed against the glass of her half-open window. Aang watches the trees and the other cars on the highway pass by them, until he feels a tug on his arm. 

He looks down to find Katara looping her arm through his and leaning her head on his shoulder. She tilts her head up when she feels his eyes on her. 

“Is this okay?” she asks. 

Aang nods. “Yeah, of course.”

“Good.” She smiles lightly and lets her head drop back down to his shoulder. “It’s a good thing you’re here,” she says quietly to him, amusement in her tone.

A light blush rises in Aang’s cheeks, and he cannot help grinning. When Katara’s this close, he can smell the jasmine of her perfume. 

“Yeah, good thing,” he agrees. 

The smile stays on his face as he looks back out the window.

[spriteandnicotine]

Smoke- Part 1

Pairing-> Prince Zuko x Fem! reader

Word Count-> 1.4K+

t/w: facial burns, angst (and a lil bit of fluff)

a/n: Hello again. Another big thanks to @gayforgreen-martians for helping me edit. I’m going to start a tag list so just comment if you want to be added. All parts linked below. Just a reminder to check the warnings on each part individually. I hope you enjoy 💕

Prologue        Part 1       Part 2       Part 3

As you are boarding the vessel, you see a familiar boy walking into the bowels of the ship. He has raven colored hair, pulled back into a tight ponytail. Even from a distance, there is no mistaking him; you know a prince when you see one, even if he is exiled.

The guards push you once your feet make connection with the boards on the ship's deck. With your hands still bound behind you, there is no way for you to catch your balance and you fall face first onto the wood. 

The guards laugh then proceed to pick you up by the arms, taking you into the depths of the ship. They place you behind a set of bars and release you from your restraints. As they turn to walk away you say, "Hey! aren't you going to let me out? I'm not a prisoner."

They ignore you and continue to move up to the first deck. Getting thirsty, you take note of a bottle of water located ten feet from the cell. You focus every ounce of willpower within you on getting the water to move.

The water within the bottle sloshes side to side, causing the container to tip and begin to roll towards you. After a few seconds, the water was just outside of the bars, easily accessible. As you are opening the bottle, a door to the left of you creaks, causing you to jump.

"I'm telling you uncle Iroh, it has to be around here somewhere," you hear a voice drift from the ajar door. 

Suddenly, the door swings open to reveal the prince with a fresh burn mark on his face. "Who the hell are you, and why are you here?" His face twists into a look of disgust, and as he sees the bottle in your hands, he turns away, growls, and shoots a stream of fire into the ship's bulkheads.

"Y-Y/N, I was exiled y-your highness," you say, tripping over your words. The last thing you want is for him to hate you. 

"Hmmph," he said, turning and walking back through the open door, slamming it shut behind him.

It's five years on since the date you’ve been exiled, and it seems like it has been forever since you first met Zuko. After the first couple of years, he warms up to you. His hair is now shaggier and the burn on his face has healed to an extent, but looks rugged in the way you admire.

"Zuko! I heard from a water-bender in the last village we were at, that Aang was headed back to the South Pole," you said excitedly, smiling at the eighteen year old.

"Y/N,  you know I prefer it when you call me your highness," he said, giving you a dangerous smile that shows off his straight white teeth. Turning away he continued, "Uncle Iroh, set a course to the South Pole immediately. In the meantime, Y/N and I need to train. If we want to catch Aang once and for all we need to be smart. We need to outdo him," and as he says this, your heart warms and you feel the blood rush to your cheeks.

Your skin the hue of a tomato, you reply instantly, "If you want any respect, then let me use my water bending. I am sick and tired of trying to suppress what my mother has passed on to me." 

After years of careful research and visiting multiple water tribes, you learned about your mother.  She was the daughter of a leader. She ran away while young with a member of the Fire Nation, your dad.

"You must first master fire, then you can move on to water bending," Prince Zuko sighs, as he proceeds to taunt you by signalling for you to make the first move.

You allow the rage to build inside of you. The Avatar is your last hope. If you can't beat him, you can't go back home. You need to get home. You need to see your dad again. As your anger peaks, you let out a yell, expelling fire from both of your fists at once, aiming it towards the deck.

Zuko jumped back, narrowly avoiding the attack. He responds by sending an equally hot flame your way, directing it to your stomach. You cancel out the flames, sending them back at him, along with your own, this time aiming for his calves.

He tries to avoid the assault, but is unable to due to the height of the flames. The red heat licks at his pants, searing the ends of them. You quickly run over to him, kicking his legs out from under him. 

After he falls to the ground, you guide the water to extinguish the flames, creating a black puff of smoke. "Do you surrender now, your highness?" you sneer down at him, offering a hand to help him up.

"Okay okay fine, it may be useful to work on your water bending. I'll watch and give you objectives. We are a few hours away from the Avatar, so don't wear yourself out," he replies while grabbing your hand and standing up.

After he is up, his hand lingers on yours, his thumb brushing against the back of your hand. After a minute of staring at him, he realizes what he is doing and his face turns a brilliant shade of pink. "Uhh s-sorry Y/N," he said quickly, rubbing the back of his head.

You respond by going around him and jumping onto his back. "You're the best Zuko! We are going to kick the Avatar's ass, and you are going to get the Fire Nation back. I just hope it's enough for me to go back too,” you sigh, the weight of the situation is sitting on your chest, constricting your airway.

"I promise, Y/N, I will do everything in my power to get you back into the Fire Nation. It is our home, and always will be," he says, leaning down to let you off his back.

The next few hours fill up with tasks like catching a fish within water and bringing it onto the deck. You fill a bubble of water with air and place it around his face to be funny. He freaks out for a few seconds before he realizes he can breathe. He proceeds to laugh, and the sight is so attractive it warms you up. 

Suddenly, the ship crashes into ice. The glacier begins to split down the middle, and you spot a giant buffalo, along with the one person you have been trying to track down for years.

Prepping the restraints in your back pockets, you step off the ship. Iroh invented a special rope that prevents water, earth, air, and fire bending, just for this task.

You hide behind a pile of snow as Zuko goes to directly confront him with others in the army. Aang does his best, fighting fire with fire. You take the opportunity to move the snow from beneath the Avatar's feet into his fire, thus melting the snow and putting out his attempts at fighting back.

You smile to yourself and run as fast as you can towards the group of people. Zuko is on top of Aang, asking him where his so-called friends are. They abandoned him a few years ago. He only has Appa. 

You make quick work of tying Aang's hands behind his back, along with securing his feet with the second set of restraints. You look to Appa, and feel a twinge of pain run through your chest. It isn't worth it. Not now. This is your chance. You can't let your feelings for animals get the best of you.

You take the Avatar by the back of his shirt and push him roughly onto the vessel. You, along with Zuko lead him into the bowels of the ship, placing him inside the same cell you lived in for roughly a month. He has a look of disappointment on his face. The tears on his cheeks glistened in the red light beneath the vessel.

Looking at Zuko, you can't help but grin as you say, "I'd consider that a job well done, your highness." As you say 'your highness,' you wink at him and see his cheeks turn red, you are satisfied. Zuko quickly turns, and directs the person leading the ship back to the Fire Nation.

Taglist: @megalodon-writes @haylaansmi @furblrwurblr

[awkwardpenguinproductions]

Stealth Chapter 1: The Prank

Part 5 of the Dragon of the Yuyan

Read on AO3 | Series Masterpost

The first time is because of a prank.

It’s Zuko’s second summer in Pouhai, his first as a cadet Yuyan Archer. Chihese Squad is strolling down the main drag of the closest colony town, on 48-hour leave for the Summer Solstice. It’s the first time that Zuko’s been out of the Stronghold for anything other than training since his arrival, the first time he’s been in an actual town since he was kicked out of the Caldera. The sights and sounds and smells are overwhelming, but not nearly as much as the crowds.

There are so many people at this festival. Which, okay, the Summer Solstice is basically the event of the Fire Nation calendar, being the longest day of the year and the day Agni granted firebending to the Dragons, so obviously everyone is going to want to join in the festivities, but Zuko can't remember having been around this many people ever.

Kai never lets go of his hand as he drags Zuko from food stall to musician to puppet show. There are firebending displays, and stalls full of crafts and decorations for sale. Everyone around is dressed in their best robes, and everything is a profusion of shades of red and yellow and black.

Zuko pulls Kai to a stop in front of a booth displaying stuffed cloth animals, and they spend a while petting them and poking each other with soft cloth beaks and snouts and flippers and quizzing each other on the hand-language signs for them. One such creature, a turtle-duckling with creamy tan markings and a brilliant green shell, seems to call to Zuko, and he picks it up and runs his fingertips gently over its head. It fits perfectly in his hand, just the right size to slip into a rucksack and not take up too much space, and for the first time in over a year his chest tightens and his eyes burn with the force of his longing for home and his mother's garden and the turtle-duck pond. Without even thinking, he cuddles the turtle-duckling to himself and turns to Kai.

Nice, Kai complements him with a large grin. You gonna get it?

Zuko nods, and turns to the booth's proprietor, holding out the turtle-duck and giving the man his best puma kitten eyes.

"Take it easy with those eyes, kid," he laughs. "Normally the plushes that size are ten copper, but I'll let ya have it for five. Solstice spirit and all."

Zuko grins and hands over the five copper coins. They bow to each other with the Flame, and then Zuko and Kai head off to meet up with the rest of the squad for dinner, the turtle-duck firmly clasped against Zuko's chest.

They catch up to Hiroki, Mika, and Jiyoti sitting in a square filled with tables and ringed with food booths. All three have cups of Solstice punch, a deep red drink made with coconut arrack and red wine. Kai attempts to swipe Jiyoti's cup, but she easily slaps his hand away.

Go get your own, leech, she commands, ignoring his pout.

Me too? Zuko asks.

No. Hiroki's fingers and thumb snap shut in a sharp emphatic movement as he frowns deeply at Zuko. You're too young.

This is strong stuff, Zuko, Mika signs with more gentleness, her expression sympathetic but firm. Maybe in a couple of years.

What did you get? Jiyoti asks, peering at the turtle-duck plush perched on Zuko's head. Zuko graciously allows the subject change, brushing off the tabletop in front of him and placing the turtle-duck on it. His face heats a little bit, because he's nearly fifteen, too old for stuffed toys, but Jiyoti's eyes are sparkling as she asks permission to pet it, and Mika has a soft, indulgent smile on her face like he's done something cute, and even Hiroki's smirk is gentle and warm as he leans back in his seat and nurses his cup.

At that moment, Zheng and his cronies, twins Shiori and Takeshi, pass by their table. Zheng takes one look at Zuko's turtle-duck and sneers. Aw, does the little baby street-rat need someone to cuddle with? He signs, making a gross kissy-face like he's talking to an infant. Maybe the Commander should've sent you to an orphanage with the other unwanted colony spawn. At least there you'd have fit in with the other brats.

Shut up and get lost, Zheng! Kai snaps out, gritting his teeth in a silent snarl at the older private.

Zheng smirks and raises his hands to continue signing, but Hiroki turns and pins the younger man with a glare. I believe you were on your way, Private? He signs slowly and clearly, as though Zheng is stupid and barely able to comprehend hand-speech. Zheng's jaw clenches, but he's not stupid enough to try anything against a Captain, and he storms off with a huff, the twins following in his wake.

Zuko hugs the turtle-duck to his chest and stares down at its eyes, embroidered in shiny black silk thread. He really is entirely too old for toys, and has been for years, but the thought of giving up his new companion is too much to contemplate. Aside from his dagger from Uncle, it's his only link to his life Before. Life Before had been hard, and lonely, and painful, but there had been good things, too, like Uncle's tearoom, Mom's garden, and the turtle-ducks in the pond. Life Now is so much better, even with idiots like Zheng bugging him, but he still sometimes misses those good things from Before.

Someone pokes Zuko in the shoulder, and he looks up to see Kai grinning at him. So what're you going to name it? The older boy asks, gently rubbing the turtle-duck's head with a fingertip.

Zuko looks at the brilliant green cloth of the turtle-duck's shell, and thinks of the brilliant green leaves that some of the food vendors wrap meat and fish in before grilling, and spells out P-a-n-d-a-n.

The squad finishes their drinks, and Zuko and Kai have a quick rice-cake eating contest which ends in a tie when the rice-cake seller refuses to give them any more. They stroll through the festival together, and Mika and Hiroki take turns grabbing Kai's collar to prevent him from running off after whatever happens to catch his eye. They find an excellent spot to watch the Lion-Turtle and Dragon dances, and Zuko's face hurts with all of his grinning. Pandan the Turtle-Duck is tucked securely under his collar where he can see the dances as well.

After the festival fireworks finish echoing over the town, the squad wanders its way back towards the Stronghold, riding the flow of humanity away from the main drag of the town. Very quickly the crushing press of so many people rubs Zuko's last nerve, and he grabs Kai and drags him over next to a closing stall to wait out the crowds. They amuse themselves (and the stall's owner who watches them with an air of tolerant bemusement) by trying on masks and trying to scare each other.

Hey Danger Noodle, check this out! Kai signs, and holds up a mask painted with blue lacquer and dominated by a wide creepy grin edged with sharp-looking tusks.

Wow, that's so creepy looking! Zuko exclaims, taking the mask from Kai and holding it up to his face. Kai's eyes go wide, and then narrow in a sly grin.

Spirits, I wouldn't want to meet this thing somewhere dark and spooky.

Zuko knows that look, and answers it with his own narrow-eyed glare. What are you thinking?

Kai shrugs, leaning nonchalantly against the stall. I don't know, I just think it would be kind of hilarious if Zheng were to have an… encounter… with the spirit of this mask.

Zuko holds the mask and considers it. He's widely acknowledged to be the best shadow-walker in the Troop (a lifetime of avoiding Azula will do that), and honestly, he owes Zheng a good scare for all of the bullshit the older private says to him.

Zuko and Kai smirk at each other. Zuko pays for the mask and slips it under his tunic, and they head back to the Stronghold. Hiroki scolds them for getting separated from the rest of the squad, then sends them off to get cleaned up for bed. He and Kai share the ofuro and make their plan.

Zuko dresses in the charcoal-colored tunic and trousers he'd brought to the bathing room, fastening them loosely as sleeping clothes. After waiting a few hours for Banli Squad to go on guard duty, Zuko slips out of bed and back to the bathroom, where he dons the mask and adjusts his clothes to make them more snug for shadow-walking. Kai meets him in the bathroom and gives him an impressed thumbs up.

Awesome! He signs. Zheng's going to freak out. Might want to tie your hair back, though.

Zuko's hair now just brushes his shoulders, still shorter than it was Before, but not by much. His phoenix plume had been cut and his entire head shaved after the Agni Kai, partly to make treating the burn easier, and partly to display exactly how far from favor he'd fallen. It doesn’t grow anymore where the burn has destroyed the roots, but Zuko knows how to tie it back so that his uneven hairline and shriveled ear are covered, and does so while Kai holds his mask. He replaces the mask, and Kai nods in satisfaction.

I listened in on the patrol route brief, he signs, hands quick and eyes bright with eagerness. Zheng’s by himself.

Any idea where he is now? Zuko asks. He has to exaggerate his body language a bit to make up for the facial expressions that are hidden by the mask.

Kai shrugs, the gesture imitated by Zuko, and together they creep out of the bathroom to hunt down their quarry.

They find Zheng slumped half asleep behind some crates near the storerooms. The setup could not be more perfect.

Kai tiptoes away as Zuko crouches in the shadows on the other side of the crates, and then starts fiddling with the lock on one of the storerooms. The sounds reach Zheng, who rouses with an annoyed grunt. The older private stomps towards the storeroom to investigate, and Kai has plenty of time to slip away into the shadows. Zuko matches his own silent footsteps to Zheng’s ridiculous komodo-rhino stomps, following close behind.

Zheng holds up his lantern and examines the lock before snorting in derision. Zuko braces himself.

Zheng turns around.

The positively girly screech Zheng lets out makes Zuko grin like a madman under his mask. Zheng stumbles back, and as soon as he’s out of the small circle of light produced by the lantern Zuko turns on his heel and bounds soundlessly over to where Kai is shaking from the effort of holding back his giggles. They tap their fists together and watch Zheng attempt to explain himself to the regular guards who came running at his shriek.

Zuko scares Zheng again on the innermost wall-walk, hanging upside down from the roof of a guard pavilion. And again in that one dark service corridor everyone hates. And again behind the catapult shed. Zheng shrieks every single time, and Zuko and Kai delight in watching him having to defend himself to the increasingly impatient guards with hands that tremble a little more with each encounter. By the end of Banli Squad’s guard shift, Zheng is a walking ball of shattered nerves, and Zuko and Kai are in bed and “asleep” when the older private staggers into the dorm.

The next morning, Zuko and Kai hide their grins as Zheng is forced to endure the regular guards teasing about his “haunting” by a “blue spirit”. Zheng tries to insist that he’d at least once managed to draw a weapon on the ghost, but this is only true in the sense that he’d had a knife in his hand but had dropped it when the alleged spirit had caused him to trip and fall into a manure pile near the rhino stables, and the guards are quick to point this out to raucous laughter. Zheng continues to attempt to defend his honor, but the roasting continues and increases in force until the archer finally storms out of the mess hall in a humiliated fury.

Zuko and Kai smirk at each other, and tap their fists together under the table. Mission accomplished.

That is the first time.

Previous | Next

[just-another-author-i-guess]

Heartbeat:

Requested: yup

Warnings: she/her pronounced reader, mentions of boobs because I’m kinda gross, also I didn’t edit it through

Pairing: Zuko x blind! Reader

Authors note: I’m really sorry it took me this long to do this request, I don’t really have a good excuse or anything I’m just kinda lazy. Anyways, the other requests I got will come up soon, I promise! Okay, so in this you’re a blind waterbender, the only thing you can see are colors but everything is very blurry, luckily you’re able to see better through your bending. Kinda like Toph can see through her earthbending, are you able to feel the blood in other people and therefore know where they are. I hope you enjoy it!

~

The first thing you saw when you woke up was red. Something red standing over you. Or was it someone?

Quickly a blurry, blue form moved in front of the red, and you heard a girls voice. So it was someone.

“Zuko, can you get me some water?”

The girl in blue said, and the red figure let out a little grumble, before disappearing out of your sight.

Quickly, you tried to sit up, scared of what the two figured might do to you, but two gentle hands pushed you back down.

“Calm down, we’re not here to hurt you, actually I’m trying to heal you,”

The feminine voice explained, and you cocked your head slightly as you allowed her to push you down on the bed.

“Heal me?”

Your voice came out a little hoarse, surprising yourself, as you wondered why in the world she was trying to heal you.

Where you hurt?

“Yes, heal you. You it your head pretty bad, back in the village,”

The girl explained, and you closed your eyes again, trying to remember.

You had left the North Pole with your aunt a few years back, and moved into a little peaceful village in the earth kingdom, sadly your aunt died a couple months back and you’d been living on your own. The last you remember was going outside your house when you heard screams, you didn’t see much except some blurry black and red figures, before you woke up here.

“W-what happened?”

You asked, this time a little scared as your head were spinning, desperately trying to remember why you woke up here.

You heard the girl sigh sadly, before sitting down on the bed next to you.

“Your village was attacked by fire nation soldiers, we tried to stop them, but..”

You saw the blurry outlines of the girls head drop, as your eyebrows furrowed.

“Wha- is everyone okay?”

You asked, voice a little hesitant, scared to hear the answer.

“You..”

The girl stopped mid sentence, and turned her head fully to you, her long hair tickling your arm slightly. She swallowed hard.

“You where the only survivor, they’ve become much more ruthless,”

She started, sorrow lacing her voice and instantly you opened your mouth in shock, fists clenching.

You didn’t cry, only swallowed hard a couple times, before tilting your head up again to look in the girls direction.

“I’m so sorry-“

“Excuse me, but who are you?”

You demanded, instantly going into defense mode, fingers already moving, ready to search for nearby water.

“Sorry, I should have introduced myself first. I’m Katara, from the southern water tribe-“

“You’re from the south?”

Your defensive demeanor was quickly changed to overjoyed, when you heard where Katara was from.

“Yes, I’m their last waterbender,”

She stated, voice still filled with sorrow, but you ignored it and beamed up at what your blurry vision identified as her face.

“I’m from the north,”

You stated rather proudly, extending your hand.

“(y/n) (l/n), a bender from the northern water tribe,”

Instead of taking your hand, she instantly pulled you into a bonecrushing hug, a sharp pain erupting from your lower back all the way up to your head, and Katara instantly pulled away once she felt you cringe.

“I’m so so sorry, I completely forgot for a moment-“

She started, and you just shook your head.

“Don’t worry about it, but, what exactly did you forget?”

You tilted your head once again, the sharp pain slowly fading away.

“You got knocked out pretty hard, we saw you being thrown right into a wall, does your burn marks hurt?”

“Which burn marks- shit!”

You hissed when your hand made contact with a rather large burnmark, stretching up your neck, anger returning to you once again.

“Sit still, I’m trying to heal that-“

Katara explained, removing your hands and placing them in your lap, as you sat fully up, the blanket falling completely off you, as you bares your throat for Katara.

The water she bended around it didn’t hurt, quite contrary did it cool and soothe, and you sighed contently as the burning sensations slowly faded.

“Hey Katara-“

Thump.

Splash.

The sound of a bowl full of water being dropped to the floor, hit your ears, and you quickly turned your head in the sounds direction.

Closing your eyes, you focused what little engery you had left to feel the water and the person who had dropped it. You where able to locate the water, but as you focused deeper and felt the persons blood you noticed a male with a rather frantic heartbeat. It was much quicker than your own and Katara’s.

“Zuko, what in the world are you doing?”

Katara’s stern voice snapped at the boy, and you felt him shudder slightly.

“I-I’m- why isn’t she wearing a shirt?”

The boy asked, blood rushing to his head, you presumed he was blushing. And suddenly you knew why.

With a quick squeak you realized you were completely bare chested, except for a small string of bondages covering the most important parts of your chest.

Instantly you felt blood rush to your face, and with shaking hands you quickly covered your chest opting for staring pityfully at Katara.

“Zuko! Out!”

Katara was quick to squeak at him, and it took no more than a few milliseconds before you heard scrambling out, what you presumed was a tent.

“I’m so so sorry-“

Katara rambled on, quickly helping you into one of her shirts, before silently continuing to heal your wounds.

~

It had been a couple days since the incident with Zuko, and thankfully no one had brought it up afterwards.

You had decided to stay and help team avatar, and everyday you, Katara and Aang would go down to a nearby lake and practice waterbending. Katara has already learned you lots of cool tricks, you didn’t even knew existed.

The burn marks on your neck were slowly starting to fade, and you were finally able to be hugged without your back and head killing you.

“Earth to (y/n)!”

Aang yelled, right before a big wave of water washes over you, instantly breaking your train of thoughts as you gave Aang the nasties glare you could muster.

“What was that for?”

You yelled, and splashed water back at the grinning avatar, as soon as you surfaced from the water again.

“We’re going back to the camp, wanna come?”

Aang asked, voice still full of laughter and you couldn’t help but smile.

“No thank you, I think I’ll stay here for a little while,”

You shook your head as you spoke, and it wasn’t long before you felt them leaving the water, leaving you alone.

You sighed contently, and laid back in the water to look up at the sky. Even though you couldn’t see much, one of your favorite activities was to stare at the sky. For you, all the colors blended together creating a beautiful mess of white, yellow and blue.

Suddenly, your ears perked up, upon hearing footsteps approaching the lake. Your body relaxed, once you caught onto Zuko’s heartbeat, but quickly a warm blush spread across your cheeks when you realized that once again he would see you in only undergarments.

“O-oh, hi (y/n), I didn’t think anyone was here,”

He stammered, sounding more flustered than startled.

“Y-Yeah, where do you think we go to practice, dummy,”

You joked back, becoming a stuttering mess yourself, quickly folding hour arms over your chest in attempt to cover it even the tiniest bit.

There was silent for a bit, before you heard a little rustling and suddenly felt Zuko approach you in the water.

“Mhm, there’s tons of lakes around here,”

He grumbled, righ behind you, and a little startled you turned around to face him, chuckling.

The water around him was already starting to heat up, due to his high body temperature, and you couldn’t help but enjoy it, slowly moving closer to him.

“Why is it, you’re never wearing prober clothes when I’m around?”

He jokingly asked, and poked the hand you held protectively over your chest quickly, making you shudder and look up to look at the blurry outline of his face.

“Hm, what do you look like?”

You wondered out loud, smoothly ignoring his joke, when you felt a gentle pair of hands grip your wrist.

“You can feel,”

Zuko mumbled, and before you knew it, you were placing your hand over the scar he had told you about a couple days earlier, the other one moving down to place itself right over his heart. It was beating more frantically than ever before, you noticed.

You took you time, gently brushing your hands over his face, and before you knew it, you had come to the conclusion that he in fact was pretty handsome.

“Thank you,”

You muttered, feeling flustered, as his heartbeat sped up.

“Your heart, it’s beating very fast,”

You informed him, before gently removing your hand, sliding it down his stomach slowly.

“Y-Yeah I know, it does that a lot around you, you know?”

He said smoothly, and you let out a little squeak at his attempt at flirting, face going even redder and you playfully hit his chest.

“Stop that,”

You mumbled, voice just above a whisper, when you felt his hands come to rest on your hips, and before you knew it, a soft pair of lips was pressed against your own.

Your eyes widened, but you still leaned into the kiss, placing your hands on his shoulders and standing on your tiptoes.

His careful kiss, soon turned heated, and when you pulled away for air, he had your legs hoisted up around his waist and both your hands cupping his face, as you both were sat on a big rock in the water.

“Is my heart still beating fast?”

He wondered, leaning his head on yours and gazing into your white orbs, trying to imagine what you were seeing.

“Not anymore,”

You breathed, chest pressed against his, and you felt his increasingly slowing heartbeat against your own.

“Good.”

He mumbled, before bowing his head down and capturing your lips again.

[zutaradreams]

Day 1: The Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady

AO3

Part 2// Part 3// Part 4

Katara isn’t crazy about high school until she auditions for the Painted Lady in her favorite play...and when she sees who’s auditioning for the Blue Spirit. Written for Zutara Month 2020, To be continued on Day 10

So far Katara isn’t crazy about high school. She has some friends, but her best friends are a year behind her back in middle school. Her brother takes every measure to avoid her even though Mom told him not to. Suki and Zuko don’t even mind if she hangs out with them, just Sokka. The only period they even have together is lunch. It makes matters worse when it seems like everyone has best friends in all their classes. It looks like Katara was the only one who didn’t get the memo.

All that changes when she sees a poster for the theater club on the bulletin board next to the cafeteria. The school is hosting auditions for the upcoming school production of--wait for it--The Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady, which just so happens to be Katara’s ultimate favorite play of all time.

The play is the story of two spirits in the Spirit World, who see the mortals on Earth struggling and cross over into the physical world, even though they’re forbidden from entering the physical world by Raava, the spirit of light. The two of them cross anyways and fall in love on Earth. It’s her mom’s favorite story too. It’s their special tradition to go see the Ember Island Theatre Company’s production of it every year.

Now she has the chance to play a part in it. When she spies the sign-up sheet underneath the poster, she doesn’t hesitate to sign her name. Next to her name, there’s a spot for the character she’s auditioning for. She smiles. Of course she’s auditioning for the Painted Lady. She marks the audition in her planner right away and lets Sokka know she’ll need a ride from school. She lets Suki know, too, in case Sokka forgets.

She memorizes her lines in a day. She spends any free time researching acting tips and watching performances online to get the nuances of her favorite character just right. When the day comes, her mom wishes her luck and Gran Gran tells her to call immediately when she finds out. She isn’t even nervous when she walks into the auditorium for the audition, just excited. A few rows of students sit near the front, and she walks over with her things to take a seat with them.

She’s even more excited when she spies him in the row ahead of hers. She knows that head of gorgeous jet black hair anywhere. She taps on his shoulder to confirm.

He turns back to look at her and smiles over his shoulder. “Hey, Katara.”

“Hi, Zuko.” Zuko, Sokka’s best friend, so much sweeter than Sokka and so absolutely hot, the boy Katara’s had the biggest crush on forever. “What are you doing here?” she asks.

“My mom wants me to join theatre. She says I need to be more involved in the school.”

Katara smiles. His mom’s exactly the type to say that. “So what part are you auditioning for?”

“I’m reading for the Blue Spirit, but I hope I’m bad enough that they put me backstage.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Internally, she thinks, who wouldn’t want that boy center stage?

“Are you auditioning for the Painted Lady?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“I hope you get it.”

“Thanks. I hope you get the Blue Spirit.” She blushes when she remembers the Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady are lovers. The characters even share a kiss on stage. If everything works out the way she prays it will, if she gets the part, and he gets the part, her first kiss EVER could be with Zuko! It’s a lot to take in, so much so that she barely registers she’s supposed to be listening to what he’s saying.

“Maybe we could audition together. Some of the other kids are reading scenes together. That way we can get out of here a little faster.”

Her head spins. Performing a scene with Zuko-- a really poignant scene where the Blue Spirit tells the Painted Lady that no punishment Raava could give would be worse than separation from her--where does she sign?

“Um...yeah...maybe we could.”

The nervousness doesn’t set in until she’s up on stage with Zuko. In the front row sit the theater club sponsor, the stage director, the assistant principal, and a couple other class volunteers with clipboards in front of them. She’s supposed to start the scene. Now if only she could remember what her line was.

“If you’re so afraid of Raava, go back to the Spirit World,” she remembers finally.

“You know I can’t go without you.”

“Well, I’m not leaving. I will never turn my back on people who need me. You used to be the same way.”

“Haven’t we done enough? We’ve sacrificed everything to come here. We’ve worked and worked, and for what? The people we heal don’t stay healed. They keep getting sick! They keep killing each other! Maybe humanity is a lost cause.”

“How can you say that?”

Play-Zuko reaches for her hands. She’s so in-character right now she’ll have to daydream about that later. “Please, my love, come home with me.”

“I’ll never forgive myself if I do. But you go. I can take whatever punishment Raava has in store for me. I don’t want you to suffer too.”

In the play, the Blue Spirit lifts the veil of the Painted Lady’s head covering. Katara isn’t in costume, so he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. She stores that one away for later too. “If you think there is a greater punishment than living a life away from you, you don’t know me very well.”

This is the part right here. Here, the Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady share their kiss. Here, the theater sponsor interrupts them.

“That was great, you guys! Thank you! We’ll send you guys the list when we make our decision.”

She follows Zuko down the steps, dizzy with bliss. When they’re all dismissed, Katata searches for Sokka’s car in the parking lot. It isn’t there. There is an apologetic text message on his phone, saying Suki’s car broke down and he had to drive her to work.

She sighs. Her house is two miles away. There goes the bliss.

“Hey, do you need a ride?” asks Zuko from the driver's seat of his bright red Mercedes, the envy of so many other boys in his class, including her brother.  

“Yes, please.”

She thinks about that later too. When the list gets sent out to everyone a few days later, she isn’t surprised at all that the two of them get the leads. His mom’s thrilled. Her mom’s thrilled. He’s absolutely shocked, but she isn’t. She knows why they were cast together.

It isn’t hard to be in love with Zuko.

Her phone dings. Congrats, Painted Lady

You too, Blue Spirit .

Then the weight of it really sinks in. She is going to kiss Zuko. Zuko’s lips will be on hers. Before she sends the message, in response to some impulsive part of her brain, she adds a kissing emoji to the text. Her cheeks burn as she presses send. She’s worried he’ll tell Sokka she’s being weird, or worse, ignore her. Then his name flashes across her screen. He’s sent back a kissing emoji and a winky face.

She screenshots the message and laughs giddily, unable to believe her luck.

[royaltealovingkookiness]

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

Day 1 - Gifts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

They disappeared behind the connecting door. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[the-last-cuddlebender]

Blood In A Blacklight

Katara has a criminal empire to run, a family to protect, and plenty of shadows from the past who want to tear it all down.

Part 1: The Wind Howls (1/2) - She has him back, and everything should be perfect now, but it’s not. She’s more worried than ever. And she hasn’t slept in days.

********************************

A/N: Mafiosa!Katara and Gaang™ gang because I want it and am willing it into existence. Basically took “Sokka and I, we’re your family now” and made my take on a bending-mafia-families AU lmao

Words: 1,748

********************************

Katara punished her book for the weather and nearly tore it when she flipped the page. The words blurred again. She glared, hoping to become a firebender and burn a hole through the damn thing.

The door opened without a knock, and the frame of her vision shook, bordering on crimson. Mercy was still a foreign concept, and nearly ninety-six hours awake had mutilated her ‘moral code’ into watery dough. A few twitches of her fingers closed her hand around veins and arteries, but her bending recognized her intruder’s old blood and fresh wounds before she could register why her power wasn’t listening. It was worse than a tranquilizer. Worse than chloroform in a black alley. Aang’s heartbeat pinned her to her seat and ripped out her fangs like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Katara remembered that time was a thing that would still pass whether or not she kept breathing. Fresh rain met the wall of windows behind her. Her thumb dragged over the ear of the page. She crawled into the dull thump of his heartbeat and sank into her chair, hiding in his rhythm like it was a cave.

The soft click of the door startled her like it was a strike of lightning, stuttering her breath and rallying her instincts to probe for the nearest skein of water. She shifted, impatient for him to be closer, waiting for enemies to burst from the shadows.

She re-read the same paragraph until he limped — badly, on the left side — to her desk. He paused, thinned Katara’s sanity, and sat in one of the leather chairs across from her. His silence filled the room with static. The full moon taunted her with power for all the wrong problems. The storm put a distance of hisses and low rumbles between them, bleating her pulse against the drums of her ears.

“What are you doing?” Aang gently asked.

Katara propped her head on her fist, her voice like paint peeling from the side of an old ship. “I’m reading.”

“You’ve been staring at that page for seven minutes.”

“I’m reading slowly.”

“You’re sulking.”

She almost looked up. “I am not sulking.”

“And now you’re lying.”

Something made a spark, and Katara slammed her book, still open, on her desk. “I am not lying.”

Her almost-shout did things that the thunder could only dream of, but before Katara could retreat, Aang leaned forward, onto her desk, mirroring her posture and leaving inches between their faces. It brought the smell of the wind in his clothes, and his element tickled her frayed hair from her cheek. His presence was warm. In every way. Warm hues, warm feelings, warm heartbeat, warm memories—

It took longer for the crimson to leave her vision this time. The thin wound wasn’t the worst, but it was the most noticeable, crawling across his face and over the bridge of his nose like a comet touching from beneath one eye to under the other. It was a bleach-white horizon that his eyes sat just above, but what he leveled her with didn’t allow her the freedom to consider her to-kill list in detail.

Katara had been shot, captured, tortured, ransomed, and used as a bartering chip far more times than she dared to remember, but even oceans would part for the look that Aang gave her when she tried to dance around the truth with him and win. She scowled, not that it helped her. Intensity clouded his eyes in a smokescreen, and grey irises darted in short, sharp glances that wouldn’t have been noticeable if he was any further away.

Katara’s finger itched to turn the page. Aang’s breathing had been steady, but when he exhaled again, closing his eyes, it took the strength out of his shoulders and kicked her in the chest.

“You promised you would stop looking into this.”

Katara snapped the book shut and set it aside. “I told you to stay away from the hospital.”

“I had to see her. And you went there, too.”

He didn’t mention a name, but still, Katara’s nails dug into her hands and threatened to draw blood. She seethed, but her fire didn’t phase him. Always him. Only him. Even in her office she was powerless.

Lips pulled into a tight line, she took a calming breath and held it, waiting for it to start working. Aang didn’t look away. His smokescreen was looking more like a storm and shone lightning like steel blades clashing.

She knew what her glare did to good men, and she knew it didn’t work on him, but she looked away all the same. Her eyes found the book, and the pins and needles from her held breath suddenly became the cold gasps of a child who couldn’t run fast enough. She saw the splintering of ancient wooden doors and the darkness that spilled from them. She felt the ice of new irons and the strain they put on growing bones.

And the screams. There should have been screams…

Katara blinked and was back in her office, greeted by the sheets of bullets on her windows and the warm heat of Aang’s attention. She looked at him. He was the same as her gaze had left him.

She didn’t mean to sound so defeated, but she was so tired of losing. “What were you thinking, Aang?”

“Katara, you’re scared and angry and hurt and I get it, but you don’t have to save me anymore. I’m right here.”

“I can’t sit by and do nothing. If I don’t fight for you, then no one will.”

She had seen men recoil from a bullet through the heart, but Aang caught himself just before the stage of crumpling to the ground. His gaze dropped, staggering to her necklace and then to her desk. “…I guess you’re right.”

Katara scrambled to pick up his pieces. “That’s not what I—”

“I know.” He splayed his palm, pretending to read the lines. “You didn’t mean it.”

Lightning lit up the room, like a picture being taken. Katara combed back her hair, fiddling with her low ponytail, and gave up trying to keep her empty hands occupied. “Can you just—” She grabbed the air like she could hold onto the problem. “Can you just promise me that you won’t do something like that again? Please?”

It was the closest she had ever — ever — come to begging, but Aang kept his eyes on his palm. “I can’t do that.”

“Yes, you can.”

“I’m not one of your goons to boss around,” he said, still without looking up, though his brow furrowed with a small crease.

“At least they know their limits. None of this would have happened if you had just let me handle it. This is my family, and that includes you, whether you like it or not.”

“I don’t belong to you.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“Then why are you still here?”

“Because you need me, too,” he said, with a soft voice that could shake a stadium. “And I might just be a speedbump to knock you on your ass and make you think twice before you do it anyways, but you’re my family too.”

The silence yawned, hissing with a thick but fine sheet of rain. If it weren’t for her desk, Katara would have hugged him. Probably. Doubt opened a pit in her belly, and her throat threatened to seal shut. Instinct and intuition went to war and left her with the sinking feeling that touching him would just prove how far away he was.

Aang still didn’t look up from his hand. Katara tried to find the right words and, more importantly, how to say them, but all she could manage after so many years of lying was a tender inflection of his name. “Aang…”

“They made me forget your face,” he said, deflating like saying it out loud finally made the scars real. His voice was watery, broken on the last vowel, and took a sledgehammer to Katara’s chest. “And now you…” He gestured. “Now you’re there and I’m here and…” The word died. He paused, then dragged his eyes up to hers. “You think of them when you look at me, so I see them, too. They scare me. And now you scare me. And I don’t want to be scared of you because I don’t want to stop looking at you. But it scares me. A lot.”

“I…Aang, I’m sorry—”

“I know. I know,” he said as he stood. His eyes roamed her empty desk, trying to find something of hers and settling on the book, which broke what was left of him. “…You didn’t mean it.”

Katara stood, but the desk was still in the way. “Aang, wait—”

“I'm going to take a walk to…,” he trailed, more in his own thoughts than in her office. “…I’ll get Zuko so you don’t worry.”

She should have gone after him. She should have done something, but her legs were pillars of cement. The door bled fluorescent yellow light into her twilight and took him, in his red and orange robes from across the world, with it.

Something cold crawled out of the old attic of where her heart was supposed to be. It cracked, weaving thin white scars — like his — in a web across her vision. She braced herself on the desk. There was nowhere to hide. No heartbeat. Not even a wound to distract her with its pain. She closed her eyes and bared her teeth and wished she had the strength to cry without him. Just this once, without him. She was so full and so empty and on the verge of combustion—

Something broke, something small, like a cornerstone, and Katara plopped into her chair. She breathed just like he taught her and eventually rubbed her face. Her bones ached. Everything ached. She was so tired of losing. She just wanted to sleep without knowing that she would wake up, still stuck in her worst nightmare.

Thunder growled above the city. Katara picked up the book. It was blurry, no matter how much she blinked. She dragged her nail over the scuff marks, feeling the minute pilling of old leather like a topographic map of the past.

Aang’s absence reminded her why she was reading, but she wasn’t sure if she could anymore. The book took on the weight of a planet, her arms even moreso.

Realization dawned slowly, like a dog attack in slow motion. The thought was a shadow bleeding out of the tall grass to fill her stomach with ice.

She peeled open the pages, praying to whoever would answer.

It burned. It burned like fire never could. It ate her away from the inside out, like cinders consuming a dry leaf in the time it took to blink.

The raindrops became smaller, like a mist, and gently brushed the windows. Standing was a miracle, but Katara dragged her feet around her desk, falling into Aang’s chair.

It was warm, like his shadow always was. She crawled into the footprint his life left behind, imagining his heartbeat in the hug of plush leather and the smell of salt and sand that reminded her where home was. Katara told herself to breathe and sank into the reasons why. Her legs curled beneath her, like when she was a girl, back when she wore her mother’s dresses to imagine herself a hero and not in three-piece suits to mask bloodstains.

She read the book slowly, from the beginning again, trying to love even the words that hurt. When lightning struck, she held it closer, trying to protect it, even though she knew that she couldn’t.

********************************

.

.

Don’t know if I described it well enough, but Aang’s ‘scar’ (quotes because it eventually seals up into a thin line) is supposed to be like the bottom arch of the Yu Yan archers’ tattoos.

[whocalledhimannux]

The Avatar State is such an amazing Zuko&Iroh episode. I actually think it’s one of the first episodes that actually makes it clear not only how much Zuko’s experience of abuse shaped his motivations, but how it warped his sense of relationships.

Like, how when Azula first tells him he can go home, he doesn’t quite believe it at first. It reminds me of a dog that’s been hit, who curls up in a corner and won’t even take food when it’s offered because it’s too suspicious, too wary of getting hurt again. But then, when he has accepted it, Zuko embraces it wholeheartedly and doesn’t have any room for doubt. The tiniest hint that something is wrong would shatter the illusion... the illusion that he’s about to get exactly what he was hoping for at the beginning of the episode—his honor, his throne, for his father not to think he’s worthless. When Iroh (very gently) tries to suggest that something doesn’t fit with the story, Zuko lashes out.

And not only does he tell Iroh he’s wrong, but he goes on the offensive, suggesting that Iroh’s “always been jealous of his brother.” Which is such an interesting accusation, because we don’t see any canon basis for it anywhere! it’s Iroh who has the more distinguished military career, and he never gives a whiff of indication that he would rather be Fire Lord. So I have to wonder—is Zuko parroting things he’s heard from Ozai, here? Or is he projecting his relationship to his younger sibling into his uncle and his father? (Getting some Isaac/Ishmael and Jacob/Esau generational vibes here, the elder shall serve the younger, etc.)

Then that moment where Iroh tells Zuko he’s changed his mind! Ugh! It’s such a quick moment, but I think the art and the acting are both great. One of the few genuine moments of happiness we see from Zuko in the first season and a half... and actually, now that I’m reflecting on it—maybe the first genuine moment of happiness we see from him? I can think of a few triumphant moments from Zuko in season one, but no real joy? Oof.

And I know Zuko’s art shift has been talked over to death, but in the meta I’ve seen, people have mostly pointed to the end of this episode and beyond—beginning with the haircut. Definitely the longer hair covering the edge of his scar, and making his face smaller plays a major part, and so does the fact that his expressions change along with his growth—in season one there are a lot of really dramatic expressions of rage that contort his face, and while those don’t go away entirely, there is a marked shift towards more subtle expressions of frustration, resignation, hesitation, etc, even still focusing on the negative side of things.

But I do genuinely think there’s already an art shift happening in the beginning and middle of this episode. The clothes, I think, are a big deal. Previously we’ve seen Zuko mostly in armor or tactical wear (the black clothes as the Blue Spirit and the white ones sneaking into the North Pole). I can think of one or two “leisure” outfits but still dark reds, greys, and black. In this episode, Zuko’s wearing a much more casual tunic, with a red accent, but mostly a pale pink. And something about his face and his eyes... He just looks younger. More vulnerable.

Granted, it’s hard to find a screencap of S1 Zuko with anything close to a “neutral” expression, but still. The warmer lighting, the close shot on his face, and the subtle shift in art style do a lot. Even when Zuko is fighting Azula, his anger is tempered by a more genuine fear than we usually see from Zuko in season one (aside from flashbacks).

It just makes me think about how, really, this episode is showing us Zuko from Iroh’s point of view. In season one, he seems old and scary and a much more classic villain-with-a-tragic-backstory. In this episode, the writers and artists are signaling that he’s something more—not someone with a tragic past and an evil future, but someone angling for redemption. And it starts with them going “hey guys, friendly reminder that Zuko had a really fucked up family—and oh yeah! he’s SIXTEEN, BTW!!”

[zutaras-where-its-at]

Can you do 46 “I thought you were dead” please?

Okay, I got very carried away and this became a threeshot. But I’m only posting the first part for now, lol. Also, I know I should be writing stuff for Zutara Week, but I really wanted to get all these drabble prompts finished first before starting anything else so looks like I won’t be contributing anything original this year lmao. My bad.

[based off this tweet because it made me laugh so hard that i got a plot idea // aka katara goes ghost]

xxximstillonmobileandiknowisuckfornotknowinghowtoaddareadmorelinebutpleaseforgivemexxx

His friends think he’s insane for accepting the job offer at Caldera Memorial Cemetery to clean the graveyards in the middle of night while the establishment is closed.

On his first night, Azula had handed him a black, engraved hunting knife (that he never wants to know the backstory of) and laughed as she wished him good luck. Even Iroh gave him a serious look and warning to be careful, but Zuko knows his Uncle only worries because of his unusual and creative beliefs about the supernatural world.

Zuko suffers no such ideology and therefore accepts the position because it promises to pay off his rent in a way that half-baked superstitions cannot.

On the third day of his second week on the job, Zuko wishes he had paid more attention to Uncle’s fanciful stories.

He’s in the middle of raking a pile of leaves out of the walkways under the light of a full moon and a service lantern his boss had provided him, when she appears.

“Why don’t you just use a leaf blower?”

Zuko isn’t proud of the high-pitched “fucking shit” that tears its way out of his throat and into the still night air. He whirls around, hefting the rake like a sword, and his wide eyes meet the calm, if not amused, pale blue gaze of a girl standing behind him.

He seethes and winds himself up to tell her off for trespassing on private property in the middle of the night when something unusual catches his attention.

The tips of her long, wavy hair seem to almost float in a nonexistent breeze, and the ends of her shoulders, fingertips, and feet simply faze in and out of sight.

“What the hell.”

She laughs a little and tilts her head to the side. “What? Never seen a ghost before?”

His jaw unhinges, and a chill sweeps through the length of his spine. Stubbornly, he blinks hard, attempting to rid himself of this frighteningly realistic mirage.

The girl rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. “I know what you’re thinking, and yes, I am real. No amount of trying to convince yourself otherwise is going to get rid of me.”

Zuko stares unabashedly for a few moments before making the split second decision to rally whatever is left of his pride, and face this situation head on. She doesn’t look like a threatening ghost, after all.

“You can’t be a ghost.” Her eyebrow raises incredulously, but he plows through. “If you were really a ghost, then why are you the only one here? Why aren’t there any others?”

An almost frustrated look overcomes her and she huffs. Zuko notices that he can see his breath in the cold night air, but hers leaves no trace.

“There are others. Lots of them. But for some reason, none of the other spirits can see you except for me. And I don’t think any living people can see me except for you.”

He doesn’t know quite what to say to that, and can’t help the perfunctory look that he gives to the rest of the empty cemetery, before looking back at her.

He hadn’t realized it before, but she’s dressed in surprisingly modern and stylish clothes. Her yellow sundress with little white daisies scattered across the fabric is at odds with the cool fall air and the bright moon above them. Zuko almost does a double take at the red stain stretching from one side of her torso to the other.

“What’s that?”

She blinks in confusion before following his eyes to her stomach. Her figure goes slightly rigid, and she looks back up at him with a resigned expression. “I think that’s how I died. I don’t really remember much, but I know I was in the car with Sokka—my brother—and someone ran a red and hit us at the intersection. And then... Well, I woke up at the hospital, but the entire building was empty except for all these other spirits who had also just died. I didn’t know what else to do, so I followed them here. You’re the first live person I’ve been able to see.”

Zuko wrings his hands around the handle of the rake he’s still holding. “And how long have you been here?”

At this, the girl groans and rubs violently at her eyes with the heel of her palms. “Weeks. I’ve been here for weeks now, which is way longer than any other spirit I’ve ever met. But whatever I do,” her breath hitches here, “I just can’t pass on.”

Something aches in him, because he knows what it feels like to be left behind—to feel like you’re always sprinting just to catch up.

“How long do the others stay for?”

“All the other spirits—they only stay here for a few days at most, usually just to make peace with their death, and then they disappear.” She sits heavily on am ornate headstone beside her, and he’s fascinated by how it makes her seem that much more tangible. “But I’ve done everything I can to prepare myself for the passing. I went and visited my home to say goodbye. I went back to the hospital room that I had first woken up in over and over again until it didn’t hurt anymore to be there. I—I even sat at my mother’s grave for days and hoped that she would come to take me to whatever the hell comes next... but...”

She chokes off and Zuko watches a glimmering tear drop from her lashes and promptly dissipate before it even hits the ground.

“None of the other spirits will even talk to me. I know they can hear and see me, but every time I try to approach one, they just look the other way and move on.”

The dejection in her voice assuages the last of Zuko’s uneasiness, and he feels his sympathy pulling towards this strange ghost girl.

“I’m sorry.” He hesitates for fraction of a second before continuing. “I—I also know what it’s like to feel alone.”

She lifts her chin, a hopeful look brightening her face.

Zuko sighs. “A lot of people tend to get scared off by—well, I mean,” he gestures half-heartedly to the deep red scar marring his otherwise normal features.

Understanding bleeds across her expression and she stands to walk closer to him. The air around him drops in temperature with every step she takes, but he suppresses his shiver and holds his ground.

Her hand raises slowly, giving him enough time to reject her advancements, but Zuko just closes his eyes and stifles a gasp as the faint impression of ice cold fingertips graze the edge of his scar. He would almost swear in that moment that she’s a live person standing before him, caressing the ruined skin of his face.

“I’m sorry.” There is pity in her voice, but there is also pain, and somehow he knows that she does not think less of him for his mark of weakness. “If it helps, I think it makes you look badass.”

He opens his eyes to squint at her, a lopsided grin stretching over his lips to match her soft smile. “Really?”

She nods sagely, her not-quite-opaque eyes glittering with mirth. “Oh, for sure. Definitely gives you a devil-may-care vibe that every chick secretly digs.”

A huff of laughter escapes him, and he suddenly remembers that he is supposed to be doing a job and—perhaps slightly more importantly—that he is allowing himself to be distracted from said job by an oddly extroverted ghost girl.

Uncle would have a field day.

She seems to notice his hesitancy and drops her hand, backing up from him. The laughter still lingers in her eyes, but she just shakes her head and smiles. “I’m Katara, by the way.”

“Zuko.”

“Thank you, Zuko. For not being scared, and for letting me vent to you about my post-death conundrum.”

“I wish I could have helped you.”

Katara grins. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. It doesn’t seem like you have a whole lot of experience in this department, and I can’t begrudge you the fact that you’ve never died.”

Zuko nearly laughs, but settles for an only slightly awkward smile. “Well, let me know if there’s, uh, anything I can do for you. You know, for my next shift.”

She bites her lip, apparently racking her brain for something within his scope of ability, before perking up. “Actually, if you could bring a speaker and play the new Elementals album for me, that would be incredible. It was supposed to drop a week or two ago, and they’re my favorite band. I’ve been dying to listen to it.”

“I thought you were dead.”

The joke slips out before he can think twice, and Zuko winces. Azula has told him before that his comedic delivery is dry at best and insulting at worst, and he isn’t trying to cause unnecessary pain to this already suffering spirit.

But Katara only snickers and stifles a groan that somehow comes across as wistful. “You would get along way too well with my brother. And besides, it seems like I may only be half-dead.”

With that, she gives him a final parting smile and simply ceases to exist.

Zuko stares blankly for a few minutes at the patch of undisturbed grass she had been standing in and wonders why all the weird things always happen to him.

[justsomewritingblogg]

Avatar: TLA  (Part 14 of many)

Request:  None

Requested By:  Nobody

Pairing:  Zuko x reader

Summary:  Return to Omashu

Warnings:  None?

A/N:  Zuko’s in chapter 18, folks!

Word Count:  3K+

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I can’t believe it.  I know the war has spread far, but Omashu always seemed……untouchable.”  Aang confessed, looking to the city.

“Up until now, it was.”  Sokka informed.  “Now Ba Sing Se is the only great Earth Kingdom stronghold left.”  He commented, crossing his arms.

“This is horrible.”  Katara admitted, walking towards Aang.  “But we have to move on.”

“No.  I’m going in to find Bumi.”  Aang determined.

“Who’s Bumi?”  You asked.

“He’s a crazy earthbender king, who runs this place, or did, and knew Aang a hundred years ago.”  Sokka informed.  You blinked.

“Oh.”

“Aang, stop.  We don’t even know if Bumi’s still….”  Sokka began.

“What?  Still what?”  Aang questioned, a sharp tone to his voice.

“Around.”  Sokka finished lamely.

“I know you had your heart set on Bumi, but there are other people who can teach you earthbending.”  Katara comforted.

“This isn’t about finding a teacher.  It’s about finding a friend.”  Aang informed.  You smiled, stepping forward and placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Well, you’re not going alone.”

“Thanks.”

“Besides, you’re gonna need all the help you can get.”  You commented, taking another look at the large firenation crest on a banner over the wall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Appa had dropped everyone off on the side of the mountain, below the bridge.

“A secret passage?  Why didn’t we just use this last time?”  Sokka asked as Aang began prying at a grate with his stick.  The lid finally came off and a green substance flowed out of it.  Appa flew away, while Sokka made a horrified noise.

“Does that answer your question?”  Aang asked, climbing inside.  Katara climbed in after him, then you, followed by a hesitant Sokka.  Aang was airbending the sewer…..stuff…..out of his way, where it recollected in front of Katara.  She used waterbending to move it towards you, and you moved it as well.  You heard a bunch of noises from behind you and you turned, seeing Sokka covered with it.  Your hesitation caused Katara’s overflow to cover you, the surprise knocking you off balance.  You slid into Sokka, taking you both back down to near the entrance.  You stood.

“Forget this.”  You muttered.  You used bending to have the green liquid surround both your and Sokka’s feet.  You brought your arms up into the air.  “Hold on.”  You advised.  Sokka grabbed ahold of you.  You brought your arms down and you skyrocketed upwards, easily catching up with, and passing, Aang and Katara.  You made it to the top and instructed Sokka to lift the cover, so he could see if anyone was there.  He did, while you used bending to keep you there, and he said the coast was clear.  You shot you and Sokka out, landing on your feet, while Sokka landed on his stomach.  You used bending to get the grime and grossness off of you.  You turned to do the same to Sokka when you saw he was absolutely covered in it.  From head to toe.

You cleaned him off as well, just as Katara and Aang emerged, and you saw two pink creatures stuck to his cheeks.  Your eyes widened in confusion and alarm.  They had several eyes, and several tentacles.

“They won’t let go!”  Sokka shouted as he tried to pry them off his face.  He continued to yell.

“Stop making so much noise.  It’s just a purple pentapus.”  Aang told him.  You raised your eyebrow.  Aang tickled the creature’s head…body(?)…..and it popped off.  Sokka did the same to the one on his other cheek while Aang took care of the one on the back of his friend’s neck.

“Hey!”

You all turned, seeing three firenation guards making their way towards you.  You, Sokka and Katara had all decided to wear black cloaks, but Aang did no such thing, causing him to be pretty noticeable.  He ducked behind you three, and emerged seconds later, with a red cloth over his head, shielding his arrow from view.

“What are you kids doing out past curfew?”  One of them asked.

“Sorry.  We were just on our way home.”  Katara lied, turning and walking away.  Sokka and Aang followed in pursuit, you shortly after.

“Wait.  What’s the matter with him?”

You all stopped, and turned to look at Sokka’s marks.  The purple pentapus’ left behind little red dots.

“He has pentapox, sir.”  Katara lied again, turning her brother around to face the guard.  The man walked forward, and was about to touch the marks when Katara spoke up again.  “Um, it’s highly contagious.”

Sokka seemed to get the hint.  “Ugh, it’s so awful, I’m dying.”  He drawled out, reaching his arms towards the guard.

“And deadly.”  Katara added to her previous statement.  The man backed up.

“I think I’ve heard of pentapox before.  Didn’t your cousin, Chang, die of it?”  He asked, turning to one of his fellow guards.  “We’d better go wash our hands.”  Sokka kept approaching, coughing dramatically.  “And burn our clothes.”  They said, rushing off.

“Well they weren’t too bright, were they?”  You asked, crossing your arms.

“Thank you, sewer friend.”  Aang told the small creature, petting it.  You all jogged off, getting higher and deeper into the city.  You ducked behind a pile of beams, followed by your friends, upon seeing two guards walk by.

“Let’s find Bumi and get out of here.”  Katara whispered.

“Where would they be keeping him?”  Sokka asked.

“Somewhere he can’t earthbend.”  Aang noted, looking around.  “Somewhere made of metal.”  He suddenly ran out, forcing you, Katara and Sokka to follow.  He had begun the upwards spiral to the center of the city when he slowed to a walk.  You had made it about half-way up when you heard a rumble.  You turned to your right, and saw two large boulders rolling down.  Aang noticed it, too.  He sent a large gust of wind, knocking the boulders into a nearby wall.  A large dust cloud emitted from it.  You looked down and saw a small group of people, with most of them holding torches.

“The resistance!”  A woman shouted.  Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, a bunch of throwing knifes were shot towards you.  You, Sokka and Katara moved to the side, while Aang jumped.  You all ran off, Katara stopping to send a water-whip at the two soldiers that followed, sending them off the mountain.

You and your friends made it a little bit further, but a young woman started chasing your gaang as well.  Aang used airbending to collapse a wooden structure.  He spun his glider, the wood blocking another throwing star.  You observed the woman, trying to put her picture in your mind as a threat.

She had black hair that was partly tied up in two small buns on her head, and two small sections reaching past her shoulders.  Her eyes were narrow, filled with a scary gleam, and she wore red and black clothes.  You didn’t get to look her over for very long, because she shot some more weapons at you.  However, before they could connect, the ground swallowed you and your friends.

You landed underground, all four of you rubbing your heads.  You looked up.  You were surrounded by earthbenders.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So, is King Bumi with you guys?”  Aang asked.  You were being led through a tunnel.  The green crystals on the walls were the only sources of light.  “Is he leading the resistance?”  Everyone turned to look.

“Of course not!”  The leader answered.  “The day of the invasion, we readied ourselves for battle.”  He began.  “We were prepared to defend our city; to fight for our lives and our freedom.  But before we even had a chance, King Bumi surrendered.”  He explained.  You cocked an eyebrow.  “The day of the invasion I asked King Bumi what he wanted to do.  He looked me in the eye, and said, ‘I’m going to do…nothing.’  It doesn’t matter now.  Fighting the firenation is the only path to freedom.  And freedom is worth dying for.”

“Actually, there’s another path to freedom.”  Aang informed.  “You could leave Omashu.  You’re directing all of your energy to fight the firenation, but you’re outnumbered.  You can’t win.  Now’s the time to retreat so you can live to fight another day.”

“You don’t understand.  They’ve taken our home, and we have to fight them at any cost.”

“I don’t know, Yung.  Living to fight another day is starting to sound pretty good to me.”  Another earthbender voiced.

“Yeah, I’m with the kid.”  Another agreed.  The crowd began to murmur among themselves.

“Fine.  But there’s thousands of citizens that need to leave.  How are we gonna get them all out?”

“Suckers!”  Sokka exclaimed.  You cocked an eyebrow.

“Sokka, no need to be rude.”

“No, not those kind of suckers.  You’re all about to come down with a nasty case of pentapox.”  He clarified.  You thought it over for a moment, before a wide smile made its way onto your face.

“Sokka, you’re a genius!”  You complimented, planting a chaste kiss on his cheek.  “I’ll go find some!”  You announced, jogging off.  You re-entered the gross sewer, and spent several minutes using your bending to spread out the sewer water so you could better see.  You saw a flash of purple and walked over to the creature, picking it up.  You observed it as it began sucking your hand.

“You’re so cute.”  You told it, patting its head.  You left it on you, using your own body as a storage unit, and figuring you would need to be covered with marks as well, so win-win.  You found a couple more, placing some on your face, arms, neck and legs.  You emerged several minutes later and used bending to get the gunk off you, before you marched back to the tunnels.  You walked in and stretched out your arms.

“Line up!  Grab some and place them on yourself before passing them along!”  You instructed.  “They let go when you tickle their heads.”  You informed.  You were soon swarmed by people, who took the purple pentapus’ off of you, or most of them, anyway.  The first one you’d picked up, that had attached itself to your hand, remained there and refused to let go.  You stared at it, confused.

“Buddy, you have to let go.”  You urged.  The creature remained unmoved.  You sighed and tickled it.  It slowly detached itself, but once you tried to give it to someone it clung on to your other hand.  You frowned, looking at it.  “Why are you like this?”

“Y/n, we’re ready to go.”  Sokka informed.  You looked up at him and nodded, heading above ground.  It was day, and the sun was shining pretty bright.  The creature had moved up your arm to cling onto your shoulder.

“The marks make you look sick, but you gotta act sick, too.”  Sokka told the people.  “You gotta sell it.”  An elderly man walked by, with his cane, moaning.  Everyone watched in curiosity.  “Now that’s what I’m talking about.”  Sokka said.

“Years of practice.”  The man said, hitting his peg-leg with his cane.  Your eyes widened in alarm.

“Okay everyone, into ‘sick formation’!”  Sokka instructed.

“There’s a formation?”  You asked, crossing your arms.

“Hey, you gotta be prepared.”  He defended.

“Speaking of, you gotta get off.”  You told the pentapus.  “They can’t see you, or it’ll give it away.”  The creature let go and scurried inside your shirt, clinging to your stomach.  “Well, at least you can’t see him.”  You muttered.

“Aang, what are you doing?  Aren’t you coming with us?”  Katara asked upon seeing Aang walk away.

“No.  I’m not leaving until I find Bumi.”  He declared, Momo hopping atop his shoulder, tugging at his mouth.  Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion and alarm.  “Sorry Momo.  I’ll feed you later.”  He assured.  You raised an eyebrow.  Aang leapt into the air, disappearing behind a building.  You looked to Katara and shrugged, before both of you followed the large group.

Everyone entered a courtyard, moaning loudly and walking slowly.  The firenation soldiers were clearly alarmed.  You all got closer.

“Plague!  Plague!”  One shouted.  They all ran away while one in a tower starting hitting a warning bell.  A few moments later the gate opened.  Everyone slowly made their way to it.  So close, you thought.  And in what felt like ages, you had all made it out.  Well, except Aang.

You had set up camp some distance away, when you saw Aang walking towards the group, a giant creature walking next to him.  Your eyes shot open wide, and you began bending some water out of your canteen, when you realized Aang didn’t seem to be in peril.  You cocked an eyebrow and put the water back.  Katara and Sokka walked towards him, so you did as well.

“I looked everywhere.”  He started, voice tired.  “No Bumi.”  He declared.  Katara wrapped him up in a hug, while the creature gently pushed Sokka’s back with its nose.  Sokka turned around and hugged the creature’s face.  You watched the interaction with a heavy heart.  You hadn’t met Bumi, but you knew Aang cared about him deeply.

“We’ve got a problem.  We just did a headcount.”  Yung announced, jogging up.  Katara asked what everyone was thinking.

“Oh, no.  Did someone get left behind?”  She questioned.

“No, we have an extra.”  He said, turning and pointing to Momo.  Attached to Momo, was a child.  No older than three.  He was being drug around by the poor lemur.  You made a face.

“Oh, great.”  Sokka voiced sarcastically.

“I don’t like kids.”  You informed, watching the child skeptically.  “They’re nothing but trouble.”

~~~~~~~~~

And trouble it was.  Everyone was split up into groups, sitting around their own campfires.  Momo sat with your group, consisting of you, Sokka, Katara, Aang, Appa, and Flopsy, as you learned the creature’s name was.  So, since Momo was there, so was the child.  It reached for Sokka’s club, and began sucking on it.  Sokka pulled it out of his mouth and held it up high.

“No!  Bad fire-nation baby!”  He scolded.  The child began to wail, and Katara slapped her brother’s arm.  “Oh, alright.”  He said, defeated.  He handed his club back to the child, who stopped crying.

“Aw, you’re so cute!”  Katara told the child in a baby voice.  You winced.

“Ew, Katara.”

“Sure, it’s cute now.  But when he’s older he’ll join the fire-nation army.”  Yung announced.  “You won’t think he’s so cute, then.  He’ll be a killer.”

“Does that look like the face of a killer to you?”  Katara asked, holding the child up.

“Even the Firelord was a child, once.”  You told her, tearing your gaze away from the fire to look her in the eyes.  The group went silent.  The only noises being that of the crackling flames, and the faint voices of the other groups.  A loud noise was heard, and you all turned.  A bird landed on a rock, not very far from you.

“A messenger hawk.”  Yung observed.  Aang walked forward and opened the container on its back, rolling open the parchment.

“It’s from the fire-nation governor.”  He informed.  “He thinks we kidnapped his son.  So, he wants to make a trade.”  Aang read.  “His son, for King Bumi.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“You realize we’re probably walking right into a trap.”  Sokka told him.  It was now morning, and Aang had his head wrapped again, concealing his arrow, as he carried the child towards Appa.

“I don’t think so.”  Aang disagreed.  “I’m sure the governor wants his son back as much as we want Bumi.”

“Not all parents care for their children like ours did.”  You announced, thinking back briefly to your conversation with Zuko at the North Pole.  You wrapped your arms around yourself.  “I don’t trust it.”

“It’s a new day.  I have a good feeling about this.”  Aang said, looking at the child.  You sighed.

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Sokka held the boy, while you, Katara and Aang stood next to him.  Three women made their way closer, and you recognized the one in the front as the girl that had attacked you earlier.  On her right was a girl in pink, with her hair tied up.  On her left, wearing a crown and dressed in reds, browns and blacks, was who you assumed to be the Firelord’s daughter.  Zuko’s sister.  Again, your mind replayed the words Zuko had said when he captured Aang.

“You’re like my sister.  Everything always came easy for her.  She’s a firebending protégé.  And everyone adores her.  My father says she was born lucky.  He says I was lucky to be born.”

You immediately felt distaste as you watched her approach.  A terrible feeling settled in your stomach.

“Hi, everybody!!”  A sudden voice yelled.  You looked up and saw an old man’s face inside a coffin-shaped restraining box.  This must be Bumi.

“You brought my brother?”

“He’s here.”  Aang answered.  “We’re ready to trade.”

You resisted the urge to look at the child.  You were cautious of taking your eyes off the enemies.  They talked quietly amongst themselves before the one in front stepped forward.

“The deal’s off.”  She announced, signaling for King Bumi to be raised.

“Woah!!  See you all later!”  He shouted.

“Bumi!”  Aang yelled.  He charged forward, but the Princess stepped forward, shooting blue fire at him.  Your eyes widened and you let out a gasp.  Aang leapt into the air and pulled out his glider.  His head-wrap came off, revealing his arrow.  You looked back to the trio, and watched as the Princess ran inside.  Aang landed on the cage and began blowing on it.  You looked ahead of you, just in time to see the other two charge.

“We’ve got to get the baby out of here!”  Katara announced.

“Way ahead of ya.”  Sokka assured, taking a break from blowing into the bison-whistle.  You all ran, trying to put more distance between you.  Sokka suddenly fell, and slid to the edge of the platform.  The girl in pink jumped out of a hole in the ground before running after him.  You wrapped water around her ankle, pulling.  She fell, giving Sokka enough time to escape.  Katara dealt with the other one, while you avoided the punches.  The girl in pink flipped past you suddenly, striking Katara on the arms and back.

The ice that Katara had encased her opponent’s arm in splashed onto the ground.  Katara tried to raise it again, but it was no use.

“How are you gonna fight without your bending?”  The girl in red asked.  You glared deeply.  She didn’t have to sound so patronizing.  She pulled out a dagger, and just as you were about to bend, a boomerang hit it out of her hand.

“I seem to manage!”  Sokka shouted from his spot atop Appa.  The large bison landed and smacked his tail on the ground, sending the girls backwards.  You helped Katara into the saddle and just managed to climb in yourself before Appa took off.

“There’s Aang!”  Katara told her brother, pointing at some sort of slide.  Your brows furrowed.

“What?”  You asked yourself.

“We can catch ‘em!”  Sokka announced, brining Appa closer.  Aang shouted something, but you couldn’t make out any of it.  He threw the cage, but it went to high, and you all missed.  Aang jumped after it.

“Aang!”  You shouted, looking over the edge of the saddle.  You watched helplessly as the cage landed on the slide, and Aang atop the cage.  The princess was following them quickly in her own boat-shaped object.  Sokka groaned.

“We have to find another way around!”  He shouted, steering Appa.  The large bison flew through the city, getting lower.  He turned a corner, seeing a gap, and flew upwards, just in time to see the king going back up the slide.

“He can still earthbend!?”  You asked.  Aang jumped into the saddle.

“He said he still has something to do here.  That he has to wait for the right time.  He said I need to find an earthbending teacher that stops and listens.”  He explained.  You nodded in understanding.

A small cry was heard and you turned, seeing the baby.  You let out a groan.

“We’ll take him back once it gets dark.”  Sokka informed.  You slid to the other end of the saddle.

“That long?”  You complained.

A/n:  I’m getting back into the swing of things!  In the next one you get to find out more about Y/n!  Then, (if you’d like), you can re-read some (if not all) chapters to see where I dropped hints!  (Because I did.)

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