a/n: holy shitttt what is that???? an ehfar update after a tiny short chill two years ???? like 2 days after i said i would update it??? i started this in the tumblr atla renaissance and goddamn i will FINISH IT in the tumblr atla renaissance. i wont waste my time apologizing bc at this point you guys are used to it. i had to write this chapter using 2nd person pov because i physically cannot use third person Y/N anymore sorry again! but here's a chill ember island players chapter before shit goes down hope you enjoy!!
wc: 4k
warning(s): the ember island players episode which is pretty chill. yn and zuko have a heart to heart at the end because ofc they dooo
âYou canât be serious.âÂ
âOf course Iâm serious,â Sokka said.Â
âWhen I said I wanted to see a play,â you said wryly, âthis is not what I meant.âÂ
âWe canât not go!â he exclaimed as he gestured at the posture. âI mean, itâs literally a play all about us! Weâre Fire Nation famous!âÂ
âBecause half of them want us dead,â Katara responded blithely. âSurely someone will recognize us.âÂ
âWeâll just sit in the back,â he said. âWeâve already gone through half of the Fire Nation and no oneâs discovered us yet.âÂ
âSokka and I were out in town all day and no one noticed us,â Suki said.Â
Zuko frowned. âI havenât been with you, though. It canât be a good idea for me to be there.âÂ
âYouâre not getting out of this, Zuko,â you said. âIf we all have to sit through this, you do too.âÂ
âIâm not trying to get out of it!â he defended. âIâm trying to keep us from getting captured.â
âNothing we canât handle if we do get caught,â Toph said. âWe should go. I wanna see us win all those fights again.âÂ
Aang looked at the poster again. âItâs by the Ember Island Players.âÂ
Zuko groaned at that and shook his head. âThen weâre definitely not going. The Ember Island Players are a jokeâthey butcher Love Amongst the Dragons every year.âÂ
âI donât know,â Aang said. âI think we could all use some downtime!âÂ
âExactly!â Sokka rolled up the poster. âThis is the kind of wacky, time-wasting nonsense Iâve been missing!âÂ
Zuko glanced over at you. âDo you really wanna go?âÂ
You shrugged. âIt could be fun. And we could all use a break from thinking about the comet.âÂ
âFine,â he said. âIf you want to go, we can go.âÂ
Sokka grinned. âI love how easy it is to get Zuko to do things now.â
âWeâll just treat it like a date night.â You pecked Zuko on the cheek and glanced back at your friends. âThe theater will be pretty dark, right?âÂ
The girls laughed as Sokka groaned and shook his head. âSpirits, nevermind. You two can stay home. Come on, guys.âÂ
You grinned and took Zukoâs hand, and he cracked a smile as he intertwined your fingers together.Â
âGood one.âÂ
âI try.âÂ
-
It was a bit nerve-wracking being around so many Fire Nation citizens, especially wealthy ones that probably had ties to the royal family, but no one seemed to pay your group any mind as Sokka bought the tickets.Â
You found your seats in the nosebleeds, and you and Zuko sat down together. Aang cleared his throat, and Zuko looked at him.Â
âWhat?âÂ
âI⌠I was going to sit there.âÂ
He frowned. âJust sit next to me. Whatâs the big deal?âÂ
You glanced at Katara sitting beside you, making idle conversation with Toph as they waited for the play to start. Aangâs cheeks flushed pink, and you smiled.Â
âCome on, Zuko. Scoot down.âÂ
He rolled his eyes but did it anyway, and you gestured with your head at the empty spot between you and Katara. Aang smiled gratefully as he sat down, and you winked.
âWhat was that about?â Zuko muttered.
âYou mean you donât see it?â you asked.Â
âSee what?âÂ
You chuckled and shook your head, then rested it against Zukoâs shoulder. âNothing.âÂ
He huffed as he wrapped his arm around you, pulling you closer. âYouâre so weird.âÂ
You did nothing but smile. You cuddled into his side as the curtains opened, announcing the beginning of the play.Â
It was a little surreal, honestly. All of Team Avatar had caused enough trouble across all four nations to be somewhat renowned, but seeing your friends portrayed by actors was on a different level.Â
Katara was overly dramatic, Sokkaâs jokes were much worse than the real thing, Aang was played by a woman, and Zuko, much to his chagrin, was played totally stiff and humorless. Toph, however, was loving every minute of itâand Suki laughed the whole time during the one scene her actress was in.Â
Your actorâs introduction came alongside Actor Yueâs when the trio made it to the Northern Water Tribe. Seeing one of the worst moments of your life played out like a joke didnât exactly go over easily, especially seeing your fight against Zuko again.Â
âZuko?â your actor exclaimed in overexaggerated horror. âIs that you?âÂ
âYes, itâs me! Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, here to reclaim my honor!â Actor Zuko clenched his hand into a fist with the proclamation, then frowned as he turned to the other actor. âWho are you?âÂ
Your actor gasped as she pressed her hand to her chest. âYou mean you donât remember me? Iâve only thought about you every day since the fateful day we met!â
âThe only fate I care about is your doom!â he yelled. He then pulled out streamers to signify firebending, as your and Kataraâs actors did the same for their waterbending.Â
They made some very flashy moves that eventually ended in fake Zuko defeating them. He leaned into your side and whispered in your ear.Â
âI didnât actually look that ridiculous,â he muttered, âdid I?â
âYou were trying to kill us,â you replied. âI wasnât really focused on that.â
Zuko huffed and focused back on the play. He wrapped his arm around you like instinct when you leaned closer to him during Yueâs deathâthe reenactment still hurt. You didnât blame Sokka for tearing up.Â
Toph, of course, loved her portrayal as a super buff guy who saw things by screaming very loudly. Zukoâs shoulders slumped every time he was shown yelling at you or his uncle, while Aangâs smile grew every time the actor Avatar did something coolâeven if his actor was actually an actress.Â
Soon, though, the set shimmered green and blue to imitate the crystal caves beneath Ba Sing Se. You grimaced before you could help it, you and Katara meeting each otherâs eyes across Aang.Â
You both said things you regretted down there, things you never really wanted to hear againâor for your friends to hear. Unfortunately, you didnât really have a choice.Â
âUgh!â your actor groaned, drawing it out for far too long as she wandered in a circle around the stage-cave. âI canât believe Iâm trapped in here alone!âÂ
The edge of a slide peeked out from the left wing as Actor Katara slid down it into the cave.Â
âYouâre not alone!â she wailed as she hugged your actress and started sobbing immediately. âIt fills me with so much hope! Oh, nothing could ruin this moment!â
Actor Zuko came down the slide with a loud thump. The two actresses turned to look at him and frowned at the audience.Â
âAll my hope is suddenly gone,â actor Katara said, and then she started crying again.
âStop crying!â actor Zuko demanded. âI canât deal with emotions other than anger!âÂ
âStop yelling at her!â your actress yelled.Â
âIâm not yelling at her!â Zuko insisted.Â
The three of them devolved into a yelling match that was honestly a bit too realistic for your liking, until a fake explosion went off and Aang and Iroh danced onto the stage.Â
âThe Avatar is here to save the day!â Aangâs actress cheered.Â
âAnd I brought some tea!â Iroh said.
You bit your lip. You didnât know whether it was better that they didnât go into all the grisly details, or if it was worse that such a terrible moment of your life had been treated so lightly.Â
Of course, it only got worse once they got to the battle of the catacombs. You felt Zukoâs body tense up beside you at the moment of his betrayal.Â
âWell, my brother?â âAzulaâ demanded. âWhatâs it going to be? Your nation, or a life of treachery?âÂ
A spotlight shone down on actor Zuko as he looked back and forth.
âChoose treachery,â actor Iroh suggested. âItâs more fun!âÂ
Zuko looked like he was going to make a choice, and then your actress popped up behind Iroh.Â
âOh, Zuko!â She swooned into his arms, and his eyes widened. âIsnât love enough to make you betray your country?â
Actor Zuko scoffed and shoved her out of his arms, looking disgusted. âWhy would I ever turn my back on the Fire Nation for someone like you? You have too many emotions that I canât handle!â
He and Azula walked off stage as your actress began crying. âZukoâ was off-stage for a beat of silence before he ran out of the wings and pointed at your actress. She stopped crying immediately as she looked up at him with bright eyes.Â
âI forgot to tell you that I hate you!â he exclaimed. âDonât forget that I hate you!â
She burst into tears yet again and the Earth Kingdom poster on the wall fell over her and âIroh.â You felt Sokkaâs eyes on you as you sunk into yourself. The crying was less embarrassing than the truth of Zukoâs words in that moment.
âIs that really what happened down there?â Sokka whispered. Neither you nor Katara deigned to answer. Zuko just silently pulled you closer. Seeing the past few months play out on stage right in front of you made all the old wounds fester.Â
The second intermission came after Aangâs near deathâperfect timing, because after seeing that, everyone really needed a break. Katara split off to find Aang, who had run off earlier, and the rest of you camped out beside the theater doors.Â
âIt seems like every time thereâs a big battle, you guys barely make it out alive,â Suki mused. Sokka leaned against the wall next to her, and he frowned.Â
âAll that matters is that we did make it out alive,â he said.Â
âTrue,â you said, inclining your head in agreement, then tilting it to glance at Zuko. âDidnât Sokka almost beat you in your first battle with a boomerang?âÂ
Zuko, who stood at your side with his arm wrapped around your waist, scowled. âHe absolutely did not. Did he tell you that?âÂ
âI told her the truth!â he exclaims.Â
âHeâs lying right now,â Toph added. âAnd I bet he was lying then.âÂ
âWhy did you have to become a living lie detector?â Sokka complained. âIt was so much easier to get away with things.âÂ
âMaybe get better at lying?â she suggested. âYour sister was able to do it perfectly.â
âKatara canât lie to save her life.âÂ
âHe means my sister,â Zuko cut in. âAzulaâs a master manipulator. Sheâs been lying since before she could walk.âÂ
âI donât know,â you murmured. âI kind of feel bad for her. Your parents were awful, and,â you tipped your shoulder, âyou kinda were too, for a while.â
Zuko frowned. âBut I got better. I learned what I was doing wrong.â
âBecause you had an uncle that never gave up on you,â you said gently.
â...And I had you,â Zuko added. He pulled you closer until you could rest your head on his shoulder. âWho also never gave up on me.âÂ
You smiled inwardly. The moment was instantly ruined, however, when Toph slugged you in the arm.Â
âOw!â you exclaimed. âWhat was that for?âÂ
âTo get you to stop talking with Zuko like that,â she said. âDid it work?âÂ
âThatâs a good idea,â Sokka said, his eyes lighting up. âThink it would work on Zuko?â
âThink itâll work on you?â you countered. âYou go all lovey-dovey with Suki more than we do.âÂ
âYou canât blame me!â he exclaimed. âWe just got back together after she was in prison for months!âÂ
âWe just got together after she was in prison for weeks,â Zuko intoned. âAnd we were separated for years.âÂ
âYeah, yeah,â Sokka sighed. âItâs not a competition.âÂ
The door to the balcony opened and Katara ran insideâshe slowed to a walk and tried to manage a smile when she saw all of you waiting.Â
âHey,â she said, slightly out of breath, âI think the playâs about to start back up again. We should get back to our seats.â
Toph frowned. âI donât hear Aang with you.âÂ
Katara paused, her smile wavering for a moment. âHeâs getting a bit more fresh air before we get back into this cramped auditorium. Now come on, weâre gonna miss the third act.â
You looked at Zuko, who shrugged, then at Sokka, who shrugged harder. You sighed and pecked Zuko on the cheek before you started pulling him along behind you back into the theater, the other three following behind you.Â
The third act started off better than the second left offâfor Sokka, at least. Aang didnât say a word when he and Kataraâs actors made what you figured was a very exaggerated display of friendship, which couldnât be easy with his very obvious crush on the real Katara.Â
Once the scene shifted to the start of the invasion on the Day of Black Sun, you leaned forward in your seat. Youâd been counting the days in prison for a few months by now, and you really wanted to see what happened, and how Zuko convinced them to let him join their crew, even if all the details werenât fully accurate.Â
Instead, it was a very quick scene where Zuko showed up, and they all shrugged and decided he could join them.Â
âOh, come on,â you said. âIt couldnât possibly have been that easy.âÂ
âDonât worry,â Katara said, nudging your shoulder. âIt took about three tries and a whole lot of threats.âÂ
âAnd about four life-changing field trips,â Zuko muttered.Â
âIâm still annoyed we didnât get one,â Toph cut in as she crossed her arms. âYou burned my feet. Thatâs basically like torching someoneâs eyes.âÂ
âWeâve already gone over this!â he exclaimed. âYou forgave me! And you put rocks in my bed for weeks!â
Toph chuckled and shrugged. âYou deserved it.âÂ
âThatâs all in the past, though,â Sokka spoke up. âWeâre in the present now. That must be it.âÂ
Suki hauled him back down. âThe playâs not over yet.â
âBut it has to be! Unless weâre in the future?âÂ
Toph shushed them all. âI canât hear anything over your yapping. Donât you want to know how this ends?âÂ
That got everyone to quiet down just in time for an actor playing Fire Lord Ozai to arrive. Though you could see layers of makeup caked on even from the nosebleeds, he still made you shiver. You hadnât seen Zukoâs father since you were a child, and he terrified you more than anything. He loomed in your nightmares for years, swore he was behind every corner and in every shadow, lying in wait to kill you just like heâd killed your mother.Â
You took in a long, deep breath and let it out slowly. Zuko noticed, because he always noticed, and he took his hand in yours.Â
âItâs okay,â he murmured. âIâm here for you.âÂ
You managed a shaky smile and squeezed his hand. You felt so silly being scared of an actor. But youâd known for years that if the Fire Lord ever found you again, he would not hesitate to kill you. That sort of paranoia didnât just leave so easily.Â
But you were jarred out of your thoughts when you heard Katara gasp. You focused back on the stage to see Azula and Zuko fighting with lightning and fireâand then the actress thrust her hand forward, and a wall of fake fire rushed towards Zuko. He cried out for his honor, and then he died.Â
âŚZuko died, and the entire audience cheered.Â
You felt his body tense once again, his golden eyes wide as the moon as his lips parted. You moved even closer to him, enveloping his hand in yours as your whole group stared at Zuko in shock.Â
âItâs okay,â you whispered. âItâs not real. Itâs never going to be real.âÂ
Zuko nodded. âI know.âÂ
His smile felt just as shaky as yours, something to convince himself more than you as he nodded. You just leaned into his side, hands still intertwined. You could feel his heartbeat steadying through his chest.Â
The play didnât get much better from there. Actor Aang tried his best to defeat Fire Lord Ozai, but he couldnât beat a comet-powered firebender. The Avatar died in a fiery blaze, and soon the entire stage was covered in fake fire as the Fire Lord proclaimed his victory.Â
Nearly the entire audience jumped to their feet, roaring with applauseâbut none of your friends, least of all you, could manage any words.Â
Seeing the horrible defeat youâd all been fearing since the moment you set out to end this war play out on stage right in front of them didnât really inspire confidence. The cheering crowd made it even more clear that you were completely surrounded by enemies.Â
You all couldnât get out of the theater fast enough. The first few minutes of the walk were punctuated with stark silence, you and Zuko walking hand in hand in the front of the group, until he spoke up.Â
â...That wasnât a good play.âÂ
âAgreed,â you mumbled.Â
âIâll say,â Aang grumbled.Â
âNo kidding,â Katara sighed.Â
âHorrible,â Suki added.Â
âYou said it,â Toph nodded.Â
Sokka shrugged. âBut the effects were decent.âÂ
âYeah,â Zuko said wryly. âThey were especially great when Aang and I died fiery deaths.âÂ
âAt least it was believable!â he exclaimed.Â
âSokka?âÂ
âYeah, Suki?âÂ
âBe quiet.â
-
Once they got back to the house, everyone split off to do their own thing. After the play ended on such a bad note, it was agreed that the theme for the rest of the night was peace and quiet.Â
You found yourself standing on the beach, staring at the endless push and pull of the ocean. It took you back to the first time you waterbended, even before you could make an orb. When you would stand by the lake for hours working on your formâwhen you would make the journey through the woods down to where the shore met jagged rocks, where you felt most at home despite the danger because of the ocean.Â
The memory brought a small smile to your face. When you first discovered your waterbending, you almost felt like a freak in the village because you werenât like the other benders. Now, youâd gone on the journey of a lifetime, lost your bending and gotten it back, and were close to a master under Kataraâs tutelage.Â
Your smile grew. You promised your mother you would end the war. You promised your father you would take care of her. You refused to break either promise.Â
The hairs on the back of your neck prickled, and you turned to see Zuko walking across the beach to meet you.Â
âAm I going to find you here every night?â he asked wryly.Â
âJust the nights where weâre all contemplating our life and if the impossible mission weâve been on for months is something we can actually finish.âÂ
âAh,â Zuko said. âOf course.âÂ
You chuckled and gestured with your head. âGet over here. Itâs cold without you.âÂ
âWeâre in the Fire Nation,â he said dryly. âItâs never cold.âÂ
âDo you want to act like my boyfriend or not?âÂ
Zuko laughed and came up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist to keep you close. âIs that better?âÂ
You hummed, and you felt his heart skip a beat in his chest. âAlways.âÂ
The two of you stood together in silence for a good minute or two, just listening to the waves come to shore then recede. The night air had a bit of a chill to it, but with Zuko pressed against you, it would be impossible to feel cold. Eventually, he spoke up.Â
âWhat are you thinking about?â
âAbout how awful that play was.â
âI told you every show the Ember Island Players do is horrible.âÂ
âYeah, but I didnât think they would be that bad. They completely butchered meâI wasnât falling over you every time we met.â
âNo,â Zuko agreed. âWe just tried to kill each other every time we met.âÂ
âI was focused on damage control,â you said. âYou were trying to kill us all.âÂ
âAt least I learned my lesson!â he defended, and you chuckled. You loved being together like this, with your body pressed up against his, because you could always feel when his heart rate sped up around you.Â
âBut I know you,â Zuko continued. âThereâs something else.âÂ
âObviously.â You tilted your head. âIâm pretty sure everyone else is thinking the same thing, including you.âÂ
âAnd whatâs that?â
You fell silent again as you stared at the endless horizon. You always felt so small when you looked out across the frozen tundra past the Northern borders as a girlânearly miniscule when you looked out the royal palace windows as a child.Â
Now that youâd traveled the world, faced all your fears and a whole lot more, you didnât fear the unknown anymore. You welcomed it with open arms because you knew you could face it with your friends at your sideâespecially with Zuko at your side.Â
You let out a slow sigh as you let yourself lean back into Zuko. Everything felt easier to handle when he was with you. You think back to just a few weeks ago, when you were slowly destroying yourself for the virtue of hating him. Forgiveness was a weight off of your shoulders. It helped that you got both your bending back alongside the boy you loved.Â
âIâve been thinking about how this is it,â you murmured. âWe have no choice but to face your father when the comet hitsâwhen every person in the Fire Nation is at their strongest.â
âThat also means Iâll be at my strongest,â he reminded you.Â
âYouâre not the one facing your father.âÂ
âBut I will have to face my sister,â Zuko said. âThereâs no way sheâll give up control without a fight, and weâll be the ones to give it to her.âÂ
You raised an eyebrow. ââWeâ?â
âObviously,â he said. âThereâs no one else Iâd want by my side in the heat of battle.âÂ
âThatâs sweet,â you said with a smile. âIt almost makes me feel like we wonât be running to our deaths.âÂ
âWhen did you become such a pessimist?âÂ
âIâm not, though.â You gently extracted yourself from Zukoâs grasp so you could turn and face him. His eyes were like pools of molten gold this close. You leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, one that ended far too soon.Â
âI know weâll be able to do it because weâre together,â you murmured. âYou, me, Katara, Sokka, Suki, Toph, Aang. Weâve gotten this far for a reason.â
âEverything happens for a reason,â he quoted. It brought a smile to your faceâyour first time on the Ember Island beaches together.Â
âExactly,â you said quietly. âThe spirits wouldnât have let us find our way back to each other if we werenât going to change the world together.âÂ
Zukoâs lips quirked at the sides. He always looked so gentle when he smiled, especially when his eyes shone with the moonlight.Â
âChanging the world together,â he mused. âI like the sound of that.âÂ
âYou better,â you said. âBecause after we upend the entire Fire Nation government, weâre going to have a lot of work to do.âÂ
âI know I can do it with you by my side.âÂ
You shared small smiles with each other as Zuko leaned in for another kiss, which led to another, then quite a few more. When you finally separated, slightly breathless and grinning like fools, you moved to his side and rested your head on his shoulder.Â
âLetâs just⌠stay here for a moment,â you murmured. âThe ocean helps me think.âÂ
Zuko nodded in silence, and the two of you watched the waves crest and recede. A thousand things were on your mind for the day of the comet. Despite your confidence, you had no idea what that day would bringâor if any of you would even live to see another day.Â
But in this moment, you and Zuko were together. After everything youâd been through, you were together again, and you were in love.Â
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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Nothing is ours just because we want it to be, or think it so. What is not meant for us will slip through our fingers every time. It is better to let go of the moment when it has passed, and learn to love what is. We can never escape, or miss out on what is destined to be
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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Free to watch ⢠No registration required ⢠HD streaming
everything happens for a reason part 22 - zuko x fem!reader
I've been waiting on you
part 21 | masterlist | part 23
a/n: UHHH happy one year anniversary of me not updating!! i missed it by a day but honestly that's very in character. i kind of have no excuse for taking a year long break from this. lol. all i can really say is i lost all my avatar inspo and got really into a bunch of other things and poor little ehfar got left in the corner abandoned!!! but i could never abandon this it's my baby and even if it takes me 1000 years to finish it i will finish it. it's kind of embarrassing that it took so long for this to come out and it's a short filler chapter like who do i think i am.... but everyone is happy and on the beach and yn finally gets some clothes of her own after spending like 7 chapters in prison clothes. anyways enjoy (three more chapters left what?? will it take me 3 years who knows)
wc: 4.8k
warning(s): yn and zuko talk about their pasts and what theyve been through but overall this is a very fluffy chapter
chapter title from seasons (waiting on you) by future islands
The days after their arrival back to the island passed by with relative ease.Â
Y/N practiced waterbending with Katara and Aang so she could work on getting the hang of it again. Sheâd been close to mastery before Ba Sing Se, and her muscle memory was stronger than she realized, but prison and the months without her bending had weakened her. Zuko continued working with Aang on his firebending under the looming deadline of the comet.
Sokka and Suki trained with each other too, working on their hand to hand and sword fighting, and Y/N would occasionally join in to stay sharp on what Suki had taught her back in prison. Her time without her bending made her realize how much she relied solely on it, and she never wanted to feel defenseless again.Â
They continued to share stories every night over a campfire. They all had plenty to talk about after everything theyâd been through, especially when Zuko had been against them for half the time, Suki was leading the Kyoshi Warriors, and Y/N was stuck behind bars.Â
And of course, Zuko and Y/N spent as much time together as they possibly could. They were practically attached at the hipâsitting together at meals, watching one another bend on their breaks, training against each other the way they used to, exploring the island together, just being with each other. After everything theyâd been through, Y/N thought they deserved it.Â
Eventually though, it was decided that they had to leave. Being in Fire Nation territory, even in the middle of nowhere, was risky. They were running out of food and supplies in general, and the possibility that Fire Nation ships would still somehow discover them weighed on their minds. They couldnât afford to get caught so far into their mission, especially with the traitor prince of the Fire Nation on their side.Â
Zukoâs idea, however, was possibly even riskier.Â
âWeâre already being bold by staying in Fire Nation territory,â Zuko said. âWeâre safe from Azula for now, but itâs only a matter of time before she somehow finds us again.â He shrugged. âMy familyâs vacation home is the last spot anyone will think to look.âÂ
âI think itâs a great idea,â Sokka said. âItâll be nice to not fight for our lives for a minute before we make the final push.âÂ
Aang adjusted his hold on the reinsâtheyâd already packed up Appa and started flying before Zuko proposed his ideaâand shrugged. âIâm okay with it. Zuko and I will be able to keep training, and you all can relax in an actual house.â
âAnd weâll be able to go to the beach!â Toph exclaimed. âIâve been meaning to work on my sandbending. And,â she grinned, âIâm betting none of you have heard of sandball fights.â
âWeâre really getting ourselves into something,â Katara said dryly.Â
Y/N smiled and she leaned into Zukoâs side. He wrapped his arm around her immediately and pulled her closer.
âIâve always wondered what Ember Island was like,â Y/N mused. âI was always so jealous when you and Azula got to go there on vacation every summer and I was stuck at the palace.âÂ
âYou werenât missing much,â Zuko said wryly. âYeah, thereâs beaches, but mostly it was just unbearably hot.â He frowned. âMy father still made me do work even when we were supposed to be on vacation. Iâve done a lot of swordfighting here.âÂ
âI missed you,â she said, and she knew that she would never get tired of seeing Zukoâs cheeks flush red.Â
âReally?â he asked. âEven then?âÂ
âEspecially then,â she clarified. âIt wasnât like I had much going on for me there. The palace was extremely boring without you.âÂ
âSpirits, you guys are gross,â Sokka groaned as he looked out at the sky. âSuki and I havenât been like this, have we?âÂ
Katara chuckled. âYou definitely have. You could barely stay off of each other when you got back from the Boiling Rock.âÂ
âJust imagine what they were like when they first got back together,â Zuko said with a frown.Â
âNeither of you can say anything,â Toph asserted. âI can hear both of your heartbeats shoot up every time youâre around Y/N and Suki.âÂ
Zuko scowled, Sokkaâs face flushed, and Suki and Y/N just smiled at each other.Â
âSo Ember Island is a yes?â Aang asked. When everyone nodded in agreement, he looked at Zuko. âIâm in need of your navigation skills, Sifu Hotman.âÂ
He groaned. âI told you to stop calling me that.âÂ
âI know,â Aang said cheerfully.Â
Zuko just sighed, and he kissed Y/N on the cheek before he moved to sit next to Aang. She smiled, and she let her hand hang over the side of the saddle.Â
â...I guess it is nice not seeing you two argue all the time,â Sokka said after a moment.Â
âItâs nice that you two arenât moping around all the time either,â Toph added. âThat was kind of annoying.âÂ
âImagine how I felt,â Y/N said, though it was absent minded as her gaze stayed on Zuko.Â
âI donât have to imagine it,â Toph said. âYou were very clearly mopey.âÂ
âAnd when you werenât mopey, you were angry,â Suki contributed. âYou said you were imagining Zukoâs face whenever I taught you new moves at the Boiling Rock. You beat him up a lot there.âÂ
Sokka and Toph laughed, but it was a moment before she said anything. It took Katara saying her name for her to turn back around, and when Y/N did, she blinked for a moment. âWhat?âÂ
Katara chuckled, glancing at Zuko before she looked back at her. âWeâre just glad youâre back.âÂ
Her expression instantly brightened as she smiled. âIâm glad to be back.âÂ
-
It didnât take long for them to arrive at Ember Islandâand if it did, Y/N was far too busy conversing with her friends and watching Zuko for it to matter. She grimaced as she slid off of Appa, one hand taking Zukoâs and the other wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead.Â
âSpirits,â she mumbled, âI thought I was used to Fire Nation heat by now.âÂ
âMe too,â Sokka groaned. âBut this is already worse than all the other places weâve been to.âÂ
âEmber Islandâs always been like this,â Zuko said. âThe good news is that itâs Ember Island. Thereâs plenty of beachesâweâve even got our own private one.âÂ
âGood for practicing waterbending,â Katara said with a glance at Aang.Â
âGood for practicing all kinds of bending,â Zuko said. âYouâre gonna need to practice your firebending every day if you want to stand a chance against my father. Weâre running out of time and youâre nowhere close to being a master.âÂ
Aang frowned. âWay to bring down the mood, Zuko.âÂ
âIâm being realistic!â he defended. âYou canât just end one hundred years of war with some good luck and an optimistic mindset!âÂ
Sokka shrugged. âItâs worked for us so far.âÂ
Zuko opened his mouth to say something that would definitely cause an argument. Before he could, Y/N laughed, looping her arm through his and tugging him along.Â
âCome on,â she said. âShow us around.âÂ
Zuko sighed, though his show of annoyance was negated as he pulled Y/N closer. âFine. It is about time Iâve brought you here.âÂ
âUgh.â Toph kicked at the sand with her foot. âI think Zukoâs just brought us along on his couples vacation.âÂ
âOh, quiet,â she joked. âWeâve earned it.âÂ
Toph stuck her tongue out. âDoesnât mean we canât complain about it.âÂ
Y/N chuckled as they walked together, the rest of the group trailing behind them.Â
âSpirits, Zuko,â Sokka marveled when they stepped inside the house. âThis is huge.âÂ
âIt is the summer home of the royal family,â he said dryly. âMy father never settles for anything less than perfection. It also gave us more room to avoid each other when he was causing arguments.âÂ
âI canât imagine that happened a lot,â Katara said sarcastically.Â
âNever,â Zuko agreed with the same tone. âHe almost burned down the place a few times.âÂ
Aang frowned. âSounds like a great guy.âÂ
âI know youâre not a violence guy, but if thereâs anyone youâd enjoy fighting, itâs my dad,â Zuko muttered.Â
âIâll do it for the good of the world,â Aang said. âNot because Iâll enjoy it.âÂ
Zuko grimaced and opened his mouth to say something, but Y/N interrupted once more before they could devolve into this conversation again.Â
âLike Sokka said, this place is huge.â She placed a hand on Zukoâs arm. âWill we have our own rooms?âÂ
Zukoâs brows creased a bit, but he nodded after a moment. âYeah. There should be enough for all of us.âÂ
âSuki and I can share,â Sokka said, stretching his arms out casually to reach one around Suki. She laughed and leaned her head against his chest, and he looked far too pleased with himself. âTryna make up for lost time, yâknow?âÂ
âGross,â Toph scoffed. âIâll take my own room, please.âÂ
Aang glanced at Katara for a moment before he cleared his throat and nodded at Zuko. âYeah. Me too.âÂ
Katara was too busy looking at a mask sitting on a mantle. She picked it up and glanced back at Zuko. âWhat is this from?âÂ
âOne of my motherâs favorite plays,â he said. âShe was an actress before she married my father, and every time we came here, weâd always go see some shows. They gave her the mask of the lead character after the end of one production a few years ago, as thanks for her patronage.âÂ
âOh, we should definitely go see a play while weâre here!â Y/N exclaimed. âI got my hands on some old play scripts when I was still working in the palace, and the other servants and I would spend hours reenacting our favorite parts.â She chuckled. âIt would be nice to see actual actors do it.âÂ
âWe should be able to carve out some time for that,â Zuko said. âBetween all the training, of course.âÂ
âYou are such a downer,â Aang groaned.Â
âIâm seeing the full picture!â he defended. âWeâve still got a lot of work to doâjust because weâre at our vacation home doesnât mean weâre on vacation.â
âAfter all this is over, we definitely deserve a vacation,â Sokka muttered. âBefore all the rebuilding and restructuring and relegislating startsâŚâ The smile fell from his face. âWow. Weâre never gonna get a vacation.âÂ
âOh, perk up, ponytail,â Toph said. âWeâre going to end the endless war and defeat the undefeatable Fire Lord. If we want to take a vacation, no one can really stop us.âÂ
The smile reappeared with surprising quickness. âThatâs true!âÂ
Zuko laughed softly. âYour rooms should be on the first floor. You can explore and divide the rooms yourselves. I,â he looked at Y/N, âwant to show you something.â
She smiled as Zuko pulled her closer with an arm around her shoulder and made for the stairs, leaving a rapidly growing argument over room selection in their wake.Â
âDo you think theyâll have decided by the time we get back down?â Zuko asked.Â
Y/N shrugged. âThis is the first time theyâre sleeping in rooms instead of camping on the ground in⌠Spirits. Since Ba Sing Se, I think. I wouldnât be surprised if they go at it all night.âÂ
He chuckled as they stopped in front of a room, and Zuko pushed open the door so they could walk in together.Â
âThis was my room whenever we came here,â he said. âI figured we could share it.âÂ
âThis is the height of luxury,â Y/N commented, stepping out of Zukoâs embrace to run her hand over the sheets. Her lips quirked into a smile. âI canât believe you slept on a bed like this every night.âÂ
âYouâre telling me they donât have this kind of stuff in the North?â Zuko asked wryly.Â
âNo,â she chuckled, âdefinitely not. We were more focused on not freezing.âÂ
âWell, weâre more focused on pointless displays of luxury,â he said, âso youâre not too far off.âÂ
Zuko ignited the tip of his finger and began lighting candles around the room, and Y/N glanced at him with amusement as she sat down on the bed.Â
âMood lighting,â he explained with the sliver of a smile. âI think we deserve some time alone after the past few days.âÂ
She pressed a hand to her chest. âYou know the way straight to my heart.âÂ
Once he was done he sat down next to her, and Y/N intertwined their hands together and pulled him down so they were laying on their backs. She rested her head on Zukoâs chest and he moved his arm around her to keep her close, tracing lazy circles on her shoulder.Â
âWonderful mattress,â she sighed. âSo this was what you were up to while I was sewing clothes and doing endless loads of laundry.âÂ
âI thought about you a lot more than you probably think,â Zuko said. She turned her head a bit to look at him, slightly surprised, and he shrugged. âHonestly? When we were kids, I thought about you pretty much constantly. My father always told me not to talk to servants, but I didnât see you as anything other than my friend. You were⌠kind of my only normal friend.âÂ
âWell, you were kind of my only friend, period. All the other servants were way olderâthey just felt like a different version of my mom.â Y/Nâs gaze rose to the ceiling. âI wonder how theyâre all doing.âÂ
âThey should be okay,â Zuko said. âNo one really caused as much trouble as we did.âÂ
Y/N laughed as her gaze flitted around the room, taking in all the details. A portrait of the royal family hung on the wall, while a much smaller, lone portrait of Zuko sat on a desk in the corner. He didnât look very happy, but she couldnât imagine sitting for that many paintings as a child was fun. What looked to be a half-finished message sat on the desk, the ends of the scroll rolling up and obscuring most of the inked letters. A neat stack of towels and blankets were on top of a clothing chest in the other corner, and she chuckled a bit. In her experience of doing his laundry in their youth, it seemed to be something he still hadnât grown out of.Â
âI can practically see little Zuko running in here after a day at the beach,â she mused. âThe ends of his clothes singed from fighting with Azula, his hair drenched from swimming, getting sand all over the sheets.âÂ
âI wasnât that messy of a child,â he complained. âI⌠I did come home with my clothes singed a couple times, though.âÂ
She chuckled. âI know. My mother had to fix a lot of your outfits because of it.âÂ
âItâs not my fault that âhide and blastâ was her idea of fun!â he defended.Â
âHide and blast?âÂ
âOne person hides, the other person searches. By⌠blasting fire everywhere.â Zuko shook his head. âI donât know all kids around the Fire Nation were as crazy as us or if Azula invented it herself.âÂ
â...Yeah,â Y/N said with a slight laugh. âWe definitely didnât play that in my village.âÂ
âOf course you didnât,â he said. âNone of you were firebenders.âÂ
âI was the only waterbender in the village though,â she said. âThere were a couple other earthbender kids, but it made me feel so special. We would always play together and try to mix our bending together.â A small yet wistful smile tugged at her lips. âThat feels like forever ago, though.âÂ
âI know what you mean,â Zuko murmured. âI was banished three years ago, but a lifetime has changed since then.âÂ
âFor the better?â Y/N murmured.Â
She could feel Zuko nod. âDefinitely.âÂ
Their door was then pushed open more, and Suki poked her head in through the gap. A grin appeared on her face at their closeness.Â
âI see the lovebirds are making themselves at home,â she mused.Â
Y/N laughed as she sat up, pulling Zuko with her. She smiled at the sight of his flushed cheeks. âWeâre trying.âÂ
âWe believe in knocking here in the Fire Nation,â Zuko grumbled.Â
âThe door was open,â Suki said cheerfully. âAnd Iâd like to steal your girl for an afternoon outing.âÂ
Her eyebrows shot up. âWhat for?âÂ
âWell, Iâd like to explore the island some, and I figure weâre the lowest profile out of our whole group,â she said. âWeâve also missed out on some shopping while we were stuck in prisonâweâve gotta get our hands on some Fire Nation clothes.âÂ
Y/Nâs eyes lit up. âThatâs a great idea! Leyaâs dress is beautiful, but Earth Kingdom clothing sticks out a bit more than I want.âÂ
âAnd Iâm in literal prison clothes,â Suki said. âThe sooner weâre in red, the better.âÂ
âThatâs⌠probably smart,â Zuko amended. âThereâs some gold pieces in my bag. It should be more than enough for both of you.âÂ
âAre you sure?â Y/N frowned. âYou donât have toââÂ
âYou think I didnât take a bunch of money from the palace before I left?â Zuko asked wryly. âDonât worry about it.âÂ
Sukiâs smile grew. âJust call it reparations.âÂ
Zuko huffed a laugh, but Y/N cut him off as she pulled him in for a kiss.Â
âYouâll be alright while weâre gone?âÂ
âOf course,â he said. âThis is my home, after all. If anything, I should be asking you that.âÂ
âIâve got the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors with me,â Y/N said. âIf anyone decides to mess with us, itâs going to be their problemânot ours.âÂ
Suki laughed and gestured with her head, and Y/N stood up and started walking backwards. âIâll see you laterâtry to have some fun here.âÂ
âI donât have fun,â he called out as she was walking out, and she just shook her head with a smile.Â
âYouâre really dating a ball of sunshine there, arenât you?â Suki joked.Â
Y/N bit back her growing smile. âI wouldnât have it any other way.âÂ
-
The rest of the day went by in a breeze.Â
Y/N and Suki spent a few hours in town, chatting and shopping and even doing some reconnaissance at the end, just to make sure they were truly undercover at the vacation home. Doing rookie spy work with a Kyoshi Warrior was surprisingly just as fun as the shopping partâand after what she and Zuko did to free her village, it was surprisingly easy.Â
The sun was still high in the sky when they got back, dressed head to toe in Fire Nation finery. Zuko and Aang were in the midst of training when the two of them went around back to find their friends, and when he saw Y/N, his fire died out and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.Â
(âYeah,â Zuko had stammered when she asked his opinion, âYou look really good.â
âThanks,â she said, and she felt the heat rush to her cheeks. âI feel pretty good.â
âFire Nation clothes suit you,â he said, and he pulled her into a kiss. âItâs about time youâve gotten some.â
âTechnically, I wore them for a few months,â she said wryly. âPrison clothes and all.â
Zuko scoffed. âThat doesnât count.â
âAnd I wore them for most of my childhood,â she mused. âServant clothes and all.âÂ
âThat counts even less!â he insisted.Â
âBut thank you,â Y/N finally said with a smile. âI was hoping you would like them.âÂ
It was an effort to bite back her joy every time Zuko would sneak a look at her while they continued their training.)Â
The rest of the day was just mostly spent getting used to everything. The last time the vacation home had been occupied was when Zuko, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee visited, so a lot of adjustments needed to be made.Â
Katara insisted on washing all the sheets, and Y/N decided to join in because of her waterbendingâAang wanted to talk with Katara, Zuko wanted to be with Y/N, Toph wanted to ask him a bunch of questions about Ember Island, and Sokka didnât want to be left out, so soon enough, the seven of them were all sitting on the steps of the house doing laundry and telling stories.Â
Soon enough, the sun had set and the house had been cleaned what felt like ten times over. Everyone had retired to their own devices except for Y/N and Zuko, who were walking along the shore arm in arm.Â
âI think I like beaches,â she mused. âThe nearest ocean had no beach back home, and all we had in the North was ice. You Fire Nation folk are lucky.âÂ
Zuko chuckled. âI donât know if itâs luck. Weâre just one big island with a lot of humidity.âÂ
âStill,â she leaned her head on his shoulder, âitâs nice. We should visit here together once all this is over.âÂ
âOf course,â he nodded. âI know Iâm going to be the Fire Lord if all goes well, but thereâs going to be a lot of diplomacy trips.â She felt his eyes on her. âYou can join me on all of them.âÂ
âOf course,â she repeated. âThe Fire Lordâs Earth Kingdom-born, waterbending girlfriend will be so welcome.âÂ
âIf youâve learned one thing through all of this, it should be that I donât care what anyone thinks when it comes to you,â Zuko said. âI want you there with me. You want to be there with me. Thatâs reason enough.âÂ
Y/N chuckled, and she ran her thumb over Zukoâs knuckles. His hands housed callouses, borne from hundreds of hours of explosive firebending and sword-fighting and years of life on the road. She always wondered how hands that treated her so softly, that revered her, were so capable of violence.Â
âI know thereâs going to be a lot of expectations for us,â she said. âEspecially once you take the throne. But Iâ Iâd like to take things as slow as we can.âÂ
âOf course.â Zuko squeezed her hand, his brows creasing. âI donât care what anyone says or wants or expects. I love you, Y/Nâweâll go at our own pace.âÂ
âItâs just because weâve spent the past year trying to kill each other,â Y/N said with a nervous laugh. âIf we could spend this next year being in love with each other, that would be really great.âÂ
That actually got a laugh out of Zuko, and he gestured with his head towards the sand. When they sat down, he pulled her into his side. They fit perfectly together.Â
âDonât worry,â he murmured. âI think weâve already gotten a headstart on that.â
âGood,â she said.Â
Y/N sighed as she moved closer into Zukoâs embrace, his warmth a shield from the cool night breeze. Sheâd always run cold, and having a personal hearth made things much easier.Â
âI wish we didnât have to go through so much to end up with each other,â she murmured.Â
âBelieve me,â Zuko sighed, âI know.âÂ
âBut my mother always told me that everything happens for a reason,â Y/N said. âAnd⌠I guess sheâs right. Because I donât think we would be here if all this hadnât happened.â Something inside of her twisted, and though she tried to suppress it, the words came out before she could really think about it. âAnd sometimes Iâ I wonder why Iâm still here.âÂ
He frowned slightly, allowing a short glance down at her. âWhat do you mean?âÂ
âI mean⌠you know what Iâve had to go through to get here. My village, the palace, the North, this journey with Aang, the capital prison, the Boiling RockâŚâ she shook her head. âCountless others have died or gotten hurt trying to protect me or save me. Our groupâ we were the first ones ever to escape from the Boiling Rock. So why do I get to be here? Why is my father gone, but Iâm still here? I donât deserve it more than he did. I certainly donât deserve it more than Yue. So⌠I donât know. Sometimes I just canât understand why Iâm the one that got to make it when so many others havenât.âÂ
âDonât say that,â Zuko urged.Â
âItâs not the way you think,â Y/N said honestly. âIt just feels like weâve beaten every single odd.âÂ
âMaybe we have,â he said, âbut itâs certainly not out of luck, or chance.â Zuko took her hand and intertwined their fingers together, giving her hand a squeeze. âYou fought every step of the way to get hereâa lot of the time, you were fighting against me. Youâve earned every good thing youâve gotten, Y/N, and I think I might spend the rest of my life trying to be someone worthy of you.âÂ
âZuko,â she lamented, âyou already are.âÂ
âItâs not the way you think,â he echoed wryly. âIâve loved you since the beginning, and despite everything, you still love me too. You kept giving me chances because you believed in me for some stupid reason. I wouldnât be where I am without thatâwithout you. I want to be the best version of myself every day so you know you made the right choice.âÂ
Y/N felt the heat rush to her cheeks as she smiled, squeezing his hand back. Nowadays, they were almost always touching in some way. Tonight reminded her whyâshe never felt more comforted, more at peace, then when she was with Zuko.Â
âYou⌠kind of just hit my next point,â she said with a nervous chuckle, curling into his side further.Â
âDonât tell me itâs more self-doubt,â Zuko said.Â
âI canât help it!â she defended. âIâ I just have to make sure.âÂ
âOf what?âÂ
âThatâŚâ Y/N paused, her mouth suddenly dry. âThat Iâm still the one you want. Even after all thatâs happened. After all thatâs going to happen.âÂ
Zuko frowned, and he took her other hand, lacing their fingers together. âOf course. Y/N, itâs always been you. Itâs been true forever, even if I havenât always known it.âÂ
âItâs not going to be easy,â she said softly. âIâm Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom. Your people arenât just going to accept that, especially with you as their leader.âÂ
Zuko actually laughed at that, and he gave her a sideways smile. Months ago, staring into his hardened eyes used to bring her close to tears. Seeing him smile now, reassuring doubts that seemed so pointless in the face of his loveâeven after everything, Y/N considered herself the luckiest girl in the world.Â
âY/N, weâve gone across the whole world doing things no one ever has,â Zuko said. âThe seven of us are going to end a war thatâs been going on for a century. Aang is going to defeat my father, and he shouldnât even be alive. Weâve beat every single odd against us. I think getting my people to like you will be the easiest thing we have to handle.âÂ
âYou think so?â she asked. The tension had dissolved some from her shoulders, her worries dissuading with each honeyed word.Â
âI know so,â Zuko assured. âIâm gonna have to change the Fire Nation from the ground up. Thereâs no one else Iâd want by my side while I do it. My people will see you the way I do, and theyâll love you just as much.âÂ
Y/N leaned closer and pressed a kiss to his lips. Sometimes she still couldnât get over the fact that she could just⌠do that. Just kiss him, just smile with him, just be happy with him. Yue shone down on them as she pulled away, Zukoâs features glowing in the moonlight, and Y/N hoped her friend knew she was so much of the reason sheâd gotten here.Â
Happiness seemed out of reach, out of her cards entirely, for such a long time, and when she had it, it always felt like such a precarious thing. Sometimes she still remembered those days in the tea shop, the night in the catacombs.Â
But with Zuko finally by her side, it was a tangible thing. Something she deserved. Something she already had.Â
âWeâll do it all together,â she murmured.Â
âTogether,â Zuko agreed.Â
And she laid back down on the sand, bringing Zuko with her. He pulled her closer, tucked into his side as he wrapped his arm around her. They laid there in silence, Zukoâs warmth heating her from the inside out, staring up at the starry night sky and reveling in the feeling of just being with each other.Â
Together.
-
i'll tag ppl here because it's been uhhhhhh fucking YEAR and everyone's prob forgotten it exists and i also did tag lists while this was coming out but please do not ask to be added bc i dont do them anymore!!
everything happens for a reason part 20 - zuko x fem!reader
Guess it's true, I'm never getting over you
part 19 | masterlist | part 21
a/n: holy shit guys. we're finally here. the title chapter, the part that officially puts us over the 100k mark, the turning point, the end of the constant mf angst that i've put you all through. that's right. it's finally time for yn and zuko's life changing field trip. ive had this idea down for so long and i can't believe we're actually here lol. buckle up because she's a very long and very emotional one. i hope you enjoy.
wc: 14.3k I KNOW IM SORRY
warning(s): a lot of angst, fighting, violence (including minor character death), a whole lot of emotions, but the fluffy reconciliation you've all been waiting for<3
chapter title comes from everything happens for a reason (!!!!!!) by madison beer
Y/N felt betrayed.Â
It wasnât a secret how she felt about Zuko. She avoided him at every possible moment, making herself scarce whenever he walked into a room or completely ignoring him in group conversationâit was the closest she could get to the civility required now that he was Aangâs firebending teacher, and even that was difficult.Â
Not because she didnât want anything to do with Zukoâno, it was becoming the opposite, and it scared her more than anything.Â
She found herself thinking of him more often than not. And not of the North, or their meetings along their journey, not the catacombsâshe found herself recalling the more pleasant memories.Â
The time they spent together whenever they could when she was still a servant and he was still a prince. The sunset they shared together the night before her life was turned upside down. Those afternoons when she would visit him in the tea shop, talking like they used to, smiling like they used to.Â
Remembering him for who he was rather than who he had become was dangerous. It was how she got her heart broken in the first place, how she went through some of the worst months of her life.Â
He couldnât hurt her again if she didnât give him the chance to. So she wouldnât.Â
But it was getting harder and harder to avoid him, because one by one, her friends forgave him.Â
First, sheâd heard, was Toph. She didnât have any kind of grudge against him, and she was able to make up for him burning her feet tenfold now that he was part of the team.Â
Next was Aang. He was already far too forgiving, the amount of grace inside of him more than Y/N could even hope to muster. They proved themselves in front of the last dragons together, and apparently that was enough for Aang to trust him.Â
It took Sokka a bit longer, but after what they pulled off at the Boiling Rock together, he didnât seem to have a hard time getting along with Zuko. The fact that he helped save Y/N and Suki probably didnât hurt his chances either.Â
Zuko had burned down Sukiâs village, but Y/N still remembered what she told him in the courtyardââif you can get me out of here, youâre forgiven. Kyoshiâs fans, Iâll be your best friend.â They werenât exactly that close, but they worked together, and that was enough.Â
Katara, it seemed, was the only one who still shared Y/Nâs scorned feelings. They held onto each other like a lifeline, feeding off of the other in their hatred. It might not have been the healthiest option, but they refused to forgive Zuko. They stewed in their hurt, and it felt good. It felt good to have a target for their bitterness rather than the abstract ideal of betrayal, and Zuko worked just fine.Â
After they had fought against Azula, the night they settled on a random Fire Nation island, the two of them sat together on the outskirts of camp. They were meant to be keeping watch together, but instead they made quiet conversation.Â
âThatâs one way to say it,â Y/N said wryly. âSince joining you guys, Iâve had enough action for a lifetime. I canât wait for all this to be over.âÂ
Katara smiled, but it was wistful. âNeither can I. This has all gone on for so longâall I want is peace.âÂ
A memory flashed through her mindâfrantic screams, desperate pleading, flames devouring centuries of lifeâand Y/N swallowed thickly as she tried to push it away. The closer the day came, the more the memories would appear. It happened every year, but this time it was worse.Â
âMe too,â she murmured. âMore than anything.âÂ
Katara looked at her for a moment, her gaze softening before she finally spoke. âAre you okay? I⌠I know today wasnât easy.âÂ
Y/N managed a thin smile, but it wasnât convincing. âYou donât have to worry about me.âÂ
âYou know I canât do that,â Katara said dryly. âWe look out for each otherâwe always have, even from the first day we met. But itâs like youâre trying to make it as hard as possible for me to care about you.âÂ
âOne of my many skills,â she said sarcastically, but Katara didnât laugh. Y/N sighed in response, long and deep, and allowed her gaze to drift into the murky distance. At nighttime, the water and the sky became one. It was calming. âI justâŚâ she shook her head, âI donât know what to do.âÂ
âWith Zuko,â she guessed.Â
âWith everything,â Y/N said, but then she sighed again. â...Zuko included.âÂ
âHe doesnât deserve you,â Katara said quietly. âNot after everything heâs put you through.âÂ
âI keep telling myself that,â she murmured. âBut thereâs something inside of me that I canât get rid of.â She looked at Katara, the beginnings of tears glimmering in her eyes. âThereâ thereâs this hope that I canât get rid of, that things could be the way they used to be again. Andâ and last time I felt that way was in Ba Sing Se, and I know where that got me, soââÂ
Katara stayed silent, only taking her hand to acknowledge her while allowing her to continue. It was a lifeline to her, one sorely needed, and she let out a shaky breath.Â
âSo why do I still feel that way?â she asked, almost desperately. âHow have they all forgiven him so easily? They know what he didâ spirits, Aang died because of himâ but theyâre all able to sit around and joke with him like nothing happened.âÂ
âThey didnât trust him the way we did,â Katara said with a quiet anger. âThey didnât trust him the way we did, so it didnât hurt them the way it hurt us.âÂ
âI donât want to forgive him,â Y/N said weakly. âBut the thought of losing him hurts so much. Why does it hurt so much?â
âI donât know,â Katara murmured. âI⌠I donât know.â
Y/N flinched as a tear rolled down her cheek and fell to the ground below, and she instinctively wiped it away. She couldnât show weakness.
She grimaced at the thought. How long would that wretched place stay with her?
âIâll give you some time.â Kataraâs expression was pained as she squeezed her hand. She didnât want to leave her alone, but Y/N was thankful for it. Right now she just needed to feel miserable by herself, without bringing Katara down with her.Â
âThank you,â she whispered.
Katara nodded as she stood up. âYou can sleep in my tent tonight. Or if you decide you want to talk, come bother me. I promise itâll be okay.â
Y/N nodded, the action a bit numb, and she could feel Kataraâs eyes on her as she lingered. But eventually she mustered the strength to leave, and Y/N was left with her thoughts.
She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat as she stared up at the sky. She tried to find the constellation her father taught her when she was a mere childâthe tiger seal.Â
It was a jumble of stars that didnât even remotely resemble the animal, but she remembered late nights spent stargazing on the ground outside their house, giggling endlessly as her father would point out various other constellations that he made up on his own. It would last until her mother would come out and tell them it was far past your bedtime, young lady, but she would never hide her smile as they ambled back inside.
The memory made a smile of her own emerge, but she soon realized she was fully in tears. They slid down her cheeks, falling onto the dirt and stones jutting out of the cliffside.Â
She couldnât stop thinking of Zuko. She couldnât stop thinking of her father. She felt so deeply broken in a way that she had no idea how to fix, in a way that was threatening to consume her.Â
She had her life back. Everything should have been back to normal.Â
But instead, she felt more lost than ever.
-
Y/N ended up taking Kataraâs offer of sleeping in her tent, and she was glad she did. The familiarity of it all made her heart ache, but she was thankful for it. Thankful that she had friends like these who wouldnât let her push them away, no matter how much her newly wired instincts told her it was the right thing to do.Â
She was visited by her childhood in her dreams yet again. She saw her father and her mother, walking hand in hand with smiles on their faces as they trailed behind a young Y/N skipping through the village paths.Â
She saw her child self running, screaming and laughing in equal parts as she was chased by the boy marked as the tagger, only to stagger backwards after running into one of the adults. But she was greeted by the smiling face of her father. The boy tapped her on the shoulder and ran off laughing, but her father knelt down to her level and looked at her completely seriously.Â
âI guess that means weâre the taggers now, huh?â And with that, the two of them ran around the village tagging everyone they could with the seriously unfair advantage.Â
She saw the moment after sheâd learned how to waterbend, sprinting through the whole village to find her father, drag him to the lake, and show him her new skill. Gan held all the stars in his eyes as he watched her bend, and even though it was the simplest thing she couldâve done he praised her to no end.Â
The absence of scars, the smoothness of her skin, a bright smile that shone through herâshe was unmarked by the world then. Hopeful, content, naive.Â
When she woke up with still-wet tear tracks on her cheeks, it wasn't a surprise. She woke up like this more often than not.Â
One week. Seven days. And then she would go to face something she wasnât sure she was ready for.
But for now, there was something else to focus on. She could hear loud voices outside of the tentâall familiar, thankfullyâbut she knew that meant she had overslept.Â
Y/N fixed her hair and her clothes, rubbing furiously at her face to get rid of any signs of her previous emotions, and emerged from the tent to see her friends all standing around Appa.Â
ââabout getting closure and justice,â she heard Zuko say, and her brows instinctively creased.Â
âWhatâs going on?â Y/N asked, crossing her arms as she stopped between Sokka and Zuko. âWhat are you all talking about?âÂ
Zukoâs eyes widened slightly as he looked at her. âUhâ good morning.âÂ
âGood morning,â she said stiffly before repeating herself. âWhatâs going on?âÂ
âZuko knows where to find the man who killed our mother,â Sokka said. He was oddly quiet.Â
âAnd Katara wants to find him,â Aang said, his expression uneasy.Â
âIs there a problem with that?â Katara asked defensively.Â
âNot if Zukoâs right and you just want closure,â he said. âBut I donât think thatâs what this is about. I think itâs about getting revenge.âÂ
âMaybe it is!â Katara exclaimed, gesturing with one hand. âMaybe it is about revenge, Aang. But donât you think I deserve it?âÂ
âYou donât know what it will do to you,â Aang said. âI know how you feel right now, trust meâlike violence is the only way to solve your problem. I felt that way after I discovered what happened to my people. But itâs not the only way.âÂ
âI canât let him go now that I know I can get to him!â she yelled, her voice rising with her anger. âMaybe itâs what I needâmaybe itâs what he deserves.âÂ
Aangâs eyes widened slightly. âKatara, you sound like Jet.â
âThatâs not the same,â she snapped. âJet hurt the innocent. This manâ heâs not innocent. Heâs a monster.âÂ
âKatara, she was my mother too, but I think Aang might be right,â Sokka said.Â
She set her jaw. âThen you didnât love her the way I did.âÂ
Sokka took a step back as his eyes widened. âKataraâŚâ Â
âThe monks used to say that revenge is like a two-headed rat viper.â Aang spoke up quickly, trying to fill the air after what sheâd said. âWhile you watch your enemy go down, youâre being poisoned yourself.âÂ
âThatâs cute, but this isnât Air Temple preschool,â Zuko said. âItâs the real world.âÂ
âAnd you think he hasnât experienced the real world?â Y/N snapped. âI think he knows a little bit about grief after whatâs happened to him.âÂ
Zuko looked at her with a surprisingly level expression, contrasting her narrowed eyes and upturned lip. âMonk pacifism isnât going to help here.âÂ
Y/N opened her mouth to retort back but Aang stopped her. âItâs okay. I forgive you, Zuko.â He looked at Katara. âThatâs what you need to do. Forgiveness.âÂ
Katara laughed in disbelief. âYou want me to forgive the man who murdered my mother?âÂ
âOf course not!â Aang said. âYou need to face himâI understand that. But when you face him, you canât kill him. You have to let the anger flow through you, and then out of you. Accept your emotions, then let them go.âÂ
âWhy should he get to live when our mother is gone?â Katara shouted. âI donât want to forgive him, I want revenge!âÂ
âKilling him wonât bring our mother back,â Sokka murmured. âYouâll just have someone elseâs blood on your hands.âÂ
âGood,â she said coldly. âAn eye for an eye.âÂ
âMakes the whole world go blind,â Aang finished. âOne of the monks said that back in the templeâviolence might feel right, but it just hurts everyone more. Forgiveness is the right choice.âÂ
âForgiveness is the same as doing nothing,â Zuko said.Â
âNo, itâs not,â he said. âItâs easy to do nothingâforgiveness is hard.âÂ
âItâs not just hard,â Katara snarled, âitâs impossible.âÂ
Aang looked over at Y/N, who had been silent since her outburst at Zuko. âY/N, please. You know revenge wonât help her.âÂ
Y/N looked between the two of them, the steely determination brewing in Kataraâs eyes at odds with a desperate softness in Aangâs. Something twisted in her chest, and she had to force herself to look away as she spoke.Â
â...Do what you have to,â she said quietly. âWhatever that ends up being.âÂ
Hurt flickered across Aangâs expression before he looked away, and Katara nodded thankfully at her before she started walking away. Zuko cast a long look at Y/N before he followed her.Â
âIâll see you guys later,â Y/N muttered as she hurried off in the opposite direction, swallowing her doubts as her hands bunched into fists and loosened over and over, desperately needing something to do with them.Â
Katara was going after her motherâs killer, and Zuko was helping her with it. Katara, her last line of defense in her feelings against him, was going on her own trip with him. Y/N knew it was for the bestâit was something she needed to do and Zuko had the Fire Nation knowledge that no one else in their group possessed, so he was the obvious choiceâbut a small part of her still couldnât help but despise it.
He was getting too close, far too close, and she wasnât going to let that affect her.Â
No matter what.
-
Y/N had found a small solace by the cliffside, sitting on the edge as her legs hung off. She could fall just as easily as anything, but maybe it was the danger that calmed her, the fact that she was in control of what would happen. She heard the footsteps before anything though, and her body tensed up instinctively as she whirled around.Â
âItâs just me,â Toph said, her blank gaze aimed at the ground. âYouâre jumpier than usual.âÂ
âHow can you tell?âÂ
âI can hear every ant on this cliffside through their movements,â she said. âYour heart rate spiked so much that even a baby could tell youâre off. Youâve been off, ever since you came back.â
She smiled wryly. âIâm still getting used to everything again. Itâs not an easy transition.âÂ
âBut youâre here,â Toph said, and she sat down next to her. âYouâve been through everything, and youâre still here. That means youâre tougher than everything the Fire Nation has tried to throw at you.âÂ
âHow can you say that so easily?â Y/N asked. âIâve flipped out on everyone at least twice for no reason. I constantly have nightmares about whatâs happened. Iâ I canât even bend because Zuko still has this stupid hold on me. I donât feel tough. I feel weaker than ever.âÂ
âYouâre still here,â Toph repeated, emphasizing each word. âSo many other people would have given up by now if they were in your position. But you didnâtâyou fought, and you continued to fight until you won, no matter how long it took you. Thatâs what makes you toughânot all the stuff youâve been through, but the fact that youâre still standing at the end of it.âÂ
âWhen did you become so wise?â she joked weakly, her gaze trailing off into the horizon. The sun was beginning to set, beautiful reds and oranges blending with deep purple. It reminded her of the night everything changed.Â
âSomeone had to keep these dunderheads together while you were busy in prison.â Y/N chuckled a bit, but she could see Tophâs expression sober in her peripherals. â...Iâve just been worried about you.â
âReally?â
Toph punched her on the arm without looking. âDoes that make you believe me?âÂ
Y/N managed a small smile as she rubbed the spot. âYeah.âÂ
âGood. Because I donât know how much sappy stuff I can take.âÂ
Her smile widened as she wrapped an arm around Toph and pulled her closer. âSo you do love me.âÂ
âLet go of me!â she protested. âThis is the worst kind of sappy stuff!â
But Toph made no move to get away from her, and Y/N laughed. âJust admit it. You missed me.âÂ
âOf course I missed you,â she huffed. âWithout you, I actually had to do all the work with Katara instead of knocking Twinkle Toes around with earthbending or practicing on my own. It was horrible.âÂ
âI missed you too, Toph,â Y/N said with a smile. âI didnât realize how much I appreciated your tough love until I didnât have it.â
âI have plenty saved up for you, Snowflake,â Toph grinned, âso donât worry.â But her expression sobered, and she paused.Â
â...Iâm here for you,â she said after a moment. âIf you need anything, or just someone to listen to. Iâm good at listening to people complain.âÂ
âThank you,â she said, her smile softening. âThat means more than you know.âÂ
And as the two of them sat there in silence, nothing being said verbally but more in the air between them than ever, she felt content once again. She didnât realize how much she just needed to talk to somebody. First her conversation with Katara and now with Tophâher friends really were the secret to making her feel better.Â
âŚThings would be okay again, Y/N thought to herself. No matter how long it took, her friends would be there for her.Â
Things would be okay again.Â
She would be okay again.Â
-
âTheyâve been gone for too long,â Sokka grumbled.Â
âItâs been two days,â Aang said. âZuko said the man they were after was retiredâit canât be easy to find a retired Fire Nation soldier, no matter how knowledgeable you are about the navy.âÂ
âThatâs too long,â Sokka insisted as he crossed his arms. While Y/N, Aang, Suki, Toph sat together in a loose arc, Sokka was up and pacing. He had been for the past twenty minutes.
âCan you sit down, Sokka?â Y/N asked. âYouâre stressing me out.âÂ
âYou should be stressed out!â he exclaimed, flinging his arms up. âThe boy prince of betrayal went off with my impressionable sister on a murder field trip. There is no reason to not be stressed out!âÂ
âYou need to give Sugar Queen more credit,â Toph said. âIf Zuko tries anything, heâs the one that should be worried. Not the other way around.âÂ
âTophâs right,â Aang said, but then he frowned. âAnd I thought you trusted Zuko.âÂ
âNot when heâs alone with my sister on a murder field trip!â Sokka heaved a long sigh as he stopped, staring out into the distance. Even though their island was one of a big scattered chain, they were still extremely isolated. It was unnerving sometimes, especially at night. âShe feels everything so strongly, and⌠and sheâs always felt guilty about what happened to Mom. I know she thinks this is her chance to make it up to her, to do what she wished she could have done on that day. But I also know that if she goes through with it, sheâll regret it for the rest of her life.âÂ
âSheâll make the right choice,â Y/N murmured. âI know she will.âÂ
Aang suddenly perked up, and he turned around. When he did, his eyes widened. âTheyâre back.âÂ
They all turned around to see Appa touching down at camp, but only one person dismounted.Â
âWhereâs Katara?â Y/N instantly asked, her eyes narrowing as she darted up.Â
âSheâs fine,â Zuko said, but when he glanced at Aang she could see his nerves. âShe⌠sheâs back at the dock. At the soldierâs village.âÂ
âDid sheâŚ?â Aang didnât finish the sentence, but he didnât have to.Â
âNo. Heâs terrified out of his mind, but heâs alive.â A weight was visibly lifted off of Sokkaâs shoulders with the single word, and Aang nodded.Â
âThatâs⌠thatâs good.âÂ
âShe said she needed some time to herself,â Zuko murmured. âI figured it was only right to bring you back with me.âÂ
âIâm coming too,â Sokka said.
âMe too,â Y/N spoke up. She could feel Zukoâs gaze on her, but she didnât meet it.Â
âIâll stay back,â Toph said. âSomeone has to hold this place down.âÂ
âI will too,â Suki said, and she gave Sokka a light kiss on the cheek. âI hope sheâs okay.âÂ
âShe will be,â Sokka said softly. âEventually.âÂ
Zuko nodded and started walking back towards Appa. âLetâs get back, then. Itâs a bit of a ride.âÂ
-
Soon enough, they were all in the village, and Aang jumped off Appa as soon as heâd guided him close enough.Â
âKatara!â he exclaimed as he ran towards her, sitting on the edge of the dock. âAre you okay?âÂ
âIâm doing fine,â she murmured. Her voice was placid as the water she sat above, but it was strained.Â
âZuko told me what you did,â Aang said softly. âOr⌠what you didnât do, I guess. Iâm proud of you.âÂ
âI wanted to do it,â she said stiffly. âI wanted to take out all my anger on him, and I almost did. But⌠but I just couldnât. I donât know if itâs because Iâm too weak to do it or strong enough not to.âÂ
âYou did the right thing,â Y/N said. âFacing that man makes you stronger than he could ever hope to be.âÂ
âForgiveness is the first step you have to take towards healing,â Aang said.Â
Katara stood up, and her gaze was a mixture of sadness and acceptance. But it was obvious the ordeal was still weighing on her. âI didnât forgive him. Iâll never forgive him. ButâŚâ she looked past them and over at Zuko, the smallest of smiles pulling at her lips. â...I am ready to forgive you.âÂ
She walked up to Zuko and hugged him, and after a moment of hesitation Zuko smiled and wrapped his arms around her. Y/N clenched her jaw and started walking back over to Appa.Â
She was happy Katara got closure, of course she was. But in the process, she had forgiven Zuko. She was her confidante, the one person who understood how deep her anger towards him went. She had been by Y/Nâs side throughout their whole journey, at each and every road block, she was there for Ba Sing Seâfor all of Ba Sing Se.Â
And somehow, Zuko had gotten her to forgive him too.Â
It was selfish, unbelievably so, for it to hurt her so much when Katara had just faced something impossible. But she couldnât help the way that her chest twisted, how her heart ached, how her nails dug so deep into her palms they left indentations.Â
When the rest of them got back onto Appa, Katara sat down next to her. âThank you for coming.âÂ
âOf course.â She didnât make eye contact, her gaze focused into the distance as Aang set off for camp. âIâm glad you got to face him. That you made the right decision for you.âÂ
âY/N,â she murmured, âI know what this is about.âÂ
âItâs not about anything except you,â she evaded. âThis was a journey you had to takeâweâre all behind you.âÂ
âAnd you have all my thanks for that,â Katara said. She glanced at Zuko on the other side of the saddle, very obviously trying to pretend like he wasnât listening in on their conversation. He wasnât very good at it. âBut I know youâre upset about⌠that.âÂ
âWe donât need to talk about this right now,â she said.Â
âY/NâŚâ
She didnât say anything. Katara sighed and settled back down on the saddle.Â
âOkay,â she nodded. âWhen youâre ready.â
Quiet conversation was made on the other side of the saddle between the three boys, but there was nothing between Katara and Y/N.Â
Nothing except a newly found weight on both their shoulders.Â
-Â
The sizzling fuse exploded when they got back to camp, though. A ride spent staring at the sky didnât do much for her. Y/N got down from Appa the moment Aang guided him to the ground, and Katara let out a hefty sigh as she followed after her. She started to say her name, but she didnât get far.Â
âEven you forgave him.â Her words were cold, icy rather than hot anger. âEven you! After everything weâve talked aboutâ everything you know!âÂ
âIâ I know,â Katara said, and she let out a deep sigh as she ran a hand through her loose hair. âBut⌠but he helped me in a way that no one ever had. I found my motherâs killer. I got closure.âÂ
âWell, maybe I should get him to help me find the guard who killed my father,â Y/N said sarcastically. âMaybe thatâll get me my bending back.âÂ
âIt could,â Katara said, and she was actually genuine. âIt could work. And Zuko would help you.âÂ
She huffed a mirthless laugh and shook her head, biting the inside of her lip to prevent the tears she knew would start welling up. âIâm not letting him back in. Even you said I shouldnât.âÂ
âI canât say I know how much youâre hurting,â Katara said, âbut⌠but Zuko is hurting just as much as you. Thereâs no excuse for what he did, Iâm not saying that. But he wants your forgiveness more than anything in the world.âÂ
âDid he tell you to say this during your trip?â she asked stiffly. âI mean, now that heâs turned you over to his side and everything.âÂ
âIâm saying this because I care about you,â Katara said softly. âY/N, I have seen you hurting for months now, all because of Zuko. Even from the first moment we met in the North, I knew there was something inside of you, and itâs still there. And if you donât take care of it, itâs going to consume you.âÂ
âI canât forgive him.â Her voice was barely a whisper, a cracked, haunted resolve behind it. âI wonât let myself get hurt again.âÂ
âAnd I canât promise that he wonât hurt you again,â Katara murmured. âBut I do know if you decide to let him back in, heâll spend the rest of his life trying to make it up to you.âÂ
Y/N wasnât able to muster any words. She wrapped her arms around her midsection and turned away, blinking back tears.Â
âHe talked about you,â she continued. âWhen he wasnât talking about the Fire Nation and where we were going, he was talking about you. He loved you back then, and he still loves you now. Even if it took him way too long to realize it.â Kataraâs expression softened as well as her voice and she took a step closer. âAll he wants is to help you however he can.âÂ
âIf he loved me then and he still betrayed me,â she whispered, âthen how can I ever trust him again?âÂ
â...You just have to,â Katara said quietly. âTrust in the Zuko you knew before you were forced to be on opposite sides. When the two of you were the missing half of each otherâs souls.âÂ
She swallowed the lump in her throat, still unable to look back at Katara. âI canât.âÂ
âThen at least donât push us away,â Katara urged. âYouâve been off. I donât know what itâs about, but you can tell me as little or as much as you want, whenever youâre ready. Iâm here for youâweâre all here for you, Y/N. We love you so much. Let us help you.âÂ
She bit down on her lip hard to prevent the tears from welling up, and she was only able to muster a nod. âI will. Soon.âÂ
â...Okay.âÂ
Y/N walked off, and she could feel Kataraâs worried gaze on her. It took all her strength not to look back.Â
-
Three days.Â
It all went on as usual. Suki asked if she was okay, but she didnât push.Â
Sokka wouldnât stop looking at her strangely. He must have heard her leaving her tent in the middle of the night.Â
-
Two days.Â
The nightmares were worse. She nearly woke up screaming. Thankfully, she didnât wake Katara.Â
Aang sat with her during breakfast, telling ancient airbender stories. He didnât ask anything when he had to repeat himself because of her blank stare at the ground.Â
She spent most of the day sitting by the water.Â
Maybe it would come back after this.Â
-
One day.Â
Everyone knew something was wrong, but she didnât give any of them the chance to ask.
Especially Zuko. He wouldnât stop looking at her, wouldnât stop trying to talk to her. She brushed him off every time.Â
She packed her bag that night.Â
She barely slept a wink.Â
-
âWhat are you doing?âÂ
Her plan was to leave at the crack of dawn, before her friends could ask any questions or try to go with her. She would be back by nightfall, and she would have closure. The nightmares would stop. The guilt would go away. She would be okay again.Â
But of course, he had to ruin everything.Â
She didnât look over at the sound of Zukoâs voice as she rifled through her bag, making sure she had everything she needed. âNothing.âÂ
âThat doesnât look like nothing.âÂ
âVery perceptive, arenât you?â she said dryly. Y/N tied her bag shut and stood up, then climbed onto Appaâs back. âIâm leaving.âÂ
His eyes widened. âYouâre leaving? Does everyone else know about this?âÂ
âNot leaving for good,â she scoffed. âI just have something I need to do.âÂ
âAnd that is?âÂ
Y/N glared fully at Zuko. âNone of your business.âÂ
âYouâre taking Appa in the middle of the night to go somewhere,â he said, crossing his arms. âEvery time someoneâs tried to do that, itâs been for something important. Sokka was going to the Boiling Rock, and Katara wanted to find her motherâs killer. Iâm guessing whatever youâre going to do is equally important, which means youâre gonna need backup.âÂ
âI said it was none of your business,â she repeated. âI can handle myself just fine without you.â
âWell,â Zuko crossed his arms, âIâm not leaving until you tell me what youâre doing.âÂ
âYouâre the most annoying person Iâve ever met,â she jabbed.Â
âYouâre the most stubborn person Iâve ever met,â he responded with a shrug. Â
She went silent for a moment as her gaze traveled away, staring instead at the dark night sky. Today had been the hardest day yet, even looking back on her months in captivity. It was the day everything changed. She didnât exactly know what possessed her to tell Zuko the reason, but after a moment, she did.Â
âSeven years ago today, my village was invaded,â she said quietly. âItâs the day my mother and I were captured, and⌠and the day my father was killed.âÂ
Zukoâs eyes widened, and his voice was the same as hers when he finally mustered something. âI⌠I didnât know. Iâm so sorry.âÂ
âSo am I,â she said, âbut apologies havenât helped me with anything. Iâm going back. Iâm visiting my village for the first time since my mother and I were taken. Now that I have the means to travel there, itâs something I need to do.âÂ
âI understand,â Zuko said, âcompletely. Iâll come with you.âÂ
Her response was instantaneous. âNo.âÂ
âYou canât travel that far alone,â he insisted. âI have no doubt that you can handle yourself, but youâve trained to fight with your bending, and right now you donât have it. If you run into any kind of trouble, youâre⌠well, youâre gonna be in trouble.âÂ
âI can fight,â she said. âIâm good with my fists. I held my own against Azula.âÂ
âYou did,â he admitted, âbut her skill also isnât in her hand to hand. And if youâre up against multiple peopleâsay, Fire Nation guardsâyouâre gonna go down quick.âÂ
âYou have just as much faith in me as ever,â she remarked sourly.Â
âItâs not that I donât have faith in you!â Zuko defended. âI just donât want you to die because you have too much pride to accept any kind of help.âÂ
âItâs not that I donât want any help,â she stated. âI just donât want your help.âÂ
Zuko let out a long-lasting sigh, shaking his head before he finally met her eyes again. âLook. I know you donât like me, and you donât have to. Not after⌠not after what I did. But whateverâs between us canât affect our mission, because ultimately weâre all here to defeat my father. That has to happen no matter what, so like it or not, weâre probably gonna have to work together at least once to make that happen.âÂ
âI donât have to work with you if I donât want to,â she said.Â
âReally? So if weâre in the middle of a fight and your choice is to either work with me or die, what would you do?âÂ
âIâm not that stupid,â she snapped.Â
Annoyingly, though⌠he had a point. They couldnât afford any distractions, not so close to the end. And Y/N wouldnât be the reason for their failure because of Zuko.Â
â...Fine,â she relented, but the glare she pinned him with was still withering. âBut you do whatever I tell you to do, and you donât come with me when we get to my village. This is private.âÂ
Zuko immediately broke out into a grin and he nodded. âOf course. Iâm here for you.âÂ
She averted her gaze as she took her seat on Appaâs head. âGet your things before I leave you here.âÂ
He nodded again and he started off towards his tent. Y/N let out a loose sigh as she rubbed her hands up and down her arms, the early morning chill beginning to get to her.Â
A trip with Zuko to her childhood village on the anniversary of the worst day of her life.Â
This couldnât go terribly at all, she thought wryly.Â
-
â...So,â Zuko said, âdo you know where weâre going?âÂ
âNo,â she said, âI just thought I would lead Appa around blindly and hope that we somehow end up in the right place.âÂ
âSo you do knowââÂ
âOf course I know where weâre going,â Y/N snapped. Maybe it was unfair of her, but she didnât exactly care. âSokka took a map from Wan Shi Tongâs library before it collapsed, and he let me borrow it. Itâll take us a couple of hours, but we should make it before noon.âÂ
Zuko nodded. âWhere is your village? You never told me much about it when you talked about your past.âÂ
âWhy do you care?âÂ
He huffed a laugh. âYou canât be serious.âÂ
She said nothing, and Zuko sighed. âI care about you, Y/N, more than anything. Iâm here because I want to help you. Of course I care about where youâre from.âÂ
âThat doesnât mean we need all the small talk,â she said.Â
âItâs not small talk, itâs a conversation,â Zuko said dryly. âIâm more than happy to sit here in silence with you for another six hours, but I think thatâs pretty boring.âÂ
â...Itâs by the southern coast, near the Zeizhou provinces,â she relented after a moment. âItâs so small that you canât find it on a map unless you know what youâre looking for. We didnât even have an official nameâif we had to, we called it South Zeizhou because that was the only notable thing near us.âÂ
âWhat was it like?â he asked. âGrowing up in a place like that.âÂ
âIt was nice,â she said. âWe were almost completely isolated from other villages, so we were tightly knit. Everyone knew each otherâIâm sure I knew each person by name by the time I was fiveâand everyone helped each other. We didnât have much, but everyone was well taken care of. Our community was everything.âÂ
âThat sounds beautiful,â Zuko murmured.Â
âIt was,â she agreed. âUntil your people invaded it and destroyed it.âÂ
Zuko went silent at that, but instead of the sick sort of satisfaction she normally experienced, she felt⌠guilty.Â
It wasnât his fault. Zuko was only a year older than herâwhen her village was invaded, he was probably in school lessons or learning how to be a prince. And now he was here, going against everything he knew, everything heâd ever had, to try and make things right.Â
He was a child just like her. And with a father like Fire Lord OzaiâŚÂ
â...Iâm sorry,â she said, and his eyes darted up, a bit of shock visible in them. âI know it wasnât your fault. I justâŚâ she sighed. âIâve never forgiven the Fire Nation for what was done to my people. And I guess youâre just the easiest target.âÂ
âI understand,â he murmured. âAnd for whatever itâs worth, Iâm sorry too.âÂ
âThis doesnât mean anything.â The words were quick to leave her mouth, and she didnât look at him. âJust because I feel bad doesnât mean Iâve forgiven you.â Nevertheless, she could still hear the smile in his voice.Â
âI know.âÂ
More silence.Â
âWhat was your father like?â Zuko asked as he broke it. âYou speak of him so fondly.âÂ
She bit her lip at the question as the memories flooded back, and Zuko was stumbling over his words almost immediately.Â
âYouâ you donât have to answer,â he said, âobviously, if itâs too much, but IââÂ
âHe was the nicest man youâd ever meet,â she said softly. âHe was always willing to help anyone who needed it, always willing to do far more than he had to if he thought it would make someone happy. And he didâhe made my mother the happiest woman alive. He was beloved by everyone in the village.â Y/N swallowed hard. âHe died to protect it. To protect me.âÂ
âYouâve made him proud,â Zuko said. âI know you have.âÂ
âI hope so,â she murmured. âItâs all Iâve ever wanted.â
She meant to leave it at that, but for some reason, the words continued to flow. âBut I⌠Iâm worried about what will happen when I get there.â that they wonât recognize me when I come back.âÂ
Zuko frowned. âWhat do you mean?â
âItâs been years since I was there.â Y/N let go of the reins and wrung her hands together. She glanced down at the bandages, the rough fabric almost a comfort after her time without them. âI havenât been back since I was captured. What if they resent me for not being there?âÂ
âNo one could possibly resent you for that,â he scoffed. âYou were taken, Y/N, by soldiers. You were a childâwhat could you have done?âÂ
âAnything,â she muttered. âIf I had done anything, maybe things would have been different.âÂ
âYou canât do that to yourself,â Zuko insisted. âYouâll drive yourself insane going down that path.âÂ
She shrugged. âThat doesnât mean it isnât true.âÂ
âLook at me.âÂ
Y/N frowned. âWhat?âÂ
âTurn around and look at me,â he said again. âAnd donât do your stubborn I hate Zuko thing. Just humor me for once.âÂ
She scoffed and crossed her arms as she turned around, looking him in the eye. âWhat?âÂ
âDo you think itâs Kataraâs fault that her mother is dead?âÂ
The jump to the topic made her blink, recoiling the slightest bit. âWhat? Noâ spirits, of course not.âÂ
âBut she died to save her,â Zuko said. âThe raiders were there looking for the last waterbender, and that was Katara. Her mother gave herself up in place of her.âÂ
âThatâs not her fault,â she said. âHer mother chââÂ
It hit her then, and her eyes narrowed. âYouâre not clever.âÂ
The slightest smile tugged at Zukoâs lips and he shrugged. âIt worked, didnât it?âÂ
âYouâre not clever,â she simply repeated, and she turned back around and grabbed the reins. She couldnât see Zukoâs pleased expression as he adjusted his position in the saddle.Â
âJust trying to help,â he said, and his voice softened. âYouâve made your father proud, even if you donât think so. Youâve made both your parents proud.âÂ
She didnât respond. She feared that if she tried to, the tears would spring. And she wasnât going to cry.Â
But she appreciated his words more than he knew. Maybe even more than she knew.Â
But she couldnât say that. And so they rode in silence.Â
-
âWeâre almost here,â she announced, and she lightly tugged at Appaâs reins to get him to slow down. It had been a few hours of silent flying and navigating, but theyâd made good time. By the spot of the sun in the sky, she could tell it was just before noon.Â
âGood,â he said.Â
They had been in the air for hours, starting even before the sun had risen, so it was no surprise when she glanced behind her and saw Zuko fighting off grogginess in the form of a barely stifled yawn.Â
âYou didnât have to come, you know,â she said, maybe a little too snippy.Â
âI wasnât going to let you go alone,â Zuko said. âAnd even though you might not think so, I like being around you. IâŚâ he sighed and shook his head. âNevermind.âÂ
âWhat?â
âI just want things to be the way they used to be,â he murmured. âBut I know that canât happen. And I know youâre tired of hearing it.âÂ
â...I want that too,â she said quietly after a moment of hesitation.Â
She heard the rustling of leather and a sharp intake of breath, and it wasnât hard to tell he was shocked by her words. And maybe she was shocked too, because she knew she meant them completely.Â
âY/N,â Zuko started, âyouââÂ
But then he was interrupted by her gasp.Â
âWhat?â he asked, only a moment of hesitation before he switched veins. He moved up beside her, and his eyes widened. âFlames of AgniâŚâÂ
In the distance, she could see where the forest abruptly stopped. It went on for kilometers, the ashy remnants of fauna and chopped stumps. So much of the forest was justâ was just gone. And in the center of it allâŚ
Her village was unrecognizable. Houses made of wood and stone had been torn down and replaced with metal buildings, and the few original buildings that still were in disrepair, riddled with scorch marks and on the verge of falling apart. She could see armed Fire Nation soldiers manning certain spots around the village, as well as marching through the streets. They numbered far more than anyone in simple Earth Kingdom garb.Â
Flags and banners with Fire Nation insignias hung everywhere, but the worst part was the factory. It was as big as ten of their old homes, black, polished metal only good for serving as an eyesore. It pumped out acrid black smoke, and even from so far away it made her eyes sting. Her hands clenched into fists around the reins, and anger swelled up inside of her.Â
Everything that was held sacred in her village was gone, ruined by the Fire Nation for their own gain. Just like everything else in the world.
And she hadnât even known about it.Â
âThe Fire Nation is still here,â she said shakily. âI⌠I donât know what I expected. I thought they would move on after the raid, butâŚâ She barely managed to choke back a sob by clenching her jaw tightly. âThey destroyed it all.âÂ
âIâm so sorry.â There was horror in Zukoâs voice, and like her, he was unable to look away from the devastation. âI⌠If I had knownâŚâÂ
âSorry isnât going to fix anything,â she said bitterly, but it was more pained than anything.Â
âThen we will fix it,â he countered. Her eyes flicked up to him, the smallest bit of surprise visible. âWeâll take your village back and get the Fire Nation out, once and for all.âÂ
Y/Nâs grip tightened even further on the reins, her nails digging deep into her palms as she nodded. Her eyes hardened as they moved back to her village, and she nodded resolutely.Â
âYouâre damn right we will.âÂ
-
âAre you okay?âÂ
âOf course Iâm not okay,â she said. She wanted to snap at him, but she didnât have the energy. Not after what sheâd seen.Â
She and Zuko had set up camp a while away from her village, deep in what remained of the forest to give Appa enough cover. Though she wanted to light a fire, she knew it was too risky. And so they sat together on the ashy, barren ground, the air between them heavier than ever.Â
They were going to take back her village, that much was a given. The only question was how.Â
âYouâre right,â he murmured. âIt was a stupid question.âÂ
âI just donât understand,â she said weakly as she sat back on the ground. âWhy would they stay in our village? Weâre so far off the map that itâs probably costing them more to be here than not.â
âThatâs what the Fire Nation does,â Zuko said. âThey destroy everything they get their hands on.â
When Y/N looked up at him, he was staring at the ground, his jaw clenched.Â
âItâs about breaking their spirit,â he continued. âIf they just left, your people could fight back. Get revenge for the invasion. But if they take over completelyââ
âThey crush an uprising before it has the chance to grow,â she murmured, âand they gain a workforce and all the natural resources they could want.â
âYeah.â
Zukoâs voice was oddly quiet, stilted in a way she couldnât place. She couldnât stop herself from asking.
âWhat happened when you went back to the Fire Nation?â
Zuko glanced at her, swallowing hard before he looked away. âIâm not sure you want to know.â
âI do,â she said. âAnd I think I have the right to know.â
âMai and I got together.â He sounded almost embarrassed, and she hated the twist of jealousy in her chest. âWe talked during the entire boat ride home, and it went from there.â
âOh,â she said stiffly. âSo while I was sentenced to rot in prison for the rest of my life, you were getting busy with the girl whoâs loved you her whole life.â
His cheeks flushed bright red in spite of the obvious anger. âThatâs not what it was!â
âReally? Because thatâs exactly what it sounds like.â
âWe were both struggling,â he insisted. âI⌠I wasnât handling Ba Sing Se well, and Mai was having doubts about everything. We gravitated towards each other in our misery, andâ and it just happened.â
âYou canât honestly believe thatâs true,â she snapped.
âYou donât know anything about Mai if you think it isnât!â he exclaimed. âNeither of us wereââ
âWhat?â she asked, brazen in his silence as he suddenly cut off. âYou werenât what?â
ââŚWe realized that we didnât like each other in that way,â he finished in a mumble. âExpectations pushed us together. Our own feelings pulled us apart.â Zuko looked back at her this time. âWe couldnât ignore our⌠our true feelings.â
âAnd what are those true feelings?â she asked. She couldnât help the mocking tone in her voice, but the anger was beginning to come back. Mai had never been mean to her back in the palace, but it was hard to forget Omashu and Ba Sing Se. And it wasnât exactly nice to hear that she and Zuko got together right after she was sentenced to a life in prison.Â
âI love you,â he said, âand you know that. But Mai, sheââ Zuko shook his head and glanced away.Â
âWhat?â she repeated.Â
â...Do you remember Ty Lee?âÂ
She frowned. âYeah. Sheâs tried to kill me a couple times.âÂ
âThatâs who,â he said, and her eyes widened slightly. âTheyâve always been close, but⌠I donât know. Maybe the pressure of working under my sister brought them together. Maybe me being as horrible as I was pushed her away. But all I know is that Mai has feelings for her, and none for me. And Iâm okay with that.âÂ
â...Ty Lee,â Y/N said, and she managed a chuckle. âI think thatâs the last pair I expected.âÂ
Zuko cracked a smile. âIt works, though. I hope they can figure something out.âÂ
âYeah,â she mumbled. âMe too.âÂ
But then Zukoâs expression sobered again as he looked at her, his gaze as piercing as ever. âYou know I donât like her. You know thereâs nothing between us. Aâand you said you wanted things to be the way they used to be.â His voice was low, but there was no mistaking the edge of desperation in it. âSo why canât they be?âÂ
âWhy does it always come back to us?â she asked bitterly.Â
âBecause I want there to be an us again so badly,â he said. Zukoâs voice was so genuine it pained her, and she hated how easily he was cracking her resolve.Â
The walls used to be easy to keep up, used to be gratifying. But now all it did was hurt. The night was cold, and she longed for his embrace.Â
But Zuko was fire. Beautiful, inviting, full of warmth, but able to hurt her just as easily.Â
And spirits, that was all she could think about as the scar on her arm stung. The burns on her hands had faded, and Ba Sing Seâs mark was nearly gone as well, but she couldnât forget. Â
âMaybe there canât be an us again,â she mumbled as she stood up. âAnd maybe we just both have to accept that.âÂ
The look in Zukoâs eyes hurt, his downcast expression combined with the same longing she felt. So she walked away towards the forest, or rather what remained of it.Â
âIâm going to scout out our surroundings,â she said, though it was half-hearted. âIâll be back when the sun starts setting. Weâll figure out a plan at nightfall.âÂ
Sheâd disappeared into the woods soon enough. If Zuko said something, she didnât hear it.Â
-
She held true to her word, and she was back by nightfall. Zuko had drawn a map of her village in the dirt with a stick, and though it was crude it was accurate. It turned out he had a better memory than she thought, and it also seemed that when they were working towards something like this, it was easier to work through the tension.Â
It took the better part of an hour for them to come up with something and actually agree on it, and it was still shakier than he likedâa lot of it relied on her people remembering Y/N the way that she remembered them. But it was a plan, and it could work, so it was good enough.Â
Soon enough, they were back on Appa, riding through the inky sky towards her village. Dressed in black from spares Zuko had in his bagâthe same outfit he lended Katara during her mission, she was sureâthey blended in perfectly.Â
âWeâre here,â she whispered, and Zuko nodded as he sheathed his sword and moved up next to her on Appaâs head. âDo you remember the plan?âÂ
âOf course I do,â he said. âAre you dropping down here?âÂ
âYeah. Iâll signal when Iâm ready for you.âÂ
He nodded again. âGood luck, Y/N.âÂ
â...Thanks.âÂ
She guided Appa closer to the ground, handing the reins off to Zuko when she thought she was close enough. She slid off as quietly as she could, her moccasins doing little to help with the shock of landing but good enough at muffling her movements. There were fewer guards than before, but it still made her nervous.Â
Y/N didnât even dare to breathe as she moved through her village, ducking behind cover when she needed to as she made her way towards one of the only remaining houses. Despite the Fire Nation banner hanging across the front, it still felt like it was her village rather than another forced colony.Â
That was something, she supposed.Â
She pushed the door open quietly and pulled the fabric down from her face, checking once more to make sure there were no guards before she closed it. And when she turned around, she was met by a wide-eyed woman and a stark-faced man darting up from his spot on the floor.Â
It probably wasnât the best look, showing up dressed in all black in the middle of the night while the village is occupied by soldiers. She could only hope they would recognize her.Â
âWhat are you doing in our home?â he demanded, but his wife shook her head.Â
âI must be dreaming,â she whispered, and she stood up as well. âY/N? Is⌠is that you?âÂ
âLeya,â Y/N said, and she felt the pinpricks of tears behind her eyes, âyou remember.âÂ
Leya laughed and clasped her hands together as she moved closer and pulled her into an embrace. âOf course I remember you, darling! How could I forget the little waterbender who always managed to soak my laundry just as it had finished drying?âÂ
âGanâs girl,â the manâLaoâmarveled, and he laughed as well. âWhat in Kyoshiâs name are you doing here?âÂ
âItâs hard to explain,â she said, slightly sheepish as she pulled out of Leyaâs hug. âBut basically⌠Iâm here to save the village.âÂ
Lao shook his head with a smileâthat same smile she remembered from her youth, a mix of approval and surprise. âYou havenât been here since the invasion and now youâre here to save our village. You havenât changed a bit.âÂ
âWhat can I say?â she said with a slight laugh. âIâve been busy with the Avatar.âÂ
âThe Avatar?â Leya asked, and Y/N held up her hand.Â
âAs much as Iâd love to tell you both what Iâve been up to all these years, weâre working on a schedule.â
ââWeâ?â Lao caught. âWho else is here with you?âÂ
She didnât think she could exactly say the crown prince of the Fire Nation, no matter how reformed he claimed to be.
âA friend of the Avatar,â she decided. âHeâs waiting for my signal. Thatâs when the actionâs going to start.âÂ
âWhat exactly is your plan?â Leya asked tentatively. âIâm not sure if youâve noticed, but our numbers arenât the highest. Those who havenât been sent away as laborers had their spirits broken long ago. There are very few with any kind of fight left in them.âÂ
âThatâs okay,â she said. âIâve got more than enough fight in me for this whole village. But I need your help.âÂ
Lao nodded. âAnything.âÂ
She smiled, a miniscule amount of weight dropping off her shoulders in relief. âGood.âÂ
-
Appa was stashed securely in the woods, a rucksack full of moon peaches to keep him happy and quiet, but Zuko was still nervous.Â
How couldnât he be, hiding behind a gaudy metal structure pretending to be a house that fit into this village? He was only the traitor boy prince of the Fire Nation, most likely with a wanted poster and a bounty on his head courtesy of his father.Â
He wasnât scared, though.Â
Nervous? Sure. But he couldnât wait to give these soldiers what they deserved.Â
Zukoâs eyes snapped towards the sudden movement across the wayâthe Fire Nation banner had been ripped down from the house Y/N went into, and the woman who did it held her fist in the air for a moment before darting back inside.Â
The signal.Â
It was time.Â
Zuko took a deep breath, pulled his broadswords out of their sheaths, and started moving.Â
It didnât take long to find a guard, standing at his assignment near some light post. Zuko dashed behind him and brought his swords up to his neck.Â
âStay quiet if you want to keep your head,â he said. âNod if you understand.âÂ
The guard nodded, but Zuko saw his hand clenching into a fist. He moved one sword down, and he froze in place as the sharp edge settled against his skin.Â
âNo firebending either,â he growled. âYou wanna test my patience some more, or are you ready to cooperate?âÂ
âIâ Iâll cooperate,â he stammered. âJust donât hurt me, please. What do you want?âÂ
It was almost pathetic. These people took over an innocent village, and now they were so confident that they stationed guards like this. Zuko wondered if this man even knew what had been done here.Â
âGood,â Zuko said. âWhoâs in charge here?âÂ
âGeneral Lee,â he said, and Zuko had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Of course. âHeâ heâs the one who took over this place at the beginning. The one who ordered the invasion.âÂ
âAnd where is he?âÂ
âThe biggest house at the end of the lane,â he said. âYouâ you canât miss it.âÂ
Zuko thanked the soldier for his information by knocking the flat end of one blade against his head, and he took a step back as the man fell to the ground, unconscious.Â
Step one complete.Â
-
âHow is your earthbending?â Y/N asked. She and Lao moved swiftly through the village under the cover of darkness, avoiding soldiers where they were stationed as they conversed in low voices.Â
âNot as sharp as it used to be,â Lao said. âIâve been hiding it since the invasionâotherwise they would have killed me or sent me away. What do you need it for?âÂ
Once again, that sheepishness came back. The plan she and Zuko created sounded very outlandish when she said it out loud.Â
âI want to destroy the factory.âÂ
âYou certainly don't aim low, huh?â Lao chuckled a bit, but he flexed his hands nonetheless. He moved his fist forward and a short pillar of solid rock shot up from the ground. âIâve still got some of it, at least.â
âThatâs why I asked for your help,â she said. âThe Fire Nation builds everything out of metal, but I think they forget that rocks are pretty effective against it.âÂ
Lao smiled as he sent the rock back down into the earth. âI like how you think.âÂ
She smiled as well, but her head shot up at the movement near them. She stepped protectively in front of Lao, her instincts above anything, but the tension dissolved when she saw it was just Zuko.Â
âDid you find out where he is?â she asked, and he nodded.Â
âHis name is Leeâ General Lee,â he said. âThe last house,â he pointed, âthat way. You canât miss it.âÂ
âGood.â She cracked her knuckles. âI have some things Iâd like to say to him.âÂ
âY/N,â he said, âheâsâŚâÂ
âWhat?âÂ
âHeâs the one who did all of this,â Zuko said. âThe one who ordered the invasion. Heâs been here ever since.âÂ
Her jaw clenched as she felt fire ignite inside of her. âThen maybe I have a little bit more to say to him.âÂ
âTake this.â Zuko took one of his swords off along with its sheath and handed it to her. âJust in case.âÂ
She nodded, taking some satisfaction in her practice swings before she stashed it across her back, then she looked at Lao. âYou two are going to take down the factory together. Is anyone in it still?âÂ
He shook his head. âShifts ended a few hours ago. It should be completely empty.âÂ
âGood.â Y/N looked at Zuko. âHow do you feel about causing some explosions?âÂ
He smirked. âPretty great.âÂ
âAnd how do you feel about crushing a lot of stuff?â she asked, turning to Lao.Â
âEven better.âÂ
âGreat,â she smiled. âObviously, this is going to make a lot of noise. Get out when you feel dangerâwe might have to bring this fight to the streets.âÂ
Lao cracked his knuckles. âGladly. Itâs about time we take our home back.âÂ
âLayaâs alerted the people?â Y/N asked.Â
He nodded. âSheâs gone house to houseâshe should be near the end by now. She and the rest of our people will be safe, and anyone whoâs willing to fight will be ready for my signal.âÂ
âThen I think itâs time we split,â Y/N said.Â
âBe careful,â Zuko said. âDonât let your anger blind you.âÂ
âIâll do what I have to do,â she said simply.Â
Zuko nodded in understanding. âSee you on the other side, then.âÂ
âSee you on the other side,â she murmured.Â
-
Y/N got used to the weight of the broadsword in her hand as she moved through the village yet again. She was surprised at how easy it was, how inattentive the few guards were. Their confidence would be their downfall.Â
It wasnât hard to find the house of the general. It was so massive it edged on gaudy, obviously built for nothing but the manâs ego. The door wasnât locked, and she just shook her head as she slid inside. This was ridiculous.Â
She closed the door as quietly as she could behind her, and she held her breath as she looked around the first floor. It was eerily empty, eerily silent. Maybe he wasnât here.Â
Y/N tightened the grip on the hilt of the sword as she crept up the stairs, wincing at every creak. The whole upstairs was the generalâs room, and she shook her head. This was more luxury than anyone in the village lived in. Heâd built his comfort off the pain of her people.Â
âWould you like to tell me what youâre doing in my home?âÂ
She whipped around, her sword instinctively flying up as she stared right at her target. So he was here, and heâd been just as quiet as her. He was younger than she expected, but his eyes told everything she needed to know.Â
âGeneral Lee,â she said, and she was surprised at how steady her voice was. âThis isnât your home.âÂ
âIsnât it?â He was dressed in a simple tunic and pants, no armor in sight. Good. âI was here when it was built, and as far as Iâm aware, it was built for my use.âÂ
âYou took it from my people,â she said. âYou took everything from us.âÂ
âIâm afraid youâll have to be more specific,â he said nonchalantly. âIâve taken over a lot of villages.âÂ
âDo you not have any shame?â Y/N demanded, and she pointed her sword at him. He didnât even flinch. âDestroying the lives of innocent people, tearing apart their homes for resources, occupying them just to show off your strength. You kill people, you destroy families, and you donât even care?âÂ
The general had the nerve to smile. âItâs the way of the world. The weak fall, the strong prevail. I guess your people were just weak.âÂ
Y/N couldnât control herself after that. She yelled out as she lunged forward and swung with her sword. The general sidestepped her as she whirled back around, and he just laughed.Â
âYou want to fight, girl?â General Lee mocked. âFor what? Your people? Your honor? You wonât get far, I assure you.âÂ
âFor my family!â she growled. âYour men killed my father and forced my mother and I into servitude. Iâve wanted revenge for so many years, and now I can finally get it.âÂ
His eyes lit with recognition and he raised his eyebrows. âThe waterbenders. So you managed to escapeâimpressive.âÂ
And then suddenly, there were two massive explosions. They were all the way across town, but it still rocked the foundations of the house. The impact mustâve been felt all over town, surely alerting every guard on duty that something was wrong.
Step two was complete.Â
It was Y/Nâs turn to smile at the general. âThere goes your factory.âÂ
The generalâs mocking confidence melted into cold anger. âYouââÂ
âBlew it up,â she responded. âYeah.âÂ
She lashed out with her sword to force him out of the way, then booked it down the stairs and out of the house. She laughed in pure exhilaration as she saw all of the guards in the street, as well as the general running out of his house. The fire blazing in his hand matched the anger in his eyes.Â
âYou want a fight, girl?â he growled. âIâll give you one!âÂ
General Lee launched the fireball at her and she dodged out of the way, watching as it sizzled against the ground. She held her sword in both hands, beckoning him to come further. It wouldnât be an easy fight to win against an enraged firebender, but then againâsheâd done it before.Â
He was far too eager to go against a young girl as he shot fire at her in repetitive blasts. She dodged what she could and slashed through the others with her sword, lunging at him with the blade when Lee gave her space.Â
But then fire shot past, narrowly missing her, and her head whipped around. It took these soldiers long enough to realize the fight was happening right next to them.Â
âCome on, Zuko,â she muttered as she backed away from the men, the general and the soldiers narrowing in on her. She brandished her sword. âWhere are you?â
âYouâve picked a battle that you canât finish,â General Lee spat as fire lit in his hand, âjust like your father!â
Rage hotter than anything before ignited inside of her. And then, everything happened at once.Â
The general and his soldiers shot their fire at her.Â
Someone yelled at her to duck, and she dropped to the ground.Â
As the fire was extinguished above her, General Leeâs eyes widened. He took a step back. âWhat in Agniâs nameââÂ
âIâm not too late, am I?â Zuko reached a hand down to her, and Y/N let out a relieved breath.Â
âRight on time,â she remarked as she took it and allowed him to help her up. âIâm in a bit of a situation.âÂ
âI noticed.â Zuko turned to the general and gestured with his head behind them. âIâm sorry, general, but I think someone blew up your factory!â
âPrince Zuko,â he said sourly. âSo youâre a traitor as well.â
âIâm not a traitor,â he said, stepping in front of Y/N ever so slightly. âIâm helping free these people from your glorified slavery.â
The generalâs eyes narrowed. âSo all it takes for the crown prince to give up his values is a pretty face.â
âYouâre a sick man,â Zuko spat. âTake your soldiers, leave this village, and weâll give you the mercy you never extended to her people.â
âI donât think so,â Lee said, and he smiled. âDonât worry, thoughâthisâll all be over soon. Unless you think you can go against every soldier here on your own.â
âWouldnât be the first time weâve been outnumbered,â Y/N said, and she drew her sword. âBesidesââ
ââTheyâve got help,â someone interrupted. She looked behind her and saw Lao, followed by a myriad of villagersâsome earthbenders, some that were just ready to end this. More than she thought still lived here, more willing to fight than she thought.Â
So everyoneâs spirit wasnât broken.Â
She smiled. Step three.Â
âSo you want to make this harder,â General Lee said. âI admire your tenacity, but it wonât do you much good.â
âWeâll see,â Zuko said.Â
Lee didnât even say anything before he started firebending, and Zuko blocked it yet again. The battle immediately escalated from there, earthbenders and soldiers and swordsmen fighting. It was mostly visible in flashes of fire and the occasional lamppost, but it was loud.
Y/N and Zuko fought side by side against the general, their moves seamlessâwhenever one fell back, the other would step forward. She was surprisingly good with a sword, but it mightâve been her adrenaline.
With the amount of energy and anger pumping through her veins, she was sure she could take on anything at that moment. And having Zuko with her⌠She would be lying if she said it didnât help.Â
It was a deadly dance between the three of them. Y/Nâs sword sung as it cut through the air, and it was in sharp contrast to the explosions of fire in the background and the generalâs own bending against them.Â
Maybe it was that adrenaline inside of her, or maybe it was the thought of finally getting to deliver justice for her village. Maybe the spirits were finally on her side. But whatever it was, General Lee ended up stumbling as he dodged the swordâs jab at him, and it gave her enough time for Zuko to kick him in the chest and send him backwards. Y/N took the opening and swept his legs, putting all her strength into the single move, and it worked.Â
He fell to the ground, a slight grunt being forced out as he landed on his back, and Y/N pointed her sword at his neck. She took immense satisfaction in the flicker of fear in his eyes.Â
âZuko,â she said placidly, âgo help the others.âÂ
He looked at her for a good, long moment before he conceded with a step back. âDonât do anything youâll regret.âÂ
âI wonât regret this,â she murmured.Â
Zukoâs gaze remained on her for another moment before he turned and ran back into the fray. Y/N could do nothing but stare down at the general. The man who took everything away from her in one short afternoon, now defenseless below her blade.Â
âSo,â she said, âafter all this time, all it took was one fight for you to fall.âÂ
The general gave her a wry smile. âIt wasnât exactly a fair fight.âÂ
âNeither was the invasion of my village. But that didnât stop you, did it?âÂ
âYou savages have never understood,â he growled. âNo great leader has ever gotten anywhere by being nice, by yielding to the demands of those lesser than him. Thereâs a reason the Fire Nation is at the worldâs helm while every other nation continues to fall to its feet.âÂ
âBecause you go after the defenseless!â she exclaimed. âYou go after those who canât do anything against you, and then you destroy everything you find. All you care about is power.â Y/N huffed a mirthless laugh and gestured around them. âAnd look where thatâs gotten you.âÂ
âYield,â she demanded before he had the chance to speak, moving her sword closer to his neck. âYield, and leave this village, and Iâll let you leave with your life.â
The general laughed, followed by a wince as her blade nicked his skin. âDonât you know anything about the Fire Nation? You served there for so long.â
âYield!â she shouted, her voice trembling along with her grip. She just wanted this to be over.Â
âWe fight until death,â he continued. âYouâre going to have to kill me if you want your way.â
âYou think I wonât?â she challenged. âYouâve taken everything from me! Your life is too small a price to pay for what youâve done!â
âI think youâre weak,â he spat. âToo weak to do what you need to do.â
Her eyes stung with tears as she pulled the sword away from his neck.
General Lee huffed a laugh. âLike I said: youâre weaââ
He was stopped in the middle of his sentence as she plunged the sword into his heart. His eyes widened as he choked out his last breath, the light beginning to drain out of him. And then he was gone.
âIâm not weak anymore,â she murmured.Â
Y/N stared at his lifeless body for a moment, glanced at the gleam of blood on metal.Â
She had just killed a man. The one responsible for her fatherâs death, for the imprisonment of her and her mother, for the invasion of her village.Â
Y/N didnât feel remorse, didnât feel satisfactionâbut she felt whole. Like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
She sheathed her sword and walked away, back towards the chaos of the ongoing fight. Zuko had joined the others, fighting with a combination of his sword and his bending, and it worked wonders. For a moment, all she could do was watch him. The grace he fought with was akin to that of a waterbender.Â
Lao moved like he was twenty years younger, working in tandem with other earthbenders as they took down the Fire Nation forces soldier by soldier. Toph would have been proud.
But now there was only one thing left to do.Â
Y/N took a deep breath then cupped her hands around her mouth, yelling as loudly as she could. âSoldiers of the Fire Nation! Your general is dead!â
That was enough of a shock to knock them off their balance, because Zuko and the earthbenders all immobilized their foes. Zuko with a sword to the neck, Lao and his crew with rocks around their legs and other limbs. The fight died down quickly, all of them staring at her. Zukoâs expression was impossible to read.Â
âYou heard me,â she repeated, âGeneral Lee is dead. You have no stake in this village anymore. Leave, or face the same fate as him.â
âWill you stand here and fight for a nation that doesnât care about you?â Zuko shouted, catching on to her goal. âOr will you do whatâs right and leave these people be?â
Silence hung in the air, only broken by the heaved breaths of soldiers and earthbenders alike. She stared at them all expectantly, her heart pounding in her chest.Â
And then, the clatter of a sword against the ground.
âI surrender.â A soldier being held in place by rocks around her ankles had dropped her weapon, looking Y/N straight in the eye. âIâve served the Fire Nation blindly for far too long.â
She nodded at the earthbender, and he retracted the stone around her.Â
âGo,â Y/N said. âBack to wherever you came from.âÂ
âYour mercyâŚâ the soldier murmured, and she shook her head. âThank you for giving us a second chance. I know it means little, but I apologize. For everything.â
And then she walked offâin the direction of the shore, she noticedâand soon enough, sheâd disappeared into the wood. They mustâve come in on ships.Â
Slowly, the remaining soldiers either dropped their weapons or declared their own surrender, and one by one they were let go. The sound of clattering metal was music to her ears, and with each one the weight lifted a little more.Â
The soldier in Zukoâs hold was the last to drop his sword, and Zuko kicked it away before removing his blade from his neck. As he walked away, she let out a sigh of relief.
ââŚWe did it,â she said. âWe finally did it.â
âYou did it,â Zuko said as he sheathed his sword, doing the same to the other when Y/N handed it to him. âNone of this would have been possible without you.âÂ
âWouldnât have been possible without you either,â she said, and the smallest smile tugged at his lips.Â
Lao walked up to her, and he enveloped her in the biggest, tightest hug sheâd felt since Kataraâs at the air temple. She reciprocated immediately, tears springing into her eyes at the warmth he carried.Â
âYou did it,â he said, his voice and eyes full of pride as he pulled away, though his hands remained on her shoulders. âYouâve given us the freedom that none of us could attain in seven years. We owe everything to you, Y/N.â
âI couldnât have done it without you,â she said, unable to help her grin, and she looked back at the other villagers. âAny of youâthank you so much. Tonight, you fought for our people! You fought for our village! And weâre finally free from the Fire Nation.âÂ
A wild cheer erupted from the group, and Y/N had to wipe away the tears that began to fall. Theyâd really done it.Â
âGo, be with your families!â she exclaimed. âCelebrate with your loved ones! You deserve itâenjoy your freedom!âÂ
Several of the villagers clapped her on the shoulder or shook her hand as they began to wander around, returning back to their houses. She heard one discussing architectural plans, about what they would do with everything the Fire Nation left behind, as well as their houses. The smile wouldnât leave her face.Â
And then Zuko walked up, alerting her to his presence by clearing his throat. âY/N,â he said, and she turned around.Â
âWhat?âÂ
âFirst of all, congratulations.â His own small smile was there, and she felt her cheeks warm. âYou freed your village from a seven year occupation. Itâs amazing.âÂ
âIt feels amazing.â She rubbed her arms, the cold of the night beginning to get to her as her adrenaline from the battle started to fade. âI canât believe we did it.âÂ
âIâm not surprised,â Zuko said. âYou can do anything you put your mind toâIâve learned that twenty times over by now.âÂ
She chuckled a bit, but Zukoâs expression sobered. âBut I have to ask. You⌠you killed the general.âÂ
The air between them immediately changed. âI did.âÂ
âHow do you feel?â he asked.Â
âI donât feel happy,â Y/N said, âso you donât have to worry about that. Iâm not going to start killing everyone thatâs ever wronged me.âÂ
Zuko laughed, though it was slightly nervous. âThatâs, uhâ thatâs good.âÂ
âBut I donât feel sad either,â she said. âI just feel⌠right. Like it was something I had to do. Not just for my people, but for me. To know that heâll never be able to hurt someone the way he hurt me.âÂ
â...Good,â Zuko repeated. âThatâs all we can ask for, isnât it?âÂ
She nodded. âBut⌠Iâd appreciate it if you kept this between us. At least until Iâm ready to tell everyone.âÂ
âOf course,â he agreed.Â
âGood,â she said.Â
Y/N looked up at the sky, the sun having fully set. It was dark except for the bits of ashes that littered the battlefield and the lanterns that lit up the path through the village. But there was still something she needed to do.Â
She looked back at Zuko. âI have something I need to see. And I want you to come with me. Is⌠is that okay?âÂ
He smiled, his voice soft when he spoke. âIâd love to.âÂ
-Â
The path she led him down was one well-traveled by the people of her villageâthe inky darkness they walked through was penetrated only by the flames Zuko held in his hand at Y/Nâs request. She knew she would be able to find her way without it, though.Â
âWhere are we going?â he asked.Â
âSomewhere special,â Y/N answered. âSad, but special. Somewhere Iâve thought about a lot since my mother and I were taken.âÂ
It took a few more minutes of walking in silence only disturbed by night ambiance. When they got there, Y/N let out a quiet sigh. There was unimaginable weight behind the sound.Â
âWeâre here.âÂ
âWhere is âhereâ?â Zuko asked tentatively. But then he made the fire in his hand bigger and brighter, and his breath caught in his throat.Â
â...Hi, Dad,â she said softly, her gaze focused on the headstone. âItâs me. Your little girl finally found her way back home.âÂ
âY/NâŚâ he murmured.Â
âIâve been wanting to come here for a long time, but Iâve never been able to,â she continued. âBut you donât have to worry anymoreâthe village is free. The Fire Nation is gone. And Mom is okayâsheâs safe in Ba Sing Se, and after all of this is over, Iâm going to find her again, and Iâm going to take care of her. You donât have to worry about us anymore.â Y/N chuckled. âIâm sure Iâve been driving you crazy with everything Iâve been doing lately. But you can rest in peace now.â Â
âAre you sure you want me here?â he asked. âIâ I donât want to disturb youââÂ
She shook her head, placing her hand lightly on his arm. âStay. Please.âÂ
â...Okay,â he said. âOf course.âÂ
âThis is Zuko,â she said, and she laughed a bit as he hesitantly waved. âHeâs⌠heâs the most important person in my life.âÂ
His eyes widened a bit and he looked at her, but her only response was to wordlessly slip her hand into his. He didnât hesitate to lace his fingers through hers.Â
âWeâve been through a lot together, and Iâve⌠Iâve been really angry at him lately. And I thought it was good, righteous anger, but all it did was eat me up inside. Iâve been miserable because of itâI even lost my bending. But now⌠now, I understand.âÂ
She looked at Zuko now. His gaze hadnât moved.Â
âI love you,â she said, âand I mean that with everything in me. Iâve been so angry at you because of what you did that I havenât let myself think about anything that youâve doneâand youâve helped my friends so much since you joined them. Youâve helped me too, even when I claimed I didnât need anyone.âÂ
âAnd all this time, I thought that letting you go was what I needed to do. But I couldnât have been more wrong.â She tightened her grip on his handâher lifeline. âIâve lost so much in my life, Zuko, things that I canât get back. And Iâm not going to let myself lose you again.âÂ
Y/N pressed a gentle kiss to Zukoâs lips, and he extinguished the fire in his hand as he immediately reciprocated it. It was impossibly soft, impossibly right. And Y/N knew then that this was exactly where she was supposed to be.Â
âI love you too,â he murmured, and his eyes shone even in the darkness. âMore than anything. And Iâm so sorry that I ever made you think anything else.âÂ
She pulled away from the kiss to embrace him, and when his arms wrapped around her, it was like home. The constant twist in her chest, the constant weight sheâd been carrying for monthsâit dissipated, and she felt lighter than ever. Spirits, it all felt so right.Â
And when they pulled away, Y/N rested her head on Zukoâs chest. He responded by wrapping his arm around her waist, pulling her in close.Â
âThank you for taking me here,â he said. âFor trusting me enough with it.âÂ
âThank you for never giving up on me,â she said.Â
âSpeaking of thatâŚâ Zuko said, and there was a slight lilt to his voice as he lit the fire in his hand again. âHow about trying that bending again?âÂ
Y/N chuckled a bit as she looked at her hand, flexing her fingers the way she used to. She barely had to concentrate as she pulled moisture from the air, forming into an orb of water in the air. She wasnât even shockedâsheâd known, after they got here. It wasnât anything concrete, just⌠a feeling. A feeling that order had returned.Â
âItâs back,â he said, and the boyish surprise in his voice made her smile.Â
âThat it is.âÂ
Y/N formed it into a flower and then froze it, gingerly taking the stem in her fingers. She walked up to her fatherâs grave, running her fingers over the engravings. She wasnât here when it was made, but she was so thankful it had been made. That her people had always been thinking of her and her family.Â
GANÂ
HUSBAND OF KURA, FATHER OF Y/N
48 AG-93 AG
WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR HIS LOVE AND HEROICS
It was bittersweet, but she was glad he had a spot here. He would always be remembered.Â
She carefully placed the flower of ice against the headstone, lowering the temperature of her breath as she blew on it to preserve it longer. It would melt eventually, of course, but this wouldnât be her last time here. Next time, there would be real flowers.Â
âI love you, Dad,â she murmured, resting her head against the stone as she closed her eyes. âForever and always.â She stayed there for a moment, and the gentle breeze that blew through the enclave was no coincidence. For the first time in a very, very long time, she felt peace inside.Â
She stood back up with a sad smile, wiping at the tears before she turned to Zuko. âIâm ready.âÂ
âAre you sure?âÂ
Y/N nodded. âI am.âÂ
Zuko nodded too, and they started to walk together down the path.Â
And when he offered his hand, she took it without hesitation.Â
-
hope you enjoyed this mf emotional marathon of a chapter lmao im gonna go hibernate for a few months because jfc
everything happens for a reason part 21 - zuko x fem!reader
Meet me in the afterglow
part 20 | masterlist | part 22
a/n: wowwwww we're finally in the happy part of this fic lol. it feels so good to write zuko and yn together after 100k words of them being on opposite sides and hating each other. it was actually kind of hard to write this because it was a lot of chill fluff and it has been a long Long time since ive written that. very sorry this took so long
wc: 5k
warning(s): some discussions of yn and zuko's pasts but overall very fluffy
chapter title comes from afterglow by taylor swift!
Silence.
That was what Y/N woke up to.
No nightmares, no guilt, no flashbacksâjust⌠silence.
And the arms of another around her. Zuko. She reveled in the warmth he provided, sighing contentedly as she shifted to look at him.Â
Sheâd always thought Zuko was beautiful, but he was even more so when asleep. His features relaxed rather than rageful, no longer tainted by her own incessant anger. Pools of gold met her when his eyes flickered open, a gentleness held within them sheâd missed dearly.Â
âHi,â she whispered, a smile already tugging at her lips.
âHi.â His voice was just as soft, his own emerging smile enough to make her melt. âDid you sleep well?â
âBetter than I have in months.â Y/N moved her hand over his, and Zuko turned his over to entangle their fingers. âAnd itâs all thanks to you.â
âItâs the least I can do,â he murmured, and he drew her in for a soft kiss. That was what made her melt. âYou know Iâm never letting you go again, right?â
A light laugh spilled from her lips. âI donât want you to.â
âGood.âÂ
Though she wanted nothing more than to nestle back into Zukoâs embrace, she mustered enough strength to sit up, a small yawn escaping her. âWhen do you think we should go back?â
Zuko sighed as he sat up next to her, running a hand through his rustled hair. âWe have time, Y/N. Weâre in your village, the place you grew up. We donât have to go back until you want to.â
âWe are on a timeline thoughââ
âA timeline that isnât close to being up yet,â he countered. âAang doesnât have to fight my father for a whileâa few extra days out here isnât going to hurt us.â Zuko shrugged. âYou deserve a break after all youâve been through lately, and besidesâIâm sure your people wouldnât mind hosting the savior of the village for a little longer.â
Y/N laughed and pushed him lightly, eliciting a little half-smile from Zuko. âOkay, I get it. Another day would be really nice.â
âAre you sure you donât want to stay longer?â
She shook her head. âThe rest of today will be enough for me to help get things moving on the repair front. Weâve already been gone two daysâany longer than this and Katara will think weâve died.âÂ
Zuko chuckled. âAlright.â
âBesides,â she said as she stood up and stretched her arms out, âafter all of this is over, Iâll be able to come back anytime I want. And,â Y/N looked at Zuko, âIâll be able to properly introduce you. As Zuko my boyfriend, and not Zuko the evil prince.â
He grinned. âYour boyfriend? Is that official?â
Y/N groaned and swatted at him. âGet out of here. I have to get dressed.â
âAnything for my beautiful girlfriend,â Zuko said as he got up, still wearing that ridiculous grin while he walked out.
Y/N rolled her eyes as he shut the door, but she couldnât help but smile. It felt good, joking around like this. Having a lazy morningâwaking up with him in the first place.Â
And yeahâhearing Zuko call her his girlfriend was pretty nice too.Â
Sheâd been longing for it for a greater time than she knew, and now that sheâd worked through her anger, let it go, realized that this was what she wanted?Â
It was too great a feeling to put into words.
That small smile remained on her lips as she began to rifle through her belongings, the minuscule amount sheâd packed for this trip in a tiny satchel. She wanted to change, but the only other clothes she had were the tunic and pants sheâd worn for months in prison. They were sort of the only clothes she owned now.Â
The smile faded as she shoved them back into her bag. Maybe she could ask Leya to borrow one of her dresses for the day. That particular memory didnât need to be resurfaced right now.Â
She blew out a loose sigh as she sat back down on the bed, allowing herself a moment to really take it all in.Â
Though Y/N had initially planned to get in and get out, the whole âtaking back the villageâ thing really threw a wrench in her hasty excursion. After last nightâafter the fight, the general, the graveâshe was well and truly exhausted. Lao and Leya had immediately offered up the second bedroom of their home to her and Zuko, claiming it was âthe least they could do after all sheâd doneâ, and in the moment, Y/N wasnât one to deny it.Â
She didnât realize how worn out she was until she laid down on the bedâtrue exhaustion and the warmth of Zukoâs arms around her was a deadly combinationâand she was out before she knew it.Â
It was the best sheâd slept in a long time.Â
Because she didnât have a new outfit, she opted for smoothing out the black fabric and her hair, and nodded to herself before she left the room. She was surprised to see Zuko leaning against the wall next to the door, his arms crossed as he stared off at nothing in particular.Â
âYou waited?â
âObviously. Life-threatening fights donât have to be the only time we stick together.â She chuckled a bit as she slipped her hand into his, pleased at how familiar the motion felt.
âOf course.â
âBesidesââ Zuko cleared his throat as his eyes darted away for a momentâ âIâm kind of scared of Leya and Lao. I donât think they really trust me.â
âWhat? Of course they do!â she exclaimed. âYou took down the factory with Lao, and you helped in the fight for our villageâthey wouldnât have offered you the place if they didnât.âÂ
âYou werenât there,â he said dryly. âLao questioned me the entire way to the factory about you. And he might be okay about me now, but Leya still seems uneasy. They still donât even know who I really am.âÂ
âWho you are is Zuko. It doesnât matter that youâre the princeâyouâre Zuko, and you helped them. Thatâs all theyâll care about.â She gave him a slight nudge. âThings are different out here, away from the Fire Nation. People are tolerant. Youâve seen that while youâve been away, right?â
It took Zuko a moment, but he nodded. His lips quirked in the smallest smile and he nodded again, as if he was actually starting to believe it. âOkay. Yeah.â
âYeah,â she repeated. She swung their hands together a bit and started to lead the way. âNow letâs go. Itâs nearly noonâweâve gotta get our day started.â
âIf you say so,â Zuko mused, and she just laughed.Â
âI do.âÂ
âItâs good to see the two of you are finally awake,â Leya mused from her cushion as they emerged into the living room. âI was afraid you would sleep the whole day away.âÂ
âIf anyone deserves it,â Lao said, walking over from the kitchen, âitâs them.âÂ
âSorry.â Y/N scratched her neck, slightly bashful. âWe were exhausted after yesterday.âÂ
âNo need to apologize,â Leya laughed, and she gestured towards the counter. âHelp yourselves, pleaseâwe made xiaolongbao and egg custard tarts to celebrate. Thereâs far too much for just the two of us.âÂ
âAre you sure?â Zuko asked tentatively.
âOf course weâre sure,â Lao said. âWeâve welcomed you into our home. Anything we have is yours, son.â He frowned. âI never did get your name.âÂ
He paused. â...My name is Zuko.âÂ
The name struck them like steel, tension immediately thick in the air even if just out of instinct.Â
âLike Prince Zuko,â Leya said carefully, âof the Fire Nation.âÂ
âI donât think Iâm much of a prince anymore,â he frowned. âI did betray my entire country to help the Avatar.âÂ
Lao glanced at Y/N, the unsaid question obvious.Â
âItâs the truth,â she said. âZuko has been working with us for a good while now. Heâs the Avatarâs firebending teacher, and heâs going to help us end the war.âÂ
âAlright,â Lao said, and he nodded. âWelcome to our home, Zuko. Officially.âÂ
His brows creased together. âReally?âÂ
âYouâre clearly a good man,â he said. âNot just anyone would do what youâve done.âÂ
âThatâs not true.âÂ
âIt is,â Lao insisted. âYou didnât have to help free our village, but you fought on the front lines with us.â He smiled wryly. âThat makes a man good in my book.âÂ
âI agree.â Leyaâs smile was softer, kinder, but held the same respect. âYouâre just as much a hero to our village as Y/N is.âÂ
Zuko looked like he wanted to protest, but Y/N placed her hand over his and nodded. He deserved the praise.Â
â...Thank you,â he finally said, wholly genuine. âYou have no idea how much that means to me.âÂ
âAny friend of Y/Nâs is a friend of ours,â Leya said, and her lips quirked up. âWould you like to hear some of the terrible things she did when she was younger?âÂ
âLeyaââ Y/N began, but Zuko shook his head, his own smile growing.Â
âTell me everything.âÂ
She groaned as he pulled her over to the floor, two cushions already set for them. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks as she sat down next to him, Leya and Lao launching into a story together from her childhood.Â
(She had always been a bit of a terror, especially after she discovered her waterbending. That didnât mean she wanted Zuko to know about it.)Â
((âThis is no way to treat the savior of the village,â she complained at one point. She was fully ignored.))Â
After spending far too many hours eating, chatting, and laughing (at Y/Nâs expense), she and Zuko set out for the day. Y/N asked Leya for a spare outfit and she obliged immediately, so once again she found herself in Earth Kingdom greens and browns. The soft linen was the nicest reprieve from the scratchy prison clothes sheâd been stuck in, and she had to admitâit was nice being back in Earth Kingdom clothes. It was just as much a part of her as the North.Â
The rest of the day was busy but fulfilling, working long into the night to make up for the damage from the battle. Most of their efforts were spent architecturally, helping to repair houses that had been damaged and to tear down the Fire Nation estates.Â
It might have been property, but it was tainted beyond belief. South Zeizhou would never truly belong to her people again if any trace of the Fire Nation remained.Â
Y/N and Zuko had split halfway through the day to help with separate thingsâfor some reason, her people were trusting her with designing. She spent the entire rest of the day running around helping various people, sketching up ideas for buildings and statues and everything else under the sun. It turned out that, when you saved an entire village of an eight year hold, they were just a little grateful.Â
(She denied the idea every time someone brought up building a statue of her. She was sure she heard Zuko go behind her back and tell them otherwise.)
She was kept so busy that she didnât see Zuko again until that night, when she pushed open the door to Leya and Laoâs estate to see him sitting on the floor alone.Â
âZuko,â she said, still getting used to the lightness his name brought her. It was more comforting than anything. âWhat are you doing up?âÂ
âI should be asking you that,â he said with a slight smile, setting his bowl down. âYou donât have to work all night, you know.âÂ
âI lost track of time,â she said sheepishly. âWhat are you eating?âÂ
âJook.â A faint blush tinted his cheeks as he gestured back towards the kitchen. âLeya and Lao turned in a few hours agoâthey told me to tell you that you had free reign of their ingredients, but I didnât want you to have to do it yourself after working so hard all day. So I made you something.âÂ
Her whole expression softened. âZuko, thatâs so sweet.â She crouched down and pecked him on the cheek, warmth blooming in her chest. âI didnât even know you could cook, being a prince and all.âÂ
He chuckled. âUncle taught me some things when we were in Ba Sing Se. I told him I didnât need it, but I guess some of it stuck.âÂ
Y/N took his spoon and tried some of the jook in his bowl. Her eyebrows shot up. âThatâs surprisingly good.âÂ
âSurprisingly?â he asked with mock disdain. âWhy canât it just be normally good?âÂ
âBecause,â she said, âIâve never tried your cooking before.âÂ
âThat just settles it,â Zuko said. âWhen weâre back in the Fire Nation, Iâll ask the chefs to teach me some things. That way I can really impress you.âÂ
âYou donât need to impress me, Zuko,â she said, and she stood up and walked over. âJust spending time with you like this is more than enough. Weâve got a lot of it to make up.âÂ
He managed a soft laugh, but it was bittersweet. âYeah. We do.âÂ
Y/N filled her own bowl with jook and then walked back over, settling down next to Zuko. She placed her hand over his, smiling softly at him. âTell me about your day.âÂ
âItâs been⌠a lot,â he said. âIâve helped tear down a lot of Fire Nation buildings. I melted a lot of metal.â He chuckled. âIf only we brought Toph with us. Her metalbending would make things a lot easier.âÂ
She laughed. âSheâd become the foreman of this place. She could probably redesign everything herself.âÂ
âWhat about you?â he asked.Â
âI did a lot of healing,â she said. âTurns out that sending a lot of middle-aged men and women that havenât fought in years into battle against trained soldiers results in a lot of injuries.âÂ
Zuko frowned. âWas it bad?âÂ
âNot as bad as it could have been,â Y/N said. âMostly twists and sprains and artificial cuts. One man got his arm broken, and I have no idea why he didnât ask for help last night.â She shook her head. âNo matter what nation Iâm in, men always think they have to act tough.âÂ
âIâm glad youâre able to help them,â Zuko said. âYou know youâre amazing, right?âÂ
She playfully shoved him. âStop it.âÂ
âNever.â He shrugged. âLike you said, I have a lot of time to make up for.âÂ
âI guess flatteryâs a good place to start,â she said coyly.Â
âItâs easier if you just accept it,â he said sagely, âbecause Iâm not going to stop.âÂ
Y/N laughed and leaned against his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her. âWhat was it like being back and seeing everyone? Did they all recognize you?âÂ
âMaybe not immediately, but everyone knew my name.â Y/N smiled. âPeople donât really forget the only waterbenders in village history.âÂ
âDo you think thisâll ever be your home again?â Zuko asked.
âItâll always be my home,â Y/N mused. âItâs where I was born, where I grew up. Thereâs a part of me in this village, and there always will be. ButâŚâ she sighed and shrugged. âI donât know if Iâll ever live here again. Iâve been traveling all over with my friends for the past couple months, and it just feels like Iâve⌠outgrown it.â
âI understand,â Zuko said. âYouâre different than the girl that grew up here. Youâve changed, and thatâs not a bad thing.â
âI know. It just feels like betraying who I am.â
âA part of you is in this village,â Zuko said, âand a part of this village is in you. Just because youâre going somewhere else doesnât mean youâre forgetting who you are.â
âWhen did you get so wise?â she asked, craning her neck to look up at him.Â
âYears of traveling with my uncle,â he said, and she laughed.Â
They spent the rest of the night idly chatting and finishing up their meal, and by the time they turned in, the village was completely dark.Â
It was quiet as they settled into bed together, Zukoâs arms around her setting her at ease. She felt safe next to him.Â
(Spirits, how sheâd missed feeling safe.)
-
âAre you sure you have to leave so soon?â Leya questioned, her gaze watchful even as she stood in the kitchen.
âWe have a war to end,â Y/N said, only slightly joking. âIâll be back sooner than you know.âÂ
âYouâre making us all so proud, Y/N.â Lao patted her on the shoulder, and then he pulled her into a hug. âPeople will tell stories of you centuries from now, I know it. Youâve made history.âÂ
âIâm just glad our people are finally free,â she said softly.Â
âAnd you, son.â Lao pulled away and looked down at Zuko, respect in his eyes. âYour path hasnât been easy, but youâve made it here. Youâre welcome in our corner of the Earth Kingdom anytime.âÂ
âIâm just doing whatâs right,â Zuko said, but she could see the beginnings of his pleased smile.Â
âAnd sometimes that is the hardest thing to do.â Leya came over with a large basket, smile beaming down on the two of them as she handed it to Y/N. âThis should be enough for your journey back and to share with the rest of your group.â
Y/N frowned. âAre you sure?â
âOf course we are,â Lao said. âWithout the Fire Nation leeching off of us, weâve got plenty to spare.â
âThank you,â Zuko said. âThis means a lot.â
âItâs the least we can do,â Leya said, and she grasped Y/Nâs hands. âPromise me that youâll be careful.â
âWeâll try our best,â she vowed, and she glanced at Zuko with a smile. âIâve got a lot of good people with me.â
âYou,â Leya pointed at Zuko, tone motherly as ever, âmake sure nothing happens to her.â
âThat was already the plan,â he said with a chuckle.
âSo,â Lao said wryly, âwhatâs the next thing I should expect from our heroes and the Avatar?âÂ
Y/N smiled inwardly. âChange is coming. Thatâs for sure.â
-
The ride back to camp was quiet, but different kind of quiet from before. Y/N and Zuko switched off on flying shifts, occasional conversation filling the gapsâmore often than not, though, they just sat together. Her head on his shoulder, his arm around her, her fingers rifling through his hair.Â
The fresh air invigorated Y/N. She felt like a whole new person, the dread and anger and heaviness sheâd been carrying with her for months steadily dissolving.
Zukoâs constant presence was nice too.
Without her inner dread, supremely thick tension, and a week of sleep deprivation, she was actually able to enjoy the trip back home. It went quicker than the ride there, and she never thought she would be so thankful to see an island.Â
Tiny specks in the distance turned into her friends the closer they got, and she and Zuko shared a smile. Y/N was going to have a lot of explaining to do.Â
âYou guys are finally back!â Sokka exclaimed once they were in hearing distance. âWhere did you even go?âÂ
âYouâve got some nerve leaving like that without a word!â Katara yelled, but the moment Y/N slid off of Appaâs side she barreled over and pulled her into a hug. She knocked the air out of her completely, but Y/N laughed as she wrapped her arms around her in turn.Â
âIâm sorry,â she breathed. âIt was something important.âÂ
âSheâs been worried sick about you,â Toph spoke up.Â
âSo have you!â Aang piped in. âYou were asking about it yââÂ
Toph punched Aang on the shoulder, and he stopped. âWhat was that for?âÂ
âYou didnât answer my question,â Sokka interrupted. âWhere did you two even go?âÂ
Y/N let out a long deep breath, and Zuko nodded supportively when she glanced at him. âWe⌠went back to my village. The other day was the anniversary of my fatherâs death, so I went to honor him.âÂ
âOh, Y/N,â Katara murmured, and she pulled her back into a hug. âIâm so sorry. Why didnât you tell us?âÂ
âI thought it was something I had to do on my own,â Y/N said, pulling away after a grateful moment. âIf I had my way, I would have. But Zuko pushed his way on.âÂ
âItâs not my fault youâre so stubborn,â Zuko said. âBesides, it was obviously the right move.âÂ
Sokka frowned. âYou guys are being really nice to each other.âÂ
Aangâs eyes lit up. âDid you two have your life changing field trip?âÂ
It was Y/Nâs turn to frown. âLife changing field trip?âÂ
âThatâs what theyâre calling it,â Toph explained. âAll the trips that theyâve gone on with Zuko to be his friend or whatever. I still havenât had one.âÂ
Zuko stared at her. âI woke up with rocks in my bed every day for a week.âÂ
âYeah, but we didnât go anywhere,â she grumbled at the ground.Â
Y/N chuckled, though her expression sobered. âI thought I was just going to remember my father, but it turned out that the Fire Nation was still occupying my village. So Zuko and I pushed them out.âÂ
Kataraâs eyebrows shot up. âJust like that?âÂ
âIt wasnât that easyââ Zuko said, but he was interrupted when Sokka pattedâor rather hitâhim on the back.Â
âNice going, buddy! Thatâs how you get your girl back.âÂ
He glared daggers at Sokka but Y/N just laughed. âIt took a lot of fighting and some haphazard plans, but⌠yeah. We took my village back. My people are free, and I got to see my fatherâs grave.âÂ
Kataraâs entire expression softened. âIâm so happy for you, Y/N. Thatâsâ thatâs amazing. And⌠is it back?âÂ
Y/N nodded with a smile, and she formed a ball of water out of the air. âMy bending is officially back.âÂ
Katara screamed and she nearly tackled Y/N with another hug. âThank the spirits! I knew you could do it!â Â
âLife changing field trip always works,â Aang mused.Â
âWell, whatever you did, it worked,â Toph said. âIâm happy I donât have to see the two of you mope around all the time anymore.âÂ
Zuko frowned. âYou canât see.âÂ
âTrust me,â Toph muttered, âsome things transcend sight.â
Y/N smiled, and she took Zukoâs hand, tears welling in her eyes. âI really missed you guys.âÂ
-
Later, once theyâd unpacked all their things from Appa and properly decompressed, Y/N found herself sitting on her own by the cliffside once again. This time, though, she wasnât trying to hide her mourning from her friends or foster the burning inside of her chest. Instead, she played with an orb of water in the air, a small smile on her lips at the effortlessness of it all. Not only were they surrounded by water on all sides, but the Fire Nationâs climate meant there would always be moisture in the air.Â
Oh, how sheâd missed her bending.Â
She didnât flinch when she heard footsteps behind her, able to see the reflection in her orbâinstead, she flicked her hand and shot the water back at her visitor.Â
âHey!â Zuko complained, sputtering as it struck him in the face. âWhat was that for?âÂ
She giggled as she turned her head. âI had to make sure you remember who youâre dealing with.âÂ
âYeah, yeah,â he said, grimacing a bit as he wiped water droplets off his face, âmy girlfriend is super powerful and can take down anyone. That doesnât mean you have to take me down.âÂ
âOh, youâre so dramatic.â Y/N smiled as she stood up and flexed her fingers, drawing all the water out of his clothes. âIt was barely anything.âÂ
âThis time,â Zuko said, and he gestured around them with a wry smile. âWeâve got a whole ocean around us.âÂ
âIâm not that powerful,â she said.Â
âMaybe,â Zuko said, âbut I donât trust you and Katara together.âÂ
âYou donât have to worry about that anymore.â She chuckled as she took his hand. âWhatâd you come over here for?âÂ
âYouâre not allowed to mope around by yourself anymore,â Zuko said. âWeâre having a campfire and digging into some of the food Leya gave us.âÂ
âIâm not moping,â she complained.Â
âNot anymore,â Zuko clarified, and he chuckled at her expression. âStill. You have to join us.âÂ
âOf course,â Y/N said, and they started walking over together. âIâm excited for some actual food after the past few months.âÂ
Zuko frowned. âI made you jook last night. That was perfectly good food.âÂ
âYou know what I mean,â she groaned. âYes, it was perfectly good food. Iâm just excited for more of Laoâs xiaolongbao. That man makes miracles in the kitchen.âÂ
âIâll have to get him to give me the recipe next time we visit,â Zuko mused.Â
She looked at him, slightly surprised. âYou want to go back?âÂ
âOf course,â he said. âItâs the place youâre from. And besides,â he shrugged, slightly bolstered, âI am one of the saviors of the village.âÂ
She laughed and leaned her head against his shoulder.Â
âOf course.â
-
âItâs about time you guys got here,â Toph grumbled. âKatara wonât let any of us eat.âÂ
âTheyâre here now,â she said, âyou canââÂ
Katara didnât even get to finish her sentence before Toph started digging in, and she just shook her head with a sigh.Â
âWeâre glad that youâre here,â she offered with a slight smile.Â
âKataraâs mostly glad that youâre back,â Sokka said, his mouth full of food earning him a glare from his sister. âI think you two have separation anxiety or something.âÂ
âCan you blame me?â Katara defended. âYou were gone for weeks and we had no idea what happened to you. You canât just up and disappear with Zuko.âÂ
âTo be fair, you tried to do the same thing,â Sokka said.Â
âTo be fair, you thought Y/N was going to kill Zuko,â Katara shot back.Â
Zukoâs eyes widened slightly. âUh, no. We never went that far.âÂ
Not with him at least, Y/N thought with the smallest bit of guilt. Not for what she did, but for keeping it from her friends. That was a whole other problem she had to deal with, and definitely not tonight.Â
(Maybe not ever.)Â
âLetâs talk about something else,â Y/N said, and Zuko put his arm around her, pulling her close. She couldnât help but smile. âWhat have you guys been up to while weâve been gone?âÂ
âIt was only three days,â Sokka said. âWe didnât get up to that much.â But he wouldnât stop staring at them, and Zuko frowned.Â
âWhat?âÂ
âNothing,â he said with a shrug. âI just realized Iâve never been around you two when you actually liked each other.âÂ
âWhy did you have to say that?â Toph groaned. âNow theyâre going to be extra gross.âÂ
âWhat, you mean like this?â Zuko pulled Y/N into a kiss, but she didnât even get the chance to enjoy it before something hit the two of them.Â
Y/N pulled away and picked it up, scowling at Sokka. âIs this your shoe?âÂ
âThere are children here!â he complained. âYou two really are gross.âÂ
âI think itâs sweet,â Katara said, and she hit Sokka on the shoulder. âLeave them alone.âÂ
âIâm just trying to protect the sanctity of this place!â he exclaimed.Â
âIâm on Sokkaâs side,â Toph piped in.
 As the group devolved into accusations and conversation with occasional pauses for food, she leaned into Zukoâs side and sighed contentedly.Â
This was the life sheâd been chasing so long. All they had to do was end the war.Â
And after everything sheâd been through, that seemed like the easiest part of the journey.Â
-
Things cooled down after a while, and they began to go their separate ways. Sokka and Suki went off together, Aang went to meditate and clear his mind, and Toph went off to do spirits knows what. Y/N was close to nodding off against Zukoâs sideâshe was sure he already had himselfâwhen she heard Kataraâs voice.Â
âHey,â she said, gesturing away from the fire with her head, âcan I have you for a second?âÂ
Y/N nodded, yawning as she tried to blink the grogginess out of her vision, and the two of them walked over. âWhatâs up?âÂ
âThis is something Iâve been wanting to give to you for a while, but it hasnât been the right moment.â Katara grinned. âBut it is now.âÂ
She pulled something out from behind her back, and when she presented it Y/N realized it was a water skin, almost identical to the one sheâd given her months ago in Gaoling.Â
âBoth of ours were taken away at Ba Sing Se, but I was able to get a couple new ones from some of the Water Tribe soldiers when we ran into them. And now that youâve got your bending backâŚâ
Katara trailed off as she offered it up again, but instead Y/N crushed her in a tight embrace.
âThank you,â she said, unable to hold back her own smile. âFor thinking of me even then.â
âAlways,â Katara said, returning the gesture with just as much intensity. When she pulled away, her eyes shone.
âItâs good to see you like this,â she said softly. âHappier. Lighter. You look better than you have in months.âÂ
âI feel better,â Y/N admitted. âI know that I needed to forgive Zuko, and maybe it was the spiritsâ plan to make the road so treacherous. But it feels so good to have him again.âÂ
âIt feels good to not have you two arguing all the time,â she said wryly.Â
Y/N chuckled. âJust imagine how I feel.âÂ
âWhat do you think is next for you two?â Katara asked. âAfter the war is over, I mean.â
âI havenât really thought that far in the future,â she admitted. âAfter everything, Iâm just trying to live in the moment.âÂ