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 flashbacks—just… 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.
She’d 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 she’d missed dearly.
“Hi,” she whispered, a smile already tugging at her lips.
“Hi.” His voice was just as soft, his own emerging smile enough to make her melt. “Did you sleep well?”
“Better than I have in months.” Y/N moved her hand over his, and Zuko turned his over to entangle their fingers. “And it’s all thanks to you.”
“It’s the least I can do,” he murmured, and he drew her in for a soft kiss. That was what made her melt. “You know I’m never letting you go again, right?”
A light laugh spilled from her lips. “I don’t want you to.”
“Good.”
Though she wanted nothing more than to nestle back into Zuko’s embrace, she mustered enough strength to sit up, a small yawn escaping her. “When do you think we should go back?”
Zuko sighed as he sat up next to her, running a hand through his rustled hair. “We have time, Y/N. We’re in your village, the place you grew up. We don’t have to go back until you want to.”
“We are on a timeline though—”
“A timeline that isn’t close to being up yet,” he countered. “Aang doesn’t have to fight my father for a while—a few extra days out here isn’t going to hurt us.” Zuko shrugged. “You deserve a break after all you’ve been through lately, and besides—I’m sure your people wouldn’t mind hosting the savior of the village for a little longer.”
Y/N laughed and pushed him lightly, eliciting a little half-smile from Zuko. “Okay, I get it. Another day would be really nice.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay longer?”
She shook her head. “The rest of today will be enough for me to help get things moving on the repair front. We’ve already been gone two days—any longer than this and Katara will think we’ve died.”
Zuko chuckled. “Alright.”
“Besides,” she said as she stood up and stretched her arms out, “after all of this is over, I’ll be able to come back anytime I want. And,” Y/N looked at Zuko, “I’ll be able to properly introduce you. As Zuko my boyfriend, and not Zuko the evil prince.”
He grinned. “Your boyfriend? Is that official?”
Y/N groaned and swatted at him. “Get out of here. I have to get dressed.”
“Anything for my beautiful girlfriend,” 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 couldn’t help but smile. It felt good, joking around like this. Having a lazy morning—waking up with him in the first place.
And yeah—hearing Zuko call her his girlfriend was pretty nice too.
She’d been longing for it for a greater time than she knew, and now that she’d worked through her anger, let it go, realized that this was what she wanted?
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 she’d packed for this trip in a tiny satchel. She wanted to change, but the only other clothes she had were the tunic and pants she’d worn for months in prison. They were sort of the only clothes she owned now.
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 didn’t need to be resurfaced right now.
She blew out a loose sigh as she sat back down on the bed, allowing herself a moment to really take it all in.
Though Y/N had initially planned to get in and get out, the whole ‘taking back the village’ thing really threw a wrench in her hasty excursion. After last night—after the fight, the general, the grave—she 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 ‘the least they could do after all she’d done’, and in the moment, Y/N wasn’t one to deny it.
She didn’t realize how worn out she was until she laid down on the bed—true exhaustion and the warmth of Zuko’s arms around her was a deadly combination—and she was out before she knew it.
It was the best she’d slept in a long time.
Because she didn’t 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.
“You waited?”
“Obviously. Life-threatening fights don’t have to be the only time we stick together.” She chuckled a bit as she slipped her hand into his, pleased at how familiar the motion felt.
“Of course.”
“Besides—” Zuko cleared his throat as his eyes darted away for a moment— “I’m kind of scared of Leya and Lao. I don’t think they really trust me.”
“What? Of course they do!” she exclaimed. “You took down the factory with Lao, and you helped in the fight for our village—they wouldn’t have offered you the place if they didn’t.”
“You weren’t there,” he said dryly. “Lao 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 don’t even know who I really am.”
“Who you are is Zuko. It doesn’t matter that you’re the prince—you’re Zuko, and you helped them. That’s all they’ll care about.” She gave him a slight nudge. “Things are different out here, away from the Fire Nation. People are tolerant. You’ve seen that while you’ve been away, right?”
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. “Okay. Yeah.”
“Yeah,” she repeated. She swung their hands together a bit and started to lead the way. “Now let’s go. It’s nearly noon—we’ve gotta get our day started.”
“If you say so,” Zuko mused, and she just laughed.
“I do.”
“It’s good to see the two of you are finally awake,” Leya mused from her cushion as they emerged into the living room. “I was afraid you would sleep the whole day away.”
“If anyone deserves it,” Lao said, walking over from the kitchen, “it’s them.”
“Sorry.” Y/N scratched her neck, slightly bashful. “We were exhausted after yesterday.”
“No need to apologize,” Leya laughed, and she gestured towards the counter. “Help yourselves, please—we made xiaolongbao and egg custard tarts to celebrate. There’s far too much for just the two of us.”
“Are you sure?” Zuko asked tentatively.
“Of course we’re sure,” Lao said. “We’ve welcomed you into our home. Anything we have is yours, son.” He frowned. “I never did get your name.”
He paused. “...My name is Zuko.”
The name struck them like steel, tension immediately thick in the air even if just out of instinct.
“Like Prince Zuko,” Leya said carefully, “of the Fire Nation.”
“I don’t think I’m much of a prince anymore,” he frowned. “I did betray my entire country to help the Avatar.”
Lao glanced at Y/N, the unsaid question obvious.
“It’s the truth,” she said. “Zuko has been working with us for a good while now. He’s the Avatar’s firebending teacher, and he’s going to help us end the war.”
“Alright,” Lao said, and he nodded. “Welcome to our home, Zuko. Officially.”
His brows creased together. “Really?”
“You’re clearly a good man,” he said. “Not just anyone would do what you’ve done.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is,” Lao insisted. “You didn’t have to help free our village, but you fought on the front lines with us.” He smiled wryly. “That makes a man good in my book.”
“I agree.” Leya’s smile was softer, kinder, but held the same respect. “You’re just as much a hero to our village as Y/N is.”
Zuko looked like he wanted to protest, but Y/N placed her hand over his and nodded. He deserved the praise.
“...Thank you,” he finally said, wholly genuine. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”
“Any friend of Y/N’s is a friend of ours,” Leya said, and her lips quirked up. “Would you like to hear some of the terrible things she did when she was younger?”
“Leya—” Y/N began, but Zuko shook his head, his own smile growing.
“Tell me everything.”
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.
(She had always been a bit of a terror, especially after she discovered her waterbending. That didn’t mean she wanted Zuko to know about it.)
((“This is no way to treat the savior of the village,” she complained at one point. She was fully ignored.))
After spending far too many hours eating, chatting, and laughing (at Y/N’s 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 she’d been stuck in, and she had to admit—it was nice being back in Earth Kingdom clothes. It was just as much a part of her as the North.
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.
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.
Y/N and Zuko had split halfway through the day to help with separate things—for 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.
(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 didn’t see Zuko again until that night, when she pushed open the door to Leya and Lao’s estate to see him sitting on the floor alone.
“Zuko,” she said, still getting used to the lightness his name brought her. It was more comforting than anything. “What are you doing up?”
“I should be asking you that,” he said with a slight smile, setting his bowl down. “You don’t have to work all night, you know.”
“I lost track of time,” she said sheepishly. “What are you eating?”
“Jook.” A faint blush tinted his cheeks as he gestured back towards the kitchen. “Leya and Lao turned in a few hours ago—they told me to tell you that you had free reign of their ingredients, but I didn’t want you to have to do it yourself after working so hard all day. So I made you something.”
Her whole expression softened. “Zuko, that’s so sweet.” She crouched down and pecked him on the cheek, warmth blooming in her chest. “I didn’t even know you could cook, being a prince and all.”
He chuckled. “Uncle taught me some things when we were in Ba Sing Se. I told him I didn’t need it, but I guess some of it stuck.”
Y/N took his spoon and tried some of the jook in his bowl. Her eyebrows shot up. “That’s surprisingly good.”
“Surprisingly?” he asked with mock disdain. “Why can’t it just be normally good?”
“Because,” she said, “I’ve never tried your cooking before.”
“That just settles it,” Zuko said. “When we’re back in the Fire Nation, I’ll ask the chefs to teach me some things. That way I can really impress you.”
“You don’t need to impress me, Zuko,” she said, and she stood up and walked over. “Just spending time with you like this is more than enough. We’ve got a lot of it to make up.”
He managed a soft laugh, but it was bittersweet. “Yeah. We do.”
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. “Tell me about your day.”
“It’s been… a lot,” he said. “I’ve helped tear down a lot of Fire Nation buildings. I melted a lot of metal.” He chuckled. “If only we brought Toph with us. Her metalbending would make things a lot easier.”
She laughed. “She’d become the foreman of this place. She could probably redesign everything herself.”
“What about you?” he asked.
“I did a lot of healing,” she said. “Turns out that sending a lot of middle-aged men and women that haven’t fought in years into battle against trained soldiers results in a lot of injuries.”
Zuko frowned. “Was it bad?”
“Not as bad as it could have been,” Y/N said. “Mostly twists and sprains and artificial cuts. One man got his arm broken, and I have no idea why he didn’t ask for help last night.” She shook her head. “No matter what nation I’m in, men always think they have to act tough.”
“I’m glad you’re able to help them,” Zuko said. “You know you’re amazing, right?”
She playfully shoved him. “Stop it.”
“Never.” He shrugged. “Like you said, I have a lot of time to make up for.”
“I guess flattery’s a good place to start,” she said coyly.
“It’s easier if you just accept it,” he said sagely, “because I’m not going to stop.”
Y/N laughed and leaned against his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her. “What was it like being back and seeing everyone? Did they all recognize you?”
“Maybe not immediately, but everyone knew my name.” Y/N smiled. “People don’t really forget the only waterbenders in village history.”
“Do you think this’ll ever be your home again?” Zuko asked.
“It’ll always be my home,” Y/N mused. “It’s where I was born, where I grew up. There’s a part of me in this village, and there always will be. But…” she sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know if I’ll ever live here again. I’ve been traveling all over with my friends for the past couple months, and it just feels like I’ve… outgrown it.”
“I understand,” Zuko said. “You’re different than the girl that grew up here. You’ve changed, and that’s not a bad thing.”
“I know. It just feels like betraying who I am.”
“A part of you is in this village,” Zuko said, “and a part of this village is in you. Just because you’re going somewhere else doesn’t mean you’re forgetting who you are.”
“When did you get so wise?” she asked, craning her neck to look up at him.
“Years of traveling with my uncle,” he said, and she laughed.
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.
It was quiet as they settled into bed together, Zuko’s arms around her setting her at ease. She felt safe next to him.
(Spirits, how she’d missed feeling safe.)
-
“Are you sure you have to leave so soon?” Leya questioned, her gaze watchful even as she stood in the kitchen.
“We have a war to end,” Y/N said, only slightly joking. “I’ll be back sooner than you know.”
“You’re making us all so proud, Y/N.” Lao patted her on the shoulder, and then he pulled her into a hug. “People will tell stories of you centuries from now, I know it. You’ve made history.”
“I’m just glad our people are finally free,” she said softly.
“And you, son.” Lao pulled away and looked down at Zuko, respect in his eyes. “Your path hasn’t been easy, but you’ve made it here. You’re welcome in our corner of the Earth Kingdom anytime.”
“I’m just doing what’s right,” Zuko said, but she could see the beginnings of his pleased smile.
“And sometimes that is the hardest thing to do.” Leya came over with a large basket, smile beaming down on the two of them as she handed it to Y/N. “This should be enough for your journey back and to share with the rest of your group.”
Y/N frowned. “Are you sure?”
“Of course we are,” Lao said. “Without the Fire Nation leeching off of us, we’ve got plenty to spare.”
“Thank you,” Zuko said. “This means a lot.”
“It’s the least we can do,” Leya said, and she grasped Y/N’s hands. “Promise me that you’ll be careful.”
“We’ll try our best,” she vowed, and she glanced at Zuko with a smile. “I’ve got a lot of good people with me.”
“You,” Leya pointed at Zuko, tone motherly as ever, “make sure nothing happens to her.”
“That was already the plan,” he said with a chuckle.
“So,” Lao said wryly, “what’s the next thing I should expect from our heroes and the Avatar?”
Y/N smiled inwardly. “Change is coming. That’s for sure.”
-
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 gaps—more often than not, though, they just sat together. Her head on his shoulder, his arm around her, her fingers rifling through his hair.
The fresh air invigorated Y/N. She felt like a whole new person, the dread and anger and heaviness she’d been carrying with her for months steadily dissolving.
Zuko’s 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.
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.
“You guys are finally back!” Sokka exclaimed once they were in hearing distance. “Where did you even go?”
“You’ve got some nerve leaving like that without a word!” Katara yelled, but the moment Y/N slid off of Appa’s 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.
“I’m sorry,” she breathed. “It was something important.”
“She’s been worried sick about you,” Toph spoke up.
“So have you!” Aang piped in. “You were asking about it y—”
Toph punched Aang on the shoulder, and he stopped. “What was that for?”
“You didn’t answer my question,” Sokka interrupted. “Where did you two even go?”
Y/N let out a long deep breath, and Zuko nodded supportively when she glanced at him. “We… went back to my village. The other day was the anniversary of my father’s death, so I went to honor him.”
“Oh, Y/N,” Katara murmured, and she pulled her back into a hug. “I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you tell us?”
“I thought it was something I had to do on my own,” Y/N said, pulling away after a grateful moment. “If I had my way, I would have. But Zuko pushed his way on.”
“It’s not my fault you’re so stubborn,” Zuko said. “Besides, it was obviously the right move.”
Sokka frowned. “You guys are being really nice to each other.”
Aang’s eyes lit up. “Did you two have your life changing field trip?”
It was Y/N’s turn to frown. “Life changing field trip?”
“That’s what they’re calling it,” Toph explained. “All the trips that they’ve gone on with Zuko to be his friend or whatever. I still haven’t had one.”
Zuko stared at her. “I woke up with rocks in my bed every day for a week.”
“Yeah, but we didn’t go anywhere,” she grumbled at the ground.
Y/N chuckled, though her expression sobered. “I 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.”
Katara’s eyebrows shot up. “Just like that?”
“It wasn’t that easy—” Zuko said, but he was interrupted when Sokka patted—or rather hit—him on the back.
“Nice going, buddy! That’s how you get your girl back.”
He glared daggers at Sokka but Y/N just laughed. “It 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 father’s grave.”
Katara’s entire expression softened. “I’m so happy for you, Y/N. That’s— that’s amazing. And… is it back?”
Y/N nodded with a smile, and she formed a ball of water out of the air. “My bending is officially back.”
Katara screamed and she nearly tackled Y/N with another hug. “Thank the spirits! I knew you could do it!”
“Life changing field trip always works,” Aang mused.
“Well, whatever you did, it worked,” Toph said. “I’m happy I don’t have to see the two of you mope around all the time anymore.”
Zuko frowned. “You can’t see.”
“Trust me,” Toph muttered, “some things transcend sight.”
Y/N smiled, and she took Zuko’s hand, tears welling in her eyes. “I really missed you guys.”
-
Later, once they’d 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 wasn’t 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 Nation’s climate meant there would always be moisture in the air.
Oh, how she’d missed her bending.
She didn’t flinch when she heard footsteps behind her, able to see the reflection in her orb—instead, she flicked her hand and shot the water back at her visitor.
“Hey!” Zuko complained, sputtering as it struck him in the face. “What was that for?”
She giggled as she turned her head. “I had to make sure you remember who you’re dealing with.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, grimacing a bit as he wiped water droplets off his face, “my girlfriend is super powerful and can take down anyone. That doesn’t mean you have to take me down.”
“Oh, you’re so dramatic.” Y/N smiled as she stood up and flexed her fingers, drawing all the water out of his clothes. “It was barely anything.”
“This time,” Zuko said, and he gestured around them with a wry smile. “We’ve got a whole ocean around us.”
“I’m not that powerful,” she said.
“Maybe,” Zuko said, “but I don’t trust you and Katara together.”
“You don’t have to worry about that anymore.” She chuckled as she took his hand. “What’d you come over here for?”
“You’re not allowed to mope around by yourself anymore,” Zuko said. “We’re having a campfire and digging into some of the food Leya gave us.”
“I’m not moping,” she complained.
“Not anymore,” Zuko clarified, and he chuckled at her expression. “Still. You have to join us.”
“Of course,” Y/N said, and they started walking over together. “I’m excited for some actual food after the past few months.”
Zuko frowned. “I made you jook last night. That was perfectly good food.”
“You know what I mean,” she groaned. “Yes, it was perfectly good food. I’m just excited for more of Lao’s xiaolongbao. That man makes miracles in the kitchen.”
“I’ll have to get him to give me the recipe next time we visit,” Zuko mused.
She looked at him, slightly surprised. “You want to go back?”
“Of course,” he said. “It’s the place you’re from. And besides,” he shrugged, slightly bolstered, “I am one of the saviors of the village.”
She laughed and leaned her head against his shoulder.
“Of course.”
-
“It’s about time you guys got here,” Toph grumbled. “Katara won’t let any of us eat.”
“They’re here now,” she said, “you can—”
Katara didn’t even get to finish her sentence before Toph started digging in, and she just shook her head with a sigh.
“We’re glad that you’re here,” she offered with a slight smile.
“Katara’s mostly glad that you’re back,” Sokka said, his mouth full of food earning him a glare from his sister. “I think you two have separation anxiety or something.”
“Can you blame me?” Katara defended. “You were gone for weeks and we had no idea what happened to you. You can’t just up and disappear with Zuko.”
“To be fair, you tried to do the same thing,” Sokka said.
“To be fair, you thought Y/N was going to kill Zuko,” Katara shot back.
Zuko’s eyes widened slightly. “Uh, no. We never went that far.”
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.
(Maybe not ever.)
“Let’s talk about something else,” Y/N said, and Zuko put his arm around her, pulling her close. She couldn’t help but smile. “What have you guys been up to while we’ve been gone?”
“It was only three days,” Sokka said. “We didn’t get up to that much.” But he wouldn’t stop staring at them, and Zuko frowned.
“What?”
“Nothing,” he said with a shrug. “I just realized I’ve never been around you two when you actually liked each other.”
“Why did you have to say that?” Toph groaned. “Now they’re going to be extra gross.”
“What, you mean like this?” Zuko pulled Y/N into a kiss, but she didn’t even get the chance to enjoy it before something hit the two of them.
Y/N pulled away and picked it up, scowling at Sokka. “Is this your shoe?”
“There are children here!” he complained. “You two really are gross.”
“I think it’s sweet,” Katara said, and she hit Sokka on the shoulder. “Leave them alone.”
“I’m just trying to protect the sanctity of this place!” he exclaimed.
“I’m on Sokka’s side,” Toph piped in.
As the group devolved into accusations and conversation with occasional pauses for food, she leaned into Zuko’s side and sighed contentedly.
This was the life she’d been chasing so long. All they had to do was end the war.
And after everything she’d been through, that seemed like the easiest part of the journey.
-
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 Zuko’s side—she was sure he already had himself—when she heard Katara’s voice.
“Hey,” she said, gesturing away from the fire with her head, “can I have you for a second?”
Y/N nodded, yawning as she tried to blink the grogginess out of her vision, and the two of them walked over. “What’s up?”
“This is something I’ve been wanting to give to you for a while, but it hasn’t been the right moment.” Katara grinned. “But it is now.”
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 she’d given her months ago in Gaoling.
“Both 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 you’ve got your bending back…”
Katara trailed off as she offered it up again, but instead Y/N crushed her in a tight embrace.
“Thank you,” she said, unable to hold back her own smile. “For thinking of me even then.”
“Always,” Katara said, returning the gesture with just as much intensity. When she pulled away, her eyes shone.
“It’s good to see you like this,” she said softly. “Happier. Lighter. You look better than you have in months.”
“I feel better,” Y/N admitted. “I know that I needed to forgive Zuko, and maybe it was the spirits’ plan to make the road so treacherous. But it feels so good to have him again.”
“It feels good to not have you two arguing all the time,” she said wryly.
Y/N chuckled. “Just imagine how I feel.”
“What do you think is next for you two?” Katara asked. “After the war is over, I mean.”
“I haven’t really thought that far in the future,” she admitted. “After everything, I’m just trying to live in the moment.”
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.
It wasn’t 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 conversation—it was the closest she could get to the civility required now that he was Aang’s firebending teacher, and even that was difficult.
Not because she didn’t want anything to do with Zuko—no, it was becoming the opposite, and it scared her more than anything.
She found herself thinking of him more often than not. And not of the North, or their meetings along their journey, not the catacombs—she found herself recalling the more pleasant memories.
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.
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.
He couldn’t hurt her again if she didn’t give him the chance to. So she wouldn’t.
But it was getting harder and harder to avoid him, because one by one, her friends forgave him.
First, she’d heard, was Toph. She didn’t 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.
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.
It took Sokka a bit longer, but after what they pulled off at the Boiling Rock together, he didn’t seem to have a hard time getting along with Zuko. The fact that he helped save Y/N and Suki probably didn’t hurt his chances either.
Zuko had burned down Suki’s village, but Y/N still remembered what she told him in the courtyard—”if you can get me out of here, you’re forgiven. Kyoshi’s fans, I’ll be your best friend.” They weren’t exactly that close, but they worked together, and that was enough.
Katara, it seemed, was the only one who still shared Y/N’s 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.
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.
“So,” Katara said, “today was… something.”
“That’s one way to say it,” Y/N said wryly. “Since joining you guys, I’ve had enough action for a lifetime. I can’t wait for all this to be over.”
Katara smiled, but it was wistful. “Neither can I. This has all gone on for so long—all I want is peace.”
A memory flashed through her mind—frantic screams, desperate pleading, flames devouring centuries of life—and 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.
“Me too,” she murmured. “More than anything.”
Katara looked at her for a moment, her gaze softening before she finally spoke. “Are you okay? I… I know today wasn’t easy.”
Y/N managed a thin smile, but it wasn’t convincing. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
“You know I can’t do that,” Katara said dryly. “We look out for each other—we always have, even from the first day we met. But it’s like you’re trying to make it as hard as possible for me to care about you.”
“One of my many skills,” she said sarcastically, but Katara didn’t 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. “I just…” she shook her head, “I don’t know what to do.”
“With Zuko,” she guessed.
“With everything,” Y/N said, but then she sighed again. “...Zuko included.”
“He doesn’t deserve you,” Katara said quietly. “Not after everything he’s put you through.”
“I keep telling myself that,” she murmured. “But there’s something inside of me that I can’t get rid of.” She looked at Katara, the beginnings of tears glimmering in her eyes. “There— there’s this hope that I can’t get rid of, that things could be the way they used to be again. And— and last time I felt that way was in Ba Sing Se, and I know where that got me, so—”
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.
“So why do I still feel that way?” she asked, almost desperately. “How have they all forgiven him so easily? They know what he did— spirits, Aang died because of him— but they’re all able to sit around and joke with him like nothing happened.”
“They didn’t trust him the way we did,” Katara said with a quiet anger. “They didn’t trust him the way we did, so it didn’t hurt them the way it hurt us.”
“I don’t want to forgive him,” Y/N said weakly. “But the thought of losing him hurts so much. Why does it hurt so much?”
“I don’t know,” Katara murmured. “I… I don’t know.”
Y/N flinched as a tear rolled down her cheek and fell to the ground below, and she instinctively wiped it away. She couldn’t show weakness.
She grimaced at the thought. How long would that wretched place stay with her?
“I’ll give you some time.” Katara’s expression was pained as she squeezed her hand. She didn’t 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.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Katara nodded as she stood up. “You can sleep in my tent tonight. Or if you decide you want to talk, come bother me. I promise it’ll be okay.”
Y/N nodded, the action a bit numb, and she could feel Katara’s 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 child—the tiger seal.
It was a jumble of stars that didn’t 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.
She couldn’t stop thinking of Zuko. She couldn’t 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.
She had her life back. Everything should have been back to normal.
But instead, she felt more lost than ever.
-
Y/N ended up taking Katara’s 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 wouldn’t let her push them away, no matter how much her newly wired instincts told her it was the right thing to do.
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.
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.
“I guess that means we’re the taggers now, huh?” And with that, the two of them ran around the village tagging everyone they could with the seriously unfair advantage.
She saw the moment after she’d 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 could’ve done he praised her to no end.
The absence of scars, the smoothness of her skin, a bright smile that shone through her—she was unmarked by the world then. Hopeful, content, naive.
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.
One week. Seven days. And then she would go to face something she wasn’t sure she was ready for.
But for now, there was something else to focus on. She could hear loud voices outside of the tent—all familiar, thankfully—but she knew that meant she had overslept.
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.
“—about getting closure and justice,” she heard Zuko say, and her brows instinctively creased.
“What’s going on?” Y/N asked, crossing her arms as she stopped between Sokka and Zuko. “What are you all talking about?”
Zuko’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at her. “Uh— good morning.”
“Good morning,” she said stiffly before repeating herself. “What’s going on?”
“Zuko knows where to find the man who killed our mother,” Sokka said. He was oddly quiet.
“And Katara wants to find him,” Aang said, his expression uneasy.
“Is there a problem with that?” Katara asked defensively.
“Not if Zuko’s right and you just want closure,” he said. “But I don’t think that’s what this is about. I think it’s about getting revenge.”
“Maybe it is!” Katara exclaimed, gesturing with one hand. “Maybe it is about revenge, Aang. But don’t you think I deserve it?”
“You don’t know what it will do to you,” Aang said. “I know how you feel right now, trust me—like violence is the only way to solve your problem. I felt that way after I discovered what happened to my people. But it’s not the only way.”
“I can’t let him go now that I know I can get to him!” she yelled, her voice rising with her anger. “Maybe it’s what I need—maybe it’s what he deserves.”
Aang’s eyes widened slightly. “Katara, you sound like Jet.”
“That’s not the same,” she snapped. “Jet hurt the innocent. This man— he’s not innocent. He’s a monster.”
“Katara, she was my mother too, but I think Aang might be right,” Sokka said.
She set her jaw. “Then you didn’t love her the way I did.”
Sokka took a step back as his eyes widened. “Katara…”
“The monks used to say that revenge is like a two-headed rat viper.” Aang spoke up quickly, trying to fill the air after what she’d said. “While you watch your enemy go down, you’re being poisoned yourself.”
“That’s cute, but this isn’t Air Temple preschool,” Zuko said. “It’s the real world.”
“And you think he hasn’t experienced the real world?” Y/N snapped. “I think he knows a little bit about grief after what’s happened to him.”
Zuko looked at her with a surprisingly level expression, contrasting her narrowed eyes and upturned lip. “Monk pacifism isn’t going to help here.”
Y/N opened her mouth to retort back but Aang stopped her. “It’s okay. I forgive you, Zuko.” He looked at Katara. “That’s what you need to do. Forgiveness.”
Katara laughed in disbelief. “You want me to forgive the man who murdered my mother?”
“Of course not!” Aang said. “You need to face him—I understand that. But when you face him, you can’t kill him. You have to let the anger flow through you, and then out of you. Accept your emotions, then let them go.”
“Why should he get to live when our mother is gone?” Katara shouted. “I don’t want to forgive him, I want revenge!”
“Killing him won’t bring our mother back,” Sokka murmured. “You’ll just have someone else’s blood on your hands.”
“Good,” she said coldly. “An eye for an eye.”
“Makes the whole world go blind,” Aang finished. “One of the monks said that back in the temple—violence might feel right, but it just hurts everyone more. Forgiveness is the right choice.”
“Forgiveness is the same as doing nothing,” Zuko said.
“No, it’s not,” he said. “It’s easy to do nothing—forgiveness is hard.”
“It’s not just hard,” Katara snarled, “it’s impossible.”
Aang looked over at Y/N, who had been silent since her outburst at Zuko. “Y/N, please. You know revenge won’t help her.”
Y/N looked between the two of them, the steely determination brewing in Katara’s eyes at odds with a desperate softness in Aang’s. Something twisted in her chest, and she had to force herself to look away as she spoke.
“...Do what you have to,” she said quietly. “Whatever that ends up being.”
Hurt flickered across Aang’s 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.
“I’ll see you guys later,” 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.
Katara was going after her mother’s 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 best—it 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 choice—but a small part of her still couldn’t help but despise it.
He was getting too close, far too close, and she wasn’t going to let that affect her.
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.
“It’s just me,” Toph said, her blank gaze aimed at the ground. “You’re jumpier than usual.”
“How can you tell?”
“I can hear every ant on this cliffside through their movements,” she said. “Your heart rate spiked so much that even a baby could tell you’re off. You’ve been off, ever since you came back.”
She smiled wryly. “I’m still getting used to everything again. It’s not an easy transition.”
“But you’re here,” Toph said, and she sat down next to her. “You’ve been through everything, and you’re still here. That means you’re tougher than everything the Fire Nation has tried to throw at you.”
“How can you say that so easily?” Y/N asked. “I’ve flipped out on everyone at least twice for no reason. I constantly have nightmares about what’s happened. I— I can’t even bend because Zuko still has this stupid hold on me. I don’t feel tough. I feel weaker than ever.”
“You’re still here,” Toph repeated, emphasizing each word. “So many other people would have given up by now if they were in your position. But you didn’t—you fought, and you continued to fight until you won, no matter how long it took you. That’s what makes you tough—not all the stuff you’ve been through, but the fact that you’re still standing at the end of it.”
“When did you become so wise?” 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.
“Someone had to keep these dunderheads together while you were busy in prison.” Y/N chuckled a bit, but she could see Toph’s expression sober in her peripherals. “...I’ve just been worried about you.”
“Really?”
Toph punched her on the arm without looking. “Does that make you believe me?”
Y/N managed a small smile as she rubbed the spot. “Yeah.”
“Good. Because I don’t know how much sappy stuff I can take.”
Her smile widened as she wrapped an arm around Toph and pulled her closer. “So you do love me.”
“Let go of me!” she protested. “This is the worst kind of sappy stuff!”
But Toph made no move to get away from her, and Y/N laughed. “Just admit it. You missed me.”
“Of course I missed you,” she huffed. “Without 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.”
“I missed you too, Toph,” Y/N said with a smile. “I didn’t realize how much I appreciated your tough love until I didn’t have it.”
“I have plenty saved up for you, Snowflake,” Toph grinned, “so don’t worry.” But her expression sobered, and she paused.
“...I’m here for you,” she said after a moment. “If you need anything, or just someone to listen to. I’m good at listening to people complain.”
“Thank you,” she said, her smile softening. “That means more than you know.”
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 didn’t realize how much she just needed to talk to somebody. First her conversation with Katara and now with Toph—her friends really were the secret to making her feel better.
…Things would be okay again, Y/N thought to herself. No matter how long it took, her friends would be there for her.
Things would be okay again.
She would be okay again.
-
“They’ve been gone for too long,” Sokka grumbled.
“It’s been two days,” Aang said. “Zuko said the man they were after was retired—it can’t be easy to find a retired Fire Nation soldier, no matter how knowledgeable you are about the navy.”
“That’s too long,” 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.
“Can you sit down, Sokka?” Y/N asked. “You’re stressing me out.”
“You should be stressed out!” he exclaimed, flinging his arms up. “The boy prince of betrayal went off with my impressionable sister on a murder field trip. There is no reason to not be stressed out!”
“You need to give Sugar Queen more credit,” Toph said. “If Zuko tries anything, he’s the one that should be worried. Not the other way around.”
“Toph’s right,” Aang said, but then he frowned. “And I thought you trusted Zuko.”
“Not when he’s alone with my sister on a murder field trip!” 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. “She feels everything so strongly, and… and she’s 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, she’ll regret it for the rest of her life.”
“She’ll make the right choice,” Y/N murmured. “I know she will.”
Aang suddenly perked up, and he turned around. When he did, his eyes widened. “They’re back.”
They all turned around to see Appa touching down at camp, but only one person dismounted.
“Where’s Katara?” Y/N instantly asked, her eyes narrowing as she darted up.
“She’s fine,” Zuko said, but when he glanced at Aang she could see his nerves. “She… she’s back at the dock. At the soldier’s village.”
“Did she…?” Aang didn’t finish the sentence, but he didn’t have to.
“No. He’s terrified out of his mind, but he’s alive.” A weight was visibly lifted off of Sokka’s shoulders with the single word, and Aang nodded.
“That’s… that’s good.”
“She said she needed some time to herself,” Zuko murmured. “I figured it was only right to bring you back with me.”
“I’m coming too,” Sokka said.
“Me too,” Y/N spoke up. She could feel Zuko’s gaze on her, but she didn’t meet it.
“I’ll stay back,” Toph said. “Someone has to hold this place down.”
“I will too,” Suki said, and she gave Sokka a light kiss on the cheek. “I hope she’s okay.”
“She will be,” Sokka said softly. “Eventually.”
Zuko nodded and started walking back towards Appa. “Let’s get back, then. It’s a bit of a ride.”
-
Soon enough, they were all in the village, and Aang jumped off Appa as soon as he’d guided him close enough.
“Katara!” he exclaimed as he ran towards her, sitting on the edge of the dock. “Are you okay?”
“I’m doing fine,” she murmured. Her voice was placid as the water she sat above, but it was strained.
“Zuko told me what you did,” Aang said softly. “Or… what you didn’t do, I guess. I’m proud of you.”
“I wanted to do it,” she said stiffly. “I wanted to take out all my anger on him, and I almost did. But… but I just couldn’t. I don’t know if it’s because I’m too weak to do it or strong enough not to.”
“You did the right thing,” Y/N said. “Facing that man makes you stronger than he could ever hope to be.”
“Forgiveness is the first step you have to take towards healing,” Aang said.
Katara stood up, and her gaze was a mixture of sadness and acceptance. But it was obvious the ordeal was still weighing on her. “I didn’t forgive him. I’ll never forgive him. But…” she looked past them and over at Zuko, the smallest of smiles pulling at her lips. “...I am ready to forgive you.”
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.
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/N’s side throughout their whole journey, at each and every road block, she was there for Ba Sing Se—for all of Ba Sing Se.
And somehow, Zuko had gotten her to forgive him too.
It was selfish, unbelievably so, for it to hurt her so much when Katara had just faced something impossible. But she couldn’t help the way that her chest twisted, how her heart ached, how her nails dug so deep into her palms they left indentations.
When the rest of them got back onto Appa, Katara sat down next to her. “Thank you for coming.”
“Of course.” She didn’t make eye contact, her gaze focused into the distance as Aang set off for camp. “I’m glad you got to face him. That you made the right decision for you.”
“Y/N,” she murmured, “I know what this is about.”
“It’s not about anything except you,” she evaded. “This was a journey you had to take—we’re all behind you.”
“And you have all my thanks for that,” Katara said. She glanced at Zuko on the other side of the saddle, very obviously trying to pretend like he wasn’t listening in on their conversation. He wasn’t very good at it. “But I know you’re upset about… that.”
“We don’t need to talk about this right now,” she said.
“Y/N…”
She didn’t say anything. Katara sighed and settled back down on the saddle.
“Okay,” she nodded. “When you’re ready.”
Quiet conversation was made on the other side of the saddle between the three boys, but there was nothing between Katara and Y/N.
Nothing except a newly found weight on both their shoulders.
-
The sizzling fuse exploded when they got back to camp, though. A ride spent staring at the sky didn’t 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 didn’t get far.
“Even you forgave him.” Her words were cold, icy rather than hot anger. “Even you! After everything we’ve talked about— everything you know!”
“I— I know,” Katara said, and she let out a deep sigh as she ran a hand through her loose hair. “But… but he helped me in a way that no one ever had. I found my mother’s killer. I got closure.”
“Well, maybe I should get him to help me find the guard who killed my father,” Y/N said sarcastically. “Maybe that’ll get me my bending back.”
“It could,” Katara said, and she was actually genuine. “It could work. And Zuko would help you.”
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. “I’m not letting him back in. Even you said I shouldn’t.”
“I can’t say I know how much you’re hurting,” Katara said, “but… but Zuko is hurting just as much as you. There’s no excuse for what he did, I’m not saying that. But he wants your forgiveness more than anything in the world.”
“Did he tell you to say this during your trip?” she asked stiffly. “I mean, now that he’s turned you over to his side and everything.”
“I’m saying this because I care about you,” Katara said softly. “Y/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 it’s still there. And if you don’t take care of it, it’s going to consume you.”
“I can’t forgive him.” Her voice was barely a whisper, a cracked, haunted resolve behind it. “I won’t let myself get hurt again.”
“And I can’t promise that he won’t hurt you again,” Katara murmured. “But I do know if you decide to let him back in, he’ll spend the rest of his life trying to make it up to you.”
Y/N wasn’t able to muster any words. She wrapped her arms around her midsection and turned away, blinking back tears.
“He talked about you,” she continued. “When he wasn’t 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.” Katara’s expression softened as well as her voice and she took a step closer. “All he wants is to help you however he can.”
“If he loved me then and he still betrayed me,” she whispered, “then how can I ever trust him again?”
“...You just have to,” Katara said quietly. “Trust 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 other’s souls.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat, still unable to look back at Katara. “I can’t.”
“Then at least don’t push us away,” Katara urged. “You’ve been off. I don’t know what it’s about, but you can tell me as little or as much as you want, whenever you’re ready. I’m here for you—we’re all here for you, Y/N. We love you so much. Let us help you.”
She bit down on her lip hard to prevent the tears from welling up, and she was only able to muster a nod. “I will. Soon.”
“...Okay.”
Y/N walked off, and she could feel Katara’s worried gaze on her. It took all her strength not to look back.
-
Three days.
It all went on as usual. Suki asked if she was okay, but she didn’t push.
Sokka wouldn’t stop looking at her strangely. He must have heard her leaving her tent in the middle of the night.
-
Two days.
The nightmares were worse. She nearly woke up screaming. Thankfully, she didn’t wake Katara.
Aang sat with her during breakfast, telling ancient airbender stories. He didn’t ask anything when he had to repeat himself because of her blank stare at the ground.
She spent most of the day sitting by the water.
Maybe it would come back after this.
-
One day.
Everyone knew something was wrong, but she didn’t give any of them the chance to ask.
Especially Zuko. He wouldn’t stop looking at her, wouldn’t stop trying to talk to her. She brushed him off every time.
She packed her bag that night.
She barely slept a wink.
-
“What are you doing?”
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.
But of course, he had to ruin everything.
She didn’t look over at the sound of Zuko’s voice as she rifled through her bag, making sure she had everything she needed. “Nothing.”
“That doesn’t look like nothing.”
“Very perceptive, aren’t you?” she said dryly. Y/N tied her bag shut and stood up, then climbed onto Appa’s back. “I’m leaving.”
His eyes widened. “You’re leaving? Does everyone else know about this?”
“Not leaving for good,” she scoffed. “I just have something I need to do.”
“And that is?”
Y/N glared fully at Zuko. “None of your business.”
“You’re taking Appa in the middle of the night to go somewhere,” he said, crossing his arms. “Every time someone’s tried to do that, it’s been for something important. Sokka was going to the Boiling Rock, and Katara wanted to find her mother’s killer. I’m guessing whatever you’re going to do is equally important, which means you’re gonna need backup.”
“I said it was none of your business,” she repeated. “I can handle myself just fine without you.”
“Well,” Zuko crossed his arms, “I’m not leaving until you tell me what you’re doing.”
“You’re the most annoying person I’ve ever met,” she jabbed.
“You’re the most stubborn person I’ve ever met,” he responded with a shrug.
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 didn’t exactly know what possessed her to tell Zuko the reason, but after a moment, she did.
“Seven years ago today, my village was invaded,” she said quietly. “It’s the day my mother and I were captured, and… and the day my father was killed.”
Zuko’s eyes widened, and his voice was the same as hers when he finally mustered something. “I… I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”
“So am I,” she said, “but apologies haven’t helped me with anything. I’m going back. I’m visiting my village for the first time since my mother and I were taken. Now that I have the means to travel there, it’s something I need to do.”
“I understand,” Zuko said, “completely. I’ll come with you.”
Her response was instantaneous. “No.”
“You can’t travel that far alone,” he insisted. “I have no doubt that you can handle yourself, but you’ve trained to fight with your bending, and right now you don’t have it. If you run into any kind of trouble, you’re… well, you’re gonna be in trouble.”
“I can fight,” she said. “I’m good with my fists. I held my own against Azula.”
“You did,” he admitted, “but her skill also isn’t in her hand to hand. And if you’re up against multiple people—say, Fire Nation guards—you’re gonna go down quick.”
“You have just as much faith in me as ever,” she remarked sourly.
“It’s not that I don’t have faith in you!” Zuko defended. “I just don’t want you to die because you have too much pride to accept any kind of help.”
“It’s not that I don’t want any help,” she stated. “I just don’t want your help.”
Zuko let out a long-lasting sigh, shaking his head before he finally met her eyes again. “Look. I know you don’t like me, and you don’t have to. Not after… not after what I did. But whatever’s between us can’t affect our mission, because ultimately we’re all here to defeat my father. That has to happen no matter what, so like it or not, we’re probably gonna have to work together at least once to make that happen.”
“I don’t have to work with you if I don’t want to,” she said.
“Really? So if we’re in the middle of a fight and your choice is to either work with me or die, what would you do?”
“I’m not that stupid,” she snapped.
Annoyingly, though… he had a point. They couldn’t afford any distractions, not so close to the end. And Y/N wouldn’t be the reason for their failure because of Zuko.
“...Fine,” she relented, but the glare she pinned him with was still withering. “But you do whatever I tell you to do, and you don’t come with me when we get to my village. This is private.”
Zuko immediately broke out into a grin and he nodded. “Of course. I’m here for you.”
She averted her gaze as she took her seat on Appa’s head. “Get your things before I leave you here.”
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.
A trip with Zuko to her childhood village on the anniversary of the worst day of her life.
This couldn’t go terribly at all, she thought wryly.
-
“...So,” Zuko said, “do you know where we’re going?”
“No,” she said, “I just thought I would lead Appa around blindly and hope that we somehow end up in the right place.”
“So you do know—”
“Of course I know where we’re going,” Y/N snapped. Maybe it was unfair of her, but she didn’t exactly care. “Sokka took a map from Wan Shi Tong’s library before it collapsed, and he let me borrow it. It’ll take us a couple of hours, but we should make it before noon.”
Zuko nodded. “Where is your village? You never told me much about it when you talked about your past.”
“Why do you care?”
He huffed a laugh. “You can’t be serious.”
She said nothing, and Zuko sighed. “I care about you, Y/N, more than anything. I’m here because I want to help you. Of course I care about where you’re from.”
“That doesn’t mean we need all the small talk,” she said.
“It’s not small talk, it’s a conversation,” Zuko said dryly. “I’m more than happy to sit here in silence with you for another six hours, but I think that’s pretty boring.”
“...It’s by the southern coast, near the Zeizhou provinces,” she relented after a moment. “It’s so small that you can’t find it on a map unless you know what you’re looking for. We didn’t even have an official name—if we had to, we called it South Zeizhou because that was the only notable thing near us.”
“What was it like?” he asked. “Growing up in a place like that.”
“It was nice,” she said. “We were almost completely isolated from other villages, so we were tightly knit. Everyone knew each other—I’m sure I knew each person by name by the time I was five—and everyone helped each other. We didn’t have much, but everyone was well taken care of. Our community was everything.”
“That sounds beautiful,” Zuko murmured.
“It was,” she agreed. “Until your people invaded it and destroyed it.”
Zuko went silent at that, but instead of the sick sort of satisfaction she normally experienced, she felt… guilty.
It wasn’t his fault. Zuko was only a year older than her—when 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 he’d ever had, to try and make things right.
He was a child just like her. And with a father like Fire Lord Ozai…
“...I’m sorry,” she said, and his eyes darted up, a bit of shock visible in them. “I know it wasn’t your fault. I just…” she sighed. “I’ve never forgiven the Fire Nation for what was done to my people. And I guess you’re just the easiest target.”
“I understand,” he murmured. “And for whatever it’s worth, I’m sorry too.”
“This doesn’t mean anything.” The words were quick to leave her mouth, and she didn’t look at him. “Just because I feel bad doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you.” Nevertheless, she could still hear the smile in his voice.
“I know.”
More silence.
“What was your father like?” Zuko asked as he broke it. “You speak of him so fondly.”
She bit her lip at the question as the memories flooded back, and Zuko was stumbling over his words almost immediately.
“You— you don’t have to answer,” he said, “obviously, if it’s too much, but I—”
“He was the nicest man you’d ever meet,” she said softly. “He 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 did—he made my mother the happiest woman alive. He was beloved by everyone in the village.” Y/N swallowed hard. “He died to protect it. To protect me.”
“You’ve made him proud,” Zuko said. “I know you have.”
“I hope so,” she murmured. “It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
She meant to leave it at that, but for some reason, the words continued to flow. “But I… I’m worried about what will happen when I get there.” that they won’t recognize me when I come back.”
Zuko frowned. “What do you mean?”
“It’s been years since I was there.” 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. “I haven’t been back since I was captured. What if they resent me for not being there?”
“No one could possibly resent you for that,” he scoffed. “You were taken, Y/N, by soldiers. You were a child—what could you have done?”
“Anything,” she muttered. “If I had done anything, maybe things would have been different.”
“You can’t do that to yourself,” Zuko insisted. “You’ll drive yourself insane going down that path.”
She shrugged. “That doesn’t mean it isn’t true.”
“Look at me.”
Y/N frowned. “What?”
“Turn around and look at me,” he said again. “And don’t do your stubborn I hate Zuko thing. Just humor me for once.”
She scoffed and crossed her arms as she turned around, looking him in the eye. “What?”
“Do you think it’s Katara’s fault that her mother is dead?”
The jump to the topic made her blink, recoiling the slightest bit. “What? No— spirits, of course not.”
“But she died to save her,” Zuko said. “The raiders were there looking for the last waterbender, and that was Katara. Her mother gave herself up in place of her.”
“That’s not her fault,” she said. “Her mother ch—”
It hit her then, and her eyes narrowed. “You’re not clever.”
The slightest smile tugged at Zuko’s lips and he shrugged. “It worked, didn’t it?”
“You’re not clever,” she simply repeated, and she turned back around and grabbed the reins. She couldn’t see Zuko’s pleased expression as he adjusted his position in the saddle.
“Just trying to help,” he said, and his voice softened. “You’ve made your father proud, even if you don’t think so. You’ve made both your parents proud.”
She didn’t respond. She feared that if she tried to, the tears would spring. And she wasn’t going to cry.
But she appreciated his words more than he knew. Maybe even more than she knew.
But she couldn’t say that. And so they rode in silence.
-
“We’re almost here,” she announced, and she lightly tugged at Appa’s reins to get him to slow down. It had been a few hours of silent flying and navigating, but they’d made good time. By the spot of the sun in the sky, she could tell it was just before noon.
“Good,” he said.
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.
“You didn’t have to come, you know,” she said, maybe a little too snippy.
“I wasn’t going to let you go alone,” Zuko said. “And even though you might not think so, I like being around you. I…” he sighed and shook his head. “Nevermind.”
“What?”
“I just want things to be the way they used to be,” he murmured. “But I know that can’t happen. And I know you’re tired of hearing it.”
“...I want that too,” she said quietly after a moment of hesitation.
She heard the rustling of leather and a sharp intake of breath, and it wasn’t hard to tell he was shocked by her words. And maybe she was shocked too, because she knew she meant them completely.
“Y/N,” Zuko started, “you—”
But then he was interrupted by her gasp.
“What?” he asked, only a moment of hesitation before he switched veins. He moved up beside her, and his eyes widened. “Flames of Agni…”
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 just— was just gone. And in the center of it all…
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.
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.
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 hadn’t even known about it.
“The Fire Nation is still here,” she said shakily. “I… I don’t know what I expected. I thought they would move on after the raid, but…” She barely managed to choke back a sob by clenching her jaw tightly. “They destroyed it all.”
“I’m so sorry.” There was horror in Zuko’s voice, and like her, he was unable to look away from the devastation. “I… If I had known…”
“Sorry isn’t going to fix anything,” she said bitterly, but it was more pained than anything.
“Then we will fix it,” he countered. Her eyes flicked up to him, the smallest bit of surprise visible. “We’ll take your village back and get the Fire Nation out, once and for all.”
Y/N’s 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.
“You’re damn right we will.”
-
“Are you okay?”
“Of course I’m not okay,” she said. She wanted to snap at him, but she didn’t have the energy. Not after what she’d seen.
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.
They were going to take back her village, that much was a given. The only question was how.
“You’re right,” he murmured. “It was a stupid question.”
“I just don’t understand,” she said weakly as she sat back on the ground. “Why would they stay in our village? We’re so far off the map that it’s probably costing them more to be here than not.”
“That’s what the Fire Nation does,” Zuko said. “They destroy everything they get their hands on.”
When Y/N looked up at him, he was staring at the ground, his jaw clenched.
“It’s about breaking their spirit,” he continued. “If they just left, your people could fight back. Get revenge for the invasion. But if they take over completely—”
“They crush an uprising before it has the chance to grow,” she murmured, “and they gain a workforce and all the natural resources they could want.”
“Yeah.”
Zuko’s voice was oddly quiet, stilted in a way she couldn’t place. She couldn’t stop herself from asking.
“What happened when you went back to the Fire Nation?”
Zuko glanced at her, swallowing hard before he looked away. “I’m not sure you want to know.”
“I do,” she said. “And I think I have the right to know.”
“Mai and I got together.” He sounded almost embarrassed, and she hated the twist of jealousy in her chest. “We talked during the entire boat ride home, and it went from there.”
“Oh,” she said stiffly. “So while I was sentenced to rot in prison for the rest of my life, you were getting busy with the girl who’s loved you her whole life.”
His cheeks flushed bright red in spite of the obvious anger. “That’s not what it was!”
“Really? Because that’s exactly what it sounds like.”
“We were both struggling,” he insisted. “I… I wasn’t handling Ba Sing Se well, and Mai was having doubts about everything. We gravitated towards each other in our misery, and— and it just happened.”
“You can’t honestly believe that’s true,” she snapped.
“You don’t know anything about Mai if you think it isn’t!” he exclaimed. “Neither of us were—”
“What?” she asked, brazen in his silence as he suddenly cut off. “You weren’t what?”
“…We realized that we didn’t like each other in that way,” he finished in a mumble. “Expectations pushed us together. Our own feelings pulled us apart.” Zuko looked back at her this time. “We couldn’t ignore our… our true feelings.”
“And what are those true feelings?” she asked. She couldn’t 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 wasn’t exactly nice to hear that she and Zuko got together right after she was sentenced to a life in prison.
“I love you,” he said, “and you know that. But Mai, she—” Zuko shook his head and glanced away.
“What?” she repeated.
“...Do you remember Ty Lee?”
She frowned. “Yeah. She’s tried to kill me a couple times.”
“That’s who,” he said, and her eyes widened slightly. “They’ve always been close, but… I don’t 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 I’m okay with that.”
“...Ty Lee,” Y/N said, and she managed a chuckle. “I think that’s the last pair I expected.”
Zuko cracked a smile. “It works, though. I hope they can figure something out.”
“Yeah,” she mumbled. “Me too.”
But then Zuko’s expression sobered again as he looked at her, his gaze as piercing as ever. “You know I don’t like her. You know there’s nothing between us. A—and you said you wanted things to be the way they used to be.” His voice was low, but there was no mistaking the edge of desperation in it. “So why can’t they be?”
“Why does it always come back to us?” she asked bitterly.
“Because I want there to be an us again so badly,” he said. Zuko’s voice was so genuine it pained her, and she hated how easily he was cracking her resolve.
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.
But Zuko was fire. Beautiful, inviting, full of warmth, but able to hurt her just as easily.
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 Se’s mark was nearly gone as well, but she couldn’t forget.
“Maybe there can’t be an us again,” she mumbled as she stood up. “And maybe we just both have to accept that.”
The look in Zuko’s 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.
“I’m going to scout out our surroundings,” she said, though it was half-hearted. “I’ll be back when the sun starts setting. We’ll figure out a plan at nightfall.”
She’d disappeared into the woods soon enough. If Zuko said something, she didn’t hear it.
-
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.
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 liked—a 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.
Soon enough, they were back on Appa, riding through the inky sky towards her village. Dressed in black from spares Zuko had in his bag—the same outfit he lended Katara during her mission, she was sure—they blended in perfectly.
“We’re here,” she whispered, and Zuko nodded as he sheathed his sword and moved up next to her on Appa’s head. “Do you remember the plan?”
“Of course I do,” he said. “Are you dropping down here?”
“Yeah. I’ll signal when I’m ready for you.”
He nodded again. “Good luck, Y/N.”
“...Thanks.”
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.
Y/N didn’t 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.
That was something, she supposed.
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.
It probably wasn’t 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.
“What are you doing in our home?” he demanded, but his wife shook her head.
“I must be dreaming,” she whispered, and she stood up as well. “Y/N? Is… is that you?”
“Leya,” Y/N said, and she felt the pinpricks of tears behind her eyes, “you remember.”
Leya laughed and clasped her hands together as she moved closer and pulled her into an embrace. “Of 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?”
“Gan’s girl,” the man—Lao—marveled, and he laughed as well. “What in Kyoshi’s name are you doing here?”
“It’s hard to explain,” she said, slightly sheepish as she pulled out of Leya’s hug. “But basically… I’m here to save the village.”
Lao shook his head with a smile—that same smile she remembered from her youth, a mix of approval and surprise. “You haven’t been here since the invasion and now you’re here to save our village. You haven’t changed a bit.”
“What can I say?” she said with a slight laugh. “I’ve been busy with the Avatar.”
“The Avatar?” Leya asked, and Y/N held up her hand.
“As much as I’d love to tell you both what I’ve been up to all these years, we’re working on a schedule.”
“‘We’?” Lao caught. “Who else is here with you?”
She didn’t think she could exactly say the crown prince of the Fire Nation, no matter how reformed he claimed to be.
“A friend of the Avatar,” she decided. “He’s waiting for my signal. That’s when the action’s going to start.”
“What exactly is your plan?” Leya asked tentatively. “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but our numbers aren’t the highest. Those who haven’t been sent away as laborers had their spirits broken long ago. There are very few with any kind of fight left in them.”
“That’s okay,” she said. “I’ve got more than enough fight in me for this whole village. But I need your help.”
Lao nodded. “Anything.”
She smiled, a miniscule amount of weight dropping off her shoulders in relief. “Good.”
-
Appa was stashed securely in the woods, a rucksack full of moon peaches to keep him happy and quiet, but Zuko was still nervous.
How couldn’t 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.
He wasn’t scared, though.
Nervous? Sure. But he couldn’t wait to give these soldiers what they deserved.
Zuko’s eyes snapped towards the sudden movement across the way—the 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.
The signal.
It was time.
Zuko took a deep breath, pulled his broadswords out of their sheaths, and started moving.
It didn’t 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.
“Stay quiet if you want to keep your head,” he said. “Nod if you understand.”
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.
“No firebending either,” he growled. “You wanna test my patience some more, or are you ready to cooperate?”
“I— I’ll cooperate,” he stammered. “Just don’t hurt me, please. What do you want?”
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.
“Good,” Zuko said. “Who’s in charge here?”
“General Lee,” he said, and Zuko had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Of course. “He— he’s the one who took over this place at the beginning. The one who ordered the invasion.”
“And where is he?”
“The biggest house at the end of the lane,” he said. “You— you can’t miss it.”
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.
Step one complete.
-
“How is your earthbending?” 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.
“Not as sharp as it used to be,” Lao said. “I’ve been hiding it since the invasion—otherwise they would have killed me or sent me away. What do you need it for?”
Once again, that sheepishness came back. The plan she and Zuko created sounded very outlandish when she said it out loud.
“I want to destroy the factory.”
“You certainly don't aim low, huh?” 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. “I’ve still got some of it, at least.”
“That’s why I asked for your help,” she said. “The Fire Nation builds everything out of metal, but I think they forget that rocks are pretty effective against it.”
Lao smiled as he sent the rock back down into the earth. “I like how you think.”
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.
“Did you find out where he is?” she asked, and he nodded.
“His name is Lee— General Lee,” he said. “The last house,” he pointed, “that way. You can’t miss it.”
“Good.” She cracked her knuckles. “I have some things I’d like to say to him.”
“Y/N,” he said, “he’s…”
“What?”
“He’s the one who did all of this,” Zuko said. “The one who ordered the invasion. He’s been here ever since.”
Her jaw clenched as she felt fire ignite inside of her. “Then maybe I have a little bit more to say to him.”
“Take this.” Zuko took one of his swords off along with its sheath and handed it to her. “Just in case.”
She nodded, taking some satisfaction in her practice swings before she stashed it across her back, then she looked at Lao. “You two are going to take down the factory together. Is anyone in it still?”
He shook his head. “Shifts ended a few hours ago. It should be completely empty.”
“Good.” Y/N looked at Zuko. “How do you feel about causing some explosions?”
He smirked. “Pretty great.”
“And how do you feel about crushing a lot of stuff?” she asked, turning to Lao.
“Even better.”
“Great,” she smiled. “Obviously, this is going to make a lot of noise. Get out when you feel danger—we might have to bring this fight to the streets.”
Lao cracked his knuckles. “Gladly. It’s about time we take our home back.”
“Laya’s alerted the people?” Y/N asked.
He nodded. “She’s gone house to house—she should be near the end by now. She and the rest of our people will be safe, and anyone who’s willing to fight will be ready for my signal.”
“Then I think it’s time we split,” Y/N said.
“Be careful,” Zuko said. “Don’t let your anger blind you.”
“I’ll do what I have to do,” she said simply.
Zuko nodded in understanding. “See you on the other side, then.”
“See you on the other side,” she murmured.
-
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.
It wasn’t hard to find the house of the general. It was so massive it edged on gaudy, obviously built for nothing but the man’s ego. The door wasn’t locked, and she just shook her head as she slid inside. This was ridiculous.
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 wasn’t here.
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 general’s room, and she shook her head. This was more luxury than anyone in the village lived in. He’d built his comfort off the pain of her people.
“Would you like to tell me what you’re doing in my home?”
She whipped around, her sword instinctively flying up as she stared right at her target. So he was here, and he’d been just as quiet as her. He was younger than she expected, but his eyes told everything she needed to know.
“General Lee,” she said, and she was surprised at how steady her voice was. “This isn’t your home.”
“Isn’t it?” He was dressed in a simple tunic and pants, no armor in sight. Good. “I was here when it was built, and as far as I’m aware, it was built for my use.”
“You took it from my people,” she said. “You took everything from us.”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific,” he said nonchalantly. “I’ve taken over a lot of villages.”
“Do you not have any shame?” Y/N demanded, and she pointed her sword at him. He didn’t even flinch. “Destroying 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 don’t even care?”
The general had the nerve to smile. “It’s the way of the world. The weak fall, the strong prevail. I guess your people were just weak.”
Y/N couldn’t 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.
“You want to fight, girl?” General Lee mocked. “For what? Your people? Your honor? You won’t get far, I assure you.”
“For my family!” she growled. “Your men killed my father and forced my mother and I into servitude. I’ve wanted revenge for so many years, and now I can finally get it.”
His eyes lit with recognition and he raised his eyebrows. “The waterbenders. So you managed to escape—impressive.”
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 must’ve been felt all over town, surely alerting every guard on duty that something was wrong.
Step two was complete.
It was Y/N’s turn to smile at the general. “There goes your factory.”
The general’s mocking confidence melted into cold anger. “You—”
“Blew it up,” she responded. “Yeah.”
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.
“You want a fight, girl?” he growled. “I’ll give you one!”
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 wouldn’t be an easy fight to win against an enraged firebender, but then again—she’d done it before.
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.
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.
“Come on, Zuko,” she muttered as she backed away from the men, the general and the soldiers narrowing in on her. She brandished her sword. “Where are you?”
“You’ve picked a battle that you can’t finish,” General Lee spat as fire lit in his hand, “just like your father!”
Rage hotter than anything before ignited inside of her. And then, everything happened at once.
The general and his soldiers shot their fire at her.
Someone yelled at her to duck, and she dropped to the ground.
As the fire was extinguished above her, General Lee’s eyes widened. He took a step back. “What in Agni’s name—”
“I’m not too late, am I?” Zuko reached a hand down to her, and Y/N let out a relieved breath.
“Right on time,” she remarked as she took it and allowed him to help her up. “I’m in a bit of a situation.”
“I noticed.” Zuko turned to the general and gestured with his head behind them. “I’m sorry, general, but I think someone blew up your factory!”
“Prince Zuko,” he said sourly. “So you’re a traitor as well.”
“I’m not a traitor,” he said, stepping in front of Y/N ever so slightly. “I’m helping free these people from your glorified slavery.”
The general’s eyes narrowed. “So all it takes for the crown prince to give up his values is a pretty face.”
“You’re a sick man,” Zuko spat. “Take your soldiers, leave this village, and we’ll give you the mercy you never extended to her people.”
“I don’t think so,” Lee said, and he smiled. “Don’t worry, though—this’ll all be over soon. Unless you think you can go against every soldier here on your own.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time we’ve been outnumbered,” Y/N said, and she drew her sword. “Besides—”
“—They’ve got help,” someone interrupted. She looked behind her and saw Lao, followed by a myriad of villagers—some earthbenders, some that were just ready to end this. More than she thought still lived here, more willing to fight than she thought.
So everyone’s spirit wasn’t broken.
She smiled. Step three.
“So you want to make this harder,” General Lee said. “I admire your tenacity, but it won’t do you much good.”
“We’ll see,” Zuko said.
Lee didn’t 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 seamless—whenever one fell back, the other would step forward. She was surprisingly good with a sword, but it might’ve 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 didn’t help.
It was a deadly dance between the three of them. Y/N’s sword sung as it cut through the air, and it was in sharp contrast to the explosions of fire in the background and the general’s own bending against them.
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 sword’s 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.
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.
“Zuko,” she said placidly, “go help the others.”
He looked at her for a good, long moment before he conceded with a step back. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”
“I won’t regret this,” she murmured.
Zuko’s 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.
“So,” she said, “after all this time, all it took was one fight for you to fall.”
The general gave her a wry smile. “It wasn’t exactly a fair fight.”
“Neither was the invasion of my village. But that didn’t stop you, did it?”
“You savages have never understood,” he growled. “No great leader has ever gotten anywhere by being nice, by yielding to the demands of those lesser than him. There’s a reason the Fire Nation is at the world’s helm while every other nation continues to fall to its feet.”
“Because you go after the defenseless!” she exclaimed. “You go after those who can’t do anything against you, and then you destroy everything you find. All you care about is power.” Y/N huffed a mirthless laugh and gestured around them. “And look where that’s gotten you.”
“Yield,” she demanded before he had the chance to speak, moving her sword closer to his neck. “Yield, and leave this village, and I’ll let you leave with your life.”
The general laughed, followed by a wince as her blade nicked his skin. “Don’t you know anything about the Fire Nation? You served there for so long.”
“Yield!” she shouted, her voice trembling along with her grip. She just wanted this to be over.
“We fight until death,” he continued. “You’re going to have to kill me if you want your way.”
“You think I won’t?” she challenged. ”You’ve taken everything from me! Your life is too small a price to pay for what you’ve done!”
“I think you’re weak,” he spat. “Too weak to do what you need to do.”
Her eyes stung with tears as she pulled the sword away from his neck.
General Lee huffed a laugh. “Like I said: you’re wea—”
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.
“I’m not weak anymore,” she murmured.
Y/N stared at his lifeless body for a moment, glanced at the gleam of blood on metal.
She had just killed a man. The one responsible for her father’s death, for the imprisonment of her and her mother, for the invasion of her village.
Y/N didn’t feel remorse, didn’t feel satisfaction—but 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.
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.
Y/N took a deep breath then cupped her hands around her mouth, yelling as loudly as she could. “Soldiers of the Fire Nation! Your general is dead!”
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. Zuko’s expression was impossible to read.
“You heard me,” she repeated, “General Lee is dead. You have no stake in this village anymore. Leave, or face the same fate as him.”
“Will you stand here and fight for a nation that doesn’t care about you?” Zuko shouted, catching on to her goal. “Or will you do what’s right and leave these people be?”
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.
And then, the clatter of a sword against the ground.
“I surrender.” A soldier being held in place by rocks around her ankles had dropped her weapon, looking Y/N straight in the eye. “I’ve served the Fire Nation blindly for far too long.”
She nodded at the earthbender, and he retracted the stone around her.
“Go,” Y/N said. “Back to wherever you came from.”
“Your mercy…” the soldier murmured, and she shook her head. “Thank you for giving us a second chance. I know it means little, but I apologize. For everything.”
And then she walked off—in the direction of the shore, she noticed—and soon enough, she’d disappeared into the wood. They must’ve come in on ships.
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.
The soldier in Zuko’s 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.
“…We did it,” she said. “We finally did it.”
“You did it,” Zuko said as he sheathed his sword, doing the same to the other when Y/N handed it to him. “None of this would have been possible without you.”
“Wouldn’t have been possible without you either,” she said, and the smallest smile tugged at his lips.
Lao walked up to her, and he enveloped her in the biggest, tightest hug she’d felt since Katara’s at the air temple. She reciprocated immediately, tears springing into her eyes at the warmth he carried.
“You did it,” he said, his voice and eyes full of pride as he pulled away, though his hands remained on her shoulders. “You’ve given us the freedom that none of us could attain in seven years. We owe everything to you, Y/N.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you,” she said, unable to help her grin, and she looked back at the other villagers. “Any of you—thank you so much. Tonight, you fought for our people! You fought for our village! And we’re finally free from the Fire Nation.”
A wild cheer erupted from the group, and Y/N had to wipe away the tears that began to fall. They’d really done it.
“Go, be with your families!” she exclaimed. “Celebrate with your loved ones! You deserve it—enjoy your freedom!”
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 wouldn’t leave her face.
And then Zuko walked up, alerting her to his presence by clearing his throat. “Y/N,” he said, and she turned around.
“What?”
“First of all, congratulations.” His own small smile was there, and she felt her cheeks warm. “You freed your village from a seven year occupation. It’s amazing.”
“It feels amazing.” She rubbed her arms, the cold of the night beginning to get to her as her adrenaline from the battle started to fade. “I can’t believe we did it.”
“I’m not surprised,” Zuko said. “You can do anything you put your mind to—I’ve learned that twenty times over by now.”
She chuckled a bit, but Zuko’s expression sobered. “But I have to ask. You… you killed the general.”
The air between them immediately changed. “I did.”
“How do you feel?” he asked.
“I don’t feel happy,” Y/N said, “so you don’t have to worry about that. I’m not going to start killing everyone that’s ever wronged me.”
Zuko laughed, though it was slightly nervous. “That’s, uh— that’s good.”
“But I don’t feel sad either,” she said. “I just feel… right. Like it was something I had to do. Not just for my people, but for me. To know that he’ll never be able to hurt someone the way he hurt me.”
“...Good,” Zuko repeated. “That’s all we can ask for, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “But… I’d appreciate it if you kept this between us. At least until I’m ready to tell everyone.”
“Of course,” he agreed.
“Good,” she said.
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.
She looked back at Zuko. “I have something I need to see. And I want you to come with me. Is… is that okay?”
He smiled, his voice soft when he spoke. “I’d love to.”
-
The path she led him down was one well-traveled by the people of her village—the inky darkness they walked through was penetrated only by the flames Zuko held in his hand at Y/N’s request. She knew she would be able to find her way without it, though.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“Somewhere special,” Y/N answered. “Sad, but special. Somewhere I’ve thought about a lot since my mother and I were taken.”
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.
“We’re here.”
“Where is ‘here’?” Zuko asked tentatively. But then he made the fire in his hand bigger and brighter, and his breath caught in his throat.
“...Hi, Dad,” she said softly, her gaze focused on the headstone. “It’s me. Your little girl finally found her way back home.”
“Y/N…” he murmured.
“I’ve been wanting to come here for a long time, but I’ve never been able to,” she continued. “But you don’t have to worry anymore—the village is free. The Fire Nation is gone. And Mom is okay—she’s safe in Ba Sing Se, and after all of this is over, I’m going to find her again, and I’m going to take care of her. You don’t have to worry about us anymore.” Y/N chuckled. “I’m sure I’ve been driving you crazy with everything I’ve been doing lately. But you can rest in peace now.”
“Are you sure you want me here?” he asked. “I— I don’t want to disturb you—”
She shook her head, placing her hand lightly on his arm. “Stay. Please.”
“...Okay,” he said. “Of course.”
“This is Zuko,” she said, and she laughed a bit as he hesitantly waved. “He’s… he’s the most important person in my life.”
His eyes widened a bit and he looked at her, but her only response was to wordlessly slip her hand into his. He didn’t hesitate to lace his fingers through hers.
“We’ve been through a lot together, and I’ve… I’ve been really angry at him lately. And I thought it was good, righteous anger, but all it did was eat me up inside. I’ve been miserable because of it—I even lost my bending. But now… now, I understand.”
She looked at Zuko now. His gaze hadn’t moved.
“I love you,” she said, “and I mean that with everything in me. I’ve been so angry at you because of what you did that I haven’t let myself think about anything that you’ve done—and you’ve helped my friends so much since you joined them. You’ve helped me too, even when I claimed I didn’t need anyone.”
“And all this time, I thought that letting you go was what I needed to do. But I couldn’t have been more wrong.” She tightened her grip on his hand—her lifeline. “I’ve lost so much in my life, Zuko, things that I can’t get back. And I’m not going to let myself lose you again.”
Y/N pressed a gentle kiss to Zuko’s 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.
“I love you too,” he murmured, and his eyes shone even in the darkness. “More than anything. And I’m so sorry that I ever made you think anything else.”
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 she’d been carrying for months—it dissipated, and she felt lighter than ever. Spirits, it all felt so right.
And when they pulled away, Y/N rested her head on Zuko’s chest. He responded by wrapping his arm around her waist, pulling her in close.
“Thank you for taking me here,” he said. “For trusting me enough with it.”
“Thank you for never giving up on me,” she said.
“Speaking of that…” Zuko said, and there was a slight lilt to his voice as he lit the fire in his hand again. “How about trying that bending again?”
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 wasn’t even shocked—she’d known, after they got here. It wasn’t anything concrete, just… a feeling. A feeling that order had returned.
“It’s back,” he said, and the boyish surprise in his voice made her smile.
“That it is.”
Y/N formed it into a flower and then froze it, gingerly taking the stem in her fingers. She walked up to her father’s grave, running her fingers over the engravings. She wasn’t 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.
GAN
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.
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 wouldn’t be her last time here. Next time, there would be real flowers.
“I love you, Dad,” she murmured, resting her head against the stone as she closed her eyes. “Forever and always.” 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.
She stood back up with a sad smile, wiping at the tears before she turned to Zuko. “I’m ready.”
“Are you sure?”
Y/N nodded. “I am.”
Zuko nodded too, and they started to walk together down the path.
And when he offered his hand, she took it without hesitation.
-
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 19 - zuko x fem!reader
Can we go back to the world we had? With a love so sweet it makes me sad
part 18 | masterlist | part 20
a/n: this is kinda the filler before a very important chapter but it does reestablish yn with her friends and explores some of her trauma from the past couple of months so that's also important. we're moving away from the angst a little bit though so that's good right lmao
wc: 7k (holy shit we're almost at 100k)
warning(s): some more angst (both normal and zuko related), discussions of trauma, a lil bit of fluff
chapter title comes from 1965 by zella day! (a song that i think fits this part of their relationship shockingly well)
When Y/N woke up in the middle of the night, it was in a cold sweat, barely able to bite back the rising scream.
She looked around her room with wild eyes, her surroundings not registering in her mind for the first few fearful moments. She was used to the claustrophobia of four walls, a space that got smaller every time she thought of it. She was used to a dryness in the air that left her permanently parched, to an unbearable tension that was drawn tighter with each passing day, to the constant paranoia that plagued her mind more and more, wondering if her next moment would be when her luck finally ran out.
But she wasn’t there. She wasn’t back in the Fire Nation, and she wasn’t in that sorry excuse for a cell in the Boiling Rock.
She was at the Western Air Temple. She was reunited with her friends, and she was safe.
Y/N let out a long, deep breath as she tried to ground herself again. She was no stranger to nightmares, but it looked like she was getting an opportunity to become even more familiar with them.
(The spirits certainly had enough material for her, she thought wryly.)
It was then that she heard the shifting of sheets, and she looked over to see Katara stirring with a yawn.
“Oh, spirits,” she said, “I’m so sorry for waking you up.”
Katara shook her head as she rubbed her eyes. “No—no, you’re fine. I’ve just been an early riser for the past month or so.”
“I totally woke you up,” Y/N muttered.
She offered a small smile. “Maybe you did, but it’s not like I care. You can wake me up ten times a night for the rest of my life and I’d be fine with it—Y/N, you’ve been gone for months, and now we’re back together. That’s all that matters to me.”
Her eyes softened, and she felt a warmth in her chest that she’d dearly missed. “Katara… you don’t know how much it means being back here. Not just here, but here.” Y/N gestured around the room. “Letting me stay here with you. I know you probably like your privacy after sharing a room all your life, so I really appreciate it.”
“Are you kidding me?” Katara laughed as she sat up in her bed, but when she looked at Y/N her gaze was completely earnest. “I didn’t know if I was ever going to see you again. When you were gone, I wished I was able to have nights like these again—you don’t even know how much I missed our little sleepovers.”
Y/N chuckled. “I missed them a lot too.”
“Exactly,” she nodded. “So you don’t have to apologize for taking up space. Because—” Katara shook her head, her smile fading a bit as it all came back— “because I missed you. We all did.”
Katara’s words were enough to make her cry—and she nearly did, turning away slightly to wipe away the tears that had welled up.
The first night that Y/N spent on her own did not go well. She’d spent so long in isolation, first in the palace prisons and then at the Boiling Rock, that she thought it would just be natural. But now that all of her energy wasn’t purely spent on survival, she had way too much of it to go towards nightmares.
It had gone on like that for the next three days—she didn’t want to bother her friends, especially after they’d already gone through so much for her—and so she spent the nights trying to sleep, then acting as if she wasn’t exhausted the rest of the day after waking prematurely from creations of her own mind.
Of course, her friends were more attentive than she gave them credit for, and on the fourth day Katara pulled her aside and demanded to know what was wrong. When Y/N reluctantly admitted that she was having trouble sleeping alone because of nightmares, Katara instantly offered her room up.
It was honestly a relief, not having to be on her own. Even the soft ambiance of Katara’s steady breathing was like music to her ears, the knowledge that she wasn’t alone anymore. It was overwhelming.
“Do you wanna talk about it?” she asked tentatively. “Obviously only if you’re okay with it, but… I’ve found that talking things like this out usually helps.”
“It’s just prison stuff,” Y/N said, trying to brush it off. “I don’t want to bother you with it.”
Katara frowned. “‘Just prison stuff’. You know, that’s not a normal thing to say.”
“I guess not,” she said dryly.
“What you’ve been through…” she shook her head. “It’s horrible, Y/N, and I’m so glad that you’re finally out of it. If you’re not ready to talk about it, that’s completely fine. But just know that you could never bother me, and I’m here for you. Always.”
She smiled and nodded. Those words meant more to her than Katara knew. “Thank you. Really.”
“Of course,” Katara said with a smile of her own. She ran her fingers through her hair a bit to fix some of its unruliness, then stood up and stretched her arms. “Now, whaddya say we start our day?”
“I’d say that’s a pretty good idea.”
-
Zuko sighed as he watched Y/N, Katara, and Suki from a distance; they were all talking and laughing together over some rice bowls. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Y/N’s grin, the sound of her laughter—he didn’t realize how much he’d missed it until he no longer had it.
She never directed that happiness towards him. Not anymore. And as much as it hurt him, he couldn’t do a single thing about it. Spirits, he deserved the cold shoulder—he was lucky she put it aside for their escape; otherwise, his fight against his sister might’ve gone differently.
“I’m ready to get back to my lessons, Sifu Hotman!”
He turned around to see Aang walking towards him, stretching out his arms. It was still strange at moments, teaching him after so many months spent trying to capture him. Zuko was thankful beyond belief for his graciousness.
The Avatar had been a wonderful student since their visit to the Sun Warriors, and though he still had some worries, his natural talent on its own was incredible to work with.
But he was also a very good observer.
He must not have even realized it, but he couldn’t help glancing back over at the girls, still talking and laughing together. Y/N’s smile was especially big, and it was still one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen. Zuko’s heart twisted painfully, knowing that he was the reason so much of it was taken away from her.
They would really never be the same again. And he was to blame for it all.
“Maybe lessons can wait,” Aang said thoughtfully. “You’ve got other things on your mind.”
Zuko’s attention immediately snapped back over to the Avatar, and he scowled. “Lessons can’t just wait. We’re on a schedule.”
“You’re obviously not focused.” Aang looked over at the three girls and then back at Zuko. “It’s Y/N, isn’t it?”
Zuko’s frown deepened and he turned away. “No.”
“How do you expect to fix anything with her if you can’t even admit that you’re thinking about her?” Aang walked over and sat down next to him, crossing his legs as he leaned forward. “You hurt her a lot, Zuko, but it’s obvious that she still cares about you.”
“How can you be so sure?” he asked, staring at the ground. “I betrayed her completely. I’m the reason she was in prison for so long. I— I told her I never loved her.” Zuko looked at Aang, and his eyes held a deep, desperate kind of pain. “I’m the one that broke her. How could she possibly want my help to put herself back together?”
“I don’t know,” Aang admitted. “I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, or that it’s instantly going to happen. She needs time to heal and work through everything, and it’s possible that she won’t want anything to do with you for a long time. But you can’t give up on the things you love.”
“I do love her,” Zuko murmured. “More than anything.”
“Then you’ll be able to figure it out. It’ll take a lot of time and a lot of hard work, but I have a feeling you’ll end up getting through it together.”
Zuko looked back at Aang, his brow slightly creased. “How do you always know what to say?”
He smiled and shrugged. “Call it Avatar wisdom.”
“...Right.”
Aang chuckled a bit and stood up. “Are you okay to train today, or do you need some time off?”
Zuko scowled and stood up as well, his worries temporarily ceased. “I’m the one teaching you, not the other way around. You’re not the one to give me breaks.”
“There he is,” Aang smiled. “Good ol’ Sifu Hotman’s back.”
He crossed his arms. “I’m fine to train today. Start with twenty hot squats.”
His smile disappeared just as quickly he groaned. “Really, Zuko? I give you amazing advice and you repay me with this?”
“Do you want to get better at firebending or not?”
“Of course I do,” Aang said begrudgingly.
“Then your warmups are important,” Zuko said. “The last thing the world needs is for the Avatar to pull a hamstring when he’s fighting the Fire Lord.”
Aang heaved a sigh and put some distance between them to start his exercise. As he did, Zuko’s mind acted almost on its own as his gaze wandered back over to the girls.
To his surprise, when he looked over, he met Y/N’s eyes rather than her back. She had been watching him too, even if just for a second.
His eyes widened and his lips parted, trying to find the words to say anything, but just as quickly as their gazes had met, she averted contact.
But she had looked.
And to Zuko, that was hope.
-
Katara set the bucket down on the edge of the fountain and tapped the sides of it before turning to look at Y/N. “Alright. The same thing as last night. Are you ready to try again?”
“You know it’s going to be the same thing,” Y/N said quietly. “Why do you keep trying?”
“Because I’m not just going to accept that your bending is gone,” Katara stated. “And I refuse to let you give up on yourself like this.”
“But I’ve tried so many times before this,” she insisted. “My bending is gone, Katara, and it’s been gone since I was imprisoned in the Fire Nation. It doesn’t matter how hard I concentrate or how positive you are, it’s not going to work.”
There was a mix of emotions in Katara’s blue eyes, understanding and sadness and frustration all mingling as she tried to think of something to say. Y/N was trying to push her friend’s buttons—for what reason, she didn’t exactly know—but she just smiled.
“Not with that attitude,” she said. “Now, come on. Just like we learned in the North. Close your eyes.”
She looked down at her hands and flexed her fingers, the familiar power that used to flow through her completely absent. The surfaces were marred by rough calluses and small scars, a blended canvas that now represented both her journey across the Earth Kingdom and her imprisonment by the Fire Nation. While she usually wrapped bandages around her wrists and palms—the action had become a sort of comfort ever since she started doing it to protect her hands on her journey through the Earth Kingdom—Katara had insisted she remove them so as to remove any possible impediments. She was no longer a master, she was the lowest of students, and they were starting from the very beginning.
It was humiliating. If it weren’t for the fact that Katara was her teacher yet again, Y/N wouldn’t have been cooperating half as well.
“Close your eyes,” Katara repeated. “I know you don’t want to do this, but it’s worth another shot.”
“Did you get even bossier while I was gone?” Y/N asked jokingly, though she still closed her eyes.
“Someone had to keep the boys in check,” Katara responded, and she was able to hear her smile. “Now, take a deep breath in and let it out. Try and relax; loosen up.”
Relax. It was far easier said than done, especially when she didn’t think she had relaxed for a single moment the past couple of months. She was on the brink of death in the Fire Nation, was constantly on edge in the Boiling Rock—it took a good hour of flight on the airship for her to be able to settle down, and even that was after investigating the entire place to make sure there weren’t any Fire Nation hitchhikers.
Prison had changed her. And Y/N was terrified her friends wouldn’t like who she was forced to become.
“You’re not relaxing,” Katara said, interrupting her thoughts.
“I am!”
“No, you’re not.”
“Well— I’m trying.” Y/N opened her eyes to see Katara looking at her with soft eyes. “It’s just not working. It’s not going to work.”
“It’s okay, Y/N,” she said. “I know this is frustrating. I… I don’t even know where I would start if I suddenly lost my bending. But you have to take it slow. Waterbending doesn’t work when you’re tense; you know that.”
“Waterbending doesn’t work when you’ve lost your bending,” she retorted, her words coming out a bit more forceful than she wanted. “Warmups for children aren’t going to help with anything.”
“Just humor me.” She moved her hand through the air slowly, pulling a stream of water from the fountain, then brought it down so that the small orb settled into the bucket she’d set down earlier. “Like you’ve done a million times before.” Katara’s expression was completely earnest, patient despite her continuous resistance. “Please?”
“...Fine,” Y/N conceded. “But I already told you, it’s not going to work.”
She closed her eyes again and took in a deep breath, memories of her very first waterbending lessons coming back to her.
The memory didn’t stem from the North with her healing teachers, or the royal palace with Master Rika—it came from the village she grew up in, sitting beside her mother by the river as she formed her very first water orb.
She remembered the brightness of her mother’s eyes, blue as the river that gave her power, the excitement in her claps and cheers as she took the first step in a lifelong journey. She remembered the cool air on her bare arms, the way the grass tickled her feet. She remembered the serenity of it all, the joy an inherent part of five-year-old Y/N’s life—she still had four years before it would all fall apart around her.
She took in a deep breath then slowly let it out, drawing on the memory as she tried her best to enter a calm headspace. She opened her eyes, focusing on the way the water streamed through the fountain, the way she could manipulate it in the same way.
Y/N flexed her fingers, raised her hand, and moved it through the air.
Nothing happened.
The moment that had been created was broken in an instant, and though Katara tried not to show anything, Y/N could see the brightness in her expression fade.
Katara just wanted what was best for her, to try and help her through an impossible experience, but it was fruitless. All it did was serve to make her feel even more useless.
More broken.
She let her hand fall down to her side and swallowed the sudden lump in her throat, offering a mirthless smile to Katara. “Just like I told you. It won’t work.”
“Y/N, wait!”
But she had already turned around and set off on her own path, already trying to think of places no one could find her. She wanted to be alone, desperate for the one thing she’d grown to hate, because she couldn’t stand to see the look on her best friend’s face when she realized that her lack of bending wasn’t the only thing that had changed in her absence.
Y/N just barely managed to choke back a frustrated sob, screwing her eyes shut as she slammed her fists against the hard, unyielding stone of the wall she’d ended up at. Her emotions desperately needed an outlet, and now that she was alone she allowed the tears to stream down her face as she turned and slid against the wall until she hit the ground.
She knew her bending didn’t work. She knew it was gone, and it would be gone until she could figure out what in Kuruk’s name was wrong with her.
So why did she actually feel hope when Katara asked her to try again with all the conviction in the world? Why did she actually feel hope when the memory of her mother teaching her to bend came back?
Y/N didn’t know why she still felt hope at all.
She was having the world’s worst pity party for herself, letting more water she couldn’t bend trail down her cheeks and drip into a puddle on the ground, when she heard footsteps. She immediately brushed them away and tried to compose herself when she saw who it really was.
“Go away,” she said miserably as she fell back against the wall, the effort not even worth it. “I can’t deal with you right now, Zuko.”
He was silent for a moment, his eyes slightly wide as he stood there not knowing what to do. “Agni’s flames, are— are you okay?”
“Do I look okay?” she snapped. “I don’t need a therapy session. Go away.”
“No,” Zuko stated, and she had to admit, that shocked her.
“No?” she repeated.
“I’m not leaving you alone like this,” he said. “Not… not anymore.”
Y/N huffed a mirthless laugh. “Well, aren’t you just the greatest guy around.”
“I’m trying.” He was surprisingly earnest, surprisingly level in the face of her annoyance. It was in stark contrast to the Zuko in the prisons, the Zuko that denounced her without a second thought, but it was obvious that he was beginning to unravel. “I know I’m not perfect—spirits, I’m farthest thing from it—but I’m trying, Y/N. I’m trying to become better, and fix everything that I messed up, and—” he ran a frustrated hand through his hair— “and I just don’t know what else to do. I— I’ll do anything for you, Y/N, so what can I do to help you get through all this?”
“Unless you have a way of giving me the months back that I lost or undoing all the pain you caused me, then there’s nothing you can do.”
“How can there be nothing?” he exclaimed, wild desperation in his voice. “I— I can see that you’re hurting, everyone can see it, so there can’t just be nothing. You can’t just keep going on like this, you’re going to destroy yourself.”
“And when did you become the expert on all of this?” she asked, rising from the ground as she turned her fire fully on him. “I mean, you know a lot about destroying me, but what makes you think you know anything about this?”
“Because I went through it too,” he said, trying to cover up his wince from her remark. “I— I went through the worst turmoil I’ve ever experienced back in the Fire Nation. I gave up everything for a life I didn’t want, and I was destroying myself the same way you are because I couldn’t figure out how to get better. And…” Zuko sighed and he looked right at her, “and the thought of you was what brought me out of it. You were what made me realize I had to change. So it’s only right that I help you. It—” he swallowed the lump in his throat— “it’s the least I can do to make it all up to you.”
“You can’t begin to imagine what I went through,” she retorted, the red-hot anger simmering inside her about to boil over. “I was alone for weeks, Zuko, with only my mind to keep me company. Getting transferred to the Boiling Rock was a death sentence in itself, and if it hadn’t been Suki, I might not have even lasted long enough for Sokka to get there! Spirits, I was on the edge of death for months, wondering if I would ever see the people I love again, and you were living it up as the Crown Prince! You will never understand what I went through!”
“I wasn’t living it up!” Zuko’s voice rose now as well, his temper winning out. “The moment the fight was over, the moment you were taken away from the catacombs, I started doubting it all. I was walking on glass everywhere in the Fire Nation—none of the generals trusted me, all the servants were terrified when they were around me, and half the nation still saw me as a traitor. I couldn’t go a single second without thinking about how I had made the wrong decision— I was dying too, Y/N. I was barely eating or sleeping, and I knew my father was waiting for me to make a mistake so he could throw me out again. I mean,” he huffed a mirthless laugh, “he tried to kill me when I confronted him during the eclipse. I wasn’t living any kind of life.”
She went silent at that, and as much as she tried to prevent it, she couldn’t help but feel sympathy for him. He’d been tearing himself apart at the seams, more with every passing day. He, too, was an enemy in the Fire Nation, masquerading as a prince rather than actually bearing the title. His own father attempted to kill him when he tried to do the right thing.
“And I thought of you,” he said shakily, “I thought of you every single day. I think you were the only thing that got me through it all. My love for you got me through it all.”
And he loved her.
Still.
“So why do we have to argue like this?” Zuko asked desperately, and there was a sudden glimmer in his eyes, telling of tears. “Spirits, Y/N, all I want is to go back to what we had. I—” his voice broke for a moment, and he had to glance away— “I just want to be with you again. I want that more than anything.”
Zuko’s words were so genuine, so painstakingly soft that it would’ve been easy to believe them. The naive part of her, the side that trusted him again and again despite everything, wanted to believe them, to put aside all the anger and hurt festering inside of her and just let it go. It would’ve been easy to believe them. It would’ve been easy to give in.
But she couldn’t. She could never forget what he did.
“Because you’re the reason my bending is gone,” she said coldly.
His eyes widened at that, and she took a sick sense of pride in the instinctive step he took back. “...What?”
“It’s gone because of you,” she repeated angrily. “What you told me, about how you got your own bending back and how you lost it in the first place—I realized pretty quickly that you were the reason my bending disappeared. I mean,” she laughed, but it was completely hollow, “it wasn’t just a coincidence that I lost it after I was thrown in prison.” She looked him dead in the eye. “That I lost it after you betrayed me.”
“That— that doesn’t make sense,” he stammered. “When I lost mine, it was because my anger towards the Avatar wasn’t there anymore to fuel my bending—”
“And I lost mine because every bit of my freedom was taken away from me,” she replied smoothly. “Waterbending is about flexibility, about adapting—I went from exploring the whole world to being trapped in a jail cell. I’d say that’s the opposite of flexibility.”
“You know how to fix it, then,” Zuko said. “What do you need to do? How can I help?”
“I don’t need your help,” she clipped. “Besides. I don’t think I’m going to be getting my bending back anytime soon.”
He frowned. “What? Why? You know why it’s gone, why—”
“I have to forgive you to get my bending back,” she interrupted stiffly, and Zuko froze completely. “And I will never forgive you for what you did to me.”
The tension didn’t leave with her as she walked past him, so thick it could be cut with a knife. Zuko felt a lump building in his throat as his eyes burned, and he blinked back the tears that he didn’t deserve to let fall. He couldn’t help but watch her go, but it just hurt him even more.
Because when she walked away, she didn’t look back.
-
After leaving Zuko, Y/N had busied herself with various things until nightfall, and thankfully, she was left alone. She felt awful for how she had treated Katara earlier, but she just didn’t know how to explain any of it. She must’ve known she needed space, because most of the day was spent with everyone doing their own thing. Y/N mainly spent it alone, washing clothes and mending wear and tear, and exploring the air temple.
It was beautiful, all the space almost overwhelming after her surroundings for the past few months. She tried her best to stay in the moment as she walked around, determined not to let her own thoughts ruin her afternoon more than she already had.
(It was getting hard, fighting herself like that all the time.
And it was more than a little scary, that so much of what she felt was anger.)
But day had turned to night, and with it, misgivings had been set aside if only for a moment. The group was gathered in a loose circle around the atrium, and the mood had, temporarily, been brought back up as Sokka told stories recounting everything Y/N had missed. She sat between Hakoda and Suki, and if there was one thing more amusing than learning about everything she had been absent for, it was seeing the reactions of his girlfriend and his father.
(“I can’t believe that plan worked,” Suki muttered in begrudging admiration after learning about the time Aang got himself in trouble at a Fire Nation school.
"What can I say?" Sokka grinned. "I'm a genius.")
(“You did what to a Fire Nation factory?” Hakoda marveled, staring at his daughter in disbelief.
“...We blew it up?” she said hesitantly.
Hakoda grinned. “You are definitely my daughter.”)
(“Bloodbending?” Y/N’s eyes widened to the size of plates at the horrific story. “That’s a thing we can do?”
“Only on a full moon, and only the strongest waterbenders.” Katara spoke quietly. “I have no doubt you could do it, but I don’t think you want to. It’s… it’s horrible.”
She decided to leave the topic there.)
(“You and Toph got thrown in jail?” Y/N chuckled. “Guess I was actually with you guys all along.”
Katara frowned. “You went through terrible conditions for months. You thought you were going to die there. That’s not funny.”
“Oh, so I go through all of that and I’m not even allowed to joke about it?”)
(“You learned sword fighting from a Fire Nation master?” Suki grinned. “Impressive, Sokka.”
“Yup,” he responded, and he flexed a bicep. “I’m pretty much a master myself, now.”
“Now you actually stand a chance when we spar,” she mused.)
Their conversation finally came to a head when Sokka got to the day of the invasion.
“It was incredible!” he exclaimed. “So many people that we had met along our journey came back and helped us invade the Fire Nation.” He looked at Y/N. “I wish you could’ve been there just so you could have worked with us. It was beautiful.”
She smiled wistfully. “I wish I could’ve been there too. I mean, after they kept us inside the prison all day I wanted to fight someone.”
Katara chuckled, but it led into a sigh. “It was a great invasion; it should’ve gone flawlessly. But somehow the Fire Nation already knew about it—if they didn’t, I know we would have succeeded.”
“It was probably my sister,” Zuko muttered. “Somehow, she always knows exactly what’s going on. I wouldn’t be surprised if she figured it out and told our father.”
“Azula,” Sokka grumbled. “You know, I have some things I’d like to say to her, Zuko. She has been a pain in my side ever since—”
“Stop,” Toph said suddenly.
He frowned. “I deserve to rant, I’m not—”
“Stop!” she repeated, and she held out her hands as she stood up. “Do you guys hear that?”
Y/N didn’t hear anything. But Aang stood up and grabbed his staff, and he’d only taken a few steps forward before a projectile came flying towards them.
Aang acted immediately, using his airbending to launch it away. They all stared in the distance, completely wide-eyed, and hardly a moment later it exploded.
“We’re under attack!” Sokka yelled, and he immediately jumped up from his spot. “Everyone, gather your things—we gotta get out of here!”
Haru nodded, already starting to help Teo back into his wheelchair. Alongside The Duke and Chit Sang, they began to pack up camp faster than ever before.
“Who could have found us out here?” Toph asked.
“Who do you think?” Zuko said angrily, cracking his knuckles as he stood up.
Three Fire Nation airships rose out of the abyss, shooting more and more bombs. Their target wasn’t them, but rather the infrastructure itself. The Western Air Temple was centuries old—it wouldn’t stand up against modern Fire Nation technology. And when it went down, all of them would go down with it.
Aang did his best, using his airbending to repel bombs wherever he could, but he was only one boy. The temple started crumbling around them, and Aang harnessed a wave of airbending to force the metal doors surrounding the atrium shut.
“It’ll buy us some time,” he said, turning to face the rest of them, “but we need to get out, now!”
Y/N nodded and stood up, when all of a sudden she heard the crumbling of rocks above her. She was only able to glance up for a second before she heard someone yelling, “watch out!” and she was tackled out of the way, landing on the ground hard.
They rolled together for a second before a hand was braced on the rock next to her, keeping her in place and allowing her dizziness to go away. But when she focused on just who had saved her, that anger boiled inside her again.
“What are you doing?” she growled.
“Keeping you from being crushed!” Zuko exclaimed, and when she looked back, she saw a huge mound of rocks in the spot she had just been standing.
“I’m not crushed,” she said, “so get off of me!”
Zuko complied as she shot back to her feet, but she noticed the sass in his voice. “I’ll take that as a thank you.”
Y/N ignored him as she brushed the dust off of her prison clothes—not that she cared much for them, but she would prefer if they didn’t become even more uncomfortable—and saw Toph and Haru earthbending through the rocks to create an exit for them.
“Come on!” Toph shouted. “We can get out through here!”
Katara grabbed Y/N’s hand to get her moving and they all ran towards the tunnel. The majority of them had gotten through but Aang was still struggling to get Appa to move. The chaos of the explosions had him spooked, and he wasn’t exactly the best with underground spaces.
“Come on, Appa!” He groaned with effort as he pulled on his reins, but then his eyes widened as they focused on something else. “Wait, what are you doing?”
Zuko wasn’t with them—he was standing in front of them all, facing the airships. When he looked back at them, made eye contact with her for the slightest moment, she could see his expression was hardened.
“I’m gonna hold them off,” he said. “I think this is a family visit.”
“Zuko, no!” Aang shouted, but it was too late. He had already run off in the direction of the airships, vaulting over the metal shutters that were breaking more and more with every second. They were running out of time.
“He’s an idiot,” Y/N muttered, but she focused back on Aang and his struggle with Appa and ran over to help him. Katara and Sokka were right behind her, as usual.
(She missed it, the siblings always having her back. She missed them.)
“Come on!” Sokka exclaimed, and the four of them began pulling on Appa’s reins trying to get him to move. “We’ve gotta get out of here!”
“I don’t think Appa’s going anywhere,” Y/N grumbled, her thin moccasins failing to find purchase on the smooth stone floor as she tugged on the reins.
“Me neither,” Aang lamented, and he craned his head back to look at Toph. “We can’t get him to go in there! Appa hates tunnels; we’re not gonna be able to get him through!”
“There’s no way we can fly out of here,” Katara said. “There’s three airships out there, we’ll get hit immediately!”
“We can find a way,” he insisted. “I can airbend them away and guide Appa through—”
“It won’t work,” Sokka interrupted. “There’s too many of them. We have to split up.” He looked at the half gathered by the tunnels, his expression grim but set. “You guys go through the tunnel and take the stolen airship. The rest of us will find another way.”
“What?” Katara cried, outraged as she reached out for Hakoda. “We— we can’t split up; we just all got back together! The Fire Nation can’t separate our family again!”
“It’ll be okay, Katara,” Hakoda said. Though his smile was reassuring, Y/N could see the sadness, the reluctance in his eyes. “It’s not forever. We’ve found each other twice—we’ll do it again.”
“...Okay,” Katara said, and she swallowed her tears as she pulled Hakoda and Sokka into a crushing hug.
Y/N smiled at the sight, but she couldn’t help but long for her mother. She would have to visit her as soon as she could—as soon as this was over.
(And there was another destination she would have to visit, she thought sadly. A visit that was long overdue, that was becoming more painful to think about as the days passed.)
She was snapped out of her thoughts as Sokka spoke again.
“We’ll see you all on the other side.”
Hakoda nodded, that confident stoicism back once again, and they all parted ways yet again. Katara grabbed Y/N’s hand, Sokka grabbed Suki’s, and they stopped next to Aang in the middle of the atrium.
“What now?” Y/N asked.
“I can clear that way,” Toph said, her hand planted against the rock wall. “We’ll be able to fly out from there.”
Katara reached a hand down and helped Suki up onto Appa’s back, then Y/N. She dropped her bag of meager belongings onto the back of his saddle and reached a hand down to pull Sokka the rest of the way up.
Aang and Toph joined them as Suki voiced her concerns. “There’s… a lot of fire in that direction.”
“We’ll get through,” Aang said. “Hold on, everyone.”
Y/N gripped the side of the saddle, and it was ridiculous, how even the leather of the saddle was. Spirits, how she’d missed being with her friends.
She clenched her jaw and tightened her hold as they burst out of the stone surrounding them, Toph using her bending to keep a shield of rock as protection on Appa’s frontside. Azula shot blue fire at them, and though some of the heat seeped through the cracks, it held strong.
Azula’s wild gaze was focused purely on them, but then another airship rose up, and Y/N’s eyes widened.
Zuko stood tall, feet planted, alive by some insane measure. Going against Azula was a death sentence in itself, but in this kind of scenario, when she was surrounded by backup and he was standing alone, it was even dangerous.
“What is he doing?” Y/N whispered angrily, and she missed the look that Sokka and Aang gave each other behind her back.
“He’s trying to right his wrongs,” Sokka said with a glance at her. An emotion rose in her chest that she couldn’t describe, and she was forced to look away, focusing back on the battle.
Zuko and Azula fought each other with a rage only held by siblings scorned. The mix of blues and oranges would have been beautiful if not tragic, and once again Y/N felt that twinge of sympathy. That was something she couldn’t understand about Zuko—his relationship with his sister; why he continued to hope for her despite everything that had happened.
Oh, she thought, the familiarity of it striking.
She already knew why.
But she wasn’t able to linger in her thoughts as they went through the midst of the danger, Aang being pushed to his limit as he pulled on the reins trying to guide Appa through the fire blasts from the soldiers. Katara jumped up and flicked open the cap on her waterskin, forming the water into whips to extinguish anything that got too close.
Y/N couldn’t keep her eyes off the battle, and her breath caught in her throat as the scene suddenly exploded into a huge barrage of smoke.
“What happened?” she cried out, well-aware of the panic in her voice but too distressed to care. “Where did they go?”
“They must have met with their blasts,” Sokka said. “They were too powerful and it caused the explosion—there’s way too much force from something like that to handle. They’ve gotta be—”
“There!” Aang shouted, and their attention all snapped towards the open air.
Zuko was free-falling, and Y/N, without thinking, leaned as far as she could out of the saddle—so far that she nearly fell herself, and Sokka grabbing her waist to keep her steady might’ve been the only thing keeping her there—and extended her arm as far as it could go in Zuko’s direction as Aang guided them closer.
By some miracle she managed to reach Zuko, their fingers barely touching at first and then their hands moving to grip each other’s wrists simultaneously. His hand was hot to the touch, smoldering from his explosive firebending, but she used all of her strength to pull him back into the saddle.
He collapsed in a heap, and for a moment, all they could do was stare at each other with wide eyes. Y/N didn’t realize she was still holding onto him until the heat sunk into her skin, and she tore herself away from him with a quick exhale.
“You’re an idiot for doing that,” she said hastily, turning away from him, and for a moment Zuko was completely starstruck, unable to take his eyes off of her.
It was only once he got over himself that he scrambled to the edge of the saddle, searching for his sister.
“There!” he called, and they all looked where he pointed.
Azula was falling through the open air, and for a split second, Y/N was able to see a rare panic in her eyes.
“She’s… not gonna make it,” he said quietly.
But just as quickly, Azula composed herself. She ripped her hairpiece out and shot herself over towards the mountain wall with her bending, stabbing the sharp end into the rock. She slid down a few meters, but just before the surface ended, she skidded to a stop. Her hair flowed loosely in the wind as she hung from one hand, watching them. Even with the distance, Y/N still felt a chill go down her spine.
“Of course she did,” he murmured. “She always does.”
Sokka collapsed against the side of the saddle, brushing a bead of sweat away with a larger-than-life sigh. “Tui’s gills, that was a disaster.”
“Most things involving Zuko and his sister are,” Y/N mumbled, but it was half-hearted as she stared off into the distance.
“Where do we go now?” Toph asked. “We’re on Azula’s radar; it has to be somewhere she can’t find us.”
“We’re in the Fire Nation,” Zuko said. “There’s a lot of islands dotted around here; she won’t have time to look through all of them.”
“An island is fine,” Katara said. “As long as we’re not drawing any attention, I don’t really care where we go.”
“Then an island it is,” Aang said.
And as they flew, quiet conversation being made between the rest of them, Y/N couldn’t help but look over at Zuko every once in a while. It was only when he was distracted, when he wouldn’t be able to tell that she was paying attention to him. But there was some kind of feeling in her chest, a tightness that she couldn’t get to disappear.
She was… scared. Scared for him when he went off to fight Azula, terrified for him when he nearly met his end in the hazy abyss.
The pure fear that struck her heart when she saw him falling through the open air, the instant relief that spread through her body when she pulled him back into the saddle and knew he was safe.
It evaporated the moment she realized the feelings running through her, but not before she felt undeniable heat rushing to her cheeks, something she hadn’t felt since their meetings in Ba Sing Se.
She was done with him. She was so sure that she had given up on him, fully turned her back.
But now…
Now, she wasn’t so sure.
And that, more than anything, was what terrified her.
everything happens for a reason part 18 - zuko x fem!reader
Don't speak, I know just what you're thinking
part 17 | masterlist | part 19
a/n: and yn is finally reunited with her friends!!! as much as im sure you all enjoyed yn being constantly sad and depressed in prison i am so glad that i get to write her w the gaang again as well as suki in a more normal situation. those girlies are bonded for life
wc: 9.2k lmao OOPS
warning(s): some angst regarding zuko ofc but pretty tame; minor injuries, fighting, canon stuff from the boiling rock ep
chapter title comes from don't speak by no doubt!
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
After a restless night, Y/N was looking forward to meeting with Sokka and Suki again and formulating their plan for escape. Instead, she was met with the sight of not only Zuko, but Zuko in his very own set of prison rags.
“We, uh—” he glanced down at his outfit, “—we ran into some issues last night.”
“Didn’t take you long to mess up, did it?” she commented as she grabbed a mop from one of the buckets at the corner of the room. “I’m not surprised.”
“Y/N—” Zuko started, but she shook her head.
“Save it.” She gestured across the way with the stick of her mop where Suki stood, inconspicuously speaking with Sokka who was still in his guard disguise. Not even bothering to look at Zuko, she started on her way.
“Hey,” she said, offering nods of greeting to both Sokka and Suki. They returned them, and after ensuring that no actual guards were around to hear them, she turned back to them. “Are you guys okay?”
“I’m fine,” Suki said, and she smiled at Sokka. “A lot better knowing that you’re here.”
Y/N smiled inwardly at the faint blush on his cheeks as he spoke up. “We’re good too. Zuko ended up getting caught last night, but they still don’t know about me. But I’ve had a lot of time to polish my idea since I last saw you, and I can make it work in our favor. I think I’ve got a pretty solid plan, guys.”
“Please, spill,” Y/N said. “I am more than ready to get out of here.”
“Same,” Suki muttered.
Sokka looked behind him one last time to ensure that no guards were nearby, and then he ushered them into the corner next to the stairs for maximum privacy. Y/N and Suki set their mops against the wall and the four of them squatted down, Sokka lowering his voice.
“So, you know how when a firebender misbehaves or uses their bending, they get sent to the coolers?” They all nodded, and Sokka pushed up the visor of his helmet. “Well, I checked them out again — the whole point of them is to keep firebenders contained, which means they’re completely insulated and sealed to keep the cold in. And to keep the cold in, it also has to keep the heat out, right?”
Suki frowned. “Just get to the point, Sokka.”
“We’ve clearly been apart for too long,” he sighed, shaking his head. “You have no appreciation for my dramatics anymore.”
Suki rolled her eyes but couldn’t stifle her smile. “Whatever.”
He smiled as well as he continued. “Because of its insulation, it’s a perfect boat to get through the boiling water!”
Zuko’s eyes widened. “The cooler as a boat? Are you sure?”
“I’m telling you,” Sokka said, “it’ll work.”
Y/N frowned. “What about the guards? They have watchtowers around the perimeter—they’d spot us in a second.”
Sokka shook his head. “I walked it this morning. There’s a blind spot between two of the guard towers—we can launch the cooler there. The current will take us right through, and as long as we stay quiet, no one will notice a thing. Not until we’re long gone.”
“That sounds great,” Suki said. “But how are you gonna get the cooler out? None of us will be able to help you, and surely you can’t do all that work alone.”
Sokka opened his mouth to respond, but a different, unfamiliar voice rang out instead.
“Yeah. How are you going to get the cooler out?”
Y/N immediately grabbed her mop out of instinct—not that it would do much help if a guard had caught them plotting an escape—but when they all looked up, it was just another prisoner. He hopped down from the railing and landed next to them, ignoring their bewildered expressions. So much for privacy.
“What?” Sokka immediately started panicking as he tugged at his collar. “We— we didn’t say that!”
Zuko nodded. “Yeah. You heard wrong.”
His face remained impassive. “I heard you hatching an escape plan. I want in.”
“There’s nothing to get in on,” Zuko said.
“We’re just having a normal conversation,” Y/N said, her grip on the handle of her mop tightening. “Nothing you need to be involved in.”
“Yeah,” Sokka spoke up, “the only thing we’re hatching is… an egg.”
Suki gave him a disappointed look, Zuko groaned, and Y/N just sighed. Sokka was a genius, but he really needed to work on his improv.
The prisoner shrugged. “Either I come with you, or the warden hears about this egg.”
The four of them looked at each other, speaking with each other just through minute changes in their expressions, until they finally settled on what they knew they had to do.
Suki broke away first, relenting with a sigh. “I guess we have no choice.”
“Fine,” Sokka said, looking at the prisoner, “you’re in. But you follow our lead on everything, or you’re out just as quickly.”
“As long as you get me off this rock, I don’t care what my part is,” he said.
Sokka nodded. “Okay. Back to getting the cooler out. Obviously, Suki’s right, and I can’t do it alone, especially from the outside. But,” he looked at Zuko, “we can get someone to unscrew it from the inside.”
It took Zuko a second to understand, but then he nodded. “I can do that.”
“Good.” Sokka took a wrench out from his back pocket and handed it to Zuko, and he tucked it into his tunic.
“You’re gonna have to use your firebending,” Suki said. “We see it happen all the time— a guard baits a prisoner into a fight, they use their bending, and they get locked in the cooler for a week for something that isn’t even their fault. If you’re seen blasting at Sokka, you’ll definitely get thrown in.”
Sokka shook his head. “As much as I’d love to fight Zuko, I shouldn’t be seen causing a scene with him again. We were already caught together last night—if that happens again, someone up top might get suspicious.”
“Zuko and I can fight,” Y/N spoke up. “I know how to dodge his attacks.” And to be honest… she wanted to throw a couple punches at him. She was still angry she had to work with him to get out of here.
Zuko frowned. “No way. I’m not fighting you for this, and I’m not gonna burn you.”
She snorted. “You had no qualms about doing it before.”
Zuko winced at the barb, and she couldn’t help but feel a sick sort of gratification. He should feel bad about what he did to her. She wasn’t just going to let him off the hook because they needed to work together for a day.
“Don’t worry, princess. You two don’t have to fight,” the prisoner spoke up, and he looked at Zuko with a smile. “I can get you inside.”
-
Getting Zuko in trouble turned out to be the easiest thing they’d done during their time here. He and the prisoner—Chit Sang, he finally told them—staged a fight, and the second Zuko sent a blast of firebending, Sokka called for backup and he got taken away. Y/N had to admit—it was nice seeing Zuko get shoved around, even if it was just pretend.
They were sent back to their cells a few minutes later for “security reasons”, and since then, Y/N had just been playing the waiting game. She sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the blue beads in her hands as she rolled them between her fingers. Thankfully they hadn’t been confiscated after she became a prisoner here, but it had only taken a week for her to remove them from her braids and secure them in the safety of her cell. The last thing Y/N needed was for an even bigger target to be placed on her back, and so she made the difficult decision to take them out.
But now—tonight—they were escaping. She was going to get her life back. No more hiding who she was.
Y/N had just finished braiding the beads back into her hair when her cell door opened, and she smiled when the guard flipped up his visor and revealed his blue eyes.
“Sokka,” she breathed, darting up to her feet, “is everything okay?”
He nodded. “Everything’s going according to plan. I got Suki and Chit Sang out of their cells a few minutes ago—I’m on the way to get Zuko out of the cooler.” Sokka paused. “Do you want to come with me?
“No.”
“Y/N—”
“No, Sokka.” She shook her head. “I told you I would work with him just enough to get out of here. I don’t need to come with you.”
He stared at her for a moment before relenting with a sigh. “Okay. You know your way down to the shore?”
“Yeah. I’ll meet them there.”
“Good. Don’t get caught.”
Y/N smiled. “Take your own advice.”
Sokka chuckled as he pulled her in for a hug, stepping away after a good long moment. “I’ll see you on the other side?”
She nodded. “You know it.”
-
“Oh, thank Kyoshi you made it.”
Suki ran over and tackled her into a gopher bear hug the second Y/N emerged from around the building, instantly knocking the air out of her.
She laughed breathlessly and patted her on the back, extracting herself from Suki’s arms so they could walk back over to where Chit Sang was waiting. “Of course I made it—you think I’m gonna let something go wrong this close to our escape?”
“I have total faith in you,” Suki said. “It just took you a little longer to get here, and I immediately thought the worst.”
“It’s true,” Chit Sang spoke up. “She wouldn’t stop pacing.”
“Well, I’m here now,” Y/N said, “and Sokka’s on the way to get the cooler. Hopefully he’ll be here soon.”
It was then that she spotted two other people sitting on the rocks near them, a man and a woman.
“Um,” she said, “who are they?”
“Oh, yeah.” Chit Sang gestured at them with his head. “That’s my girl and my buddy. They’re coming with us.”
“What?” Y/N looked at him incredulously. “The deal was that you got to come—this plan’s already risky enough with only the five of us. You don’t get to bring in your own people when you’re only here as a liability.”
He raised his eyebrows. “This liability is fully willing to tell the warden about your plan. So either they escape with us, or we all get thrown back in the slammer.”
Y/N glared at him, fire simmering just beneath the surface, only quelled when Suki spoke up.
“I told him that,” she sighed, “but it should be okay. More people getting out of this place, the better, right?”
“Fine,” Y/N said, and she looked over at the two, “but you don’t do anything to mess this up, or I’ll throw you into the lake myself—okay?”
They both nodded, and she felt the slightest bit of gratification at their widened eyes.
Y/N sighed herself and sat down on a rock next to Suki. Now, all they could really do was wait.
And wait they did. It was another harrowing, anxious ten minutes until they heard noises—when Y/N looked behind them, they were greeted with the sight of Sokka and Zuko rolling down the cooler. They all immediately rushed up to support them, and with the strength of the five of them combined, it was a far easier effort.
“It’s about time you got here,” Chit Sang said , and he pulled the same thing on Sokka as he did on Y/N. “I brought my girl and my best buddy—they’re coming too.”
And Sokka reacted the same way she did—annoyance underneath, but cooperation above it.
“Fine,” he grumbled. “Stop it here.”
Y/N grimaced as she dug her heels into the rock, and they managed to stop the cooler just before the shore. Together, they turned it around, the edge of it just barely in the boiling water.
“Get in,” Sokka said. “It’s better we’re out before the guards can realize any of us are gone.”
Chit Sang’s people nodded and began to get in the cooler, but Y/N’s gaze followed Sokka as he walked over to a large boulder. He picked it up to reveal his Water Tribe clothes, and she was able to see his longing stare as he stood there.
“Are you sure you want to go?” Zuko asked, folding his arms as he and Suki joined them. “You’re the one that said you wanted to redeem yourself, redeem your honor. Rescuing your dad is your chance.”
Y/N’s eyes widened as Sokka slipped his sword over his back. “Your father could be here?”
“They’re getting a new shipment of prisoners in tonight,” Sokka said quietly, staring at the ground. “We overheard the guards talking about it—there are some war prisoners, which means my dad could be one of them.”
The meaning of it dawned on her—either they left and lost their chance at saving Sokka’s dad, or they stayed and lost their chance of escaping, possibly for nothing. It was an impossible situation, but Y/N knew Sokka—and for someone like him, the answer was obvious. Of course, his version of the answer would be to make the rest of them escape and leave him here alone—if it went wrong, only he would suffer the consequences. But that wasn’t going to happen.
“If I had just cut my losses at the invasion, maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess.” Sokka looked up at them. “Maybe sometimes it’s just better to call it quits before you fail.”
“No,” Zuko insisted, “it’s not. You’re going to fail, Sokka, and you’re gonna do it a lot before things work out.”
Sokka stood up from his crouch, frowning as he looked at Zuko. “That’s supposed to make me feel better?”
“No, it’s not. But it’s reality.” Zuko followed him as Sokka started going towards the coast. “Even though you’ll probably fail over and over and over again—”
“Seriously,” Sokka grumbled, “not helping.”
“—You have to try every time. You can’t quit because you’re afraid you might fail.”
“I can’t believe I’m saying this… but I agree with Zuko,” Y/N said. “You can’t leave your dad, Sokka—you don’t even want to, I know that. But whatever happened at the invasion won’t happen again—we’re here to back you up, no matter what.”
Zuko looked at her in disbelief—whether it was the fact that she actually said his name, agreed with him, or even just entertained his presence, she wasn’t exactly sure—but she glanced away just as quickly. He sighed, and focused back on Sokka.
“So,” he finished, “what’s your decision?”
“If you’re all done cuddling back there, can we get a move on?” Chit Sang spoke up, holding the cooler on the coast with his hand.
Sokka looked out into the boiling lake, then back at Y/N and Suki, and finally at Zuko. He took a deep breath and shook his head. “No. I’m staying.”
He set the sack holding his clothes on the ground and looked at the three of them. “You guys go—especially you two, Y/N and Suki. You’ve been here long enough. I can’t keep you here for something that might be nothing.”
“Are you kidding me?” Y/N asked. “We’re not going anywhere, Sokka. Like I said—we’re right beside you.”
Suki nodded. “I’m not leaving without you, Sokka.”
“I’m staying too,” Zuko said with a small smile.
Just once, for Sokka, Y/N managed to bite back her remark. But their moment together was ruined by Chit Sang, who hopped into the cooler along with his friends.
“Not me,” he said. “I’m out.”
“We gave up our only chance of escaping.” Sokka sighed as he watched the cooler float away, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard. “I hope we haven’t just made a huge mistake.”
“We haven’t,” Y/N said. “I know it.”
-
Y/N watched the cooler float through the boiling waters, the mostly stagnant lake doing little to help aside from the occasional currents. With the new arrivals coming in at dawn and the fact that they couldn’t go back to their cells, the four of them were left to their own devices on the shore. Sokka and Suki sat together, her head resting on his shoulder with his arm around her waist, talking quietly with each other. Zuko stood a few meters away from them, his attention focused on the sunrise. Y/N was occupying her time by keeping an eye on the cooler and kicking a small rock around with her foot. They’d been there for an hour now, just trying to pass the time until dawn.
The sun was slowly, slowly rising—she swore that it was purposefully going at a more lethargic pace just to spite them—and she sighed as she kicked the rock into the lake. It sank beneath the boiling water, sizzling the whole way down, and she felt that tightness in her chest again. Spirits, she wished she had her bending. She would’ve been able to get them all out without a second thought—instead, all she could do was sit on the shore, useless.
Y/N heard footsteps behind her and she glanced over, figuring it was Suki or Sokka—instead, she was met with Zuko sitting down on the ground next to her.
She rolled her eyes and looked back out onto the lake. “Go away.”
“I just want to talk.”
“Well, I don’t.”
“You don’t have to,” Zuko said. “I just… need to say some things.”
Y/N kept her attention trained on the horizon, staying silent. There was nothing she could do if Zuko wanted to talk, but that didn’t mean she had to listen.
“I could tell you how sorry I am again, but… I don’t know how much weight that has. Especially right now, when we’re here. I— I am sorry, more than you could ever possibly know, but you probably don’t want to listen to me wallow. So I’m offering my help instead.”
She frowned a bit at that, but Zuko continued.
“Sokka told me you lost your bending. I lost mine too, when I first started helping Aang. It was because, before all of this, for as long as I had been bending, the source of it was my anger. But when I realized I was on the wrong side of it all, that anger went away, and my bending along with it. I had to find a different source for it; find the true meaning of firebending. If you figure out how your source was lost, then you can figure out how to get it back. And I want to help you get it back.”
Y/N huffed a mirthless laugh. “If that’s the reason I lost my bending, then I think I have a pretty good idea what caused it.”
“What—” Zuko started to say, but he was interrupted by Sokka.
“The gondola’s moving,” he said, and Y/N turned around to see him and Suki standing up. He pointed at the line that the gondola rode over to the prison, and sure enough, it was going across.
“Let’s move,” Y/N said.
The four of them rushed over to the ledge that went around the walls of the prison—Sokka gave Suki, Y/N, and Zuko a boost up by making a platform with his hands, and then climbed up himself with a little help from Zuko. They edged around the wall, being careful not to lose their balance, when all of a sudden there was a deafening scream from out in the lake.
Y/N’s eyes darted over and she saw Chit Sang standing up in the cooler, clutching his hand—by the splash next to the cooler, she took it he got a little too close to the boiling water. The distant commands of a guard could be heard as the alarm bell clanged on repeat, and Sokka’s eyes widened.
“The plan failed,” he said, horrified. “They’re caught!”
“Keep going,” Suki whispered.
They continued to edge around the platform together, and Y/N winced as she saw a bolt being fired, and after it caught hold of the cooler it began hauling them back in.
“Looks like we made the right choice by staying,” Y/N murmured.
“The gondola’s moving,” Sokka interrupted, and they picked up the pace as they finally reached the edge of the yard. They had a view of the gondola as it finally landed after what felt like an eternity, and they all fell silent, waiting with bated breath. “This is it. If my dad’s not here, then we risked everything for nothing.”
“We had to,” Suki said, and she squeezed Sokka’s hand. Y/N nodded.
The doors were opened by one of the guards, and prisoners began filing out. After the first man, Zuko looked over at Sokka.
“Is that him?”
Sokka scoffed. “My dad doesn’t have a nose ring.”
Prisoners continued to walk off the gondola until there were no more left, but not a single one of them looked like Sokka.
“Is… is that it?” Sokka shook his head. “No— no, that can’t be it. Where is he?”
“I’m so sorry,” Suki said quietly.
Sokka screwed his eyes shut as he let himself fall back against the wall. “He’s not here.”
But then a guard spoke up.
“Hey, you! Get off the gondola.”
Sokka’s eyes shot open, and their attention immediately went to the gondola. A man walked out after another moment—his dark brown hair was tied into the same kind of wolf tail Sokka had and Y/N saw every day back in the Northern Tribe, and two braided strands moved in the slight breeze. Sokka let out a haggard breath of relief as his eyes widened, full of hope, and Y/N knew immediately.
“That’s him,” he whispered. “Dad.”
-
They were able to sneak their way back without detection by melting back into the crowd of prisoners in the yard, Sokka joining the guards a few minutes after they made themselves scarce. There was a renewed energy in their group, knowing that Sokka’s father was there. It wasn’t all for nothing.
Zuko, however, wasn’t doing too great at the moment.
“Mai,” he breathed, his eyes wide as he stared at the girl he had left behind in the Fire Nation. Whereas he was used to seeing her completely emotionless, there was a hardened glint in her eye. It, to be completely honest, terrified him.
“How did you know I was here?” he asked.
“Because I know you so well,” she said.
Zuko frowned. “But, how—”
“The warden’s my uncle, you idiot,” Mai interrupted as she glanced off to the side. It was hard seeing her like this, seeing her here—now that he’d been reunited with Y/N, it only served to make things more complicated. “He sent a messenger hawk telling me you were here, and Azula intercepted it. You’re lucky I’m the one talking to you now instead of her.”
Zuko stilled. “Azula’s here?”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course she is. When you betrayed the whole country, you betrayed her, too. You have a lot to answer for, Zuko.” Mai took a roll of paper out of the folds of her robes and let it unravel in front of him—it was the letter that he wrote her before he left to go join the Avatar. “I guess I don’t know you at all. I mean, all I get is a letter?” She scoffed. “You could’ve at least looked me in the eyes when you ripped out my heart.”
Zuko felt guilty, hoping that Mai felt the same way about him that he did about her. He loved her—of course he did, she was one of his only friends in the Fire Nation after Y/N had been forced to leave, and they grew closer than ever—but he’d come to realize it was solely platonic. He had no choice but to leave the Fire Nation, but maybe he could’ve broken the news in a lighter way to the girl who’d been by his side since he returned home.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I… I didn’t want to hurt you. I didn’t mean—”
“You didn’t mean to what?” Mai interrupted, and he winced. She opened up the scroll with her other hand and walked behind him as she read. “‘Dear Mai, I’m sorry that you have to find out this way, but I’m leaving.’ You might as well have added, good luck dealing with the wrath of my sister alone, hopefully she doesn’t blame you for the fact that I’m gone!” The paper snapped as she shut it and shoved it back into her tunic. “You don’t ever think about anyone other than yourself.”
“This isn’t about you!” Zuko snapped. “It’s not even about me, Mai! I left the Fire Nation to help the Avatar learn firebending because it’s my destiny to help him on his journey—I did this to save the world, not because I thought it would be fun to— to annoy you. I’m trying to stop my father from hurting anyone else.” He sat up from his hunched over position and looked right at Mai. “You of all people should understand that.”
“You don’t get to use that line on me,” she fumed. Mai might not have been a bender, but there was a lot of fire simmering just beneath the surface. “It really makes me feel better, knowing that you actually couldn’t have cared less about me.” Her expression sobered slightly and she turned away. “You just wrote a letter and left—I had to fix the mess that you made.”
“What was I supposed to do?” he defended. “You’re best friends with Azula—you probably would’ve told her what I was planning to do and gotten me thrown in jail.”
Mai’s eyes flashed with anger. “You can’t seriously believe that.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Zuko marveled. “You’ve been attached to her side for as long as I can remember. I mean, you’re here now with her. It’s not that hard to think you’d turn me in.”
“You really don’t know anything about me,” she murmured.
That caught him off guard. “What?”
Mai didn’t have the chance to answer him as a guard stopped in front of the cell. “Ma’am, there’s a riot going on. I’m here to protect you.”
A riot—that must’ve been the distraction Sokka mentioned. It was now or never for him to get out of here; if he didn’t, Zuko was sure his next visitor would be his sister, there to take him back to the Fire Nation in chains. That wasn’t really an option.
Mai looked over at the guard, her expression once again impassive. “I don’t need any protection.”
Zuko chuckled. “Believe me; she doesn’t.”
“I’m sorry, I’m under direct orders from your uncle to make sure nothing happens.” The guard began walking into the cell, and Zuko took it as his chance.
He shot a blast of fire at the guard’s feet and ran past him and Mai in their shock, and he shut the door just as Mai slammed her fists against the metal.
“What are you doing?” she yelled. For maybe the third time in Zuko’s life, her eyes were filled with nothing but pure emotion—hatred, anger, confusion, he didn’t know. All he knew was that he had to get to the yard.
“I’m sorry, Mai,” he murmured. “You’ll understand someday.”
And Zuko ran.
-
Once again, Y/N was left to wait in her cell for Sokka. Before they dispersed in the courtyard, he told them he would find his dad first and then get back to them when he figured out a plan. It was tedious, but she didn’t mind it—after today, she would never see the inside of this cell again.
The door finally slid open, and though she tensed out of instinct at the guard uniform, it dissolved when he opened his visor.
“Did you find him?” she asked.
Sokka nodded and smiled. “Yeah. I found my dad and we talked—we have another plan, but… it’s risky.”
“We don’t have many options that wouldn’t be risky,” she said. “Let’s hear it.”
“We’re escaping today,” Sokka said, “but… we’re using the gondola.”
Y/N frowned. “The gondola? How?”
“We’ll commandeer it, and we’ll take a hostage with us to make sure we can get across without them cutting the line."
She frowned. “It’ll never work. There’s too many guards around the station.”
“That’s exactly what Suki said!” Sokka exclaimed. “Spirits, we need to get you two out of here—you’ve been spending way too much time together.”
Y/N smiled. “Keep going with the plan, buddy.”
“Right,” he nodded. “My dad figured that out—we’ll cause a distraction, a prison riot, so the guards will be occupied and we’ll be able to make it.”
“Even if we can get to the gondola, we’ll never make it across the lake,” Y/N said. “The warden prides himself on being in charge of an inescapable prison so much that he puts it in every speech—he’ll tell them to cut the line no matter what, and then we’re screwed.”
Sokka grinned. “That’s the thing. We’re gonna take the warden as our prisoner—that way, they’ll have to let us across, and they’ll be too scared to even risk cutting the line.”
“That is… an insane plan. But I think it might be our only shot.” She chuckled as she shook her head. “You certainly haven’t lost your spark as the plan guy.”
He laughed. “Like I could ever lose that spark.”
-
When Y/N’s cell door slid open, she could hardly believe it. Yeah, she trusted Sokka, but this was the beginning of the end. She was really going to get out of this dreaded place—she was going to see Toph, Aang, Katara again. The promise of seeing her friends again was enough to push her through anything this escape would take.
She joined the flow of prisoners into the courtyard—they had all been released, not just in blocks, so it was easy to blend in. Y/N kept her eyes peeled, and she eventually caught sight of Sokka, his dad, and Suki.
“You guys made it,” she breathed as she came to a stop in the loose circle, and then she looked up at Sokka’s dad, her eyes widening slightly. “Um, it’s nice to meet you, sir.”
He smiled. “There’s no need to call me sir—a friend of Sokka’s is a friend of mine. I’m Hakoda.” His eyes fell on the beads in her hair and his smile grew. “Another member of the Water Tribe? Looks like this place can’t keep any of us locked up.”
She grinned—she definitely saw where Sokka got it all from. “I’m Y/N—I’m from the Northern Tribe. I guess they really can’t.”
“As fun as it is introducing you to my dad, we’re in the middle of something,” Sokka said pointedly. Y/N just smiled and nodded, letting him continue. “We’re trying to start a prison riot, but apparently the bad guys in here are actually… learning to control their anger. It’s weird. Do you know what to do?”
Y/N shook her head. “I’ve only managed to get in fights by being really unlucky. Have you tried… yelling?”
It was at that moment that a gruff voice rang out behind them, a big hand slamming down on Sokka’s shoulder.
“Hey, you! You’re lucky I didn’t rat you out!” Chit Sang glared down at Sokka, but then he smiled a bit. “My generosity comes with a price, though—I know you’re planning another escape attempt, and I want in.”
“Can you start a riot?” Y/N spoke up.
He nodded. “Easily.”
“Do it, and you’re in,” she said.
Chit Sang walked forward and grabbed a prisoner by his cuff, lifting him up over his head as he yelled out to the whole yard. “Hey! Riot!”
To Y/N’s surprise, it actually worked. The prisoners immediately dissolved into chaos, fighting one another, shooting off blasts of fire, and just generally creating a mess as dust from the ruckus created large clouds all over. It was the perfect distraction.
Hakoda’s eyebrows shot up. “Impressive.”
They all took refuge by one of the walls, and Y/N looked at Sokka. “We have to get the warden now, right?”
“Yeah, but—” he looked around anxiously— “we can’t leave without Zuko. What is taking him so long?”
She resisted the urge to say they could leave him here, but it was imperfect timing, because Zuko showed up right as they mentioned him, fighting off a guard on the way before he settled into their circle. It was a shame.
“Zuko!” Sokka exclaimed. “You’re finally here! Now we can grab the warden and get to the gondolas.”
“How do we do that?” he asked.
“I, uh… I’m not sure.”
Zuko groaned. “I thought you thought this through!”
“And I thought you told me it’s okay not to think everything through!”
“Maybe not everything, but don’t you think this is important?”
“Hey,” Chit Sang spoke up, and he gestured over with his hand, “looks like your girlfriends are taking care of it.”
When Sokka and Zuko looked where he was pointing, they were both shocked.
Y/N and Suki ran through the crowd together, effortlessly dodging between the rioting prisoners. When they reached the wall, Y/N laced her fingers together and gave Suki a boost up. She grabbed onto makeshift handholds and footholds from deep grooves and missing pieces of metal in the wall, and when she was secure she reached down for Y/N. She jumped and grabbed one of her hands, and Suki grunted as she pulled her up just enough for her to get her hands on the wall as well. They began scaling it together, moving faster once they found easier purchase on the balcony railings.
Suki hopped over the rail and Y/N slid under, and together they ran down the pathway. Suki took down the first guard as she kicked him against the wall, but then three more came around the corner poised to fight.
“Get the warden!” Suki yelled at her. “I’ll take care of them!”
She nodded and got back up on the railing, the extra height giving her enough air to grab onto the ridge of the arched doorway and continue to climb. She hopped over the railing, and sure enough, the warden was standing at the end of the pathway with a single guard in front of him.
Y/N used her momentum to slide through the guard’s legs, landing right in front of the warden as she popped up. He tried to throw a punch but she caught his wrist and held it tight, the way Suki had taught her, and allowed herself a smug smile.
“You wouldn’t dare,” he growled.
Y/N stared at the man who was responsible for her months of imprisonment, and she couldn’t help but huff a laugh. “Try me.”
She yanked his arm down and twisted him around, untying the cord cinched around her waist to bind his wrists together. She then pulled down his headband to gag him, letting out her first sigh of relief since the whole plan had begun.
“Nice work.” She turned around to see Suki catching up to her with a huge smile on her face, the guard from before knocked out on the ground. “Looks like all those makeshift lessons in the courtyard worked out, huh?”
Y/N grinned. “I guess they did.”
She slammed the warden against the wall and tightened his bonds, unable to resist mocking him. “Sorry, warden,” she taunted. “Looks like you’re our prisoner now.”
Behind her, the rest of the guys were finally catching up, their heads hung as they sucked in deep breaths.
“Took you long enough to join us!” Y/N called, and she gestured to the warden with her head. “I got our hostage.”
Hakoda shook his head as he looked at them, a proud smile on his face despite being completely out of breath. “Those are some girls.”
Sokka and Zuko both spoke in unison. “Tell me about it.”
-
Chit Sang hauled the warden over his shoulder and they started on the final leg of their sprint. All they had to do was get to the gondola, and they would be home free.
“We’re almost there!” Y/N yelled, but she had just glanced back at the rest of the group to say it when she heard the sound of fire blasts, her head snapping back to see the guards firebending at her.
She didn’t even have the chance to move before Zuko shoved her out of the way, jumping in front of them—in front of her—to block the firebending. His movements were smoother, more fluid than the last time she’d seen him bend. Apparently his trip with Aang had done him some good.
Y/N shook her head. Now wasn’t the time to think about his bending, of all things. Just because he saved her once didn’t make up for anything else.
“Back off!” Zuko yelled, taking up a defensive position as more guards ran over. He pointed at Chit Sang and the man over his shoulder. “We’ve got the warden!” The guards paused for a moment, but then they cleared the way. “Let’s go!”
They cautiously walked through all the guards, poised for a fight in case one of them broke, but once they got through them all they began their run again. Suki was the first to make it to the gondola, and she slid the door open. “Everyone in!”
Y/N filed in after Sokka, but she looked out the window and saw that Zuko was starting the gondola—what in Kuruk’s name was he doing?
But then he broke the lever off after a few kicks, and he sprinted to the edge of the railing. Zuko jumped, and he was just barely able to make it as Sokka caught his arm and pulled him in through the window.
“What was that?” she scoffed.
Zuko shifted under her scrutiny. “I was making it so they couldn’t follow us.”
“That wasn’t your best idea, genius,” she muttered. “You nearly got left behind.”
Sokka and Zuko met each other’s eyes, both with the same thought. Sokka covered it up with a cough and patted him on the shoulder. “Way to think ahead.”
“This is it,” Suki smiled, nudging Y/N’s shoulder. “We’re actually getting out of here.”
“Wait,” Hakoda interrupted, “who’s that?”
Y/N, Suki, Sokka, and Zuko all moved to the window to look where he pointed, and she felt her heart drop.
“Azula,” she whispered.
“That’s a problem,” Zuko said. “It’s my sister and her friend—Mai said she was here, but now that she’s really here…” He shook his head. “I hope you all are ready for a fight, because that’s the only way we’re getting out of here.”
Ty Lee hopped onto the cable lines and began running across them with impossible grace, while Azula propelled herself up to them with fire. They were closing in fast.
“Oh boy,” Sokka lamented. “Guess we’ve got no choice, huh?”
“I don’t mind,” Suki said, cracking her knuckles. “This is a rematch I’ve been waiting for.”
“Me too,” Y/N murmured. After all, Azula was the reason why she was here. She willingly signed her death warrant. A rematch was a long time coming.
“Dad, Chit Sang, stay down here,” Sokka said. “We’ll take care of this.”
Hakoda nodded. “Be careful, son.”
The four of them climbed up to the top of the gondola, making it there just as Azula and Ty Lee landed, Suki and Sokka on the side of the chi-blocker leaving Zuko and Y/N to deal with the princess.
“How lovely to see you both again,” she said mockingly. “It’s just like our childhood all over again, isn’t it?”
Once again, Y/N wished she had her waterbending—she nearly went to flip open the cap of her waterskin before remembering she had neither the container nor her bending. It was frustrating beyond belief—especially when her enemy was one of the best firebenders in the world and their arena was a shaky gondola a hundred meters above a boiling lake.
So instead she eased into a grounded stance, the way Suki had taught her, and put her fists up. “Let’s skip the pleasantries.”
Azula smiled, sickeningly sweet with a glint of danger in her eye. “Gladly.”
She shot a blast of fire at them and Zuko blocked it, giving Y/N a chance to lunge forward and take a swing. Azula caught her wrist and twisted her arm, but she tore free and kicked her in the chest. Azula stumbled backwards, right on the edge of the gondola—Y/N was about to make a move, but Zuko’s voice stopped her in her tracks.
“Move!” he shouted, and when Y/N backed out of the way Zuko shot fire at her with both fists. Azula regained her balance at just the right moment and dispersed both blasts by moving her palms in a circle.
Y/N didn’t wait for Zuko—she was on Azula as soon as the fire cleared, kicking and swinging with all of her might. Her attacks were anything but clean, but it was a constant onslaught of attacks, and she could tell by the way Azula blocked them that she wasn’t as skilled at hand to hand combat as she was at firebending.
Everything was coming back to her, fueling the anger inside of her—from the cruel jabs at her when she was still a servant in the palace, to killing Aang, to sending her to the Boiling Rock to die. Red colored her vision, and it was what made her swing a little too hard allowing Azula to catch her off guard and knock her down.
Y/N fell hard, her head slamming into the edge of the gondola’s roof. The top half of her head hung over the open air, and she was just able to haul herself into a sitting position to avoid the certain death that a free fall would provide—now, as Azula stalked towards her, she was only facing almost certain death.
“I should’ve killed you back in the prisons when I had the chance,” she snarled, and she raised her fist.
“Yeah,” Y/N grit out, “you really should have.”
Before Azula got the chance to turn her to ashes, Zuko shot a huge blast of fire at her, knocking her off balance and forcing her back on the defensive. Y/N scrambled away from the edge, her vision still slightly blurred from her fall, but her heart was beating again. That was far too close for comfort.
“Get away from her,” he growled, and Azula just laughed.
“Even after all this, you still can’t let go of her. You really are pathetic, Zuko.”
Even from the ground Y/N could see the fire blazing in Zuko’s eyes, offset completely by the mirth in Azula’s. She saw this as a game—nothing more.
Suddenly, the gondola swung back and forth, tossing everyone off balance. Y/N grabbed onto one of the metal plates and held on for dear life—in the corner of her vision, she saw Sokka nearly fall off, just barely saved by Zuko catching his hand.
Ty Lee, from her vantage point at the top of the metal support, yelled down at Azula. “They’re about to cut the line!”
“Then it’s time to leave,” she said decisively. “Goodbye, Zuko.”
She blasted herself up with fire as Ty Lee backflipped across to the other gondola, and Y/N was finally granted a moment of respite. Even if they were about to fall to their boiling hot deaths.
A hand was extended in her vision and she took it without thinking, wincing a little bit as she stood up.
“Thanks,” she murmured, lifting her free hand to her head. There was no blood, but she wagered she would have a nasty bruise where her head had slammed against the hard edge.
“Are you okay?” It was Zuko that asked the question, and Zuko that helped her up. She ripped her hand out of his immediately, suddenly more than okay to walk on her own.
“I’m fine,” she grumbled.
“You did a good job against Azula,” he said. “We fought really well together.”
Y/N ignored his attempt at conversation, focusing on the more imminent threat as she swung back into the gondola through the window. Sokka and Suki were already there, and Zuko followed shortly after her.
“They’re cutting the line,” he said. “The gondola’s about to go.”
Hakoda blew out a loose sigh. “I hope this thing floats.”
But the gondola kept moving—no falling to their deaths at all. Y/N squinted as she moved to the window, able to see a distant fight happening but not able to distinguish anything in particular. “What’s going on?”
“Someone’s fighting the guards,” Sokka marveled. “Who is that?”
Zuko’s eyes widened. “...It’s Mai.”
Y/N frowned. “What in Kyoshi’s name is she doing helping us?”
“I don’t know,” he murmured.
The rest of the ride was smooth, and before she knew it they had arrived at the other side. They all ran out of the gondola, and Chit Sang tossed the warden back in.
“Sorry, warden,” Hakoda said. “Your record is officially broken.”
The rest of the group continued running away, but Y/N couldn’t help but stand there, looking at the prison from a distance.
“What are you doing?” Sokka questioned urgently, and she turned her head to see him waiting for her. “We need to get out of here before our luck runs out.”
“I know,” she murmured. “I just… can’t believe we did it.”
Sokka smiled. “Well, you better believe it, because we did. And now we need to finish the job.”
Y/N nodded and took Sokka’s extended hand, and the two of them ran to catch up to the rest of the group.
“Well, we made it out,” Suki said, directing it at Sokka as the two of them came over the hill. “What now?”
“My sister was on that island,” Zuko said. “That means she had to get here somehow.”
Sokka’s eyes lit up, and together the three of them crested the volcano. Docked at a landing in the water was the most beautiful thing Y/N had ever seen.
Zuko smiled as he pointed at the airship. “That’s how we’ll get out of here.”
-
It was a careful but quick descent down the side of the volcano to reach the airship, and after some firebending from Zuko and navigating between him and Sokka, they were on their way. Y/N took the chance to settle on a cushioned seat, the comfort a luxury she had sorely missed.
She could still hardly believe she was really free—the last time she was on an airship like this, it was to be transferred to the Boiling Rock. Months of her life had been stolen by the Fire Nation, and she couldn’t wait to see her friends again, to be around nature, to be free.
Y/N let out a content sigh, and she looked up at the sound of footsteps. Sokka had turned the corner, a folded map in his hands that he quickly stuffed into the folds of his uniform.
“How are you doing?” he asked. “I saw you take a nasty fall—are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she nodded, “I’m fine. Once I get back to Katara and she heals it up, I’ll be good to go.”
“That’s good. Maybe she can also, uh—” Sokka gestured at her black eye using his own face as a guide— “fix that up for you.”
“Are you saying I don’t look like a super cool warrior with it?” she asked with mock disdain.
Sokka laughed. “You look like a super cool warrior anyways. Y/N, you did amazing out there. The way you and Suki got the warden, your fighting against Azula—I’ve never seen you like that, except maybe when we fought through the whole Dai Li to talk to the Earth King.”
She smiled grimly. “That’s what a couple months in this place does to you. Suki’s combat lessons in our yard time didn’t hurt.”
Sokka went silent, and when Y/N looked over at him she saw that his face had fallen. “Sokka?”
“I’m so sorry you had to go through all that,” he murmured. “The Fire Nation, and the Boiling Rock, and—” he glanced over his shoulder, “well, Zuko. I can’t even imagine what this has been like for you, and— and I’m sorry, Y/N.”
“You don’t have to do this, Sokka.” Y/N could hardly keep track of how many times Sokka had apologized to her, trying to absolve himself of a deep-rooted guilt that he didn’t deserve to have. “It’s not your fault, and I don’t blame you for it in any way. I mean— you’re the one that got me and Suki out!”
“I just feel like I should’ve been able to protect you,” he murmured as he crossed his arms, “both of you, then you wouldn’t have been in here in the first place. But I couldn’t.”
Her eyes softened and she patted the spot next to her. Sokka sat down after a moment’s hesitation, and she pulled up and folded one of her legs on the platform, allowing the other to hang off the side to sit more comfortably.
“Since we’re baring our souls to each other here, I guess it’s my turn,” she said with a slight laugh before her expression sobered. “Sokka, the honest truth is that I… I honestly thought that I was going to die in there. Princess Azula was the only person that even knew I was at the Boiling Rock, and the way things were, as a weak, non-bending fifteen year old girl who was known for working with the Avatar…” Y/N shook her head. “Let’s just say the warden wouldn’t have been surprised if he suddenly had an empty cell.”
Sokka’s face fell even further, and she took his hand in an effort to lift his spirits. “But I’m not dead,” she said earnestly, “and that’s because of you. Sokka, you risked everything to get us out—you came for your father, and you ended up saving him and Suki and me. You’re a hero, and you should feel like one!”
Y/N squeezed his hand, trying to get all of her emotions across in a simple action. “I love you, Sokka, really. You’re the brother I never had, and I can’t imagine living without you now. So thank you.” She smiled. “I owe you everything. I owe you my life.”
Sokka stared at her with slightly wide eyes for a moment before he moved forward and pulled her into a hug.
“I know I already said this, but I’m never letting you out of my sight again,” he whispered. “And I think Katara will join me.”
Y/N laughed a bit. “You’re gonna get tired of me before I even think about going somewhere. I’ve been away from you all for way too long.”
Sokka pulled away, his blue eyes shimmering with tears but a grateful smile showing how he really felt.
“I love you too,” he said. “I’m so glad we found you.”
“So am I,” she whispered. “So am I.”
-
After talking with Suki and Sokka some more and very pointedly avoiding Zuko, Y/N dozed off. The events of the past two days had left her exhausted, and now that she didn’t have to constantly have her guard up, her body practically demanded a break.
She was woken up when she heard Sokka shouting something about landing, and she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she sat up. Normally she would’ve gotten a knot in her back or shoulders from sleeping on the barely padded bed—the airships had small rooms for the guards for overnight trips, and they each chose their own—but after spending so many nights sleeping on concrete, her body had adjusted accordingly. Besides, this bed had a mattress, however thin it might’ve been. After the Boiling Rock, it was the height of luxury.
She pushed the door open and wandered into the main room, where she saw that the loading deck was open. She could hear Sokka and Zuko talking, while Suki, Hakoda, and Chit Sang waited a few meters behind them.
“Sokka’s explaining it all to them,” Suki whispered as she stopped next to her. “So they don’t freak out about the giant Fire Nation airship.”
“Smart,” she said, nodding sagely.
“—I caught the best meat of all; the meat of friendship and fatherhood.”
Sokka turned his head and gestured for them to come out, and when Y/N saw her friends she nearly burst into tears.
Aang had gotten taller since the last time she’d seen him, and he carried himself completely differently. From what Sokka said, he was in the process of mastering firebending—maybe that was why he looked so confident. He was also alive, which meant that a flurry of her worst fears dissolved, lifting a huge weight off her shoulders in the process.
Toph looked the same, and she was almost thankful for it. She’d always been a grounding presence for Y/N, mirroring her element, and knowing that she hadn’t missed everything made her feel slightly better about it all.
Katara’s hair was down and her outfit was new, but she had a different air about her, a steelier glint in her eye. But when she saw her father and Y/N, it completely disappeared as they widened in surprise.
“Dad?” she gasped, her eyes already starting to glimmer with tears. She ran over to him, embracing him tightly as she buried her face in his chest.
“Hi, Katara,” he smiled, patting her on the back as he pulled her in closer. “It’s so good to see you again.”
She picked her head up and looked at Y/N, shaking her head in disbelief. “And— and Y/N? You’re alive, a-and you’re here! This is like a dream!”
Y/N grinned. “I feel— woah!”
It was her turn to get attacked with love, and she fully welcomed it as her and Katara hugged each other so tight the other could barely breathe. “I feel the same,” she managed to get out, and she closed her eyes in contentment. She had missed them all so much.
“How did you do this?” she asked, looking over at Sokka. “How are you all here? Where did you go?”
Sokka smiled bashfully at her, scratching his neck. “We… kind of went to a Fire Nation prison and broke them all out.”
A laugh bubbled out of Katara, and she let go of Y/N to pull Sokka and her dad into a group hug. “Of course you did.”
And as Y/N looked at the three of them, then Aang absolutely beaming and Toph’s own smile at the ground, she couldn’t help the tears that welled up in her eyes. But this time, they were tears of joy.
everything happens for a reason part 17 - zuko x fem!reader
And maybe I don't quite know what to say
part 16 | masterlist | part 18
a/n: finally getting into zuko's redemption arc as well as reuniting yn with sokka!! im so happy bc i really missed writing her with him, their relationship is so special to me. writing 3 chapters straight of prison feels kinda brings the mood down lol so at least its coming back up w/ suki and sokka
this was all gonna be one chapter but it started getting way too long so im splitting it in two. next chapter is their escape from the boiling rock baby !
wc: 6.5k
warning(s): some more angst but a fair amount of fluff as well (yn and sokka reunion!!<3) but mostly angst tbh. yn is very mad at zuko as she should be and sokka kinda gives it to him as well
chapter title comes from 'this is me trying' by taylor swift
“I can’t believe they’re keeping us inside all week,” Suki muttered, dragging the mop across the floor with more irritation than usual. “The only bearable part of this place, and they just take it away.”
“The warden certainly knows how to keep his prisoners miserable,” Y/N said, wiping at a stubborn patch of grease on the side of the wall with a wet cloth.
It had been a few weeks since Y/N had found her new home in the loveliest place in all the Fire Nation, and she was beginning to accept her situation. After what Suki pulled, defending her in front of their entire block, no one had messed with her since. And having Suki by her side in the first place, it made being stuck in the Boiling Rock a lot more bearable. They practically became attached at the hip — they were lucky enough to be in the same block in the first place, so during courtyard time, mandated chores, and any other time they weren’t confined to their cells, Y/N and Suki were always together.
It made a world of difference, having someone like Suki by her side after being on her own for so long. They talked constantly, Suki telling her what it was like to grow up on Kyoshi Island and her subsequent journey as a Kyoshi Warrior, and Y/N revealing the story of her upbringing to somebody else in full for the first time. It was the number one source of her shame, the amount of pain and suffering she’d caused both herself and her mother by trusting Zuko, but Suki offered nothing but support.
One thing, at least, had become clear: they may have gotten into this separately, but they were going to get out of it together.
“I mean, it’s the middle of the summer!” Suki complained, taking her out of her thoughts. “It’s hot outside, but it’s even worse in here. I would kill for some windows.”
Y/N’s eyes suddenly widened, and she looked at Suki. “The middle of the summer— I think I know why we’re stuck inside.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“When I was still with Aang and the rest of the group, we visited this secret underground library with all the knowledge you could ever want. Sokka discovered a Fire Nation secret, some kind of eclipse where all firebending is useless for a short period. It’s called the Day of Black Sun, and,” she lowered her voice, “we were going to invade the Fire Nation that day so Aang could take out the Fire Lord. I think the reason we’re stuck in here is because the eclipse is coming up. It’ll be easier to keep everything together inside than outside, especially if a riot breaks out.”
Suki huffed a laugh as she shook her head. “We’re guarded by a bunch of cowards, then. Can they really be the ‘greatest prison in the Fire Nation’ if they can’t do their job without bending?”
Y/N managed to stifle her laugh just as a guard walked past them, and she ducked her head as she quickly returned to cleaning the walls.
“Is something funny, girl?” His voice was gruff and demanding, but while it would’ve made her cower in her shell when she first arrived here, she had since become skilled in the art of keeping her head low.
“Not at all, sir,” she said, “I apologize for the delay.”
He stared at her for a moment before huffing in approval and walking away, and Suki just rolled her eyes.
“I can’t wait until we’re out of here and we don’t have to grovel at their feet anymore.” She shoved her mop back into the bucket of water and sighed. “Just one good punch to the face of every guard in here before we get out, and I think I’d be satisfied.”
Y/N grinned. “Throw one in there for me and you’ve got a deal.”
“I think I can manage that,” Suki said, smiling as she played along.
She laughed again, the mischievous twinkle in Suki’s eye lightening up the atmosphere effortlessly.
“About this comet though,” Suki said, her expression turning slightly thoughtful, “you’re telling me Sokka’s the one who discovered all of it?”
Y/N smiled knowingly as she turned away from the wall. “Yeah. You should’ve seen him in action, Suki — the whole library was about to collapse underground, a whole “we’re doomed” situation with no way to get both the information we went there for and get out alive. But then Sokka just jumps into action, he figures out when the eclipse is, and we manage to make it out by the skin of our teeth. If it wasn’t for Sokka, I think we would’ve died about… twenty times before I even had the chance to get here.” She elbowed Suki playfully. “He’s pretty smart, right?”
The pink flush to her cheeks faded as Suki turned away, a sheepish smile of her own blooming. “We can talk about that later. What I’m curious about is this: if all the guards don’t have their firebending for a period of time, doesn’t that mean it would be the best time to escape this place?”
“Theoretically, but it would never actually work.” She dipped the rag back into the bucket of water and continued scrubbing at the walls. “We’d never be able to get off the island; the gondola’s the only way out, and we’d be spotted immediately.”
Suki hummed, but Y/N noticed the gleam in her eye. “What are you thinking about?” she asked.
“I’m thinking about an escape route.
Y/N raised her eyebrows. “You’re thinking of an escape route out of the inescapable prison?”
“Obviously.” She turned to Y/N with a smile. “I don’t know how, and it won’t happen this week, but we’re gonna get off of this damn rock. And we’re gonna do it together.”
Suki’s words, somehow still earnest despite everything they’d been through, brought out a smile of her own. “You really think?”
“I know,” she clarified, and she took Y/N’s hand in her own and squeezed hard. “The Fire Nation only got us in our weakest moments. But with the two of us, working together? They won’t know what hit ‘em.”
Y/N bit her lip to hold back her growing amusement, and she nodded as she squeezed back. “Damn right.”
-
“Zuko?”
What had started as his attempt at an introduction quickly went south, and his eyes widened as he held up his hands and took a step backwards. It only took a second for the Avatar and his friends to get into their attack stances, and he gulped. He’d been on the other end of their wrath far too many times to underestimate them.
“I promise, I don’t want any trouble.”
“Then you made a mistake coming here,” Katara retorted, water hovering just above her hands. “What, did you decide you wanted a rematch? I’m happy to help.”
“No!” he exclaimed, taking another step back. Spirits— she was younger than him, how was she so scary? “No, I’m not here to hurt any of you!”
“That’s what you said last time,” she scoffed. “Y’know, before you tried to kill us all?”
“What are you doing here, Zuko?” Aang asked. “How did you even find us?”
“I know it has to be a surprise—”
“Not really,” Sokka muttered.
“—to see me here,” Zuko finished, trying not to let the interruption bother him, “but I swear, it’s for a good reason! I’m— I’m good now, and I think you should let me join your group. I left the Fire Nation, and I’m good now, and I can also teach firebending,” he looked at Aang, “to you.”
Aang’s eyes widened slightly at the consideration but Katara just laughed mirthlessly. “Do you honestly think any of us are stupid to trust you after all you’ve done? We’ll always have another option than you, Zuko. We’ll never be that desperate.”
“Where’s your firebending teacher then?” he asked. “If you have other options, then fine. But I don’t think you have any.”
Katara set her jaw. “We’ll find someone. Anyone but you.”
Aang looked at him for a good, long moment, and Zuko actually grew hopeful for a second, but it was all dashed when he glanced away and shook his head. “There’s no way we can trust you after all you’ve done. You should leave.”
Zuko visibly deflated at Aang’s words. “At least… tell Y/N that I was here. I need her to know I’ve changed.”
The mood noticeably changed at the mention of her, the steeliness to Katara’s eyes and the slight clench of Sokka’s fists the most obvious. They were angry at him, and rightfully so, for what he’d done to her. If only they knew how much turmoil Zuko had gone through over it all.
“She’s not here,” Katara spat. “I figured you would know that, seeing as you’re the one that got her thrown in jail.”
His eyes widened. “What?”
“Are you deaf?” He looked down when he heard the aggressive voice, and was shocked to see it coming from such a small girl. Toph, if he remembered correctly. “She’s not here, and it’s your fault. You should know better than any of us, seeing as she’s still in the Fire Nation.”
“If you cared so much, you should’ve broken her out,” Sokka said bitterly.
“I— I tried,” Zuko insisted, and he was quickly realizing how hard it was going to be to get these people to trust him. “Believe me, I tried to get her out, but when I went to her cell she wasn’t there.
It was somehow still possible as Katara’s glare turned even sharper, and when she took a step forward, he moved back on instinct. “What do you mean, she wasn’t there?”
“She wasn’t there,” he repeated, his eyes slightly wide as he held up his hands. “I— I asked a guard, and he said she was transferred to another prison by my sister, but I haven’t been able to find out where.”
“You know what the Fire Nation does to powerful benders.” Katara’s voice wavered, her blue eyes glimmering with tears. ”How could you let them take her?”
“I tried—” he started, but he didn’t get far.
“You didn’t try at all!” Katara shouted, her voice finally breaking as her hands clenched into fists at her side. “You are the one who did this to her! You are the one who did this to her because she refused to give up on you, and now she could be— she could be dead!”
Katara took a step back as her chest rose and fall with shaky breaths, and the glare she pinned him with was truly murderous. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave and never come back.”
She wiped at the tears streaming down her face and stormed off in the opposite direction, leaving Zuko standing there speechless, unable to do anything but stare with wide eyes.
“Katara!” Aang instantly ran off after her, and Toph took over.
“You heard her,” she said, her blank gaze not meeting his eyes but somehow able to carry the same steeliness in her tone as Katara. “Leave.”
And as she went off after Aang and Katara, Zuko was left with him and a tension that could be cut with a knife.
“I never wanted this to happen,” Zuko whispered.
“It doesn’t matter,” Sokka said coldly. “It still did.”
And he was right.
-
It was… strange, to say the least. Being here, with the Avatar and his friends.
Zuko had only managed to earn himself a spot in the group by near death bravery, but even his fight against the assassin was barely enough to secure it, what with how effortlessly Zuko was able to do the wrong thing in every single situation.
Telling them he sent the assassin after them in the first place, burning Toph’s feet, offering himself up as a prisoner, even just standing too close to Katara— he was constantly on thin ice with all of them, but especially her. Sokka was a frontrunner as well, but it wasn’t really a surprise. He remembered the way Y/N had spoken about them, how close they were — they had every right to hate him, but it still hurt. All he could do was hope to repair it.
And he was trying his hardest to do so. He regained his bending with Aang and the two of them came back stronger than ever in terms of firebending. Toph never really had a grudge against him — even though she ragged on him as much as he deserved for burning her feet — so she was mostly fine with him, and he gave Katara her space. He was going to fix that situation, but after the way she threatened him, Zuko figured a lot of time was needed before he even tried.
As far as Sokka, he didn’t know where he stood with the Water Tribe boy. He knew it would take some time, but what he didn’t know was that this was where he was going to end up not even a day after Sokka asked him about Fire Nation prisons.
“Pretty clouds,” Sokka observed.
On a war balloon. Alone, with only Sokka for company, and a deadly mission ahead of them.
“Yeah… fluffy.”
…It was certainly his most interesting vacation.
Zuko’s head jerked up when Sokka murmured something and his brows creased. “What?”
Sokka glanced up at him, that iciness back once again. “You know this doesn’t mean I like you now.”
“Yeah,” he said. “I… I figured.”
“I’m just doing this with you because you wouldn’t leave me alone and I needed your war balloon.” He crossed his arms and set his jaw. “I haven’t forgiven you for anything that you’ve done.”
“I know,” Zuko sighed, and for a moment the only thing that filled the air was the sound of his firebending. “At least I can help with this.”
“I know how to work a war balloon,” Sokka said, and he rapped his knuckles against the side of the wood. “My friend designed these things. I would’ve figured out how to make the fire if you weren’t here.”
Zuko raised his eyebrows, trying to lighten the mood a bit. “No kidding. One of your friends designed these war balloons?”
Sokka looked up at him, his gaze calculating as if he was trying to gauge the truth of his interest.
“Yeah,” he said eventually. “I helped him polish it up, figure out how to control the hot air. It’s just a balloon, but for war.”
“Well, If there’s one thing my dad’s good at, it’s war,” Zuko muttered.
“Yeah, it seems to run in the family.”
Zuko frowned and his tone turned defensive. “Hey, hold on. Not everyone in my family is like that.”
“I know, I know.” Sokka gestured with his hand. “You’ve changed.”
“I meant my uncle,” Zuko said. “He was more of a father to me, and I really let him down.”
“Well… I think your uncle would be proud of you.” Sokka crossed his arms yet again and he looked out at the sky, not wanting to meet Zuko’s eyes as he actually said something nice. “Leaving your home to come help us? That’s hard.”
“It wasn’t that hard.”
“Really? You didn’t leave anyone behind you cared about?”
Zuko shrugged. “There was one girl, Mai. We were dating, but… it felt more like something forged out of expectations rather than love. It felt like we were putting on a front for the approval of our parents rather than being together for ourselves. I still care about her as a friend, though. Enough that I didn’t want to get her caught up in this mess.”
“And…” he swallowed the lump in his throat as his expression turned downcast. “There was Y/N. She was— she still is— the only girl I’ve ever loved, the way I love her. Ever since I was a child. But I ruined anything we could’ve possibly had together, and now… now, I have no idea where she is, and wherever she is, she hates me.”
Sokka hummed. “She has every right to.”
Zuko glared at him. “You’re really not good at this making people feel better thing.”
“I’m not trying to make you feel better,” he said. “I know you’re trying to become a good guy or whatever, but you deserve to feel bad for what you did. For a pretty long time, too.”
Zuko braced his hand against his forehead as he turned away. “I know. I just can’t stop thinking about her— about how I treated her, and that the last thing I said to her was that…”
He trailed off, and Sokka raised his eyebrows. “What?”
Zuko sighed again and let his hands hang off the side of the boat. “I said that I never loved her.”
“Tui’s gills, man!” Sokka exclaimed. “Yeah, of course she’s gonna hate you for saying something like that. Geez, you go all in when you’re upset, huh?”
“I didn’t mean it!” Zuko defended as he whirled around. “I— I was just angry at everything, and I wanted to forget her, and I thought that if I said it then it would become true and I would finally be able to move on. But,” he heaved a weary sigh as he sat down, his gaze downcast, “I don’t want to move on. I just want to see her again and apologize for everything. I don’t know if it’ll ever be enough, but I have to try.”
The silence weighed heavily between them yet again, with Zuko staring at the ground and Sokka’s gaze softening ever so slightly as he looked at him.
“I think you still have a chance,” he said, and Zuko’s eyes widened slightly.
“What?”
“I think you still have a chance,” he repeated. “As much as I hate to say it, Y/N cared about you. A lot. Like, she talked about you constantly when we were all together, a lot. It was honestly kind of annoying.”
“So what’s your point?” he grumbled.
Sokka sighed. “My point is that you two had a bond— the kind of bond where she risked everything just because of how she felt about you. That kind of bond… it doesn’t just go away.”
“Do you think she’ll even care?” Zuko asked. “After all I’ve done, how can you know she’ll even want to listen to me? How do you know I haven’t completely lost her?”
Sokka was quiet for a moment before he asked a single question. “Do you still love her?”
Zuko answered without hesitation. “With all my heart.”
“Then there’s still time. You haven’t lost her yet.”
He gave him a rare smile and nodded. “Thanks, Sokka. That actually helped.”
He shrugged and looked away. “I mean, it could always be worse. My first girlfriend turned into the moon.”
“…That’s rough, buddy.”
-
Their mission was going about as well as one would think. They had crashed their war balloon leaving them with no way out, nearly gotten discovered seconds after stealing uniforms, and got caught up in a fight in the courtyard, but in the scheme of things they were still on track.
After dropping off a prisoner they had reunited on one of the balconies overlooking the courtyard, where Sokka was diligently scanning the entire field for any sign of his father.
“Sokka,” Zuko whispered, managing to grab his attention. “Listen, I asked around the lounge, and they said that there’s one Water Tribe prisoner here — a waterbender transferred here personally by my sister. Does that sound like it could be your dad?”
He shook his head anxiously. “No, my dad’s not a waterbender. Are— are you sure that’s the only one? Did you double-check?”
“Yeah,” Zuko confirmed. “I’m sure.”
“No,” Sokka muttered, turning away dejectedly. He banged his fists against the wall out of anger. “No! We came all this way for nothing. I failed again.”
“Um, what would Uncle say?” Zuko thought aloud as he stroked his chin. “Sometimes, clouds have two sides; a dark and a light, and a silver lining in between. So… when life seems hard, take a bite out of the silver sandwich!”
Sokka looked wholly disinterested during his whole monologue, but when he directed his gaze back to the courtyard he gasped, his grip tightening on the railing. “Maybe we haven’t failed after all.”
“That’s the spirit!” Zuko grinned. “I can’t believe that worked; I didn’t even know what I was saying.”
“No, what you said made no sense at all— but look!”
Zuko craned his head to see where Sokka was pointing and his eyes widened when he saw what was talking about it.
It was her.
Standing slightly off to the side idly chatting with another girl, a little worse for wear with a black eye, but alive.
“She’s here,” Zuko muttered, equal parts awestruck, relieved, and terrified.
“Y/N is the waterbender you heard about! And do you see who she’s with?” Sokka questioned excitedly. “She’s with Suki! Our girls are here, Zuko. They’re okay!”
As Sokka started to spout off his plan, Zuko listened dimly, unable to take his eyes off of Y/N.
Her eye looked like it was healing, but he gauged that at its initial stage it was something nasty. Seeing her in the red prison jumpsuit was strange — he wondered why she had been transferred here instead of somewhere more resistant to waterbenders, but he pushed logic aside and allowed himself to revel in the temporary relief.
She was here, and she was alive.
Zuko could only hope she was willing to try again with him.
-
Y/N heaved another sigh as she rolled onto her back, unable to get comfortable on the slab she called a bed. It was near impossible to fall asleep without the familiar presence of her friends; the soft sounds of their breaths, just the knowledge that they were there with her, was something sorely missed during her prison days. It didn’t help that her cell had been modified to constantly be pumping in dry air so she couldn’t bend — it was a constant reminder of what she lacked, but she suspected it was just in case it magically came back.
Princess Azula truly despised her.
She sat up and rubbed her eyes, resigning herself to the fact that sleep wasn’t going to come, when her cell door was pushed open. As a guard stepped in, every one of her senses flared up in alert and she immediately darted up from her bed. This couldn’t be anything good.
“I didn’t do anything,” Y/N declared immediately, her voice carrying a bitter edge. She angled herself in such a way that if he did try something, she would hold the advantage. “Nothing that Pao says is ever true, and if you lay a hand on me—”
“What? No, I—“ He paused, and she swore she knew his voice. “Y/N, it’s me!” The guard took off his mask, and she felt her heart stop.
“Zuko?” She hated the way his appearance sent that familiar flutter through her chest but she forced her feelings down, instead focusing on the venom coursing through her veins.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Zuko winced at her harsh tone, his momentarily smile gone as quickly as it appeared. “Spirits, I can’t even get away from you in prison— what, did you come here to gloat?”
“No!” he exclaimed, raising his hands in an effort at placation. “Why would I do that?”
“Oh, I don’t know!” By now she was yelling, unable to contain her rage. “I guess anything is possible with the guy who completely betrayed me!”
“Y/N, quiet down!” he cautioned, casting an instinctive glance to the door. “Someone is going to hear you!”
“Oh?” By now her eyes were blazing, and she raised her arms up as if to challenge him. “Well, maybe I should just get even louder! Think everyone can hear me yet?”
“What are you doing?!” Zuko hissed, heat beginning to emanate off of him as his eyes darted back to the door once more.
“GUAR—“ she began to shout but Zuko lunged forward and clamped his hand over her mouth, an action that confused her into cooperation.
“We’re here to get you out!” he whispered frantically. “Now will you please calm down?”
The fire in her eyes died down slightly but she still batted his hand away and stood a step back. “‘We’?”
“Sokka and I.”
“You brought Sokka here?” she accused before mentally backing up. “Wait, how are you even with Sokka in the first place?”
“No— spirits, could you let me explain before you get on my case?” He took her silence as a sign to continue. “I left the Fire Nation, and Aang accepted me as his firebending teacher. Sokka thinks his dad is in here because he got captured during the invasion, so he wanted to come here to try and break him out. I came with him because I didn’t want him going on a suicide mission. We haven’t been able to find him, but we did find you and Suki. Sokka’s guarding the door right now while we talk, then we’re gonna find her and talk her through the plan as well.”
“If Sokka’s out there, why am I not talking to him?” She crossed her arms and Zuko sighed, averting eye contact.
“Because I wanted to talk to you,” he admitted quietly. “Y/N, no amount of apologies will be able to get across how sorry I am for what I did to you. There are so many horrible things that I’ve done, but I’ll never forgive myself for hurting you. I will spend the rest of my life regretting what I did to you. I—” he swallowed the lump in his throat, “I still love you. I never stopped loving you. And I’m so, so sorry that I ever made you think differently.”
Her fingers unconsciously found their way to the small scar on her forearm and her gaze turned downcast.
How long had she waited to hear those words from him? How many times, on her journey through the Earth Kingdom to the Northern Tribe, had she imagined him saying those words to her? Spirits, at some of her lowest points, the thought of seeing him again, the thought of hearing those words, was the only thing that got her up and moving again.
And here she was, four years later. Zuko standing in front of her, baring his heart for the first time since they were children. Saying that he loved her, that he had always loved her.
But despite his earnesty, Y/N could only think of what happened in the catacombs. What happened in the Fire Nation.
Why she was here in the first place. The things he said to her.
Y/N swallowed thickly as she took a step back, her arms wrapping tightly around her midsection. “Send Sokka in right now, or I will call the guards.” Her voice had lost all the fierceness it possessed moments ago, her words instead carved in a cold, unforgiving anger.
“Y/N—”
“Now.”
With one last desperate glance back at her, Zuko obeyed her wishes, closing the door quietly behind him where he met a concerned Sokka.
“That didn’t sound like it went well.”
Zuko shook his head, his attempt at stoicism failing as he took his place at the wall. “She won’t listen to me. She wants to talk to you, but we have to make it quick so we can make it to Suki before we get caught.”
Sokka swallowed and nodded, trying to prepare himself to go in. He was overjoyed that she was alive within their reach, obviously, but he had a feeling it would hurt a lot more to see what the past couple months at the mercy of the Fire Nation had done to her.
“It’s okay,” Zuko murmured, noticing his apprehension. “She’ll be happy to see you. I know it.”
Sokka nodded once more, and before he could question himself he pushed open the cell door and walked in.
Her eyes flicked up from the ground, her arms falling from their protective positions as a relieved smile tugged at her lips.
“You really are here,” he whispered, his voice a mix of disbelief and pure happiness. “You’re—”
He wasn’t granted the chance to finish his sentence as she tore across the room and enveloped him in the tightest hug possible. Though it got a grunt out of Sokka, he immediately reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her with the same vigor.
“I’m so happy you’re okay,” she whispered, tears brimming in her eyes. “But this is the stupidest thing that you have ever done.”
Sokka laughed as he squeezed her tighter, and she had almost forgotten how much she missed that dumb little laugh after every bad joke he made, and the way that he always hugged her a little too tight.
(She didn’t think that would be a problem anymore — Sokka’s hugs always felt like a safety blanket, but now she felt like she could cry with how needed that comfort was. She was pretty sure she would annoy him, hugging him over every little thing, just to make sure she never forgot that feeling.)
“I can’t believe you’re here,” he muttered, taking a step back to look over her with concerned eyes. “Are you okay? What happened to your eye?”
“Neither can I,” she chuckled mirthlessly. “I’m as good as I can be, I guess. Still alive, which is all I can really ask for here.” She gestured to her eye lazily and sighed. “Let’s just say that people here don’t take too kindly to outsiders, especially when they work with the Avatar.”
“I’m so sorry that this happened to you,” Sokka said quietly. “I— I wish that I had been down there that night. Maybe you wouldn’t have gotten caught up in this whole mess.”
“It’s not your fault, Sokka. You can’t blame yourself for something you weren’t involved in.” She smiled weakly. “And besides, I’m still here. I’m okay.”
“Of course you are.” Sokka’s hands hovered over her shoulders, like he didn’t know how fragile she was. Like if he even looked at her the wrong way, she would break like glass. “The Fire Nation’s never been able to take you down.”
“I mean… I am in an inescapable Fire Nation prison. I think they got me there,” she said dryly.
Sokka snapped his fingers and took a step back. “Right! Except it’s not inescapable, because we’re gonna bust you out of here..”
“You— you are?” she asked, surprised. “How long have you been here?”
He shrugged. “Half a day, give or take.”
And for some reason, that was the thing that got her. Her eyes filled with tears and she pulled him back into a hug so tight she was sure he couldn’t breathe, but right now Y/N didn’t really care.
“I missed you so much,” she whispered, a watery laugh breaking through.
“I missed you too,” he said back, just as softly, and she didn’t even have to look at him to know he was on the brink of tears as well. “Azula— she used you against me. I thought you were dead, Y/N. I don’t know what I would’ve done if she… if it was true.”
She frowned as she pulled away. “She used— what do you mean?”
Sokka swallowed thickly. “She said you were a prisoner. That— that you were tortured, and through it all you called out my name. Like I should’ve been there, and— and I should have. I should have been there to protect you, but I wasn’t, and now you’ve been through all of this…”
Sokka shook his head again. “I am so sorry, Y/N. I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”
She smiled and laughed, a bit breathless. “No complaints here.”
“But I have been wondering,” Sokka said suddenly, “why did Azula put you here? It’s either really cocky or really stupid to put a waterbender in a prison surrounded by water, no matter how many guards there are. Have you tried to escape yourself?”
Y/N’s expression sobered and she turned away a bit. Her bending was still the sorest of subjects — every day, when she would be out in the courtyard, she would feel even more useless about not being able to do anything but stare out at the water.
“It’s… it’s gone.” She saw Sokka’s eyes widen out of her peripherals and she wrapped her arms around her midsection. “My bending is gone, and Azula put me here as one last way to rub salt in the wound that keeps growing.”
“What?” There was real concern in both his gaze and his voice, but Y/N couldn’t even stand to look at him. Not when she was incapable of even the most basic things. “Your bending— it’s gone?”
“I don’t know,” she said with a mirthless chuckle. “I— I don’t know. It happened after I was imprisoned in the Fire Nation— maybe it’s because I’m so weak, or maybe it’s because I haven’t practiced it in so long, or maybe it’s a million other things, but all I do know is that I can’t bend anything. So I can’t help you with that.”
“Y/N.” Sokka reached for her hand and she let him take it, a comforting warmth in it. “Zuko… he lost his bending when he first joined us. I know you don’t want anything to do with him, but maybe he could help you get it back.”
She scoffed as she pulled her hand away. “Sokka, I’d rather lose my bending forever than work with him. I don’t want to be around him— not after what he did.”
He sighed and gave her a look that could only be described as brotherly, the same one he gave Katara whenever she wanted to do something stupid.
“You’re hurting, Y/N, I know. And— and you’re allowed to be angry, and to hate Zuko, and to want absolutely nothing to do with him, but I won’t let you hurt yourself because of it.” At her silence, Sokka continued. “You need to get out of here, and you need to get your bending back. You’re gonna have to work with Zuko to do both of those things, and then you can go back to hating him. But just— hold out for a few more days.”
“He burned me in the catacombs,” Y/N whispered, and she held out her arm for him to see the scar from the attack. “He burned me just to get the upper hand, just like he did in the Earth Kingdom. I’m in here because of him. I’ve never mattered to him, not if he could just throw me away like this. So why should I give him even a second of my time?”
“Because hurting yourself will do nothing for you,” he said decisively. “If you want to get back at Zuko, then you have to get out of here first. And as much as I hate to say it…” Sokka sighed and shook his head, “my plan won’t work without him. So let him help me get you and Suki out of here, figure out a way to get your bending back, and then you can bring down all your fury on him.”
She glanced away, her gaze pointed towards the floor for a good long moment before she finally spoke.
“You really have a way to get out of here?”
Sokka nodded. “I just need maybe a little longer to work out the kinks, but it’ll be solid. It’ll get us all out of here; the two of us and you and Suki.”
Y/N sighed and looked back at Sokka. “Okay. I’ll work with him to get out of here, but nothing more.”
“I’m not asking you for anything more,” Sokka said. But then he smiled, and he chuckled a bit. “It’s so good to see you again. It’s… it’s been hard without you.”
She frowned. “Really?”
“Yeah,” he nodded. “It’s really taken a toll on Katara. She blames herself for what happened because she was down in the catacombs with you.” His voice got quieter. “We both do.”
“It’s not either of your faults,” she said. “It’s the Fire Nation’s fault. It’s Zuko’s fault.”
“I’m just glad we found you,” he said. “You and Suki.” Sokka smiled a bit. “Has she been keeping you on track?”
Y/N laughed. “I’d say so. She’s the reason this,” she pointed at her eye, “isn’t a whole lot worse. I owe a lot to her.”
“We’re gonna get you both out of here,” he said again. “And as much as I don’t want to leave—”
“You have to,” she nodded. “Go talk to her. I’ll be okay. I don’t really have anywhere else to go.”
Sokka chuckled again and nodded. “I know.”
He pulled Y/N into one last hug before he left, and she caught a glimpse of Zuko on the other side as Sokka closed the door softly behind himself.
Her cell felt a lot quieter, lonelier, colder without Sokka. She knew he would be coming back, but she missed him already. She’d always hated being alone, but it hurt more now than ever before.
But it gave her the chance to let her walls down. She collapsed onto her bed as the tears quietly wracked her body, forcing herself to stay silent as they trailed down her face. It was one thing to be heard yelling, it was another thing to be seen showing this much weakness.
Weeks, months of pent up emotions began to show themselves, greedy after finally being granted an outlet. Seeing Sokka on its own was emotional enough, but Zuko was a whole different situation.
Y/N thought that finally getting to yell at him would’ve made her feel better in some way, but it only succeeded in making it all worse. She didn’t feel happy, cleansed, righteous.
She felt nothing.
The hours blended together until the wells in her eyes ran dry, and somewhere along the path she managed to fall into a restless sleep. Some part of her was angry that he hadn’t fought back the way she did, that he hadn’t yelled back — she wanted something physical to hold against him, something to make it easier to hate him than the abstract betrayal. Maybe that was stupid. It was even more stupid of him to think he had any chance of a civil conversation with her after what he did.
Maybe she would have to work with him to get out of this place, band together under a temporary truce in order to officially cleanse herself of the prisoner brand. She could put herself through that if the reward at the end of it all was getting her life back.
everything happens for a reason part 16 - zuko x fem!reader
I miss you more than anything
part 15 | masterlist | part 17
a/n: SO. it has only been a minor 116 days since the last chapter. lol. i am so sorry for the delay, my inspiration to write for this series has been pretty low lately but all the sweet comments you guys have left abt this series has brought it back and it's finally here !! thank you to everyone that's kept with this throughout the constant month-long waits, i love you all and your support means the world<3 this chapter jumps around in pov quite a bit but hopefully it works out alright
wc: 5.9k
warning(s): angst, a lot of angst, katara, zuko, and yn's inner turmoil lol, prisons and bad conditions, and some more angst
chapter title comes from francis forever by mitski
The flowers were in bloom.
Camellias, roses, peonies, fire lilies, silver wisterias. Their aroma was almost overwhelmingly sweet, but it signaled the change of seasons, the slow descent into the notoriously torturous Fire Nation summer. While Zuko would normally be reluctantly preparing for a trip to Ember Island or engaging in rigorous training to fill the hours in the absence of school lessons, his days instead consisted of politics and meetings.
He was — once again — the crown prince. The Fire Lord’s heir, the next leader of the Fire Nation, the one who would have the honor of leading a fully united world after a century of war with the Fire Nation at its helm. It was what he had been fighting for all his life, what he had spent the past three years in exile for, what he had cast aside everything for. This — the life of the prince he was supposed to be — was what Zuko was meant for.
And yet he couldn’t even look himself in the mirror.
When he did, he was met with a person he hardly recognized. Dark circles underneath his eyes, prominent cheekbones, shaggy hair that constantly fell in his line of sight. To anyone that asked he simply cited hard work, the excuse of all his new duties more than enough to get someone off his back.
Zuko didn’t understand it. Everything was perfect. He had the title, the honor, the respect — for Agni’s sake, he even had the girl. He and Mai got together shortly after his return to the Fire Nation, and she was everything a noble son could have wanted.
He should’ve been happy, grateful, ecstatic to have the life he’d always wanted after so long, but the only constant in his life seemed to be unrelenting anger. He snapped at every guard, every servant, Mai, Ty Lee, Azula — everyone that went farther than a greeted nicety that wasn’t his father.
How could he have everything he had ever wanted but still be so miserable?
“Zuko? Did you hear me?”
Zuko was jarred from his thoughts by Mai’s voice, and he blinked a couple times as he met her eyes again. In all the years he’d known her, he didn’t think he had ever seen her smile. In a weird way, he was thankful for the lack of emotion. He didn’t have to worry about the seemingly ever-present scowl he bore most days when Mai was the same way.
He shook his head. “No. What’d you say?”
Mai sighed. “Ty Lee won’t stop talking about going into town to see the lanterns and the barges they’re setting up for the festival, and she finally managed to wear me down. I was wondering if you wanted to come with us tomorrow night.”
Zuko frowned. “There’s a festival coming up?”
“The Festival of Szeto,” she responded. “You haven’t been to one in a while, so I thought it would be…” Mai rolled her eyes a bit, “…nice.”
He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat, barely managing a nod. “Yeah. Sure.”
Mai nodded as well then stood up from the chaise, walking over to the door frame before she turned to face him. “I should go. Azula requested Ty Lee and I join her for something tonight; I need to get ready for whatever she’s planning.”
“You’ve been talking a lot about Ty Lee lately,” Zuko said, not looking back at her as he got up as well and crossed over to his desk, the furnished wood covered by heaps of papers.
There was something heavy in Mai’s silence, and he felt the weight of her gaze on his back. “She’s one of the only people I can tolerate in this place. You’re not exactly easy to be around these days.”
Zuko clenched his jaw, his hand tightening into a fist on the table. “It’s not like you’re any better.”
“You don’t really inspire happiness,” Mai retorted. “At least I can talk to people without them being afraid I’ll explode if they say the wrong thing. You’re a walking fire hazard Zuko, and it’s so painfully obvious that it’s because of her.”
He whipped around, a familiar fire blazing in his irises. “What are you saying?”
“You know exactly what I’m saying.” Mai crossed her arms. “You refuse to eat fruit tarts, you hate silver wisterias, you snap at every servant, and you can’t even look me in the eye some days. I can’t even mention her without you losing your temper. You have everything you could ever want, but you’re still stuck in the past.”
Zuko glared at her. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She just shook her head, the same deadpan expression as ever. But there was something else in her eyes, something he couldn’t place. “Azula was right. You really aren’t over her.”
Before Zuko had a chance to say anything, Mai left, shutting the door behind her. He stewed in a suffocating silence until it became too much, his rage manifesting in a frustrated roar as he slammed his fist into his desk. The pain didn’t faze him, his breathing slightly ragged as he lifted his head and stared out the window.
Y/N. Mai didn’t mention her by name, but Zuko knew. He always knew; he knew her, and it was— she was— the source of every problem in his life. He hadn’t seen her in weeks, not since he had made the misguided decision to visit her in the prisons, and yet she managed to consume his every waking thought without lifting a finger.
Everything in his life was perfect except for her. Except for Y/N, the girl he never should have fallen for and had no reason to feel anything else for, especially not now. What he said, he wanted so badly to be true. He wanted to hate her, he wanted to banish her from his mind, he wanted every part of her erased from every part of him.
But every Agni-damned thing in the Fire Nation reminded him of her.
The silver wisterias that grew in the gardens. The fabrics the servants used to mend his clothes, the servants themselves. The fruit tarts in the kitchens. He nursed any injuries on his own, unable to even think about stepping foot in the infirmary.
Zuko pulled away from his desk and sat against the side of his bed, burning holes into the floorboards with the heat of his glare.
Mai was right. If he didn’t get rid of this guilt, if he didn’t let go of the past, he would never be free. And he wasn’t going to give up everything he had fought for over a childish crush.
His hands once again clenched into fists, the loose fabric of his tunic bunching up underneath. He had to forget his uncle, he had to forget Y/N , he had to forget every memory of the Avatar and his team and the disappointment and anger that each of them looked at him with that night in Ba Sing Se.
He just had to figure out how.
-
So this was the Boiling Rock.
It truly was deserted. An island in the middle of a boiling lake surrounded by rock that rose miles above the water, a sight that never failed to instill that feeling of worthlessness that was growing all too familiar.
She did not belong here, isolated from everyone she knew in an inescapable prison with only the worst criminals for company. It instilled a sick sense of dread in her, that this was what the Fire Nation, or at least those in power, thought of those fighting against them to bring back peace.
Y/N realized that Princess Azula had certainly made good on her promise the moment she was loaded onto the airship, one in a line of many other prisoners. With her spine ramrod straight and features tightened into a trained mask of stoicism, she was almost able to fool the others into thinking she wasn’t absolutely terrified. She got good looks at her fellow inmates on the gondola ride over to the prison, and saying she was intimidated was an understatement.
Fellow inmates. It was strange to think of it like that, but it was her reality now. Back in the Fire Nation, she was completely alone. Here, she was surrounded by criminals, all much older than her and likely far more grizzled. She was out of her league in so many ways — one of the guards had warned the others about her waterbending (or lack thereof) and it only served to make her more vulnerable.
Y/N had a feeling that the prisoners here didn’t care for outsiders.
After becoming the not-so-proud owner of an ill-fitting red jumpsuit and going through a very blunt orientation warning them of what would happen if they were even a step out of line, she was introduced to her new home for the foreseeable future.
The cell was cramped, dry, and uncomfortable in every way. Boasting no windows, a single cot with a blanket so thin she could have torn it herself, and absolutely nothing else, she was truly living the life of luxury.
She sat on the sorry excuse for a bed and pulled her knees up to her chest as she backed against the wall, and the slow, methodical breathing she had learned from Aang was the only thing keeping her somewhat calm.
This was it.
Y/N was in a Fire Nation prison with no means of escape, her friends were on the other side of the world with no idea of what had happened to her, Aang was really and truly gone with no chance of rebirth, and the world’s last chance at peace was foiled with the fall of Ba Sing Se.
There was no second chance. There was no ‘sleep on it, try again tomorrow’ — they had lost everything. She had lost everything.
She was going to live out the rest of her short, pitiful life as a non-bending, traitorous prisoner, completely separated from everyone and everything she’d ever loved.
In the darkest moments of her life, Y/N had always been able to look to the sky, at least comforted by the notion that Yue was watching over her. No matter where she was, Yue was always there. But here, surrounded by concrete and not even granted the luxury of barred windows, stargazing was not an option.
She no longer even had the moon to turn to.
She had lost.
And she was purely and truly alone.
-
“I honestly thought I wouldn’t be able to deal with the Fire Nation weather, but it’s actually pretty nice.” Sokka cleaned his machete as he spoke, needing something to do with his hands while he waited for dinner. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the South, but it’s nice not having to worry about freezing to death all the time.”
Aang gave him a strange look. “You worried about freezing to death all the time?”
He brushed his question off with his hand. “You get used to it after a while. I like not having to wear parkas everywhere, especially at night. This seaside breeze?” Sokka smiled as he inhaled the salty scent, gesturing towards the water with his machete. “Almost makes up for the Fire Nation chasing us everywhere.”
“You have very low standards,” Katara said dryly, glancing over at him as she stirred a pot of soup with her waterbending.
“Hey,” he shrugged, “low standards means that you’re never disappointed. It helps with your cooking.”
She rolled her eyes at his remark, but she couldn’t hold back her smile. “Keep that up and you’ll be hunting for food on your own.”
Sokka held up his hands in defense, but Toph just groaned from her spot on the ground, her blank gaze aimed at the night sky. “Are you gonna be done soon? I’m starving.”
“You’re in luck,” she said, and she started bending their pitiful excuse for a meal into the wooden bowls they had picked up a hundred villages ago.
They didn’t have much after their loss in Ba Sing Se, the sum of their journey having been reduced to the few possessions each of them kept in their bags after they were forced to flee from the city.
There wasn’t much in terms of food where the four of them had been staking out lately either — the rations Hakoda had provided them before they left the Water Tribe fleet ran out despite their best efforts to make them last, leaving Sokka to scrounge up what he could on his usual scavenging trips and Katara to cook something up with the little ingredients and tools they had. It was a con to camping out in the middle of the Fire Nation, but underneath Sokka’s and Toph’s complaints, they would agree that it was a small price to pay to avoid anyone from the Fire Nation.
Katara finished filling all of the bowls and she started passing them out, but when she got to her own she froze in place. “Oh.”
Sokka had already started digging in — the broth might’ve been largely flavorless, but it was better than nothing — but he looked up from his bowl at his sister. “What?”
She sat down with a solemn expression, but he could see the emotions warring on her face. “I… I made five.”
The three words drained all of the earlier lightness out of the atmosphere, leaving the four of them in a heavy silence at the indirect mention of their lost companion.
“It just…” Katara sighed as she set her bowl on the dirt, her appetite suddenly gone. “It just doesn’t feel right without her. I’ve always known we were friends, best friends, but I never knew how much I would miss her until she wasn’t here anymore. I always end up wanting to tell her things, and then I remember she’s not here, and I…” She trailed off, her gaze falling to the ground, but Toph nodded.
“She could actually take a joke,” she said with a smile. “She looked out for me and she took care of me, but she never treated me like I was a child. I could tell that she cared in her own way, and that was special.”
“You are a child,” Sokka said.
“You know what I mean.”
“I do,” he chuckled. “And I miss her too. We have this— this kind of bond that you guys can’t understand — I think it has to do with Yue, but she just always got me. She got all of us.” Sokka looked at his sister and shrugged. “You’re right. It feels wrong without her.”
“I feel like it’s my fault,” Katara muttered. “I was down there when she sacrificed herself. I should’ve been faster, I should’ve been able to help her somehow—”
“You can’t do that to yourself, Katara,” Sokka interrupted. “You did everything you could— she made the choice to stay down there.”
“Do you blame me for not helping her?” Aang asked. “Do you blame me for going down in the Avatar state?”
“Of course not,” she said with a frown. “You saved us all — we had no idea what Azula was going to do.”
Toph nodded. “And do you blame Sokka and me for not being down there?”
“No!” she exclaimed, her brows creasing even further. “How could I blame you all?”
Aang gave her a knowing look and she chuckled lightly as she nodded. “Oh. I see what you’re doing.”
“If you can’t blame us for it, then you can’t blame yourself for what happened to Y/N.” Aang gave her a small smile. “She wouldn’t want you to blame yourself anyways. You know that.”
“Just because I know it doesn’t mean it’s easy to accept,” Katara sighed. She fiddled with her hands as she stared down at the ground, a question weighing on her mind that she could barely bring herself to ask.
“Do you think she’s still…?” Katara trailed off again, but the implication was obvious as it hung heavily in the air.
“She has to be,” Aang said, and he sounded so sure of himself it was hard to think otherwise. “There’s no other option than her being okay.”
Toph nodded. “She’s tough. You said she was a servant there before all of this, right? If she’s handled the Fire Nation before, she can do it again.”
Katara nodded as well, offering another soft smile to her friends in thanks for their efforts. “Yeah. She’ll be fine.”
She didn’t know if she believed her words, to tell the truth. But she kept repeating them to herself in her head, hardly paying attention as the rest of the group idled onto another topic of conversation.
“Wherever you are,” she murmured so quietly no one could hear, “I hope you know that I miss you.”
-
Zuko stared up at the ceiling, his eyes burning from a lack of rest but his mind unable to shut off. It was almost funny, how he dragged through each day completely exhausted, yet once the night came he could never find the sweet release of sleep.
Nights like these had become far more frequent than they should have, his habits becoming so unhealthy even Mai was beginning to worry. He let out a frustrated growl as he sat up, running one of his hands through his unkempt hair, shaggy layers continuing to grow the more he ignored it.
“Guess your lies aren’t helping you sleep as much as you thought they would.”
Zuko’s head shot up at the sound of a voice, his wild eyes darting back and forth looking for the source. When he found it, his eyes widened.
“What?” His voice was low, barely more than a whisper, and for a moment he wondered if this was it, if he was really going crazy.
She was there — Y/N, his waterbender, the link to his past that he was trying so Agnidamned hard to forget—
“Did you think it would be that easy to get rid of me?” She was almost taunting him from her spot, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. Dressed in the grime-covered tunics all prisoners were forced to wear, looking just the way she had the day he visited her in the cells, it was hard to tell himself that she wasn’t really here. “I’ve always been a part of you, Zuko. You know that just as well as I do.”
“No,” he said, already on the edge of rambling, “no, you’re not—”
“Why do you keep trying to deny it?” she asked, her composed features in stark contrast to his own desperation. “You haven’t stopped thinking about me since the day I escaped the Fire Nation. Even when you’ve betrayed me, when I’m supposed to be your enemy, you bring me here like this.”
“I didn’t do anything,” he muttered, his hands clenching into fists around the fabric of his sheets. “I’m trying to forget you, and when I finally do, I’ll be free.”
She laughed mirthlessly. “That’s how you think this will go? That eventually, you’ll forget me, and you’ll be able to move on without the pesky little waterbender weighing you down.”
Y/N stood up from the wall and walked towards the bed, stopping at the foot as she crossed her arms. Zuko knew it wasn’t real, that she wasn’t real, but he could hardly keep himself from reaching out on instinct.
“You betrayed me. You betrayed your uncle. You don’t just get to forget what you did to us, go on and live your happy royal life.” She practically spit her words, and Zuko flinched. “This will destroy you from the inside out. And I hope to the spirits it does.”
“Why won’t you leave me alone?” Zuko was almost begging now, and even though he hated the desperation in his voice he couldn’t help it. “I can’t help you anymore. I have no choice, just— just leave me alone!”
Her lips quirked up in a sardonic smile as she tilted her head to the side slightly. “I’m not even here, Zuko. You did this. You did this.”
Her mockery, her taunts, her being so close and yet completely unobtainable, the fact that everything she said was true. Zuko couldn’t take it anymore, the last of his weakened façade breaking as he felt the temperature rise around him.
“Get out of my head!” he yelled, a blast of fire shooting out from his fists in a desperate effort to end this. She disappeared with the flames, leaving only a small fire in his place. Zuko had been so caught up with his own mind’s creation that he almost forgot the consequences of his rage, and he darted out of his bed to smother the flames with his sheets.
He stood there, panting and staring down at the smoldering fabric with wide eyes. Zuko ran a shaky hand through his hair as he turned around, grabbing one of his bed posts to ensure his balance. He was scared, terrified — could he even tell what was real or not?
Zuko would go insane if he didn’t figure this out, he knew that much. He had to end this— this war inside of his head, and then he would finally be free.
He grabbed his cloak from the chest on the edge of his bed and shoved his arms into it, leaving the mess in his room as he closed the door as quietly as he could. After making sure he wasn’t being followed, he set off to end his turmoil, once and for all.
He needed closure.
-
“All prisoners from Block C, report to the courtyard.”
Y/N sighed as she pushed herself up from her bed, waiting a few seconds after her cell door opened to walk out and join the flow of inmates. Though her hands itched to do something, she kept them hanging loosely by her side, doing her best to blend in as just another prisoner on their walk to the courtyard.
Everything in her dismal life had blended together, the strict schedules set in place by the guards the only reason she was able to keep track of the days. Even then it wasn’t always helpful, as their block times weren’t set in stone. Some days she would end up in the courtyard in the early morning, other days she would be armed with a mop to fight against the neverending grime the moment she woke up.
It was a torturously mundane existence, but when surrounded by some of the Fire Nation’s worst criminals, Y/N found that she preferred mundane to any other option.
She squinted a bit when they entered the courtyard; despite a few weeks of the same routine, the sun still got to her every day after coming from the dark isolation of her cell. The place might’ve been hot, humid, and miserable, but it was still better than the rest of the prison.
It didn’t take her very long to learn how to survive in the Boiling Rock — she stayed silent, kept her head down, and showed zero emotion. Never show any vulnerability, and stay out of everything. She was an abnormality here as a young girl, even more so with her brand of waterbender — it was a giant target on her back, and she did whatever she could to keep it from being shot at.
“Hey!”
But sometimes, her best efforts weren’t enough.
A gruff voice rang out behind her and she tried to ignore it, hoping that it was directed at someone else. There were hundreds of prisoners, and at least half of the blocks were out at the moment. It was more likely that he wasn’t trying to get her attention—
“I said hey. You listen to me when I talk to you.”
Of course she wouldn’t be so lucky.
Y/N tentatively turned around and had to force herself to hold eye contact with the man in front of her. He looked to be a little older than her, maybe in his late twenties. With a handsome face and a sharp jawline, he was the image of a noble son she might’ve met back home but with the added fatigue from prison life. She had seen him around a couple of times, and she knew that he was nothing but trouble. She wished he didn't have a bone to pick with her.
“You’re that Water Tribe savage, aren’t you?” he sneered, taking a step towards her that in turn caused her to back up. “I heard you worked with the Avatar, that’s why you’re in here.”
“You’ve got the wrong girl,” she muttered, refusing to look away from her assailant as he continued to push forward. Y/N felt her back hit the wall and she bit down hard on the inside of her cheek, willing herself not to show any emotion.
His arm shot out, palm flat against the wall and effectively trapping her in place. “I don’t think I do,” he taunted. “I think you’re the only one who has a chance of getting out of here, but you’re just too damn weak to do anything.”
“You’re lucky I can’t bend out here,” she refuted coolly, still maintaining eye contact. “Otherwise you’d be dead where you stand.”
“Oh, we’ve got a feisty one here!” he laughed, turning and gesturing with his head towards her to get the attention of some other prisoners before bringing his attention back to Y/N, his eyes gleaming dangerously.
“You think you’re better than us, don’t you? Because you’re all about your fancy waterbending, and working with the Avatar, and being a hero. But you ended up in the same place we did, so I guess it wasn’t worth it.” He closed the distance between them, the proximity so near she could feel the heat from every exhale. She forced herself not to look away, despite every nerve in her body screaming at her to back down. “I think I gotta take you down a notch.”
He launched his fist at her before she could blink, and Y/N recoiled instantly as she took the blow to the right side of her face. Her hand immediately flew up to nurse the injury, letting out a strained gasp at the sudden pain.
“Doesn’t feel so good, does it?” the man snarled as he reeled back for another. She screwed her eyes shut, already bracing for the impact, but it never came. She heard a grunt and slowly opened her eyes to see another girl, one that couldn’t be any older than her, holding his fist in place with an iron grip. She had appeared out of nowhere, but she had saved her.
“Go pick on someone your own size,” she threatened. Y/N could see his face contorting in pain with the hold the girl had on him, and as soon as she released his hand he backed up.
“What’s your fuckin’ problem?” he snarled, squeezing his hand to regain feeling in his fingers again. “No one ever taught you how to mind your own business?”
“It’s my business when you pick on innocent people,” she countered. “Now, are you gonna get out of here, or do I have to do something a lot worse?”
The man grit his teeth as he glanced around him — no one would come to help him if he took her challenge. As he started to back away, he glared at the girl. “You’ve just made a powerful enemy.”
She rolled her eyes as he walked off, then turned to the group of prisoners that had gathered around the scene. The girl drew herself up, acting much older and intimidating than she appeared.
“Well?” she yelled, enhancing her stature as she took a step forward. “Get out of here!”
In yet another fantastical feat, the girl managed to scare the crowd off. Y/N couldn’t help as her jaw dropped, amazed at how easily she had gotten rid of not only her attacker but everyone else. She was ready to thank her savior, but when she turned around giving Y/N a full view of her face, she gasped.
“Suki?”
Warmth blossomed in her chest despite the instinctual disbelief. Y/N had always wanted to meet up with Suki again after she left to go help her warriors, but the Boiling Rock was the last place she thought they would find each other again. Was her friend really here?
“Hey.” Suki grinned as she casually leaned against the wall, taking a second to shake out her hand. “Talk about a reunion, huh?”
Suki didn’t have the chance to even breathe before Y/N lunged at her, wrapping her in the tightest embrace she could muster and relishing in the warmth of another, of someone she could actually trust.
“You’re here,” she breathed, close to tears. “I’m not alone. You’re here.”
“I’m here.” Suki responded in kind after a moment of hesitation, reciprocating the hug with the same intensity. Once Y/N pulled away, she gave her a sideways smile, though her coyness was lessened by the softness in her eyes. “How’d you get unlucky enough to end up here?”
Y/N rubbed her injury, already able to feel the swelling, and shook her head. “Tui’s gills. There’s… a lot to unpack.”
She shrugged and gestured to her surroundings. “We’ve got time.”
She managed a small smile of her own and mirrored Suki’s lean against the wall as she sighed. “Well… It all started in Ba Sing Se.”
-
Zuko was familiar with the Capital City prison by now. He’d visited Y/N once before and his uncle far too many times after, but after Azula caught him one night, he decided to play it safe. Despite her promise not to tell anyone, he didn’t trust her. He had his childhood mantra for a reason.
The guards were familiar with his disguise, allowing him in without any trouble, but once he reached the block he remembered Y/N to be in, he was met with a guard he’d never seen before. He looked young, far too young to be on guard duty in a prison like this, but Zuko didn’t really care. It meant it would be easier to get what he wanted.
“You can’t be here, sir,” the guard said, snapping up to attention as he finally sensed his presence. “This block of the prison doesn’t accept visitors—”
Zuko took off his hood and the man’s eyes widened, an apology tumbling out immediately.
“I’m so sorry, Prince Zuko! Please, forgive me— I’m new and I was never told that you—”
“Save it,” he grumbled, but as he got closer to the cell, a frown twisted his features. The inhabitant was a large, muscular man, and in the moment he was thankful he was asleep so he wouldn’t have to deal with it. Zuko turned to the guard and glared at him. “Where is she?”
“Who?”
“The waterbender, the prisoner that worked with the Avatar!” he snapped, that wild desperation in his eyes growing once again. “Where is she? This is her cell!”
“She isn’t here anymore!” the guard rushed out, his hands raised up slightly at his sides in some sort of defense. “She hasn’t been here for weeks— she was transferred out with the last block of prisoners to make room for the rioters.”
“Where was she sent?” he demanded.
“I don’t know!” he practically whimpered out, and when Zuko grabbed his collar, ignited a flame in his free hand and held it up to his face, his eyes widened even more. “I swear, I don’t know! Princess Azula authorized it herself; she didn’t tell anyone about the specifics!”
Azula.
Zuko let him go with a growl, already beginning to stalk off before he stopped and turned partially. “I was never here. And if you spread word of it to a single person, I’ll make sure you—”
“I promise, Prince Zuko,” he said, still terrified, “it won’t leave this room.”
He all but stormed off, his hands clenching into fists at his side as his feet carried him to a place he was far more familiar with. Zuko was back in the palace soon enough, and he didn’t even bother to knock as he barged into his sister’s room.
“What is your problem?” he seethed, barely contained rage simmering just below the surface.
Azula frowned as she sat up, and she brushed her loose locks out of her face as her eyes settled on Zuko. “How kind of you to wake me up like this.”
“I don’t have time for your games,” he spat. “Why did you transfer Y/N out?”
She rolled her eyes as she glared at him. “This is really what you choose to bother me with? You don’t even try to hide it anymore, Zuko. It’s pathetic, truly.”
“Why did you transfer her out?” he repeated.
“I’m doing you a favor,” Azula snarled, the interruption starting to get to her. “You’re not strong enough to let go of her by yourself, so I’m trying to help you get rid of her. Anyone with eyes can see that you’re still holding onto her — the only way for you to truly thrive is for her to be out of the picture.”
“That’s not your decision to make,” Zuko seethed.
“It may not be, but you refuse to make any of the changes necessary of your position.” Azula shook her head, something genuine in her eyes. “You were made for this life, Zuko, not one with that Water Tribe peasant. Don’t throw it away because of her.”
Zuko couldn’t find anything to say to her, like his anger had fizzled out after a night of burning red hot. She didn’t seem to care.
“Now,” Azula laid back down on her pillows, “don’t bother me with this talk anymore. Especially not in the middle of the night.”
Zuko fumed as he stormed out of her room, quickly finding his way back to his own. The second he stepped past the threshold, he nearly lost it.
He wanted to scream, he wanted to shout, cry, do anything, but all he felt was unwavering numbness. Zuko settled on the edge of his bed and took the headpiece that kept his topknot together out of his pocket, and he pressed the pad of his finger against the point of one of the flames. All it provided was a dull pain, and suddenly he could barely even stand the sight of it. He didn’t deserve the mark of a prince.
Zuko opened the drawer on his bedside table, about to throw it in without a care, when he noticed the only other belonging in the compartment.
A simple children’s book, the edges rolled up and the spine broken in from a loving owner. His heart stopped as he took it in.
Keiko and the Koalaotter. A wilted and dried petal from a silver wisteria. A scribbled heart done with Zuko’s own ink, now old and faded but undeniably from her.
Something inside of him broke at the sight, and he stared at the ground as his fist tightened around the headpiece. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks, and it made it hard to breathe as his chest tightened.
This was a mistake. All of it, the life that he thought was his destiny— it was all a mistake.
everything happens for a reason part 15 - zuko x fem!reader
I thought I had you figured out
part 14 | masterlist | part 16
a/n: this is ch15, aka part 1 of y/n being a sad bitch in prison and suffering from main character syndrome. life is hard when ur in love with a guy going through a redemption arc
holy SHIT this took so long to come out. especially after such a cliffhanger. i am so sorry guys, i really have nothing to say for myself lmao. i kind of lost inspiration to write for avatar as i got more into outer banks, but i still love avatar and this story a whole lot. ive put so much work into it that i can't abandon it - this is my baby lol. thank you to everyone who's stuck with this and me along the way, i've been working on this fic for almost 8 months!! if i keep going along with chapters at this word length, i think we're gonna end up around the 100k word mark by the end. which is actually insane. anyways ill stop talking. hopefully the wait wasn't too horrible <3 (but this angst is. im sorry)
warning(s): more angst, prisons and bad conditions (esp for a 15 y/o), everyone being a jerk, ESPECIALLY zuko and y/n to each other, threats and talks of death, did i mention angst? it's a heavy chapter folks prepare urself
wc: 3.5k
chapter title comes from haunted by taylor swift!
Returning to the Fire Nation was a strange thing.
The place she’d escaped from so many years ago, where she met Zuko and left her mother. Once a prisoner under the guise of a servant, now a fully fledged enemy of the Fire Nation.
Y/N found that she could never truly hate her time in the Fire Nation, even after all that had happened — Zuko was still a shining star in her life, and to her, the only good thing to come out of the Fire Nation.
She didn’t see it that way anymore.
After the fight in the caves, she’d been locked up in an Earth Kingdom cell for holding purposes and later transferred onto a ship en route to the Fire Nation. The days at sea were cruelly reminiscent of the sailing she did with her friends after leaving the North for the first time, and the memory only succeeded in making her feel more isolated. Once they reached the Fire Nation she was thrown into another cell, and thus began her new life.
She didn’t know what to do with herself. For months Y/N traveled alongside the best and brightest people she had ever met, and being alone after all that time was nearly impossible. She traced shapes in the dirt floor of her cell, but her shackled hands prevented her from much more. Eventually she turned to trying to occupy the hours with her own mind, replaying stories in her head.
Stories her father crooned while he rocked her to sleep, before he was cruelly ripped away from her.
Stories her mother whispered during late nights in the servants quarters, before Y/N was forced to leave her for four long years.
Stories Yue shared with her as they watched the moon set from the palace balcony, before she sacrificed herself for something she never played a part in.
Stories her friends rambled on and on about as they sat around the campfire together, before they had no choice but to leave her behind.
The Fire Nation had taken everything from her. It was only a matter of time before they got to her too.
Keeping track of time was a fruitless endeavor. In a concrete cell where her only view was the hallway through the bars, and her only clue to what was going on were the visits by the guards who brought her food, Y/N had no idea how long she’d been in there. For all she knew, the Fire Nation had already won the war. The only reason she didn’t think that was true was because Azula surely would’ve come down to brag.
No one visited her. Her meager meals were delivered through a slot in the bottom of the cell door, and her guards never talked to her. When they did it was always some form of insult, either against her Water Tribe heritage, her role in working with the Avatar, or her position as a prisoner. Sometimes it was all three. The barbs quickly lost their sting.
Not even Zuko came.
Y/N didn’t know why she thought he would. A part of her was thankful — after what he did in the caves, she never wanted to see him again.
How he talked to her in the tea shop. He told her he was trying to change, that he wanted to be with her. That he regretted everything he had done, and he would wait as long as she needed until she was ready.
How he said he would never hurt her.
The other part of her wanted him to visit her. To stand before her cell and try to explain himself, whatever reason he had for betraying her, just so she could throw it all back in his face.
She wanted to scream at him until her throat ached, bang against the bars of her cell until her knuckles bled. Make him hurt as much as he’s hurt her, secure her place in his heart and then shatter it into a million pieces.
Maybe it was selfish.
But while he was reaping the benefits of his betrayal, she was rotting away in a cell. While he returned to the life he wanted as the crown prince, she had to sit and watch as her life was torn away bit by bit. While he was hailed as a hero, she was branded as an enemy.
While he got to act like he didn’t do anything, she felt her heart break a bit more every day.
So yes. It was selfish.
But she didn’t have the luxury to care anymore.
-
Y/N was roused from an uneasy sleep by the faint sound of footsteps. She rubbed her eyes with a grimy hand, pushing herself up to rest against the wall. It felt like it had been an eternity since her last meal — she suspected it was on purpose, to keep her weak. The same thing they had done to her mother.
The faint glow of a lantern furrowed her brows, and she inched closer to the front of her cell. Her visitor was someone in a red cloak, his dark, choppy hair making it hard to see his face. When he set the lantern down and pulled the hood of his cloak down, her jaw clenched.
“Get out.”
“Y/N—”
“Do I have to repeat myself? Get out.”
“I’m not leaving.” Like the stubborn boy he was, he kneeled in front of her cell. Y/N’s eyes remained trained on the ground.
“That’s a first for you.”
“You don’t understand.” There was a hint of frustration to his voice, but it lacked the boyish charm she used to associate it with. “I had to—”
“You had to what?” she interrupted, gaze flicking up to him. “Betray me? Get Aang killed? Destroy the world’s last hope for ending the war?”
“Azula offered me what I have been chasing after for years!” he exclaimed, golden irises blazing. “You’re delusional if you think I could give it up. It’s my birthright.”
“Is it worth it?” she asked. “Is it everything you’ve ever dreamed of? Has your dad even apologized for what he did to you?”
Zuko faltered at that, but he recovered quickly. “Change takes time. I can start by getting you out of this place.”
She couldn’t help but laugh at that. “You’re delusional if you think I’m leaving this country in any other way than death.”
“You don’t understand,” Zuko repeated. “I have power now; I’m the crown prince. I can help you—”
“I don’t want your help!” she yelled, her rage finally bubbling over inside of her as she turned on him with the fire of a waterbender pushed to the edge. “The last time I trusted you was when I thought you were on my side, and it landed me in here. If you think that I’m going to trust you now that you’re full Fire Nation again, then you have never known anything about me.”
Zuko scoffed, his entire demeanor changing. “You don’t know me.”
“Yeah,” she nodded, “I don’t. That’s why I’m in here. Because I don’t know you. Because I thought I was more important to you than your fucking honor.”
“The Fire Nation is different from your little village!” he seethed, the flames in the lantern swelling with his anger. “I did what I had to do in Ba Sing Se — you’re a fool if you think it could’ve gone any differently. This is how the Fire Nation works.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” she said darkly. “Just know that if I die in here, I’m going to make your life a living nightmare.”
“You can’t say things like that to me anymore,” Zuko said, something so painfully unfamiliar about his voice as he practically turned his back on her. “I’m royalty. True royalty.”
“What are you going to do?” she asked with a slightly deranged laugh. “Betray me? Separate me from all my friends? Throw me in jail?”
Zuko’s shaky exhale told her that she was getting to him. Y/N moved to the edge of the cell, as close to the bars as she could get with her shackles, and stared right at him.
“I’m prisoner scum from the North. You’re the crown prince of the most powerful nation in the world. And yet here you are.” She allowed her lips to quirk up slightly in a sardonic smile. “You’re even more trapped than I am. Good luck trying to get out of it.”
He growled as he pulled away, picking up his lantern as he backed away. “I don’t know what I ever saw in you. You’ve always been nothing more than an obstacle.”
“Then leave,” she spat. “I’m done with you, Zuko. I’ve been done ever since you took Azula’s side in Ba Sing Se. If the only thing I’m worthy of is being in your way, then leave. I just hope the guilt doesn’t get to you before you can do all your princely duties.”
He stood there for a moment more, glowering at her with a mix of emotions she couldn’t decipher. “I don’t love you. I don’t think about you. You’ve never been anything in my life, and you never will be.”
And with that, he turned his back and left.
The weight stayed on her shoulders as she slouched against the wall, but she didn’t feel the sorrow she expected. All that remained was an uncomfortably familiar numbness, along with a strange flicker of acceptance.
Maybe he was lying about it all, maybe he had truly lost anything he harbored towards her after the fight in the catacombs. Y/N didn’t care. Either way, he fought against her.
(She didn’t want to think about what it meant for him to still love her and betray her all the same.)
Y/N had dared to play with fire, and she had gotten burned more times than she could count. The raised scar on her forearm as well as the invisible memory of searing flames against her palms served as a painful reminder of who Zuko used to be, who he was now. Maybe someone he had always been, and she was just too caught up in the beauty of something she imagined to notice.
But no longer would she rake herself over the coals with the dim hope that he could change.
No longer would she sacrifice herself for him.
She was done trying to save the boy with the scar.
—
Her prison cell was quiet as ever since her conversation with Zuko. A part of her was angry that he hadn’t come back, that he hadn’t tried to talk to her again just so she could reject him. The other, more rational part, was relieved. She managed an ineffable front while he was here, but she knew she was bound to crack sooner or later.
The isolation was driving her mad. She had no idea what day it was, or the time, or how long she had been in here. It had gotten to the point where she began to look forward to her guards coming in to give her meals, and most of them despised her.
Y/N longed for one of Aang’s stories about his culture, told in his own voice instead of her own. The echo of Katara’s laughter throughout the night sky, one of Toph’s insults; she even missed Sokka’s horrible jokes. She knew she would never again make fun of him for his humor once she was reunited with them.
But the worst part was the thing she couldn’t explain.
Her wrists were shackled to the wall to prevent her from fighting back, as with any prisoner, but she had a feeling that the guards here weren’t used to keeping waterbenders in custody. Though the air was cool enough in the prison to prevent moisture from forming and the dirt below her was dry as a bone, their carelessness for her identity played in her favor.
One day, her guard delivered a cup of water along with her meal. The normal routine was for her to either get just enough water to keep her alive but too little to do any kind of bending with, or for her hands to be completely restrained as she was given water like some kind of animal. The Fire Nation was afraid of the waterbender in their midst, even with her status as a fifteen year old girl.
The day it was slid into her cell, her heart nearly stopped. Could they really be so unattentive to deliver an escape right to her, the same thing that got her mother out? Her hands were cuffed, yes, but that didn’t matter. For such a small amount all she needed were her fingers, and those worked just fine.
But as she positioned her hand over the top of the ceramic and twisted her fingers, nothing happened. Y/N didn’t feel any of the usual flow of cool energy, but she had attributed that to her weakened state and lack of practice. But this was something simple, something that young waterbenders experimented with at their first lessons. Even the most novice healer could transfer water from the pot to the mannequin, the most inexperienced soldier ocean water into the air.
But there was nothing. No surge of power, no movement, nothing. She couldn’t do anything.
What was meant to be her saving grace only served to further hammer the dagger into her heart, to add one more mark to her growing list of failures.
She wasn’t going to get out of here. She couldn’t get out of here, not with her lack of strength and her inexplicable loss.
All she knew was her last shred of self had been torn away.
In one last cruel act from the spirits, her bending had disappeared.
-
The days were longer and harder after discovering the loss of her waterbending. The biggest part of her, something so intrinsic to her life, the only thing that kept her alive after her village was invaded — gone like that.
How could she cope with that? How, when she didn’t even know what had caused it? Would she ever get it back?
The thought attacked Y/N viciously and constantly — she would die in a Fire Nation prison cell, broken in every way.
One night, though, something was different in her visitor. With nothing much else to do, her ears had grown attuned to the few sounds she heard since her imprisonment. Y/N could distinguish the guards just by the way their boots hit the ground and the length of their steps, and that’s why she knew even before they came into her sight that something was different.
But it was still a surprise when it turned out to be none other than the reason for her downfall.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, a slight barb to her words accompanied by the downward twist of her lips.
Azula just smiled, looking regal as ever with her neat topknot and deep red robes. “I’m here to announce your departure, of course. Getting you out of my hair and seeing the light drain from your eyes in person is something to celebrate.”
“Departure?”
“There’s an influx of new prisoners being transported here as a result of a rebellion being crushed in Ba Sing Se, as well as a league of Avatar sympathizers in the heart of the capital after being discovered. In order to make space for the traitors, you’re being sent somewhere much more fun.”
“Just tell me already,” Y/N said evenly. “Nothing can be worse than here.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Azula corrected with a smile. “My father doesn’t exactly want a repeat of what happened with your mother, so you’re being sent to a prison specifically for waterbenders. If you’ve ever wondered about what southern benders are like, I have a feeling you’ll find out a lot with your future company.”
At that, Y/N couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “You’re wasting your time. My bending doesn’t work.”
Maybe it was a card she should’ve held closer to her chest, but Y/N didn’t see the point. If she was sent somewhere specifically for waterbenders, she knew she would deal with far more mistreatment than slightly barbed remarks and unwavering indifference. Her eventual death at the hands of the Fire Nation would be even more likely. At least if she was sent to another prison, a normal one, she would have a chance at escaping if her bending somehow came back.
Azula’s eyebrows rose slightly, but she regained her composure quickly. “You’ve lost your waterbending? Do you expect me to believe that?”
“Why would I lie about something like this?” she asked, straightfaced. “I’m sure any prison I end up in will be just as horrible as the others.”
Her lips twitched up in the facade of a smile. “Very well. I believe I can make arrangements for you suiting your new situation. How do you feel about the Boiling Rock?”
“Sounds like a vacation,” she said dryly.
“I think you’ll like it,” Azula said. “It’s completely surrounded by water — it’s really lovely. I quite like the irony of you being in the middle of your element, knowing that you’d be able to escape if you weren’t so useless.”
A puff of loose air was all she could really manage in lieu of laughter. Her situation kept getting more and more hopeless, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
“What did I ever do to you, Azula?” Y/N asked, eyes trained on the ground. “Why do you hate me this much? What is this vendetta?”
“You want to know what I have against you?” Azula’s eyes turned cold and she stepped closer to the bars, taking a knee on the floor directly in front of the cell. “I know my brother is still enamored with you despite what he says, though I have no idea what he sees in you. I know he comes down to see his uncle, as well as you on occasion. Even when he doesn’t he still talks about you. Now, I don’t particularly care what happens to Zuko, but things will be much easier if he’s on my side. You are making him doubt what he has done to get here. You are nothing but a pest, and pests must be taken care of.”
“Kill me then.” She surprised herself with her bluntness as she looked up at the princess, but the way Azula described it, it would be a welcome mercy compared to her current fate. “You could finish the job right here. I’m completely defenseless. One blast, and it would be over.”
Azula stood up then, though still keeping the same proximity. Her voice was authoritative, powerful, and Y/N understood why she had been able to do what no Fire Nation general could even at such a young age. “The Fire Nation doesn’t just exterminate their pests. We make lessons out of them. And you will be a lesson to every servant, every member of your little ‘Team Avatar’, and my insolent brother to know their place. And, well— this was what should’ve happened to you all those years ago.”
“Besides, this is a lot more fun than killing you, isn’t it?” Her golden irises flashed with something dangerously close to glee. “I hope you enjoy your trip. It’s the last one you’ll ever take.” Azula then pivoted on her foot and left, the door closing quietly behind her.
The only sound she was left with was her nearly inaudible breathing. Y/N leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes as it all came to a head. She tried to keep it steady, but the water trailing down her face was a sign of her failure. If she was worth anything, she would be able to use this to her advantage, bending her tears as a last resort. Her mother managed to get out of captivity with little more than a cup after months of torture and isolation. But Y/N couldn’t even bend.
She was completely and utterly useless.
And now she was about to head to some prison, the Boiling Rock in the middle of her element yet unable to do a single thing. Trapped in a jail cell an entire country away from her friends with no idea on how they were doing, no idea on the fate that was in everyone’s hands but her own.
Y/N buried her head in her hands, trying her best to muffle the sobs as she let herself succumb to them.
What had she done to deserve this? Fight for the good of the world? Trust the only boy that had ever loved her the same way she loved him? Try to end the war that had ruined her life and seemed intent on breaking her completely?
She was so damn exhausted. She didn’t have it in her to fight anymore, not when this was all fighting got her.
Her whole life had been an uphill battle, from the moment her village was invaded to Zuko turning his back on her.
Maybe it was time to finally accept she couldn’t win.
everything happens for a reason part 14 - zuko x fem!reader
How could you be so reckless with my heart?
part 13 | masterlist | part 15
a/n: okay so this starts off in fluff but then. yk. we crossroads of destiny that shit. sorry this took almost a month but hopefully this chapter makes up for it!! it's one of my faves so far
wc: 8.5k i am so sorry??? wtf
warning(s): angst, fighting, arguments and yelling, betrayal, a whole lot of hurt without any comfort starting a 7 chapter avalanche of angst
chapter title comes from 'reckless' by madison beer!
“I can’t believe it,” Aang muttered as he read through the scroll for the fifth time. “There’s a man living at the Eastern Air Temple. He says he’s a guru.”
“What’s a guru?” Sokka asked. “Some kind of poisonous blowfish?”
Aang chuckled. “No. It’s a spiritual expert. He wants to help me take the next step in the Avatar journey — he says he can help me master the Avatar state!”
“That’s huge, Aang!” Y/N couldn’t help a smile of her own forming as she read over her own letter once more. A slightly tattered scroll containing the looped cursive of her grandmother told her all about what had been happening in the North since she had left and how much they missed her. As a way to feel closer to home, she had also enclosed decorative Water Tribe beads that had belonged to Y/N’s mother when she was a child, and she couldn’t wait to show them to the original owner. Katara had immediately offered to braid the beads into her hair, and now she wore the blue stones with pride.
“And I can’t believe we know where our dad is now,” Katara sighed happily.
“I know what you mean,” Toph said, a similar joy in her voice. “My mom’s in the city, and from her letter it sounds like she finally understands me!”
“This is such big news!” Sokka exclaimed. “I mean, where do we even start?”
“I think this is where we have to split up, actually.” They all looked at Y/N as she spoke and she sighed. “We’re still working on a timeline, guys. We can’t afford to go place to place as one big group; it’d take too long.”
“Split up?” Aang asked, bewildered. “We just found Appa and got the family back together, now you want us to separate?”
Katara bit her lip. “I hate to say it, but she’s right. Aang, you have to meet this guru. You have to be ready by the time we invade the Fire Nation.”
“Well, if I’m going to the Eastern Air Temple then I can drop you two off at Chameleon Bay to see your dad.”
“I guess that leaves me in charge of the Earth King, huh?” Y/N laughed and stood up, modeling a ridiculous pose. “How do you think I’ll look in green?”
“You’ll look great, obviously, but…” Katara trailed off as she also got off the floor. “I think I’m going to stay behind too.”
“What?” Y/N frowned, her eyes narrowing in on her friend. “Katara, are you crazy? You’ve been away from your dad for Tui knows how long, and now you have the chance to see him, and you want to do politics with me instead?”
“She’s right, Katara,” Sokka said. “Dad would love to see you. I think it would be a lot better of a reunion if we were together.”
“Trust me, I do want to see him. I just…” she let out an airy laugh. “This sounds crazy, but I have this feeling. Like, if I leave you alone here then I’ll regret it. So I’m staying.”
“That does sound crazy,” Toph supplied helpfully.
Y/N shrugged. “Welcome to the party, I guess. But for the record, I hope your feeling is wrong. I don’t want anything bad happening, not when we’re so close to the end.”
“It’ll all be fine!” Sokka exclaimed. “We’ve got the whole plan laid out and we finally have the Earth King on our side. Now, we all gotta go pack if we’re gonna get to where we need to be in time. I’ll meet you all outside the palace.”
While Aang, Toph, and Sokka all went their separate ways to get ready for their trips, Y/N and Katara decided to take advantage of the solo time between them, time that was growing ever more valuable.
“So… what is it about this feeling?” Y/N asked as they walked through the palace halls, very slowly making their way outside. “Something calling to you so badly that you miss out on an opportunity like this?”
Katara chuckled. “I told you, I don’t really know. But I’ve always been told to follow my intuition, and right now it’s telling me that I should stay in the city with you. So that’s what I’m going to do.”
“I’m honored that your intuition cares about me.” She allowed herself a small smile, but it was one that faded slightly when something popped into her head. Y/N contemplated it for a moment, her mental conversation only visible in the slight twitch of her eyebrows, but she decided to go ahead with it.
“And… I guess since we’re gonna be spending a while together, and we have the Dai Li out of the way, I can finally tell you something I’ve been wanting to tell you since I found out about it.” Katara raised her eyebrows and the corners of Y/N’s lips curved upwards. “I, uh… I found my mom. She’s here in the city.”
“What?” Katara’s exclamation was far louder than she would’ve liked as she all but screeched to a halt in the middle of the hallway, and Y/N gestured towards the ground with her hand to get her to lower her voice. She obliged but not without an exasperated sigh. “Your mom— she’s alive, and she’s here?”
“Yeah.” Her nervousness at breaking the news found an out in a shaky laugh and she strung her hands together. “The day after the party at the palace, I found her when I went out into the city. I… I didn’t really want to get her involved with anything that we were going through, so I kept her a secret. Every time that I went out for fresh air or something, and I came back hours later… I was with my mom.”
Katara’s eyes widened. “You’re actually serious?”
“Yeah. I couldn’t really believe it either when I found out.”
She grabbed Y/N’s arm, her blue irises now bright with excitement. “Well— you have to introduce me to her! You— you have to introduce all of us to her!”
“Slow down!” She chuckled as an adamant tug from Katara got them back up to their pace from before. “Aang, Sokka, and Toph are all leaving in like, ten minutes, a-and I’m not even supposed to meet my mother today.”
“You at least have to take me! We can make a surprise visit.” Katara gave her some serious side eye. “I really doubt that she’ll be opposed to another visit from her daughter, missing for four years, and one of her closest friends.”
“Okay,” she said, laughing slightly. “I’m actually really excited for you to meet her. I know you’re going to love her.”
This time, Katara’s eyes were slightly wistful as they met her own and she nodded. It wasn’t hard for Y/N to guess what she was thinking about, and it made her instinctively reach for her friend’s hand. Katara took it without hesitation and squeezed it, giving her a smile. “I think I will too.”
~~~~~~~~
After they said their goodbyes to the rest of their group, Y/N barely had time to politely excuse them from the Earth King’s company before Katara practically dragged them off in the direction of the Middle Ring. With her determination and Y/N’s directions, they made it to their destination in record time.
“I still can’t believe your mother’s alive,” Katara murmured, the two of them gazing at the modest home in front of them. “How long have you known about her again?”
“A couple weeks,” she said. “Since the night of the party.”
Y/N swore she could see a flicker of something in Katara’s eyes as they met hers again, but anything that might’ve been there was quickly covered up by her smile and a gesture with her head towards the door. “Well? Are you gonna introduce me to your mom?”
“Right!” She pushed forward in front of Katara and knocked on the door, two long hits followed by two short ones. It was their way of easy identification, and something that Y/N started out of fear for the Dai Li — that way, Kura would always know when it was her. Her paranoia over the whole situation might’ve been a little too much, but she had learned over the years that it was better safe than sorry.
A few seconds later, the door opened and she was met with the familiar sight of her mother. Y/N’s lips parted in a grin and she all but lunged forward into a hug — she would never get tired of her mother’s embraces, especially all those years.
“Hi mom,” she said, letting out a breathy laugh as she looked back at Katara. “I know this is a little off-schedule, but I um— I brought a friend, and some good news.”
When she looked back to her mother she had on her usual fond smile, blue eyes twinkling with that hint of mischief. “Oh? Please, introduce me.”
“This is Katara,” Y/N explained, stepping out of the hug so she could gesture to her. “She’s one of the friends that I’ve been travelling with for the past couple months.”
But Katara seemed frozen in place, eyes wide as she stared at Kura. It took a small nudge from Y/N to finally snap out of it, and she blinked rapidly in an attempt to recover.
“I—” Katara swallowed, her smile thin. “I’m sorry. It’s just… you look so much like my mother.”
“Oh, honey…” Kura understood immediately as her features melted into the sympathy only a mother could give, and gestured inside as she stepped aside from the doorway. “I’m so sorry. Please, come in.”
Katara nodded gratefully and Y/N gave her an encouraging smile when she looked back at her, and the two girls walked inside together. Kura closed the door behind them then sat down on a cushion across from Katara and Y/N, giving the former a welcoming smile.
“Welcome to my home, Katara. Thank you for taking care of my daughter during her journey.” Y/N groaned and shook her head, but she couldn’t help her own smile.
“Mother, she hasn’t been taking care of me. And— and I’m older than her!”
Kura gave her an amused look. “Age doesn’t mean anything.”
Katara chuckled, and Y/N was thankful the atmosphere inside was helping her warm up so quickly. “I assure you ma’am, your daughter is an amazing person. She’s an incredible waterbender, and one of my best friends. I’m glad she’s by our side.”
She nodded, pleased. “You two are very fortunate to have each other.”
The two girls looked at each other, and Y/N smiled. “We are.”
“So,” Kura clasped her hands together and smiled. “Y/N, your beads — they look beautiful on you, Better than they did me. How did you get them?”
She reached up and touched one of them, albeit slightly self-consciously, and offered a shy smile. “Grandmother. She sent them in a package along with a letter, and I was finally able to get them after we took down Long Feng.”
Kura raised her eyebrows. “Is that your good news?”
Y/N let out a breathy laugh and nodded. “Yeah. It is. Part of it — it’s actually amazing news.”
“Oh?”
She glanced at Katara again to see if she wanted to be the one to deliver it, but Katara gestured with her hand as if to say ‘go ahead’, so she did.
“You know how I told you about the whole conspiracy, and how I didn’t want to get you involved with the mess we had gotten stuck in?” Kura nodded, and Y/N couldn’t hold back her grin. “Well… We won. We beat the Dai Li, and we got the Earth King on our side. We have a way to end the war.”
It looked as if it took Kura a moment to process it, the full weight hitting her as her eyes widened slightly. “A… A way to end the war? For good?”
“For good,” Katara repeated. “The Earth King’s supplying his army for the invasion that we’ve got planned in the Fire Nation. If everything goes well, we’ll be able to take down the Fire Lord and end this.”
Y/N swore that her mother was about to cry as she smiled at the two of them and pressed her hand to her heart. “I can’t believe it. I don’t even know what to say — you children are truly amazing. I’m so unbelievably proud of you — of both of you.”
And this time she knew she saw tears brimming in Katara’s eyes as she nodded, a smile of her own parting her lips. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
~~~~~~~~
The two girls had spent the rest of the night at Kura’s home, talking through their time in Ba Sing Se and what the past couple of months had been like. Kura had warmed up to Katara immediately, and when Y/N took a moment to look around at it all it almost felt like they were at home. Being here, with her mother and with Katara — it all felt right.
They conversed late into the night, so late that Kura insisted they stay the night. “The Middle Ring is mostly safe, but I don’t trust the men of this city no matter the status.” Y/N wasn’t ashamed to admit that the night spent next to her mother and Katara was the best that she had slept in months, and she was almost sad when they had to leave the next morning.
But duty called, and their duty for the next while would be aiding the Earth King and his men with war plans. The five of them were the only ones who knew about the Day of Black Sun, so Y/N and Katara’s expertise would be invaluable throughout the entire process. They had made a stop back at their home in the Upper Ring to freshen up, and then the two girls were on their way.
War council ended up being a lot more boring than she imagined.
Y/N never thought that it would be interesting, obviously, and war was in no way ‘fun’ — she had lived through enough of it to know it ten times over. But she thought that having a plan to end it would at least brighten things up a little bit.
She was wrong. Maybe the Five had learned not to count their possum chickens before they hatched, or maybe they just didn’t approve of two kids being part of their decisions — either way, Y/N swore the mood was more morose than usual.
Council finally ended when she and Katara were given the scrolls detailing their plan with the mission of getting the Earth’s King’s seal of approval, and so once again they set off to do their job. As they walked along the streets together, things felt a whole lot lighter.
“I can’t believe we actually did it,” Y/N chuckled. “Our whole journey has been leading up to this, and now we finally have everything we need to execute it. It almost doesn’t feel real.”
Katara smiled. “It does feel pretty great. Just don’t get too confident — things never really turn out too well for us when we get confident.”
“I think we’re allowed to be a little confident,” Y/N defended. “I mean, how many times have we done what nobody else in the world has done? Things are finally turning up Team Avatar, Katara — you’re allowed to be happy about it.”
“Okay,” she laughed, jabbing her lightly in the side with her elbow. “But if everything starts to go downhill, I’m blaming it on you.”
“Spirits, Katara,” Y/N complained, though the quirk of her lips showed she was joking. “That kind of paranoia is what’s going to make everything fall apart. You and your intuition.”
“You won’t be saying that the next time I’m right,” Katara said, rolling her eyes goodnaturedly. “But fine. If you want to celebrate, then I think we can do that with some tea. If you wanna head up to the palace, then I can stop by and get enough for the both of us, and Suki and her warriors.”
Y/N sighed in content and placed a hand to her heart. “You know me so well. Gimme those scrolls.”
Katara laughed and handed the plans over, and with waves at each other, they parted ways.
As Y/N walked, she couldn’t help but put a little skip in her step. Because spirits be damned, what she had said with Katara was right. The five of them had all struggled and suffered so much, before and after becoming a part of Team Avatar, and they deserved this. They deserved for things to finally go their way.
With her mother alive, the Earth King on their side, and her relationship with Zuko steadily mending — everything was turning out for her. And maybe her daydreaming caused her pace to speed up, because she was at the palace before she knew it. The guards knew her by now — after all, they had defeated their entire brigade on their way to talk to the Earth King — so she was let in without trouble, and she found herself almost running to the throne room to meet the Kyoshi Warriors.
“Suki!” she called, not particularly caring about her ill manners in the palace. When she reached the throne room and saw the three girls kneeling, she lowered her voice to a normal level. “It’s Y/N! Sokka’s not here, but he says hi—”
She stopped in her tracks when the warrior in front looked up, pinning her with a golden gaze. She wore Suki’s headdress, but the girl in front of her was not her friend.
“Oh?” The corners of her lips quirked up in a smile as she tilted her head to the side. “Did he?”
Y/N instinctively stumbled back, the combination of that all too familiar voice and eyes forged in fire leaving her mouth dry. She didn’t know how they could possibly be here, but she was sure of their identity.
They weren’t the Kyoshi Warriors. It was Azula and her crew.
Oh, she was so screwed.
Ty Lee seemed to be a step ahead of her, because the second Y/N flipped her water skin open and backpedaled away to put distance between them, she lunged into the air. She was only able to form a water whip before she felt Ty Lee’s fingers pound into her shoulder, and she fell to the ground, immobile.
It was like her body was trying to break out of its self-imposed bonds as the three girls stood over her, and when the liquid drained from her waterskin a sickening feeling stabbed at her chest. She was trapped — Y/N knew it, and Azula knew it.
“It’s lovely to see you again,” Azula said, her lips curling up into a dangerous smirk. “Especially in such a great city.” She looked off to the side and gestured with her head towards Y/N, and seemingly out of nowhere Dai Li agents appeared. Two of them hauled her up from the ground and restrained her arms, but she suspected it was mostly for keeping her on her feet.
“What are you doing here?” she growled. “What did you do to Suki?”
Azula rolled her eyes, taking a moment to look at her nails. “You really do have no manners. Your friend is enjoying a nice little vacation in prison — don’t worry, though. You’ll get to experience it all the same.”
“This isn’t going to work,” Y/N threatened, trying to keep her voice as steady as she could in the face of terror. “Whatever you’re planning, it’s not going to work. ”
She laughed, a grating sound against her skull. “Oh, but it will. Just be thankful that you’re fortunate enough to witness the fall of Ba Sing Se.” Azula shifted her gaze to the agents restraining her. “Search her for weapons, imprison her in the catacombs, and then report back to me. We’ve got work to do.”
As Y/N was dragged away against her will, she tried to tamp down on the growing sickness in her chest. All she could think of was Katara, hoping that there was some impossible way for her to find out what awaited her at the palace.
She knew deep down though, that there was only so much intuition could do for someone.
~~~~~~~~
Y/N supposed that there were worse places to be imprisoned in than the crystal caves below Ba Sing Se. She hadn’t even known they existed, but they were beautiful. She was sure if she had ended up there in different circumstances, she would have enjoyed them more.
But unfortunately, she was there as a prisoner, and unfortunately, the entire city above her was in a danger that they weren’t even aware of. Y/N was hoping that if she wandered around enough, that she would somehow find a way out or at least some water to bend, but after a solid ten minutes she was still empty handed.
In a feat of pure frustration, she kicked her foot into the side of the crystal wall — at first all she was met with was pain, but when she heard a rumble she grew confused. Y/N looked up to the source of the sound and saw a hole opening up in the earth above, similar to the one she was thrown into. She squinted and saw familiar shades of green worn by the Dai Li, and as they tossed someone forward she instinctively stepped back. But Y/N felt her heart sink as the earth was mended again and she got a clear look at her new room mate.
“Katara,” she muttered. “I was hoping I wouldn’t see you down here.”
She took the hand that Y/N offered, hauling herself up with a small grunt. As she brushed her tunic dress off, she met her eyes with a slightly wild look in her own. “When I figured out it was Azula, I was hoping you somehow got away, but… I guess we weren’t that lucky.”
“I guess you were right about overconfidence,” she joked weakly, taking the chance to look at their surroundings once more. Their situation seemed a whole lot more dire now that the two of them were stuck down here with their friends completely separated. “I didn’t really think that Azula showing up as a Kyoshi Warrior was something that could happen, though.”
Katara sighed and raked her fingers through her scalp, strands of hair sticking out of her usually neat braid. “I have some more bad news.” When Y/N raised her eyebrows, she met her eyes with a sympathetic expression. “Zuko is here in the city — no doubt to cause even more trouble. We’re lucky that Aang’s not here right now, because with the two of them…” Katara sighed once more, already starting to pace in a circle. “This is bad, Y/N. We have to get out of here before they team up and destroy this whole city.”
But Y/N had basically stopped listening once she mentioned Zuko, her own wide eyes trained on Katara. “Wait— wait, does Azula know that Zuko is here?”
“Yeah, but it’s basically by accident. I was so panicked on the way here that I just blurted it out to Azula before I realized she wasn’t Suki.” But then her eyes narrowed in at her lack of surprise, and she froze in place, her eyes narrowing in on Y/N. “Wait. Did you already know Zuko was here?”
Y/N didn’t have an answer for her, choosing to avert her eyes so she wouldn’t have to look the culmination of her lies in the face. Hindsight told her that she should’ve expected it to blow up in a way like this, but common sense said that there was no way she could’ve known the truth would’ve come out in this kind of situation.
Katara huffed a laugh, devoid of mirth. “Wow. So you’ve known that one of our biggest enemies has been here, right under our noses and probably looking for Aang, but you didn’t think that was information you had to tell us?”
“Katara, you know that he’s never been my enemy!” She probably sounded frantic, desperate, trying to defend Zuko, mind moving with so many thoughts at once that she never even had the idea that, maybe, fighting with the one person she should’ve been working with was a bad idea. “A—and he hasn’t done anything! He hasn’t tried to hurt me, and he hasn’t gone after Aang— I’m telling you Katara, he’s changed.”
“You really think a person like that can change? Even after all he’s done to us — to you?”
“Yes!” she cried, gesturing with both her hands. “I do!”
Katara shook her head in disbelief. “How can you forget it all so easily? His family is the reason this war has started, why half our parents are dead and the other half are separated from us— if you think Zuko won’t jump at the first opportunity to get that kind of power, then you’re too blinded by him to see the truth.”
“How can you just say that?” Y/N asked, hurt clear in her words as she took another step back.
“Because it’s true,” Katara said. “I care about you, Y/N — you’re one of my best friends, and one of the only people that I think truly understands me. It’s because I care about you that I won’t let you get hurt by Zuko again and again. He can’t change, and he won’t. You have to accept that.”
She shook her head, wrapping her arms around her midsection. “I don’t even know what to say to you,” she whispered.
“Then don’t say anything.” Katara swallowed thickly and walked over to a corner of the caves, sitting down against the crystalline walls as she tried to get comfortable. “I recommend you try and get some sleep. We’re gonna need our energy if we want to get out of here.”
Y/N stared at her for another moment, Katara very pointedly not meeting her eyes, before she set off to find her own corner. Katara’s words cut her to her core; they hurt more than they had any right to.
But maybe they hurt so much because she was right.
She wiped away a tear before it could trail down her cheek and took a deep breath. She’d heard once, from one of the elders in the Northern tribe, that insanity was doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result.
She wanted Zuko to have changed more than anything, for his words in the tea shop to be truthful, for the two of them to become some semblance of what they were before the world turned against them.
A sudden chill ran down her spine as she laid her head down against the ground. She hoped to any spirit that would listen that Katara was wrong. She didn’t know what she would do if Zuko took the other side once again.
-
She didn’t sleep at all, the combination of Katara’s decree, the humidity of the caverns, and the hard ground not helping her in any form. Neither she nor Katara had exchanged a word since their argument, and it made her heart hurt more than anything.
Hours might’ve passed between their arrival, but she couldn’t tell. Everything blended together down there.
Her restlessness was interrupted by the grumbling of the earth above them. Both their gazes shifted up and were met with the sight of two Dai Li agents and a small figure with them. “You’ve got company.”
Apparently, it was a very popular day for prisoners.
By his grunts as he was tossed into the caves Y/N could tell it was a boy, but her eyes widened slightly once he fully came into view. And then she was silently cursing, because there couldn’t have been a worse time.
Katara laughed sharply, brushing the dirt off of her tunic as she stood up, Y/N following soon after her. “What a time for you to show up, fire boy. You’re just what we needed.”
He pulled himself to his feet and frowned at Y/N. “What are you two doing down here?”
“Your sister threw us down here,” Y/N muttered, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to ward off the sudden chill she felt.
“He probably already knows!” Katara exclaimed, steely eyes staring daggers at Zuko. “I bet they’re working together — he’s down here so that when Aang comes to rescue us, he can just capture him.”
“Katara—” Y/N started, but she was almost instantly cut off.
“And don’t try and say that’s not what he’s going to do!” Katara threw her hands up in exasperation. “It’s what he’s always done, Y/N, and he’s not going to stop now.”
“You don’t know anything about us,” Zuko said, voice low.
Katara laughed mirthlessly. “Y/N and I have been through more than enough together for me to know that she is a better person than you will ever be. I’m not going to let you take her down with you.” This time she looked at Y/N, her expression unreadable. “He will always care about the Fire Nation more than you. I think he’s done a fine job of showing you that.”
Y/N staggered back as if she had been shot, and in turn Zuko pushed forward. “I’m not here to do anything! Not to you, or Aang, and especially not Y/N. I’ve been here in the city with my uncle trying to make a new life away from all of this, but then my sister showed up.”
She shook her head. “You really expect me to believe that? You’re a terrible person! All you’ve done is chase after us and hurt people — I don’t know why I’m surprised though. You’re the Fire Lord’s son. It’s in your blood.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” he snapped.
“I know plenty,” she retorted. “Your family is the reason this whole war started — they’re the reason for Y/N being captured, they’re the reason for what happened to Aang, they’re the reason for the thousands of refugees in this city, and they’re the reason my mother is dead!”
Katara’s voice cracked on the last word and she swallowed, the fire dying out as her eyes shimmered with tears. When she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. “So don’t you dare tell me that I don’t know what I’m talking about.”
Zuko’s eyes widened slightly and he looked to Y/N for support. She answered with a nod and a gesture towards Katara with her head.
“I— I’m sorry.” He cleared his throat and though he kept his distance, the tension in the air had lessened considerably. “That’s something we have in common.”
Katara looked up at him in surprise and he shifted, uncomfortable with the attention. “She disappeared when I was young. I don’t know what really happened to her, but…” He trailed off, the implication obvious.
“Oh.”
By now, the anger that struck the three of them had drained out of the air, leaving them in a slightly tense silence. It wasn’t until Katara sighed that it was broken.
“I’m sorry for yelling.” Her eyes flicked to Y/N, and the blues of her irises were no longer that of a stormy sea. “At both of you.” And then her gaze was back on Zuko, her arms wrapped around herself like it took physical effort to apologize to him. “It’s just… for so long, whenever I imagined the face of the enemy, it was your face.”
“My face?” Zuko looked confused for a moment, and then his fingers found their way to his scar. “...Oh. I see.”
“No, that— that’s not what I meant.”
Zuko shook his head. “It's okay. I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately…” He looked at Y/N, and as she smiled at him he returned the sentiment. “I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark.”
Katara offered a smile of her own, then her eyes widened. “Maybe you can be.”
“It’s a scar,” he said dryly. “It’s not going to go away.”
“That’s not what she means, Zuko.” Y/N watched as Katara pulled a vial out of her pocket, and she raised her eyebrows in recognition. “Do you think that could work?”
Katara shrugged and she took a few steps closer to Zuko. “This is water from the Spirit Oasis in the North. It has special properties so I’ve been saving it for something important, but… it might be able to heal your scar.”
Zuko stared at the two of them for a moment that seemed to last forever, but it was interrupted by a huge explosion of crystals, and Y/N’s head snapped towards the source. She didn’t think she had ever been more relieved to see orange and yellow, and she let out the biggest sigh of relief when the smoke cleared to show Aang’s smiling face. Someone less expected was Iroh, but he gave the two of them a polite nod and a smile before he went over to Zuko, where he started to talk with him quietly.
“Aang!” Katara tucked the vial back into a pocket in her tunic and ran over to the boy, embracing him in a tight hug she was sure he couldn’t breathe in.
“It’s good to see you,” Y/N breathed, eyes softening.
“You too,” he said with a nod. “I’m glad we got here in time. Sokka and Toph are up above waiting, we just have to get back to them.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Katara asked.
Aang looked over at Iroh, and he nodded. “Go help your friends. We’ll catch up with you.”
Y/N gave Zuko an encouraging smile, but all he could do was stare at her, his gaze still trained on her even as she ran off with Aang and Katara.
~~~~~~~~
As they ran through the caves, they ended up with a change of scenery. A much more open part of the crystal caverns that thankfully had pools and waterfalls. Y/N flexed her fingers — it was nice to have some kind of power back.
“How did you even find us?” she asked Aang.
“I don’t know, to be honest,” he said. “I just had a feeling. I’m glad I followed it.”
She chuckled. “Guess that’s something you and Katara have in common.” Y/N cast a glance at Katara. “I’m glad you listened to your intuition.”
“Me too,” she smiled. “Now, we need to find Sokka and Toph.”
Aang nodded, but the sound of fire rushing at them caused the three of them to turn. With a grunt, Aang pulled a barrier of rock up from the ground, but the impact explosion knocked him back a few feet.
The source was none other than Azula, and Y/N took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves.
This was it.
They either won this battle, or Ba Sing Se fell.
Katara sprang into action, rushing forward as she bent up a huge stream of water from the pool beside her, then sent it in a giant wave at Azula. She extinguished it all with a wall of blue flames, and she disappeared into the resulting mist. Y/N took a cautionary step back, but looked up just in time to see the princess sending more blasts at them from atop a crystal formation.
The three of them bent up a stream of water in tandem, blocking the attack just in time. Aang sent a ripple of earthbending towards the pillar Azula had landed on, and as it fell apart beneath her she jumped back to the ground. She landed in between the three of them, and her slightly harried breathing along with the rushing of the waterfall was the only sound between them.
Y/N shifted into a bending position, and when Azula’s eyes met hers they narrowed. They maintained contact until a blast of orange fire exploded in the middle of the triangle. Her head snapped over to the source of the attack and her lips quirked up in a smile when she saw it was Zuko.
He met her eyes for just a moment, but didn’t return it.
The expression slowly faded as the realization dawned on her.
No.
With a cry, Zuko firebent at Aang, an attack he just managed to fend off with airbending. Azula smirked as she shifted her foot and shot fire at Y/N and Katara, and they blocked it together using a stream of water. Y/N took a step back to get extra distance between her and Katara as she drew up more water from the pool next to her, and she shot a series of sharp icicles at Azula.
She managed to dodge all of them except for one, which just barely snagged a corner of her tunic and tore a piece off. As Azula regained her balance she shot a blast of fire towards them, which Katara countered with a wave of water that she then sent barreling towards Azula. She turned out of the way just in time, and her dangerous glare turned on them.
“Go help Aang!” Katara yelled, quickly glancing back at Y/N. “I can handle Azula!”
“But—”
“Please!” Katara drew up water from the pool and formed water whips, except this time they surrounded her arms so she could move with the attack.
Y/N finally nodded and backpedaled away from the two girls, and as she ran into the other battle she drew up a wave of water and threw it towards the flames Zuko had shot at Aang. She hit her mark, and when Zuko saw her his eyes widened slightly. All hers held was anger.
“What are you doing?” she yelled. “What about everything you said back there? What about us?” Her voice cracked on the last word, and she bit the inside of her cheek as she felt the familiar pricks of tears. For the love of Tui, not now. “You said you had changed. I know you’ve changed!”
“I have changed,” he retorted.
She shook her head, barely holding herself together. It was the North all over again, but this time it hurt so much worse. She was reminded of Katara’s words that day, that if he was going to fight then she had to fight back. She swallowed the lump in her throat and pushed down on everything she was feeling, and got into the action.
Y/N bent water out of the pond, bringing it up high before letting it crash to the ground. Zuko countered it with his flames, but the water that he didn’t extinguish froze beneath him, throwing him off balance. With perfect timing, Aang dropped a stalactite and fell down with it, using his earthbending to increase its speed. Y/N froze her feet to the ground to brace for the impact, but Zuko wasn’t ready — when the rock hit the ground, he was sent flying across the cave into a mound of crystals.
Y/N unfroze her feet and wiped a bead of sweat off of her forehead, then ran over to help Aang out of the pit he had created.
“Thanks,” he groaned, taking a second to recover from the fight. “I’m sorry about Zuko.”
“Me too,” she murmured. Y/N bent some water up and molded it around a nasty gash that had formed when he collided with the earth, but just as the water started to glow his eyes widened.
“Look out!” Aang pushed in front of her and brought up a wall of earth, blocking a blast from Azula just in time. She let the water fall to the ground and backed away from Aang, eyes cautiously moving between him and Azula.
“Go!” he yelled. “I’ll hold her off!”
She nodded and Aang sent a ripple of earthbending through the ground at Azula, keeping her attention off of her as she sprinted over and jumped back into action. With a waterbender on both sides, the cards should’ve been stacked against him, but even with their bending in perfect tandem, Zuko was still managing to hold his own.
But then she heard a huge crash, and when her head snapped towards the sound she saw Azula flying over with the use of her firebending. There was no sign of Aang anywhere, but the fact that Azula wasn’t focused on him anymore told Y/N all she needed to know. As Azula landed, she sent a blast of fire at her, and another fight began.
Y/N traded hits with Azula for a while, but out of the corner of her eye she saw Katara falter one of her moves. She was getting tired from Zuko’s onslaught, and when Azula shifted her focus from her to Katara, she knew the princess was aware.
All it took was two of their strongest fire blasts at the same time for Katara to be overwhelmed, and she let out a cry as she was sent flying back from the impact into a crystal formation. Zuko and Azula turned to Y/N, and despite her heart pounding out of her chest, she eased into her bending stance.
But neither of them had time to attack her, loud rumbling in the distance taking their focus off of her for a moment. Y/N took the distraction to run over to Katara, who looked just on the edge of consciousness.
“Katara, get up!” she whisper-yelled, eyes constantly flicking between her friend and the battle between the Fire Nation siblings and Aang. When her eyes opened, Y/N let out a sigh of relief. She stood up and helped pull Katara to her feet, then she started to move forward to get a gauge on how Aang was doing.
But the second she had made enough distance from Katara, flashes of green hopped down from above. She stumbled backwards and spun around, before Y/N knew it, she was surrounded by Dai Li agents on every side. They had truly come out of nowhere, and as her eyes darted around the battlefield she was almost overwhelmed by their ranks. They were outnumbered ten to one, but as she met Katara’s eyes from where she was dealing with her own special delivery of the Dai Li, something unsaid passed between them.
They were going to fight until they no longer could. It was the only choice they had.
And then one of the agents stomped his foot, shooting a mound of rock at her that she barely managed to avoid. She drew water from the pool next to her, bending it into a swirling ring around her like she remembered Katara doing against Pakku. Y/N traded shots with all of them, constantly shifting her stance so she could block their earthbending from wherever it came. Once she had an opening, she bent the water into a whip and swept all the men around her off their feet, then took the brief reprieve to retreat.
Her breathing was heavy as her paranoid eyes darted around the cavern. Now that her adrenaline was fading the full weight of her exhaustion hit her — Y/N wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep going at this pace. And with her, Aang, and Katara facing off against Zuko, Azula, and the entire Dai Li…
It didn’t look good.
But then a blinding light shone from the other side, coming from a crystal tent in the ground that only could’ve been made by Aang. She partially turned away to shield herself as the crystals exploded outward, but the arm that was protecting her eyes fell slack in pure shock as Aang rose into the air, his eyes and tattoos glowing similar to the way they did in the desert but a whole lot brighter.
She almost forgot about the Avatar State, about the reason that Aang had left Ba Sing Se in the first place. But with his power, they might actually stand a chance against their growing list of enemies.
And then the lightning struck.
His body convulsed in the air, the electricity coursing through him before he began his unconscious descent to the ground. He looked so small, so broken, and when she saw Azula with her fingers pointed at him, she felt sick.
A blood-curdling scream was ripped from Katara’s throat and she immediately launched into action to save him, but the same could not be said for Y/N. She was frozen, eyes locked onto the fallen boy and features contorted in horror. She was only snapped out of her dazed state as a blast of fire was sent at her, a pained gasp the result of a festering burn on her arm. Something broke inside of her when she looked up and saw that Zuko was the source.
The inside of her cheek fell victim to her teeth, the action the only thing keeping her from spouting curses. Y/N cradled her injured arm as she staggered back, managing to bend up a small stream of water from a pool near her. Relief flowed through her as her healing worked its magic, but she had stayed still for too long.
Once again, she found the Dai Li around her, but she wasn’t so lucky this time. She brought up her hands to bend, but they were faster than her in her dishevelment, and before she knew it she was trapped. One of them bent up a crystal behind her and another shot rock gloves at her arms, effectively leaving her defenseless when they hit their mark.
Her first instinct was to look for Katara and Aang, and she found Katara on the other side of the caves holding the boy. It was a horrific sight, his crumpled body lying dormant in her arms as tears ran down her cheeks. Zuko and Azula advanced on her, but they were stopped by a wall of fire rushing between them.
General Iroh — Zuko’s uncle, who was a kinder man that she realized, she had to keep reminding herself — jumped down from the wall of the cave and landed in front of them.
Their eyes met for just a moment, and Y/N shook her head. “Get out of here!” she yelled, echoing Iroh’s words. “Save Aang!”
Katara looked like she wanted to protest, the way her eyes darted around the battlefield frantically to gauge her chances, but Y/N knew what she was thinking.
They had lost this battle. Azula had struck Aang in the Avatar State, and their only priority was finding a way to somehow save the boy. If Katara tried to help her, she would be captured as well, and they couldn’t afford that. Right now, Y/N didn’t matter — she knew it, she just hoped Katara could accept it as well.
Katara stood up with Aang’s arm around her neck and ran over to the rushing waterfall. Their eyes met again for one fleeting, heartbreaking moment, Katara’s welling with tears and her whole body shaking, before she harnessed the power of the waterfall behind her and propelled them up out of the caves. With the two of them safe, Y/N let out a relieved sigh. She might’ve been trapped, but she knew that Aang would be okay with Katara there. That was all that mattered.
The moment that her friends got away, Iroh ceased his attack and the Dai Li encased him in crystals. The caverns were almost completely quiet now that the fighting was over, but the blood pounding in her ears was louder than anything.
“How heartwarming,” Azula crooned, the Dai Li separating to form an open path as she walked over to Y/N. “But being a hero won’t help you now. Your friends left you, and you’re all alone.” She glanced over at Zuko, and when she turned back to Y/N she put her hand on her chest. “What, did you think that he was really going to side with you over his future? You don’t know him at all.”
She bit back her insults, her face a mess of barely restrained emotions. She forced herself to revert back to who she was all those years ago, the quiet servant girl that did what she had to do to survive.
It was starting to sink in now, the reality of it all. Iroh being trapped as well brought her a sick sort of relief knowing that she wasn’t alone, something she immediately felt bad for thinking. But then her gaze fell on Zuko, and white-hot rage stabbed at her.
She felt her jaw tick, and she hoped that her eyes could convey the pure, unbridled anger festering inside of her. He turned away before she did, and she could’ve laughed. He was a coward. He betrayed her but he couldn’t even look her in the eye.
Not even the sight of Zuko in the North compared to the burning inside her chest, the nausea threatening to take over. He should’ve considered himself lucky that she was restrained — Y/N wasn’t sure what she would have done, but she knew nothing would be held back. Not after what happened to Aang.
“Take the prisoners to the palace cells,” Azula ordered, directing her words to the Dai Li agents before her eyes fell on Zuko. “We have some things to discuss.”
Terror threatened to overtake her as she was forced up, the strong hands restraining her arms the only things keeping her knees from buckling once the cuffs around her wrists disintegrated. Y/N could feel Zuko’s gaze on her as she was led past him, and she dug her heels into the ground to force the Dai Li to stop for a moment so she could meet his eyes, her voice low and cold.
“You’ll pay for this.”
It was all she was able to get out before the agent holding onto her arms tugged her forward again, pulling her off balance and continuing on the path to her demise. His grip tightened to that of a vice around her wrists, but it didn’t even hurt. Y/N realized that she was almost numb in the aftermath of it all.
She trusted Zuko like a fool, believing more in memories than the truth that constantly threatened her. She thought that she had actually got through to him, that all of the talks in the tea shop and the time spent together made him realize how important she was to him, that what he was doing was wrong after his time in the cave with Katara.
everything happens for a reason part 13 - zuko x fem!reader
But there was one thing missing, and that was the moment I knew
part 12 | masterlist | part 14
a/n: this is the first time y/n and zuko have interacted without trying to kill each other since like, chapter 3 so that's nice!! as much as i love her interactions w the gaang i missed writing her with zuko a lot so this was nice for me too. sorry it's over a fuckin MONTH late omg
warning(s): a whole lot of sadness between y/n and zuko bc they're meeting again and they're dramatic af kids, talks of zuko's past including his scar, but it's fluff tbh
wc: 3.6k
chapter title comes from the moment i knew by taylor swift!
It was all a bit strange after the discovery she faced the last week. After so many years of believing her mother dead, believing that she was the cause, Y/N almost didn’t know how to cope with Kura suddenly being back in her life.
Don’t get her wrong — she was grateful, so intensely grateful to be wrong and to have her mother back when none of her friends could claim the same, but… it was still strange. And a part of her, a part that she wished didn’t exist, held a slight resentment for her mother leaving her alone for so long.
But her pure joy over having her back overrode any kind of negativity. Y/N still hadn’t told her friends about her mother being alive and in the city, wanting to keep her out of any kind of danger that came along with their position. If she had learned anything during her time in Ba Sing Se, it was that the Dai Li were capable of a lot more than she thought. She would do whatever she could to keep her mother out of it.
Y/N and Kura had been meeting up every day for the past week, Y/N always spouting some kind of excuse to her friends about wanting to take a daily walk. She didn’t know if they believed it, but they never tried to follow her. That was good enough.
The pair had been convening at a different restaurant or cafe every day, and Y/N took it upon herself that morning to scout out a new, special place. She had overheard good things about a new tea shop in the Upper Ring, supposedly ‘the best tea in the city’, so she decided to check it out.
But as Y/N stepped through the entrance, eyes scanning over her elegant surroundings, her heart burst out of her chest and stopped beating all at once at the sight of one person in particular.
It was… Zuko.
She had to blink a few times, had to pinch her arm, to make sure that she wasn’t dreaming or hallucinating.
Because after the last encounter she had with Zuko, what in Tui’s name was he doing in Ba Sing Se working at a tea shop?
She had half a mind to leave right away, to run back to her friends and warn them of the Fire Nation’s intrusion. After all Zuko had done to them in the past with his ceaseless mission, he was no doubt here again to try and take down the city from the inside.
And she started to. She backed out of the shop as inconspicuous as she had entered, but instead of doing what any normal person would’ve done, she instead backed against the outside wall and steadied her breathing.
The rational part of her was screaming to go get help, but the part of her that couldn’t think straight was telling her Zuko wouldn’t do that. Their main enemy in the past month had been Azula, not Zuko. And now he was here, in Ba Sing Se.
Maybe… maybe, he had given up on his quest for the Avatar. Maybe he had turned over a new leaf after realizing he was on the wrong side. Maybe she had gotten through to him.
Spirits, she hoped so.
Because after allowing herself a few more moments of peace, she went back inside against her better judgement.
He couldn’t hurt her here. They were in public, in the Upper Ring no less, and he likely had a reputation to uphold with this whole tea shop thing. Besides… he wouldn’t want to hurt her anyways. Not in a situation like this.
(That’s what she kept telling herself, at least. If she believed it enough, she hoped it would be true. She couldn’t handle any other answer.)
After being led to a table by a waiter, she tried to steady her breathing once again. She could hardly remember the last time she had been around Zuko without considering him an enemy, but for some reason she could feel something different in the air. Maybe it was the scent of jasmine, maybe it was her rampant anxiety.
“What are you doing here?”
The whisper was not as harsh as Y/N imagined it would be, his expression similar to the surprise she felt when she first walked into the tea shop. She exhaled loosely once more before finally looking up at him. “I guess I just wanted to see you.”
He frowned, but the crease of his brow spoke more of confusion than annoyance. “Why?”
She let out a soft laugh. “Zuko, you can’t really think—”
“I don’t know what to think!” he interrupted, the rise of his voice drawing out a slight wince from her. “I haven’t known what to think for a long time, and ever since you—” Zuko stopped himself as he continued to get louder, and when he spoke again his words were full of uncertainty.
“Ever since you came back into my life, everything has been a mess,” he muttered. “I can’t do anything the way I used to because I can’t stop thinking about you.”
Y/N stayed silent for a moment for fear that the attempt to say anything would only bring tears to her eyes. She didn’t know how long she had been waiting to hear Zuko say something like that, but in spite of it all it was more than a little sour.
“When did we become so complicated?” she asked softly. “I mean, this is the first time we’ve even looked at each other since the North without having to fight. All I want is for things to go back to normal, but… but they can’t, can they?”
“A lot has happened since you left,” he answered just as quietly, swallowing the lump in his throat as he looked away. When his eyes returned to her, his expression was much more wistful than before. “You should go.”
“Oh.” Y/N bit her tongue to prevent any curses at herself from coming out as she stood up from her chair, but that didn’t stop her mind. “I… Yeah. I’ll go.”
She was almost at the entrance when he spoke up again. “But… please.” She stopped in her tracks and turned around, and Zuko’s gaze was so… so soft, that it almost hurt. “Come back tomorrow.”
The tension built up in her shoulders almost immediately dissolved and she gave him a slight smile. “I will.”
And when she finally exited the tea shop, she exhaled deeply once more. It had been strange to be there with Zuko in such a normal setting. The past few months had been anything but — maybe that was why it was just…
She didn’t know how to describe it, but it gave her hope. That she and Zuko could still be around each other, that they could still talk to each other like they used to. Maybe not how they used to, but anything was better than how things had been when he was chasing them.
The Zuko that she had been in love with for years was still there, she knew that now more than ever. And she was more than willing to help him find that part of himself again.
~~~~~~~~~~
Zuko couldn’t tear his eyes away from her figure as she left, finding himself at an odd loss for words once her presence had disappeared from the shop.
He… he hadn’t been expecting her. Zuko hadn’t been expecting anyone he knew — Ba Sing Se was so large and populous that even running into the same person twice was unlikely — but… she had been here. They had talked. He had almost ruined it, but now he was going to get to see her again tomorrow.
Just… talk. The two of them, with no interruptions or threats or fighting. It was something that Zuko had wanted for so long, and now that they were settled in Ba Sing Se it was something he could actually indulge in.
But her being here meant that the Avatar was here. It meant that his mission had come to him — meant that he could still pursue it without having to deal with Azula or her crew.
That… that complicated things.
Zuko was snapped out of his thoughts with a voice behind him, and when he turned he was met with the smiling face of his uncle.
“What are you thinking about, nephew?” The lilt in Iroh’s smile made it obvious that he had been watching their entire interaction, and despite his question, already knew what he was thinking.
“Her,” he murmured. “I…” Zuko’s eyes remained trained on the exit for a few more seconds before he faced his uncle. “I don’t know what to do.”
“I remember the two of you as children when she worked in the palace.” Iroh’s gaze wandered to where his nephew’s was before he looked back at him. “You cared for her then. Do you still care for her now?”
Zuko nodded. Of course he did.
“Then I believe that the answer is quite simple.” His uncle patted him on the shoulder and gestured with his head at the incoming customers before going over to another table to talk to some patrons.
Zuko frowned, standing in place for a moment as the words echoed through his mind before he got back to work. Even as he spouted items off the menu, they were meaningless compared to the hurricane crashing through it all, a hurricane made up solely of her.
It should have been simple. Zuko had been struggling with his feelings for the waterbender ever since she showed up in the North, and though he had been trying his hardest to push her aside he had never truly been able to get rid of them.
If she wasn’t with the Avatar, it would’ve been so damn easy. If she hadn’t been with the Avatar, if their people weren’t enemies with a history carved a hundred years deep, if they weren’t on two opposite sides of the war.
Sometimes Zuko thought about what it would be like if the two of them were just normal. If they had met like normal children, maybe living in the same village and running into each other in the marketplace. Or maybe she was a family friend, the daughter of someone his mother was close with, and they hit it off so quickly that jokes were already being made by the time he had to go home. Together like normal people, like she wasn’t an orphaned waterbender and him a crown prince, both bearing scars from a war they have no part in.
Zuko inhaled deeply, and exhaled just the same.
He couldn’t change the past. He couldn’t change the way that they had met, the fate that befell her and her family and the rest of her people. No matter how much he wanted to.
But the ink on the parchment of the future was still fresh, and the quill had been handed to him.
Zuko would see her tomorrow. They would talk tomorrow, and then they would talk the next day and every day after that. He still had a chance, and if all he focused on was the Avatar then he wouldn’t even get past the first letter.
One day at a time.
~~~~~~~~~~
Lying to her friends wasn’t easy.
Y/N didn’t want to do it, but she understood the necessity of it. None of them trusted Zuko the way she did — they had no reason to, honestly — and she was going to stick true to her word of keeping his secret.
But now that she had found Zuko again, now that she had an opportunity to just be with him, there was no way she wasn’t going to take it. If that meant stretching the truth a little bit, then she would do it.
Despite the assertion she had made to herself in seeing Zuko, stepping into the tea shop once again spurned flutterbats in her chest — a feeling that was only exacerbated when he came into view and gave her the smallest smile.
“Hey,” she said quietly, echoing his expression but playing nervously with her hands to try and overcome the anxiety of it all. “Um, I didn’t really know when to come because we didn’t set a time but I—”
“It’s okay,” he interrupted, his eyes growing soft. “Now’s perfect. If you don’t mind, could we do this in the back? I… I think we both have a lot of questions to ask each other, and I don’t want to risk anyone finding out about… me.”
Y/N nodded. “Of course.”
The two of them trailed through the shop, Y/N nodding politely at Iroh as they passed which resulted in a knowing smile from the man. She felt the heat rush to her cheeks, even more so when Zuko held the door to the back room open for her.
They took a seat in the back room, and for a while the only thing in the air between them was silence. Y/N had wanted to talk with Zuko for so long, imagined what it would be like so many times, but now that he was right in front of her it was like she couldn’t form the words.
“What—”
“How—”
Both of them cracked a smile as they spoke at the same time, and Y/N gestured for Zuko to go first. Thankfully, he obliged.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. “In Ba Sing Se, I mean. Even with all the times I’ve tracked you, I still never really know what you guys are doing.”
She chuckled. “We’re… we’re here to see the Earth King. I can’t really tell you anything beyond that.”
Zuko averted his gaze and she could see a slight clench in his jaw. “Oh. I guess I’m still Fire Nation.”
Her eyes softened, and she had to fight against her instinct to reach out for him. “Zuko—”
“No.” He smiled, but it was obvious how forced it was. “No, I get it. I don’t expect us to go right back to how we used to be. If I’m being honest… I didn’t even expect this.”
“I didn’t expect it either,” she murmured. “I didn’t even expect to see you in Ba Sing Se, especially after… well— after everything. And… I guess on that note, I want to know how ‘everything’ started. Why you’ve been after Aang, why you have that… that scar—” Y/N swallowed the lump in her throat and met his eyes. “What happened after I left, Zuko?”
His expression tightened into one of solemnity, and though he wanted to look away his gaze remained trained on hers. For a moment she considered rescinding her question, but he spoke before she could.
“A lot happened. Everything went downhill after you disappeared.” His hands clenched into fists under the table, and the pain etched into his features spoke to what the past couple of years had been like without a single word from him. “My father was furious that a servant had been able to escape so easily, and he… he took it out on anyone and everyone. Your mother was one of them. I— I am so sorry. I have no idea what happened to her— I heard of her imprisonment one day and I didn’t hear a word after.”
At least there was one thing that she could help him with. The corners of her lips quirked up slightly as she held up her hand to stop him. “It’s alright. I can’t tell you much, but… I know she’s alive. We’ve met, and she’s okay.”
She hadn’t even realized the tension built up in his shoulders until it dissolved, though Y/N couldn’t help but notice how he had avoided the other part of the question, almost purposefully. She let out a shaky sigh and repeated it, this time a bit more pointed. “What about your scar though? Who did that to you?”
“My father.” The way he says it so plainly is enough to make her eyes widen, if it wasn’t for the heart-shattering fact that his own parent could harm him in such a way. “My father happened. He… he is the reason for all of this.”
(With Ozai, though… if anyone was capable of such cruelty, he was.)
“I spoke out of turn at a war meeting. A general wanted to sacrifice innocent soldiers, and I protested against it. I had to fight in an Agni Kai because of how I dishonored him, but instead of the general… I had to fight against my father.”
Y/N gasped and her brows furrowed, only able to come out with one pitiful sentence. “How? H-how could he do that to you?”
“He said that I had dishonored him by speaking out in his council. I refused to fight, and he gave me this scar so I would always remember my weakness.” Zuko’s voice was quiet, still unable to make eye contact with her. “I was stripped of my honor and banished, only able to return if I captured the Avatar. That’s why I’ve been after him.”
Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to say something, anything, to comfort him, but she couldn’t. Maybe it had been the distance from Ozai, maybe it had been the recent reunion with her own mother, but the knowledge alone was almost a physical weight.
“I… I’m so sorry, Zuko,” she finally managed. “I’m so sorry that I wasn’t there for you.”
“Don’t be sorry.” His expression was noticeably blank, a practiced mask of emotionlessness she knew all too well, but his words genuine nevertheless. “I’m glad that you were gone. I… don’t even want to imagine what might’ve happened to you if you hadn’t gotten out of there.”
“Zuko…” Y/N trailed off, but the sorrow in her eyes was enough for him to stop her again.
“I know. It’s bad, but… but we can’t do anything about it. This is where we are now, whether we like it or not.” Zuko took a deep breath and let it out loosely before meeting her eyes again. “If anything, I should be sorry. I’ve hurt you so many times, and I regret it all.”
“Thank you.” She gave him a thin smile, still not quite full. “I understand it all more now, but… but it still hurts, Zuko. Everything from the past couple of months. I mean, Zuko — when I first saw you in the North, I didn’t even recognize you. And then— and then you fought against us, and you took Aang, and— and your people are the reason that Yue is dead!”
Her hands had started creeping onto the table as her voice rose, and when she noticed she quickly pulled them back. Y/N cleared her throat and tried to keep her words level. “Princess Yue was one of my closest friends, and your admiral is the reason that she’s gone. And I know it wasn’t your fault, but…”
“But it still feels like it,” he finished, voice nothing more than a murmur.
Y/N nodded. “And… and I want to forgive you — believe me, I do — but it’s going to take time, Zuko. I know you have a reason for it, but I can’t just forget all that’s happened.”
His gaze inadvertently flicked down to her hands, bringing it back up before she could notice with a nod. “I know. And I’m going to try as hard as I can to make up for everything that I’ve done, a-and I’ll be here for you, as long as you need. As long as we need.”
This time, Y/N’s smile gleamed a little brighter. “Thank you.”
He returned with one of his own, and even that was enough to make her realize just how much she had missed solely being with him. The constant movement of her life with Team Avatar and the twists and turns that came along with every new territory was exhausting — though Zuko was still different, he was familiar. She still didn’t feel fully at ease talking with him, but she knew that she was safe. Y/N didn’t know how long he was going to be in the Ba Sing Se for, but the way that things were now it looked like his quest for the Avatar was over.
Soon enough they had exchanged goodbyes. And as she left the tea shop, a small smile and a nod in the direction of Iroh, Y/N felt oddly content.
This was the start of a new chapter for her and Zuko.
~~~~~~~~~~
He almost felt like he couldn’t breathe as she walked away, his gaze trained on her in an effort to commit every detail to memory.
She carried herself with an air of confidence, something she had no doubt picked up over her time with the Avatar. She still adorned herself in Water Tribe garb even in the Earth Kingdom — he noticed that it was the same outfit, though slightly worse for wear, that she had worn the last time they fought — something Zuko had to admit he was grateful for. She looked beautiful in blue.
She had grown so much in the time that she had been gone, even the short amount of time since the encounter with Azula. He couldn’t help but wonder if the same had happened for him.
And as Zuko watched her go, he was almost spellbound. Words jumped to the tip of his tongue but he was unable to get any of them out, and as she left the backroom and soon enough the shop, he was struck by a sudden realization.
He had never truly fallen out of love with the waterbender from his past.
-
everything is going to go downhill next chapter so enjoy the fluff while u have it
everything happens for a reason part 12 - zuko x fem!reader
Living in the state of dreaming
part 11 | masterlist | part 13
a/n: something happens this chapter that you probably wont expect. and its actually kinda fluff. so enjoy lol!
warning(s): the typical corruption in the earth kingdom, mentions of imprisonment and torture but just briefly, this is a pretty fluffy chapter if you don't count any of the creepy earth kingdom shit
wc: 5.2k
chapter title comes from the state of dreaming by marina!
There was something unmistakably strange about the city of Ba Sing Se.
Their tour guide, Joo Dee, was a master in dodging questions. Anytime Sokka tried to ask her about meeting the Earth King or something about the war, she talked in circles about how safe they were in the city, or just completely ignored him.
And the way that the city was divided up with walls — it made her feel sick. Joo Dee didn’t outright say it, but it was obvious: while the rich were living it up in the Upper Ring with everything and anything they could want, the poor were forced to tough it out in the Lower Ring with a serious case of overcrowding and horrible conditions.
Everything about the city was unnerving. She wanted to deliver their information to the Earth King and get out as soon as possible. And she told them just that as they mulled around their house, a bit of their gumption having run out over the failure to learn even a single thing about where Appa could be.
“It looks like that’s gonna be harder than we thought,” Sokka grumbled, laying down on the floor as he stared at the ceiling. “I mean, she completely ignored everything I said about the war! And— and the way everyone we talked to acted about the mention of the war or the Fire Nation? There is something seriously kooky about this place.”
“Welcome to the world of the Earth Kingdom!” Toph exclaimed with fake enthusiasm. “I’ll tell you, this is not something that I missed.”
“The war is all some people can talk about in some of the places we’ve visited,” Y/N said as she fiddled with a fraying thread on the edge of a pillow. “But here— it’s like the people don’t even know about it! How is that possible with the amount of refugees that come here?”
“I don’t know,” Aang said as he watched Momo fly around the room. “But this is the Earth Kingdom — they’re on our side, right? I know we’ll be able to get to the Earth King soon.”
“Let’s hope,” Katara agreed as she looked out of one of many windows in their house. “This place is nice, but we can’t stay here for a month — we have too much to do.”
“Hey — if the leaders of this place are going to be incredibly frustrating, we might as well get all we can out of this place.” Sokka stood up and walked over to the door to another room, winking at them all while he opened it. “If you need me, I will be enjoying a room all to myself.”
Katara chuckled as she picked a pillow up from the sofa and laid it on the plush carpet. “He’s right. We’ve all had a long day — we should take rest where we can get it, especially in a house like this.”
Y/N agreed wholeheartedly.
~~~~~~~~~~
It hadn’t even taken them a whole day of residence in the city to hatch a plan to see the Earth King. After finding out about a party at the palace they decided to sneak in — Toph and Katara disguised as children of a noble family and Y/N, Aang, and Sokka as servants.
While Toph coached Katara on how to act in high society, Y/N taught the boys the ins and outs of being invisible. Eventually it was time to put their plan into play, and as Katara and Toph took their spots in line, Y/N, Sokka, and Aang all snuck around the back to look for the servant entrance. This night was going to go the way they wanted it to — they had prepared for everything, including accounting for the usual mistakes that managed to sneak up on them.
The only thing they couldn’t have prepared for was the conspiracy that they were about to unknowingly unravel.
But right now, they were more focused on getting into their uniforms after sneaking in with the bellboys. They had managed to steal a couple of extras and now, after taking refuge in an empty hallway, were working on putting together the final touches.
“You look so stupid,” Y/N chuckled as she finished tying a knot in the string around Sokka’s tunic.
“You’re wearing the exact same uniform as me!” he protested with a gesture at her hat.
“Yeah, but I wear it better,” she grinned. “Right, Aang?”
“Right.” He echoed her expression and gave her two thumbs up, then took off his own hat to allow Momo to crawl inside. “Are we ready?”
The two of them nodded and Y/N peeked around the corner — they still had a few more minutes until they had to go out — so she turned back to her friends.
“Alright,” she started. “Some last minute trivia before we go out there — what is the number one rule of servanthood?”
“Remain unseen and unheard until you’re needed,” Aang responded.
“Right,” Y/N nodded. “And Sokka, what do you do if someone is extremely rude to you?”
He sighed but answered nonetheless. “You grin and bear it and apologize, even if they’re the one that’s wrong.”
“Especially if they’re wrong,” she clarified. Y/N allowed another glance around the corner and nodded at the two boys. “Alright, it’s time.”
“I have no idea how you managed being a servant all those years,” Sokka muttered, disgruntled as they all turned the corner. “I wouldn’t be able to hold my tongue.”
“You would if your survival depended on it,” she said quietly, holding up a hand after her words to signal their silence. She picked up a tray from a nearby table that was left unattended and nodded at the boys, hoping they got the message to go and find their own. Thankfully they did, and in a matter of seconds they were dispersed throughout the party.
She could only hope that Katara and Toph had managed to get in as well — she didn’t exactly want to play servant for too long. Too many memories.
Thankfully, after about ten minutes of catering to the every whim of Earth Kingdom citizens with outfits more expensive than her life, a voice that was finally welcome hit her.
“Excuse me? Waitress?”
A smile was already on her lips before she turned around to see Katara with an amused expression of her own. “I thought I would never find you,” she whispered. “The guy who escorted us in wouldn’t leave us alone — it doesn’t help that every busboy looks the same with these uniforms!”
“You just don’t know how to look,” Y/N grinned. “Now come on — I can see Sokka and Aang over there talking to someone. It better be Toph, because otherwise they are blatantly disregarding the rules I taught them.”
Katara snorted and the two of them made their way through the crowd as nonchalantly as they could, but just as they had reached the trio disaster struck. As usual.
Joo Dee (who was at the party for some reason, and fighting with Sokka for another) pushed him into Aang and, in a breach of etiquette that was enough to make Y/N shrivel up and die, caused him to spill an entire pitcher of water onto a guest.
The entire party fell silent as the woman screeched and Y/N winced, her grip on the serving plate turning ironclad. Aang’s eyes widened as he stepped forward, already trying to amend the situation.
“Sorry, no! Don’t shout!” He bent a gust of wind at her, successfully drying her off but completely messing up her entire look and exposing himself as the Avatar in the process.
“For the love of Kyoshi,” Y/N muttered, handing her serving plate off to an unsuspecting busboy passing by her. She slid her way through the crowd over to Sokka and whispered in his ear. “While Aang keeps him distracted, we’ll look for the Earth King. And please, for my health, don’t cause another scene.”
Sokka nodded and, with a mock salute, broke off into the crowd. She exhaled deeply, trying to calm herself down before she took her own path. Y/N didn’t know how she always forgot how badly things went for them on a daily basis, but this party was no exception.
She felt a little of the weight lift off her shoulders when she spotted a palanquin at the front of the room. She stood up on her tiptoes trying to see through the crowd to find Sokka, and when they made eye contact she gestured towards the front and made a crown shape with her hands over her head. Somehow he got the message, which he signalled with a nod as he started to move towards Aang.
She let out a sigh of relief as she moved towards the edge of the crowd, hoping that Aang would grab the attention of the king and they would all be able to group up with him after. But Y/N didn’t even get a chance for a second glance at the Earth King, for when she looked up she was only greeted by men in green outfits.
Her confusion wasn’t even allowed a second to fester as her arms were grabbed and pulled behind her back, her initial protests muffled by rocks being bent around her mouth. She tried to struggle against them but it was no use, and against her will she was guided into an adjacent room.
As soon as the door fell shut behind them the rock fell to the ground and the grip on her arms loosened, and Y/N immediately tore away from her captors.
“What in Kuruk’s name is this?” she cried. “Do you make it routine to capture your servants in the middle of parties? I— I’m with the Avatar, so—”
Her leverage fell flat as the door opened once again, this time Sokka being pushed through by the same men in green. She now recognized them as the Dai Li, which caused a pit to form in her stomach. Either these guys had a grudge against waiters, orthey had stumbled upon something they weren’t supposed to.
She and Sokka conversed silently with their eyes, but it wasn’t until Katara and Toph joined them that they were able to piece it together. Someone really didn’t want them to see the Earth King — that someone was given a face as Aang walked into the room with another man.
“Avatar and friends,” he greeted with a slight bow of his head. “My name is Long Feng, Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se and head of the Dai Li. It is with pleasure and great honor we welcome you to our city.”
Sokka wasn’t having any of it. “Why won’t you let us talk to the Earth King?” he fumed. “We have valuable information, information that could defeat the Fire Nation!”
He didn’t seem fazed by the outburst, his voice smooth and steady despite the utter bullshit he was spouting. “The Earth King has no time to get involved with political squabbles and the day to day minutia of military activities.”
Y/N laughed dryly. “This isn’t a political squabble, this is something that could change the course of the war.”
Aang nodded. “This could be the most important thing he’s ever heard.”
“What's most important to his royal majesty is maintaining the cultural heritage of Ba Sing Se. All his duties relate to issuing decrees on such matters. It's my job to oversee the rest of the city's resources, including the military.”
Katara frowned. “So… the king is just a figurehead.”
“He’s your puppet!” Toph accused.
Long Feng laughed, a grating sound that drew out a grimace from Y/N. “Of course not! His Majesty is an icon, a god to his people. He can’t sully his hand with the hourly changes of an endless war.”
Y/N was growing more annoyed at the second, Sokka along with her as he spoke up once more. “But we found out about a solar eclipse that’ll leave the Fire Nation defenseless! You have a huge army, you could lead an invasion—”
“Enough!” The group took an instinctive and collective step back as Long Feng stood up, his presence suddenly much more intimidating. “I don’t want to hear your ridiculous plan. It is a strict policy of Ba Sing Se that the war is not mentioned within the walls. Constant news of an escalating war will throw the city into a state of panic — as the only safe haven from the Fire Nation, I can think of nothing worse.”
“Our economy would be ruined, our peaceful way of life — our traditions — would disappear.” He folded his hands behind his back, the green flames in the fireplace casting a shadow over his face and destroying any sense of peace in the smile he offered. “In silencing talk of conflict, Ba Sing Se remains a peaceful, orderly utopia: the last one on Earth.”
Y/N’s eyes widened in horror, and the large library felt claustrophobic all of a sudden. “You— you can’t do that! You’re doing everyone in this city an injustice by keeping them in the dark — what if the Fire Nation attacks?”
“They already have,” Long Feng said curtly. “We have walls for a reason. There is no reason to worry our citizens for nothing at all.”
“You can’t keep the truth from all these people!” Katara protested. “They have to know!”
“I’ll tell them,” Aang insisted as he pointed his finger at Long Feng. “I’ll tell them. I— I’ll make sure everyone knows!”
His lips tightened into a straight line as he took a step towards Aang and leaned down to his level, and to Aang’s credit he didn’t flinch. “Until now, you’ve been treated as our honored guest. But from now on, you will be watched every moment by Dai Li agents. If you mention the war to anyone, you will be expelled from this city.”
Y/N felt like she could finally breathe again when he walked away from Aang, and she could see a bit of his bravado fade away when Long Feng turned away. That relief only lasted a moment though, his next words freezing the blood in her veins.
“I understand you’ve been looking for your bison,” he added with a slight glance at Aang. “It would be quite a shame if you were not able to complete your quest.”
Y/N could see Aang’s grey eyes fill with an anger not often seen, and she gently wrapped her hand around his arm to stop him from doing anything crass. He glared at her for just a moment, but his attention was drawn back to the door as someone else joined them.
“Now,” Long Feng said as he sat down. “Joo Dee will return you to your home for the night.”
In complete shock, Y/N’s hand fell from Aang’s bicep, and it was all she could do to keep her jaw on its hinges. The woman in front of them was not the same woman that had
“...That’s not Joo Dee,” she said, voice carrying more than an edge of fear. “That’s not our tour guide.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Long Feng said flatly. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Joo Dee,” she responded with an unnerving smile and a slight bow of her head. “I’ll be your host as long as you’re in our wonderful city.”
As she met Katara’s eyes, she could tell they were both thinking the same thing — they were in something much deeper than they thought.
Y/N felt numb as they were walked out of the palace through a side entrance and loaded into a carriage. Her gut had been right, the second they set foot in the city. But gut feelings didn’t mean anything, not with the odds stacked so high against them.
The Earth Kingdom was supposed to be on their side — they had an army that could actually stand a chance against the Fire Nation, for Tui’s sake — but they had just become one of their hardest obstacles yet.
What in the spirit’s name were they going to do now?
~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, it all still hadn’t completely sunk in yet.
The reason for everyone acting so strangely about the war, the reason for such heavy handling by Joo Dee, everything weird about the city all made sense in that moment in the library — Long Feng and the Dai Li were behind it all, and the king was just a figurehead. They truly believed that no one knowing about the war would keep their city in order.
And now, despite having made it to Ba Sing Se with information that could quite possibly end the war, they were back to square one.
It was enough to make her scream — and if it wasn’t for her friends trying to sleep off their failure, she would have.
She could hardly keep still since learning about what truly went on in the government, let alone sleep. Their luxury home that once felt massive now only delivered a sense of claustrophobia, the city as a whole oppressive.
Maybe that was why, the next morning, she found herself trying to get out of the Upper Ring as soon as possible after spouting some excuse about wanting to explore the city to her friends.
The truth was, that claustrophobic feeling was creeping up on her in spades — she had to get out, but she didn’t want to worry them. Y/N loved all of her friends dearly (they were more like family to her now after what they had been through together), but some things she just needed to weather on her own.
The Middle Ring felt like home. Nothing special, nothing horrible, just… there. And that was how she liked it.
The cool air against her skin was a welcome change from the stillness in their house. It might’ve been cold to some, but she still retained some immunity against harsh weather from her years in the North.
The streets weren’t too busy, the pedestrians mostly made up of university students and parents doing Tui-knows-what. Frankly, she didn’t care. The slight breeze aided her in her task of clearing her mind, and she stopped in the middle of the street and closed her eyes as the feeling of calmness washed over her.
That feeling was dashed quicker than usual.
“I’m so sorry to bother you, but—” A woman’s voice rang out behind her, eerily familiar, and when she turned around she swore that her heart stopped in her chest.
Her long hair, now slightly greying, waterfalled down her right side in a braid. The wrinkles and smile lines that adorned her face showed her age but, if anything, accentuated her beauty; her soft eyes only adding to her aura of kindness. With plain Earth Kingdom clothes and a basket of linens resting against her hip, she might’ve looked like any other woman in the city to someone else.
But to Y/N?
It was the fulfillment of a wish she never thought would be granted.
The woman’s words died in her throat as her eyes widened slightly, and her basket fell out of her hands to the ground. Y/N’s breath hitched in her throat as her lips formed a word she hadn’t said in nearly five years.
“…Mother?”
The woman’s face melted into a smile as her eyes filled with tears, and when she pulled the girl into a hug she reciprocated the act with no hesitation.
“I can’t believe it,” she whispered. “I saw the Water Tribe clothes and I thought it was just— but it’s you! My darling girl, you’ve come back to me!”
Y/N didn’t answer; she couldn’t even form a sentence as she wrapped her arms even tighter around Kura, some part of her terrified that this was a dream and it was all going to disappear. But a choked sob fell past her lips as she buried her head in the crook between her neck and her shoulder, a four-year longing for her mother’s embrace finally fulfilled.
“I never thought I would see you again,” she breathed, her words slightly muffled as she was practically speaking into her mother’s shoulder. But right now, she couldn’t care less. “I— I thought you were—”
“I know. But you’re here, and I’m here, and we’re both okay. We’re finally together again, my little otter penguin.” The nickname on its own was enough to make the sobs start once more, but as her mother pulled back and allowed her eyes to wander up and down she couldn’t help but crack a smile.
“Oh my spirits — you’ve grown so much since I last saw you!” The heat rushed to Y/N’s cheeks as her mother trailed her fingers up and down her outfit and she chuckled. Kura’s eyes brightened and she reached up for the necklace, tracing the intricate design carefully. “Oh, and you still have it…”
“Of course I do, mother,” she smiled. “It’s all I had left of you.” Y/N knelt down and picked her mother’s fallen basket up from the ground, ignoring the look she gave her — after what her mother had done for her, carrying linens around was nothing. “But… How did you get away? How are you here?”
Kura gave her a wry grin. “It’s a long story, my dear. One that deserves a better stage than the streets. And I believe you have a story to tell me as well?”
“Oh— of course!” Y/N laughed and nodded for her mother to lead the way. “I just… I can’t believe that it’s you. I keep thinking that I’m about to wake up, and this is all just going to fall away.”
Kura placed one hand on Y/N’s shoulder, the pure love sparkling in her eyes something no dream could muster up. “I promise you, my dear. It’s real.”
~~~~~~~~~~
After settling in a small family-run restaurant, the mother-daughter pair began to spill everything they had been through in the past couple of years. Y/N insisted that Kura go first, desperate for answers of what had happened after that night but a part of her terrified of the damage she might’ve caused for her mother.
And as her mother explained the aftermath of that night and many nights onward, guilt pooled in her stomach. She knew her mother didn’t blame her, and she wouldn’t want her to blame herself either, but it was impossible not to feel guilty. After all, Kura’s escape from the Fire Nation was nothing short of a miracle.
Y/N was already in Eisuke’s boat fleeing the Fire Nation by the time she was discovered as missing. Ozai was so furious over the ease of escape for a servant girl that he sent guards all around the capital looking for her, and Kura herself was immediately imprisoned as retribution.
Left in isolation at first in an attempt to break her down, she was then ceaselessly interrogated about the whereabouts of her daughter and what had gone down that fateful night. Kura didn’t go into details of what her imprisonment was like, but Y/N had a sinking feeling that her mother was sparing her many grisly details for her own sake.
Eventually it became less about finding the missing servant girl and more about reinforcing the strength of the Fire Nation. Kura was the unfortunate victim of that anger, and throughout the brutality she faced she was kept in the dark. They kept her weak so she couldn’t bend as well as taking all the precautions necessary to keep her from any advantage.
But one guard was different. A young woman that couldn’t have been any older than twenty felt sympathy for Kura, and she engaged with her in casual conversation, gave her actual food — she made her feel like a human rather than a prisoner.
One late night the woman snuck into her cell, warning her that the Fire Lord planned to finally get rid of her early the next morning. She didn’t know the details, but they both understood the message he planned to send with her death. The guard left her a cup of water and a few silver pieces — she apologized for not being able to do more, but she was unaware it was the most kindness Kura had been shown in the past couple of months.
She escaped that night, the only signs visible in the broken locks on her cell door and the entrance to the prison.
“You were in there for two years,” Y/N murmured. “You were imprisoned and tortured for two years because of me.”
“Don’t you dare say that,” Kura refuted. “It was my decision to send you away knowing what would happen. You have always been the thing that’s most important to me, and I would do the same thing a million times over if it meant you were safe.”
It was like everything her mother said to her was enough to make her cry, just out of the sheer purity of it all. To prevent those tears from spouting once again, she tried to joke a bit. “Ozai must’ve been furious,” Y/N said dryly. “Mother and daughter, both slipping just out of his reach.”
“He should’ve expected that when he messed with waterbenders,” Kura smiled. “But enough about me! What was this about you being with the Avatar?”
Y/N chuckled and averted her eyes shyly. “I joined them after our tribe got attacked. I needed to get away from the North, and they wanted me there, so… it just seemed perfect. The whole journey has been absolutely insane, but I’ve never been happier.”
She recounted her journey to the North, the tragedy she faced with the princess (and the feelings that her mother was nothing short of accepting of), and how she got caught up with the Avatar. She talked about the sisterhood she had found with Katara and the brotherly relationship she had forged with Sokka, and the way both Toph and Aang had taught her how to relax again. And as she went on, her mother’s smile only grew. It was enough to melt her heart all over again.
At the end, she only had one question. “Mother, I’m not trying to get on you for anything — trust me. I just… Why have you been in Ba Sing Se the whole time? Why not try and make it to the North?”
“I’m not as young as I used to be,” she sighed. “Not as powerful either. Travelling through so much of the Earth Kingdom on foot with the war raging as hard as it is now… I wouldn’t have made it. Believe me my darling, I wanted more than anything to see you again, but… I just couldn’t.”
“Of course mother,” Y/N gave a slight smile. “I completely understand. I’m just happy that you’re still here.”
“And I you. I knew you would make it,” Kura grinned as she intertwined her fingers with Y/N’s. “I told you you were stronger than you knew, and I was right.”
Y/N chuckled in disbelief. “Mother, you survived the Fire Nation, a-and prison, and the Fire Lord himself. You are the reason I’m alive today.”
“The hope that you were okay was the thing that gave me the strength to power through.” Her mother’s eyes shone with unshed tears. “My dear, you have saved me more times than you know.”
Y/N bit her lip to prevent tears of her own from falling and squeezed her mother’s hand tighter, something she responded to with another smile. “Now… I don’t mean to be intrusive, but these friends of yours sound like quite the group. I would love to meet who has been keeping my daughter company for the past few months.”
Y/N perked up immediately, an acceptance already on the tip of her tongue, when something crossed her mind and she deflated just as quickly. “I can’t.”
Kura’s brows furrowed and Y/N began to elaborate. “Mother, we are… we’re in a huge mess. There is a conspiracy deep into the entire government, and we found out about it, and now the Dai Li is watching our every move. If we mess up, do something that they don’t like, then we’re out of this city. I can’t put you in that kind of danger — not after I’ve just found you again.”
Somehow, her frown got even deeper. “Y/N, what kind of danger? What is going on in the city?”
Y/N let out a loose breath and shook her head, casting a paranoid glance behind her as if expecting the threatening flashes of green to appear at any second. “I— I can’t tell you. I know this is horrible to you, but I don’t want you involved. There’s just too much that could go wrong.”
Her eyes were concerned, but Y/N knew her mother could tell she wasn’t going to be able to get anything out of her. “...Alright. I trust you. Just… be careful, whatever you’re in the midst of. Remember that I’ve just found you again as well.”
Y/N nodded with a slight smile of her own, and Kura sighed. “I wish we could just sit here for the rest of the day and talk, but I have to get to work. And,” she gave a wry grin, “I imagine that you have Avatar things to attend to?”
She chuckled. “Always.”
The two women stood up from their chairs and exchanged another hug, this one somehow deeper and more personal than the first one. This time she wasn’t able to hold back her tears, the shoulder of her mother’s dress becoming slightly wet from her daughter’s emotions.
They exchanged addresses on small slips of paper, and with goodbyes that were more of a ‘see you later’, mother and daughter set off on their separate ways.
A part of Y/N didn’t want to go, didn’t want to ever leave her mother alone again. The irrational part of her saying that if she left the woman alone for even a second, then something terrible would happen. But her mother had travelled all throughout the Earth Kingdom at only eighteen on her own — Kura knew nothing about what was going on with the Dai Li, so she would be safe. Y/N sometimes forgot that her mother was so capable, it had been so long. She didn’t have to worry about her, no matter how many thoughts nagged at her.
After the party the night before, things had seemed almost hopeless. With the Dai Li and practically the entire government actively working against them, as well as the threat of Appa being held over their heads, how could they get anything from the Earth Kingdom?
Well… she had just found her missing mother after four years of assuming she was dead.
A corrupt government was nothing against that.
-
to all the ones who were hoping for some closure on kura THIS ONE'S FOR YOU
everything happens for a reason part 11 - zuko x fem!reader
Memories, where'd you go?
part 10 | masterlist | part 12
a/n: alternative name for this fic: y/n gets a crush on every pretty girl she meets. yue, katara, and now suki. she can't help it (and she questions why they're all connected to sokka in some way lmaoo)
anyways, this is kind of filler but it establishes some more with relationships and finallyyy gets us into ba sing se at the end. i know it's a lil annoying because there's a lot of episode-to-text writing, but i promise it'll get more freeform as it goes on
also i know that i just posted something yesterday but i have literally zero patience. like i cant hold chapters i have to post them as soon as i write them loll
wc: 5.3k
warning(s): some feels over zuko as per usual, but overall a pretty tame chapter
chapter title comes from memories by panic! at the disco!
Zuko could barely sleep anymore.
He didn’t know when his life became so complicated, but he wasn’t a fan of it.
Back when it was just him, his crew, and the open sea — it was simple. He had a job, a straightforward mission. Find the Avatar, capture him, return home to the Fire Nation and regain his honor.
Now, the waters were more muddied than ever. Now on the run from the Fire Nation just like the boy he was chasing, all he really felt nowadays was anger.
Angry at the world for setting him on this path, angry at the Avatar for refusing to see what was necessary, his sister and her friends for turning against him, angry at the waterbender for making things so damn hard.
He didn’t want to hurt her. A part of him wished that she had never come back into his life, if it meant he wouldn’t have to constantly be fighting against her. He hated himself for the thought, but maybe it would have been easier for her to remain a memory of a lover than his active enemy.
Late at night, when he was reaching fruitlessly for sleep that would never come, he saw her face. The carefree energy from their childhood morphed into the shock and disappointment from both the North and their fight with Azula, and…
It made him wonder what in Agni had happened to them.
He—
He didn’t know. The way he felt about her, it was different than anything he had experienced before. Zuko didn’t know what it was, but he understood that it was special. And now… it felt like he had just thrown it all away.
Zuko couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened with her in that town — what he had done to her.
He had burned her to try and get to the Avatar, and he hadn’t even allowed a glance back at the damage he had done. He had heard her cry out in pain, pain he had caused, and he didn’t even look back.
What had happened to them? What had happened to him?
He kept telling himself that the mission was the only thing that mattered. And it was, wasn’t it? Capture the Avatar, regain his honor, get his old life back and finally be enough for his father. He didn’t have time for friends, or for these feelings he had, or— or for anything but capturing the Avatar. Because the Avatar was the key to everything, to his honor, and that was all that mattered.
But now…
Now, he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. He didn’t know what was right, or what was wrong, or what path was the one he had to take.
Zuko just wished things could be like they used to be.
~~~~~~~~~~
She didn’t really know when everything had become a mess again.
It all started out fine, like it usually did. Toph had become fully integrated into the group, any past squabbles put to rest in the name of a stronger friendship emerging between all five of them. Katara continued to work on Aang’s waterbending (oftentimes Y/N joining them in their sessions) while Toph slowly but steadily beat earthbending into him — literally.
They had all been working hard for so long that, by decree of Aang, it was ‘vacation time’. They would all get to pick out places they wanted to spend as a break, and after it was over they would get back to work.
Aang had chosen some sort of field with musical groundhogs, and Y/N had opted to revisit an Earth Kingdom village that she had passed through on her journey to the North. Sokka had complained the whole time about how they were ‘wasting valuable planning time’, but had finally conceded after the promise of ‘all the planning his heart could desire’ from Katara after their mini-vacations were over.
Y/N was actually feeling somewhat relaxed for once, but she had forgotten the golden rule — never let your guard down. Everytime she let her guard down, something bad happened without fail. So it shouldn’t have been any surprise with what happened in the desert.
Because after one trip to the Misty Palms Oasis and a journey into the desert with a professor to a long lost library, Appa had been taken by desert raiders.
It was… less than favourable. During their escape from the library, Professor Zei had insisted on staying behind, and now the five of them were stuck in the middle of the desert with no way out and zero guidance. Add some brewing tensions between Aang and Toph because of her being there when Appa was taken, and they had a recipe for a huge disaster.
And a disaster they had. Multiple disasters, actually.
There was only so much she and Katara could do to hold the group together, but by some miracle, they made it out of the desert with only one Avatar State mishap.
(And an incident with cactus juice, but… she didn’t really want to talk about that.)
....at least they had the information about the Eclipse. That was about the only thing keeping her together at the moment.
They had to get the information to the Earth King so they could formulate an attack with his warriors, but without Appa, they had to resort to more traditional methods of travel. Add in one passport problem, and that was how Y/N found herself braving the Serpent’s Pass alongside a refugee family with a baby on the way.
It was… intimidating, to say the least. Despite being surrounded by her element, Y/N didn’t feel any safer from the challenge that faced them. She took a deep breath, trying to tamp down on her fear the way her mother had taught her, as she followed the group, but her thoughts were soon interrupted.
“Hey.” She turned to see who the voice belonged to and was greeted by the girl that had teased Sokka early — Suki, if she remembered correctly. “I haven’t seen you around; are you with the Avatar or that family?”
“I’m with Aang,” Y/N explained. “I’m from the North, and they offered me a spot with them after they helped us defend our tribe against the Fire Nation. I’ve been with them ever since.” Suki nodded as they settled into a comfortable stride.
“That’s cool. Are you a waterbender?”
She gestured to her waterskin and smiled. “Yeah. I’ve been training with Aang and Katara ever since I left.” Y/N then turned her gaze back to Suki, raising an inquisitive brow. “Your makeup — what’s it for? I heard you talking about the Kyoshi Warriors back there; is that some kind of thing with Avatar Kyoshi?”
Suki grinned, her every expression heightened by the sharp reds and blacks above her eyes. “We’re a group of all-female warriors that use the teachings of Avatar Kyoshi and her partner Rangi to defend our home and the place she founded, Kyoshi Island. I’m the leader of our village section.”
“Wow,” she murmured, her eyes falling to the ground for a moment before finding their way back up to the warrior. “That’s really cool. You’re really cool.”
She laughed and shrugged. “Thanks. I’ve been training as a warrior for almost my whole life, so it just comes naturally. I like being able to protect people, and there’s no better way to pay back my home for all it’s done for me like protecting the whole village.”
“Wow,” she repeated with a small laugh of her own. “That’s really brave. I gotta say, I’m kinda jealous — I would love to see what would happen if Master Pakku met you all. Katara literally had to beat the sexism out of him in order to train to be a master.”
Suki chuckled. “Sounds like what I had to do with Sokka. Guess it’s a thing with Water Tribe guys, huh?”
At the mention of Sokka, she internally laughed. There had to be some kind of connection between the two of them, the way their interests kept aligning. “Sokka… he’s had it hard. I can’t blame him that much for any kind of attitude he had before he met you. Pakku, on the other hand? He had to have had something better to do than fight teenage girls.”
“You would think so, right?” Suki agreed. “And Sokka… I know. He’s got a heart of gold underneath all that, he just needed a little push to get it out.” As Y/N glanced over at the girl, noticing a slight pink tint under the white makeup, she gasped.
“La’s fins, are you two a thing?” she exclaimed with a grin.
Suki flushed even harder as she suddenly became very interested in the ocean around her, but she couldn’t help the smile on her lips. “No! I mean— yes— but… but—” she stopped to gather her thoughts before making eye contact again with a sheepish smile. “We’re not… really a thing, but… I do like him a lot. I didn’t really think I was going to see him again after they left the island, so this is really nice.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” Y/N asked. “I can already tell that he cares about you — have you seen how careful he’s being with you?”
“Well—” Whatever kind of excuse Suki would’ve made up was interrupted by a rock falling out just under Than, one of the refugees they were with, saved in the nick of time with Toph’s earthbending.
“I’m okay!” he reassured, but no sooner had the words left his mouth before the Fire Nation ship in the distance started firing.
Aang flicked his glider open and deflected the blast, and Katara grabbed Y/N’s hand as they all began to run. Another blast rocked the mountain, causing several boulders to fall just above Suki. Y/N didn’t even have time to shout out a warning before Sokka tackled her out of the way, but it was ultimately more of Toph’s quick earthbending that saved him.
“Suki, are you okay?” Sokka brushed dust and pebbles off of her uniform as he examined her, and once he was satisfied he grabbed her hand and helped her up. “You have to be more careful! Come on!”
As the two of them caught up to Y/N and Katara, she gave Suki a knowing look. The warrior only blushed once again and glanced away.
After hours of navigating the pass, they were only about halfway through. Sokka made the executive decision to set up camp for the night to give everyone time to rest, and then they would get up at the crack of dawn to finish their trip. It only took a few minutes for Y/N to get a fire going, and soon everyone had settled in with their sleeping bags. Sokka got up from his spot as Suki wandered closer to the edge, and Katara nudged Y/N with her shoulder.
“Hey. How are your hands doing?”
“They’re fine,” she answered with a small smile, flipping her hands over as proof. Where there were once red burn scars on her palms only tiny white marks remained — one benefit to healing via waterbending was that most injuries were able to fade away completely after enough sessions. Her burns weren’t very serious and she was able to heal them almost immediately, so both her and Katara were sure that the marks would be completely gone soon.
The mental scars wouldn’t fade as easily.
“That’s good. And you’re taking care of them, right? Like, you’re not beating up people while we’re not looking?”
Y/N grinned. “No. I think I’ll leave that to Toph.”
Katara chuckled and nodded, turning her hands over in a final examination before nodding. “Good,” she repeated. The silence between them, although comfortable, stretched out for a little too long before she spoke again, this time much quieter. “He did this to you.”
“Katara…”
“I know,” she said. “I know you probably don’t want to hear this from me, or really at all, but… I’m worried about you. Zuko isn’t good for you. Every time we’ve run into him, he’s hurt you. And you deserve so much more than that.”
“You don’t understand,” she countered. “You don’t know Zuko like I do. You weren’t there when I was. I know you think I’m insane for still believing in him, but I— I can’t let go of him, Katara. I know the Zuko I love is still in there somewhere, and I have to try and find it. For me and for him.”
Katara’s eyes were full of nothing but sympathy as she sighed — it was obvious she didn’t believe her words, but in true fashion she was still trying her best to be supportive.
“Okay. I don’t understand it, but… I don’t think I can change your mind.” Y/N chuckled sadly and nodded, Katara’s piercing gaze meeting her own once more. “It’s just… Why are you playing with fire when you know you’re going to get burned?”
And for once, Y/N didn’t have an answer for her friend.
~~~~~~~~~
The night went by quickly, which Y/N was thankful for. It meant that the nightmares didn’t last as long.
After a quick headcount to make sure no one had fallen off the pass overnight and an even quicker gathering of their things, they set off to finish their journey.
It went just as well as she had expected — a giant serpent, the namesake of the pass, had attacked them while crossing through an underwater section. Thankfully, she was able to aid Katara and Aang in defeating it with waterbending with no casualties
But in the wake of one disaster there was always another, and before Y/N knew it a baby had been born. She was mostly there for moral support — Katara had it all handled, and Y/N didn’t expect anything less.
But finally, they had made it across the pass, and they were so close to Ba Sing Se that she could almost smell the city air. Sadly, though, that meant it was time for them to part ways — Aang to find Appa, and Suki back to her warriors. After some sad but hopeful goodbyes with Aang, it was time to bid farewell to Suki.
“Are you sure you can’t travel a little longer with us?” Y/N questioned, apparently not above pleading to try and get the girl to stay. “You’re— you’re amazing, and we’d really love to have you with us.”
“I can’t even imagine what travelling with the Avatar would be like,” she smiled, causing Y/N to get her hopes up for just a moment before they fell back down. “But I can’t stay. I have to get back to the Kyoshi Warriors.”
Y/N sighed, her gaze falling slightly downcast. “I get that. I just really wish you could stay. Or that I could meet your warriors. You seriously don’t know how cool you are, Suki.”
“Well, if you’re ever in town on Kyoshi Island, find us. I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out and do you one better than just meeting them all,” she said with a grin. “I think it’d be pretty cool to have the first waterbending Kyoshi Warrior.”
Y/N was unable to prevent the heat rushing to her cheeks as she smiled shyly, once again averting eye contact. “That would be amazing. I’ll have to find my way back there after the war.”
Suki bumped shoulders with her, causing a startled laugh to spill from her lips. “We’d love to have you.”
“Wait, why does it sound like you’re saying goodbye to her?” Sokka questioned as he walked up to the two of them. Y/N winked at Suki and gestured at him with her head, walking off before Suki could protest to find Katara.
The conversation the two girls were sharing was an extremely thinly veiled excuse to eavesdrop on the lovebirds, and when they kissed Y/N actually had to hold back a scream.
Sokka deserved this. She knew how much he beat himself up over every little thing that went wrong, and it was about time he got to relax even for a moment. She only hoped that Suki would be in their corner of the world sooner rather than later.
What could she say? She was already fantasizing about life as a Kyoshi Warrior.
~~~~~~~~~
Although they had parted ways, they soon found themselves reunited with Aang to stop yet another Fire Nation threat.
“For the love of Kuruk,” Y/N murmured as she stared into the distance, her eyes wide at the sight of a large mechanical drill. “That was Ty Lee who just took down all those soldiers. And if she’s here, Mai and Azula are with her too. Guys, It’s one thing to stop this drill, it’s another thing to take those three down with it.”
“The question is, how do we do it?” Aang questioned.
“Why can nothing ever be easy?” Sokka lamented. His gaze remained trained on the drill for a moment before he realized theirs were on him. “Why are you all looking at me?”
“You’re the idea guy,” Aang said.
“Wait, so I’m the only one who can ever come up with a plan?” he protested. “That’s a lot of pressure!”
“And also the complaining guy,” Katara muttered, drawing a chuckle out from Y/N.
“Now that part I don’t mind,” Sokka admitted.
“Well, Sokka— you were a huge help in the North, and you figured out a way to defeat the Fire Nation during that eclipse at the library! Plus, there’s all that stuff that Katara told me you did before I joined.” She patted him on the back. “If anyone can figure out how to take that thing down, it’s you.”
He shrugged nonchalantly, his ego only slightly bolstered. “...okay. I think I can do it.”
“That’s the spirit!” she said with a smile.
Unfortunately, that smile faded as a young guard came running up to the wall. “Excuse me, Avatar and friends — I’ve heard that you’ve dealt with that… that pink girl down there before.” They nodded and he continued. “It would do us a great deal of help if you could come down and look at our injured soldiers, then.”
Y/N and Katara nodded in unison and started to follow the guard, the remaining three trailing after them. They ended up inside the wall, in what looked like an infirmary of sorts with all the cots and soldiers lying around, and the two waterbenders exchanged looks.
“You know what to do?” Katara asked.
Y/N hummed in acknowledgment, and they both knelt down next to separate cots. “This definitely looks like Ty Lee’s work,” she murmured as she bent water up from the pot and molded it over the man’s arm.
“What’s wrong with him?” the general questioned. “He doesn’t look injured.”
“His chi is blocked,” Katara explained. “Who did this to you?”
“Two girls ambushed us,” the soldier said, moving his arm as he regained feeling. “One of them hit me with a bunch of quick jabs and suddenly I couldn't earthbend anymore and I could barely move. Then she cartwheeled away.”
Katara sighed as she bent the water back into the pot. “You were right, Y/N. That was Ty Lee — she doesn’t look dangerous, but she knows the human body and its weak point. It’s like she takes you down from the inside.”
As if struck by lightning, Sokka lit up. “Oh, oh, oh! What you just said — that’s how we’re going to take down the drill; the same way Ty Lee took down all those earthbenders!”
“By hitting its pressure points!” Toph exclaimed with a grin.
The breakthrough brought a steely determination to Aang’s features as he looked out into the distance. “We’ll take it down from the inside.”
~~~~~~~~~
Like everything they did, it seemed so simple on paper. But now that she was actually inside the drill, it felt a lot more nerve wracking. Toph opted to stay outside where she could see and try to slow down the drill with the earth at her disposal, which left the four of them to somehow take it down from the inside.
Sokka led them through a hallway with a myriad of valves and pipes as he thought out loud. “I need a plan of this machine — some schematics that show what the inside looks like. Then we can find its weak points.”
“Where are we gonna get something like that?” Aang asked.
Sokka thought for a moment before he took his machete out and hacked a valve off a pipe. Y/N instinctively took a step back and shielded her face from the hot steam. “What are you doing?” she cried. “Someone’s gonna hear us!”
“That’s the point!” he exclaimed. “A machine this big needs engineers to run it, and when something breaks—”
“Someone will come down to fix it!” Katara finished with a smile at Aang, a sentiment the boy returned happily.
It was surprisingly easy to take down the engineer once he arrived — with a little bit of frozen mist on Katara’s end, they had the plans they needed. Sokka’s expertise combined with the blueprints got them to the beginning of the outer shell.
“Wow,” Sokka muttered. “It looks a lot thicker than it does in the plans. We’re gonna have to work pretty hard to cut through that.”
Katara crossed her arms. “What’s this ‘we’ stuff? The three of us are gonna have to do all the work.”
“Look, I’m the plan guy!” Sokka explained with a gesture to himself. “You three are the ‘cut up stuff with waterbending’ guys. Together, we’re Team Avatar!”
Katara and Aang looked wholly unamused while Y/N chuckled. “Team Avatar. I like it.”
“Thank you,” he smiled. “At least someone appreciates my genius.”
“Tui’s gills, why do you have to keep boosting his ego?” Katara complained. “Let’s just get this done before it gets worse.”
The three of them got in position — Katara and Aang on opposite sides so they could pass the stream of water between them, and Y/N making the point of the triangle to work on the other side on her own. They were hoping it would be more efficient being able to cut through both sides at the same time, but it was proving to be much more difficult than they had imagined — halfway through the three of them were already exhausted.
By some feat of strength they were able to completely cut through the brace, but their hard work didn’t pay off in quite the way they had imagined — when the beam only shifted a few inches she groaned.
“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” she breathed as she wiped sweat off of her forehead.
“At this rate,” Katara paused to inhale deeply, “we won’t do enough damage before the drill reaches the wall.”
“I don’t know how many more of those I have in me,” Aang said sadly.
A large creak suddenly rang throughout the large chamber, and they all looked up for the source.
“Did you hear that?” Sokka asked, already backing up to make an exit. “We took it down! We gotta get out of here, fast!”
Just as they reached the door on the other side, a crackle followed by the sound of a man’s voice dashed their hopes. “Congratulations, crew. The drill has made contact with the wall of Ba Sing Se. Start the countdown to victory!”
A collective silence hung in the air between them, the threat now even more imminent as their situation sunk in. Mai and Ty Lee had proven effective in taking down any Earth Kingdom threat posed at them, and despite Toph’s skill they knew she couldn’t take down something like this on their own.
They either had to figure out a way to destroy this drill, or the Fire Nation was going to make it into the city.
Sokka ran back over to the brace and pushed against it, putting all his strength into the feat but to no avail. “Come…. on! Move!”
Katara started pacing around in a small circle, crossing her arms again as she tried to think of something. “This is bad. This is really bad.”
“Sokka, that’s not going to work!” Y/N didn’t mean to snap, but the grinding of metal on metal combined with her nervousness got to her. She sighed and ran her hand over her face. “I— I’m sorry. But it’s still not going to work.”
He groaned as he leaned against the brace. “We’re putting everything we have into busting these things, but it’s taking too long!”
Suddenly, Aang jumped up from the ground with stars in his eyes. “Maybe we don’t need to cut all the way through! Toph — she’s been teaching me that you shouldn’t put a hundred percent of your energy in any one strike. Sokka, get in a fighting stance.”
Sokka complied and as Aang talked through his points, he demonstrated it on Sokka. “You've got to be quick and accurate. Hit a series of points and break your opponent's stance. And when he's reeling back, you deliver the final blow. His own weight becomes his downfall, literally.”
As Sokka fell over from the attack, Katara lit up. “So we just need to weaken the braces instead of cutting all the way through—”
“—then I can go to the top of this thing and deliver the final blow!” Aang finished.
Y/N helped Sokka up from the ground, his spirits not dampened at all. “Then boom! This whole thing goes down!”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Y/N asked, flexing her fingers to refresh them for all the bending she was going to have to do. “Aang, Katara and I can handle the braces. Focus on getting up to the top before anyone sees you.”
He nodded and they all met each other with determined eyes. “Everyone inside that wall, the whole world — they’re all counting on us.”
“Here, take this. You need this more than I do. ” Katara took her waterskin off and handed it to Aang. “Good luck. And be careful.”
Y/N noticed a slight blush on her cheeks and she had to hold back her smile. That was definitely something she was going to tease her friend about later — when they weren’t trying to stop the Fire Nation from breaking into Ba Sing Se.
“I will,” he assured. Aang slung the strap of the waterskin around his shoulder and took off, and Y/N and Katara got to work breaking through the rest of the braces.
With the knowledge that they only had to cut through half of each column and the revitalization that came from having a plan, their work went by much quicker. Just when they finished the final brace, it all went wrong.
“Good work, Team Avatar!” Sokka cheered. “Now we— Y/N, duck!”
She didn’t question Sokka as she immediately dropped to the ground, something she was immensely thankful for as a blast of blue fire seared past her. Her eyes snapped up to the source of the attack and narrowed in recognition.
“Of course they’re here,” she growled as she pulled herself back up. “We gotta go, now!”
Katara and Sokka nodded and they all started running. Bringing up the rear, Y/N was able to hear Azula’s words right before they split off into an intersection:
“Follow them! I’m going to find the Avatar.”
Sure enough, when she allowed a glance back, Mai and Ty Lee were closing in on them. She flicked open the cap of her waterskin and bent some out, managing to freeze it at just the right moment to block the incoming daggers from Mai. Still running, she melted it quickly and let it fall to the ground before freezing it again, creating some ice on the ground that would hopefully give them a few more seconds of leeway.
“That should give us some time!” she yelled as they turned a corner, finally turning her attention back to the path in front of them. “Any idea how we’re gonna get out of this thing?”
“Maybe!” Sokka yelled back, slowing to a stop as they came to a dead end, a large hatch the only thing at their disposal. He started tugging on the wheel in an attempt to open it, and when Y/N joined in they were able to wrench it open.
“Slurry pipeline?” Katara frowned as she read the sign on the wall and looked at Sokka. “What does that mean?”
“It’s rock and water mixed together,” he explained as they looked into the rushing liquid underneath the hatch. “It means it’s our way out!”
Katara nodded and climbed in, Sokka following close after. The sound of metal footsteps got closer and closer, and Y/N ducked inside just as Mai’s knives clanked against the hatch. Never before had she been so happy to be floating in a stream of slurry.
The rest of their mission went by surprisingly easy — at least, on their end. All it took was some waterbending — earthbending, when Toph joined them — and encouragement from Sokka (though unappreciated by Katara). Whatever magic Aang was working at the top of the drill had done its job, because soon enough the drill had collapsed in on itself.
And now, they had reunited on the top of the wall overlooking the sunset. After the chaos that had been their day, it was nice to just relax for even a moment. And there was no better way to do so than with her friends.
“I just want to say, good effort out there, Team Avatar!” Sokka exclaimed as he threw an arm around Y/N’s shoulder.
“Enough with the ‘Team Avatar’ stuff,” Katara said dryly. “No matter how many times you say it, it’s not going to catch on.”
“I like it, Sokka,” Y/N smiled. “I’ve liked it this whole time.”
“You always appreciate my genius, Y/N,” he mused. “That’s why I appreciate you.” She laughed and leaned her head against his shoulder as he continued to list off names.
“How about… the Boomeraang squad! Eh? See, it’s good because it’s boomerang, and it has Aang in it—”
“Yeah Sokka,” Toph interrupted. “We got it.”
Aang grinned and scratched his head. “I kinda like that one.”
“The Aang Gang. Ooh, the Fearsome Fivesome!”
“You’re crazy,” Toph muttered as she walked away.
“Wait, Sokka—” Y/N pulled away from him and held up her pointer finger. “Aang Gang — what if we combine it, so it’s just the Gaang? But still with Aang’s name?”
And at that moment, Sokka looked more proud than ever. “Oh, you— you are a genius.”
“Oh, spirits,” Katara groaned. “Why do you insist on encouraging him?”
“You’re just jealous of our name-making abilities,” Sokka said haughtily.
She rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “You two are completely ridiculous, you know that? Let’s just get into the city before the trains stop running.”
Y/N and Sokka winked at each other as they all started walking, unable to keep the smile off of her face. She always thought it was amazing — they went through insane things every day, but at the end of it all she was always able to smile because of them. And as her gaze drifted towards the city in the distance, she hoped it would hold true.
She had no idea what Ba Sing Se had in store for her.
-
shit is gonna happen next chapter so i hope you all are READY bc im not
everything happens for a reason part 10 - zuko x fem!reader
I hate you for what you did, and I miss you like a little kid
part 9 | masterlist | part 11
a/n: i love y/n's friendship with sokka so much im sorry im gonna go cry
wc: 6.5k, these chapters just keep getting longer lmaoo
warning(s): canon stuff that happens in the chase, y/n gets burned, some feels over zuko, the usual ykyk
chapter title comes from "motion sickness" by phoebe bridgers!
So far, Toph had proven to be a good addition to their group. Her unapologetic attitude was rightfully earned because of her insane skill in earthbending, and she was also hilarious — at least, to Y/N she was. Just like with Aang, she felt like it was her duty to protect the younger girl. It was obvious that she could protect herself with her earthbending, but Y/N still had this odd sense of responsibility.
It hadn’t really occurred to her until now, but she and Sokka were the oldest in the group. No wonder things had been such a disaster; the two of them had unwittingly taken on the parental roles when they didn’t have a clue of what to do.
Between them, they each had a dead parent and an absent one. With that kind of guidance influencing their actions, it was a miracle that they made it anywhere at all — she had quickly realized that while their whole group was made up of concerningly powerful children, they owed a lot of their success to luck.
And though they all were unfortunately wise upon their years, that childish nature often held back in the name of survival was let loose — case in point, Toph.
It had been another long day of flying, and for Appa’s sake as well as wanting to be on solid ground again, they had decided to set up camp for the night. Y/N had volunteered herself to gather firewood and Sokka had decided to come along — it held a special place in both of their heart from that night shortly after she had joined the group, and somehow it had just become their thing — and when they reentered the grounds, Y/N was surprised to find themselves on the sideline of a budding argument.
“—that’s great for you, but we still need to finish-”
Her insistence was cut off by Toph, a slight bite to her words. “I don’t understand what’s the problem here!”
Katara looked like she wanted to say more, but she managed to hold herself back with a sigh and a dismissive wave of her hand. “Nevermind.”
Y/N gave Sokka a look of ‘I’ll handle this’, and once he nodded she added her firewood to his stack. She dusted her hands of residue on the front of her tunic as she made her way through the camp to Katara, offering a small smile that the girl returned. “What was that about?” she asked.
Katara sighed once more and shook her head. “Nothing. Toph is just… really hard to work with.”
She glanced back at the earthbender, unbothered underneath her rock tent, before turning back to Katara. “Well… she’s not really like us, you have to remember that. She’s a Beifong, and even though she did all that fighting, she’s still been pretty sheltered by her parents. I doubt they went on family camping trips much, being super rich and all.”
Her expression turned thoughtful with a hint of shame as she nodded, the subsequent smile slightly sheepish. “I didn’t think about that. She probably needs time to get used to this whole lifestyle — I’m sure she’ll start helping soon.”
Y/N grinned and nodded, patting Katara on the back before walking back over to Sokka, kneeling down to help him get a fire started. She felt a strange swell of pride as she saw Katara walking back over to Toph’s tent, and smiled wryly at Sokka. “I’m pretty good at this, huh? This must be what being a parent feels like.”
He snorted as he rubbed two sticks against each other in an attempt to get a spark, allowing himself a glance at the two girls before cocking an eyebrow. “First off, you’re barely a year older than Katara. Second, if anything? I’m the parent. And third, they’re arguing again.”
Y/N chuckled before his words sunk in, and when she whipped her head around she was greeted by Katara storming away from the still unbothered earthbender. She took a deep breath to tamp down on her annoyance then shook her head. “You know what? Not my problem right now. Let’s just focus on this fire.”
~~~~~~~
Though she might have deemed the argument between the two girls ‘not her problem’, something on the horizon was very much about to become ‘her problem’.
Y/N and Sokka had continued onto their various tasks after getting the fire started, and despite the spat between Katara and Toph the rest of the night was surprisingly quiet. Uttered ‘good nights’ were the only thing passed between the four of them (Toph had turned in her last talk with Katara) as they settled in.
Sleep came easily after the long day, but it was interrupted far too quickly. Dreams of the past were dashed from her mind as Toph started yelling, running out of her tent into the middle of camp. “There’s something coming towards us!”
“What is it?” Aang asked. They were talking at a normal level, but every word was like a rock hitting her skull when all she wanted to do was rest.
“It feels like an avalanche, but also… not an avalanche.”
“Your powers of perception are frightening,” Sokka said drily.
“Can’t it wait until morning?” Y/N groaned, turning over in her sleeping bag. When she opened her eyes, she was unfortunately greeted by the sight of everyone already packing up their things.
“I don’t think so,” Katara said, something decisive in her eyes. “We should leave.”
“Better safe than sorry,” Aang agreed. Y/N heaved a sigh, knowing this was a battle she wouldn’t win, and decided to join the packing party. Before she knew it, they were all gathered on Appa once more and flying through the night sky.
A yawn wormed its way out of her throat, causing her to lean against the side of the saddle. “I hope whatever’s following us loses interest.”
“I don’t think it has.” Sokka pointed out a billowing cloud of dust in the distance, the true nature of the problem unknown due to it.
“What is that thing?” Katara murmured, speaking the question on everyone’s mind but no answer available.
Fortunately, the silence didn’t stretch out for too long. Aang guided them to a mountain, far out of reach of whatever thing was after them, and she picked up the packaged tent to begin setting it up when Toph all but lunged off of Appa’s back.
“Ah, land! Sweet land.” She jumped up from the ground and began to walk off, most likely to set up in a corner like she had before. “See you guys in the morning!”
“Actually,” Katara said as she slid down onto the ground as well. “Can you help us unload?”
She scoffed, not even turning to look at Katara. “Seriously? You need me to help unload Sokka’s funky-smelling sleeping bag?”
“Well… yeah.” Katara looked up at Y/N for guidance and she offered a small smile along with a nod. “That, and everything else. You’re a part of our team now, and—”
Toph seemed to be making a habit out of interrupting the waterbender, pointing at her as she snapped. “Look! I didn’t ask you to help unload my stuff! I’m carrying my own weight.” Satisfied with proving her point, Toph started to walk away, but Katara wasn’t going to let it go.
“That’s not the point!” she insisted. “Ever since you’ve joined us, you’ve been nothing but selfish and unhelpful!”
“What?” Toph stood her ground and pointed her finger at Katara, fuming with each word. “Look here, sugar queen — I gave up everything I had so that I could teach Aang earthbending, so don’t you talk to me about being selfish!” She sat down on the ground and bent up rock from the ground to form her tent from before, turning away from Katara and once again trying to put an end to it.
Unfortunately, Katara didn’t get the memo.
“Sugar queen?” she cried, making it seem like the nickname was far more insulting than anything else the earthbender had said to her that night. Before Katara could get anything else out, Toph bent more rocks up to close herself off. “Did you just— did you just slam the door in my face?! Ugh— how can you be so infuriating?”
As Katara resorted to banging and kicking the rock tent, the remaining trio watched with wide eyes from a distance. “Wow,” Y/N muttered. “They barely know each other, but they sure know how to push each other’s buttons.”
“Should we… do something?” Aang rubbed his head, more concerned than anything.
“Hey, I’m just enjoying the show,” Sokka chuckled.
As Aang walked over to try and calm Katara down, Y/N let herself fall onto her back on Appa’s saddle. “I don’t even know if I want to unpack. I might just sleep up here tonight.”
He snorted and took his bundle of things off of the saddle, then slid down Appa’s side to reach the ground. “You do that.”
And she did. For all the trouble that Katara went through, they hardly set up a camp, the exhaustion hanging over everyone’s head ultimately winning over. Sleep came even easier than before, but she had just gotten comfortable when four words from Toph shattered her hopes for a peaceful night.
“That thing is back,” she said, earning a groan from Y/N as she sat up and protests from Sokka.
“Well, how far away is it?” he grumbled as he pulled the covers of his sleeping bag over his head. “Maybe we can close our eyes for just a few minutes.”
“I don’t think we can,” Aang murmured as he looked off into the distance, the telltale smoke cloud visible once again as it billowed up over the trees.
“I guess I was right for staying up here.” She rubbed her eyes as she scooted to her usual corner on the saddle, trying her best to blink the sleep out of them but to no avail. Soon enough, everyone was back on Appa and they were flying off into the night once more.
“Seriously, what is that thing?” Katara questioned, staring at their unknown follower as she rubbed her eyes.
“And how does it keep finding us?” Toph asked as she leaned against their packed supplies.
“I don’t know,” Aang admitted, though he tightened his grip on the reins. “But this time, I’m going to make sure we lose it.”
“Please,” Y/N agreed. She had shifted her weight so she could lean against the side of the saddle, and she allowed her arm to hang lazily in the open air as they flew. “I can make no promises to the kind of person I will become if we don’t get some sleep.”
Just as before, Aang found them a new spot deep within the mountains. They didn’t even have a chance to dismount because as soon as Appa hit the ground, he fell onto his side, spilling all of them off the saddle. Their sky bison was just as tired as they were, which was a great sign.
“Okay, forget about setting up camp.” Sokka crawled into his sleeping bag and shifted around in an attempt to get comfortable. “I’m finding the softest pile of dirt and going to sleep.”
“Good plan,” Y/N yawned. She laid her bundled sleeping bag under her head, too lazy to unpack it and also knowing that, with their luck, they would most likely be up and moving again.
“Yeah,” Katara muttered. “It’s not like Toph was going to help anyway!”
“Oh, I didn’t realize the baby still needed someone to tuck her in!” Toph shot back.
Y/N groaned and rolled over onto her stomach, hoping that she could somehow muffle out the noise. “Can you guys stop for two seconds? I can’t deal with this right now.”
Aang made a noise of agreement. “There’s something after us, and we don’t even know what or who it is.”
“It could be Zuko,” Katara suggested. “We haven’t seen him since the North Pole.”
Y/N let out a sigh at the mention of him, unable to stop the almost instinctive reminiscing that occurred. She wished she could say that she didn’t think about him anymore, but that was a lie — the prince of the Fire Nation crossed her mind at least once a day.
No matter how obtuse it might’ve seemed, she still believed that Zuko was good, that what happened at the North was a fluke. A dim belief, but one nonetheless.
And as much as she wanted to see him again, she was almost too scared to. That, when he came back into their lives as the same person he had been at the North, the carefully sculpted image of the boy she wanted Zuko to be would shatter.
She hoped it wasn’t him.
“Who’s Zuko?” Toph asked.
“Oh, just some angry freak with a ponytail who’s tracked us all over the world,” Sokka muttered. “He’s also Y/N’s ex-boyfriend.”
“He wasn’t my boyfriend,” she grumbled as she rolled onto her back once more. She really was not able to stay still tonight. “He was just the boy that I loved more than anything else that led to my life becoming really fucked.”
She cracked an eye open, the sight of the two twelve year olds next to her reminding her that maybe she should try a little harder to keep her filter up. “Sorry. Really… messed up.”
Aang chuckled and Toph waved a half-hearted hand around to signal she didn’t care. Katara sat up, shifting her weight onto her elbow as she grinned at Sokka. “What’s wrong with ponytails, Ponytail?”
“This is a warrior’s wolf tail,” he defended as he pointed at his hair.
“Well, it certainly tells the other warriors that you’re fun and perky,” she joked.
“Don’t worry Sokka,” Y/N mumbled as she rolled onto her side. “I like your hair.”
He gave her a thumbs up as he rolled onto his back — it looked like not being able to stay still was a staple for their group. “Anyways, whoever’s chasing us couldn’t have followed us up here, so can we all just shush?”
She was more than happy to ‘shush’, but Momo didn’t particularly like the idea — and neither did she, when she realized what his chittering meant. She watched half-heartedly as he, followed by Aang, Katara, and Toph, walked to the edge of the cliff they had taken refuge on, and groaned when it became obvious their threat was back.
“Oh, don’t tell me...” Sokka buried his face in his hands as Y/N reluctantly sat up, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes before they got to moving again.
“That’s impossible!” Aang insisted. “There’s no way they could’ve tracked us!”
“I can feel it with my own two feet,” Toph said, confirming their fears.
Y/N contemplated hitting her head against the ground a couple times to vent her frustration but ultimately decided better, instead choosing to join the rest of her friends near the edge. She gasped, finally able to see the full image of their attacker — it was some kind of metal… thing.
Yeah. She still had no idea what they were up against.
“Let’s get out of here,” Katara said, the unease permeating the air filtering into her words.
“Wait.” Aang’s gaze sharpened as he pulled his staff off his back. “Maybe we should face them, find out who they are. Maybe they’re friendly!”
“People don’t chase you for miles in the dead of the night just to say ‘hi’,” Y/N muttered as she flipped open the cap on her waterskin. “But… I agree. We can’t keep running — we have to take a stand.”
Aang nodded, and Sokka joined them on the ledge as they watched the side of the tank unload. Three mongoose lizards emerged from the opening, and when Y/N caught sight of the passengers she felt her heart stop.
“Princess Azula,” she breathed, adrenaline battling fear in her frozen veins.
Y/N didn’t think there was anyone who scared her more than the Fire Princess. Maybe the Fire Lord had a hand above her, but there was something so utterly terrifying about a girl even younger than her that had been molded into a war machine. A firebending prodigy since birth, it was no surprise that this was who she had become. But she couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the princess.
The Fire Nation was good at that, she had noticed during her time there. Stealing the innocence from any child that showed a modicum of skill, then pushing until they broke to become more powerful than any adult they would face. Punishing those who didn’t go along with it.
...she knew that all too well.
Y/N hadn’t even realized she had lost herself in her thoughts until she felt Sokka’s hand on her own, tugging her away from the battlegrounds in an aimless state.
“Earth to Y/N, are you there?”
She blinked a couple times and shook the images from her head before giving a nod and running along with him. “Sorry, yeah! I’m fine.”
He gave her a strange look, but she guessed that he realized there was no time for questions as they hurried back onto Appa. Toph did some last-minute bending to buy them some time in an escape, and as soon as she landed in the saddle with them Aang took off.
“I can’t believe those girls followed us all the way from Omashu,” Katara muttered as she slumped against the side.
“If there’s one thing the Fire Nation has in common, it’s determination.” Y/N was barely able to finish her sentence before a fresh wave of exhaustion hit her, the adrenaline already wearing off. “And if there’s one thing I have in common with Aang, it’s that I need to sleep for a hundred years. Good night.”
It didn’t even feel like a hundred seconds before she was woken up again, this time with a strange sensation of falling.
Except it wasn’t a sensation, and they were actually falling. Nothing like the impending threat of death to get the adrenaline flowing again.
“Aang!” she yelled as she grabbed onto one of the grooves in her saddle, praying to Kyoshi that the rest of the group had woken up.
“What’s going on?” Toph cried.
“Appa fell asleep!” Aang yelled as he fumbled a bit, trying to keep his grip on the reins as their descent sped up.
“Well, wake him up!” Y/N shouted back. She reached out and pulled Toph closer to her, hoping to give the blind girl some sense of stability (as well as not wanting her to fall to her death). Judging by how Toph didn’t immediately throw her off, she took that as a sign that her help was welcome.
“That’s what I’m trying to do!” Using the reins he was able to crawl his way up to Appa’s head, and he continued his attempt. “Wake up, buddy!”
The only thought that Y/N could muster up in the moment was how lame it would be to die this way, so when Appa finally opened his eyes and leveled out she was very thankful. They were all cut up from flying through the evergreens, but she would take that over their barely-avoided fate any day.
She and Katara made quick work of the cuts — a little bit of glowing water was all it took for them to be back to normal — but Appa was out cold after the nonstop night of flying.
“Appa’s exhausted,” Aang muttered as he slid off his sky bison.
“So are we,” Sokka said as he threw his sleeping bag on the ground, Y/N following him. “We've put in a lot of distance between us and them. The plan right now is to follow Appa's lead and get some sleep.” She made a noise of agreement as she laid down on the grass, not even bothering to get her sleeping bag out.
“We could’ve gotten some sleep earlier,” Katara grumbled, “if Toph didn’t have such issues.”
“What?!”
Y/N groaned and hit her head against the ground in some kind of exhausted effort to get them to stop arguing. “You’re the parent, Sokka!” She pressed the heels of her hands against her forehead. “Do something!”
“I have no idea how to get them to stop!” he complained.
She tuned back into the argument just in time to hear four words that made her want to cry.
“I’m out of here,” Toph declared as she walked away, hitting the ground with her foot to bend her bag up to her.
That gave her enough energy to get up, hopping to her feet to block the younger girl’s way. “Toph, you can’t leave! We need you!”
She stomped her foot once more and Y/N was pushed out of the way with more earthbending. “You might need me here, but you don’t want me here. You can find another earthbending teacher.”
All they could do was watch her go, their one hope for mastering earthbending soon a speck of green in the distance. Y/N allowed herself to fall onto her back once more, having spent more time in the grass than her actual sleeping bag tonight, and groaned again. “Why did you guys have to do that?”
“What did I just do?” Aang lamented as he flopped onto the ground. “I can’t believe I yelled at my earthbending teacher — now she’s gone!”
“I know,” Katara muttered, her face full of regret. “We're all just trying to get used to each other. And I was so mean to her.”
“Yeah,” Sokka agreed. “You guys were pretty much jerks.”
“Thanks, Sokka,” Katara said dryly.
“No problem.”
“He’s right,” Y/N said, still not willing to get up from the ground. “If we can’t even get through one sleep deprived night without losing somebody, then this whole group’s gonna be gone by the time we reach the Fire Nation.”
Katara sighed and nodded woefully. “We need to find Toph and apologize.”
“Okay, but what are we going to do with the tank full of dangerous ladies chasing us?” Sokka asked.
Aang picked up a clump of Appa’s shedding fur, and they all watched as it blew off with the wind. “I have a plan.”
~~~~~~~
The plan was a bath.
A bath for Appa, more specifically, and with three waterbenders the process went by quickly. Soon, the river was more white than blue with all the fur that had been washed from the sky bison, and they all sat on the river bank while Appa dried himself out to talk through the second part of their plan.
“Toph was right,” Aang observed. “The fur was leaving a trail right to us. But now that he's clean, no more trail.”
“Are you sure he’s okay to fly?” Katara asked. It was a valid concern — the downtime they had enjoyed for the past half hour or so hadn’t done much for any of them, and though they had washed off his shedding coat they hadn’t been able to do the same for Appa’s exhaustion.
“He’ll be fine. As long as we leave his saddle and all our stuff here, he’ll be able to fly.” He opened his bag and stuffed some of the fallen fur into it before shouldering it and turning to the rest of them. “I’m going to use Appa’s fur to fake trail to lead the tank off-course. You guys will take Appa to try and find Toph.”
“I’ll go with you,” Y/N offered. “Make the teams even.” Aang nodded, the young boy giving her a grateful smile that she returned happily.
After some last minute preparations and bids of good luck to each team, they were all on their way — Sokka and Katara on Appa, and Y/N and Aang flying through the air with the help of his glider, one handle for each of them and white bison fur drifting down to the ground behind them. She was so worried about facing off against the princess and so utterly exhausted from their all night chase that she couldn’t even fully appreciate the sensation of flying.
“Fans of Kyoshi, I hope this works,” she murmured.
She hadn’t even realized the words had been said out loud until Aang responded, his hardened gaze trained ahead. “It will.”
And she believed him. Wholeheartedly.
~~~~~~~
The worst part was the waiting.
They had ended up in a deserted town, and after emptying the last of Aang’s satchel they each took a seat on the ground and waited.
Silently. Both of them were far too tired to discuss anything regarding the imminent battle.
And imminent, it was. Y/N remembered thinking that she just wanted them to show up so they could get it over with, but as soon as she caught the first glimpse of the mongoose lizard she almost instantly regretted it.
The princess dismounted and took a few steps forward before she stopped, standing at odds with the two of them.
“Alright,” Aang said. “You’ve caught up to me, Azula. Now, what do you want?”
She raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by the knowledge of her identity, when her sharp gaze narrowed in on Y/N. “Ah, the servant. I nearly forgot that you existed, even more so that you were with them. I always did wonder how you managed to escape that night.”
“What do you want?” she repeated, her voice slightly gruff from a mixture of exhaustion and exasperation.
“Now? Now, it’s over,” she stated. “You're tired and you have no place to go. You can run, but I'll catch you.”
The smallest side glance from Aang caused them both to stand up. He planted his staff in the ground and Y/N flexed her fingers as she flipped the cap open on her waterskin. “We’re not running.”
She smirked. “Do you really want to fight me?”
Of course they didn’t want to fight her, Y/N wanted to say. But she didn’t think they had a choice.
Unfortunately, (or rather, fortunately — talking back never mixed well with Azula) she didn’t get the chance to, for just as she opened her mouth another voice rang out. One that, for just a moment, sent her back into the depths of the North.
Y/N knew who it was before she even saw him.
“Yes,” he growled. “I really do.”
He looked different. With his hair no longer in a ponytail and instead cropped close to his head and Earth Kingdom greens rather than the usual red of his nation, she might not have noticed him as the prince in a crowd. Her heart swelled with concern at his gaunt appearance, and she had to push down on that affection. Not now.
“Zuko!” Both she and Aang said his name at the same time, but the word was barely able to find its way off of her lips as they locked eyes for just a moment.
Just a moment.
Fleeting moments were all they ever got. Ever since the very beginning.
And that was all they got now. A single moment before it all came crashing down.
Azula’s sharp eyes passed between her brother and the waterbender, a light amusement dancing in her irises as if she knew what was going on in both of their minds. “I was wondering when you’d show up, Zuzu.”
“Zuzu?” Aang echoed, unable to stifle his laugh. Zuko finally broke eye contact from Y/N as he shifted into a fighting stance, arms held outwards towards both his enemies.
Because that’s what she was now.
“Back off, Azula,” he warned. “He’s mine.”
“Oh, I’m not going anywhere,” she drawled as she eased into her own stance.
The four of them stood at odds, each of them a second away from bringing it all down but no one quite wanting to make the first move as they knew what awaited them. But with a twitch of Azula’s arm and a bright blast of blue fire aimed at Zuko, the fight began.
Y/N’s body moved faster than her mind, managing to extinguish some of Azula’s flames before they could hit Zuko, but some still getting past her waterbending. Zuko conjured up his own wall of flames but it was a second too late as he crashed into the side of a house, and Azula’s anger was turned on her as her eyes flashed dangerously.
Thankfully, she was momentarily saved from the wrath of the princess. Aang opened his glider and attempted to fly away, but a wave of fire sent at him put a stop to it. Y/N extinguished some of the flames that were closer to her, but the boy was still knocked to the ground.
She allowed a quick glance behind her to see Azula and Aang locked in a deadly dance of bending, but as a red hot flame raced by her head her attention was once again drawn back to Zuko. He began to advance forward, but razor-sharp icicles wedging themselves in the ground millimeters away from his feet rooted him in place.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Zuko,” she began, her voice slightly unsteady under the weight of the ultimatum. “But I’m not going to let you lay a finger on Aang.”
“You don’t know what you’re dealing with,” he growled. He broke eye contact for a moment to watch the battle raging between Azula and Aang, but she quickly brought it back as she shot another icicle at his feet, having unconsciously moved closer.
“I don’t think you know what you’re dealing with,” she refuted as she drew a stream of water out from her waterskin. “Not another step.”
Just until Aang handles Azula, she told herself. You can handle him while he takes her down. Just think of it as one of your sparring matches.
The sounds of the battle in the distance and their own breathing were the only sounds between the two of them, their gazes locked onto each other’s. She truly didn’t want to hurt him, and judging by the fact that Zuko hadn’t made a move yet he didn’t want to hurt her.
But the sound of a scream belonging to Aang caused her to glance away for just a second, and that was a second too many. He shot a blast of fire at her hands, and due to her momentary loss of concentration, he was able to hit his mark. Y/N cried out in pain, the water flowing between her fingers falling to the ground as she cradled the injury.
Maybe her judgment wasn’t as good as she thought.
She tried to bend the fallen water up from the ground, but the burns festering on her skin weren’t cooperating. One sharp gasp was all it took for Zuko to run past her towards the battle, and though she had half a mind to follow him, her injuries were practically screaming at her to pay attention to them.
And so she did. She kneeled on the ground, biting her lip to stifle any tears that may have come, and did her best to heal the burns with what water she had left. She heard the sound of her name as someone ran towards her, and the relief she felt when she saw Sokka was almost overwhelming.
“Are you okay?” Sokka asked, concerned as she saw the redness on her hands. Thankfully, most of it had faded from her healing. Only the lingering sting of heat and betrayal remained, and she nodded.
“I’m fine,” she growled, her anger overcompensating for the betrayal and uselessness that she felt. She bent the water that had sunk into the dry soil back into her waterskin then leveled her gaze at Sokka. “Let’s end this.”
He nodded and helped her back on her feet, just in time for Katara to run out of the building near them followed by Azula. Sokka brandished his club and swung it at her, forcing her into a corner as well as buying Aang enough time to join them outside.
They began to close in on the princess, an unhealthy mix of adrenaline and anger pumping through Y/N’s veins. The four of them took turns evading Azula’s attacks, but even with the numerical advantage she was still more than holding her own. But just as she was about to fire something off once more, the ground shifted beneath her feet causing her to fall. The culprit was a suspiciously familiar girl in green.
“I thought you guys could use a little help,” Toph grinned.
“Thanks,” Katara said with a smile of her own.
Azula frowned as she hopped back to her feet, shooting blasts of fire at them as she backed away to keep them all at a distance. She ran down an alleyway once she had an opening, but in a move that none of them saw coming, was knocked to the ground by Zuko’s uncle. Y/N and the rest of the group took the chance to make their final stand, the five of them gathering in an arc around the fallen princess. Zuko and Iroh joined as well, and Y/N had to hold back a grimace as she forced her eyes to Azula. Focus.
“Well, look at this,” Azula said snidely as her eyes glided over each of them. “Enemies and traitors, all working together. I’m done.” She raised her hands to surrender in yet another move Y/N didn’t see coming. “I know when I’m beaten. You got me. A princess surrenders with honor.”
In that moment of silence as they waited for the other shoe to drop, her adrenaline slowly began to fade as exhaustion took over once more. They had been moving non stop for almost two days, and she was sure it was weighing just as heavily on the rest of the group as it was her. Maybe that was why she didn’t notice Azula moving until it was too late.
A split second was all it took for the princess to generate a bolt of lightning and send it at Iroh, his vivid scream of pain causing her to wince as well. Zuko’s yell of agony was like a signal in a way as they all bent their elements at Azula (with the exception of Sokka throwing his boomerang) at once, and the explosion caused by the combination of their elements forced them all back a few feet.
Once the dust faded though, the princess was gone.
Zuko collapsed on the ground next to his uncle, his hands moving around frantically as if he wanted to do something to help but he was too afraid.
Against her better judgment, Y/N took a step forward. “I can help him. I’m a trained healer, I know—”
“You don’t want to help, you just want to feel good about yourself,” he growled, the glare he shot her way truly venomous. “Get out of here.”
“Zuko, she’s not lying!” Katara defended, stepping up as well. “We can help him, both of us.”
With a slash of his arm he sent an arc of fire at them, sending the two girls stumbling back. "Leave!"
Y/N still wanted to do more, but apparently she wasn’t very good at hiding her emotions. They all started to run, Sokka grabbing her arm to pull her along with them. “It’s not worth it,” he insisted. “He’s not worth it.”
She wanted to protest, say that he was worth more than anything, but the slight pain lingering under Sokka’s grip and her aching heart made her hesitate.
Once they reached Appa, the whole group piled on and fled the burning town. Y/N couldn’t help but let her eyes wander, the question of how the princess had gotten away nagging at her.
Who was she kidding? She was Azula. She should’ve known that girl was capable of anything. If her father asked her to bring the sun down to Earth, Y/N was sure the princess would find a way, even if it meant burning herself to a crisp in the process.
That shred of sympathy found its way back, but she pushed it away once more. Holding sympathy for the people trying to kill them wasn’t working out very well for her. She had to stifle a laugh at the thought.
Eventually, they were able to find solace in a mountain far away from the abandoned village. Y/N half expected that tank to start following them again, but they were in the clear. For now.
After a quick examination of her hands on Katara’s insistence and a little bit of healing between the two of them to fix up small injuries within their group, they settled in for the night. Too tired to set up camp, they stayed on Appa’s saddle. Uttered goodnights were once again the only thing between they all fell asleep.
Except for Y/N.
Despite the exhaustion running deep into her bones and eyelids that felt like fifty pound weights, her mind was far too loud for her to fall asleep. And it was all just Zuko, Zuko, Zuko.
Why she hadn’t lost hope in him after the North, after he captured Aang, she didn’t know. The idolized version of the prince in her mind, made up of moments from their childhood before everything became fucked, should’ve been shattered after the siege. Spirits, it should’ve been crushed to pieces after the burns he gave her.
But for some stupid reason, she couldn’t fully bring herself to hate him. Not yet.
She knew there was still good in him. The child that she knew years ago, there had to be some of that good left in the angry, rash boy she knew today.
He helped them fight against Azula, no matter the ulterior motives he may have had. He cared for his uncle, and though he may not have acted in his best interest after he had been struck by lightning, she understood it. He was acting off of his grief. He didn’t want to hurt her. He did it because he had to.
...right?
The night sky they laid under was a moonless one, and as the stars twinkled above them she exhaled deeply. She had to stop thinking about Zuko all the time. She was at her best when she was with her friends, joking and playing around with them without a care in the world. As if they didn’t have the weight of the world on their shoulders.
A small smile graced her lips as she looked at her friends next to her, the mere sight of them bringing her some solace from the mess she had created in her mind. The trio had been there for her endlessly from the moment they arrived in the North, and Toph had been like a little sister to her. They might not have always understood her, and they might not have always agreed, but they were always there for her.
She couldn’t forget about Zuko. Not yet.
But maybe it was time to focus on something else for a while.
-
okay i KNOW things are bad between y/n and zuko but. look. things gotta get worse before they can get better. just remember that
everything happens for a reason part 9 - zuko x fem!reader
I fell in love with a war, nobody told me it ended
part 8 | masterlist | part 10
a/n: *laughs in update coming out a month later* im sorry lmao !! ive been very busy these past few weeks and with school starting soon i cant make any promises with frequent updates lol
but hopefully this longer chapter makes up for the wait! there's a lot of good bonding moments between y/n and the gaang, especially y/n and katara, so i hope you all enjoy!!
wc: 5.9k
warning(s): none i think! this is toph's introduction so it's kinda chill
chapter title comes from "a pearl" by mitski!
“It’s pricey… but I really do like it.”
Things had gotten easier ever since that night with Sokka. Y/N didn’t realize how badly she needed to spill her feelings to someone, and having someone who just… got her like Sokka did? It made all the difference.
The rift between them had been healing steadily as well, and Y/N had settled into the group as a whole. They were already so close, she truly felt like she was a part of a family now. She wouldn’t have had it any other way.
But this family was a very dysfunctional one, and after a whole thing involving Avatar Kyoshi and another near death for Aang (something that was becoming far too common), they had ended up in Gaoling. The most important thing on their agenda was finding an earthbending master to teach Aang, and after Omashu, they were fresh out of ideas. Now, their most pressing matter was Sokka’s inability to make a decision and stick with it — this time, the culprit was a bag in the marketplace.
“Then you should get it,” Katara offered. “You deserve something nice.”
“I do, don’t I?” Y/N hummed in agreement, slightly distracted by their surroundings. Gaoling was a charming place from what she had seen so far — though she had passed through a lot of the Earth Kingdom while making her way to the Northern Tribe, there were some places that didn’t end up in her path. Even with the cities and towns that she had already been to, it was nice to revisit them with friends rather than alone and frightened.
Sokka sighed and shook his head. “But no, it’s too expensive. I shouldn’t.”
Katara rolled her eyes as she started to walk away. “All right, then don’t.” Aang got up from his spot on the floor and followed her, and the Water Tribe boy turned to Y/N for guidance.
“What d’you think?” Sokka held up the bag and modeled it in a few poses that made her laugh.
“Whatever you want, Sokka. Would you even listen to the advice I give you?”
He thought for a moment then gave a sheepish smile. “Probably not.”
Y/N offered a similar smile before she walked out of the small alcove, taking a couple quick steps to catch up with Katara and Aang. She found them looking over a small pamphlet, and she peered over the boy’s shoulder to try and read it.
“What’s that for?” she questioned. Aang grinned and held it out so she could see it clearly.
“A guy’s handing out fliers for an earthbending school; some place taught by a guy named Master Yu. Katara thinks that he could be the teacher I’m looking for! There’s a coupon on the back for a free lesson, so we were gonna go check it out.”
“Sounds like it’s our best bet at this point.” She glanced up from the flyer as she heard footsteps and she was unable to stop the laugh that tumbled out when she saw Sokka with his bag. “Finally made a decision?” she asked playfully.
“Yeah, and it looks amazing!” he exclaimed. Sokka put the strap over his shoulder and turned his attention to the flyer in her hand. “Whaddya lookin’ at?”
“We might’ve found my earthbending master!” Aang explained. “All we have to do is find Master Yu’s Earthbending Academy.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Sokka started forward on their path, Aang following close behind. She took a step forward to join Aang and Sokka, but Katara held her back with a gentle hold on her wrist. Before she could ask anything, Katara beat her to it.
“Sorry, I just wanted to talk to you alone for a second.” She was unable to hold back the small smile creeping onto her lips as she rummaged through her bag, a few moments of silence passing until she pulled out a small pouch. “Here, for you.”
Y/N’s brows creased as she stared at it. “Um… what is it?”
Katara chuckled and turned, raising her hip up to show a similar pouch. “It’s a waterskin. I’ve been carrying it since I left the south — it’s essential for any waterbender in places without a lot of water. I can’t even tell you how many times this thing has saved me. I just remembered that I had a spare, and since there’s not that much water around here, or any place we’re gonna be travelling…”
She trailed off, her gaze falling down to the waterskin as she offered it once more to Y/N. She smiled and took it, slipping the strap over her shoulder and adjusting it into a comfortable position at her hip. “I gotta say, I never even thought about not having a source of water, I’ve been in the north for so long. Thanks, Katara. You’re a total lifesaver.”
Katara bumped shoulders with the girl and grinned. “It’s what friends do, right?”
She felt her cheeks heat up as her own smile grew. “Right.”
“Hey, are you guys done with your girl talk?” When Y/N looked up, she saw that Sokka had come to a stop with Aang ahead of him. “Because we got a coupon to cash in!”
~~~~~
Master Yu’s didn’t work out, to say the least.
It had taken Aang all of five minutes to get pummeled by a boulder, and it was pretty obvious that this wasn’t the teacher that Aang was looking for. After they had caught wind of an earthbending tournament, Katara had managed to weasel-snake the information out of two boys, and they were on their way to—
“Earth Rumble VI?” Y/N muttered as they filed down the steps. “Do you really think we’re going to find your earthbending teacher here?”
Aang shrugged. “It’s worth a shot. Right now, it feels like our only shot.” His eyes lit up as they reached the bottom and he pointed out the rows of empty seats. “Hey, front row seats! I wonder why no one else is sitting here.”
She had just sat down next to Sokka when a huge boulder came flying at them, effectively pulverizing everything next to them. Her eyes widened and she instinctively jumped back, barely able to hold back a scream. “I guess that’s why,” Sokka said.
“On second thought,” Y/N squeaked as she started to back up, “I think I’ll sit next to Katara.”
Katara sighed as she sat down next to her and looked at her nails, already bored as the host started explaining the event. “I might end up talking your ear off. This is just going to be a bunch of guys chucking rocks at each other, isn’t it?”
“That’s what I paid for!” Sokka exclaimed.
The four of them watched the ring with varying levels of excitement — Y/N and Katara were ambivalent, Aang was focused on finding a teacher, and Sokka was having the time of his life. Katara was right: it was just a bunch of guys throwing rocks at each other. A man named ‘The Boulder’ was a fan favourite (and a Sokka favorite) as he beat down each of his competitors with relative ease.
“Spirits,” Y/N muttered, wincing slightly as Sokka started cheering once more. “He’s really into this kinda stuff, huh?”
Katara chuckled and nodded. “It’s been a while since he’s gotten to relax like this. I don’t get it at all, but I’m glad that he’s getting a chance to enjoy himself.”
She opened her mouth to respond when the lights began to dim. She turned her attention to the stage where Xin Fu, the host, was introducing the last match of the night.
“And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for! The Boulder versus your champion, the Blind Bandit!”
The crowd dissolved into a chorus of deafening applause, and Y/N’s eyes widened slightly as she got a look at the champion.
She was a young girl that couldn’t have been older than Aang — spirits, the belt she was holding was just as tall as her. But her age and height wasn’t even the strangest thing; her eyes looked to be glazed over, and something told Y/N that her stage name rang more true than she thought.
“She can’t really be blind.” Katara voiced Y/N’s thoughts as she leaned closer and squinted, trying to get a better look at the child. “It’s just part of her character, right?”
“I think she is,” Aang said, just as awestruck.
“I think she’s goin’ down!” Sokka yelled, managing to get laughs from both waterbenders.
They all turned their attention once more to the stage, eager to see how the battle between the two champions would end. The result was nothing like they had expected, much to their surprise.
The blind girl was able to defeat the Boulder without even breaking a sweat, her egotistical taunts at the beginning emerging as truthful rather than cocky. Before he had even managed to get an attack in, the Bandit had tripped him then sent him off the stage with precise earthbending, earning her the title of champion once more.
“La’s fins,” Y/N muttered at the same time as Sokka cried out in protest, the defeat of his thirty minute hero sending him into hysterics.
“How did she do that?” Katara marveled, a question that Aang answered with a growing grin.
“She waited and listened.” The words followed the exact advice that King Bumi had given Aang, which is why it wasn’t all that surprising when he stood up and started walking over to the stairs down to the stage.
“Where are you going?” Y/N asked.
“I think we might’ve found my earthbending master,” he responded.
“Be careful!” Katara yelled. Aang gave her a thumbs up and smile before continuing on his path, and she sighed as she glanced at Y/N. “I hope this works out.”
~~~~~
It didn’t work out.
Y/N was beginning to think that Gaoling was cursed, or at least they were — they were having horrible luck in the city.
Xin Fu had offered a bag of gold pieces up to anyone who could beat the Blind Bandit, and though Aang had just wanted to talk he ended up unwillingly taking on the challenge. He managed to beat her with some stealthy airbending, but after the accidental humiliation she wasn’t willing to talk to Aang. Once again, they were back to square one, wandering through the streets with little to go off of.
“I’m telling you, she was the girl from my vision! I had my chance to talk to her, and I blew it.”
Aang hadn’t stopped beating himself up after the disaster that had occured, switching between mourning the lost opportunity and feeling horrible for embarrassing her in front of the whole crowd. All Y/N and Katara could do was try and keep his spirits up while they tried to figure out what to do next.
“Whaddya mean you blew it?” Sokka grinned as he patted the bag by his side then the championship belt. Aang willingly gave it up to the Water Tribe boy, wanting no part in the victory he had scored, and Sokka seemed to be having the time of his life with it. “I’ve got to admit, I’m really glad I got this bag now. It matches the belt perfectly.”
Katara rolled her eyes and exhaled slowly, shooting Y/N a look that she knew all too well by now — the ‘I love my brother with all my heart, but for the love of Kuruk he’s going to drive me insane’ look. “That is a big relief.”
“It’s okay, Aang,” Y/N reassured. “This whole journey has been about doing the impossible, right? We’ll find her, and we’ll change her mind. I’m sure of it.”
Aang gave her a grateful look and nodded. “Well.. if we want to find the Blind Bandit, then the Earthbending Academy is a great place to start.”
After a quick visit to said academy and some Katara intimidation tactics that were rapidly becoming one of Y/N’s new favorite things, they were en route to the Beifong estate. Dubbed the ‘richest people in the town (and probably the whole world)’ with the symbol of a flying boar, it was their best bet to try and find the Blind Bandit, despite the boys’ claims of there being no Beifong daughters.
“That’s the flying boar from my vision!” Aang exclaimed in a whisper. “Come on!”
They all creeped around the wall to a part that they could jump over, and as Aang airbended himself down Y/N expressed her concern for their hasty mission.
“Are you sure that this is a good idea? You heard what those boys said — these people are super rich; they had guards at the gate! We have no idea what we’re getting into.”
“We have to at least try,” Aang insisted. “She was the girl in my vision, and she earthbends the same way Bumi said my teacher would. Guards or not, we have to find a way.”
She sighed and tried to push all thoughts of caution to the side — it was almost like she had forgotten the kind of journey she had signed herself up for. “...Okay. Let’s do it.” Sokka and Katara had already jumped down and before she could think better of it, she followed them over.
They wandered into the courtyard, trying to stay as hidden as they could in broad daylight as they peeked out behind a bush, when all of a sudden she heard a loud rumble. Before Y/N could react, the earth beneath them was lifted up, launching them all into the air and blowing any sort of cover they had with their surprised yells.
They all landed hard in bushes except for Sokka, unlucky enough to earn a spot in the dirt, and when she looked up to see who their assailant was she was met with a young girl in a fancy dress — Y/N was sure this girl was a Beifong.
“What are you doing here, Twinkle Toes?” she asked, annoyance very clearly laced into her tone.
“How did you know it was me?” he questioned.
“Don’t answer to Twinkle Toes!” Sokka groaned. “It’s not manly!”
“You’re the one whose bag matches his belt,” Katara muttered as she stood up, brushing leaves off of her tunic before offering a hand to help Y/N up.
She gratefully accepted it, taking a moment to smooth her ruffled clothes, then turned her attention to the girl. “The Blind Bandit is a Beifong. I never would’ve guessed.”
“That’s because no one knows,” the girl shot back, crossing her arms. “The public doesn’t know that I exist, and my family doesn’t know the Blind Bandit is their precious daughter. So how did you find me?”
Aang airbended himself up from the bush as he began rambling. “Well, a crazy king told me I had to find an earthbender who listens to the earth. And then I had a vision in a magic swamp—”
The girl raised an eyebrow, obviously not buying his story, and Y/N cut in. “He’s the Avatar, and he needs to master earthbending in order to defeat the Fire Lord. With your skills, we think you’d be the perfect fit.”
“Not my problem,” she stated, already beginning to walk away. “Now get out of here, or I’ll call the guards.”
“Look!” Sokka protested, taking a step towards her. “We all have to do our part to win this war, and yours is to teach Aang earthbending!”
The girl didn’t even seem to consider Sokka’s offer before she started yelling, easily switching from the bluntness she wielded as the Blind Bandit into the image of a noble girl, sounding genuinely fearful with her cry. “Guards! Guards, help!”
“Oh, you little—” Sokka grabbed Y/N’s hand before she was able to vent her frustration in a more explicit way as they all sprinted away, managing to get out of sight with a little bit of assistive airbending before the guards showed up.
“Toph, what happened?” The two men immediately began to look around the area, watchful eyes searching for any sign of danger.
“I thought I heard someone,” she said, the lie slipping out effortlessly. “I got scared.”
“You know your father doesn't want you wandering the grounds without supervision, Toph.” Once the guards had deemed the courtyard safe, the trio began to walk away, and Y/N huffed.
“I’m telling you, this city is bad luck.”
~~~~~
Why did this have to be the one time that she was right?
Aang had come up with a plan to get inside the Beifong estate that was so simple, it couldn’t go wrong. He would just reveal himself as the Avatar and convince them into letting Toph teach him.
But it went wrong. Of course it went wrong, because why would something ever go right for them?
Toph and Aang had gotten into some kind of passive aggressive competition at dinner, which had turned into plain old aggressive after they pulled out their bending. After an equally tense dessert they were allowed to stay in one of their guest rooms, the comfort of a noble estate a welcome refresher after countless nights camping on the ground.
While Toph and Aang went out into the courtyard to talk together in private, Y/N sat on the floor conversing with Sokka and Katara.
“Do you really think that this girl is the master we’re looking for?” she asked as she stared up at the lanterns hanging down from the ceiling. “She’s very… abrasive.”
“You saw her skills at that earthbending thing,” Katara said. “Like her or not, you can’t deny that she’s good. She fits the description that King Bumi gave Aang, and she was in her vision. It can’t just be a coincidence.”
“Hey, maybe if she joins us we can get her to enter in a bunch more competitions!” Sokka hadn’t taken off the belt since he had got it, resulting in more than a few shared looks between Y/N and Katara. He was really into wrestling.
Y/N snorted. “Yeah, I doubt she really wants anything to do with us, especially after what she pulled with Aang at dinner.”
Katara shrugged. “She seemed sorry about it when she came in earlier. Her parents really have no idea about what she’s doing, though. I think getting through to them is going to be harder than convincing her.”
Just when she mentioned the Beifong parents, the patriarch appeared in the doorway. “My apologies for interrupting your evening, but have any of you seen my daughter?”
“She was in here a little while ago talking with Aang,” Y/N supplied. “I’m pretty sure they went out into the courtyard.”
He grumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “She knows she isn’t allowed outside without a guard accompanying her — why does she insist on being difficult? Thank you — please continue on with your evening.”
Y/N fixed her friends with a curious look, one they all shared. It only took a second before they had all jumped to their feet, racing to follow Master Beifong outside and see what all of it was about.
No sooner had they stepped into the open air when they heard the cry of a woman, the sound of distress coming from Poppy Beifong at the sight in front of her and her husband. There were two holes in the ground, rectangular in shape, along with a note and a dagger — there was no sign of either child.
“Whoever took Aang and Toph left this,” Sokka said as he pulled the dagger out of the ground. Katara plucked the note from the blade and began to read:
“‘If you want to see your daughter again, bring five hundred gold pieces to the arena.’ It's signed Xin Fu and The Boulder.”
“Spirits,” Y/N muttered, peeking over her friend’s shoulder to get a look at the ink letters herself.
“Spirits is right,” Sokka echoed as he took the letter from his sister’s hands. “I can’t believe it — I have The Boulder’s autograph!”
Y/N elbowed Sokka and glared at him, gesturing to the grieving couple at her side. “Not the time.”
Lao Beifong rubbed a comforting hand on his wife’s back as he turned to the earthbending teacher. “Master Yu, I need you to help me get my daughter back.”
“We’re going with you,” Katara insisted. “Aang’s in danger too.”
Master Beifong nodded as Poppy wiped a tear from her cheek, walking over to the holes in the dirt and kneeling down in front of them. “Poor Toph,” she murmured. “She must be so scared.”
After discussing the plan of attack, the group left for the arena as Lady Beifong retired for the night. The two elders led the way, leaving the trio to talk amongst themselves once more.
“We can never have a normal stay in a town, huh?” Y/N muttered, playing with a small orb of water in the air to keep her mind off of what they were walking into. “It’s either nearly dying, getting kidnapped, or getting chased. You guys are cursed.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Sokka refuted. “We just… really have a knack for getting into trouble.”
Katara sighed as she rubbed her arms, the cool night air getting to her. “I just hope Aang’s okay. I know he can hold his own, but…”
“He’s going to be fine.” Y/N had no idea how Sokka was simultaneously the group pessimist and optimist, but surprisingly, she found herself believing his words. “Toph is crazy good, and Aang is the freaking Avatar! Besides, nothing’s going to happen to them anyways. They’re just after the money, and once they get it, they’ll let them go.”
“You sound pretty sure of this whole process,” Y/N noted.
He gave her a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his head. “Back home, when we were younger, I… might’ve held some of Katara’s dolls for a seal jerky ransom whenever I was hungry and bored.”
Katara shook her head but couldn’t stop the grin on her lips. “Things were so simple back then, when the worst thing I had to worry about was protecting my toys.” Her smile turned wistful for a moment, but as she met Y/N’s eyes she was able to see the warmth she carried in them. “But... I think I’m okay with the complicated we have now.”
Sokka bumped shoulders with Y/N and winked. “Yeah. I am too.”
~~~~~
Before they knew it, they had arrived at the arena. The five of them stood side by side near the entrance, Xin Fu and The Boulder on the other end with two cages hanging above them.
“Toph!” Master Beifong cried out for his daughter, his eyes widening slightly as the metal cases came into view.
“Here’s your money,” Sokka said, holding up a bag of gold coins provided by the Beifongs before he set it down on the ground. “Now let them go.”
Master Yu bent the bag over to the two men with a stomp of his foot, and after a quick confirmation that they weren’t scamming him, a cage was lowered down. Toph landed on the ground when the bottom opened, and she immediately ran over to her father.
“What about Aang?” Katara asked, poising the question that both Y/N and Sokka were thinking.
Xin Fu unfurled a poster, revealing it to be Aang’s wanted poster from the Fire Nation, and Y/N felt a chill run down her spine. “I think the Fire Nation will pay a hefty price for the Avatar — now get out of my ring.”
So these were the kind of people that they were dealing with — not only were they willing to kidnap children for their own gain, but they were going to turn the world’s last hope over to the Fire Nation for a pretty copper piece.
“Still think The Boulder is all that?” Y/N whispered to Sokka as she flipped open the cap on her waterskin, Katara doing the same.
“Not the time,” he muttered, echoing her earlier scolding as well as her stance as he placed a hand on his club. She opened her mouth to retort, but she found herself at a loss for words as the situation got all the more dire.
All of the earthbenders that they had seen earlier that day at the ring emerged in various ways, each sporting their signature flair — they might’ve been committing treason, but at least they were showing off their brand while doing it.
Aang must’ve been able to see the fear on their faces from his spot up in the cage, because in his own signature fashion, he waved a hand gesturing for them to leave. “Go! I’ll be okay!”
The three of them began to back up as the earthbenders moved ever closer towards them, the unsaid threat hanging in the air.
“We’re not leaving you!” Y/N yelled, determined. She wasn’t going to lose another friend — not again.
“We can’t fight them all!” Sokka protested. “You saw how they were all pummeling each other at the competition!”
Katara turned towards the entrance, calling out to the exiting Beifongs in a desperate last chance. “Toph, there’s too many of them! We need an earthbender — we need you!”
Lao looked appalled at the idea of his daughter fighting at all, and he only squeezed her hand tighter. “My daughter is blind. She is blind and tiny and helpless and fragile. She cannot help you!”
“Forgive me Master Beifong, but you don’t know your daughter at all!” Y/N joined Katara, hoping that their combined pleas would change the patriarch’s mind. “I’ve been all through the Earth Kingdom, and she’s the best earthbender I’ve ever seen, better than her own master. You’re holding her back.”
He glared at Y/N in disgust as he shook his head. “How dare you try and tell me what my daughter is capable of? How could you possibly know anything about her? She cannot possibly help you!”
“Yes. I can.”
Toph pulled her hand out of her father’s grasp and walked back towards the arena, to both her father and her master’s shock.
In the time it had taken to convince the girl to fight for them, the group of fighters had already considered the night a victory. They had begun walking out the other entrance, Aang’s cage in tow, when Toph’s earthbending stopped them in place.
“Let them go!” she yelled, standing her ground in front of the trio. “I beat you all before, and I’ll do it again.”
“The Boulder takes issue with that comment.” Another one of the fighters threw Aang’s cage to the side, and as the three of them all took a step forward at the same time, Toph stopped them by spreading her arms.
“Wait.” All of the fighters began running towards her at once, and though Y/N felt the instinct to pull them all out of the way, something about Toph’s rock solid confidence allowed her to stay put. “They’re mine.”
The three of them watched in nothing less than pure amazement as she pushed them all back with a feat of earthbending like no other, and Y/N could hardly believe that such a small girl had so much power within her. The crushed rocks in the ring created a huge cloud of dust, and as Toph walked into it, the three of them snapped out of their reverie and ran over to Aang’s cage to try and free him.
Sokka picked up a rock and started banging on the cage while Katara pulled at the other end, but the only thing they were able to create was a whole lot of noise.
“Hit it harder!” Aang insisted, earning him a glare from the Water Tribe boy.
“I’m trying!”
“Wait.” Y/N kneeled down next to the cage and inhaled deeply, her exhale coming out as an icy mist. It settled around the lock, freezing on contact, and she stood up and nodded at Sokka. “Now try.”
He hit it once more with the rock and it immediately broke, causing Aang to tumble out of the now open end of the cage. He sprung back up in a fighting stance, but Sokka shook his head and gestured at the raging battle. Though it was still covered up by the dust, they were still able to hear all of the noise, as well as the growing pile of defeated fighters down at the bottom of the ring.
Katara grinned at Y/N, gesturing at the broken lock with her head. “Nice moves. All that training is paying off, huh?”
She laughed and shrugged, trying to tamp down on the heat rushing to her cheeks but unable to. “You can’t even say that with what we’re in the midst of.”
She rolled her eyes with a laugh. “Hey, you’re kind of my student. I’m going to call out every good thing you do whether you like it or not.”
They were able to witness the final match of the seven on one fight, but Toph hardly even broke a sweat against Xin Fu as she sent him flying into the seats, right in between her father and Master Yu.
Y/N was sure of one thing after tonight: Toph Beifong was meant to be Aang’s earthbending teacher. She could only hope they would be able to get her to come along.
~~~~~
“Please escort the Avatar and his friends out. They are no longer welcome here.”
Of course that was how it ended.
After a heartfelt speech from Toph, Y/N almost thought that her father would cave and allow her to come with them. It would be an honor for anyone, and she figured the patriarch would want the world to know that he was the father of the greatest earthbender in the world.
But she had forgotten the unspoken rule that nothing could work out for them, and instead of leaving with an earthbending prodigy in tow, they ended up being escorted off the premises by guards with a threat if they ever came back.
“What did I say?” Y/N proclaimed, glaring at the Beifong estate in the distance as she helped load things onto Appa’s saddle. “This city hates us. I vote that we never come back.”
“I dunno,” Sokka said with a shrug. “Even though all those earthbending guys tried to kill us, they still knew how to put on a show. I think wrestling might be my thing. Aang, remind me to pick up a career in wrestling after we defeat the Fire Nation.”
He sighed, and she suspected that he wasn’t really hearing anything they were saying. Losing someone like Toph was hard, especially when they were all so sure she was who his earthbending teacher had to be.
“Don’t worry,” Katara reassured. “There are plenty of amazing earthbenders out there.”
“Not like her,” he murmured as he stared at the moon. For once, Y/N didn’t have anything encouraging to say — she agreed with him wholeheartedly.
After handing off the last pack to Sokka, she got up into the saddle and took her usual seat next to him. She raised a brow as he polished the championship belt. “You’re still wearing that thing, even after all of them kidnapped Aang and tried to kill us?”
“Fashion is fashion!” he said defensively. “I’m not just going to let go of the coolest thing I’ve ever owned just because of that little mishap. If I let everything that tried to kill me go, then I wouldn’t have a sister.”
Katara hit him on the shoulder playfully but the joke still got a laugh out of the two of them. Aang took the reins and was about to begin their ascent into the night when they all heard panting. His eyes widened in surprise as the young Beifong, now changed out of her traditional wear, ran out of the bushes with a bag on her back.
“Toph! What are you doing here?”
“My dad changed his mind,” she said with an exhausted smile. “He said I was free to travel the world.”
Y/N, Sokka, and Katara all met each other’s eyes with disbelieving looks, but they had been through too much to try and get an earthbending teacher for Aang. Even if she was lying, she was still here. And that might’ve been the best they could hope for.
“Well, we’d better get out of here,” Sokka said. “Before your dad changes his mind again.”
“Good idea.”
“You’re going to be a great teacher, Toph.” Aang couldn’t keep the grin off of his face, the dismay from just seconds ago now completely gone.
“Speaking of which, I want to show you something.”
“Okay!”
Bless Aang’s naive heart — as soon as he hopped off of Appa, Toph stomped her foot on the ground, sending him flying into a nearby tree with her earthbending. “Now we’re even,” she grinned. “Oh, and I’ll take the belt back.”
Sokka sighed and unbuckled it from his waist, staring wistfully at the prize before dropping it down for her.
“Sokka, wait—!” But Y/N’s warning rang out too late as the belt landed square on Toph’s head, earning an “ow!” as she fell to the ground. “Did you already forget that she was blind?” she asked, exasperated.
He smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, leaning over the side of the saddle. “Sorry.”
Despite the injuries, everyone found themselves laughing over the absurdity of it all. And soon enough, they were flying off into the night, one earthbending master heavier.
“Welcome to the team, Rocky,” Y/N grinned. “I think you’re gonna fit in just fine.”
“My sister, a Northern girl, the Avatar, and now a Beifong with a temper,” Sokka sighed. “If any spirits are listening right now, give me the strength to survive this journey.”
Everyone laughed once more, and she caught Sokka’s small smile, pleased that he had managed to lighten the mood once more. She leaned back against the saddle, crossing her arms against her chest, and took a deep breath, letting the chaos of the day roll off of her like water.
A smile of her own graced her lips as the full moon came into view, and as she looked at her group of friends illuminated by the moonlight, she felt the same happiness that she had the first night she met the Avatar and his friends.
She elbowed Sokka lightly and gestured up at the moon with her head once he turned to her. “With her watching over, I think we’re going to be just fine.”
He smiled as his eyes flicked up to the moon, and though there was a feel of reminiscing to his expression he looked genuinely relaxed. The memory of Yue still hurt, but talking about it had helped. No longer did she remember pain when she thought of the princess, rather the early memories of their first meeting, and every laugh and smile they shared together.
And as Sokka wrapped his arm around her in a move she had come to associate with brotherly comfort, he nodded. “I think you’re right.”
And as she leaned her head against Sokka’s shoulder, eyes fluttering shut and sleep slowly creeping in as the exhaustion from the day began to take over, she truly felt at peace.
everything happens for a reason part 8 - zuko x fem!reader
Used to do these things so effortlessly, somehow
part 7 | masterlist | part 9
a/n: we're finally gonna get on the road!! only took 8 chapters but we're leaving the nwt lol. prepare for some very heavy emotions as y/n tries her best to heal the wounds that keep piling up as a child fighting a war she doesnt deserve to be caught in
ALSO bisexual sokka. because this is my fic and i can do what i want✨✨
wc: 4.6k
warning(s): descriptions of depression/grief, some more internalized homophobia, y/n lowkey loses it, still a lot of angst lmao sorry
Y/N was a shell of herself in the coming days after the siege.
She went through the motions of it all, sure, but that was all it was. She didn’t feel… alive. Or maybe it was that she was alive, but she wasn’t living.
It felt like a piece of Y/N had died with Yue.
She didn’t have to worry about lessons, thankfully. Rebuilding the tribe after the invasion was going to be a long term architectural effort, but it was an effort that would be commenced after the mourning period.
The princess was not just the light of Y/N’s life, but of the tribe. Yue of the Northern Tribe would live on for centuries to come in history scrolls and verbal stories for her selfless act and courage in the face of the impossible, a heroic legacy that could not be more deserved. But if Y/N had to listen to one more person give their hopes and prayers, she was going to lose her fucking mind.
Y/N had been promised a life with Yue, an eternity with her best friend by her side. She was told she would never have to find out what she would do without her, but now she was forced to figure out how to navigate the world without her guiding light. She didn’t care about legacy. She wanted her friend back.
It was selfish, but she couldn’t care less. Y/N was tired of being gracious, of grinning and bearing it, of taking the hand she was dealt without complaint. She wanted to scream at the world until her throat was raw, to hold the spirits accountable for the cruelty they had inflicted upon her. The Northern Water Tribe was supposed to be a new start for her, a literal escape from her past in the Fire Nation, but the pain had followed her and destroyed years of culture and her best friend.
She deserved to be selfish. If the world insisted on taking everything from her bit by bit, she was going to fight it with every fibre of her being.
Her grandfather had survived the battle, a relief she had come to know once she returned home at the end of the longest two days of her life. The hug she shared with both of her grandparents when she walked through the door was not without tears, but it was a reunion sorely needed.
Y/N didn’t know how she would cope with another loss. She suspected she would shut down, become a spirit in every sense but physical.
She had cooped herself up in her room for days after the siege, her grandfather’s attempts at cheering her up falling short and her grandmother only able to get her out when she forced her to eat something. But when Pai Sho felt like a childish waste of time and anything she ate tasted like sand, there was no point.
Part of it was her. Y/N felt like she wasn’t allowed to be happy with what had happened to Yue — how could she smile and laugh and do anything when Yue couldn’t do the same? It was illogical, Y/N knew that, but she couldn’t move past the barrier. No one knew the true extent of her feelings for the princess, so no one was truly able to get through to her.
But soon her home began to feel suffocating. The nightmares had already started, overwhelming feelings of guilt threatening to drown her, and one afternoon, she couldn’t take it anymore. She had somehow found her way to the balcony outside of the palace; even something so simple brought back memories — everything reminded her of Yue. It was her mother all over again.
Y/N was stirred from her thoughts when she heard footsteps, and her gaze darted up from the horizon to see the Avatar and his friends standing at the bottom of the steps, Aang looking slightly hesitant as they whispered amongst themselves.
“Uh, hi?” Her words seemed to snap them out of their quiet argument as they all met her eyes and made their way up the staircase.
“How have you been?” Katara asked, her kind blue eyes a comfort. “We haven’t seen you around since…”
She sighed and looked down at her gloved hands, letting the question hang in the air for a moment before responding. “Not good,” she answered, not seeing any point in lying. “I, um— I haven’t been good, to say the least.”
“I know how you feel,” Sokka murmured. “It still doesn’t really feel like she’s gone.”
Y/N nodded at Sokka’s statement, the motion a bit numb, and Aang spoke up.
“If there’s anything that we can do to help you, let us know.” She gave him a grateful smile, and his expression took on his earlier hesitance once more. “And we also wanted to extend an offer to join us.”
Her brows rose in surprise and Katara took over. “You worked really well with us during the siege, and it would be nice to have another girl, especially one that’s a waterbender. You’d be a huge help.”
Sokka met her eyes, something unsaid passing between them as he added on. “And, uh… if you’re having nightmares, I think that getting away from this place would help too.”
It was tempting, unbelievably tempting. Y/N had read about past Avatars; she knew how coveted a position as one of their companions was. Maybe the role had declined in star value since a huge target was painted on the back of the Avatar, but it was still an honor. And honor and fame aside, training alongside the Aang and becoming a master in waterbending along with finally getting to be around people her age that she liked made it an even more attractive offer. Anyone in their right mind would accept.
“I… I can’t.” She sighed and looked down at the ground, feeling a very sudden chill despite her heavy layers. “I lost my mother because I was selfish, and I thought that I could get past the rules. That— that they didn’t matter because I was different. And now… I find out that the boy I love is someone I don’t even recognize anymore, and I watch my best friend die in front of me?”
Y/N laughed mirthlessly and shook her head. “I can’t do it. I can’t do… adventure. I’m not like you all. I’ve tried to test the limits, and all I’ve gotten is tragedy. And I don’t know how much more tragedy I can take before I fall apart.”
“So, I wish you the best, I really do. I wish I was stronger, but I’m— I’m just not. Good luck on your journey. I’m sorry I can’t be a part of it.”
She nodded quickly and politely at them before turning on her heel and hurrying away, afraid that if she stayed there for another minute another tidal wave would overwhelm her. It was a miracle they wanted anything to do with her after how she acted in the Spirit Oasis — the least she could do in the presence of the Avatar was attempt to gather what little dignity she had left.
-
Maybe it wasn’t a surprise that Katara had found her so easily. After all, she had retreated to the place the girl had first aired her frustration over Master Pakku’s treatment. When she heard the crunch of footsteps in the ice, she had turned around with admonishments already on her tongue, but they all faded away when Y/N saw who her visitor was.
“Hey.” She gave Y/N a soft smile and walked up to her, mimicking her lean against the ice.
Y/N returned the sentiment, though slightly more strained. “Look, if you’re here to try and convince me to come with you guys—”
Katara held up her hand and shook her head. “I’m not. I just wanted to talk. As friends.”
“We’re friends?”
Katara gave her a sideways grin. “I’d say after what we’ve been through together, we’re friends.”
That got a chuckle out of her and she nodded for Katara to go on.
“I just wanted to say that… Well, I wanted to say that I’m sorry. I’m so sorry that you had to go through what you did with Zuko and Yue, and I completely understand if you don’t want to come with us. But… I do understand what you’ve gone through with your mother.” Katara’s gaze fell on Y/N’s necklace as she reached up to touch her own. “I have one just like yours. My mother was killed by the Fire Nation too. This is all I have left of her.”
Y/N found her own hand drifting up to her necklace, the memories threatening to come back in the form of tears. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
She nodded sadly and looked off into the horizon. “Thank you. I know how hard it is to get over something like that — how you feel like it’s your fault. And you say that you aren’t strong, but you are. I mean, you’ve already had to deal with so much between the Fire Nation and your mother, and the fact that you’re still here proves how strong you are. Wanting peace isn’t a bad thing, and it doesn’t mean that you’re weak. It means you’re human.”
Y/N was stunned into silence as she just stared at Katara, feeling familiar pricks behind her eyes. Katara reached over and squeezed her hand softly, the same soft smile returning. “We’d love to have you, and we’ll be here until the end of the week if you still want to join us. But no one will blame you if you want to stay. And if you do, know that you will always have friends in the Avatar and his team.”
She couldn’t find the words to thank Katara, so instead she moved forward and embraced her in a tight hug. She responded almost immediately by wrapping her arms around Y/N as well, and in that moment she felt more at ease than she had in weeks.
“Thank you, Katara,” she whispered. “I promise I’ll think about it.”
Her eyes twinkled and she nodded as she pulled away. “Of course. Us waterbenders gotta stick together, right?”
A laugh escaped her lips as Y/N returned the sentiment. “Right.”
-
Y/N couldn’t stop thinking about her talk with Katara. Seven long days had passed, it was the morning of the deadline, but she still hadn’t been able to make a decision.
What she had said to them was true. Y/N wasn’t strong enough. Between her mother, Zuko, Yue, and the invasion as a whole, it was a miracle that she was still functioning. War wasn’t a child’s game, and yet she had gotten stuck in it along with the rest of them. This was no way to live, but Y/N didn’t know anything different.
But the moments when she was with the three of them? The banquet on the night that they had arrived brought a light into her life that she hadn’t seen since meeting Yue. Katara, Sokka, Aang — they all got her. They understood her.
Could she really give all of that up?
Her grandmother had told her so many times that ‘Princess Yue would want you to be happy’, and now Y/N was truly starting to believe it. In life, the princess had always been the one to cheer her up. She sacrificed her life for both the Moon and the tribe — if Yue could talk to her now, Y/N was sure she would be urging her to take the opportunity. “I didn’t sacrifice myself so that you could mourn me for the rest of your life, go out there and live!”
And that final conversation in her head was how Y/N found herself sprinting down the icy paths, a hastily packed bag of essentials in tow, to the harbor that the boats would be pushing off. She couldn’t give that up — she had told her grandparents the offer and her plans to accept, and after negotiations that resulted in tearful goodbyes, she had grabbed a bag and gotten on her way.
“Katara!” she yelled as their figures came into view. “Wait up!” The aforementioned along with Aang and Sokka all turned around, and a grin broke out on the waterbender’s face.
“You came!” Katara cheered as she wrapped Y/N in a hug, stars twinkling in her eyes as she pulled away. “Oh, I knew you would come!”
“I couldn’t just leave you guys,” she smiled. Aang returned the sentiment and Sokka acknowledged her with a nod, something understood passing between them before Y/N shouldered her bag and began helping everyone load the boats.
She let out a small grunt as she set down a stack of boxes, and as she spun around to continue her work she ended up bumping into someone. An apology was already spilling from her lips before she realized who it was, her eyes widening as she took a step back.
“Master Pakku!” Y/N exclaimed. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t even see you there.”
Being on the receiving end of the elder’s watchful eye was intense, so her surprise was visible when he simply nodded to accept her apology. “Y/N. Do your grandparents know of this?”
She nodded as well. “Yes; they actually encouraged it. I’m hoping that it will give me a chance to… break out of what I’m stuck in.”
“Ah. You and the princess always were close.” His eyes softened the smallest bit and he cleared his throat as he looked away for a moment; Y/N could tell that Pakku wasn’t used to dealing with emotions. “I’m very impressed with how much you’ve grown throughout your training. You are a talented waterbender, and well on your way to becoming a master. Keep working with Master Katara and Avatar Aang, and I’m sure you will hold the title in no time.”
A smile played on her lips accompanied by a slight twinkle in her eye. “Thank you, Master Pakku. I wish you luck in your journey to the South.”
“And I wish you luck in yours.”
The two waterbenders exchanged parting nods and they continued on their way, Y/N’s earlier smile unable to fade away.
Eventually, they had finished packing the boats and they had pushed off. It was going to be a couple days of sailing until they took off, leaving the rest of the men to their trip to the South, but Y/N was looking forward to the time at sea.
She inhaled the salty air as she rested her arms against the lede of the ship, rolling waves all around as far as the eye could see. There was an odd calmness to being at sea, and she found it washing over her as she stared into the night sky.
Change was coming. That was for sure.
-
Y/N was right — she wasn’t ready for this at all. She couldn’t handle it.
A mishap with the Avatar State? Sure. Nearly getting crushed by rocks in a mysterious cave? Fine. Going to a city taken over by the Fire Nation only to result in a fight against Princess Azula and her friends? Not the best reunion, but nothing she couldn’t handle.
It was a lot, but it was okay. It was fine.
But now? Now, she was convinced that there was some generational curse that had befallen her with the way that the spirits had been treating her. It was a joke.
Knee deep in swamp water, separated from all of her friends, and on the brink of losing it. If she earned a copper piece for every tear shed, she would surely be the richest person in the world.
The whole damn swamp was cursed — it had dragged them in against their will, separated them with vines with a mind of their own, and now? Now it was showing Y/N her mother again. Her mother and Yue — it was like the spirits were mocking her. She had lost so many people that they couldn’t decide which one to torment her with. She was surprised they hadn’t thrown Zuko in there just for kicks.
It wasn’t the accusations that had gotten her — she had dealt with many a nightmare where her mother cursed her for leaving her, or Yue claimed that she should’ve been able to save her. It wasn’t the fact that she was seeing them again, it—
It was that it was so real.
She always knew that her nightmares were just that, but here? Here, they were there. Standing in the swamp mere feet away from her, with expressions so alike the real thing that she thought some kind of miracle had occurred, that they were alive.
But when she had reached them, all Y/N was greeted with was a twisted tree trunk sticking up from the water. A joke.
And when she had reunited with her friends, she had learned that they had all seen things too — Aang, a strange girl; Katara, her mother; and Sokka… Yue.
There was something about Sokka that she couldn’t shake, and it annoyed her to no end. He was a good person — he had left his life behind to keep his sister and the Avatar safe, and Y/N had seen enough in the North to reinforce how intelligent, brave, and good he was. But once again, her feelings were getting in the way.
Every time she saw Sokka, she thought of Yue. It was instinctual, and it was irritating. It was why she started to… not necessarily avoid him, but she never spent more time around him than she needed to.
Sokka had noticed.
There was always a strange rift between the two of them when they were still in the North, especially after he started getting closer to Yue. He assumed it was just standard caution; he could tell that they were close, and it was just something natural that friends did. It continued after the siege, and he figured it was a response to the grief she was facing.
But now? Now, she was still doing the same thing, and Sokka had no idea why.
It’s not like she was mean, per se, she was perfectly kind, it was just… weird. And she was acting the same way the day after their time in the swamp.
They had flown for as long as they could before making the decision to camp out for the night — Appa deserved a break after what he went through with those swamp benders. Y/N had volunteered herself to gather firewood, and Sokka decided to go along with her as a precaution — if there was one thing he had learned throughout this whole trip, it was that you could never be too careful.
“...nice night we’re having, huh?”
Unfortunately, the conversation didn’t flow as well as he was hoping.
“Uh, yeah.” She glanced up at the sky. “Very… dark.”
The silence between them couldn’t have been more awkward. Sokka could see emotions warring on her face despite her attempts to mask them, and he decided to take the plunge.
“Hey.” She looked up at him and Sokka cleared his throat. “Are… are you okay? I know that what you saw in the swamp was hard—”
“I’m fine.” The way Y/N cut him off was resolute, but from what Sokka already knew about her he could tell it was a facade, an attempt to stop anyone else from worrying about her. After all, he did the same thing. “I’ve been through worse.”
Sokka frowned. “That doesn’t mean anything. It might not’ve been as bad as other things you’ve been through, but you’re still allowed to hurt.”
“Well, I’m not!” Y/N came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the clearing, almost causing Sokka to run into her. “I’m— I’m fine. I’ve done my mourning, a-and I’m fine.”
“I know what you’re going through with Yue,” he said gently, trying once again. “Trust me, I get it. You don't have to grin and bear it, because I can help you."
She scoffed and shook her head. “You don’t know anything about what I’m dealing with.”
“I do!” he insisted. “I know you two were best friends— I cared about her too, I know—”
“You don’t know anything!” Y/N repeated, her voice growing along with her anger. “I knew Yue for years — she helped me through everything, a-and you think that you know her after a month?”
“That’s not fair,” he said, his frown somehow deepening. “I might not have known her for as long as you did, but I loved her!”
“I loved her too!” she yelled, unable to hold herself back now. Sokka didn’t deserve her anger, he was truly trying to help her, but spirits. She had been holding it in for so long and he had been the one unfortunate enough to break the dam. Sokka’s eyes widened as he took an instinctive step back, and she couldn’t stop the emotions from pouring out now that the wall was finally down.
“I loved Yue, the same way you did. Maybe even more! I loved her the same way that I loved Zuko, and now she’s gone. Everyone that I’ve loved is gone, and she’s gone too, and— and I didn’t even get to say goodbye? It’s not fair, Sokka! It’s not fair that she’s gone, and it’s not fair that she chose you!”
Her eyes widened as she realized what she had just said, but it was too late to take the words back. Before she knew it, she was running.
La’s fins, what was wrong with her?
Not only had she admitted her feelings for Yue, not only had she unleashed her rage on Sokka, someone who was only trying to help her, but she had belittled his feelings — she didn’t know which was worse. If she didn’t get kicked out of the group after this, it would be a miracle.
Y/N finally came to a stop when the burning in her lungs became too much, and she sank to the ground as her gaze rose to the sky. She didn’t even bother to wipe away the falling tears as she leaned her head against a tree behind her, silently hoping that Sokka wouldn’t come after her. She had said something truly horrible to him — if he didn’t hate her before, he surely did now.
But of course, nothing ever went her way. She heard the crunch of a broken tree branch and sighed inwardly, burying her head in her hands to prevent him from seeing her visible shame.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry. I had no right to say any of that. You—” Y/N swallowed, her throat thick with tears. “You loved Yue just as much as I did, and she loved you. It doesn’t matter that you were only there for a month. You guys had a connection — if it hadn’t been for the Fire Nation…” Y/N heaved another sigh. “You made her so happy, and… and that made me happy. But it hurt.”
It was a physical effort to lift her head up and meet Sokka’s eyes. “It hurt that she never looked at me the way that she looked at you.”
Y/N returned to staring at the horizon, something much more comfortable than having to face her mistakes head on. Sokka took a few steps closer then sat down next to her, a surprisingly kind gesture after what she had done.
“You loved Yue.” He said it so simply, like it wasn’t her biggest source of shame.
“I did,” she said quietly. “I loved her the same way I loved Zuko, and I know that it’s wrong but— but it’s not like I can control my feelings! So instead, I just stayed quiet about it.”
Sokka frowned. “Your feelings towards her aren’t wrong. Did someone tell you that they are?”
Y/N shrugged, still unable to make eye contact. “There are rules in the Fire Nation. My mother told me to follow those rules to stay alive, and I guess that was one that stuck with me. No one has really ever… said anything different.”
“Then I’ll be the one to do it,” he said decisively.
“Ever since I left the South Pole with Aang, we’ve travelled all over. And there’ve been girls that’ve caught my eye, of course, but there’s also been guys. Sons of merchants, the occasional bender, all kinds of guys that made my heart race the same way it did for Yue.” Sokka glanced at her. “That’s how you felt about her too, right?”
Y/N chewed on her lower lip and nodded after a few moments of silence. “Every time I was around her, I always wanted to make her happy. Her smile was like pure sunshine. And every time she mentioned you, I just felt… so jealous. I was happy for her obviously, I was just… sad that happiness wasn’t with me.”
“And it sucked, because you’re a great guy. You’re not someone like Hahn that I can hate without feeling bad. You’re so… good.” Her gaze turned downcast for a moment before she redirected it at Sokka. “You were good for her. And I’m really sorry you didn’t get more time with her.”
“Me too,” he murmured. He seemed to reminisce for a moment before he met her eyes again. “I’m sorry that you went so long believing that there was something wrong with you, because there isn’t. Not with you or the way you feel — towards Yue, or any other girl.
A small smile brimmed on her lips, and as she brushed some fresh tears away she glanced at Sokka. “You’re pretty great, you know.”
He laughed and pulled her into his side in some sort of one-armed hug. “I try.”
The two of them remained there for a while, gazing at the sky together in a comfortable silence, until Sokka broke it. “If you’re feeling better, I think that you should get back to camp. Before Katara goes crazy worrying about you.”
She chuckled as she stood up and, after taking a few steps towards the woods, shot a look back at him. “What about the firewood?”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
Y/N nodded after a moment of hesitation then began the walk back to camp, but something made her stop. She idled there for a second then turned back to him. “Sokka?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. I’m really sorry about what I said.”
He nodded and a small smile played on his lips. “Don’t worry about it.”
She returned the sentiment, this time truly walking back when she turned around.
Sokka sighed and turned his gaze back towards the full moon, his smile turning slightly wistful.
“Hey, Yue,” he murmured. “It’s been a while without you, but… I think we’re getting through it, the two of us. I like to think that you’re out there, just watching over us. It helps.” As he got up and ambled on the path back to the camp, he allowed himself one more glance at the moon. “I’ll keep an eye on her. Make sure nothing happens.”
A sort of acceptance washed over him when he started to walk back to camp, and he smiled to himself. It felt like Y/N had a small piece of Yue in her, and the process of helping her through her own grief was getting him through it as well, more than he knew.
It seemed like he had another sister to look after now.
Sokka didn’t mind.
-
ayo idk why we slipped into sokka's perspective but its cool! its chill. dont worry about it
perm tag list: @dv0412 @siriuslyslyslytherin @maruchan77
everything happens for a reason part 7 - zuko x fem!reader
I think my ways are wearing me down
part 6 | masterlist | part 8
a/n: as said very astutely in my outline, "y/n just keeps taking L's"
i actually had to take breaks while writing the final scene and watching the episode LMAo i forgot how fucking sad this scene was!!
warning(s): you know what happens in this chapter. its siege of the north part 2. its so much more angst like SO MUCH ANGST. im so sorry i got so sad while writing this
wc: 4.0k
chapter title comes from brand new city by mitski!
Y/N adjusted her hold on the basket of clothes as she knocked on the door with her free hand, pushing it open after waiting a few moments.
“Prince Zuko?” she called in a whisper. They had gotten past the point of formalities, but it was a precaution she opted to take when they met like this. She spotted him sitting on his bed and he gave her a thumbs up, a sign she took to mean they were in the clear. Y/N closed the door behind her and bounded over, then set the basket on his bed.
“Alright. I brought you the book that you wanted to borrow.” She unearthed the novel from the pile of clothes with caution, taking care to not ruin the hard work that went into folding all of them. “I had to hide it so I could get in here — no one thinks anything of a servant bringing clothes around, but books are a little more suspicious. But here you go! My very own edition of ‘Keiko and the Koalaotter’.”
“Thank you!” The prince grinned as he took the book and examined the cover. “I’ve always been curious about Water Tribe culture, even more after you started teaching me about it. They don’t really tell us about it in our classes.”
“It’s not really accurate to actual Water Tribe stuff, but it is cute,” she laughed. “I remember begging my parents for a koalaotter for weeks after I finished it. They told me that there was no way to get one all the way in the Earth Kingdom, but I never listened to them.”
“Oh, that reminds me!” His eyes lit up as he ran over to the windowsill. “I got you a gift too!”
“Zuko, really? You shouldn’t have.”
“Well, I did. So don’t even think about not accepting it,” he joked. He picked something up from a vase and bounded back over, doing as good a job of hiding the flowers behind his back as his excited grin.
“What is it?” she questioned.
“They’re silver wisterias!” he exclaimed as he presented the bouquet. “They grow in the palace gardens. They’re really pretty, and so are you, and I know how much you love the gardens, so I thought you’d like it.”
She felt her cheeks heat up when she accepted the gift, twirling the stem in her fingers as she inhaled its sweet scent with a smile. “That’s really thoughtful of you, Zuko. Thank you.”
“Of course! You could wear one in your hair, pin one onto your uniform, put them in your room, whatever you want.”
As she carefully ran her fingers over the petals, she couldn’t stop the nagging question at the back of her mind from escaping.
“Why are you so nice to me?” she blurted out, causing Zuko’s brows to furrow in confusion.
“Because you’re my friend. Friends are nice to each other.”
“I know, but why are we friends?” she pushed. “You know that you could get in trouble for talking to me like this, but you still do it. Why?”
He pondered the question for a moment before he answered. “Well.. you don’t treat me like everyone else. I’m the prince, so everyone here has to do what I want and be nice to me. But you’re not like that. When it’s just the two of us, you treat me like anyone else, and I like that — I know that you always mean what you say, so when you’re nice to me I know it’s because you like me, not because you have to be. Why do you do that?” the prince asked as he turned the tables. “You know that you could get in trouble for talking to me like this, but you still do it. Why?”
She punched him playfully on the shoulder and giggled. “Someone’s gotta keep you humble.”
His cheeks flushed a bright red as he rubbed his arm shyly. “I’m really glad we’re friends. Sometimes it feels like you’re my only one in this whole nation.”
“So am I,” she beamed. “Always and forever, right?”
“Right.”
-
Y/N’s eyes snapped open and she gasped, immediately whipping her head around frantically to see if the Avatar was still there, but Katara shook her head.
“He’s gone,” Katara said miserably, confirming her suspicions. “I woke up a few minutes before you and I checked everywhere.”
“Great,” she muttered. She rubbed the back of her head and winced — she had a feeling she would be plagued by headaches for at least the next couple of days.
“So…” Katara began. “You and Zuko both recognized each other. He— he said he thought that you were dead.”
Y/N pursed her lips, wondering how to start that story, when Sokka and Yue burst into the oasis on Appa.
“What happened?” he questioned. “Where’s Zuko?”
“He took Aang,” Katara mourned. “He took him right out from under me.”
“It’s not your fault, Katara,” Y/N insisted. “It really looks like he’s improved since… since last time.”
“‘Last time’?” Sokka asked, prompting a sigh from Y/N. She looked to Yue for help, and the princess nodded supportively.
“We have… history.” She looked at her hands for a moment before continuing. “I’m not from the Northern Water Tribe. My mother is, but I was born in a small village in the Earth Kingdom. I told you that my village was invaded, Katara, but after it, my mother and I were captured for being waterbenders, and they took us to the Fire Nation to work as healers and servants in the palace.”
“I became friends with Zuko there. He was nothing like you saw today, or like anything you know from the past. He was kind, and caring, and passionate, and he made my dismal life a little bit brighter. And… we ended up falling for each other.”
“We went too far, the Fire Lord found out, and— well, he was going to kill me. My mother managed to get me out, but she stayed behind, and I haven’t seen her since that night. I haven’t seen Zuko since that night. I always held hope that I would find my way back and see them both again, but now that Zuko is like… like that?” She bit down on her lip and shook her head.
“Now I don’t know what to think. He’s completely different than anything I knew, than the boy that I fell in love with. And I can’t help but think about what happened to my mother if that is what happened to Zuko.” And I can’t help but think that it’s my fault for not being there for him.
A collective silence hung in the air for just a moment before Sokka broke it. “You had a thing with Zuko?”
Y/N let out a surprised laugh as Katara hit him on the shoulder. “Sokka, now is not the time!”
“No,” she chuckled. “No, it’s alright. It’s a lot, I know. It’s just… impossible. That the Zuko I knew turned into someone like this. I mean, you saw, Katara— he didn’t even hesitate to try and hurt me.”
Katara pulled her into a warm embrace before separating and looking her in the eyes. “I’m sorry, Y/N, for all that you’ve been through. And I know that fighting against Zuko hurts, so if you can’t come after Aang with us then I completely understand—”
“No,” she said once more, something hardening in her eyes. “I’ll help you find Aang, it’s the least I can do. Besides, I… I have to see him again. I have to see him again to know that this is actually real, that— that this is actually who he is now.”
Katara nodded solemnly; Sokka had already started walking back to Appa with Yue. “Well, Zuko couldn’t have gotten far. We’ll find him — Aang’s gonna be fine.”
Katara looked back hopefully at Y/N and she met her eyes with a smile, though slightly strained, as she jogged to catch up with them. But as she climbed onto Appa with her fellow waterbender, the anger in his eyes was all she could see.
The boy she fought might’ve been the Fire Prince, but it was not her Zuko.
-
Cold.
That was all Zuko seemed to know as he trekked through the frozen tundra, the blizzard around him threatening to end him at any moment. No more had he despised the Water Tribes than he did in this moment, but the weight of the Avatar on his back and the promise of his honor was enough to push him onwards.
The only thing on his mind that he couldn’t shake was her.
Zuko thought she was dead, honestly and truly. Few were lucky enough to escape his father’s wrath once it was incurred upon them — Zuko himself wasn’t even an exception — and though he wanted nothing more than for her to be one of the few, he knew that she was dead. There was no other explanation.
For years, the waterbender had been a staple in his mind — a memory of a childhood love, of a better time. He thought about her when he fought against his soldiers on slow evenings on the ship, her words of encouragement and joking retorts echoing through his ears as he went through every form. He thought about her when he talked to his uncle, his attitude often mirroring hers. The morning of the Agni Kai, he almost turned to her for reassurance before remembering.
Spirits, Zuko thought about her every time he looked at the water. And even all these years after her disappearance, he was still plagued by nightmares of her fate.
He had resigned himself to mourning her. Zuko truly thought she was dead.
But there she was, in the flesh, with the Avatar and his friends. Breathing. Alive. His enemy.
How the fuck was he supposed to deal with that?
She was even more beautiful than he remembered, but it was obvious the years since her escape had weathered her. He noticed a certain emptiness in her eyes, the brightness from their childhood a distant memory. It was obvious she had grown — she carried a certain elegance that he didn’t remember, and her skill in waterbending had improved so much since the days of their sparring sessions.
It felt like he had betrayed her. The expression she wore after his first blast was like a physical weight, the guilt of broken promises heavy over his head when he struck the final blow. So familiar to their friendly fights, yet such a far cry.
But they weren’t kids anymore. She had changed, and so had he.
It had been years. Any feelings he still harbored for her didn’t matter anymore.
Zuko had a mission, and he was going to complete it no matter what.
-
The tundra was treacherous, the blizzard making it difficult to see anything at all. Y/N had taken to holding Yue’s hand, something the princess had offered when she had seen how restless her friend was, as well as gnawing on the bottom of her lip. She feared for both Zuko and Aang, and she could only hope that they would be able to find them before something happened to either of them.
“Don’t worry,” the princess reassured. “Prince Zuko can’t be getting too far in this weather.”
“I’m not worried they’ll get away in the blizzard,” Katara murmured. “I’m worried that they won’t.”
“They’re not gonna die in this blizzard,” Sokka said as he gripped the reins tighter. “If we know anything, it’s that Zuko never gives up.”
Y/N chuckled softly and nodded. “You’ve got that right.”
Yue gave her hand a squeeze and a small smile, a sentiment that Y/N returned as Sokka continued. “They’ll survive, and we’ll find them.”
It took a few more minutes of riding and searching, but eventually a bright blue light streaked through the air. Katara gasped and pointed up. “Look!” she exclaimed. “That’s gotta be Aang! Yip yip!”
Appa groaned once more and Sokka turned to follow the light — it had stopped in a small cove before glowing brilliantly then disappearing — and sure enough, Zuko and Aang were down in the snow.
“Appa!” he cheered as they landed, causing Zuko’s eyes to flick up too. Y/N met his gaze for just a moment before he broke it, throwing Aang to the side and easing into a bending stance as Katara slid off of Appa’s back.
“Here for a rematch?” Zuko challenged, the undeserved confidence he spoke with a glimpse of the past.
“Trust me, Zuko,” Katara countered as she raised her hands, “It’s not going to be much of a match.”
She blocked his fire blast then sent a current of snow at him, launching him up into the air on a frozen column before letting him fall to the ground and knocking him out. Y/N couldn’t help but wince, and as Sokka jumped down to free Aang, she slid down as well.
She ran over the pile of snow and bent it off of Zuko, then knelt down next to him and pulled off her glove. She put two fingers on his neck and confirmed what she already thought, but it was still a relief. He was alive, but he wouldn’t be for much longer if he stayed out here.
“What are you doing?” she heard Sokka yell. Y/N turned to find everyone back on Appa already, staring expectantly at her.
“We can’t leave him!” Y/N protested.
“Sure we can!” he countered. “Now come on, let’s go!”
“No,” she insisted, pressing the back of her hand against his forehead. It was ice cold. “If we leave him, he’ll die!”
“She’s right.” Aang airbended himself off of Appa and helped her pick up Zuko; Aang bringing himself and the prince back onto the bison with his element and Y/N climbing back up with a hand from Katara.
Sokka rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Yeah, this makes a lot of sense. Let’s bring the guy who’s constantly trying to kill us.”
Y/N ignored the remark and met Aang’s eyes, mouthing a silent ‘thank you’. He smiled and nodded, then grabbed the reins and took off.
As they flew through the sky, Y/N glanced down at Zuko. He looked so much more peaceful now than a few moments ago, his features relaxed rather than tense. It was strange seeing him like this after all these years; angry, scarred, changed. Nothing like the reunion she had imagined.
She bent some of the snow falling down into water and molded it over the cuts on his face, the element taking on a slight glow as she started to heal him.
“Oh, Zuko,” she murmured. “What happened in those four years?”
As if her concentration had broken, the water previously under her control lost both its shape and glow as it pooled on his face. She frowned and attempted to bend it off, but none of the usual power she felt at night was flowing through her veins.
It was at that moment that Y/N looked up and noticed her surroundings.
Everything was cloaked in a veil of red, a crimson moon their backdrop as they continued through the air. “My bending isn’t working,” Y/N muttered, earning a curious look from Katara.
And to make matters worse, Yue winced and held her head, Aang doing the same.
“Are you okay?” Sokka questioned as he reached out to comfort her.
“I feel faint,” she muttered, the effort it took not lost on Y/N.
“I feel it too.” Aang pressed his palm against the side of his head and grimaced as his gaze shifted upwards. “The Moon Spirit is in trouble.”
Y/N’s eyes widened immediately as they flicked towards Yue, the princess choosing not to meet them as she began to tell them all the story of her birth and how she owed the Moon Spirit her life. By the time she was done the Water Tribe siblings were staring at her with disbelief, but there was no time for questions as they flew into the Spirit Oasis.
The sight that awaited them shocked Y/N to her core. A Fire Nation admiral — one she recognized from all the years ago, yet unable to place a name — held a bag with one clenched fist, the other posing the unsaid threat.
“Don’t bother,” he spat in response to their fighting stances, the two words overflowing with unearned confidence. But as cocky as he may have been, it worked — he knew that they were rendered helpless when he held the possibility of a dying spirit against them.
“Zhao, don’t.” Aang dropped his staff and held his hands up in surrender, an action Y/N and the others mirrored.
Everything after that happened unbelievably quickly. After General Iroh — a man she knew as both the ruthless general that laid siege to Ba Sing Se for six hundred long days and Zuko’s surprisingly kind uncle — threatened the admiral with his own firebending, Y/N foolishly believed it to be the end once he let the fish back into the pond.
But any hopes of peace were dashed with the slice of firebending the admiral sent at Tui, plunging the world back into shades of grey just as quickly as it had returned.
“NO!”
A bloodcurdling scream rang in the air; Y/N thought whoever produced it must’ve been insane. It took her a moment to realize the strangled sound had come from her, and that Sokka’s grip on her arms was the only thing stopping her from foolishly throwing herself into the raging battle that had started.
Did the admiral not understand what he had just done? To attack any spirit was to inflict the rage of many others, to kill a spirit was to sign not only one's own death warrant, but those around him as well.
To kill the Moon Spirit meant to destroy waterbending as the world knew it. To kill the Moon Spirit meant to disrupt the balance of the world. To kill the Moon Spirit meant to kill Yue.
The admiral should’ve considered himself very lucky that her waterbending was gone. With it, Y/N knew she would’ve done something she would regret.
As soon as the flames of Iroh’s onslaught disappeared, Sokka’s grip loosened on her arms and she all but sprinted over to the pond. A choked sob fell from her lips when she saw the dead fish in the water, palpable horror in the air as the rest of the group joined her.
Not even Aang’s feat of merging with the Ocean Spirit could help — it might’ve saved the tribe from the attack on the Fire Nation, but it could do nothing for the dead spirit. Y/N watched on mournfully as Iroh placed Tui back into the pond, the mortal body of the fish laying there unmoving.
“It’s too late,” Katara lamented. “It’s dead.”
Iroh looked up and met Y/N’s eyes, recognition flashing through them for just a moment before they moved to Yue’s. The blue hues of her irises were even more striking than usual — they were the only sign of color in the world around them.
His own widened with surprise as he gestured at her. “You have been touched by the Moon Spirit. Some of its life is in you.”
Yue seemed to understand what he was saying as she raised her head, her features taking on a mask of stoicism. “Yes, you’re right. It gave me life… maybe I can give it back.”
It was as if lightning had struck Y/N, the way that fear was jolted into her heart. “No!” she cried at the same time as Sokka, a reprise of her earlier plea. “Yue, you can’t!”
“You don’t have to do that!” Sokka reached out for her hand but she wrenched it out of his grasp — nothing they could say was going to change her mind.
“It’s my duty.” The princess stated it so plainly, carving the letters on her headstone herself.
“I won’t let you!” Sokka insisted. “Your father told me to protect you.”
“Yue, your duty isn’t to die for your tribe!” Y/N cried. She couldn’t think, spirits she could barely breathe. She couldn’t go through this again. She couldn’t go through this again. “Please, there has to be another way!”
She smiled sadly at Y/N and shook her head. “This was what I was born to do.” The princess glanced at the pond then took a step forward, wrapping Y/N in the tightest hug she could muster. She pressed her lips against Y/N’s cheek in a feather light kiss before she pulled away and continued forward and placed her hands against the koi fish.
The fish began to glow, Yue closed her eyes, she collapsed into Sokka’s arms.
And that was it.
The color returned to the world, but Y/N was frozen in place. She couldn’t do anything to save her friend, the girl that she was pretty sure she loved, as she died in front of her. Her cheek was still burning from where Yue’s lips had touched, and she wanted to bottle that warmth because she knew that was the last time she would ever feel it.
The first tear to fall snapped her out of her paralysis as she fell to her knees next to Sokka, her body cradled in his arms as he mourned for a lost love. Y/N wanted to scream, she wanted to sob, she wanted to do anything to get this anger and sadness out but she could do nothing but stare, eyes wide and shimmering with unshed tears.
Her body slowly faded away, and Y/N could’ve laughed at the irony. Yue gave her life for the spirits and all they could leave them with was the fleeting memory.
The fish in Iroh’s hands began to glow and he placed it back in the water, and almost immediately it returned to its natural rhythm. The oasis took on the glow of the fish and it formed the cruelest joke of them all.
Princess Yue. She was ethereal, both her hair and white dress flowing down her back and a peaceful expression on her face. She was more beautiful than ever, and her voice echoed through the oasis as she spoke.
“I will always be with you, Y/N. Thank you for making me feel alive.” A small smile, much like the one she gave her just moments ago, played on her lips. “I love you.”
Y/N could do nothing but stare, awestruck and heartbroken, as she whispered something to Sokka and kissed him.
And then she was gone.
Her gaze was trained forward, tears spouting and falling down her cheeks, some dim part of her still hoping that it was just a cruel joke by the spirits. She couldn’t go through this again.
How could they do this to her again? How could they introduce a light into her life and make her fall in love, then wrench it away from her grasp? She felt selfish for only caring about herself. She couldn’t go through this again.
Yue was gone.
She couldn’t go through this again.
Another strangled sob fell from her lips and Katara pulled her into a hug. That simple motion seemed to open to the floodgates, and suddenly she was choking on her own tears. Katara’s arms around her were the only tether she had to the world right now, she had to focus on it or else she would lose herself to the grief.
It felt like the minutes were hours with how long it took until Y/N was finally able to walk out of the oasis, but Katara and Sokka stayed by her side the entire time. When they finally stumbled out into the real world, Y/N felt weaker than ever. The constant go go go of the siege had finally caught up to her, and she was so damn tired.
“Always and forever.”
“You’re stuck with me.”
She was losing hope in promises.
-
perm tag list: @dv0412 @siriuslyslyslytherin @maruchan77
everything happens for a reason part 6 - zuko x fem!reader
The thing about forever is that it's a fucking lie
part 5 | masterlist | part 7
a/n: you all know whats coming lmao i got nothing to say for myself
wc: 3.5k
warning(s): pakku's usual sexism, typical siege of the north stuff, mostly angst but a lil bit of fluff in there
chapter title comes from forever is a lie by bea miller!
“I can’t believe that your tribe doesn’t teach waterbending to women!” Katara fumed, the snow beneath her feet packed tightly from her continuous pacing. “I mean, how can they even do that? Master Pakku’s all about ‘his culture and his teachings’ but his teachings are completely sexist!”
Y/N just nodded along as she listened to Katara — Master Pakku had refused to teach Katara, and after a disappointing healing lesson she had found Y/N to rant. “Yep. It’s unfair, but there’s not much we can do about it.”
Katara frowned and stopped in her tracks. “Don’t you want to learn how to fight too? I love being able to heal and help people, don’t get me wrong, but healing isn’t all I want to do.”
A shaky sigh fell from her lips and she shrugged, adjusting her position on the platform of ice she had made to sit on. “Well… yeah, I guess. I know a couple of martial moves, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to know more. But Katara, I—”
Y/N was silent for a moment as flashes of the past played behind her eyelids. “I’m not like you. I’m not the kind of person to challenge the rules. Not anymore.”
Katara shook her head, already back to her pacing. “I think you’re selling yourself short. I saw your healing during your class — you’re really talented, Y/N, and I know that skill will transfer over to fighting.”
“Thank you, but— but it doesn’t matter how good we are. Master Pakku is just as stubborn as he is talented, and I think he’d rather die than be a decent person. It’s a shame though. I’d really like to see someone knock some sense into him.”
“Yeah…” Katara sighed. “Hopefully Aang is having a better time than I am.” She looked up at the sky then fixed Y/N with a wry smile. “Speaking of Aang, I should probably get back to him and my brother. Sorry for talking your ear off the whole night.”
Y/N waved her hand around nonchalantly. “Don’t worry about it. You have my permission to rant to me any time you want while you’re here.”
Katara grinned and offered her hand, which Y/N took with a small smile as she got up from her ice platform. With a slight movement of her hand she bent it back into the ground, and the two girls began their walk back to the city. “I just wish I knew how to get Pakku to let up.”
“You’ll think of something,” Y/N reassured.
-
Katara did indeed think of something. Y/N’s wish of Pakku getting some sense knocked into him was granted when Katara challenged him to a fight, which was quite possibly the best thing that Y/N had ever witnessed. Though she ultimately lost, he still decided to take her on as a student — and in a move that Y/N would forever be grateful for, Katara had gotten Pakku to take her on as well. Katara made history that day, and she felt a shining sense of admiration for the girl for shaking things up.
And now, her days consisted of early mornings spent training, afternoons in classes, and nights doing homework, as well as fitting in time to hang out with Yue — it was a miracle she had any free time at all.
Lately though, it seemed like all Yue could talk about was Sokka. She liked him just as much as he liked her, but Yue was good — no matter how much she cared for someone, her tribe would always come first.
(“Did I hear that you and Sokka have a date later tonight?” she teased. “Aren’t you moving a little too fast?” Yue was silent at her attempt at humor and Y/N frowned. “Yue, are you okay?”
Silence lingered in the air for so long that Y/N almost thought she didn’t hear her, but finally the princess spoke as she pulled down the collar of her jacket to reveal an engagement necklace. Y/N gasped.
“It’s from Hahn,” she said quietly. “He proposed an hour ago, and I accepted.”
“You what?” Y/N cried, prompting a slight grimace from Yue. “Hahn— you can’t stand him!”
“Y/N, please,” Yue sighed. “He’s not that bad — he’s handsome, I guess. And he’s the son of a noble, and he’ll be really good for the tribe.”
“Yue, you’re the one who has to deal with him. He proposed to you, not the tribe — Spirits, half the boys in this tribe like you, why him?”
“It’s best for the tribe,” she repeated, her words an attempt to convince Y/N as much as herself.
“But what’s best for you?” Y/N countered.
Yue hadn’t answered, and had made up some half-baked excuse that she had to be somewhere. She had watched her go sadly, hoping that she would figure something out with Sokka.)
And it’s not like she wasn’t happy that her friend had found someone, it was just…
Y/N was upset that someone wasn’t her. And she didn’t know how to deal with that revelation.
But one morning, while making idle conversation with Katara as their lesson came to an end, a matter much more pressing came to hand.
Black snow. Soot raining down from the sky, tarnishing everything it touched.
A feeling all too familiar brewed in her chest as she met her friend’s eyes, and one thing was clear.
The Fire Nation was coming.
-
The air was even more frigid than usual with the knowledge of an imminent invasion, and Y/N had parted ways with her friends once they reached the town hall to be with her grandparents. The tension in the air was thick as Chief Arnook stepped up to address the people.
“The day we have feared for so long has arrived — the Fire Nation is on our doorstep. It is with great sadness I call my family here before me, knowing well that some of these faces are about to vanish from our tribe, but they will never vanish from our hearts. Now, as we approach the battle for our existence, I call upon the great spirits. Spirit of the Ocean! Spirit of the Moon! Be with us! I'm going to need volunteers for a dangerous mission.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Sokka stood up. “Count me in.”
Her eyes widened as she met Katara’s from across the room, and she looked equally surprised. “Sokka…”
“Be warned: many of you will not return.” Several other men stood up after Sokka, including her grandfather. Despite his age he was a skilled fighter, but that was no comfort to Y/N. She reached up for his hand and shook her head almost desperately, but he smiled sadly and squeezed her hand, a sentiment to express words unsaid. “Come forward to receive my mark, if you accept the task.”
As he walked forward to join the line, she found the only solace she could in her grandmother’s open arms, burying her face in the fur of her jacket. “He will be okay,” she soothed. “He’s just as strong as he is brave. You have to have faith.”
She hoped that her grandmother was right. She couldn’t handle another loss.
Once all the men had received their marks, they left to confer about the battle plan. Y/N found her way up to the stage where a tearful Yue sat. It pained Y/N to see her in such a way, and when she sat down and offered her hand the princess immediately took it.
“I saw that your grandfather volunteered,” she said after a beat of silence. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry too. For Sokka.” Y/N adjusted her position so their shoulders were touching, and she sighed heavily. “I can’t stop thinking about my village. My father.” She met Yue’s eyes, her own beginning to tear up.
“What if it happens again?” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I can’t— I can’t do it again.”
Yue let go of her hand to wrap the girl in a hug, the warmth of the embrace managing to chip away at some of their hopelessness. “You won’t have to do it again,” she stated, the reassurance seeming like the truth when coming from her. “You’re not alone this time.”
She finally pulled away from the hug as she wiped the tears off her face, and Y/N nodded. Yue somehow always knew exactly what to say. “What would I do without you?” she asked, her voice slightly watery.
“You’re never going to know,” the princess smiled. “Because whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with me.” That got a laugh out of Y/N and the two of them stood up as Yue gestured outside with her head. “I think I saw Aang and my father out there. It’ll help to talk with them — I think you need some fresh air anyways.”
Y/N nodded and the two girls walked out hand in hand, a small reprieve from carrying the weight of the world.
-
Things were so much worse than she had been anticipating.
After a short talk outside the hall with Katara, Aang, and the Chief, Yue had been transported somewhere safer as Y/N steeled herself for the front lines. After all, as a student of Master Pakku, she could fight damn well — it was just a matter of putting it into action.
But a line of warriors and children alike were no match for the strength of the Fire Nation from afar, and the first few fireballs had done their job at disrupting both the fighters and the wall — Seeing her home get destroyed hurt nearly as much as constantly getting thrown around.
After Aang had taken off on Appa and Chief Arnook took a section of his soldiers off for a different plan, the work on the ground began. The fleet of ships seemed endless , and the same went for their artillery — the fight went long into the day as Y/N worked with various other waterbenders to stop fireballs and repair broken parts of the city’s infrastructure, but just as the full moon began to show, the attacks stopped coming. Limbs heavy with exhaustion from their work in the field, Y/N and Katara met up with the princess back at the balcony of the palace.
“They’ve stopped firing,” Yue noted as they all gazed off into the distance.
“Thank the spirits,” Y/N muttered as she worked out a knot in her shoulder. “I don’t know how much longer I could’ve kept going.”
Just then, Appa came into view and a grin spread across Katara’s face. “Aang!”
He landed below them and the three girls hurried down to meet him. Aang landed on the ground, exhaustion clear in every part of him. “I can’t do it,” he muttered as he placed his head in his hands. “I can’t do it.”
“What happened?” Katara asked as she ran up to him, Yue and Y/N close behind.
“I must’ve taken out a dozen Fire Navy ships, but there’s just too many of them!” His large grey eyes were full of hopelessness, and Y/N’s heart ached for the boy. “I can’t fight them all.”
“But— you have to!” Yue pleaded. “You’re the Avatar.”
“I’m just one kid,” Aang countered wearily. He buried his face in his arms and Katara kneeled next to him in an attempt to comfort him. Y/N could almost forget about the pain in her body at that moment, feeling an odd responsibility to this boy as she looked down at him.
“Aang,” she muttered, following Katara’s example and kneeling next to him. “You’ve already done so much for us. Just by being here, you’ve inspired hundreds of people — you’re a beacon of hope all on your own! We don’t expect you to take out this whole navy by yourself. As long as you’re here, fighting with us? You’re helping us more than you know.”
He managed a slight smile at that and he took her outstretched hand, getting pulled back to his feet with her help.
“We’ll have a better view from up there,” Katara noted, pointing back up to the balcony. “You can help us keep watch, Aang — in case they start attacking again.”
He nodded and the four of them began the walk, the Avatar in slightly better spirits.
“The legends say the moon was the first waterbender,” Yue said once they had reached the balcony, all of them gazing at the sky. “Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves.”
“I’ve always noticed my waterbending is stronger at night,” Katara mused, causing Y/N to hum in agreement.
“Our strength from the spirit of the moon, our life from the spirit of the ocean,” she said. “They work together to keep balance.
Aang’s expression brightened at her words as he popped up from the ground. “The spirits! Maybe I can find them and get their help!”
“How can you do that?” Y/N questioned.
“The Avatar is the bridge between our world and the Spirit World,” Katara explained excitedly. “Aang can talk to them!”
“Maybe they’ll give you the wisdom to win this battle!” Yue exclaimed.
“Or maybe they'll unleash a crazy amazing spirit attack on the Fire Nation!” At that, all three girls met him with strange looks. Aang coughed and straightened his posture. “Or wisdom. That's good, too.”
“The only problem is, last time you got to the Spirit World by accident,” Katara said with a frown. “How are you going to get there this time?”
Yue’s eyes lit up and she looked at them with a smile. “I have an idea. Follow me.”
-
A few minutes later, they were standing in the Spirit Oasis, the most spiritual place in all of the North. Yue, Y/N, and Katara all shed their coats as Aang walked around, marvelling at the beauty.
“I can feel… something,” Aang said as he sat down, getting into a meditating position. “It’s so tranquil.”
Soon enough, after a few moments of silence, Aang’s eyes as well as the arrow on his head began to glow.
“Is he okay?” Yue gasped.
“He’s crossing into the Spirit World,” Katara reassured. “He’ll be fine as long as we don’t move his body. That’s his way back to the physical world.”
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Y/N whispered, astonishment etched into her face. For as much as she had been taught about the ocean spirits, she wasn’t well-versed in the Spirit World as a whole — she was thoroughly fascinated by every part of this.
“Maybe we should get some help,” Yue suggested, still on edge as she took a few steps away from the gate.
“No, he’s my friend. I’m perfectly capable of protecting him. Besides, I already have some help here.” She smiled at Y/N, a sentiment that she returned happily.
A deep voice, almost mocking, broke the silence as it echoed throughout the oasis. “Well, aren’t you a big girl now? Even got yourself a little student.”
The three girls all whipped around to find the source of the voice, and Katara’s whole body stiffened. “No…”
“Yes. Hand him over and I don’t have to hurt you.”
Y/N immediately eased into a bending stance along with Katara as the princess fled to get help, but her confidence faltered when she took the time to focus on their assailant.
She almost didn’t recognize him — it had been nearly four years since she had last set eyes upon the boy, but it was as if he had become a completely different person. His head was shaved completely save for a ponytail, and blues and reds marked his skin in various cuts and bruises. His eyes held an anger she had never seen before, an expression only heightened with the addition of a large red scar across his left eye.
“Zuko?” she breathed, her chest tightening up beneath the weight of the revelation. Katara stared at her in bewilderment — she had no idea that Y/N knew the prince that had chased them halfway across the world, but Katara supposed that she had no reason to ever suspect she did.
His eyes flashed with recognition as they ran over her, and it seemed as if he had a similar epiphany as he staggered backwards. “I… I thought you were dead.”
“You’re with them,” she muttered, blood turning to ice. “Your nation is invading, and you’re helping them— you’re after the Avatar? What are you doing, Zuko?!”
The momentary surprise was replaced by steely determination as he shifted his weight forward and kicked up his leg, sending a blast of fire that she barely managed to dodge. “You know nothing!”
Y/N fell back into position next to Katara, but the newfound knowledge was like a fog over her mind. “Whoever he was when you knew him, that’s not him anymore!” Katara yelled as she bent water out of the pond and blocked his following attacks. “He won’t hesitate to hurt you, so you can’t either!”
“O-okay!” she stammered. This was the moment she had been waiting for, wasn’t it? After training with both Katara and Pakku, her martial skill had increased tenfold, and she was desperate to try it out — she only wished her first opponent didn’t have to be him. But another fire blast snapped her out of her paralysis, and she jumped into action.
The two girls worked impossibly well together, one stepping forward when the other fell back, the bending between them nearly seamless. Any fire that the prince sent their way was quickly extinguished, and with two against one on home turf, Y/N and Katara were able to hold him off with relative ease.
Y/N bent another jet of water up from the oasis and shot it at Zuko, the force of which knocked him several feet back. Katara took the opening and froze his feet to the ground, then began to move her arms about as she formed a ball of water around him — one more movement and it was frozen solid.
“You little peasant,” he growled. “You’ve found a master, haven’t you?”
The orb of ice began to glow, the air around them becoming hotter and hotter until it melted around him. Blasts of fire were flying at them as soon as Zuko hit the ground, and they were forced to retreat back towards the oasis as they grew more intense.
Y/N drew up a shield of water, extinguishing the flames on impact. Zuko dodged around them, his fingers inches away from Aang’s collar. Y/N propelled the water already at her fingertips towards Zuko with a grunt of effort, which sent him flying into the shallows on the other side of the oasis. She conjured up a large wave and sent it towards the prince, sending him up the side of the wall and trapping him once Katara froze it.
She breathed a sigh of relief and let her arms fall, a part of her wondering how they were still connected after the tediousness of the earlier battle. But this, one on one in a fight with real stakes? It was as exhilarating as it was nerve wracking, and she had never been so thankful that Katara had gotten her in with Master Pakku. Y/N felt intensely guilty over the pain she had inflicted on Zuko, but she tried her best to push it out of her mind — like Katara said, he would’ve done worse if she hadn’t fought back.
“You fought well,” Katara smiled. “I told you that you were talented.”
She chuckled and shrugged, cheeks heating up slightly at the praise. “It’s not exactly my first fight, just… the most intense.” It reminded her of the early mornings and late nights spent sparring with Zuko, a memory that only twisted the dagger in her heart even more.
The two girls smiled at each other as they began to walk back over to Aang — it seemed the boy was undisturbed by the fight by virtue of his glowing tattoos and closed eyes — when Y/N found herself squinting from the rays of light filtering in.
“Huh,” she mumbled. “The sun’s out. The sun’s out— Katara!”
Y/N turned to find the prince free from the ice, and the pair barely had time to draw water from the pond to shield themselves from the impending flames. But it was too little too late, and the power of the blast sent them back several feet. They slammed into either side of the gate, the force of it immediately knocking Katara out.
Y/N gasped in pain as she tried to push herself up, but the fight combined with the impact of her landing had taken a toll on her and she collapsed once more against the gate. When the smoke from the fire cleared, Zuko was there with Aang’s collar in his grasp.
“You rise with the moon,” he muttered, his face tinged with the slightest bit of guilt as he met her eyes. “I rise with the sun.”
The last thing she saw before her consciousness faded out was the boy she loved escaping with the Avatar.
-
why did i make yue and y/n like this when i KNOW what i have to write next omg i hate myself
perm tag list: @dv0412 @siriuslyslyslytherin @maruchan77
everything happens for a reason part 5 - zuko x fem!reader
I can go anywhere I want, I can go anywhere just not home
part 4 | masterlist | part 6
a/n: this was hard to get going but once i got to the end the words just flowed. ive come to the conclusion that writing dialogue with katara is my favorite thing to do
warning(s): nightmare at the beginning, survivor's guilt from y/n, some internalized homophobia :-( but aside from that its mostly fluff
wc: 3.6k
chapter title comes from my tears ricochet by taylor swift!
She was trapped.
It was a prison of never ending hallways in some kind of infinite void, complete with the rank stench of death and an innate feeling of hopelessness.
Y/N knew this place. It had been the subject of her nightmares on countless occasions, because it was where she was supposed to be. She had no choice but to start down the pathway of cracked stone — she knew what awaited her, but it was the only way out. She had developed some sick sense of awareness in this nightmare and it didn’t do her any favors.
She began to walk hastily down the path, the itch of paranoia already plaguing the back of her mind. Countless times she had been here, and yet it never got better.
Before Y/N knew it, she had reached her unwanted destination. The first tangible thing in what felt like miles was a prison cell, and she pushed forward despite knowing what awaited her. It was the only way.
“It wasn’t the only way.”
She froze, inhaling sharply as the dreamscape seemed to pull her thoughts out of her mind, and she forced herself to take another step closer, the inhabitant of the cell now visible.
“You did this to me.”
It was her mother, but… not quite her. Her voice strained and stiff, a gaunt appearance with cruel eyes, hunched over in a prison cell. Any sign of the woman Y/N knew her as was gone, and it was her fault. She was the reason Kura was gone — a mother’s ultimate sacrifice because her daughter was too stuck in her head.
“How could you do this to me?” she asked. “How could you be so selfish?”
Y/N tried to respond, but she couldn’t. It was no use anyway — her words would’ve come out in broken, pleading rambles to someone who couldn’t hear a thing. She knew it was fake, she knew this was a nightmare, but it still hurt all the same.
She had imagined her mother saying those words to her so many times they had found their way into her nightmares despite knowing that Kura would never utter a single syllable true to her fears. She had all but killed her mother, and instead of remembering her for what she had done for Y/N, she appeared in her nightmares.
She was a horrible daughter.
She heard footsteps and whirled around, instinctively taking a step back and wincing as her back slammed into the bars. A tall, dark figure creeped towards her and her breath caught in her throat — as it came into the light, she recognized him as the Fire Lord.
He chuckled coldly as he neared ever closer, the path he walked turning to flames behind him. Her eyes darted around for an escape only to find that everything was on fire. It was suffocating, she couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t think, and when she turned to look for her mother she was gone. Everything was gone, her dark void now a prison of flames.
She turned around once more and Ozai was right in front of her, the fire in his hands glowing red hot and a cruel smile on his lips.
“Did you really think you could get away that easily?”
-
She shot up in her bed, a scream on the edge of her lips but just barely managing to hold it back. Ragged breaths were ripped from her chest, her eyes shooting around wildly as she attempted to find anything at all to ground her. It took a few minutes, but with repeated mantras of it was just a dream and you are safe, she was able to calm down.
She pulled her knees to her chest and exhaled long and deep before pulling herself out of bed. It seemed that her day was going to be starting much earlier than planned.
Four years had passed since her arrival at the Northern Water Tribe, but the nightmares never ceased. It didn’t matter how many times she told herself she had done the right thing, that it was what her mother wanted, that if she stayed she would’ve died — she was constantly haunted by her past actions and memories of the Fire Nation.
She hasn’t taken off the necklace since her mother gave it to her, no matter what she does. It’s almost become a part of her now — a memory of Kura and her selflessness that knew no bounds, as well as a grim reminder of what it cost to get her here.
The Northern Water Tribe itself held countless memories of her mother — after all, it was where she had spent the first eighteen years of her life. Her name was well known throughout the tribe with nobles and elders alike, and it amazed Y/N to no end the impact that her mother left everywhere she went. She loved hearing stories about her mother and what she was like as a child, but it was always bittersweet.
She always carried an inherent sense of guilt with her because of who she lived with — her mother hadn’t been lying when she said that the necklace would get them to help her. Kura’s parents still lived in the tribe, and they had taken Y/N in after she revealed who she was. They loved her unconditionally and never made her feel like a burden, but Y/N would be lying to herself if she didn’t think they blamed her for the fate that befell her mother.
After all, she did.
She had never told anyone the full story of why she ran though. It was one thing to leave her mother behind for certain death because of the Fire Lord’s rage, it was another thing to admit that it was wholly her fault because she had fallen for a prince.
Zuko.
Not a day went by where she didn’t think of him. She still held the hope that she would see him again someday, but in lieu of travel she turned to letters.
Y/N had a shelf full of unmailed letters addressed to both Zuko and her mother — it was a way to get out her emotions whenever she was feeling particularly homesick or hopeless, and it did help at first, but after four years it had become something born out of habit rather than necessity.
She still wrote them though — Y/N had learned to hold onto any form of hope she could muster up, no matter how small, and in this moment she needed some.
She opened her shelf and rifled through piles upon piles of letters, some finished, some hardly started, and some crumpled from fits of rage, and her breath caught in her throat when her fingers brushed something different. Y/N pulled the material out and nearly started crying right then and there.
It was an unbelievably simple patch of fabric, but it meant the world to her — something that she had bought during her last night with Zuko, and one of the only pieces of material to have survived her journey to the Northern Water Tribe. She was forced to sell the rest of the fabric she had brought with her in order to make some easy money while on the run, but she had kept this as a memento. She could almost be brought back to the final sunset they shared if she looked at it for long enough.
Y/N bit down hard on her lip to stop the tears and shoved it back into the drawer before closing it and leaving her room in a haste. Sometimes she wasn’t strong enough to handle the memories.
She made her way to the living room and let out a sigh of relief when she noticed the silence. Y/N had never told her grandparents about the nightmares, and right now she just needed some time to herself. Never before was she so thankful for her grandmother’s gossiping nature and her grandfather’s work than she was in the mornings where she just wanted to be alone.
She sat down on the floor, not even bothering to get a cushion, and stared at her hands. Once smooth and untouched by the world, they were now rough and calloused with wrapped bandages resting just below her wrist. Permanent memories of what it took to get here. The ever present reminder that nothing came without a cost.
This morning seemed to be one full of yearning for the past. Y/N tried to shake her feelings off and got up once more, contemplating some steamed sea prunes before deeming it fruitless. Her appetite was lacking after her trip down memory lane.
She walked back to her room and got dressed hastily then ran out the door, but not before plucking a gift from her shelf. Today marked the birthday of a certain princess, and Y/N had to go fast if she was going to get it to her before class.
She was immediately hit by the frigid air of the North, pulling her anorak tighter around her frame as she began to run to the canals — one could always find Princess Yue there in the mornings — doing her best to avoid anyone else walking.
Y/N saw Yue just about to board one of the boats and sped up, waving one of her arms as a signal. “Yue, wait!”
She turned and her face immediately brightened up at the sight of Y/N, raising her open palm so the boatman would hold up. “Y/N! Would you like to join me?”
She raised her eyebrows. “Really?”
Yue’s nod prompted a shrug as she dropped down carefully into the gondola, taking extra care not to drop her gift, and took a seat next to her friend.
“This is a nice surprise,” Yue smiled as the boatman began to waterbend, effectively moving their gondola through the canal. “But if I might ask, what brought you here so early?”
Y/N laughed, thinking her reason for coming here obvious. “It’s your birthday, princess! What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t come to wish you well in person?”
Her smile grew even brighter, the corners of her eyes creasing up in the way that made some kind of warmth blossom in Y/N’s chest. “Thank you! That’s so sweet — I’m especially honored that you woke up early just for me.”
“Of course.” Y/N brandished the gift she had been doing her best to hide, unable to do the same for her own smile. “And here’s your gift! I sewed it all myself.”
Yue gasped as she took the creation, giving it a slight squeeze and a thorough investigation before absolutely beaming. “You made me an otter penguin— oh, you know how much I love these!”
She wrapped Y/N in a tight hug before pulling away, but it was just long enough for the heat to rush to her cheeks. “Thank you so much, really. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
Y/N beamed at the praise and nodded, shifting a little in her seat. “Oh, it’s nothing. I’m glad you like it so much.”
The two girls grinned at each other then turned their gaze to the horizon, content to spend the rest of the ride together in comfortable silence.
Her friendship with the princess of the Northern Water Tribe was something that Y/N cherished with all her heart. She could confidently say that Princess Yue was her best friend, and she hoped it was a notion that Yue shared. As beautiful as she was kind, the princess always had a way of making her feel better on the hardest days — Yue was the only one who knew the whole truth of what happened in the Fire Nation, and she offered nothing but sympathy.
Y/N honestly didn’t know what she would do without Yue. She had been her rock during the whole process of getting situated in the tribe, always lending a helping hand when she stumbled in class or was completely oblivious to something in their culture, and she never made her feel stupid, or unwanted, or less-than for what she had come from.
The only thing that confused her about Yue was the feeling she got whenever Y/N was around her. The rushes of heat to her cheeks, the warmth blossoming in her chest, and the unusual happiness she felt anytime Yue smiled at her. The most peculiar of it all was the strange tug of jealousy any time a noble boy tried to flirt with the princess, and nothing but disinterest whenever they tried an angle on her instead.
She didn’t know what any of it meant, but she had the sneaking suspicion that it was wrong. So Y/N did the only thing she could and suppressed it.
Soon enough, though much to their chagrin, Y/N had to leave. After some exchanged hugs and one last wish of happy birthday, Y/N took off for her morning healing class. But as she hurried down the icy paths, she caught sight of the most peculiar thing.
A giant flying bison was being led through the canals with a team of waterbenders, three kids that couldn’t be any older than her on its back. One had an arrow on his head and sported orange and yellow robes, while the other two looked to be of Water Tribe descent.
Her interest was irrefutably piqued, but she didn’t have any more time to waste with gawking. So she began to run once again, apologies spilling from her lips as she maneuvered through the groups of people all just as awestruck by the strange arrival as she was. Y/N made a mental note to ask Yue about it later, but for now she was running very late to her healing class.
-
Sure enough, a few hours later, Y/N was able to get the answers she had been craving. She met up with Yue outside of the palace, and during a short walk, she learned that the boy was the Avatar. He had come to the Northern Water Tribe to master waterbending, and the two kids with him were his companions from the Southern Tribe — much to her excitement, the girl was a waterbender.
Needless to say, Y/N was even more enthusiastic than before, and Yue made her day by confirming that they would be coming to her birthday celebration that night as honored guests. She had already talked to her father about allowing Y/N to sit with her and he had said yes, which meant that she would get to meet him and his friends in person — it just served as a reminder that Y/N had no idea what she would do without Yue.
After what felt like hours of passing the time with lost games of Pai Sho against her grandfather and failed attempts at finishing her homework, it was finally time for the banquet. Once she arrived at the front of the palace she bid goodbye to her grandparents and went to find the seat that Yue had secured for her.
She settled down in the empty spot next to what she assumed was Yue’s — it was her birthday after all, so a dramatic entrance wasn’t out of the question — and nervously glanced at the three visitors, trying to figure out how to introduce herself.
Thankfully, she was saved when the girl met her eyes and waved, offering a friendly smile. “Hi! I’m Katara; this is my brother Sokka, and that’s Aang.” She gestured in their direction with her head when she said their names and they both smiled and gave her polite nods.
She returned the sentiment gratefully. “I’m Y/N— I’m one of Princess Yue’s friends. Welcome to the Northern Water Tribe!”
“Thanks!” Aang said. “We’re here to find a master so Katara and I can master waterbending.”
“Well, you’re in luck. Master Pakku is one of the best there is, and even though he’s a total jerk, he’ll be able to teach you everything you need to know. And Katara, we have some amazing healing teachers— I can bring you along to my class tomorrow if you’re interested!”
Katara’s eyes lit up. “You’re a waterbender too?” When Y/N nodded, her smile grew even bigger, though slightly wistful.
“I’d really appreciate that,” she admitted, though her brows knit together. “But I’d like to learn from Master Pakku as well.”
Y/N frowned, about to correct her, when the distinct sound of drums began to echo throughout the hall. Her displeasure immediately disappeared as she grinned at them all excitedly, gesturing with her head towards the action.
Chief Arnook stood up from his spot and their table, his low voice booming. “Tonight, we celebrate the arrival of our brother and sister from the Southern Tribe. And they have brought with them someone very special, someone whom many of us believed disappeared from the world until now… the Avatar!”
Y/N’s own applause joined a symphony of others clapping and cheering as Aang waved bashfully, and once it died down, Arnook continued. “We also celebrate my daughter’s sixteenth birthday. Princess Yue is now of marrying age!”
She grinned as Yue walked out alongside her attendants — she would never get used to her beauty. Y/N noticed the way that Sokka’s eyes widened as he stared at her, and her stomach twisted at the act for some unknown reason.
“Thank you, Father,” she said. “May the great Ocean and Moon Spirits watch over us during these troubled times!”
Arnook smiled at his daughter and directed his attention back to his people. “Now, Master Pakku and his students will perform!”
She could tell that Katara and Aang were enraptured by the bending, while Sokka’s attention was already on Yue as she walked over to sit between Sokka and Y/N.
“I’m so glad you could make it!” Yue exclaimed, greeting her friend with a short embrace.
Y/N gave her a sideways smile. “If you think that I would miss your birthday and a banquet, then I’m afraid you’re out of practice on Y/N trivia.”
The princess laughed and nodded amiably then turned her attention to Sokka, ever the diplomat.
“Hi there,” he grinned. “Sokka, Southern Water Tribe.”
Yue returned the sentiment and gave him a slight bow. “Very nice to meet you.”
As their conversation went on, Y/N found herself tuning out a bit. For whatever reason, she had to actively stop herself from rolling her eyes at Sokka’s flirting, that same feeling in her stomach coming back. She made a mental note to see a healer about her issues.
“Hey, Y/N!” She snapped out of her self-imposed trance at the sound of Katara calling her name as she gestured for her to come over. It looked like Aang had gotten up to converse with Master Pakku and Chief Arnook, so she took the invitation and switched seats.
“I can’t tell you how nice it is to finally be here,” Katara said once Y/N had settled next to her. “Back home, I’m the only waterbender. Here… it’s like paradise. It almost feels too good to be true. I mean, even seeing you is crazy — I’ve never met a waterbender my age.”
Y/N smiled, though not without a hint of sadness. “I’m sorry that it’s taken so long for you to be able to experience this. How are you the only bender left down there?”
Katara was silent for a moment, a flurry of emotions warring on her face, before she answered. “The Southern Tribe hasn’t fared half as well as the Northern Tribe during the war. We don’t have one big, huge capital like this, we’re all split up into small villages. The Fire Nation has just been relentless with their raids, and without support from the North and a lack of communication between our sister tribes in the South, they were able to wipe us all out. Except for me.”
“Spirits, Katara…” Y/N set an amiable hand on her shoulder and squeezed, hoping that her softened expression could say what her words couldn’t. “My village was invaded when I was young, too. I’m so sorry that you had to go through that.”
She nodded pensively but managed to meet her eyes with an appreciative smile. “Thank you. I’m sorry about your village as well.” Her gaze drifted off, once again taking in the view around them, and when Katara met her eyes again she seemed better. “But we’re here now, and I’m planning to take advantage of everything I can, starting with all this food. Which one of these is your favorite?”
Y/N grinned as Katara pointed at the platter of various dishes in front of them. “Oh, you’ve got to try this. See that giant crab up there? That’s what this is, and you have not lived until you have tried Northern crab.”
Conversation flowed just as easily through the rest of the night between the two girls, occasionally switching to include Sokka and Yue and eventually Aang once he returned. Between the swells of pride whenever they laughed at her jokes, getting to learn about all three of them, and the almost palpable euphoria in the air, Y/N was sure of one thing:
This was the happiest she had felt in a long time. She could only hope it would last.
-
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