Find Me | Zuko x reader | Avatar the Last Airbender | Book 1

Chapter 50: Changed

          "It's gorgeous." F/N breathed, hopping off Appa and onto the broken tiles of the Western Air Temple. The place was built on the underside of a cliff, the edge dropping off into a mysterious mist, obscuring the true depth of the ravine. 

          "You said it. Let's set up camp here by the fountain." Aang dropped his pack of supplies, taking a long look around him at the structures hanging from the stone above. 

          "We're gonna explore. We'll bring back anything we find." Haru offered, quickly leaving to explore the vast temple with Teo and The Duke. 

          F/N struggled not to ask The Duke about Jet to get details, but apparently it was a bit of a touchy subject. He had been at the invasion, but had been in one of the groups that were cut off from the rest early on in the Fire Nation reenforcement arrival. By the time all the teens had left, he would have been in chains and on his way to a prison.

          Suki, Hakoda, and Jet. All locked up, in the hands of the enemy.

          Apparently he also thought Y/N was dead, a safe assumption, given that Teo, Haru, and all the Freedom Fighters the Gaang had met up with all gave their condolences. 

          The war needed to end so she could see him again.

          And Zaji- where was he? Hopefully not at the capital city's front lines before reinforcements came in, in which case the chances of him still being alive were slim. Amo? Was he doing well?

          "F/N! Hey, we're having an important discussion, and we need to ask you something." Katara called, and F/N's head snapped up. 

          "We were just talking about the Avatar dilemma." Toph crossed her arms. "We've got air, water, and earth, but we're missing an element."

          "We were wondering if you have, in your travels, come across a firebender that would teach Aang. We had one in the past, but- uh- it didn't go well, and we don't even know where he is now." Sokka looked at F/N carefully, obviously referencing her time on Fire Nation ships and behind enemy lines. Zaji's small smile flashed through her mind.

          "I do, two, actually, off the top of my head, but I have the same problem as you, I would have no idea where to find him. Not including the fact that he is still very much in the Fire Nation military, and breaking him out would be like getting in and out of a high security prison. Plus, he's got family to worry about back at home, there's no telling what Ozai will do to them when he finds out there's a soldier deserting for the Avatar, so I would count him crossed off the options."

          "Yeah, circumstances make this extremely difficult. Could Aang teach himself?" Katara asked, and immediately Sokka, F/N, and Aang were all shaking their heads.

          "Not a good idea. I think you of all people should know how that worked out last time." Sokka sighed, sitting on a broken brick.

          "What happened last time?" F/N asked.

          "Not important. We still need a firebending teacher for Aang." Katara cut in, sitting on the edge of the fountain, F/N joining her.

          "Let's not think about that for now." Aang said suddenly, opening his glider and jumping off the edge of the temple.

          "Aang! We can't just push this aside right now, this is important!" Katara ran to the edge, but he was gone, doing huge loops in the sky. F/N quickly hopped on Appa, helping Sokka and Toph up.

          "Aang, get back here!" She yelled, hoisting Katara up, then Appa was airborne, going after Aang, who still flew in loops, yelling at the group to watch. "Aang, just land! We need to talk this out, right now!" F/N called again, and Aang sighed heavily, landing on a platform and sulkily facing the group as everyone touched down, sliding off of Appa.

          "You can't just fly off like that, this is serious." Katara reminded him.

          "Uh, guys, I think we have more present matters to worry about." Toph tugged on F/N's shirt lightly, pointing behind them. They turned, and Appa moved out of the way, revealing the first, and last person F/N would've liked to see.

          "Hello, Zuko here."

                    . . .

          F/N couldn't help but stare in shock, before quickly taking a defensive stance with the others. Zuko held up both hands carefully.

          "Wait! I'm good now!" He said quickly. "Or— I thought I was good, when I was actually bad, but then I realized what I was doing was bad, and I'm good now! Or- I thought—" The guy was completely falling apart, and F/N had to resist the urge to laugh.

          "You KILLED my SISTER." Katara snarled. "You STABBED her, straight through her ribs!" Zuko fell silent at that, opening his mouth, but no sound came out.

          "I know I can never make up for what I did." He finally mumbled, almost too quietly for anyone to hear. "But either way Y/N was going to end up being hurt because of me. I wanted to make it quicker, save her." He looked up with a steely glint in his eyes.

          "Y/N wanted to end the war, right?" Zuko looked like he was just barely holding himself together.

          "She wanted to protect her family and bring them home once this mess was all over. I've decided that even if I can never forgive myself, I can finish what she started, what she swore to herself she'd do, from that first day, the day that she stormed my ship, to the day she died. Please." He opened his palms towards them.

          "I can teach Aang to firebend. I can join your group, and help end the war that killed Y/N."

          F/N waited, not trusting herself to do anything herself, looking towards the others. Everyone had a hard look in their eyes, even Toph, who just stared at the ground.

          "Never." Katara whispered, her small voice full of pent up rage. "The war didn't kill my sister, you did. Loved her, yeah right. You tore her up from the inside, ripped her to shreds, to the point where she always second guessed herself—"

          "You don't know what she did to me." Zuko interrupted in a strained voice. F/N wasn't sure what was happening. They were talking about her, but it didn't feel like they were. Y/N sounded like a completely different person.

          "Every day was a constant war with myself because of her. By the time I drove that dagger straight through her, my heart was shredded. You think you're the only ones who mourned her death??" Zuko's breathing was becoming uneven, and it made F/N nervous, tensing up again.

          "She made a good friend on my ship, his name was Zaji," he continued harshly. "There was a point where I despised him for taking her from me, but I made sure he heard the news anyways. I hated him.... but when I saw his face go paper white, and legs give out from under him, I realized, we all loved her in different ways, but we still loved her. Zaji was bedridden for a week. Her other friend, Amo, threw up on the spot, and nearly passed out. I'm irreparable. You've lost your precious sister, but still. How dare you speak like she only meant something to you."

          There was stunned silence for a few seconds, then, in a horrible dark voice, Katara spoke.

          "Get out." She growled. "Leave this place, and we better not see you again."

          "Wait— I didn't mean—"

          "Get out." Katara drew the water from her pouch, training 5 deadly ice sabers in his direction. "Now." Zuko backed up, quickly walking out the nearest entrance to the temple.

          "Katara, calm down." F/N warned, making sure Zuko was completely gone before speaking again. "I'm still here, I'm not dead. Hey— listen to me." Y/N couldn't get Katara to look at her. "Katara I'm still—"

          "NO, YOU AREN'T." Katara yelled, abruptly cutting her off. "YOU'RE A BROKEN SHELL OF WHAT MY SISTER USED TO BE, I MISS HER, F/N!" She began to sob, dropping her ice and curling in on herself on the ground.

          Katara was right. Y/N had changed, but everyone had, since leaving the South Pole. They were all different people, save for Toph, who F/N was glad never changed. They needed her anchor in all this.

          "I miss Y/N too, Katara."