(1) Augmentum | Zuko

Chapter Sixty

Spectrier is grazing from a pile of carrots on the banks of a lake in which Wartortle is floating on his shell with Eevee sat on his stomach. Rana is sat on the bank close to Spectrier, her feet in the water. Pikachu sat at her side, wiggling his feet. The others are all milling around the bank. Some are with Katara as she sets up their tent. Sokka crouches at the bank, staring into the water. Aang drops down from some trees and moves to join Rana.

"You shouldn't," Aang tells her, she looks at him and frowns, not sure what he's talking about here. "I was wrong to say that you should fight your feelings for Zuko...You shouldn't" Rana shakes her head.

"Aang" She goes to stop him. "It's okay"

"No" He argues. "No, it's not..." He looks at her sadly. "I shouldn't have said that....maybe it would be different if I hadn't....maybe you two..."

"Aang" She does stop him this time. "There is no we two" She points out.

"I can see it," Aang tells her. "The way you are with him, and he is with you......."

"Aang" She argues, firmer this time, and turns a little to him. "It doesn't matter" Aang frowns at her. "It doesn't matter" She repeats softer. "Zuko is loyal to his father and his country....." Aang shakes his head.

"He's loyal to you, he just hasn't figured it out yet" Aang argues.

"Head and heart" Rana whispers. Because she feels it too. Everything they are taught growing up. The things hammered into them. The Fire Nation is the one thing that matters. The one thing they would sell their family out for. They were raised to believe in the Fire Nation above everything. She knows that pull. Zuko's complex. He'll be finding it harder. He was always so desperate for Ozai's approval, especially because of Azula. "Zuko isn't a heart guy" She offers. "He thinks and runs with his head, it's just the way he is....his head is telling him to remain with the Fire Nation. To do everything in his power to restore his honour and return home....."

"And you are heart" Aang finishes.

"I touched a magical book and suddenly betrayed everything I have ever known, turned my back on my father, my beliefs, my country....." She reminds him, he smiles and looks down. "I would say I did not think that through with my head" She teases and looks out at the water.

"Would you have stayed?" Aang asks her. "With Zhao...if you thought about it?" She looks at him, resting her head in her chin.

"Yeah" She whispers. "I probably would have" She answers sadly. "Which is why I understand why Zuko is the way he is..." And she knows it'll be harder on him. With his father being the Fire Lord. The level of pressure it must put on those shoulders. "And why I understand that whatever it is that's between us...it's never going to come to anything" Aang nods a little and lets out a breath. "I know that now" Rana whispers. She knows she'll never go back to the Fire Nation, not even for Zuko. And she knows that he'll never leave it, not even for her.

.........

Sokka, Aang, Katara and Momo are still sat at the camp, surrounded by Rana's pokemon except for Lycanroc and Spectrier, Rana is absent too.

"Look!" Katara yells pointing at the water as a large green fish jumps up and then dives back into the water. Sokka gets up and assumes a gunslinger stance.

"He is taunting us," Sokka tells them. "You are so gonna be dinner!" Sokka runs back to the tent and grabs his fishing pole which is standing up outside of it, runs back to the lake edge and casts the pole a few times without effect. "Hey! Where's the fishing line?" He turns around to find Wartortle as he walks past them, a necklace around his neck made from the fishing line.