(1) Augmentum | Zuko

Chapter Sixty-Three

Rana sits on a rooftop with Pikachu, the two of them watching the villagers below as they go about their day. From up here, nothing seems out of place. They don't look like they're following some weird old woman's readings. It just looks like a normal village. She lays back against the tiles, her arms tucked behind her head as she stares up at the sky, watching the clouds as they shift and move. Aang is then suddenly leaning over her, she raises an eyebrow at him.

"Can I borrow Noi?" Aang asks her, she sits up and leans on her knees.

"What for?" She counters.

"I want to get a panda lily" Aang answers. "For this girl that I like" He adds, whispering to Rana who smirks a little, looking down from the roof to spot Katara.

"Katara?" She asks, Aang appears surprised but she smiles softly at him but he can see the sadness in her eyes.

"Do you think she'd like it?"

"I think she'd like anything you'd give her," Rana tells him as she pulls the crystal ball from her necklace. "Because it will be from you" Aang blushes and looks down.

"I'd still like to get her that flower" He adds, she hums and holds out the ball. Noivern erupts from it and flaps his wings to hover over them.

"Bring him back in one piece" She warns Aang and he nods, scurrying up to climb onto Noivern's back. Rana smiles as she watches them fly down to grab Sokka before heading up towards the mountain. Rana leans forward and sets her chin on her knees.

"Pika...Pi-ka?" She looks at Pikachu.

"I don't think boys like flowers" Rana offers.

"Pika?" It asks again, Rana smirks.

"Yes, maybe a sword" She agrees warmly and strokes its chin. "Or..." She struggles to come up with anything. She's never had to give anyone anything before. Never giving a gift. Shakra had given her a few. A shawl. A lute. A carved fox. A music box. She never thought anything of those gifts before. They were just things that were given to her. She didn't know what it meant back then. Now she knows it was Shakra shoving her care and love. Shakra and Zuko were the only people she ever remembers showing her that sort of affection, she assumes Ursa and Iroh did as well, Zuko's mother in her mind was the one that carved his compassionate side, that she was a kind and loving woman, her memories of her are still sketchy. She knows she was around. And Iroh clearly remembers her from when she was a child, and seems to have enjoyed her personality. "Something" She whispers. She doesn't know.

.....

Iroh lets himself into Zuko's quarters to find his nephew at his desk, a pile of reports and sightings of the Avatar untouched at his side as he reads from Rana's tome. Iroh wrinkles his nose, he really should try and get that back to the girl. Iroh clears his throat and Zuko looks up from the book and at his uncle whose arms are filled with various items, from books to trinkets to fabrics.

"What are these for?" Zuko asks as he stands from his desk.

"A courting gift" Iroh answers watching Zuko as he raises an eyebrow at some of the things his uncle is showing him.

"Courting?" Zuko asks Iroh who looks at him with a sly smile. "Uncle"

"At least consider giving her something to show you are interested" Iroh argues, thrusting out the objects towards Zuko but he avoids them.

"You are far too invested in a non-existent relationship..." Zuko scolds and moves away. He knows his uncle means well. But he and Rana are...well, he doesn't know what they are. He knows it's his fault. He's too complicated to figure this out. She made a choice with the snap of her fingers. Seemed to know exactly what she wanted to do and went off and did it. He wishes he was that brave. To just know what to do. To just make a choice and go and do it.

"A young woman as beautiful and compassionate and strong and spirited as Rana, is sure to be matched up soon" Iroh tries. "What about that young man from the water-tribe she travels with?" Zuko's eyes twitch and he curls his fingers into his palm. "Such bonding experiences...fighting together, eating together, patching up injuries....close sleeping arrangements" Zuko turns on Iroh, flames flickering at his fingers. Iroh smirks. Got him.

"That was uncalled for" Zuko complains, calming himself down seeing Iroh's smirk.

"One day soon you are going to have to decide what you are going to do with those pent up feelings inside of you" Iroh comments, setting the items in his arms down on Zuko's desk. He then turns to Zuko and gives him a look. "Figure out which choice is going to make you happy" He offers before he leaves Zuko to his thoughts and emotions. And a table filled with useless items. Zuko sighs and moves to the desk to move them. He picks up a few things and shakes his head. The little music box, the jewellery, the books on everything from plant life to musical instruments. Iroh really went out of his way to get something and everything.

"Eevee" She coos, Zuko raises an eyebrow and looks down at her. She nudges his leg and nods to the pile of things.

"I wish it was that easy" He admits quietly. "To turn my back on everything...." Houndour brushes up against his side and Zuko looks at him surprised. It's not very often that Houndour shows any kind of affection towards him. But lately, things have been changing. Little things. Zuko's been thinking about the two of them a lot too. He wonders how they got out there. On their own. Considering all the pokemon except for Rana's were supposed to be gone. Yet here are two with no vastaya and not attached to Rana. He's thought about that a fair bit. Maybe they turned their back on their own kind, which in turn, saved them from the slaughter at Vasta. It would explain why Houndour is so protective of Eevee. If they left together. Which would mean that they share more in common with Rana than he thought. That even they were capable of doing it. He crouches with them and looks at the two of them. What does that say about him if two animals are more determined than he is? Braver than he is? He lets out a breath and closes his eyes. He still can't do it though. Make a choice like that just like that. He stands and looks over Iroh's items. When they were kids, he overthought everything, and that should have been the first sign that that was the person he'd become, but Rana, she'd do whatever she pleased when it pleased her. She wanted to paint, they'd be standing on each other's shoulders and painting over portraits. She wanted to eat, they'd be stealing from the kitchens. She'd want to play, and they'd be sliding around on ice slides. With her, he did it, because, with her, he wasn't all head. With her, he had some heart.