(1) Augmentum | Zuko

Chapter Seventy-Three

Fingers brush up and down Rana's arm as she wakes, having fallen asleep against Zuko's chest. She sits up and looks around, rubbing at her eyes, before she turns to look down at him. Zuko is awake, watching her, eyes soft on her face. She blushes and looks down, her eyes looking at his bandages.

"I should check your bandages" She offers, moving to slide from the bed, Zuko stops her with a hand on her arm.

"They're fine" He assures her, pulling her back to him. "Just come here" She sighs and lets him lead her back to his side, her head on his shoulder. There is a noise from the room and Rana sits up again, her ears twitching on her head. But she softens, relaxing. They're not alone. Ninetails is sleeping on the floor, right next to the bed with Lycanroc. Wartortle is playing with bubbles in the corner along with Chikorita much to the annoyance of Houndour. There are two Eevees sat on the end of the bed. Rana smiles softly.

"Where did you find them?" She asks softly as Houndour looks at her. "They're beautiful" Zuko touches the small of her back.

"Eevee found me" He admits looking at his Eevee. "She practically dragged me off, complete annoyance really" He teases, Eevee gives him a playful glare. "The Houndour was trapped" Rana looks back at him. "I...I didn't want to let you down" Zuko admits quietly. He knows why he saved Houndour, and it wasn't entirely altruistic. He did it for himself. He did it because he didn't want Rana to hate him. But he is attached to them now. To both of them. They are his pokemon. Eevee jumps from the bed and moves to Houndour who pushes something towards her, Eevee picks it up, jumps back up onto the bed with them, moving closer, carrying that something in her mouth. Zuko touches her head and then takes the item, turning it around in his hand before he holds it out to Rana. "Here" He whispers. "I urm...I have this" He inwardly cringes by how ridiculous and awkward he sounds. "For you" That just makes it worse. Rana chuckles and looks at his hand. He uncurls his fingers to reveal a little gold cuff bracelet in his palm. She takes it, leaning away from him to look over it. There are symbols and images but she doesn't know what they are. He doesn't either. But Eevee did pick it out for him to give to her. "Urm I just..." He cringes and looks away. He should have practiced more. "To...show you how I felt" He settles on. "To show you that..." She touches the rainbow coloured stone in the centre of the cuff, it reminds her of the one in her sword actually, listening to him struggle with the voicing of his feelings. "That I choose you" He admits, she looks at him. "No more Fire Nation....no more..."

"Zu" She starts. "Think about this..." She stops him. "I know how much your family and your honor mean to you....to turn your back on everything you've known"

"Believe me" He stops her. "All I've done is think about it...and think about it and think about it" He looks at her. "This is the right thing to do for me" He holds out his hand and she takes it. "For the first time, this is me doing something that I want to do" Her eyes tear up, he toys with the silk hem on her sleeve, she stares at the cuff with a soft smile. "I want to chose my own path, I want something....for myself...."

"And that's something is me?"

"No" He whispers. "It's....more than just you...." He brushes his thumb over the back of her hand. "It's a future of my own choosing....with you" She softens. "It's me...following my heart...instead of my head" She touches his face, curling her palm around his cheek. He closes his eyes and leans into her hand with a soft smile.

"Took you long enough" She teases, he smirks and looks at her.

"You've always had a way of bringing it out in me" He reminds her. He touches her arm, fingers soft against her skin before he moves on to touch her cheek. Curling his hand around her cheek this time, using it to draw her closer to him. He nudges her nose and closes his eyes before he finally gets to kiss her. Lips pressing softly to one another. And it's like a dam explodes. All those dreams. All those feelings. All of them coming out at once. Behind them, Sokka leans in through the door. Sees them. Smiles and then backs out, closing the door behind him and leaving them alone to their moment. Sokka walks away, heading back to the main hall where he can hear the vastaya are still celebrating. Aang appears at the top of the stairs and heads towards the door to the room where Rana and Zuko are. Sokka holds out his hand to stop him.

"Rah in there?" Aang asks, Sokka nods and hums. "It's her party and she's missing it" Sokka knows this, but she is where she wants to be.

"I wouldn't" Sokka warns, Aang snorts and waves him off. Sokka shrugs and waits, listening as Aang walks into the room. It's shortly followed by a scream and Aang fleeing. The backside of his trousers on fire. Sokka smirks and hums away to himself as he walks away. "Told you so"

A/N - SO ORIGINALLY I WASN'T PLANNING ON RANA AND ZUKO HAVING A 'REAL' WORLD KISS UNTIL THE NORTHERN WATER TRIBE ATTACK AND BEFORE THAT THEY WOULD HAVE HAD A 'DREAM' WORLD ONE FIRST. NOT SURE HOW I ENDED UP HERE WITH THIS CHAPTER LOL OR HOW I FEEL ABOUT IT. IF IT FEELS TOO EARLY FOR YOU GUYS, LET ME KNOW AND I'LL CHANGE IT, GO BACK TO MY ORIGINAL PLAN. 

- I ALSO HAVE TWO IDEAS FOR THE END OF SEASON TWO AND THE BEGINNING OF SEASON THREE THAT I WOULD LOVE YOUR OPINION ON WHICH YOU WOULD PREFER (WHICHEVER IS NOT DONE I WILL PUT ASIDE FOR NANI (ANOTHER ZUKO IDEA I HAVE)

- I HAVE ONLY SEEN EPISODE 1 OF SEASON 3 SO I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH THESE IDEAS WILL CHANGE ATM. 

1. ZUKO TURNS ON THE AVATAR AS HE DOES IN THE SHOW. BUT.....IT'S NOT FOR THE SAME REASON. AZULA HAS RANA CAPTURED AND TELLS ZUKO IF HE WANTS RANA TO LIVE, HE STANDS WITH HER AGAINST THE AVATAR AND BRINGS HIM HOME. (RANA ENDS UP LOCKED UP LIKE IROH AT THE BEGINNING OF SEASON THREE)

2. RANA AND ZUKO STAND WITH IROH AGAINST AZULA AND THE DAI LI, THEY END UP ESCAPING AFTER IROH FORCES THEM TO GO WITHOUT HIM. KATARA AND AANG HAVE ALREADY FLED, LEAVING RANA AND ZUKO TO FIND THEIR OWN WAY (THEY END UP IN ALOLA AT THE BEGINNING OF SEASON 3, WITH THE VASTAYA)