Flames Of Fate (Zuko X Reader)

Chapter Thirty: Broken

This chapter is dedicated to
WyhiHatemYliFE

☆☆

(Y/N) blinked repeatedly, disoriented and confused, as if hit with a sense of vertigo.

She looked up. Her eyes widened when it met with a warm pair of golden hazel eyes. She gazed into those pools of honey and felt a sense of comfort. They were pleading her, begging her to stop. But stop what?

“Zuko.” She muttered, almost to herself.

He looked older, more mature. The chubby cheeks were replaced by a defining jaw line, his hair was longer and he looked taller. But his eyes; still warm and kind, and again, begging her to stop.

She wanted to stop. She’d do anything for him not to look at her like that. It hurt.

“Please.” He added weakly.

Tears prickled the corner of her eyes and her bottom lip quivered. “I-I’m sorry.”

Her vision blurred from salty tears, she couldn’t understand why she felt this sudden wave of guilt and sadness. What did she do?

She looked down and her blurry eyes caught bright red, it was almost blinding how it contrasted against white.

What was this red color?

When she blinked her tears trickled down her cheeks and her vision cleared.

Her breath hitched; it was blood.

Her hands shook as she uncurled them. So much blood.

W-who’s blood is this?

She stared at her shaking hands unable to look beyond it. There was a man under her. She could feel him now. Barely breathing. She didn’t want to focus on his face; there wasn’t much of a face left to begin with.

I did this?

She got up and staggered back, away from the body. The crowd moved away from her in fear, as if she were the plague.

Silent tears poured down her cheeks as she stared at her bloody hands. All she could hear was her labored breathing and all she could focus on was the dark red pigment on her open palms.

She didn’t hear Zuko calling for her or his heated argument with the guard.

W-What did I do? What have I done?

Bodies filled her vision, numbing her senses. Burnt to a crisp. Beaten to a pulp. Tortured souls and she was their Grim Reaper.

Am I monster? I don't want this...please.

She was lying in a pool of blood, it seeped into her skin and bleached her veins. Her shivered bones turned red, the color of the souls she'd taken.

I'm sorry.

She collapsed onto her knees.

“Oh god.” She whispered. Something inside her was broken; everything inside her was broken.

Hisashi.

A loud earsplitting roar resounded over the valley as a large white dragon swooped down from the darkening sky.

“Let me go!” Zuko yelled and bit into the guards hand to release his grip.

The guard yelped in pain and jumped back as the crowd of spectators rushed  around the market trying to run away from the large white dragon that was diving straight towards them. They pushed and shoved themselves as they fled.

Two guards grabbed Jun’s beaten body and carried him away.

The dragon landed on a rooftop, crushing the tiles under its claws and crating the roof under its weight.

It roared out thunderously, as if enraged and in pain, and shot out bursts of flames into the dusk sky.

(Y/N) was in the center of all the chaos, with her head hung low, eyes shut and her shoulders slumped. She looked vulnerable, confused and alone. Everyone ran around her, creating a perfect absent circle around her.

Zuko didn’t care about how large that dragon looked, he needed to get to her.

He ran towards (Y/N) but struggled to get to her with everyone running and pushing past him to get away.

“(Y/N)!” He called out but she couldn’t hear him over all the discord and chaos.

She pulled her knees to her chest and buried her head.

He jumped towards her to reach her faster.

"Zuko don’t!” He heard Azula yell before he felt her weight tackle him out of the way just in time to dodge the surging flames from the dragon.

They landed with a thud and Zuko quickly scrambled to his feet.

“Zuzu you can’t fight a dragon! It’s impossible for you to be that stupid.” Azula snapped at him.

“If that’s what it takes.” He said with determination.

The dragon glared down at him from where he was perched on the rooftop, as if warning him to stay away. Zuko stared up at him defiantly, not backing down. He’d get to her, even it burnt him.

“I’m not trying to hurt her, please let me help her, Hisashi.” He said, his gaze flickering to (Y/N).

She sat with her knees pulled in and her head down, he wanted nothing more than to hug her and assure her it wasn’t her fault. None of it was.

At the mention of his name the dragon released an odd sound, as if surprised. Then it snarled at Zuko, snout curling as he barred his sharp jagged teeth in a warning.

Zuko felt a shiver of fear run through him but he refused to show it. If dragons could smell fear then he had already lost this battle.

The dragon growled at him, saliva trickling from his mouth. The tiles shifted under his weight and Zuko knew he was about to move.

Before he could, Zuko dashed towards her as the dragon kicked off the roof and swooped down.

He pulled (Y/N) close to his chest, wrapping his arms around her shivering body. He leaned his cheek on the top of her hair and felt her shiver in his arms as she leaned into his chest.

The dragon descended onto them.

Zuko would let whatever happens just happen now, he had her in his arms and he would die protecting her. He closed his eyes and thought he saw a flash of orange flames but he didn’t feel anything at all.

In the distance he heard Azula crying out, “NO ZUKO!”

Then everything went dark.