TOOK MY BREATH AWAY ๏ ZUKO

With a Heavy Heart

Nothing could have prepared you for what events followed. Azula returned, spreading fire at you, Aang and Katara. It was easy to blow her off and defend yourself, but it felt like a punch to the face as Zuko jumped out, helping Azula.

"Zuko, what are you doing?" You bend over the fire, surely this was a mistake.

"This is my destiny!" He yelled, punching a blast of fire towards you.

"Your destiny?- Zuko, come on, what- why- are you crazy?!" You shouted, stopping close enough to him.

"I'm not crazy." He lowered his hands. "Come with me. You can help me restore my honour, you aren't the Avatar. If you join me, the fire-nation will have your back. We can end this war together."

You couldn't even begin to describe how you felt. You shook your head. "No, I'm not the Avatar. I'm the Avatar's bodyguard, Zuko...don't do this...please."

Zuko stuck out his hand, reaching for you. "You don't have to put yourself in danger anymore. You won't have to worry about being violent! I'll regain my honour and be a prince again! I won't banish you!"

You looked at his hand and closed your mouth, taking a deep breath. "I can't."

"Then we're nothing to each other anymore." He brought his hand back to a fist and fired at you. You dodged and fought him.

Eventually, you just tripped him over before running over to Katara who was in the hands of the Dai Lee. You inhaled and blew them all back and then high-kicked the man that was holding Katara.

"Thanks!" She says, bending the water and freezing them all in place.

Something inside you felt like it had a firm grip on your lung, like it was stopping you from breathing correctly. You felt...betrayed, for lack of a better word. Betrayed by Zuko. You even saw Iroh was fighting along side us, and still that hot-headed boy couldn't tell what's wrong from what's right.

A group of the Dai Lee started to swarm Aang, but he hid himself in a crystal dome, so he was alright for the moment. You charged at another group, stealing their breaths and throwing whatever you could at them.

You sharply turned around and barely had time to duck from the dagger (that quite literally came from nowhere) as it was thrown at your face. It lightly grazed your cheekbone, but nothing for you to worry about.

But you had turned your back. You'd turned your back on the fight and on Aang as he ascended into the air inside the Avatar state. But you were facing Azula, just as she wore a smirk on her face as she directed a bolt of lightning towards something behind you.

Your heart dropped as you turned around, your eyes widened as without any air bending, all oxygen was stripped from you. In horror, you just watched as Aang fell to the ground, unmoving. Katara caught him and upon checking him, tears started to brim her eyes.

Then it was all red.

"Aang!" You screamed out, drawing attention to yourself. You ran towards you, snapping the necks of as many Dai Lee as you ran past them. You didn't care about their lives anymore, you didn't care about anything. Not Zuko, not the Monks, nor the Nuns. You couldn't even bring yourself to care about your moral compass.

"Aang!" You slid to a stop next to him and put your ear on your chest. "No, no, no." You were shaking, your arms, breath, everything. "Wake up, please, wa- wake up!"

"Get out of here, now!" Iroh yelled, but his voice sounded muffled. Your ears were ringing with a pitch so high you thought they would bleed.

Katara waterbended you out and Appa showed up with not a second to spare. You held Aang's body with a gentleness you never knew you were capable of you. And for once in your life, you were scared.