𝙗𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙜𝙚𝙨 » sokka {1}

3

chapter three

"well if it isn't the banished dual bender. i'm surprised you haven't bloodbended the prince yet" a deep voice speaks from behind Yanmei. she knew exactly who it was and fought back the urge to slap the grin right off his face.

"I would say it's good to see you, commander Zhao, but i'd be lying" she says with a forced smile.

Zhao chuckles, "you've grown into a fiesty one, haven't you"

Yanmei's eyes narrow and she quickly sends the man a glare and steps back as he walks closer to her, "take a step closer to me and I won't hesitate to freeze your-"

"get away from her, Zhao" Zuko says through gritted teeth and a glare as he steps into the dock.

"I was just making small talk, no harm done" Zhao smirks.

Zuko lunges towards the commander but Yanmei stands in front of him and grabs his shoulders, stopping him from attacking. the prince looks down at the girl, his scowl intact.

"enough, Zuko. don't waste your energy on him. let's go" the prince nods and Yanmei drags him down to the shops at the port.

while looking at the fire nation necklaces at one of the shops, Zuko tells Yanmei that he's dueling in an agni kai with Zhao at sundown. Yanmei slams the money on the table and grabs the silver ribbon necklace with a red ruby and turns to face Zuko with a glare.

"why do you get yourself into these situations, Zuko!" she yells in his face. rage covers his features and before she has the chance to snap she drags him by his hand and onto their ship so people wouldn't stare.

once they reached Zuko's room Yanmei slams the door shut and gives Zuko the 'i'm very disappointed in you' look making him turn his head to avoid eye contact.

"I leave you and Iroh alone for an hour so you all could have tea or whatever and you've already gotten yourself into trouble" Yanmei sighs.

ever since their banishment she's been the one trying to keep the prince grounded and made sure he didn't go insane or do anything stupid while on the hunt for the avatar. and obviously he still doesn't know when to hold back.

Zuko frowns. he hated seeing Yanmei upset and he knew that she was angry with him, "i'm sorry, Yanny"

Yanmei sighs once again. Zuko was never one to actually apologize for his actions so when he did he truly meant it. the girl wrapped her arms around her best friends waist in a hug, "I know these past few years have been stressful and you just want to go home, but please don't do anything stupid like this ever again"

Zuko wrapped his arms around her shoulders and rested his head on hers. he took a deep breath and smiled. Yanmei was the only one who could get him to smile anymore after what happened years ago.

"will you be there to watch?" he asks after a minute of silence.

Yanmei pulls away and looks at the ground, "no"

"why?" Zuko freezes with furrowed eyebrows.

Yanmei notices she hurt his feelings and grabs his hand in a comforting manner, "i can't watch you get hurt again, i won't" she whispers. she then kisses his cheek and smiles softly, "be careful, Zuzu. good luck"

++++++++++++

it had been later that night when Zuko returned back to his chambers. after nearly losing the agni kai and talking with his Uncle he was completely drained of energy. before he had the chance to close his door, the small figure of Yanmei blocked the doorway and the scowl on her face made Zuko realize he was about to be in some deep shit.

Yanmei pushed Zuko back forcefully causing him to stumble on the floor with wide eyes.

she hovered over him and spoke in a harsh voice with tears in her eyes, "what did you do to Ken?"

Zuko furrowed his eyebrows, "what do you mean? what happened?" he asked in confusion. even though he hated her boyfriend he would never hurt him because that would hurt Yanmei. and he hated to see her hurt.

"don't act like you don't know!" she yelled angrily. she let out a sob and sat on the end of the bed with her head in her hands.

Zuko immediately wrapped his arms about Yanmei and ran his hands through her jet black hair as she cried, "what happened, Mei?" he asked softly. he never used that nickname since Ken used it. but sometimes n rare occasions like this he would use the nickname to comfort her.

Yanmei sniffled before speaking, "when... when I went to visit his chambers after our talk I found them empty. all that was left was a note saying that he needed to stay here at the port and continue his training... h-he said that he didn't want to constantly have me as a distraction and that we should break up"

"i'm so sorry Yanmei. I haven't talked to him since he arrived back, I had no idea he would leave again"

Yanmei sits up and looks into Zuko's eyes with an emotionless expression, "he didn't just leave, Zuko. he's dead"

*EDITED ON MAY 6th 2021*