Impossible ~ °•Zuko x Reader•°

🏔Chapter Eleven ~Season Two Start~🏔

Y/n's POV

"Ahh. This is what I've been missing. Who knew floating on a piece of driftwood for three weeks with no food or water, and sea vultures waiting to pluck out your liver could make one so tense?" Iroh sighed from a massage table.

We had stopped at a small resort to try and relax, but I couldn't.

How can I relax? I keep thinking about what happened in the cave when we were in the North Pole.
I sighed from where I was leaned against the doorway.
Zuko hadn't made any intimate moves since then.
Was it just because of the situation? I sighed again, looking up. Across from me sat Zuko, a hat covering his face.

He hadn't spoken a word to me since we got here.

"I see. It's the anniversary, isn't it?" Iroh asked, coming up to Zuko. He was wearing a pink robe.

"Three years ago today I was banished. I lost it all. I want it back." He said, looking at the trees that stood outside. "I want the Avatar. I want my honor. My throne. I want my father not to think I'm worthless."

I stared at Zuko, dumbfounded.
He's been...banished? I didn't know that.
I looked down, trying to piece it all together.
His father, the Fire Lord, banished him, and he needs to capture the Avatar to get his honor back? That doesn't sound right. Someone can't just give you your honor.

"You're trying to capture the Avatar to restore your honor?" I blurted out.

Zuko glared at me.

"Yes."

I frowned.

"You can't have someone give you your honor back. Your honor was never taken; you still have it. Why do you care so much about someone that banished you? That doesn't sound like something a father would do." I stated blankly, my mouth moving before I could think about my wording.

"What would you know?! You're just a peasant from the Water Tribe. You probably don't even have a father!" Zuko shouted at me, standing up and leaving.

I froze. His words rang through my head.

I silently slid down the wall, hugging my knees. I buried my face into my legs and began to silently cry.

Iroh walked me back to the hut we were staying in.

"Look at these magnificent shells!" Iroh smiled at me, picking up two shells from off the table. "Each one is rough and defined on the outside." He handed me a shell to hold.
I turned it over in my hand, looking at it and running my thumb over the bumps. "Yet on the inside, it's smooth." He said, handing me a broken shell.

He was right; it was smooth. I smiled softly.

"It's Zuko, isn't it?" I asked him, wiping away my tears with the sleeve of my robe. "The shell."

"The shell is just a shell." Iroh spoke calmly and rationally. "It's all about how you imagine it."

I smiled, putting down the shells and hugging him. "Thank you, Iroh." I said.

"I did nothing, Y/n. All I did was simply state an observation." He chuckled.

I love old man wisdom. I grinned.

Zuko came walking into the hut.

"Uncle, we don't need anymore useless things! You forget we have to carry everything ourselves now." He said, frustrated, looking at the shells.

"Hello brother. Uncle." A voice said.
I turned around, seeing a girl in the corner of the room. She looked at me and smirked. "Pitiful girl."

How long has she been there?! I panicked.
She had to have heard our conversation about Zuko.

"What are you doing here?" Zuko growled at her.

"In my country we exchange a pleasant hello before asking questions. Have you become uncivilized so soon, Zuzu?" She approached the boy.

"Don't call me that!" He barked.

"To what do we owe this honor?" Iroh asked, bowing.

This...seems like a family matter. I should go. I thought, turning towards the door. Zuko... probably doesn't want to see me, anyway. I walked outside to a few trees at the center of the resort.

"They're in bloom..." I whispered, laying down beneath the pink flowered tree.

Petals began to flutter down and land on top of me. I smiled, closing my eyes and relaxing.

—————

Iroh's POV

"To what do we owe this honor?" I asked Azula, bowing.
Out the corner of my eye, I saw Y/n leaving.

"Hmm. Must be a family trait. Both of you are so quick to get to the point." She crushed one of the shells I had gathered in her hand.
I frowned at her.

"I've come with a message from home." She stated. "Father's changed his mind. Family is suddenly...very important to him. He's heard rumors of plans to overthrow him. Treacherous plots. Family are the only ones you can really trust." She looked at Zuko. "Father regrets your banishment. He wants you home."

Both me and Zuko didn't talk.

She's lying. I thought to myself.

"Didn't you hear me?" Azula asked. "You should be happy. Excited. Grateful. I just gave you great news." She said, playing further into her trick.

"I'm sure your brother simply needs a moment-" I began.

"Don't interrupt, Uncle!" She shouted at me, turning to Zuko. "I still haven't heard my thank you. I'm not a messenger. I didn't have to come all this way."

"Father regrets..? He...wants me back?" Zuko asked.
He was actually believing her.

"I can see you need time to take this in. I'll come to call on you tomorrow. Good evening." She said, leaving.

I sighed once she was gone.
I turned around. I need to go look for Y/n.

—————

Y/n's POV

I opened my eyes at the sound of footsteps. It was now dark.
I must've fallen asleep. I thought, standing up.

The footsteps stopped a few feet away from me.

I'm guessing it's Iroh. I thought, smiling softly.

"Iroh, I'm sorry I left. I didn't want to intrude on family business." I said, turning around.

My eyes widened as I took on a fighting stance.

It wasn't Iroh.