You & I

The End

Iroh's POV
We woke up to a loud crash, large rocks had fallen over the entrance to the cave. I lit a flame in my hand and started walking towards it, Y/N jumped up and rushed over, trying to push the rocks away but they wouldn't budge,

"Hey, let me try"

I pushed as hard as I possibly could, but they weren't moving. I turned around and started looking around the floor, but all I could see were dirt and rocks.

Behind me I heard splashes and crashes, Y/N was pulling water that was leaking from underneath the rocks and throwing it at the barricaded entrance over and over, hopelessly trying to create enough force to push us out of the cave.

Wait.

Water?

Oh my goodness... the tide.

"Y/N... I think the tide is coming in, we weren't that close to the sea earlier..."

She closed her eyes, holding her hands out, trying to feel the water before her eyes grew wider and she became panicked,

"You're right. Quick, check the walls, we need to know how high the water is going to rise in here."

I nodded and to my horror, green moss covered the entirety of the walls and ceiling of the cave. I turned to Y/N,

"Can't you just... you know... water bend us out of this?"

"And how do you propose I do that?"

"I dunno! Freeze the water? Keep it away from our airways?"

She gave me a dull look,

"I'll try, but I'm not that strong, you're literally asking me to resist the pull of the moon!"

She held her hands towards the leaking water and blew towards the water, freezing it under the rocks and kept her hands held out for a while, I watched her as she struggled against the increasingly strong tide until it broke through, filling up the cave faster than before.

She grabbed my hand and ran to the end of the cave pushing the water away from us, but the tide had her beat, it continuously broke past her pushing, but Y/N tried again and again and again. She was tiring herself out when nothing that she could do was going to stop the inevitable. I pulled her hands down and sent her a smile,

"Hey, you've done what you can, it's okay."

She wrapped her arms around me and sobbed,

"I'm so, so sorry Iroh... we're gonna die, we're gonna die and it's all my fault, I'm so sorry"

"It's not your fault, Y/N... it's okay..."

"Yes it is! If I were stronger, I could've gotten us out of this! You should've brought an earth bender with you, or the girl you're in love with from back home... or- or..."

"Shh, it's okay."

I stroked her hair, holding back my own tears, I didn't want to die, I didn't want her to die, it was the wrong time... but is there ever a right one?

"Iroh... what do we do?"

I looked at the flame in my left hand,

"There's this song, my grandfather used to sing it to my mother when she was a kid, and my mother sung it to me when I was younger, whenever I was scared..."

She looked up at me inquisitively,

I breathed in and started humming the melody, then holding back my tears I sung,

"Leaves from the vine,
Falling so slow,
Like fragile tiny shells,
Drifting in the foam,
Little soldier boy,
Comes marching home,
Brave soldier boy,
Comes marching home."

A tear escaped my eye and rolled down my face, this was really it. This was the end.

The water continued to rise, it was at my waist when Y/N started laughing to herself.

"What's funny?"

"It's just- well, it took me such a long time to realise that I know what love is, remember? You asked me back on the boat, if I'd ever been in love. And now that I'm about to die, I realise that I've been in love the whole time."

"Oh. The guy you mentioned before"

"Y-yeah, him. It's just, when you were singing the song that your mother used to sing you to stop you being scared, it worked, you know? Your voice, just hearing you, knowing you were there, that worked. I realised that even though I'm about to die, there's nowhere I'd rather be than by your side, because I love you, Iroh. I love you so so much, and I know you're in love with someone else and-"

Whatever she said next I didn't hear, her voice trailed off and I just felt adrenaline pumping through my veins, my heart was beating faster than ever. I leaned in towards her and put my hand under her chin, lifting it so her eyes met mine. I looked down at her lips and lent in towards her, I moved my hand so it was cupping the side of her face and pulled her in, our lips softly pressed against each other. I put out the flame I was holding in my left hand and cupped the other side of her face, pulling her closer as we deepened the kiss, completely losing ourselves in each other.

When we pulled apart, I relit the flame in my hand, revealing both of us to be grinning ear to ear, I caressed her cheek with my right hand and told her,

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

"B-but, what about the girl? The water bender you're in love with... what about her?"

I ruffled her hair playfully,

"She's standing right in front of me"

She smiled even brighter at me,

Wow, this is the last time I'd ever see her smile. I whispered,

"I love you too, Y/N"

The water was now up to her neck, she was still smiling at me but I saw her blink through her tears.

"Goodbye, Iroh."

I pulled her in close and closed my eyes, I felt her push the water away from our faces for as long as she could, the pull of the water breaking past her barrier again and again.

Then everything went dark.