White Hot Flames (ZukoxOC)

11

        Aang was flying over the fleet, taking down as many ships as he could. Rezalia was flipping from dock to dock, helping steady warriors and pulling soldiers from sinking ships. In the mess of water, Rezalia's feet slip out from under her, sending her flying off the ship. "SHIT!" She shouts, extending her arms. Releasing strong flames from both her hands and her feet.

"Are you okay?" Iroh asks, latching onto Rezalia's upper arm as she flies upward. Rezalia nods and crouches down, looking around for anything that needed to be done. Taking off toward another falling Fire Nation soldier, the purple eyed teen distantly registers Iroh walking toward Zaoh.

Not long after, the attack is called off and Iroh and Rezalia sneak off to find Zuko. The scarred boy was dressed in all white to blend in with the snow and was preparing a canoe. "If you're fishing for an octopus, my nephew, you need a tightly woven net or he will squeeze through the tiniest hole and escape," Iroh says in a wise tone.

"...Right," Rezalia murmurs.

Zuko fixes his uncle with a slightly annoyed look. "I don't need your wisdom right now, Uncle."

"I'm sorry, I just nag you because, well, ever since I lost my son..." Iroh looks to the side with a pained look. Zuko's face softens.

"Uncle, you don't have to say it."

"I think of you as my own." Zuko turns to Iroh and salutes him in the standard Fire Nation fashion. Rezalia surges forward and wraps her arms around his waist. Zuko stumbles back a step, hands resting on the girl's upper back.

"If you come back with even a scratch, I'll toast your ass. Got it?" Rezalia whispers. Zuko snickers in return, hugging the girl closer.

"Got it. Bye, Zali," he whispers. Rezalia releases her best friend and lets Iroh take her place. "We'll meet again, after I have the avatar."

"How foreboding," Rezalia teases as Zuko climbs into the canoe. "Remember to breathe your fire, Z."

"I will."

"And put your hood up, keep your ears warm!" Iroh adds.

"I'll be fine." Rezalia heard the distant sound of Zuko's canoe hitting the water. Her and Iroh exchange looks at Zuko's words. Those words were never comforting coming from Zuko.

After watching Zuko disappear into the horizon, Iroh and Rezalia rejoin Zhao on the upper deck. "Oh, there you two are. Hold things down here. I have business to attend to."

"Oh yeah, sure we'd love to," Rezalia mutters sarcastically at Zhao's back as the man walks away without waiting for a reply. Iroh chuckles and leans on the rail, watching the crew walk around the deck. Rezalia jumps up onto the ail beside him, idly swinging her legs back and forth.

"He'll be fine, dear," Iroh says warmly. Rezalia doesn't answer with words, instead humming idly.

~*~

Things were apparently going great. The fleet was mostly up and running as Aang hadn't come back to sink any more ships. Zhao had disappeared sometime ago and hadn't come back, but Rezalia wasn't complaining. Of course, that was until huge glowing koi fish rising from within the walls of the Northern Water tribe.

Rezalia flies up from where she was laying on the rail. "What the fuck is that?!"

"It appears to be a koi fish," Iroh replies. Rezalia gives him an annoyed look and slides off the railing. Leaving the older man to do as he pleases, the ebony haired girl walks off to check on the soldiers. "Need water?"

"Uh, yeah, thanks," the man grunts. Rezalia tips some water from the bottle in her hand into the man's opened mouth. Eventually, the giant koi fish receded back into the water and the waves calmed. Hours after that, after everything seemed to calm down, the avatar's flying bison soared up to them. Narrowing her eyes, Rezalia orders a cease fire and ignites a flame under her feet that lifted her skyward.

"What do you-" Rezalia cuts herself off with a gasp as she registers Zuko in the bison's saddle, unconscious. "That moron!"

She lands at Zuko's side, ignoring the reactions of Aang and the others. Rezalia slaps his cheek a few times, drawing a groan from the boy. Zuko cracks open his eyes, only to be met with a glaring Rezalia. He groans again. "I'm going to kill you, you know that right?" she asks lowly.

Zuko groans a third time as Rezalia forces him to sit up and hooks his arm around her shoulder. Wrapping her arm around her idiotic friend's waist, Rezalia turns to Aang. "Thank you, but I'm afraid your efforts are in vain because I'm going to murder him."

"Um?" Katara looked alarmed.

"He's lucky I don't throw him off this bison," Rezalia murmurs darkly. Zuko laughs weakly, drawing everyone's attention.

"You wouldn't kill me," he says, voice low and raspy and paired with a fragile smirk. Rezalia grumbles various profanity and threats under her breath as she takes off once more, lowering them down to the nearest ship. "Didn't even drop me."

"The night is young."

Despite her words and various threats upon the prince's life, Rezalia called for a medic. "What do we do, ma'am?"

"Iroh and Zhao aren't back yet so we just sit tight. Hold down the fort but don't give up any space, just stay here until they get back. I want three people on Zuko at all times without exception. No attacks until I give the word."

AN: Short chapter, sorry! But I'm excited for the next one! Hope ya'll like it! Love y'all! Byyyyyyyyeeeeee