Carved In Rock || ATLA

Every Time You Leave

Bitter Work Fin

Trigger Warning: Mentions of death that may be upsetting to some. Reader discretion is advised.

"All I ever wanted was to find someone, but holdin' it together is the hardest part. No one said life gets in the way, that our plans may change but our hearts remain. You stand in the doorway holdin' me, feeling the tension you beg and plead, not to go away again, and then she said. Every time you leave, I lose a little piece of me, and every time we speak words don't do it justice, it's just us from here." - I Prevail

🌊 🏔 🔥 🌪

The image of Aelita with blood-stained hands and his father's corpse at her feet was an unwanted thought Zuko just couldn't stop from coming. For a split second, he could see himself there, the breath fading from his lungs as he collapsed beside him while she smiled. It made him want to vomit.

"Who the hell are you now?" Zuko demanded to know. "What have they you turned into?"

"The Akira." She said confidently. She pushed herself to her feet and tossed their dinner into a basket she brought along. She stopped just as she started to head back to the village. "The sooner you accept that this is me, with or without Sokka, Katara, Toph, or even Aang, the easier it will be for you to move on."

He caught her by her arm before she could walk away, forcing her to stop and look at him. "What happened to the girl that used to hate the unnecessary violence of war? The one that used to get pissed at me when she thought I was being too harsh? Or are your standards different for yourself?"

"I watched people die, Zuko," Aelita argued. "Time and time again. I've seen the families that were torn apart, the mothers who had to bury their babies, and the literal children living with trauma so bad they can't function. I'm the one trying to end this fucking war so the unnecessary violence can stop, and if that means turning myself into something or someone I hate for the good of everyone else then so be it. Duty over heart."

"But this is my father we're talking about!"

"And in case you missed it, he already killed mine." She ripped away from his grasp.

"But..."

"But nothing! You heard Zhao, he admitted he had not a single piece of evidence to show my Dad was the one involved with the White Lotus." She referenced back to her fight at the North Pole with the man who helped destroy her family. He had claimed to find signs someone close to the royal family had been working with the organization that formerly helped find, train and protect the Avatar and Akira. Zhao's disdain for Sukomo made him the perfect scapegoat. "Do you think your father asked for proof when the accusation was made, or did he just decide his verdict on the spot? You know how quick he was to let his temper get the best of him." She stepped towards him unwavering, making the Prince retreat this time. "And you were there the day my Dad died, who was winning that Agni Kai Zuko? You know damn well had they not threatened my life things could've ended so much differently, and I would still have at least one parent."

"Aelita I..."

"This is the same man that tried to kill you, his oldest son, just for standing up for innocent troops, and neglected his other son to the point of painfully obvious mental trauma until the day he sent him away just for being different." Another step forward, another step back. "He banished you, Zuko. He hasn't even made the smallest effort to even check on you in three damn years, and now he's put a bounty on your head. He's not winning any parenting awards any time soon, how long are you going to defend him?"

"He's my family!"

"I was your family!"

"And then you left!"