Little Soldier Boy

Week

Zuko sat under a tree with a bag of items he stole from earth benders while they slept. Maybe they weren't earth benders if they didn't feel him coming on the ground. He dug through the bag as he waited for the sun to come up.

He pulled out a map of the earth kingdom, a pouch for water, two small knives, two rocks to start fires (that's useless), a bag of coins and a bottle.

Zuko unscrewed the bottle and sniffed it curiously.

"Smells like commanders morning breath," Zuko gagged at the alcohol smell. He smelt it again and decided to take a sip, he held the drink in his mouth for a moment before swallowing to savor the burning taste and the tingle in his throat.

"Cheers commander," he raised the bottle to the rising sun.

"Cheers to you too Lee," Zuko took another gulp of the whiskey and flinched at the taste. He couldn't get drunk with the day ahead of him.

But what is he suppose to do? He can't go home, even if the other soldiers wanted to help they would face the consequences of hiding him, he couldn't do that to his family. He didn't have purpose otherwise. But he can't be prisoner to azula.

He took another drink of the bottle and hissed a little shaking his head.

He touched the back of his head feeling the short hair, it was at least even now thanks to that kid, peaking through his fingers when he laid his hand over the top. Spiking a little in the front.

Tears weld up in his eyes. His jaw trembled a little.

"What a shitty week," he took another swing of the drink.

"First the north, that was just a sunday, got back Thursday, Azula showed up Saturday... now it's Sunday again... fuck me..." Zuko put his face in his hands as he felt warm and dizzy. He laid on his side trying to keep himself together. He felt sick.

"Now what Lee? You raised me this far and now fucking what?" He rolled onto his back as he faced the leafs above him from the tree. The sun peaking through.

"What am I suppose to do now?" He whispered.

What was he suppose to do? Start life over again? Change himself again? Go find a little earth kingdom village and hide there till someone figures out who he is or Azula finds him again.

This was stupid.

Fuck this

What was the point?

Zuko opened his eyes and frowned seeing there was something else in the sky that wasn't a cloud. It looked familiar.

There's no way...

Zuko stumbled to his feet and ran ahead to see the sky and his eyes widen, anger rising in his chest. The avatar.

The avatar was the only one that flew in the sky with a bison. The avatar was suppose to be the worlds last hope for peace, peace was all he ever wanted but that being, the damned avatar was a monster. A killer.

He wanted revenge. Azula was right, he could get revenge for his fallen brothers if he just...

If he killed the avatar he would have justice for his brothers. For Lee.

It's not his first time taking someone's life but he never meant to kill, it was the battle field and he always the enemy and his friends die. It wasn't new, so what was different?

Was he going crazy?

It's only been a week

Would he catch himself if he went insane?

He stood watching the bison flying away from where he could see, he felt dizzy again. His hands started to shake at the thought of the avatar.

It pissed him off this guy was going around getting praised. Getting celebrated for his arrival when the monk was no better than him, a soldier, fighting for the same thing, yet he's hated and wanted dead by every other person. And some air bender is glorified when he's a killer like any other person in this world.

No. Lee was a good person.

"He didn't have to die! He had a family!" Zuko screamed at the top of his lungs as if the avatar could hear him.

"He was a good person! He was a good fucking person that took care of his mother and sister! That took care of some stupid runt! You could've killed me and let him live!" He yelled. He ran over and threw the bottle as far as he could and let it shatter in the dirt.

"Kill the bad not the good! Kill zhao! Kill my father! Kill Azula! Kill me but those men were good! You bastard!" Zuko screamed as he fell to his knees. He felt drunk. The sun was still coming up from the night before.

"You bastard! I'll kill you!" He bowed his head down as he sobbed with his hands gripping the dry grass. He couldn't get back up, he would fall, how was he this drunk? Maybe because he hasn't eaten much?

"You'll pay avatar, you self justified bastard," he sobbed curling into a ball on the grass as he sat on his knees. He hiccuped a sob gripping the grass tightly.

He was the villain, as a child that was forced into a horror show, and the avatar was a hero who everyone was okay to allow to kill. To shed the same amount blood.

"Fuck, Lee I need you," he cried hugging himself tightly. His head hanging heavy till he fell over, exhausted, hungry, and drunk. 

What a week.