𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐎 𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍 ꩜ prince zuko

⁰⁷

CHAPTER SEVEN

        AFTER THE DISTASTEFUL argument with Zuko, Yan wandered the polished streets of the Upper Ring, trying to steady her breath and her thoughts. The fight echoed relentlessly in her mind; how could Zuko be so stubborn, so blind to the truth? It was unthinkable to her that anyone would want to prove themselves to a man who had hurt them so deeply, who had scarred his own son. She didn't fully understand Fire Nation customs or what an Agni Kai even was, but whatever it meant, it felt inherently wrong. And Zuko wanting to win his father's approval? To her, it sounded not just misguided, but heartbreakingly naive.

        She boarded the monorail in silence, the hum of the train a dull backdrop to her swirling thoughts. When she finally stepped off in the Middle Ring, the familiar streets offered little comfort. As she neared her house, a group of teenagers caught her eye, strangers dressed in strange clothing. Yan slowed her pace, glancing their way; the older girl and boy wore matching shades of blue, another boy was clad in bright yellow and orange, and the shortest girl was dressed entirely in green. Yan raised an eyebrow, watching them as they disappeared down the street, their presence lingering in her mind like an unanswered question.

        "Don't worry about them, Yan. Just walk away," she said to herself, turning toward home. After a few steps, she stopped and let out a heavy sigh; something about that group tugged at her curiosity. With a reluctant shake of her head, she turned back and began following them. From where she stood, their voices drifted faintly through the air, just enough for her to catch snippets of conversation.

        "Maybe if we ask around, we could Appa, Aang. I mean, how hard could it be to miss a giant flying bison?" the older boy in blue said, trying to sound optimistic. The younger boy in yellow and orange — Aang — gave a quiet shrug, his expression somber.

        "I don't want to get my hopes up, Sokka," the boy said with a weary sigh. Yan halted, pretending to study the rippling surface of a nearby fountain whenever the group paused and glanced back. She kept her distance, careful not to draw attention. When they moved on and turned a corner, she followed, quieter now as she hugged the side of a building. Pressing herself against the wall, she strained to catch their voices, every word teasing just out of reach.

        "... feel like someone is-"

        "... don't see anyone."

        The voices were fragmented, too distant to make out clearly. Yan edged closer and peeked around the corner, just in time to see a boulder roughly the size of her head hurtling straight toward her. She jerked back with a startled gasp, narrowly avoiding the flying rock, her brown eyes wide with shock.

        "One of them is an earthbender..." she muttered to herself. Taking a steadying breath, Yan instinctively drew a few small rocks into her palm. Almost as quickly, she let them fall; the last thing she wanted was to appear hostile or escalate an already tense situation with people she didn't even know.

        "I don't want to hurt you!" she shouted so the group could hear her. A whip of water nearly struck her in the face so she moved away quickly.

        "Why are you following us?" a female voice called out. Slowly, Yan stepped around the corner with her hands raised in a peaceful gesture. Before she could speak, the girl in blue puffed a breath of freezing air across the ground, encasing Yan's feet in a sheet of frost. The girl's clothes and tribal tattoos all reminded her of Nukilik; there was no doubt now: this girl was a waterbender.

        "I'm not following you for the reason you think. I just want to talk," Yan said truthfully as the group exchanged wary glances. The boy in blue stepped forward, eyes narrowed and boomerang still raised; he didn't lower his guard, scanning Yan from head to toe as if trying to read her intentions without a word.