The Guider Effect ☼ Zuko || ATLA

Hopeless and Hopeful

"So where are we going anyway?" Rein yawned, repositioning herself on Appa's saddle. Unmotivated and exhausted, she spent most of her days lounging around in isolation or taking extended naps under the sun. The gang hopped between makeshift shelters, keeping themselves hidden and inconspicuous. Rein never cared to ask about their destination, not present enough to warrant her curiosity in the matter.

Katara looked worriedly at her brother who groaned and rolled his eyes, knowing it somehow became his responsibility to break the news to Rein. "Fire Nation." Sokka muttered quietly.

"I'm sorry? Repeat that because I could have sworn you said Fire Nation." Rein replied, her heart picking up speed as the paranoia ramped up to a million.

"We have to take Ozai down, Kai. We can't do that if we're hiding."

"You're throwing me into the lion's den with no defense? I have no bending! No strength! Let me off, now! I'll survive fine on my own."

"Who are you?" Aang spoke up, garnering his sister's attention. He sounded broken and confused, his bushy eyebrows furrowing together. "Is my sister even in there?"

     Rein's mouth gaped like a fish, struggling to find the words to retort yet she was unable to speak. She knew she was different, a black cloud looming over the people she held dear. They worried about her but she couldn't care less, starting her new shot at life in the wake of selfishness. Rein was trapped within her mind and body, miserable, angry and unfathomably weak; every day felt like a roller coaster of grief, a war between her emotions and her sense of control.

She was having a hard time adjusting to her new way of life. Once labeled a ticking time bomb now a dormant volcano, the power suppressed and trapped deep within her, out of reach.

"I just want things to go back to the way they were." Rein whispered, her shattered heart revealing itself. "My brain hurts, my heart aches—I'm burdened by my death, can't you see that, Aang? I wasn't supposed to die, neither do the dead rise yet here I am and everything has changed now. The prophecy still floods my mind with thoughts of them, but I cannot find it in me to forgive, in fact, I fear them. They did not just simply kill me—they built me up, made me happy then cruelly destroyed me as if I was nothing. I died and for once, I felt peace but even that was ripped away from me. So forgive me brother if I forget to be a ray of sunshine every moment of every day, I'm still trying to come back to life."

Aang looked away shamefully. He had neglected to take her death into consideration, only assuming her body and mind were plagued by thoughts of the heirs. Even her brother's dismay did little to tug at her shackled heart, Rein simply turned her attention to the horizon, fighting the terror that seeped into her bones.

     Rein was hit by a strange onslaught of emotions as Appa neared the outskirts of the Fire Nation. Fear and peace warring for control over her body, her weak heart struggling to keep a steady pace. Sensing her discomfort, Sokka scooted closer to the fretting girl, allowing her to seek comfort in his presence if she needed to.