Afterward Adventures (ATLA Zuko X OC)

Chapter Ten - The Search Pt. 2

"I can't believe it," Aang said in disbelief, reading the letter Zuko had taken from Azula the previous night.

Aang, Zuko and Iris have been sitting at the edge of a cliff some meters away from their camp. Zuko told them about the letter and the two air bending siblings read it. Iris couldn't believe it either. Why not kill Zuko when Ozai had the chance. And there was something worse about it... if Azula really was the rightful heir to the throne there was no doubt she would start a new war.

"It makes sense for so much in my life. That's why Ozai banished me with no second thought," Zuko said taking the letter back.

"Then why didn't he just get rid of you when he had the chance?" Iris asked.

"He was about to. The night when my mother left, my grandfather commanded Ozai to take my life as punishment for asking Iroh's birthright. Ozai didn't even argue, he was going to do it," Zuko answered.

Iris gritted her teeth angrily "Monster!" she cursed whispering. She felt Zuko's hand wrapping hers and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"But he didn't, you're still here," Aang said confusedly.

"My mother must have stopped him somehow," Zuko said skeptically.

"I don't know about this, Zuko. It can't be true, or at least it shouldn't be," Aang said.

"Why? All this night I had this odd sense of... hope. Do you realize what this means?" Zuko said and he turned at Aang with a smile threatening to escape from his lips. "...Iris and I can still be together," he said happily.

Aang opened his mouth to protest but... he couldn't deny the one chance of happiness for his beloved sister.

"Zuko, it's just..." Iris tried to say but she hesitated "...what would that mean for the Fire Nation... for the world. If Azula really is the rightful heir to the throne, there's no doubt she'll finish what her ancestors started,"

Zuko's smile faded, knowing that she was right, and his gaze slipped back on the ground. Aang placed his hand on Iris's shoulder, consolingly.

"There you are!" Azula's familiar voice heard from behind shouting. Blue fire playing through her fingertips and the palms of her hands as she shouted "She told you to steal that letter from by boots, didn't she? Give it back! I'm not letting her win!" Azula shouted angrily, attacking.

She sent three strong blue fire blasts. Iris and Aang used their fire bending to protect themselves from the fire and Zuko shot some fire blasts towards her.

"Where's Katara and Sokka?! What'd you do to them?!" Aang demanded angrily.

"You two go check on them, I can handle Azula!" Zuko said shooting fire blasts.

Last time he'd said this, he nearly died by lightning, Iris wasn't going to leave him again. "No, I'm staying with you. Aang, go!" Iris said.

She got in her stance and she trapped Azula's body with a layer of earth, around her. Azula growled angrily and she created lightning with her fingertips freeing herself. She ran towards them shooting another fire blast at Zuko, which he avoided jumping and he wrapped her one leg drifting her down with him.

Zuko wrapped her shirt angrily, lifting her off the ground as if she was nothing but a weightless ragdoll. "From the day you were born you've put me through so much!" Zuko shouted angrily shaking her with his hands "Why, Azula!? Why'd our relationship be like this?!" he shouted again, hurt coloring his voice.

He held her with his one hand at the edge of the cliff. Iris didn't want to stop him. It'd be her pleasure to watch Azula dying... but it just felt wrong.