Fire You Are (Zuko Love Story)

Spark

Our suspicions were correct and soon enough, we see a ship headed towards us.

Everyone, with all reason, has looks of despair.

Sokka is preparing himself for battle and desperately tries talking the kids into fighting.

"Sokka," I tell him.

"What?"

"Maybe we don't have to fight them," I say.

"They're firebenders!" He says. "If there's anything vile and evil in the world, it's a firebender!"

"Now, come on-"

"No!" He says. "I haven't forgotten what they did to mom, let alone the rest of the world. We need to make a stand."

"We're a small bunch of women, children, and two teenage boys. We have no chance."

Sokka sighs. "I can't allow myself to believe that."

"Sokka, listen," I place both hands on his shoulders. "When they arrive, we don't fight unless they fight us, got it? Otherwise, we'll endanger everyone in vain."

Sokka frowns. "Fine."

We hear the ship getting closer. 

"Hide Aang," I tell Katara when I see her. "They shouldn't know he's here. It's our best chance at having them leave peacefully."

"You have too much faith in them," she tells me.

"Let's hope it works," I say.

The ship almost arrives. When it does, it crashes violently into the ice and it makes a complete mess. Blocks of ice fall everywhere, tents are destroyed, and the ship towers above us with a loud roar enough to take hope away from anyone in it's way.

Finally the ship stops. The front part lowers as a platform for its people to get off board. Fire Nation soldiers start coming towards us.

So long as their not running with fire blazing, we might have a chance of leaving unharmed.

They're being led by one figure in particular, but before I can get a good look at him, Sokka goes on and does the exact opposite of what I asked him and charges at them with a battle cry.

"Sokka!"

The man in the front swiftly blocks Sokka and throws him back at us. As I look at the scene, a thought comes to my mind, and a scary one at that.

What if the only way to help is through Firebending? To stand in front of them fire-ready, just in case...

Before the man can come any closer to beat Sokka, I stand in the way, I hold both of my hands out trying to pacify him, if it even helps.

"Get out of my way," he says.

"No," I tell him. "I don't want to fight. None of us do."

I'm finally able to look at him. This man is a teenager, my age, if not older. I can't help but look at his yellow eyes, and that awful scar on his left side.

"Fine," he says. "Hand me the Avatar and no one gets hurt."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Don't play the fool," he continues. "I saw him from afar with my own eyes. I know he's here and I know you're hiding him. Hand him over."

His tone gets more threatening with every word.

"I'm afraid I can't trust you with that."

He begins walking closer to me. I can feel the tension arise as he does. He's soon directly in front of me, threatening, dominant.