Fire You Are (Zuko Love Story)

The Sanctuary

Zuko's arrival has shaped us more than we could have forseen. It's as if he had something to offer to all of us...

Sometimes, I'm still kind of mad at him, but not as much. I'd have to be pretty bitchy to not take jumping in front of me to recieve a deadly attack as an act of loyalty. But I don't linger on it. I know all the remaining anger I have in me is something that'll just go away in time.

Zuko knows I still have some of that in me. Though he's not being obvious about it, I can tell he's trying hard to be a better person and a better boyfriend, if we're even still together. He said he loved me and I accepted it, but we haven't actually defined that part. Do we even have to?

Anyways, sometimes he tries too hard to be a good guy, not just with me but with everyone. It's cute to see him struggle with it, but only because he does overcome it. I always knew he wasn't bad by nature. Zuko has been helping me teach Aang firebending so that I don't wear out too much, since I'm still training to decently bend the other three elements. They even left on their own one day, saying they'd go see the original firebenders, the dragons. I wanted to go, I really would have loved to, but they only went because Zuko was struggling to firebend himself. Besides, I used that time to practice earth and waterbending.

I also know he snuck out with Sokka to go to a Fire Nation prison where they found Hakoda and a girl named Suki, who's been really helpful since she got here. 

The only one who still doesn't like him is Katara, but I know she has her reasons and I won't try and change her mind. Sometimes, I wonder if she's upset with me for not being mad at him longer, but it just doesn't seem like something she'd do.

Weeks have past. We're getting used to being in the Western Air Temple and preparing, so much that sometimes I forget what the endgame is going to be. I know that I'll probably have to fight the Fire Lord myself, but to be honest, I don't know who my greatest enemy is. Ozai did a lot of nasty things regarding, but he seems more like Aang's fight, not mine. I guess I'll still play my part in it.

Today, I reached a milestone. I was finally able to move a wave of water! Yup, just one wave. Water is absolutely not my thing.

"Good job," Sokka mocks, "now you can almost sprinkle the Fire Lord to death."

"Ha, and ha," I reply. "What are you doing, anyway?"

"Finding you something to eat," he says. 

"Yeah, if you don't eat it all," I repel. "Anyways, I should probably move on to airbending now."

"That's gonna have to wait," Zuko says. "I haven't seen Aang anywhere in the past two hours."

"But where could he be?" I ask. "He didn't take Appa so he didn't go anywhere too far, he might still be in the temple."

"Yes, but remember many parts of the temple can only be reached by aribending," says Zuko. "He might be in one of those."

"Oh, right..."

"Just wait for him," he tells me.

"Oh, really?" I ask him with a laugh. "I was thinking about mastering airbending on my own."

Zuko doesn't say anything. At this point, he doesn't know when I'm serious and when I'm only kidding. He won't allow himself to take it for granted. I smirk to let him know I'm only messing with him.

"AIDAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Aang's voice suddenly overflows the space around us and we notice Aang flying in on his glider from one of the hidden corners of the temple. He lands on the courtyard looking hyped.

"Aang," I say, "what's the matter?"

"I found something I think you'll wanna see," he says.

Oh. This must be serious then, given his current behaviour. I exchange looks, first with Zuko and then with the rest, and then I look back at Aang.