Karina's Firebendering Prince

Scars

Karina looked out to ocean, the soft waves reflecting the night sky almost perfectly. It was rare to see the ocean this calm.

Bracing herself on the rail Karina breathed in the fresh ocean air, the cold breeze sweeping through her.

It was good to take these peaceful moments, especially when her life was filled with so much chaos. Looking down at herself she inspected her arm, her wrist burn was still in the process of healing but was in far better condition than it had been the day before. She wished interacting with her father didn't always cause her so much pain.

The scars that covered her body were a horrid reminder of all that she had been through at the hands of her father. Tracing a particularly large scar on her forearm with her finger tip she was surprised by a hand resting on her shoulder.

She heard Zuko's low chuckle before she saw him, something that relaxed her instantly. Removing his hand from her shoulder he joined her on the rail looking out over at the ocean.

She liked having these moments with him, times where they could just be in each others presence without anyone else around. Zuko made her feel things that she had never felt before.

Looking over to his face she examined his scar, the dark red mark covering one of his eyes and nearly half his face. She tried to imagine what he would look like without it, something that was more difficult than she had imagined.

Smiling to herself, Karina unconsciously held out her hand to touch his scar. Zuko grabbed her hand before she could reach it his eyes suddenly filled with anger.

"Zuko I'm so sorry-" Karina's words of remorse where cut short as Zuko began to inspect the wound on her arm. She felt oddly self conscious, a small blush spreading over her cheeks as he touched the sensitive area.

"I'll make him pay." He muttered quietly, almost like he didn't want her to hear it. Karina nodded and rested her other hand on his. She was surprised when he took her hand and placed it on his cheek, so she was cupping his scar.

Her eyes widened at the feel of the rough skin under her hand, it felt like most of her scars, only larger. Raising onto her toes she pressed a light kiss onto the scarred skin, removing her hand from it.

Scars had always been something that the two of them shared, a pain and humiliation they both understood. Karina felt lucky that she could hide hers in ways Zuko couldn't. She hoped that one day she would be brave enough to show her scars freely just as he did.

Turning back out to sea Karina let her head rest on Zuko's shoulder, the two of them watching the seas waves roll calmly.