The Fire Within - an atla fanfic (Zuko x OC)

Will You Do the Fandango?

It was the next day at dinner. We were supposed to get to the Fire Nation in a few hours. I sat down next to Zuko and glared at Mai due to our previous squabble the day before.

We stayed in silence for a while. I looked up and saw Azula looking in at us with some sort of uncertainty. I motioned for her to come in with an encouraging nod.

Azula stepped in the room and Ty Lee greeted her. "Azula!"

"Ashley wanted me to come eat dinner here tonight." Azula immediately replied, sitting down at the head of the table.

I raised my eyebrow but stayed quiet.

Our food came, the usual roast duck. I thought back to Uncle, who loved the meal. It almost made me loose my apetite thinking of how he was doing now.

"Ashley, are you excited to go back home?" Ty Lee asked me.

I peered up from my dinner. "Oh yeah, of course. It's been so long.."

"When was the last time you saw your father?" Azula asked with interest.

"Not since I was twelve." I responded evenly.

"Well, you'll meet him soon, I'm sure. He is the royal medic, though I'm sure you already knew that. You must be excited." Azula stated.

My food felt as though it was stuck in my throat. I knew my father was of high status in the Fire Nation, but I never knew he actually worked directly below the Fire Lord. "Yeah, I'm excited." I said dryly. I glanced over at Zuko, who was staring at me in confusion. Oh yeah, perhaps I should have told him about my father's real name before I told Azula.

"Something you and Zuko both have in common, you haven't seen your parents in years." Azula added snarkily.

Zuko gave Azula a death glare, as I fiddled with my thumbs nervously.

"Don't take me too seriously, Zuzu. I meant no disrespect to Ashley." Azula said slyly.

———

I closed the door to our room behind me as we came back from dinner. "Zuko, I have to tell you something mega important."

Zuko tilted his head, looking almost a bit scared.

I grabbed my bag and pulled out my father's book, handing it to him.

He flipped through it in confusion. "Well, besides the title I have no idea what any of this says." He said, noting the English in the whole book besides the cover.

I nodded. "But I do. That's English. What we read and write in from my world."

Zuko looked at me in confusion. "Well the cover says 'A Bridge to a New World.' Lei Liang."

I nodded. "My father is Lei Liang."

Zuko looked up at me with surprise. "Are you serious? I thought you just told Azula that."

I shook my head. "No, it's true. And I know I should've told you sooner. Truth is, I've had this book for a while. A couple weeks. I just know you don't like the thought of me going home so I didn't want to tell you.." I looked at the ground guiltily.

"Well, where'd you get it?" Zuko asked.

"I got it from Sokka." I said, even more guiltily.

"Isn't that the avatar's friend?"

"Yeah."

"So you knew the avatar was in Ba Sing Se?"

I nodded quietly.

Zuko stood up and sighed. "Why wouldn't you tell me?"

"Because. We were doing fine in Ba Sing Se. And I made a deal with Sokka that I wouldn't tell you they were here. It was so nice of him to get me the book, I had to."