Chang Ai [ENG] [zukaang/ zuko x aang fanfic]

Chapter VIII: Crossroads of destiny.

Zuko woke up with a sigh, his eyes slowly widened as he let the dim morning light pour in through his bedroom window and then closed his eyes again, he was so tired but he had promised his uncle that he would help him with work in his new tea shop today, so after a few minutes in his bed, he got up, stretched his arms over his head, yawning as he let in more light from the window as the dawn broke. He got up, walked over to the windowsill and leaned against it, he took a deep breath of the cool, damp morning air, slowly exhaled.

"That's it" he thought smiling, looking a couple of birds fluttering and playing among them "today is the beginning of my new life"

He turned away from the window with straight shoulders and a new purpose, for a while he tried to capture the Avatar so he could confess his feelings to the airbender and also try to find out if he was Kuzon, but then came to the conclusion that that was completely impossible, he had to accept the fact that the masked boy he met at the festival was not real, so he decided to focus on his feelings for Aang, but he had not seen him since they were at Lake Laogai. He went to his closet, opened the doors and looked for something to wear: he took out a dark brown robe with gold details, a base shirt and leggings, he no longer disliked the clothes of the Earth Kingdom, in fact, he got used to wearing them. daily and even almost enjoyed it. He began to dress slowly, his thoughts lost to his uncle who was humming happily from the kitchen, the soft smell of food wafting through the crack in his door.

Zuko paused briefly as he tied the sash around his waist, touching the soft material as he looked toward the door for a few moments. What would he have done without his uncle? his uncle, who was always by his side when he needed him most, who always be there for him, who loved him unconditionally... his uncle, was more than that, he was like a father to him, a better one than Ozai could ever have been. Running a tea shop in Ba Sing Se was not something Zuko planned to do for the rest of his life, this was something Iroh wanted to do and he was happy for him, he had been through a lot and had given everything for him. He would support him until he could start his own life... being the owner his own destiny.

"Who are you and what do you want?"

His uncle had all the reasons to ask him that question when they were at Lake Laogai after Zuko freed Appa using his Blue Spirit disguise, because, for a long time, he did not know who he really was, but now he does, he finally discovered his true identity. Zuko snapped out of his thoughts and pulled on his sandals, tapped his toes on the floor so they were snug on his feet and then turned to the mirror in his bedroom, he ran a hand through his hair, absently tracing his scar, the other night he had a strange but very particular dream, he had the dream that he had been the Avatar for a moment, why had that had happened? he was not sure, but he also remembered when he lived with his uncle in Ba Sing Se lower ring, he could see the desperate faces of the refugees, children with dirty clothes and faces stained with tears, he remembered the kisses he shared with Aang and how with each passing day those moments faded, finally, he remembered that he loved Aang, loved him like he had never loved anyone before.

"I am Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation" he whispered in a low voice, standing up "son of General Iroh and I want there to be peace in the world... no more tears. I want... I want to be with Aang and help him to fix the mistakes of my ancestors... I want to hug him, be by his side every time and tell him... to be able to tell him that I love him" he stared at his reflection a bit more, tracing his scar and then his lips, he felt his spirit become lighter and less confused, he was sure of what he wanted now and if things did not happen the way he had planned from the beginning, at least Zuko knew that he could be the owner of his own destiny. With all that in mind, he left the bedroom, felt another yawn come out of him as soon as he entered in the kitchen and the living room of his new apartment. He rubbed his eyes trying to shake the sleep out of them, the aroma of a pasty white soup called Jook that Iroh was preparing in a pot hit his senses with more strenght than before and he walked towards the old man who was serving part of the content in a wooden bowl "what is that scent?" he asked approaching to look over his shoulder.