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

Chapter IX: The awakening

It had been three weeks since the fall of Ba Sing Se and since he was separated from Aang, again, Zuko was inside his bedroom on his sister's ship looking at the moon through the window, touching the bands around his arms and legs, each one blocking his firebending but not preventing him from moving, apparently it was a new device Azula designed, obviously taking points out of Ty Lee's fighting method which consisted of blocking the chi of a bender or a non-bender, his eyes instead of showing happiness to went back to the Fire Nation, to his home with his sister and her friends, showed disappointment and sadness, because of him he had hurt the two people that he cared the most: his uncle and Aang.

After being put in a cell on the ship, Zuko had not seen his uncle in days since they left Ba Sing Se behind, and that is what hurt him the most because even if he went to his ship's cell to see him, the man probably would not want to talk to him, not after the betrayal he had committed, if only he could explain to Iroh why he had done what he had done while they were in the crystal catacombs, why he had to pretend he had chosen to join Azula instead of the Avatar team. Now that he thought of them, they would probably traveling elsewhere, far away from where he and his sister were, waiting for the right moment to meet them and fight again, from what he understood, he had been listening to Azula talking about an invasion that the Water Tribe and the Earth Kingdom were planning to defeat the Fire Nation during the day of the black sun, but for that it had to be a few weeks before they could carry out the attack.

He came out of his thoughts when he heard the metal door of his bedroom open, he could see Mai approaching to him with a blanket in her hands, Zuko looked at her for a few seconds before turning his back on the gloomy girl that he once considered his closest friend.

"Leave me alone, I don't want to see anyone" Zuko said without even looking at her, but Mai was not going to leave just because her friend (and childhood sweetheart) told her, she unfolded the blanket and placed it around his shoulders.

"I'm not going to leave; I just came to see if you were cold" Mai replied as she stood near him.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you but I have many things on my mind" Zuko said "I can't believe this is happening, it has been more than three years since I left home, I wonder what things have changed, if I have changed"

"I only asked you if you were cold, I didn't ask you to tell me the dramatic story of your life" Mai said as she tried to suppress a yawn, but it did not work, Zuko could hear her, which led him to think she was bored "by the way, don't worry about that" she smiled slightly "you can finally go home, your dad will be happy to see you"

"I don't think so, he's never happy to see me" Zuko said, Mai's smile faded instantly at the pessimistic point of view from her friend, she took Zuko's cheek and turned his face making him look straight at her.

"Don't say that, he will be happy to see you again, you will regain everything you always wanted" the gloomy girl said and tried to get closer to kiss him but Zuko just turned his gaze from hers "now what's going on?"

"Sorry, Mai. But I can't do this to you" Zuko answered "not knowing that I don't feel the same for you, I... I'm in love with someone else"

"Oh, that's why you didn't want to kiss me. Okay, I'm not jealous, I understand if you like another girl, maybe we can still be friends..."

"That's the problem! she's not a girl I'm in love with, who I'm in love with is... it's a boy" Zuko answered suddenly, some images of Aang appeared in his mind, he remembered the moment when they hugged and kissed in the crystal catacombs, tears moistened his eyes just thinking about it "I have known this boy for a long time and I don't know why, but I feel like we are meant to be together and now, due to my stupidity, I will probably never see him again"