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princeinexileEverything is dashed to dust when his sister finds them. He can't not fight her, pride demands that he stand against her despite that he has only one new move in his Firebending repertoire. He fails, he falls--
--and he finds himself face to face with someone he hasn't seen in months (blessedly): the waterbender. It's like they hadn't parted -- just like that time on the lakeshore, when he tried to be-- someone he just wasn't, he realizes. She tosses accusations and he simply endures. It's just like old times, only it he's quite now, doesn't refute them. What's the point?
And then she cries.
She never cried like this before. She never mentioned her mother before.
It demands that he speak gently (it hurts to lose a mother) and engage in compassion (his uncle said a ruler must have compassion and command in equal measure) and --
They are together for a moment, this time without the sizzle of steam, fire and water meeting in frenzied elemental combat. No, this time it's a gentle touch on his face, and the realization that he could be whole, unmarked, himself again. She could give it to him.
He cannot help but feel robbed, yet again, when the Avatar interrupts them. Oh, he's grateful to see his uncle is well, but--
He was so close to something. What, he couldn't say -- but --
She leaves with her savior and Zuko stays and listens to his uncle speak of the future, of peace, of doing the right thing...
All he can feel is bitterness; he had something close to him, something like -- like -- a mother, something like a connection and now it's gone.
Fucking Avatar, he wants to swear, but swallows it.
--and he finds himself face to face with someone he hasn't seen in months (blessedly): the waterbender. It's like they hadn't parted -- just like that time on the lakeshore, when he tried to be-- someone he just wasn't, he realizes. She tosses accusations and he simply endures. It's just like old times, only it he's quite now, doesn't refute them. What's the point?
And then she cries.
She never cried like this before. She never mentioned her mother before.
It demands that he speak gently (it hurts to lose a mother) and engage in compassion (his uncle said a ruler must have compassion and command in equal measure) and --
They are together for a moment, this time without the sizzle of steam, fire and water meeting in frenzied elemental combat. No, this time it's a gentle touch on his face, and the realization that he could be whole, unmarked, himself again. She could give it to him.
He cannot help but feel robbed, yet again, when the Avatar interrupts them. Oh, he's grateful to see his uncle is well, but--
He was so close to something. What, he couldn't say -- but --
She leaves with her savior and Zuko stays and listens to his uncle speak of the future, of peace, of doing the right thing...
All he can feel is bitterness; he had something close to him, something like -- like -- a mother, something like a connection and now it's gone.
Fucking Avatar, he wants to swear, but swallows it.
