#avatar zuk

[vampirella-1990]

Jinko/Zujin OS ( Glück?)

Glück?  

Sie konnte nicht sagen wie lange sie auf das ehemaligen Teehaus sah, der jetzt seit einigen Monaten in ein Restaurant umgebaut worden war. Als sie an dem Teehaus in dem der unteren Ring war, wurde ihr gesagt das Lee und sein Onkel ihr eigenes Teehaus in dem oberen Ring hatten und „Jasmindrache“ hieß. Sie hatte sich sehr gefreut Lee wieder zu sehen. Sie hatte das Gefühl, dass sie ihn mit dem Kuss sehr überrumpelt hatte. Bestimmt dachte er, dass sich für ihn niemand interessieren würde. Da die meisten Mädchen, bestimmt geschockt und eventuell abstoßend fanden, wenn sie seine Narbe sahen. Deshalb hatte er bestimmt auch kein großen Erfahrungen mit Mädchen gesammelt. So musste es sein und nicht anders. Sie wurde aus ihren Gedanken gerissen als sie vor einem Gebäude stand, was ganz und gar nicht wie ein Teehaus aussah. Anstatt ein schönes, gemütliches Geschäft zu sehen, wo Leute drin saßen, auf ihre bekannten warteten, Tee tranken, lachten und sich entspannten, sah sie etwas anderes. Der Raum des Ladens war von einer dicken Qualmschicht bedeckt, der sich mit einem gebratenem Fleisch vermischte. Einige Fenster waren eingeschlagen, was nur von Leuten kommen konnte, die einen über den Durst getrunken hatte. Er wäre ein Wunder gewesen, wenn ein Betrunkener, die Tische, Stühle oder Fenster umgehen würde, wenn er eine Schlägerei anzetteln würde. Das Geräusch von klirrendem Geschirr, riet ihr, dass es wohl besser wäre zu gehen. Denn sie wollte weder heute noch irgendwann in eine Schlägerei verwickelt werden. Während die Sonne langsam ihren Mittags stand verließ lief Jin weiter, dabei in ihren Gedanken versunken. // Hätte ich mich früher auf den Weg gemacht hätte ich Lee noch sehen können.// dachte sie im Stillen. Die Glücksfee hatte sich offenbar frei genommen und ließ Jin zurück. Erst war sie von einem Teehaus zum anderen gelaufen um sich zu entschuldigen und nun musste sie festellen , dass er Ba sing se verlassen hatte. Seufzend machte sie sich auf den Weg zum Feuerlichtbrunnen, ihrem Lieblingsplatz.  

Doch als sie dort ankam, wusste sie das die Glücksfee garantiert weg war. Die Fackeln um den Brunnen herum und im Wasser waren aus. So erschien, dieser Platz, grau, dunkel, kalt, und einsam. Das einzige was es nicht so trostlos machte, war das gezwistcher von ein paar Vögeln, dies sich auf dem Dach befanden. Nicht mal ihr Lieblingsplatz konnte sie heute aufheitern. Das war einfach nicht Jins Tag. Mit einem leichten gequälten lächeln, erinnerte sie sich an den Tag als sie mit Lee hier gewesen war. Damals war es genauso gewesen. Als sie am Feuerlichtbrunnen ankamen, waren auch alle Lichter aus gewesen und Lee hatte zu ihr gesagt, sie solle die Augen schließen. Und dann, wenige Sekunden später, durfte sie ihre Augen wieder öffnen. Wie durch ein Wunder, brannten alle Lichter. Es war so schön gewesen, aber vor allem war es das erstemal, das sie ihren Lieblingsplatz mit jemanden teilte. //Mach die Augen zu… und nicht linsen// hatte das gerade jemand gesagt? Oder hatte sie es in ihren Gedanken gehört? Es hörte sich für sie, wie eine Bitte an, die man ihr stellte. Jin kam es zwar ziemlich albern vor, als sie die Augen schloss. Doch wenige Sekunden später öffnete sie wieder, da sie glaubte etwas zu hören. Sie ließ ihren Blick über den Platz schweifen, sah aber im ersten Moment nichts. Doch dann bemerkte sie etwas in ihrer Nähe. Eines der Teelichter die im Wasser neben Jin herschwamm brannte! Das konnte doch nicht sein, bis eben waren doch ALLE aus gewesen und jetzt brannte eines. Wie konnte das sein? Es gab nicht viele Personen die diesen Ort kannten, geschweige hier mal waren. „Lee?“ sagte sie, was sie aber eher zu sich meinte. Suchend sah sie sich um am Platz um, doch niemand war zu sehen. // JIN brenn es dir in deinen Kopf ein… Lee ist weg und …wird nie,nie wieder kommen// Mit diesem Gedanken, machte sie sich auf den Heimweg , da es langsam dunkel wurde.  

Jin musste nur noch ein paar Meter laufen, dann würde sie zu Haus sein. Doch etwas beunruhigte sie. Es waren Schritte hinter ihr. Naja gleich musste sie keine großen Gassen mehr nehmen, da der Rest des Weges beleuchtet war. Doch als sie zwei Gestalten vor ihr sich näherten, wuchs das beunruhigende Gefühl in ihr. „ Na so spät noch draußen?“ meinte einer der beiden. „Ja was dagegen? Deine Mutter hat dir das wohl noch nicht erlaubt wie? Ich meine wenn dein Freund jetzt nicht hier wäre müsstest du jetzt schon im Bett liegen hm?“ konterte Jin direkt. Sie hatte das Gefühl ,das sie schleunigst verschwinden sollte. Und im nächsten Moment erkannte sie wieso. //Super heut muss auch noch einer Räuberbande in die Arme laufen, was besseres konnte mir heute wohl nicht passieren.// dachte sie und hörte etwas über sich. Sie vermutete das das auf dem Dach auch ein Räuber war, genau wie die Person die sie ganze Zeit verfolgt hatte. Ein leichtes lächeln schlich sich auf ihre Lippen. Sie hob ihre Hand und zählte ihre Gegner. „Also ihr seit zu viert und ich…bin ganz allein!“ Jin zeigte auf sich , verzog das Gesicht zu einem schockierten Blick und griff aus ihrem Ärmel nach einem Taschentuch. „OH Gott..ich werde ausgeraubt… ich muss sterben!“ schluchzte sie ins Taschentuch. Im nächsten Moment, nahm sie eine Hand vom Taschentuch da sie eine Rauchkugel in der Hand hatte und diese zu Boden vielen ließ. Kaum war die Kugel auf dem Boden, explodierte sie und es war nur noch eine Rauchwolke zu sehen. „Verdammt wo ist sie?“ rief der Räuber der die ganze Zeit hinter Jin her gelaufen war. „ Dieses kleine Mis..“ weiter er nicht, da ihn etwas an seinem Hinterkopf traf und er bewusstlos zu Boden viel. Hinter dem, Bewusstlosen stand Jin, mit einem Stab in den Händen. „Kann es sein, dass uns jemand hier nicht freiwillig sein Vermögen geben will?.. nun gut wie du willst.. dann wehr dich… aber lass dir gesagt sein, das du so nur dein Leben etwas verlängerst“ meinte der Räuber der Jin als erstes angeschprochen hatte. Oh ja sie würde kämpfen! Jedes Wesen, ob Mensch oder Tier, hatte das Recht um sein Leben zu kämpfen. Und genau das, würde Jin auch tun.

Ganz langsam, kamen die beiden vorderen Räuber auf sie zu. Jin sah sich um. Gab es den, in dieser Gasse nichts, was sie gegen ihre Feinde benutzen konnte? Noch immer suchend nach einem Ausweg, wie sie mehrerer Gegner gleichzeitig ausschalten konnte, ging sie einige Schritte Rückwärts. Und als sie auf etwas stieß drehte sie sich um. Hinter ihr, waren lauter Weinfässer aufgestapelt. Davor war ein Gerüst wo ein Riegel es zusammenhielt. Den ohne den Riegel, würde das Gerüst zusammenbrechen und die Fässer würden einstürzen. „Sieht wohl aus, als ob du jetzt sterben musst“ meinte der Räuber der neben seinem Kumpel stand. Dieser zückte eine Messer. „Nicht so lange ich ein Zeichen von Gott erhalte und ich glaube das wird eins kommen.“ Bevor die Räuber etwas machen konnten, hatte Jin das eine Endeihres Stabes durch den Henkel einer Vase geschoben und ihn auf die Rüber geschleudert. Jetzt waren sie für einen Moment abgelenkt und das war ihre Chance. Schnell löste sie den Riegel am Gerüst und sprang zur Seite. Nur wenige Sekunden später brach das Gerüst zusammen und so mit auch der Halt für die Fässer und rollten auf die Räuber zu. Die Räuber sahen die Fässer, probierten sich in Sicherheit zu bringen, doch es gelang ihnen nicht und sie wurden von den Weinfässern erfasst. „Geschafft“ meinte Jin triumphierend und ging den Weg weiter, den ihr die zwei Räuber vorher abgeschnitten hatten. Jetzt konnte sie endlich nach Hause dort war sie sicher vor solchen Leuten. Sie hatte es fast geschafft, gleich war sie aus der dunklen Gasse draußen.. Doch ein Geräusch über ihr ließ sie stehen bleiben.  

„Gar nicht mal so schlecht für ein Mädchen ohne Bändigungsfähigkeiten“ meinte der Räuber der sich das ganze Szenario von oben angesehen hatte. //Mist… den hatte ich vollkommen vergessen.//dachte Jin und lief einige Schritte zurück. „Nun..du hast dich wacker geschlagen, aber hier ist deine Endstation meine kleine!“ mit einem dreckigem grinsen kam er auf Jin zu. Jin ging weitere Schritte zurück, strauchelte jedoch, da sie über etwas gestolpert war. Schnell sah sie hinunter, da sie hoffte, etwas zu finden. Ja tatsächlich da war etwas unter dem Weinsee und einem der bewusstlosen Räuber, etwas glänzendes. Jin wollte sich gerade bücken, da nahm sie eine Bewegung vor sich war. Der Dieb hatte eine Geste nach vorne gemacht. //was hat er den..// doch Jin musste den Gedanken nicht zu Ende denken, da sie es sah, wie etwas sich drehendes, zwischendurch blizend auf sie zu kam. Ein Wurfmessern. Schnell hatte sie ihren Stab waagerecht vor sich und drehte ihn. Dabei behielt sie den Räuber im Auge. Sie taumelte einige Schritt rückwärts, da das Messer den Stab getroffen hatte und Jin nicht darauf wirklich vorbereitet war. „Alle Achtung, du bist nicht so ein verängstigtes, umher kreischendes Mädchen“ //Oh..darauf wäre ich alleine nie gekommen. Vielen dank für diese Information.// dachte Jin. Der Räuber sagte noch etwas, doch Jin hatte ihre Aufmerksamkeit woanders.

Über dem Räuber befand sich ein großes Tuch was mit Seilen an den Ecken der Wand befestigt war. Man sah das die Seile ganz schon strapaziert waren, da es ziemlich nach unten gezogen wurde, von dem Gewicht des Tuches. Auf dem Tuch befand sich irgend welcher Krimskrams , den die Leute nicht mehr brauchten. Es war einfach ein großer Mülleimer der in der Luft hing. Dieser wurde einmal im Monat entsorgt. Das Tuch wies viele Flicken auf, ein Zeichen dafür das die Leute zu geizig waren ein neues kaufen. Vielleicht war das aber auch gerade Jins Rettung. Sie hatte das Gefühl, das ihre Glücksfee ihren Urlaub beendet hatte, um ihrem Schützling, Jin bei zu stehen. „Jetzt kann dir keiner mehr helfen“ „Meinst du? Ich sehe das ganz anders!“ meinte Jin zu ihm. Schnell hatte sie sich gebügt, um das Messer auf zu heben , was in dem Weinsee lag auf zu heben. „Sag mal..willst du mit dem Gemüsemesser auf mich los gehen?“ Der Räuber dachte doch wirklich das sie ihn mit dem Messer angreifen wollte. Naja immerhin durschaute er so nicht ihren Plan. Im nächsten Augenblick, warf sie das Messer, in die Luft, Richtung Tuch. „Das war ja wohl kein gar kein Volltreffer.“ Sagte der Räuber und lachte auf. „Das sehe ich aber nicht so“ Auf Jins Lippen erschien ein grinsen. Das Messer traf eines der vielen Flicken vom Tuch, zerris und alles was auf dem Tuch war viel nun, durch das Loch auf den Räuber. Jin schloss die Augen als sie den Aufprall der ganzen Sachen hörte, die auf dem Boden landeten.

Langsam öffnete sie die Augen, konnte jedoch nichts sehen, da durch den Aufprall, der Staub auf dem Boden aufgewirbelt wurde. Doch Jin musste zum Glück feststellen, das ihr Plan geklappt hatte und der Anführer, der Räuber, begraben von kaputten Vasen, Erde, und ähnlichem war. Sie wollte weiter gehen, um endlich zu Hause zu sein, als sie etwas sah, was der Räuber wohl verloren hatte, als er unter den Sachen verschüttet wurde. Es war ein Geldbeutel der 4 mal so groß wie Jins Hand war. „ Jetzt werde ich auch noch für meinen harten Kampf, mit einem Schatz belohnt“ „Was meinst du den mit ´einem Schatz belohnt´?“ Jin sah zu der Stelle wo jetzt ein Haufen von Abfall zu sehen war. Der Räuber hatte seinen Kopf aus dem Müll heraus bekommen und sah Jin wütend an. „ lächelte und hockte sich vor ihn. „Nun.. eigentlich hätte es ja so ausgesehen das, das ihr mich überfällt und mir alles raubt was wertvoll ist.. aber da ich einen nach dem anderen besiegt habe und du, der Anführer dieser Sippe kampfunfähig bist.. würde ich sagen das ist mein Schatz!“ „Was? Wie bitte? Das ist mein Schatz! Oder willst du mir jetzt etwa erzählen das es dein Schatz ist nur weil ich es nicht schaffe aus diesem Müllberg heraus zu kommen?“ „Ein Wunder denken kann er auch noch! Nun gut.. ich gehe jetzt, weil ich habe keinen Bock mir von einem Räuber Moralpredigten an zu hören“ Und so stand Jin auf und machte sich auf den Weg nach Hause. Doch zum dritten mal sollte etwas passieren was ihren Heimweg aufhielt.  

Um die Ecke kam ein großer, Mann mit breiten Schultern und einer Flasche in der Hand. Auch wenn der Abstand zwischen Jin und ihm ca. 20 Schritte betrug, konnte sie seine Alkoholfahne riechen. „Louie wo warst du? Wir hätte dich gebraucht!“ zischte der Rüber. Der angeschprochende, sah zu seinem Boss. „O tschuldige Boss.. ich*hicks* hab einen Weinladen gefunden*hicks* und könnnt ned wiederstehenn“ lallte Louie und grinste seinen Chef an. „Das ist mir egal! Jetzt schnapp dir das Gör!“ „Hey Boss guck mal da ist ein Mädchen, wollen wir ihr das Geld abnehmen?“ „LOUIE! Was hab ich gerade gesagt?!“ „Keine anunggg Boss..sag ma *hicks* ist dir aufgefallen das du unter einem Müllberg liegst?“ „LOUIE!! SCHNAPP DIR DAS MÄDCHEN!“ brüllte der Räuber. „Okay okay..musst ja nicht gleich laut werden“ meinte Louie und widmete sich Jin. //Wie hat dieser Trunkenbold es nur in diese Bande geschafft?// dachte sie. (Genau die Frage stell ich mir auch gerade XDD aber ich glaube die Frage stellt sich gerade der ein oder andere Leser auchXD) Louie kam auf sie zu, dabei nahm er einen Schluck aus seiner Flasche Doch er musste feststellen, das sein Flasche leer war. Genau in diesem Augenblick viel Jin etwas ein, wie sie endlich von hier weg kam. Jin schwankte leicht taumelnd nach hinten und viel zu Boden. Louie sah zu Jin. „Oh Boss , die ist umgefallen“ „ Das würde ich als junge Frau auch tun, wenn ich deiner Fahne ausgesetzt wäre.“ Meinte der Räuber nur. Louie trat einen Schritt näher an Jin heran. Dabei blieb sein Blick an Jins Oberweite hängen, da ihr Oberteil etwas verrutscht war. Leicht blinzelnd sah Jin zu ihm hoch. Louie sah aber nur auf Jins Oberweite und dachte nicht mal im Entferntesten daran das sie eigentlich wach war. Genau wie Jin es sich gedacht hatte. Wenn Männer betrunken waren, gab es zwei Arten von Männern. Einmal die Sorte, die gerne eine Schlägerei anfingen, ohne Rücksicht auf Verluste zu nehmen. Die andere Art war, die, das Männer ihr Gehirn ausschalteten, sobald ein weibliches Wesen anfing Haut zu zeigen. Louie gehörte definitiv zur zweiten Sorte. Jin wartet noch einen Moment ab, bis Louie mit geschpreitzten Beinen über ihr stand. Im nächsten Augenblick hörte man einen Stöhnen, da Jin ihren Fuß, genau zwischen sein Beine gerammt hatte. Schnell stand Jin auf und holte mit dem Stab aus. Sie traf Louie im Gesicht. Dieser hatte soviel getrunken das er das Gleichgewicht nicht halten konnte und zu Boden stürzte. So schnell sie konnte rannte sie zur der hellen Gasse um endlich vor solchen Typen in Sicherheit zu sein und um nach Hause zu gehen.  

Als sie an ihrem Haus, ging sie hinein. Sie war müde und wollte nur noch in ihr Bett. Doch bevor sie im Bett lag, ging sie zu einem Podest was im Flur stand. Auf diesem Podest war ein Buch. Es war ein Gästebuch. In dem Gästebuch mussten die Leute ihren Namen, sowie ihre Ankunfts- und Abreisezeit eintragen. Der untere Teil ihres Hauses vermietet sie. Die Gäste hatten ein eigenes Schlafzimmer so wie ein kleines Bad nur die Küche mussten sie sich mit Jin teilen. Sie stellte fest, dass sich keine neuen Gäste eingetragen hatten. So machte sie sich auf den Weg in ihr Zimmer. Kaum saß sie auf ihrem Bett und hatte den Gürtel gelöst, überfiel sie die Müdigkeit und sie schlief ein.  

„Hier müsste es sein Onkel“ sagte Zuko, trat durch die Tür und sah sich um. „ Warum die Tür wohl nicht zu war?“ „Das Mädchen hatte einen schweren Tag hinter sich mein Neffe und ich finde wir sollten es uns erstmal gemütlich machen“ meinte Iroh und ging in die Küche, um Tee zu machen. Zuko nickte nur und sah sich um. Dabei dachte er daran , was er Morgen wichtiges zu erledigen hatte. Er wollte mit seinem Onkel zum Erdkönig gehen und ihre Hilfe beim wieder aufbau von Ba sing se anbieten. Aber dafür wollte er keinen Boten los schicken der von der Feuernation bis nach Ba sing se lief. Nein er wollte sehen was aus der einst uneinnehmbaren Stadt geworden war. Das Ergebnis war schockierend heut Morgen gewesen, als er und sein Onkel die Stadt erreicht hatten. Ein gewaltiger Riss war in der dicken Mauer, groß genug um die Armee der Feuernation durch zu lassen. So schnell er konnte war er durch die Mauer mit seinem Straußenpferd. Ein großer Teil der Häuser, war entweder durch kämpfe mit der Feuernation oder durch Brände zerstört worden. Viele Leute hatten keine zu Hause mehr und lebten in Pensionen oder bei verwandten. Als er diese Bilder sah, kamen ihm zwei Menschen in den Sinn die er hier kennengelernt hatte. Song und Jin.

Mitten in der Nacht hatte er sich auf die Suche nach einem Straußenpferde Züchter gemacht, nach einigen Stunden war er auch fündig geworden. Die Tiere waren in engen Käfigen gefangen gewesen. Schnell hatte er sich zu den Käfigen geschlichen, doch leider ohne zu wissen das dieser Züchter einen Hund hatte. Dort angekommen probierte er ,das Schloss zu knacken was bei dem Hundegebell gar nicht so einfach war. Doch er schaffte es, schnappte sich vier Straußenpferde und ritt davon. Als nächstes ritt er zu Songs Haus und ließ zwei Straußenpferde mit einer Nachricht zurück. Auf der Nachricht stand, dass diese beiden Tiere, das gestohlene gut ersetzten würden. Dann hatte er sich mit seinem Onkel nach Ba sing se aufgemacht.  

Da sie in Ba sing se weder ihr Teehaus, noch ihre Wohnung hatten, mussten sie eine Unterkunft suchen. Dafür hatten sie sich aufgeteilt, damit sie eine größerer Chance hatten einen Schlafplatz zu finden. Zuko war bei seiner Suche nach einer Übernachtungsgelegenheit , bei dem Feuerlichtbrunnen angekommen. Aber außer ihm hatte er noch jemanden an diesem Platz gesehen. Es war Jin. Zuko blieb hinter einem Haus versteckt und beobachtete sie. Ihr Gesicht hatte genauso ausgesehen, als sie hier zusammen waren. Zuko sah sich um, niemand war aber zu sehen. //Mach die Augen zu… dann kann ich dir wieder eine Freude machen und dein Lächeln sehen// dachte er, während er sie ansah. Und als sie tatsächlich die Augen schloss, konnte er ein lächeln nicht unterdrücken. Gab es, so was wie Telepathie wirklich? Wenn ja dann hatte er gerade den Beweis dafür. Er trat einige Schritte nach vorne, aus seinem Versteck hinaus um die ersten Lichter an zu zünden. Das erste Licht was brannte, war in Jins Nähe. Als er anfangen wollte die Fackeln an zu zünden, kam eine Katze um die Ecke gerannt, die von einem Hund gejagt wurde. Genau dieser Krach veranlasste Jin dazu, dass sie die Augen öffnete. Schnell hatte sich der Feuerbändiger in sein Versteck zurück gezogen. Seine Augen waren geschlossen. Er atmete langsam ein und aus. Als er dann noch seinen Decknamen hörte, dachte er das sein Herzschlag sie zu ihm führen würde! So hielt er den Atem an um seinen Herzschlag zu verlangsamen und um zur Ruhe zu kommen. Als er einen Augenblick später hörte wie, wie Jin sich vom Feuerlichtbrunnen entfernte, atmete er erleichtert auf. Jetzt war er sich sicher, dass sie ihn nicht entdeckt hatte. Nun ging er den Weg zurück, um woanders nach einem Schlafplatz zu suchen. Während er von Haus zu Haus schlenderte und nach einer Unterkunft fragte, sah er immer Jins trauriges Gesicht vor seinem inneren Auge. Was war nur mit ihm los? Warum konnte er sie nicht vergessen. Konnte er es nicht vergessen, da es ihn an den Abend erinnerte, wo er die Lichter entzündet hatte? Weil er sich an ihr glückliches Gesicht erinnerte wenn er in ein Teelicht starrte? Er würde aus seinen Gedanken gerissen, als jemand seinen Decknamen rief. Es war sein Onkel gewesen, der ihm gesagt hatte, er hätte etwas zum übernachten gefunden. Während sie gingen, sagte ihm sein Onkel `beiläufig` das die Unterkunft bei Jin sei.

Und nun waren sie hier, bei ihr zu Hause. Er wollte gerade einen Schluck Tee nehmen, den sein Onkel ihm in eine Tasse eingegossen hatte , als ihm etwas einfiel. „Onkel… was meintet ihr mit ´ Sie hatte einen schweren Tag hinter sich´?“ Iroh seufzte auf. Sein Onkel war Zuko gefolgt, und war auch an dem Brunnen gewesen und hatte ihn beobachtet. Als Zuko sich später vom Brunnen entfernt hatte, war er Jin gefolgt. Dabei kam er nicht drum herum, seinem Neffen von den Dieben zu erzählen.

„Und was habt ihr gemacht? Da gesessen und zu gesehen?“ fragte Zuko mit einem gereiztem Ton in der Stimme. „Nein natürlich nicht mein lieber Neffe, aber sie kann gut alleine zu recht kommen. Ich wäre nur im Weg gewesen“ meinte der Drach des Westen und nippte an seinem Tee. Sein Neffe sah ihn mit einem wehe- ich- entdecke-den-kleinstem-Kratzer-an-ihr Blick in seinen Augen stehen. Kurz darauf stand er auf und verließ den Raum mit den Worten „Bin im Badezimmer“. Als er dort ankam, entdeckte er an der Tür einen Zettel. Auf diesem stand das die Rohre der des Bades neu verlegt wurden und so lange stand ihr Badezimmer den Gästen zur Verfügung. Mit einem leisen Seufzen, ging er die Treppe hoch die ihn in die obere Etage das Hauses brachte.  

Oben angekommen waren auf der rechten und linken Seite viele Türen. An der erstem Tür hatte er kein Erfolg, den es wäre neu für ihn gewesen wenn man sich in einer Besenkammer duschen könnte. Bei der Tür daneben hatte er Erfolg. So ging er hinein um erst mal in Ruhe zu baden. Als er nach 45 Minuten wieder heraus trat, fühlte er sich erfrischt. Er wollte gerade nach unten gehen, als er die offene Tür vor sich bemerkte. Ganz langsam schlich er zu dieser und öffnete etwas weiter, um in den Raum zu schauen.

Es war ein kleiner Raum. Neben der Tür, war ein Tisch und ein Stuhl . Auf dem Tisch lagen einige Bücher. Gegenüber dem Tisch war ein Kleiderschrank. Und genau vor Zuko war ein Bett in dem jemand schlief. Ein leichtes lächeln erschien auf Zukos Lippen , als er Jin dort schlafen sah. Leise schlich er zu ihr und setzte sich ans Bett. Jin lag mit dem Rücken zu Zuko so, das dieser sich etwas nach vorne beugen musste, um ihr Gesicht zu sehen. Ihr Gesicht, konnte er aber nicht gut sehen, da einige Haarsträhnen auf ihrem Gesicht lagen. Gant vorsichtig, strich er diese aus ihrem Gesicht. Auf Jins Lippen erschien ein kleines lächeln, was Zuko schmunzeln ließ. Langsam wollte er wieder aufstehen, um sich zu seinem Onkel zu bewegen, da merkte er das Jin leicht zitterte. Ganz langsam, legte er seine Hand auf ihre Schulter und einen Augenblick später hörte sie auf zu zittern. Erleichtert ließ Zuko sich ins Kissen sinken. Jins regelmäßige Atemzüge, die der ehemalige Teekellner vernahm, ließ ihn entspannen. Er würde seine Augen schließen um zur Ruhe zu kommen. Auch Jin hatte ihm damals geholfen, dass er sein Leben änderte. Sie hatten ihn gezeigt, das es Leute gab, die ihn so akzeptierten wie er war. Ja er hatte in Ba sing se sogar ein normales Leben geführt, was er auf der Suche nach dem Avatar nicht hatte. Er hatte Leute kennengelernt, die ihn als Teekellner mochten. Manchmal, hatte er sich dieses Leben zurück gewünscht. Ein Leben , wo er ein ganz normaler Mensch war, wie die anderen auch. Ein Mensch mit einem geregeltem Lebensrhythmus.

Als Zuko die Augen öffnete, merkte er, dass er wohl eingeschlafen sein musste. Das Zimmer, was vor kurzem noch von der Abendsonne erhellt wurde, lag nun im dunkeln. Dies war für Zuko ein Zeichen das er eingeschlafen war. Langsam richtete sich der Prinz auf, da bemerkte er, dass seine Hand noch immer auf Jins Schulter lag. Ganz vorsichtig, probierte er seine Hand von ihrer Schulter zu nehmen. Doch das war alles andere als einfach. Denn Jin hatte im schlaf, ihre Hand auf seine gelegt. Jins Hand umklammerte seine nur noch fester, wenn er versuchte, sie zu bewegen. „..Lee…“ hörte man Jin im Schlaf murmeln. Mit einem lächeln ließ sich Zuko ins Kissen sinken. Das Schicksal, wollte wohl, dass er nicht von ihr weg kam. Diesmal akzeptierte er das Schicksal. Vielleicht hatte er endlich das, nach dem er so lange gesucht hatte, aber für ihn unerreichbar schien.

Glück

Mit diesem Gedanken holte er die Bettdecke mit seinem Fuß hervor, die am Fußende lag. Er deckte sich und Jin zu und probierte zu schlafen.

[demaparbat-hp]

I used to just think Zutara was cool because Zuko and Katara had that whole fire-water duality, had more chemistry with each other than their canon love interests, Kataang gave me this sexist pseudo-incestuous vibe while Mai was just way too under-developed to interest me (Zuko gets the most character development out of all the characters but they pair him off with the most boring character in the series?).

Now when I actually think about it more deeply, Zutara genuinely made more sense for the narrative and characters too. Aang was told he had to let go of Katara so he could become a fully realized Avatar but then he just gets a deus ex machina so he doesn't have to. They dropped an entire arc just for Kataang to get together and made it happen in the most stupid way. The lion turtle deus ex machina was already badly done but at least it sorta made sense with the lore. The rock was just beyond ridiculous. Aang solved his problems by randomly hitting a rock even though they already established how Aang had this unhealthy attachment to Katara because she was his coping mechanism for his lost people. Instead of letting her go, Aang keeps that attachment and becomes even more possessive of her. He never learns to prioritize the world over Katara even though it is his duty as the Avatar! He didn't have to sacrifice or learn anything to achieve his goals and the way he became a fully realized Avatar NEVER made any sense. Katara and Aand were not always intended to end up together if you look at the IP Bible. Katara goes back to the SWT to help rebuild it while Aang goes looking for the hidden Air Nomads. There's hints early on in Book 1 that the Air Nomads are still alive (like how Aang was able to get a bison whistle from some merchants but they never explain where they got it from).

Meanwhile the whole Maiko relationship seemed like it was a metaphor to represent Zuko's false destiny and dissatisfaction with his life since Mai encouraged him to sink into his bad habits and ignore everything else, and Azula actively encouraged them to get together so she could control Zuko easier and keep him in the Fire Nation. Zuko leaving Mai behind felt like him embracing his true destiny. This entire thing falls apart when they get back together though, and them being so toxic in the comics is just further proving how dysfunctional they are (like, do they think this is going to sell us on the ship?). I also thought it was strange that apparently Zuko and Mai liked each other since they were kids but Mai never bothered to write him his entire banishment, Zuko never thought about her, Iroh never mentions her, Zuko was totally fine with going on a date with Jin (which Iroh also encouraged), and Iroh thought Zuko and Katara would make a good couple as soon as he saw them interacting as friends. It makes me think Bryke just created Mai and put her with Zuko as a way to discourage Zutara shippers but then forgot to develop her properly. Zuko doesn't even think about Mai after she risked his life to save him lol.

I'm about to make this a long answer, sorry about that :)

I love narrative, and I love to analyze how it is built. Narrative is the way a story is shaped to express its themes. Narrative is using the events within the story to build metaphors. Narrative is the smart foreshadowing, the parallels, the foils. Narrative is intentional, until it isn't.

I am not a professional. I do not have a college degree on this subject. I just like to think about what can make writing be great or lacking. I am merely expressing my personal opinion on this show and these characters, not stating an universal truth.

ATLA is such a well-written show. It treats its themes maturely and builds the story and characters masterfully. Of course, it isn't perfect, as nothing made by human hands is meant to be. ATLA has issues with its storyline and characters and, ultimately, with the narrative itself.

Aang's character arc is different to Zuko's in that, while Zuko's is focused on change, Aang's ultimately ends with him standing his ground. (And isn't that poetic? That in order to grow they need to embrace the philosophy of their opposite element?)

Zuko was forced to change in order to survive from a very young age. He learned to suppress his true, compassionate nature, to become The Perfect Prince—that which Azula embodies. When Zuko fails to do this, he is burnt and tossed away and forced to change once more. He has been hurt and thus is the farthest he has ever been from his true self—Zuko almost forgets who he is.

Zuko's arc, in that way, is similar to Aang's. It's about staying true to himself, but also about learning, about opening his eyes to the horror and using that same passion he has always had to do the right thing. Zuko changes, not into the person he was, but into someone who could, in the future, turn into the better version of himself.

Aang is different. Aang is a child born into peace, who does not have the personal, terrible experience of his people's genocide or the hundred years of war that have left the world wrecked. Aang's arc is about changing and learning and adapting to this new reality, about accepting his role as the Avatar. But it's also about standing firm and saying, "This is who I am, this is where I come from—pain will not break me".

Aang's struggle to control the Avatar State was all about that. The Avatar State meant that Aang lost control. It meant the pain and the hurt had turned him into a thing of anger (righteous as it was) and instinct and awe. Aang needed to be at peace with himself in order to control the Avatar State.

That tiny rock at the final battle felt like an easy way out. It felt like taking from the sheer terror of watching yourself almost kill a man as if from afar. The real moment of triumph for Aang in the finale happened when he stopped. It happened when he took control back and ended the Avatar State, stopping himself from betraying what he believed in.

Was not killing Ozai truly the best choice? I won't get into that debate. I know where I stand on it, but it's not really the point I'm trying to make here.

Aang's triumph, character-wise, happens when he stands his ground and refuses to abandon who he is and what he believes in. And for someone whose flight or fight response almost always turns to flight, this is a huge deal.

Now, where do Katara and Mai stand on this?

It has always been clear to me (even as a Maiko shipper) that Mai was always supposed to be a narrative device. Her relationship with Zuko is supposed to give us, the viewers, and him, another reason to see that this isn't the life he wants, that everything isn't perfect even when it should be on paper.

Zuko goes back home. Zuko is welcomed by his nation with open arms. He is revered. Loved. His father tells him he is proud of him. Zuko has a doting girlfriend—a beautiful, noble girl who can kick his ass and is everything a Fire Prince could wish for. She is adequate and things with her are easy, untroubled. Zuko has everything he could wish for.

And yet he is not happy.

Mai and Zuko have issues that should not be pinned fully on either of them. They had trouble comunicating. They wanted different things in life. They had different ways to look at the world. Different ways to look at each other. Different ways to cope. Different ways to express themselves. Different expectations.

And that's okay. It's possible to make a relationship like that work. Nobody is perfect and no relationship is flawless. Opposites attract and it's possible to find a middle ground in which they can both be happy.

Except they never truly did.

Mai and Zuko's relationship was a plot device. One that did its job damn well... Until it didn't.

If your relationship with the girl is supposed to symbolize the lowest point in your life, and going back into being someone you don't like anymore, then why get back to her when the story is over?

As for Katara, well...

Many things have been said about the abandoned Letting Go Of Katara arc. I'd like to avoid that discussion right now, if that's okay.

I think Zuko and Katara's relationship would have made a lot of sense both narratively and thematically, but also (and most importantly) it would have made sense character-wise.

Give them a few years, let them explore the beautiful friendship they had at the end of the series. Let them find themselves and grow into their roles in this different, exciting new world. Let them reconnect.

If they fall in love in the process? Well, maybe it was a long time coming.

[ghenry]

Rewatched the Avatar TLA series with my partner recently, and fell in love with the world and characters all over again. I especially love the journey Zuko goes through the show as a character.

Zuko, son of Fire Lord Ozai. He seems pretty by-the-books at first as this angry villain, but something that makes him immediately unique for this kind of setting is his young age. He's barely older than Aang, our child protagonist.

"You're just a child." "Well, you're just a teenager!"

Although early on you start getting the idea that there's more nuance to him than this villain trying to incapacitate our protag, he shows some depth in his character here and there, usually through his uncle Iroh, a wise warrior that's there to aid and comfort his nephew, joining his banished trip on his own accord. While he's on the villain's side, it's worth noting he never hurts or intimidates innocent people, only ever fighting those already attacking or threatening him.

Even so, Zuko made it blatantly clear what his intents were. "I must capture the avatar to regain my honor." And he barely changed his mind about this throughout the entire first season, even when the two helped each-other out of hopeless circumstances, hinting that they're not meant to be sworn enemies.

"If we knew each-other back then, do you think we could've been friends too?"

Knowing the show and how it transpires across all 3 seasons, it's interesting seeing the intent the writers and showrunners had for these characters, and their hidden depth, all the way back in this first season. One of the finest examples would be Iroh sharing Zuko's history with fellow soldiers. A history which helps said soldiers --and in turn, the audience-- empathize with him.

Behind Zuko's scarred face is a story about a boy already feeling lost and unsure of himself, stumbling into a tragedy where his father --in sheer arrogance-- abused his son to a high degree in front of all his subordinates, in a heinous act he would call punishment.

Ever since then, he was banished to travel across the world to search for the avatar, a task his father felt was worthless, but was the same as leaving him out to die. This isn't the origin of a villain, but a downtrodden individual who couldn't find his place in life.

What Zuko called "honor" over and over again wasn't that, but his father's love. He already lost his mother, and instead yearned for his father's approval and affection. This culminated to his ultimate betrayal, siding with his sister and turning his back on his uncle, which lead to his imprisonment. During a crossroad and moment of insecurity, he threw his uncle Iroh to the wolves because he thought he would regain his honor and earn his right to be a part of his family once again.

Zuko would be welcomed back into his family, he retrieved what he thought was his honor --and what he thought was genuine love from his father.

"You have redeemed yourself, my son."

But even then, he still felt lost, alone, and without a sense of direction. Nothing changed, his soul still felt incomplete.

"For so long, I thought that if my dad accepted me, I'd be happy. My dad talks to me, he even thinks I'm a hero! Everything should be perfect, right? I should be happy now, but I'm not! I'm angrier than ever, and I don't know why!"

It took him a long time (about 2 and a half seasons) to realize he didn't need this sense of "honor" and what he was chasing was just a farce. His father only showed Zuko "love" when he seemed useful, an asset that was helping his fascist conquering of multiple nations by killing the Avatar.

All of this drew to an enthralling, terrifying, heart-wrenching moment between him and his father during the day of the eclipse. He used the minutes they could not fire bend as an opportunity to let out the truth and his own epiphany. He admitted that he never killed Aang --didn't even try, for that matter-- and that he's going to help him defeat his father's regime. Ozai immediately despised Zuko for this, proving his 'love' was conditional and hollow. And at that moment, as soon as the eclipse ceased, he attempted to kill his own son right then and there in a moment that never fails to draw tears out of me as soon as it happens.

Zuko survived his father's lethal attack, only by sheer will, and a lighting-redirection technique his uncle happened to teach him a while back, emphasizing how important Iroh is to him. Iroh is the father figure that truly loved Zuko unconditionally. Ozai, his biological father, could only grant him death. His uncle Iroh, at that moment, inadvertently granted him life.

And Zuko's story (mostly) ends in the middle of the 4-part finale. With the help of his friends, he tracked down Iroh who escaped from prison. The moment he sees his uncle, he breaks down as he's horribly ashamed of his actions, expecting Iroh to shun him as he feels he does not deserve his uncle's love after what he did to him.

"I was never angry with you . . . I was sad, because I was afraid you lost your way."

But Iroh doesn't hesitate to embrace him. Like I said, his love is unconditional. He knew Zuko wasn't evil, he was only being manipulated by the likes of his father and sister. He knew Zuko would find the right path, restore his own honor, and come back to him. It's such a beautiful moment and the soul-piercing conclusion to Zuko's story, a story they were building up since the literal first episode.

Of course, there's also Azula, his sister. She was considered a prodigy with her amazing fire bending abilities, mastering the skill of bending lightning, something only her father and uncle were able to do before her.

She was a spitting image of her father; fierce, manipulative, wrathful, the only thing she shared with her brother Zuko was their sense of determination. But we don't learn what really drives Azula until the finale. It's similar to Zuko. He felt incomplete without his father's love. While this was implied before the finale, Azula felt she was missing her mother's love.

While I think the argument could be made that this was just her own projection, it's important that this shows how --despite her more respected place in their family and nation-- she was just as broken and spiritually lost as Zuko. While Ozai showered his daughter with praise for all of her life, Azula felt her mother didn't love her, which ate away at her, deep inside. Much like Zuko, who felt he was fighting to earn his father's love.

Azula, to me, represents Zuko's future if he let his father manipulate him, just like Azula did to him. Would he have become this tyrannical fire lord if he just listened to his father, abandoned his inhibitions, and ensured his nation's regime? Maybe. But like Azula's interrupted crowning, it would have been shallow, lonely, and without any real sense of self-worth. Nothing to show for it but a broken mind.

Instead, Zuko became the fire lord on his own terms, and with the entire world in support of him, as he helped this quest for peace and balance across the nations. He earned his place in life through his own will, his own actions, and his amazing uncle who only wanted the best for him. He restored his honor himself, with lifelong friends by his side.

That's it, that's all I wanted to write about. This show rules.

[gotticalavera]

How do you think Fem! Aang would do as Fire Lady?

No.

I think that every fantasy with Zuko's ships, whether his partner, eventually ends up becoming FireLady or some other political position within the Fire Nation.

But Aang, whether male or female, doesn't have that option in my opinion. I could go the easy way and just be the FireLady, but I like to get complicated and in the lore I have of Zuk♀Aang, Aang never became FireLady, but she managed to have a greater social-political impact within Fire Nation by not be.

The reasons why I justify that ♀Aang wouldn't have the title of Fire Lady are:

The Fire Nation council, nobles, and public opinion would have pressured her to renounce her nationality. Aang is the only survivor of her nation, and the prejudiced culeros of FN would use that argument to take away her identity, since, from the little seen in the series and comics, women married to nobles and royalty had to renounce all their life and everything they are before they get married.

The tension and fear that would be generated in other nations. Aang already has an established role; being the Avatar, the bridge between the two worlds and the person who wields the four elements, and who stopped the 100 year war. Aang's role has to be impartial and focus on solving/mediating current problems between nations, so it would not be well regarded for Aang to have a relationship with Zuko, who is now FireLord. Having the Avatar as another representative of FN (FireLady), since that country was the one that caused the war in the first place, would bring disagreement and tension between the other countries towards FN.

Air nomads probably don't have marriages. This is a hc, but I consider that air nomads do not give importance to marriages or having paper records that say that this couple is together, maybe they do have a ceremony for it, but it's not common. So Zuko and Aang used that to their advantage, and various FN loopholes to be able to marry "unofficially", Zuko didn't marry as FireLord but as a civil person without titles just like Aang. So Aang would be the FireLord's first unofficial wife within FN records.

That Aang was only known as FireLady. Like any heroic story, over time it is romanticized to make it more interesting, and the story of Zuko and Aang as a couple would undoubtedly become a love story like Omashu; Possibly decades later there will be versions of the story saying that they fell in love at first sight and it was a forbidden love. When I think that really everything romantic happened after the war, anyway, if she had become FireLady, she would just be pigeonholed to that description. Aang is a character who, from the canon, has this implicit struggle with the people who dehumanize him; They treat him with this divinity that is being an Avatar and they don't see the person he is. If she were FireLady, it would be another dehumanization on her list, but at least with the title of Avatar I could still have something of her person, with FireLady I don't think so (in the palace, they refer to Aang as Lady Avatar or Avatar Aang).

And although she was not officially named as FireLady (wife of the FireLord) and did not have any power within FN. She would undoubtedly make a social-political impact within society, from not being a beautiful woman by traditional FN standards dating FireLord, to the ambiguity with which she handles international political treaties (whether against or for FN), which due to ZukAang's civil marriage, a dual nationality law began to be formed, raising awareness of environmental and spiritual management, and an entire artistic movement that decided to dedicate itself to retracing their moment or that of the royal family with Aang, are some of the things that come to mind.

All because Zuko is so fucking in love with her and only wants to have Aang as his partner!!

[princess-of-the-corner]

Claw would probably be a water bender or a Zuk type fire bender Shady feels like she's suppressing it so much, she think she's a non-bender but would be a Fire bender to start with if she stopped suppressing herself it's a backwards thinking but it is a backwards world...what do you think?

I mean it's.

They're supposed to be equal-opposite to LB and CN, so like. If I used /my/ atla au, then we'd have evil avatar duo.

[fashionshopping]

Avatar: The Last Airbender Zuk ... Price 24.80$ CLICK TO BUY

[tsuteybooty]

I just wanna mention, Zuk drew a gorgeous illustration on her avatar oc Nyra and she's not posting it yet and you all are missing out big time.

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Imagine being Mai’s younger sister and having a reciprocated crush on Zuko ever since you were kids. For obvious reasons, neither of you acted on your feelings but when you reconnect as adults things are different.

Part two here

Part three here

___

You were Mai’s younger sister, only a year younger but that year made a big impact on your life. The age difference meant when Ursa and Ozai were looking for companions for Azula, despite being three years older, Mai was sent as she was the eldest. After a few supervised playdates Mai was selected and you weren’t surprised in the slightest. Mai was everything you wanted to be, responsible, well-behaved, beautiful and respected. Your family adored her because she was the perfect daughter and no matter what you did you couldn’t get out of her shadow.

Mai was so perfect she even started dating the future Firelord when she was 13. You’d seen that coming too. You knew Mai had a crush on Zuko for years and that had always made you wary of Zuko. The truth was being the same age as him you saw a lot of Zuko and you also liked him but learnt early on he was Mai’s.Your sister liked him and you wouldn’t do anything to get in her way. So you just focused on being Zuko’s friend until apparently that was too much as well. Azula informed you one day when you were 12 that Mai was jealous of you and Zuko doing homework together. Azula was ruthless with her insults, she called you cheap, jealous of Mai, desperate for Zuko’s attention and a thousand other things that stuck with you. So from that day you stopped interacting with Zuko when you could help it. You never wanted to cause trouble and were used to putting your wants and feelings to the back of the pile so just did that, no matter how challenging it was. You saw Zuko almost every day at school and sometimes more. He was dating Mai so he was always around and it sometimes led to interactions. He’d ask you to pass Mai a note or give you something Mai had left at his. The worst times were when he’d come over to yours after school. As Mai was in the year above she finished earlier and so Zuko would walk with you to your home. You weren’t sure why he did it, you’d been distant with him for long enough. You refused to speak to him apart from nods if he asked you a direct yes or no question but still he’d walk beside you all the way to your home. It was tense and uncomfortable every step but still the next week Zuko would do the same thing and you could never work out why.

Your crush never faded but you managed to place it in the background where you could ignore it. You never bothered with dating because honestly you didn’t feel that excitement with anyone like you did around Zuko. You didn’t see the point in getting involved with people unless you liked them so you rejected every boy. Which caused great aggravation between you and your parents. By the time you reached 19 and still hadn’t brought home one suitor your parents were at their limit. "We thought Mai would be the one with no prospects but she’s dated two very respectable men" your father frowned "whereas at 19 you haven’t had a single partner". You resisted the eye roll "maybe not but i am very high up in my profession”. Mai didn't even have a job you wanted to add but you refused to tear down your sister just to make yourself feel better. Your accomplishments alone should be enough. You worked at the Boiling Rock prison, your uncle had gotten you the job and you liked it. You wanted to help rehabilitate the prisoners and although many guards didn’t share your affinity you’d been climbing higher and higher and were finally in the position to enact some reforms. It was an impressive feat but of course your parents weren’t that pleased. In their eyes there was one main thing you were failing at and that surpassed anything you had done correctly. "A career is great but what about a family?" your mother asked "you can’t be alone forever". "Why not?" you burst "i can provide for myself, i don’t get lonely and i don’t like anyone enough to waste my time on them". Your father shook his head "it reflects badly on our name if you are not married, Mai at least gave suitors a chance not to mention her and Zuko will inevitably get back together but you are too selfish to try. It’s not just about you, your actions impact us too. What will it look like for us if our daughter is alone forever?".

The argument went round and round with no conclusion. Your parents refused to listen and you refused to sell yourself for the family name. It was like this every time you came home so you avoided it as much as you could but this was a monumental occasion. You had an audience with the Firelord to pitch him your suggested reforms. You waited in the reception for your appointment while your parent’s voices replayed in your head no matter how many times you tried to banish them. This was too important, you wouldn’t let them ruin it no matter how badly the odds were stacked against you. Everyone at work had said your task was impossible, that the Firelord would never care about something as “unimportant” as reforming the prisons. They’d pointed out that Ozai would not have cared so why would his son be any different. You suspected they were correct but you’d gotten this far and at least had to try.

A Kyoshi warrior appeared and told you to follow her. She explained Firelord Zuko was very busy so your meeting had been halved in time. That didn’t ease your anxiety. You were shown into a room and minutes later Zuko entered. You hadn’t seen him in years, not since his break up with Mai, but he hadn’t changed much. Despite knowing him since you were 5 you’d been trained to respond appropriately to royalty and bowed immediately. Zuko told you to rise before he paused "y/n? My meeting is with you?". You nodded meeting his eyes fleetingly "yes i’m the general at boiling rock, i thought you knew....". "I knew you worked there but had no idea you’d risen so high" Zuko smiled "well done i’m sure your family is very proud". You looked away awkwardly and chose not to answer "i understand you don’t have a lot of time so thank you for seeing me". Zuko nodded his head "yes i’m sorry for shortening it, if i’d have known it was you i would’ve pushed my other appointment back instead but i’m afraid now it’s too late". "It’s okay i can condense it down into a 3-minute talk" you said in business mode and launched into your proposal. Just 1 minute in Zuko stopped you and you felt your stomach fill with dread. He wasn’t even going to let you finish before he dismissed your reforms. You sighed sadly when Zuko stood up "i think i can save us both some time, i agree with everything you’ve said and move we pass these reforms". You blinked "what?". "I agree with you" Zuko said simply "i’ve seen how the fire nation punishes people and i don’t like it, i say we start working on these immediately, are you free some time next week to discuss them thoroughly?". You blinked "to discuss them with you?". Zuko nodded "i’d like to help with this as much as i can and support your project fully, i’m free next Wednesday how about we meet and discuss them all in-depth?". You blinked "that’d be amazing thank you Firelord". "Zuko" he said correcting you "come on y/n we’ve known each other since we were kids you don’t have to call me that, at least not when we’re alone". You looked down embarrassed and nodded "thank you...Zuko". Zuko smiled "no problem, now i’m really sorry but i do have to go. So i’ll see you next Wednesday, send my best to Mai and your parents" and Zuko left the room.

You were utterly shocked by your meeting, as was everyone at the prison, and wondered if it would all come crashing down on you. Maybe Zuko would realise Firelords didn’t tend to be so helpful and cancel the whole thing but no such message arrived and so the next week you arrived at the palace. Armed with stacks of your plans you entered still half expecting to be turned away but were led inside. You were taken straight into Zuko’s study where he already sat waiting. "Y/n" he smiled "it’s good to see you again". "You too....Firelord Zuko" you said glancing at the guards in the room. "Dismissed" Zuko said and they left. "I pretty much have all day so don’t worry we don’t have to rush" Zuko told you before he glanced at the table. "Given it’s early i’ve got us some tea and breakfast things if you’d like a cup?" he said gesturing to them. You paused surprised, Zuko was very friendly and not anything like Ozai, it was hard to believe they were related. "Erm yes please but shouldn’t i?" you asked as Zuko went to prepare the tea but he shook his head immediately. "I’m Firelord not dead" he replied and began pouring the tea. He passed you a cup and took a seat across from you "now i promise no interruptions this time, tell me your ideas". 

You and Zuko discussed the reforms all day and you were thrilled how much he agreed to pass. It would be a lot of work but as you finished up you were hopeful and excited, you could do this. You could actually make a long-lasting positive change!

You packed up your belonging in this haze when Zuko paused thoughtfully.  "I have an idea" Zuko said "this is a very delicate and intricate proposal so how about we monitor it closely, we could meet say every week to go over its progress and discuss it?" Zuko asked. You paused "are you sure that’s not too much of your time?". "Of course not, i meant what i said, I like this project. It will do a lot of good, it’s just getting it there". You nodded your head "thank you that sounds great". Zuko smiled "perfect so we will meet every week to discuss this, it will be informal don’t worry and i’ll cover the costs of your travel, would you like to stay in the palace or at your home?". "My home is fine" you said even though the thought of seeing your parents every week pained you. Zuko smiled "great, how is everyone? Mai? Tomtom? Your parents?". "Mai’s good" you smiled "she’s happy" you said awkwardly trying to not mention her boyfriend which Zuko saw right through. Zuko smiled "y/n i know Mai is dating Kei Lo you can talk about it, we broke up almost 2 years ago". "Or course i just didn’t want to upset you". Zuko chuckled "as great as your sister is i am officially over her" Zuko smiled "so how is Tomtom, he must be big now?". You nodded "he’s nearly 7". "No!" Zuko cried and you laughed "i know! I still remember when he was born, it feels like yesterday". Zuko smiled “and your parents?". "They're fine" you said quickly and Zuko noticed how quickly your walls came back up. Something was clearly bothering you relating to your parents however Zuko understood parents were difficult so he didn’t push you. He thanked you for coming and led you to the door hoping whatever it was, one day you’d confide in him about it.

You returned the next week and every week after and found Zuko to be just as friendly and unfirelord-like. You also noticed how with the preparation springing into place these meetings no longer needed to be as intense or frequent but still Zuko scheduled them weekly. You wondered why when it occurred to you, Zuko might be lonely. Growing up his only friend had been Mai but she had also been his girlfriend. Now they’d broken up, his father was in prison, Azula was on the run, his mother & other relatives all lived far away and the avatar and his friends were constantly travelling...Zuko was the same age as you but so alone. You knew how that felt and so you didn’t stop the meetings either.

As time progressed the meetings also changed in their tone. Seeing as you could usually finish the business talk in an hour you and Zuko had taken to doing different tasks. From playing pai sho to feeding his newly hatched dragon Druk but your favourite was the palace gardens. Zuko had put a lot of effort into them and they were more beautiful than you ever remembered. So weekly you and Zuko would spend hours outside in them, talking and sitting together.

Zuko noticed how you were slowly but surely warming to him. You had always been careful and cautious around him in the past and that hadn’t changed but as the weeks went by you smiled more and actually looked him in the eye. You even started asking him questions about himself and his life. Your confidence grew and Zuko couldn’t escape how happy it made him feel to realise you felt safe around him.

One week you and Zuko were inside eating lunch together when his head guard Suki appeared. "Firelord Zuko i’m sorry but we have urgent business". Zuko nodded "what is it?". "Nobleman Rao has appeared unannounced at the palace, he claimed his cart broke down but considering he’s been pestering you for an audience for months that seems convenient. He’s here with his family and he wants to dine with you tonight". Zuko sighed "and if i refuse not only will i look rude but he will just stay longer". Suki nodded her head "as annoying as this is, i think the best thing would be to throw him a nice dinner and get him dealt with". Zuko nodded "tell him he can dine with me later". As soon as Suki left Zuko turned back to you. He tried to smile but you saw the weight this brought on him. "Is this man that bad?" you asked and Zuko nodded sighing. "He’s old fashioned and thinks he deserves respect just because of his family name. He constantly talks and demands a lot, i knew i’d have to see him eventually but i planned on having other people there too to try and balance his demanding nature. His wife is the same so i guess it’ll be two on one" Zuko sighed "i’ll be fine it just won’t be a pleasant evening". You frowned and an idea formed in your head "could i help?". Zuko looked up "what?". "Well perhaps i could help to ease the tension or to distract him from you? I don’t know i just thought if you wanted someone on your side there....". Zuko smiled, like your sister you weren’t known for being social unless you had to be so your offer meant a lot. "You’d do that for me?" he asked and you blushed "i mean i don’t want you to be overworked, you’re already doing so much...i want to help you". Zuko smiled touched "y/n that’d be wonderful, are you sure you don't mind?". You shook your head "not at all".

Hours later outside the royal dining room you regretted your decision. As soon as you’d finished eating you were rushed away by maids to prepare for a formal dinner. You didn’t have any fancy clothes so were made to borrow a royal dress so extravagant and expensive you felt like a peacock. You picked at the dress self consciously when Zuko appeared, also dressed in finery. You noticed him take in your outfit and sighed "i know i look ridiculous! It was the only dress they had on short notice so don’t mock me". "I wasn’t going to, you look beautiful". Zuko stared at you as he said that and you blushed vividly as you realised he wasn’t joking. "Sorry" Zuko said noticing he’d made you blush "but it’s true, you don’t look ridiculous at all". You blinked taking in Zuko’s compliment when he extended an arm to you “we should go in, are you ready?”. Still confused and blushing slightly you took his arm.

Zuko led you to the large dining room and stepped into the room confidently. You were amazed at how easily he could transform like that. He seemed to grow in size and morphed into an impressive confident king. You walked beside him slightly in awe and had trouble taking your eyes off him. Zuko brought you out of your daze as he introduced you to the nobleman. "This is my friend y/n" Zuko explained "she was visiting me too and so i invited her to dine with us". "The more the merrier!" Rao smiled and you smiled back politely but noticed him staring at the dress. Like Zuko he seemed to admire it but his stares made you uncomfortable whereas Zuko’s didn’t. As if sensing this Zuko seated you away from the man and placed himself in between as a buffer. You smiled at Zuko gratefully and took your seat.

The dinner was as Zuko expected. Rao was constantly asking veiled questions and prodding Zuko’s vague answers mercilessly. However as there were more people it was easier to change the subject and Zuko noticed you were particularly good at this. You deftly countered his questions with ones of your own and also quickly befriended Rao’s wife Uyaru and got her talking which left little room for her husband to speak. Zuko smiled at your hidden diplomacy skills and Rao was obviously annoyed at how this evening was turning out. When the dinner was reaching a close he tried to corner Zuko in a last attempt to get support on expanding his territory. You and Uyara were discussing something when Rao rudely interrupted her. “I’m sure the Firelord doesn’t want to hear about your trip to Ba Sing Sei” he said curtly “I’m sure he’d much rather hear about the news from his people. I’ve heard rumours from the northern providences that general Osonu is poorly managing his land and would be better off selling it to someone who can properly manage it. Has your grace given any thought to the matter?”. There it was and so blatant too, had the man no shame trying to steal land from a man who had done nothing wrong. Osonu was a good man who valued his residents more than his profits. His reputation was far better than Rao’s in a moral sense even if it wasn’t from an economic viewpoint but Zuko knew which he preferred. Zuko dodged the question but Rao kept on pushing and you intervened. "I thought your territory was the eastern providence sir?" you asked innocently. Rao paused "it is....". "ow? I was just confused because you have such a keen interest in the northern towns, do you have family there?". "No" he said awkwardly and you paused "I see, so it’s just a hobby then? Keeping track of historic lands that have belonged to the Osonu line forever and will always belong to them" you asked “I also love history” you smiled brightly. Rao paled and looked down “yes me too...so what are the plans for the comet this year?" Rao asked and Zuko smiled. Suddenly Rao didn’t want to talk about the Osonu lands anymore and it was all because of you.

The rest of dinner wrapped up rather quickly after that and as it finished Zuko felt so excited to leave the dining room. Finally with a bow, you and Zuko left and were securely back in his study. As soon as the door shut he spun to you a large smile on his face. "Was i okay?" you asked anxiously and Zuko laughed. An actual laugh escaped him and prevented him from speaking for several seconds which did nothing to help your nerves. Finally he responded "were you okay? Y/n you were perfect!" Zuko cried and you blushed. “You played his wife perfectly and then that feigning innocence with his territories i forgot how smart you are" Zuko smiled "but after tonight i’m sure I’ll never be able to forget again!”. You were a red mess and Zuko paused "y/n are you okay?". You nodded "i just...it’s nice to feel like i’ve helped you". "More than you know" Zuko said softly resting a hand on your shoulder. You glanced at it but didn’t move away, you just looked down with a light smile. “I’m pleased....perhaps next time I visit we should do something to celebrate?”. “Certainly” Zuko beamed and you smiled back feeling happier than you had in a long time.

Zuko watched you for a while longer before he seemed to realise what he was doing and looked down with a blush. “I’ll let you retire now, i’m sure you’re exhuasted from spending all that time smiling and nodding”. You nodded “it was tiring, I don’t know how you do it all the time”. Zuko shrugged “all part of being Firelord I guess”. You nodded “I know but I just wanted to say I recognise how difficult it is and say...well if you ever need anyone to stand by your side and help you get through it, I’m here for you”.

Now Zuko was the blushing mess. He’d felt alone for a while, his friends and family all meant well but they were so far away and he didn’t want to bother them with his problems. However here you were outight offering to help make his life easier no questions asked. Zuko was so pleased you’d come such a long way from the kids who hated one another and was excited about where this was going. He liked you, a lot and now he just needed to work out how to express that to you and make it into something more...but that was for a later time. 

Zuko smiled “thank you y/n that’s very kind. I will be taking you up on that offer a lot I am sure”. “Anytime” you replied, meeting his eyes for a few seconds before looking away. “Goodnight y/n and thank you” Zuko bowed and you bowed back “goodnight Zuko”. Zuko got shivers as you said his name and they didn’t leave him even when he was back in his own room. He collapsed onto his bed and smiled at how well things had gone. Tonight could’ve been a disaster but because of you it’d been one of his favourite nights as Firelord. Zuko couldn’t stop smiling and decided he’d tell you how he felt as soon as he worked out the right way to do it and he knew just the man to talk to. 

____

So i’m definitely planning one more part to this but might also have some ideas to turn this into a longer series! I’ll see how it goes :)  

[incorrectzukka]

Sokka: The moon is beautiful tonight

Suki: You know who else is beautiful?

Both of them: Zuko.

[madootles]

take this super fun and amazing quiz to find out which obscure zuko mood you’re feeling right now !!!

[virtual-slime]

just two bros sharing a plate of fries

[avatardits]

zukka {lockscreens}

like/reblog | @spearbinsung

[macheesmo]

Avatar the Last Airbender || “The Firebending Masters”

[writings-of-a-daphodil]

Homesick

Zuko x reader

Summary: You are feeling really homesick and Zuko tries to help you feel better. Super Fluffy!

Requested?: Nope

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

A/n: This is my first Avatar: The Last Airbender fic, I hope y'all enjoy it!!!

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Zuko asked, giving you a hug from behind. You smiled at your reflection in the turtle duck pond, but your smile faded quickly.

   “I just miss home,” you muttered.

   It had been a few years since you and your friends had ended the war and you hadn’t been back to the Northern Watertribe in forever. You just never had the time and you were always so busy. Of course you loved the Fire Nation and Zuko, but you really missed the snow.

“I’m sorry,” Zuko apologized.

You smiled sadly. “It’s not your fault.”

“Maybe we can plan something?” Zuko offered and your smile came back.

“I’d like that,” you said, leaning into him.

Unbeknownst to you Zuko had already noticed your homesickness. He had noticed how you were eating a ton of Watertribe dishes and how you would wake up super early just to be able to water bend under the moon. He had also noticed how many hawks you and Katara were sending each other. So, he had sent a hawk of his own.

~~~~

“Katara! Aang! What are you doing here?!” You asked, helping the couple down from Appa.

“Zuko asked us to visit,” Sokka explained, sliding off Appa.

“Really?!” You exclaimed, giving your husband a tight hug.

Zuko smiled at you and you gave him a quick kiss. “So what do you guys want to do?” You asked, turning back to your friends.

“Why don’t we explore the city?” Katara suggested.

You nodded. “That sounds like a great idea.”

“Well, there’s only so much time in a day, so let's get moving people,” Sokka prompted, leading you out of the palace.

The rest of the day was wonderful, you went shopping and for lunch had a picnic outside the city on the mountains that surrounded your home. After that the rest of the day was spent swimming.

You laughed as Sokka jumped in, splashing everyone.

“Oh, you're on!” Katara yelled. The two of you began bending and a wave splashed down on Sokka.

“No fair,” Sokka pouted while you and Katara giggled. Sokka turned to Zuko and Aang. “A little help here?”

Zuko shrugged. “What do you want me to do? I’m a fire bender.”

“Aang?” Sokka begged.

“Y/n and Katara are masters, I don’t know if I want to get on their bad side.”

Katara smiled. “Wise choice.”

“Fine, fine. I give up,” Sokka said, slowly sinking underwater. You glanced at Katara and the two of you burst out laughing.

“Surfing?” You suggest and she nodded. The two of you swam back to the beach and created ice boards. Then the two of you jumped into the waves you had created.

~~Zuko’s POV~~

It made Zuko happy to see you enjoying yourself. You had spent a lot more time with the group than him and he could easily see how happy you were to see your friends.

He watched you and Katara made waves and surfed them. The smile on your face was contagious and so Zuko found himself smiling as well.

He only watched for a little longer before getting up. He had work to do. Getting the Gaang to come was only part of your surprise and he had to prepare the other.

Just thinking about how happy it would make you made him giddy. He could only imagine how excited you were going to be when you saw the other half of your surprise.

~~Your POV~~

When you saw Zuko leave, you were a little sad, but you understood he had Fire Lord stuff to work on. Even when he took the day off there was still work to do. You loved how dedicated he was to fixing the Fire Nation.

After surfing you and Katara went to help Suki build a sand castle. Of course sand castle building became a contest. You, Katara, Toph, and Suki versus Sokka and Aang.

“You know I don’t think four versus two is all that fair,” Aang said as you were putting the finishing touches on your to scale statues of the Gaang

You looked over to see their scale replica of Appa. It wasn’t as detailed as yours, but you could see the work they put into it. Aang had even added a little Momo.

“Yeah, you have Toph and one of our team members is missing,” Sokka pointed out and you realized that Zuko still hadn’t come back.

“Speaking of Zuko maybe we should go looking for him,” you suggested.

Sokka stood up and brushed the sand off himself. “Yeah, he can be the judge, though it’s pretty obvious who won.” Just as he said that the sand Momo fell off and Sokka rushed to fix it.

You giggled. “It’s getting late anyways.”

The six of you made your way to the palace and you changed out of your swimsuit. After, you sent someone to find Zuko while you and the rest of your friends went to the dining room.

You all sat down and began to chat. Aang talked a lot about how he and Zuko were planning on making a city that didn’t have one nation attached to it. Sokka and Katara talked about the rebuilding of the Southern Watertribe. It was so exciting to hear what your friends were doing.

“Sorry I’m late,” Zuko said, rushing into the dining room. He kissed your forehead before sitting down.

“Is everything alright?” You asked.  

He smiled brightly. “Everything’s perfect.”

Satisfied with that answer you all began to eat and soon enough it was over.

“Let’s walk down to the beach to see the sand sculptures,” Sokka suggested and you smiled.

“Sure and after that why don’t we show you the turtle ducks?” You suggested. “There are some turtle ducklings now.”

“Aww!” Katara and Suki exclaimed. You all walked down to the beach and watched the sunset. There was nothing quite like the sunset in the Firenation. Reds, pinks, yellows, and oranges were painted across the sky. It was one of the things you loved most about the Fire Nation, besides Zuko of course.

The sun was making its last attempt at light when you arrived at the beach only to see the tide had taken your sculptures.

Sokka pouted a little and Suki consoled him. “Well, I’m sure they were beautiful,” Zuko said and you beamed at him.

“Let’s go see the turtle-ducks now,” you said, grabbing Zuko’s hand.

The stars were out as you all sat down on blankets. You hugged Zuko knowing that he had probably sent the blankets out here earlier. He knew one of your favorite things to do was to sit under the stars by the turtle duck-pond.

It was just like old times as you talked. Though of course you didn’t have the threat of imminent danger over your head.

You couldn't believe how wonderful the day had been and the gaang was staying for a week so Aang and Zuko could plan for their city. You were excited to get to spend so much time with your friends. You didn’t know how the week could get any better.

You laughed with your friends as Zuko stood up and went to talk to a guard. You assumed he was requesting food or something, but you were very surprised when a polar bear puppy came running at you. It jumped into your arms and began to lick you.

You looked to Zuko, confused. “What’s going on?”

“Surprise!” He yelled and you suddenly understood what was going on.

You held the puppy in one arm and squeezed Zuko with the other. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” You exclaimed. You set the puppy in your lap and began to stroke him.

Zuko chuckled. “I’m glad you like him. I noticed how sad you were and when I decided to ask everyone to come, I asked Katara to bring him.”

“You guys! I’m gonna cry!” You sniffed, but you were smiling brightly.

“What are you going to name him?” Katara asked and you began to examine the puppy.

You watched as he tumbled out of your lap and padded over to the turtle ducks. For a second you thought he would jump in with the ducklings, but he settled for admiring them.

One came over to him and you went to grab him before the mother could get mad, but she seemed to take a liking to your puppy. It was a cute sight watching them interact.

“What about Turtle Duck?” Sokka suggested.

“What kind of name is Turtle duck?” Katara asked.

You smiled. “Actually, I kinda like it. We can call him Turtle for short.

“Aww! Hello Turtle,” Aang cooed as he stroked Turtle’s ears.

You turned to Zuko. “Thank you so much. This means the world to me.”

“I’m glad, it’s great to see you so happy.” Zuko put an arm around your shoulder and the two of you looked down at the bundle of joy that was now squirming in your lap.

Turtle yawned and curled up into your lap. You and Zuko both stroked him as you spent the rest of the night, enjoying yourselves with your friends.

****

Tada! I really enjoyed writing this and I hope y'all liked it. I hope y'all have a beautiful and safe day/night.

P.S. I am open to requests, but it'll take me a week or two to get to them :) Please check my blog for the pinned post before requesting.

P.P.S. if you want to be on my taglist for all things Avatar: The Last Airbender, feel free to ask. I hope it works and please message me if it doesn’t.

[romor]

Been watching avatar with my niece and it's been something.

Early on she forgot Zuko's name and called him Zuk, so now we call him Zuk.

It was pretty clear that she liked Zuko the most and she was having an internal battle so I let her in on some spoilers. So she got mad at me when on the siege of the north Zuko took Aang, "you told me he was a good guy." She sounded so betrayed, that I had to go into details about it, vague details but details.

Before we watched the storm, I told her Zuko's little sister is in this episode. She was excited because she is a little sister, so imagine her shock when she saw the smile on Azula's face. Instantly she said she doesn't hit her brother (which is a lie she is 6 he is 10 so)

I pointed out that she and zuko both had ponytails. And now ponytails are known as Zuko's hair. Yes I did point out Sokka's hair too but she didn't care for it.

She also wanted me to put make up on her eye to look like zuko. Her mom said no, so instead I had her color a plate and made her a mask. Of course she had to have her hair like Zuko too. So now I have a picture of her being Zuko.

When Zuko got rid of his ponytail my niece announced she no longer needs a ponytail and proceeded to try to put her hair down. At this point she had thrown fits about wanting Zuko's hair so it was funny to see her rush to take her hair down.

Since her and Zuk can no longer have the same hair, she now likes her hair done like Azula, she got mad at her grandma (my mom) for not doing her hair like that.

When one of my cousins told her that zuko is also her favorite, my niece got mad because in her words, "zuko is mine." Then 5 minutes later was very happy that someone else likes zuko as much as she does.

When I told her toph can't see and relies on movement and sounds others make to know where they are and to "see" she told me to close my eyes and then began to move around the room while asking me if I knew where she was. Then she tried, so now she thinks she can see with her feet like toph (yes the seeing with her feet is what she understood on her own but not the details).

She also really likes Jet, like whenever he shows up she yells his name. I don't know why though.

She will randomly show up and tell me, "let's watch avatar." Yes she brings snacks.

And last but not least it took her until the third episode of the second season to realize that she had recently played an avatar game on her xbox 360. She was completely surprised and didn't connect the dots until she saw the game's case. Which she is very detail oriented so I found it funny that she didn't know.

[buddy-thats-rough]

Thinking about the parallel between Zuko when it comes to asking for forgiveness from his father and Iroh.

This boy made such a small mistake and got burned and banished because he just spoke out of turn. And when he betrayed his uncle, it was something that was a lot more significant rather than speaking out of turn. And immediately we could all see he felt bad about it. Like he KNEW he betrayed his uncle, but of course he somehow was clouded by wanting his honor back and acceptance.

Between the two scenes of him begging for forgiveness, though, he's on his knees and looking up to the person he respects so much, tears in his eyes. Begging for forgiveness.

What's sad is that he was terrified both these times. He was especially more terrified when confronting Iroh, since that was someone he looked up to and had seen as his father instead of Ozai once he recognized his wrongs. But like. Imagine the horrible guilt and sadness you feel knowing you once again have to go and beg for forgiveness, not knowing if he's going to forgive so easily.

And what's even more probably insane for Zuko is just how easily Iroh forgives him because unlike Ozai, Iroh cares for Zuko. He's expecting probably some harsh words and maybe some physical abuse alongside it, but he gets a hug and soft words and its like.. What?? I'm not going to be scolded or harmed or anything?

Like this poor boy is just so used to harsh responses when it comes to making a mistake he even expected Iroh, the one person who's really shown him true kindness since his mom, and its just :(((