TOOK MY BREATH AWAY ๏ ZUKO

With a Heavy Heart

His heart had stopped. You were holding Aang's dead body with not a single thought of what to do next. Katara carefully reached into her clothes and pulled out a small vile. It was the water from the spirit oasis in the Northern Water Tribe. She took it out and pressed it into Aang.

And he breathed. His eyes opening for just a moment to look at Katara before they closed again. It felt like you could start breathing as well.

You turned your head back to the great city of Ba Sing Se, and you just watched as it fell into the hands of the Fire Nation.

Appa landed on a boat. It was the boat that belonged to Hakota, Sokka and Katara's father. You cradled Aang in your arms like a bride as Sokka showed you to a room on board. You pushed the boy out the door before he could say anything and slammed the door.

At that point you just looked at Aang. Your vision blurred and your throat clogged up as you bit back tears. You fell at the side of the bed Aang's unconscious state.

"I'm sorry, oh sweet boy, I'm so sorry." You just wept. You shoved your fist in your mouth to stop yourself. "This is my fault...this is all my fault." In a hoarse whisper you fell apart.

You pushed yourself away from him and inside your satchel, your stupid journal fell from its pocket. You sniffled as you stared at it, before reaching for it. You flipped through the pages. You read all the mistakes you forced Aang into, you relived the dumb moments were you almost got Aang hurt. You read the pages were you saw yourself falling into that fire nation scum's hands and letting yourself be infatuated with him. You stopped when you reached your current moment. The unwritten pages of Aang's death experience.

What am I doing?...you looked back at Aang. Even in his sleep, he looked in pain. You did this to him. You brought him to this state. This is your fault. You shoved the book back in your satchel as you stood up and over Aang, bending down gently and kissing his forehead arrow.

"I'm so sorry..." you kept your lips against his forehead, whispering to him. You weren't even sure he was able to hear you. "You won't understand, and that okay...but I have to leave...I'm so sorry, buddy."

You tore yourself away and walked outside the room. With a walking purpose you headed back over to Appa, who had himself under some shade. You kissed his big nose and whispered an apology to him. You brought this magnificent beast into all sorts of trouble, you had to leave him as well.
"Katara, Sokka, Toph." You got the three's attention as you grabbed your glider. "I need you all to listen to me."

"Y/n...I think we all need to talk about...everything that just happened." Katara stepped out forward, placing a hand on your shoulder as she look to the other two.

"Yes, but I need you to listen to me, now." You grabbed her hand and took it away from your shoulder. "Aang is...sleeping right now, and he might for a while, but..." you looked out to the city you were leaving behind.

"I brought this upon Aang...if I had just paid more attention for made he...doesn't matter now, I can't fix what's already happened, but I can change what might." You looked back to the group. "I have to go, I have to rid myself from you four so I don't hurt you."

"Leave? What do you mean leave? For how long?" Toph spoke up, crossing her arms in a disapproving way.

"I'm not coming back." You know she can see you, but you have her a sincere look away, hoping she'd hear the tone. "Not ever. You won't see me....ever again."

They were all silent, so you took this time to open your glider and move to the edge of the boat. Katara, the first to do something, tuns forward, arm outstretched.

"What? You can't leave! Aang is injured!" Katara grabs your arm, stopping you from taking flight.

"Aang wasn't just injured, Katara, he died!" You swung your arm back, leaving her grasp. "And I couldn't even do anything. I'm his protector! I'm meant to keep him safe, and he died!"

"Y/n..."

"Don't...If he wakes, then tell him I'm sorry I failed him and the monks. I had one job, and this entire time, I have never kept him safe. We've been through situation after situation. We've been captured by fire nation, he was forced to go into the avatar state, people have died around us! This was the last straw! I cannot bring him into anymore danger than I already have." You opened your glider.

"We were there too! We brought him into bad stuff as well, but we aren't leaving, are we?" Sokka stepped forward.

"I'm the eldest here, I'm responsible for you all, like it or not." You turned your head over your shoulder. "I failed, and the result was the fall of Ba Sing Se. The fire nation have control over the entire earth kingdom because of my lack of responsibility."

"We will get Ba Sing Se back, hey, what do you know, maybe that boy you met is waiting-"

"Oh, enough with this! The boy I met was Zuko! I found Zuko in the city, I went on a date with him, I've kissed him! Zuko was the boy I met!" You snapped, turning around with such force, the wind pick up and blew strongly.

"You and Zuko! Are you insane!" Katara was now yelling. "Why on earth would you fall for him!"

"I don't know! But here! Here, that might give you an answer." You started to fiddle around with your satchel, bringing out the book you took with you. "That might give you reason on why I have to leave! Don't bother trying to find me, don't bother looking for me, don't bother with me anyone, understand?"

You didn't wait for an answer this time. You jumped off the boat with your glider and went as fast as you could make the wind carry you. Hot tears brimmed your eyes, you didn't want to leave, but you had to. Without you...everything would be so much more smoother...if you had never went with Aang on that one night and got caught in the storm, everything would've been fine. You should have died when the fire nation attacked the air temple, but the universe wasn't allowing you to stop making mistakes.

Now, your stopping the mistake by taking yourself out of the equation and leaving.
For good.

It's my birthday so here is some heavy angst :)