|•|W I T 卄 E R||•| Zuko X Reader ⚠SLOWBURN⚠

Hope

You were curled into a ball, hiding in the corner of your bed room. Out of everyone, you were the most at risk, since people in the Fire Nation probably saw you as a criminal. You couldn't hear anything going on outside, other than the Fire Navy ship approaching the village. You shut your eyes, nervous. Could Sokka fight off those soldiers all on his own? You knew he was skilled with a few weapons, but would that be enough?

You clenched the plastic butter-fly in your hand. You felt like a coward, not doing anything. But at least... The Fire Nation wouldn't have another reason to attack your home.

After a few minutes of waiting, Kanna entered your room. "Gran-gran? Is everything okay?" You whispered, standing up. "Yes. That boy... The airbender. He came back to defend us. Turns out, the Fire Nation soldiers were looking for him." She explained, picking up Sokka and Katara's sleeping bags. "Oh, do you need any help with that?" You asked, assuming they were dirty. "...No, no. Don't worry." Gran-gran said, patting your head. She left the room.

You decided you'd check on the village since the soldiers were gone. Everything seemed to be okay, but... Sokka and Katara were gone. Your eyes widened with fear. No... No. Gran-gran said Aang helped the village. They have to be fine. "Y/N!
Y/N!" Two children ran up to you and hugged your legs.

"Aw, hello little ones... Is everything alright?" You questioned.

"Yeah! We were scared but then Aang came back! He did a magic trick and went on that huuuuuge ship!" The village boy, Mikkael said.

"He went on..." You shook your head, a bit worried. Aang had an extremely powerful aura. You were sure he could defend himself.

"Do you two know where Sokka and Katara went?" You asked.

"Mmm... I think they went over there!" The young village girl, Nara pointed in a certain direction. "Thank you for the info." You smiled.

"See! I'm big sis Y/N's favorite!" The girl cheered, letting go of your leg.
"No, I am!" The boy huffed.

"Big sis Y/N,who do you like more?" The girl interrogated you.

"I... Uh... I like you both equally?" You shrugged. "Yay!" The boy ran off, doing a weird happy dance.

"Don't tell him... But I like you more." You whispered. "Hehe... Now he owes me a ton of sea prunes! Thanks big sis Y/N!" The girl replied, skipping away.

"I knew they made a bet! Katara owes me a whole plate of food! Score!"

You ran off, going in the direction the girl pointed in.

When you reached the location, all you saw was a boat and your grandmother. "Gran-gran...? Wh...What happened to Sokka and Katara?" You muttered. "They left to go with the Avatar." Kanna sighed. "Is that what the sleeping bags were for? Why didn't you tell me!?" You exclaimed. "Y/N, please, calm down. You have a special type of bending. And if anyone finds out about it, you'd be in constant danger." Gran-gran stated. "The Fire Nation already knows about my bending! I escaped that place so I could be with all of you! To be with my family! I'll leave here if I have to." You declared. "..." Gran-gran paused for a moment. "Are you absolutely sure you want to leave this place?" She asked. You looked her dead in her eyes, "Yes."

"Then you'd better grab what you need and hurry." She said, to your surprise. "Gran-gran..." You whispered. "You heard me, didn't you? Hurry!" You nodded and formed stone of void, hopping across them. You saw something in the sky. "Is that... The thing Aang called Appa? It can actually fly? You kept moving in it's direction.

You slid up glaciers and walls of ice by creating a staircase of void. Creating... An idea popped into your mind. Standing on top of a block of ice, you formed a lasso of void. "Bigger...." You whispered. You needed to get there as fast as possible. You could see purple cracks forming on your skin. You were straining yourself, but you kept going.

Once you reached the right size, you spun the lasso and swung yourself onto a far away walls of ice. Just as you were about to do it again... You looked down.

You saw a Fire Navy ship. A ton of damage was done to it, and it was pretty much jammed in a chunk of ice. You were powerful... You could offer your help, and then the moment you can, join your siblings and the Avatar.

It was risky, but you couldn't even see Appa anymore. Maybe... Maybe this can actually help you find your siblings!

You hopped onto the ship, careful to not accidentally murder someone. "Wh-" A boy with a ponytail turned around in a fighting stance, but froze the moment he saw you. Your eyes widened. No way... Is that actually...
Zuko!?

"Zuko!? What are you do-",
"What do you want from me?" He immediately cut you off, giving you a glare. You were shocked. "Don't you recognize me? I-", Once again, he interrupted you, "I know exactly what kind of person you are. What are you doing here!?" He yelled.

What...? Why is he... Acting like this?

"...I know you're trying to capture the avatar. My siblings have teamed up with him, and I need to find them." You explained. "And how do I know you're not planning something behind my back?" Zuko asked, squinting at you. "I'm not here to hurt anyone. I swear." You stated. "Prove it." You let out a sigh.

You focused on the ice surrounding the ship. You took a deep breath, and sent void around the ice, forming something similar to a rope. You began to tie it tightly around the ice, and then... You carefully sent the chunk of ice out of the way. The purple cracks on your skin had reached your neck. "There." You turned to face him, "Does that work as proof?"

"..." Still glaring at you, Zuko exited his fighting stance and clenched his fists. "You can stay. But we'll have to get this ship repaired." You let out a sigh of relief. Zuko walked away, angrily.

"I apologize about my nephew. Sometimes I wish he could just take a nice, calming cup of tea and relax." A man walked over to you. "A-Ah, General Iroh...!" You whispered. "Retired general. I would rather spend my days in peace, rather than with all these negative things going on with the world..." He sighed. Has... Has he changed? "Would you like a cup of tea, miss?" Iroh asked. You took the cup with a small smile.

"Do... Do you remember me?" You questioned. "Why, yes of course. Although, it has been some time since we first met. My memory of you is rather foggy." Iroh admitted. "Well... My name is Y/N." You said. "Ahh, it was on the tip of my tongue. It is lovely to meet you again, Y/N."

You looked at the ground and played with the fluff on your gloves. "What's on your mind?" Iroh questioned. "It's uh..." You glanced at Iroh, "It's about Zuko. He's acting... weird towards me. I know it's been four or five years, but he feels... Different. Really different." You muttered. It hurt, seeing him so ready to attack you. It was like he didn't trust you at all.

"Hm... I think it best that you find out from Prince Zuko himself." Iroh said. You let out a sigh. You had a feeling he wouldn't want to talk to you. "People change, Y/N. I mean, look at you! You aren't the distrusting little girl you were when I first met you." Iroh hummed.

"But that doesn't mean the person someone was is the past is completely gone. You still seem to love my tea!" A smile grew on your face. "How could I possibly hate something so refreshing?" You said, making Iroh chuckle. "Truthfully, it saddens me to see my nephew like this. If he continues down this path, things may not end well. Y/N... Do you think you could help Prince Zuko change for the better?" Iroh inquired.

"It might be hard, but... I'll do my best. He was there for me during a dark time, so...I want to be there for him during his." You mumbled. "Then I am sure things will turn out nicely for the two of you." Iroh smiled. "Hopefully..." You whispered.

Hopefully...