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

Justice...?

You were about to ask the chef if he could hook you up with the goody goody, when- "The Avatar is on Kyoshi Island!?" Zuko yelled, standing up. "Uncle, ready the rhinos. He's not getting away from me this time." Iroh glanced at the fish on Zuko's plate, then at Zuko himself. "Are you going to finish that?" Iroh asked. "I was going to save it for later!" Zuko shouted, snatching his plate.

"Oh..." Iroh began to sulk. "Hey, if we have the right ingredients, maybe I could make some foods from my tribe!" You grinned, placing your hand on Iroh's shoulder. "That would be lovely, Y/N." He replied, smiling.

If Aang was on Kyoshi Island, you had the opportunity to reunite with Sokka and Katara. But... What then? Would you have to fight Zuko? Would you... Have to leave him again?

"Y/N, you seem to be lost in thought. What's causing your stress?" Iroh asked. "I'm here so that when Zuko inevitably finds Aang, I can be with my siblings. But..." Your voice trailed off. "I see. There's an old quote I would like to share with you. I had heard it once before." Iroh cleared his throat.

"A warrior knows where they are needed the most. You must decide if that is alongside the Avatar, or beside my nephew." Iroh explained. "A warrior knows where they're needed the most...?" You repeated his words. "I had a feeling that might've sounded familiar to you. Now then..." Iroh turned to a soldier in the room.

"Could you ready the rhinos for me?"

Soon enough, you made your decision. Zuko got onto his komodo rhino, along with a few other soldiers. "I want the Avatar alive." He declared. You watched as the walked further onto the island.

You chose to stay on the ship.

The ship's walkway shut, so you spun on your heel and walked away. Did you make the right choice...?

§€———————^v———————∆§

You watched everything playing out from a red-tinted window on the upper deck. You let out a gasp. The village was on fire. You furrowed your eyebrows and bit your thumb. How could he do something like that just to capture a little kid!? You started to question your judgement.

You watched as Aang sprayed water onto the village, clearing the fire. Thank goodness... Eventually, everyone came back on the ship.

"Ugh! I can't believe I failed again!" Zuko yelled on frustration, walking past you. "And I can't believe what you just did." You scoffed. "Excuse me!?" He turned around with a scowl on his face. "You set that village on fire! All for what? To capture a little boy!" You exclaimed. "I will do whatever it takes to restore my honor." Zuko stated. "So you'll destroy the homes of innocent people!?" You asked, staring at him in disbelief.

He didn't reply to what you said. Instead, he clenched his fists and let out a cry of frustration. "I don't know, okay!? I... All I know is that I have to capture the Avatar. If I let anything get in my way, I'd fail my father again. And I don't intend on doing so." Zuko huffed.

"What do you mean by...Again?" You asked. "What do you care!? I won't fall for your tricks, Y/N!" Zuko shouted. You shut your eyes and turned around. "What are you-" You walked into your cabin and slammed the door shut.

You didn't want to abandon anyone.

...

You should've left when you had the chance.

You looked down at the plastic butter-fly. You hated... You hated the fact that you couldn't let it go. It was the one thing that helped you during hard times. But that was before. Before he changed.

Tears fell out of your eyes. Why were you crying? You were fine.

You buried your head with your arms, curled into a ball. It hurt. You just wanted your family back. You had to do it to be with your family. Why couldn't he understand that?

It hurt... So much.

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Aggravated, the Prince entered his cabin. He swung his fists behind him angrily, forming an arc of flames.

He had to capture the Avatar. That way, he could regain his honor. That way, he could regain his father's love.
That way... Everything could go back to normal.

He just wanted his family back. He had to capture the Avatar to be with his family. Why couldn't you understand that?

Why couldn't he... Understand himself?

Why did it hurt, seeing you so angry with him? You abandoned him because you never cared about him. That's what his father told him. A father... Wouldn't lie to their own son, right?

So, then... How come a part of him... Is so upset with himself? He did the right thing back there. So why did it feel wrong? Why does he care how you feel?

He glanced at a butter-fly sitting on his table. He gently held it in his hands. He felt... Lost.

It hurt... So much.

"So..." Iroh's stomach rumbled as he played Pai Sho with a crew member. "When do you think she'll teach me to cook that food?"