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

The Serpent's Pass

A massive shadow roamed through the sea. A sense of foreboding crawled through your veins. "Toph, could you earthbend us up?" As you reached the surface, you summoned a sphere of ebony, protecting the group. "Don't tell me... Is it the sea ser-" Before Aang could finish his question, something smashed against your black barrier. Sokka bit his fingernails anxiously, "Does that answer your question!?"

You focused, forming a lasso of void around your party. You used one hand to remove your shield and whip it against what you assumed was the sea serpent, and the other to send the group onto the other half of the Pass, safely.

You sent rows and layers of void around the beast, then pulled the layers away from yourself. You focused once more, pinpointing the parts of the serpent you'd need to hit.

You used your free hand to create fists of darkness, knocking out the serpent and launching yourself towards the group.

"Uh, I thought he was kidding at first, but can you actually bend the universe?" Suki asked. "In a nutshell, yeah."

"..."
"..."
"Cool."

And so, you continued.

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Finally, after defeating a sea serpent, hiking through an extremely long slip of land, and occasionally smacking Sokka's forehead, you reached the fabled walls of Ba Sing Se. "There's the wall! Now it's nothing but smooth sailing to Ba Sing Se." Sokka grinned. A sudden cry of pain came from behind you. "The baby's coming!"

"What!? Now!? Can't you hold it in or something!?" You and Katara shot him a glare. "Calm down, Sokka. I've got this covered. Aang, get some rags. Sokka, water. Toph, I need you to make an earth tent, a big one. Suki, Y/N, come with me."

As you, Suki, and Katara stepped into the tent of rock, the energy in your body shifted. You could sense a strange presence. "You're doing great, Ying." Katara glanced at the tent's entrance, "Sokka, where's that water!?"

The familiar presence you felt had vanished. Instead, you sensed something else. Life. "Now, get ready to push." You shut your eyes and looked away, turning Suki around as well. "One... Two... Three... Push!"

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Ying had given birth to baby girl named Hope, and Sokka passed out due to shock. In the end, everyone was happy. Well...

"Sokka, it's been really great to see you again." Suki hummed. "Whoa, hold on, why does this sound like a goodbye?" Sokka questioned. "I came along because I wanted to make sure you got through the Serpent's safely, but now I need to get back to the other Kyoshi Warriors." Suki said. "So... You came along to protect me?"

"Listen, I'm really sorry about last night. We were talking... And saying things... And I just got carried away, and before I knew it-" You gasped as Sokka gave Suki a kiss, "You talk too much."

You looked at Katara, then at Sokka, then back at Katara while pointing at your older brother. She knew exactly what you were asking. "Is this the same Sokka who can't remember to wash his own sleeping bag?" Like a mind reader she gave you a nod. "Yup. That's him."

Aang took off with his glider, entering Ba Sing Se to find Appa. "Come on. Let's enter the city." Katara said.

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As you and the gang were going towards the city, Aang flew back down with a panicked expression. "Aang? What are you doing here?" Katara approached him with concern, "I thought you were searching for Appa."

"I was, but something stopped me. Something big." You all glanced at each other. Suki's words rang in your mind.

"The Fire Nation controls the western lake. Rumor has it, they're working on something big on the other side and don't want anyone to find out what it is."

"Well? Let's check it out!" Toph lifted everyone up with earthbending. You stood on top of the stone walls of Ba Sing Se. There was barely any scratch or scar from attacks on them. That was... Until you heard the grinding of rock. To your left...

Was a massive drill, going straight into Ba Sing Se's wall.

Ying clutched Hope and held her close. "We made it here and we're still not safe. No one is!" You furrowed your eyebrows, peering down at the drill.
You couldn't let their family be harmed.

"What are you people doing here!? Civilians are not allowed on the wall!" A guard declared. "I'm the Avatar. Take us to whoever is in charge."

A man began advancing towards you, most likely the man in charge. "It is an honor to welcome you to the Outer wall of Ba Sing Se, young Avatar. But your help is not needed." He stated. "Not needed?" Aang raised an eyebrow.

"Not needed. I am aware of your legendary skills, you and your allies. Katara, an impressive water bender, and Sokka of the water tribe, a valiant warrior. The tough Toph, who apparently has amazing earthbending..."

"General Fong vibes." You muttered. "Definitely." Katara replied.

The man glanced at you, squinting. "Another civilian?" He sighed. "No? I'm traveling with Aang." You said. The man still didn't believe you. "She's not lying! Have you heard about the black hurricane at the North Pole? That was her!" Sokka announced.

"No, that was obviously the Avatar."
"I didn't do it! It was totally her!"
"It was totally me!"

"You are far too humble, young Avatar. But fine. If you truly have a bond with this... Person," You noticed Toph was about to hit the man with a fissure and shook your head.

"I'll get her into Ba Sing Se as fast as possible. Her safety is assured, considering everything is completely under control. Guards, escort her into the city."

You stepped away from the soldiers. "How come you won't let me stay with them?" You questioned. "Here in Ba Sing Se, we have rules. I've already given you the slip by allowing your entrance into the city." You scoffed at the man's words.

"Y/N, let's just go along with it for now. He could help us find Appa." Aang said, placing a sack in your hand. "It's not a crazy amount, but it'll help you out for as long as you'll need."

You sighed, reluctantly taking the bag. "Thanks, Aang."

The guards took you into the city, but for some reason, you couldn't help but feel like Ba Sing Se was a prison... And you were about to become a prisoner.