A Second Flame: Zuko x Reader

Chapter 45

The morning air was cold, almost  distant, the sun  still coming into view. Everyone else around me was still asleep.
I walked away from the Air temple, I had decided to practice my bending and wasn't keen on accidentally destroying what was left of Aang's nation.

With each growing ember I could feel the heat of my flames press against my skin. It illuminated the grooves of vegetation around my training spot.

"Whose weak now Azula?" I sneered, fire blasting through the air from my kick.

Suddenly, I felt the ground shake beneath me and heard the familiar hum of Fire Nation air ships.  Dammit.

I rushed back to the Air Temple, sweat dripping down my back with each step. I could hear explosions clash against the rock,  scattering debre.

"(Y/N)? Where have you been?" Aang yelled.

"Training."

"Come on we can get out through here!" Toph exclaimed bending a hole in the wall.

Everyone rushed to the hole except for Aang who was struggling with Appa and Zuko who was looking onto the airships.

"What are you doing?"

"Go ahead I'll hold them off. I think this is a family visit." Zuko snapped rushing forward.

"Zuko wait I can help please!" I screamed trying to go forward to help him.

"Just go (Y/N) I can handle this!"

"Come on we've got to get out of here!" Sokka commanded turning me away from Zuko. I could feel my heart sink.

"I can't get him to go in there Appa hates tunnels!" Aang stated as we tried to lead Appa to the hole.

"Aang, there's no way we can fly out of here."

"We'll have to find a way." He replied.

"We need to split up, take the tunnel and get to the stolen airship." Sokka commanded the non-gaang members of our group.

"No! The fire nation can't separate our family again." Katara complained looking at her dad.

"It'll be okay. It's not forever." Hakoda urged his daughter embracing her.

Aang, Toph, Suki, Sokka, Katara, and I left the rest of the group and gathered on Appa after Toph touched the wall,
"I can clear that away and we can fly out through there."

"Um there's an awful lot of fire in that general direction..." Suki stammered as the cave around us shook.

"We'll get through." Aang reassured her, "Let's go."

We blasted through the stone wall and into the open sky. Azula tried bending at us but we were covered by the stone.

I looked down on Zuko as he rushed toward Azula. I could feel my heart stop in my chest as I watched them fight.
"Dang it Zuko don't do anything stupid..."

Aang directed Appa to avoid the flames blasting our way. My eyes traced Zuko's every move. Azula and Zuko were now fighting on the top of an airship and within seconds they both went flying off the edge.

"Zuko!" I called as Appa narrowly catched him. All eyes turned to Azula,
"She's not going to make it." Zuko stuttered as Azula used her firebending to propel herself off a wall safety, "of course she did."

~

After escaping the raid, we found ourselves camped on the edge of the Fire Nation,
"Wow camping  it seems like old times again doesn't it?"

"If you really want it to feel like old times, I could, uh ... chase you around a while and try to capture you" Zuko joked causing us all to laugh except for Katara.