After The Ending

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

   "Shut up." She stood up. "SHUT UP!"

   Again she shot fire at her brother and I protected Noriko from the flames. We watched as Azula ran out the door, Zuko and I followed after her along with Noriko.

   "I can help you!" Zuko called. "I want to help you!"

   "Same as always, Zuzu." She turned tears streaming down her face. "Even when you're strong..you're weak."

   She turned and ran back into the woods.

   "Azula!" Zuko called.

   "I'll get her." I told him and ran but Zuko grabbed my arm. "What are you doing!? Zuko, she's getting away."
His grip on my hand tightened and confusion settled on his face. "Zuko!"

   "Fire Lord, look!" Noriko pointed up and we watched as the Mother of faces came along with Aang, Katara, Appa, and Momo.

   "Human, do you wish to return to who you once were?" The powerful spirit asked. "Do you wish to remember?"

   "No, you don't have to. You have such a beautiful life here." Zuko called.

   "Yes." Noriko said and the spirit placed her hand over her face.

*･☪︎·̩͙

   Zuko had gone with his mother while I stayed back to explain everything to the gang as Sokka came back. After explaining it all we called it a night.
   In the morning we packed up everything and looked at the entrance that Azula disappeared through.

   "We'll need to keep our guard up." Katara spoke. "Sooner or later, Azula's going to turn up again."

   "I know. I get goosebumps just thinking of it." Sokka shivered, he turned to me. "Guess that means you'll want to stay in the Fire Nation."

   "Zuko wants to take his mother home.." I rubbed my arm. "It's safer."

   "But it doesn't have to be like that!" Aang walked over to us. "People change! I mean, she gave that letter back to Zuko, didn't she?"

   "No, she didn't give it back to him." Sokka replied. "She just dropped it by accident! Right Kaida?"

   I shrugged. "Welp, look at the time. I promised Zuko I would meet him at the market. See ya guys later!"

   I grabbed my bag that once held Ming in it but she had stayed the night with Kiyi, I basically ran away to avoid the question.
   In all honesty I was on Aang's side, I did believe that Azula dropped the letter on purpose. I don't exactly know why but I want to believe she could change. Last night I wanted to go after Azula but Zuko really didn't want me too.

   Zuko was coming down with a basket full of things. "Sorry.."

   "It's okay." He kissed my cheek and set the basket down. "I actually want to talk to you about something."

   "You mean about the letter you kept hidden? Or the fact that you had second thoughts on being Fire Lord?" I crossed my arms.

   He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "I keep messing up but it's because I don't want you to worry about me."

   I scoffed and grabbed onto his face. "I love you, so I'm always going to worry about you."

   He smirked. "Close your eyes, I have a surprise."

   I did and he took my hand placing something in my hand. I opened my eyes and looked at the betrothal necklace, part of it was the broken half of my mother's necklace and the other one was a red ruby or garnet. The red part had the Fire Nation symbol and in between those was a blue dragon.

   "I thought Sokka gave it back to my dad.." I focused on the necklace, the whole thing looked shinier and even the half looked newer. "When did you... How...?"

   "Well, I had asked Sokka about it after the Yu Dao meeting." He explained and took it. "I thought a lot about what you said back then and this isn't a proposal not yet at least, but a promise for our future."

   "Zuko.." He walked around me and I took the shark tooth off as he put that one on. "I love it. But when are you really going to ask me to marry you?"

   He let out a chuckle and pulled me against his chest. "In five to ten years." He leaned down and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

   Our lips came crashing together and I couldn't describe the joy that was coursing through my body. It wasn't a real proposal like a betrothal should have been but I agreed and only wanted to know that we did have a future together. This was more than I needed.

⇢ ⇢ ⇢

After that moment we had made it back to the house that now had a hole through the roof, the doors broken and most of the insides were charred. Kiyi attacked us in a hug and we greeted her parents offering them a meal as a way to help their terrible situation.
Ursa wanted to talk to Zuko so I stayed back with Noren to help him cook and to keep Kiyi company since she wasn't used to her mother's old-new face.

˗ˋˏ Zuko's POV ˎˊ-

After my mother told me the truth about Ozai being my father, I was stuck but not really, it wasn't relieving like I expected it to be but I felt normal.
   I didn't gain or lose anything, I still had the throne, still had my terrible father, Kaida would be happy to hear it.

"Tell me what you're feeling, Zuko." My mother asked me.

"I feel...I feel like things are the way they're meant to be." I replied.

"There's so much I want to tell you... about your father, about Ikem, about my life here in Hira'a." She said. "My marriage to Ozai was just so...so.."

"I know.." I replied and looked over at Kaida. "You must have been terrified.."

"She's very lucky." My mother spoke also looking at Kaida who played with Kiyi.

I really fell in love with the girl who never smiled, the one who was ice cold and hated me from the beginning. I couldn't imagine losing her or hurting her anymore, the necklace was there to prove how much I loved her.

"No.. I'm the lucky one." I corrected my mother then turned back to her. "I want to know everything from the beginning."

"Everything?" She asked me.

"Everything." I smiled back.

"For you, my dear, I'll start from the beginning..." She said.

   My mother told me everything from the very beginning and I understood the pain my father put her through. Though it was a sad story with a slightly happy ending, I couldn't wait to tell her about my own love story and introduce her to Kaida.

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   Comic: The Search- End
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Re-Edited; 7/14/21
The rest will be edited tomorrow so please wait, I hated this book when I posted the chapters but as I'm re-editing them I love them much more.
Please wait for the other chapters to be revised/re-edited.