"I would like to see you try."
I ran toward her my flame thundering through the sky. She defused it quickly and shot a trio of blue embers. I rushed to let them hit the ground instead of me, rebelling with a wave of burning ember.
Her eyes gazed me over up and down. Zuko grimaced in pain unnoticed amoung the destruction around us, the fire rushing like hell through the air. It was just me. Just (Y/N). And as the smoke and ash crept up my skin, burrowing in my touch, I fell back to a different time,
"No-no not now anytime but now."
Somewhere I wish I would forget.
"Mom? Mom please get up." I groaned, her body squirming at my touch. I lit a flame against my hand, the shadows only illuminated her paling face. Traces of lines were harsh like walls of ash woven into her cheeks, and the bags under her eyes were stolen by the tears tracing her face. But her light twinged and within the sea of them, she was lost.
"I'm sorry (Y/N)."
"But I'm leaving- Mom please I need to see you one more time. I've been banished with Zuko. It was Azula. It was all Azula. She hates me- I don't know what I did wrong. I'm scared and I don't know if I-please"
"Goodbye- child. I have failed you- yes yes I suppose I have." She reached up and touched my hand "Make something of yourself the way I never could."
"Mom I don't understand please talk to me the guards are on their way," I screamed, "please! Just- just for once be here for me. I'm so scared."
All she left me was a smile, the blank gaze of a women that had been waiting in the
That was the last time I had seen my mother. That was the day everything changed.
My pulse fell still. I was stuck between time, chained by her gaze.
"Why so sad (Y/N)? You should be happy to see your closest friend," she shot a flame at me which I sloppily dodged, my grip slipping. The dirt caked my legs as I struggled to pick myself back up,
"I thought you were strong now. It's nice to see the real you again. Weak."
A chill thrust down my spine, whispers and words I had heard for far too long chained up my skull burning my mind. Sweat beat down my skin. Everything was a blur,
"Do something- you can beat her. Zuko needs you. You-you aren't weak anymore."
My thoughts ate me. The acid in my stomach churned with a putrid sting echoing the burns.
I lifted my hand. The light I conseived was a mere flicker, a speck in the eyes of Azula's blue death,
"No... no why? I should be better than this. Why isn't it working?"
Azula was approaching me now, the red of her lips in a smug grin,
"Oh come on (Y/N), really going to let me finish you that easily?"
Zuko laid like prey on the other side of me, trying to mutter some hope that had already passed. The gore of his wound bleed thru the thin fabric against his chest,
"(Y/N).."
"Shut. Up."
I ran. Like a coward I ran. But her flames chased after me as I circled the courtyard.
Weak. No one. Nothing.
"Now that's more like it! It's just like it should be- just you cowering at me the way you always should have." Azula's eyes tracked me down.
I felt like a ghost- watching my body the moment before being burned alive. And Azula looked happy at the decay rushing down my skin.
Thats when I knew the old Azula was gone, that's when Zuko's painful grunts bleed through my ears, that's when I could feel the fire become another part of me. Just for a second, I was alive. I was free,
"Shut up."
Towards me ran a blaze painting the air in hot embers. The flame, blue as the sea, reflected the anger in Azula's eyes. Tears fell like blood against my cheek as I looked at Zuko, sprawled out against the ground begging the air for breath.
But just as I thought my moment had come she stopped,
"Just end it already!" I screeched, "Isn't this what you always wanted?"
"You still don't get it do you?"
"What are you talking about?" I begged, "Azula please, there's still time. We were friends! Let Zuko go and we can talk about this."
"Even now he's all you care about. Even when I have you at the brink of death- you still won't look at me the way I look at you. Fine. Have it your way."
She lashed forward at Zuko the lighting reeling her entire body in,
"NO!" The words came bursting out from deep in my gut. I flung myself at Zuko with the last bit of strength.
This is it. This is how I die.
"I'm coming mom."
And in a moment my world was of fire. The feeling, the hope, the passion all came belting towards me. Every ember every ash, every spark, tightened the chain holding me together.
My eyes scrawled at the blood red sky shining down on the lightning now gripping my fist. I was of lightning and it was of me.
"How-?" Azula scrambled, "You are nothing! You can't bend lightning!"
"I'm the damn finest nothing you've ever seen."
The light lashed into Azula's skin, her body reeling towards the dirt from which it came,
"No-no this is impossible. Get back here this isn't the end! I loved you! I won't let it end like this."
"I'll add you to the list."
~
After tying the fallen princess up with anything I could find, I turned my attention to Zuko,
"How the hell did you do that? You've never been able to bend lightning before."
"No idea. Guess the spirits decided to pity me."
"Ow," Zuko curled in pain.
"I'll get you to Katara soon- I swear. She'll be able to heal you."
"What about you? You took some pretty bad hits back there."
"I'm not worried. My body is used to the roughness." I winked.
Zuko's face lit up until crimson,
"(Y/N)! We haven't even- done that a lot."
"I know-which we're going to need to fix as soon as your crowned Firelord."
"We both nearly died today and you still manage to make my heart beat the fastest with saying that stuff," he frowned in an embarrassed little smirk.
"I know I'm iconic."
~
I looked out at Zuko struggling to put on his robe,
"Need some help?"
"Yes please-"
I tied the garmemt and fitted it to his waist,
"I guess your gonna be the most attractive Firelord in history huh?"
"Don't say that stuff during the ceremony or I'm gonna faint!" Zuko spat looking into my eyes, "you know how weak I am around you."
"Oh how the times have changed-" I smirked.
"So are you going to tell the others you can bend lightning?"
"Nah. It'll be my surprise if one of them ever goes rogue on me. Momo's always looking at me with those shifty eyes!" I smiled putting my arms around his shoulders.
"You are going to be such a beautiful FireLady." Zuko gushed tracing my cheek.
"That depends on if I agree or not," Zuko's eyes went all sad and doughy, "you know I'm joking! I'm just not ready now that is. I still got a few more years of idiocy before taking on a role like that. But that doesn't mean I'll be leaving your side."
"I- I love you (Y/N). You stuck with me all these years. I don't know how I could ever began to repay you."
"A kiss would be a nice start, his lips embraced mine with a fiery passion neither of us wanted to end, "I love you too, my prince."
~
The crowd burst into cheers as Zuko stepped out of the palace. I tried not to die, he looked so handsome in his Firelord robes and hair it took me a moment to catch my breath. His eyes met mine and melted in a smile,
"Please. The real hero is the Avatar."
Aang stood beside Zuko to the crowd's joy.
I turned to Sokka and Katara beside me with a grin plastered on my face,
"Today this war is finally over! I promised my uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation. And I will. The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided. But with the Avatar's help, we can get it back on the right path and begin a new era of love and peace."
The firesage brought forward the crown and Zuko knelt down. I tried to chase away the tears running down my face. That little boy I found with the turtle ducks all those years ago- he stood before me as something greater than I could ever imagine,
"All hail Fire Lord Zuko!"
Shouts and clapping busted into the air,
"YESSSSS!! YESSS THATS MY MAN!!!" I screeched, "Oh and Aang you're killing it too!"
"Thanks hotmen!" Aang exclaimed.
~
Iroh's music swung a calmness over the tea shop. The seam danced to it as I helped Zuko pass out cups to all our friends.
"Zuko stop moving! I'm trying to capture the moment," Sokka exclaimed as he scribbled down some more on his paper, "I wanted to do a painting so we'd always remember the good times together."
"That's very thoughtful of you Sokka," Katara complimented walking over, "Wait, why did you give me Momo's ears?"
"Those are your hair loopies!"
"At least you don't look like a boar-q-pine! My hair is not that spiky!" Zuko complained.
"I look like a man." Mai observed.
"Why am I floating in the corner exactly?" I added.
"And why did you paint me firebending?" Suki questioned.
"I thought it looked more exciting that way." Momo jumped up by Sokka, "Oh, you think you can do a better job, Momo?"
"Hey, my belly's not that big anymore. I've really trimmed down." Iroh pointed.
"Well I think you all look perfect!" Toph beamed as we laughed.
I looked at all the people beside me, before reaching onto Zuko's hand,
"It really is perfect huh?"
Author's note- (QnA time!)
Yes there will be one more chapter, which timeskips to various moments in (Y/N)'s future life with Zuko. I will then only be going back to the book to edit for grammatical/spelling errors (there are a lot) and such, probably replying to comments to if I can! :D
No there will not be a sequel book, unfortunately I simply don't think I have the right ideas and motivations to do one as much as I've enjoyed writing A second flame. I also want to focus more on my own original book series project- which as my gal serena_s_snape knows I'm very passionate about!!
Yes I will still write fanfiction! I am definitely not done with x reader books and once a new anime crush comes to light- weLP yeah boom new book baby. I just don't know if I'm ever gonna be able to write one as long as this tho-which is mainly due to quarantine and having so much extra time but hey you never know! I never thought I'd get this far with this one XD
Yes I will probably also post a second flame on AO3 once it's completed- because when I tell my friends I write fanfiction on WAtTpAd their immediate reaction is "gO tO a03" so once it's over fine- I'll also publish it over there but I am definitely keeping this one up as well!
Shoutout to all my homies for making it this far, you have no idea how much y'all mean to me!! (Y'ALL the real mvps)