鬼
Shoko flung his arms forwards, forcing a violent slash of frozen water to collide against the ground, slightly cracking it. He slid his foot to the side so he could regain his fighting stance, and sent a water whip to a tree. He jumped into the air while forming multiple water drops which he eventually froze into sharp icicles, letting them fall to the ground.
Once he landed, he proudly watched over the scene. He took a seat on a square-shaped rock, inhaling deeply to calm himself down. He was exhausted. But training somehow managed to make him feel slightly better.
His hand landed on his eyepatch to raise it up. It had been a very long time since he had taken off his eyepatch. He let the wind hit his aqua-blue eye before letting the black piece of cloth cover it once more. He chewed on his lower lip. A habit he had gotten used to since a kid whenever he was stressed.
He was anxious about what Zuko would think of him if he were to ever find out.
He would most likely be angry, considering his short temper. Because he had left his friend on the same day his mother left him as well. It left a deep scar on his heart, leading to him distrusting others quickly.
But he always forgot that he wasn't the only one who was left hurting.
Shoko was hurt as well. He had seen Mai comfort him and peck his face with kind warm kisses. One week before their little awkward moment under the tree, when Zuko leaned in to place a birthday kiss on his cheek. He was always there for the Prince, when he fell, when he cried, and when Azula would always make him angry. He was always there, not Mai. Yet he chose her.
Shoko never felt any sort of rage toward Mai. Sure, as a kid, he felt like the girl was competition, but what would his young naive mind know about love and jealousy? The nobleman's daughter was kind if she really tried to be, she was unbelievably beautiful and perfect with her milky smooth skin and silky black hair.
But he didn't need to be verbally reminded of how different they were. Of course, Zuko chose her.
She's a girl.
While he was a boy. Not only was Zuko's father an absolute asshole, but he was extremely against same-sex relationships. He made it clear to Zuko and Azula at a young age. This is the exact reason why Azula hadn't made any further steps to approach Rin in any other way than just friends.
An eye for an eye.
A heart for a heart.
Zuko broke his heart, so it would only be fair to break his as well.
Despite all those years of being separated and living different lives, Shoko just couldn't rid himself of the feelings he felt for the Prince when he was only a kid.
But he didn't want to love anymore.
All it did was cause him more pain.
Shoko closed his eyes tightly. A thought popped into his mind. Zuko and himself appeared, the real him. They were walking across the damp sand of Ember Island. Zuko's hair looked different however, no, he looked different, all of him did. Shoko smiled warmly as he secretly watched the Prince.
They were holding hands, walking so closely that their shoulders touched with every movement they made. None of them hesitated, and no one was oppressing their feelings. Shoko's smile disappeared the instant he reopened his amber eye, pulling his knees to his chest and hiding his head with his arms.
They could have been happy.
"Yeah, we could've..."
❥・❥
"What do you plan on doing when you catch the Avatar?" Ty Lee asked Azula, the group of girls sat in a tank, following the trail of bison fur being left behind.
"Kill him of course."
Rin looked up from her nails that Mai was currently painting a black color. "What? But he's just a kid." Azula's cold eyes met Rin's concerned blue ones. An eerie look on her face, "And? He must be stopped. Looks can be deceiving, Rin, he's a hundred years old."
"But he hasn't killed anyone. Besides, how could you live with yourself knowing that you've killed a young boy full of spirit?" Rin shouted, standing up from where she sat with Mai. The other two watched silently. Rather surprised that Rin had spoken out against their leader.
Azula's stance faltered, only slightly before she fixed her posture. "That's enough. You know better than to speak out. I recruited you so you could be with the people that actually care about you!" Azula stood up as well, immediately making Rin cower back with a frown.
"Yes, Azula," Rin whispered in a hushed tone. She looked away from the Princess and down at her black nails. The group all sat in silence now. Mai's expressionless face slightly showed a hint of sympathy. Ty Lee glanced at her saddened friend before focusing her attention to look out at the tank's scope. Azula, however, continued to glare at the back of Rin's head, pleased the older girl was cowering as she always did.
Suddenly, Ty Lee let out a gasp, "I found them again! Their bison is so furry! They're on top of that hill." Rin glared at her hands, standing up to follow the other girls to mount their giant lizards, preparing to attack the Avatar and his friends. Instead of running like the other times they did, when they noticed the machine, they stayed still and looked at it with curiosity.
They watched as the tank opened, revealing the girls on their lizards.
"It's the four girls from Omashu!" Katara shouted in dismay.
Rin looked over to a new girl who she hadn't seen the last time they fought, she was short and wore Earth Kingdom clothes. The girls all began to ride forward, and instantly, the young girl earthbended a large wall in front of them, blocking their way. The Avatar and his friends all pack up their messily done campsite and hopped onto the flying bison. Azula quickly shot out a bolt of lightning toward the wall, creating a half-circle to allow them their pass. Mai then took her chance to send a knife at the little girl's head, but the earthbender raised the ground from in front of her, propelling herself upwards as she landed with the others in the bison's saddle.
"Let's continue following them. Leave the tank behind, it took too much time to get out" Azula announced, causing tired groans to fall from her friend's lips, knowing very well that the Princess wouldn't allow them to rest until she got her hands on the Avatar.
❥・❥
"Wads of wet fur. How delightful" Mai said in her usual sarcastic tone. Azula was kneeling beside a creek, examining the wads of wet fur in her hand. Rin, Mai, and Ty Lee stood behind her. "Hmm... they're not wads, more like bundles. Or bunches... it's got an 'uh' sound." Ty Lee added, putting a finger on her chin as she thought of the right word.
"Clumps?" Rin suggested, making the girl in pink jump and engulf her, "Clumps!" Ty Lee confirmed, a happy tone replacing her old one. Rin looked over Ty Lee's shoulder to see the trail of white fur. She decided to keep her mouth shut. There was no way she was going to let Azula kill someone that easily, especially the world's last hope. He needed to live, no matter what.
"The trail goes this way," Mai pointed at the very trail Rin saw. Azula looked over to observe a couple of trees. "The Avatar is trying to give us the slip?" She pointed to the broken tips of the trees.
"You two follow this trail" Tye Lee lets go of Rin and all the girls began mounting their lizards, separating in two different directions.
❥・❥
"I'm sorry," Azula spoke softly from beside Rin, keeping her eyes locked in front of her. "For snapping at you. I just don't want to get distracted."
Rin looked away from the trail and faced the Princess, her eyes softening as she took in Azula's beauty. "I'm sorry for speaking out as well. I just," Rin took a deep breath, "I don't want you to feel the weight of killing anyone, Azu. You're a lot of things, but you're not a murderer."
Azula's face morphed into a scowl, "It's not like it matters. If the only way to impress Admiral Wu is by killing the Avatar, then so be it. I won't hesitate."
Rin slowly shook her head, looking away at the passing trees. Azula did absolutely everything to impress Rin's Father, she looked up to the old man as she did with her own Father. "There are other ways, and if it means anything... I'm proud of you" Rin looked back up to meet Azula's gaze with a sad smile. The Princess's eyes widened, she wasn't used to hearing anyone say positive things about her. Warm yet small tears flowed down her cheeks.
"I'm proud of you, and I love you" Rin continued softly. Azula faced the other side and forced her tears back, glaring deeply at the road ahead of them. "But how long will it take to drive you away from me?" She spoke to herself in a hushed tone.
❥
"No matter how much you run, you will always be caught. Facing the past is a scary thing, and some might not be ready to come to terms with what happened. Because, the mind might forgive, but the heart will forever be scarred, afraid to love again.