Fanfiction - Avatar: the Last Airbender - Always
Title: Always
Fandom: Avatar: the Last Airbender
Character(s): Zuko, Katara, Aang, Sokka
Rating: Teen
(...We’ll find a place where the sun still shines...)
- - -
Always
- - -
He followed.
Even now, a month later, he still doesn’t know why.
All he knows is that his uncle died. His uncle died, because Azula attacked. Azula attacked and they’d fought, but the others had been there too (they were ALWAYS there). The others had been there and they’d...they’d fought with him. Backed him up and everything. At one point he’d even been completely in synch with the avatar, bouncing attacks off of Azula one after the other. It’d been like poetry or a song...if he cared for that sort of thing.
He was amazed at how easy it had been to follow the boy’s movements. Perhaps all those battles with one another taught him more than he’d care to admit.
But then the magic was broken because Azula directed the attack to his uncle. Again. And this time Zuko knew that there was no waking him up.
Before she disappeared Zuko managed to lay one well placed attack on his sister. The burn would not heal anytime soon. It would probably scar. Fitting.
And then she was gone and Iroh was gone too (but it was a different kind of gone - a burning kind of gone that left him feeling hollowed and alone), but the others were not. Those people were still there. They were always just there.
And this time he finally let them stay.
The girl (the pretty one, he thinks sometimes) put her hand on his shoulder and the idiot didn’t say anything stupid and the little one was shaking. The avatar... the avatar was crying.
It had taken a few minutes for Zuko to realize that he was crying too.
He wanted to burn them. Scorch them all and set them ablaze. He wanted to leave behind five corpses that day (six if he included his sister, but she was gone and his chance to leave her dead had passed - like always), but he didn’t. Instead he clenched his fists and pounded his head against the ground (Toph winced, but didn’t say anything) and screamed like a dying animal. Except that he was alive. He was always alive.
And there were times when he hated it.
Suddenly he didn’t want to burn them at all. He wanted to burn himself. He wanted to take the fire inside of him and let it loose. He wanted to let it consume him. Finally give himself to the flames.
His hand twitched.
“Don’t.”
A hand on his (she had no right to have such delicate hands when his were so calloused and ugly) and a body pressed against him (stupid girls, stupid hormones). He inhaled.
“I’m done.” He breathed.
Her fingers tightened ever so slightly.
“We’re here.”
He turned to her and for once in his life was unashamed of the tears on his face.
“So?”
She moved closer and he froze. She paused, unsure of herself. She was playing with fire. The stupid one growled softly, a warning to Zuko that if he made even one bad move he’d kill him. Zuko knew this immediately, but his attention was almost completely transfixed on the girl before him slowly wrapping her thin arms around his neck. His whole body tensed and his fingers twitched. Her efforts were useless. He was determined to die and if she was consumed with him then it was her own stupid fault and she should have known better and -
And then she pressed her face into his neck.
And it was wet.
And she was sobbing.
“Don’t!” She repeated. She was warm against him. And not a fire warmth, but a genuine feeling that made his stomach twist and who was this girl, really?
(He’d heard a rumor once about how she was the only one able to tame the avatar, only her love and affection could stop the raging spirit from killing everything in its path. He’d scoffed at the idea. There’s no way that one scrawny, useless girl could do such a thing. If the avatar spirit wanted to kill, then it damned well would. Love changed nothing. Beasts were beasts. Untameable.
...
Perhaps he was wrong.)
Slowly, almost painfully he lifted his arms. He didn’t notice the others flinch and ready themselves as he moved. All he could feel was her weight and her tears and her warmth and it’d been so long since he’d known such a thing.
His mother loved him once.
With effort he awkwardly wrapped his arms around her thin form. He embraced her back gently for a moment.
He hadn’t been warm in so long.
With a growl he suddenly wrapped his arms as tight as he could around her and squeezed her to him. She gasped and Sokka was aiming a boomerang for his head, but in an instant Zuko was pushing her back, away from him. He held her at arms length and gripped her shoulders tightly, staring directly into her eyes.
“Promise me!” He yelled, his voice sounding foreign and broken to his own ears.
“What?” She whimpered, struggling against his grip a little.
“Let go of her!” Sokka screamed, struggling to keep control. He was afraid to hit Katara in his attack.
Zuko wasn’t listening.
“Promise me!” He screamed again, shaking her shoulders.
“Promise you what?” She said through clenched teeth.
He glared at her, amber eyes boring holes into her as he tore down every bit of who she was with one lost, angry look. She trembled in his arms and he hated it.
With every bit of force he could muster he yanked her towards him and smashed his lips against hers. Her eyes widened in shock and everyone else froze, unable to comprehend what was happening. Zuko on the other hand closed his eyes and clung to her shoulders, unwilling to let go. Not now. Not ever.
Eventually his grip slackened as he pulled away to breathe. She was still staring at him with big, blue eyes and a blush was quickly spreading over her cheeks. It didn’t suit her at all. He released her entirely and backed away. Almost guiltily he looked around at the others.
Then he turned back to face her.
“Girl, promise me that you and your idiot friends will always be there. Always. No matter how much I hate you and want you all to die. Promise me you won’t.” He bowed his head. “Please.”
She gazed at him and the blush had mostly faded, but the kiss was still fresh on her lips. She sighed and put the thoughts away. She’d worry about it all later.
She moved closer to him and once again placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Yes, Zuko. Always.”
And so he followed.
a/n: This isn't really meant to be a Zutara story. He didn't kiss her out of love. He kissed her out of desperation and need. Human connection. He thinks she's pretty, but he doesn't really KNOW her so...yeah. Also I think Kataang is too adorable to destroy. I don't think Aang will be too pleased with the turn of events in this story. Ah well. He'd learn to deal with it.
Sorta my own way of musing. I do think Iroh's going to die and Zuko's gonna join the gang. I really hope that happens. It'd be badass. And the fact that they're all going to the same place...weeee!
This came out of nowhere. Blame it on 'the fury of Aang'. Good episodes. LOVED the last bit where Aang goes all Avatar-crazy and Katara has this tired, broken look and she's the only on who can stop him because he loves her and its just soooo sweet and GJdljlksafj. I don't know how anyone can hate Kataang. Its adorable.
Fandom: Avatar: the Last Airbender
Character(s): Zuko, Katara, Aang, Sokka
Rating: Teen
(...We’ll find a place where the sun still shines...)
- - -
Always
- - -
He followed.
Even now, a month later, he still doesn’t know why.
All he knows is that his uncle died. His uncle died, because Azula attacked. Azula attacked and they’d fought, but the others had been there too (they were ALWAYS there). The others had been there and they’d...they’d fought with him. Backed him up and everything. At one point he’d even been completely in synch with the avatar, bouncing attacks off of Azula one after the other. It’d been like poetry or a song...if he cared for that sort of thing.
He was amazed at how easy it had been to follow the boy’s movements. Perhaps all those battles with one another taught him more than he’d care to admit.
But then the magic was broken because Azula directed the attack to his uncle. Again. And this time Zuko knew that there was no waking him up.
Before she disappeared Zuko managed to lay one well placed attack on his sister. The burn would not heal anytime soon. It would probably scar. Fitting.
And then she was gone and Iroh was gone too (but it was a different kind of gone - a burning kind of gone that left him feeling hollowed and alone), but the others were not. Those people were still there. They were always just there.
And this time he finally let them stay.
The girl (the pretty one, he thinks sometimes) put her hand on his shoulder and the idiot didn’t say anything stupid and the little one was shaking. The avatar... the avatar was crying.
It had taken a few minutes for Zuko to realize that he was crying too.
He wanted to burn them. Scorch them all and set them ablaze. He wanted to leave behind five corpses that day (six if he included his sister, but she was gone and his chance to leave her dead had passed - like always), but he didn’t. Instead he clenched his fists and pounded his head against the ground (Toph winced, but didn’t say anything) and screamed like a dying animal. Except that he was alive. He was always alive.
And there were times when he hated it.
Suddenly he didn’t want to burn them at all. He wanted to burn himself. He wanted to take the fire inside of him and let it loose. He wanted to let it consume him. Finally give himself to the flames.
His hand twitched.
“Don’t.”
A hand on his (she had no right to have such delicate hands when his were so calloused and ugly) and a body pressed against him (stupid girls, stupid hormones). He inhaled.
“I’m done.” He breathed.
Her fingers tightened ever so slightly.
“We’re here.”
He turned to her and for once in his life was unashamed of the tears on his face.
“So?”
She moved closer and he froze. She paused, unsure of herself. She was playing with fire. The stupid one growled softly, a warning to Zuko that if he made even one bad move he’d kill him. Zuko knew this immediately, but his attention was almost completely transfixed on the girl before him slowly wrapping her thin arms around his neck. His whole body tensed and his fingers twitched. Her efforts were useless. He was determined to die and if she was consumed with him then it was her own stupid fault and she should have known better and -
And then she pressed her face into his neck.
And it was wet.
And she was sobbing.
“Don’t!” She repeated. She was warm against him. And not a fire warmth, but a genuine feeling that made his stomach twist and who was this girl, really?
(He’d heard a rumor once about how she was the only one able to tame the avatar, only her love and affection could stop the raging spirit from killing everything in its path. He’d scoffed at the idea. There’s no way that one scrawny, useless girl could do such a thing. If the avatar spirit wanted to kill, then it damned well would. Love changed nothing. Beasts were beasts. Untameable.
...
Perhaps he was wrong.)
Slowly, almost painfully he lifted his arms. He didn’t notice the others flinch and ready themselves as he moved. All he could feel was her weight and her tears and her warmth and it’d been so long since he’d known such a thing.
His mother loved him once.
With effort he awkwardly wrapped his arms around her thin form. He embraced her back gently for a moment.
He hadn’t been warm in so long.
With a growl he suddenly wrapped his arms as tight as he could around her and squeezed her to him. She gasped and Sokka was aiming a boomerang for his head, but in an instant Zuko was pushing her back, away from him. He held her at arms length and gripped her shoulders tightly, staring directly into her eyes.
“Promise me!” He yelled, his voice sounding foreign and broken to his own ears.
“What?” She whimpered, struggling against his grip a little.
“Let go of her!” Sokka screamed, struggling to keep control. He was afraid to hit Katara in his attack.
Zuko wasn’t listening.
“Promise me!” He screamed again, shaking her shoulders.
“Promise you what?” She said through clenched teeth.
He glared at her, amber eyes boring holes into her as he tore down every bit of who she was with one lost, angry look. She trembled in his arms and he hated it.
With every bit of force he could muster he yanked her towards him and smashed his lips against hers. Her eyes widened in shock and everyone else froze, unable to comprehend what was happening. Zuko on the other hand closed his eyes and clung to her shoulders, unwilling to let go. Not now. Not ever.
Eventually his grip slackened as he pulled away to breathe. She was still staring at him with big, blue eyes and a blush was quickly spreading over her cheeks. It didn’t suit her at all. He released her entirely and backed away. Almost guiltily he looked around at the others.
Then he turned back to face her.
“Girl, promise me that you and your idiot friends will always be there. Always. No matter how much I hate you and want you all to die. Promise me you won’t.” He bowed his head. “Please.”
She gazed at him and the blush had mostly faded, but the kiss was still fresh on her lips. She sighed and put the thoughts away. She’d worry about it all later.
She moved closer to him and once again placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Yes, Zuko. Always.”
And so he followed.
a/n: This isn't really meant to be a Zutara story. He didn't kiss her out of love. He kissed her out of desperation and need. Human connection. He thinks she's pretty, but he doesn't really KNOW her so...yeah. Also I think Kataang is too adorable to destroy. I don't think Aang will be too pleased with the turn of events in this story. Ah well. He'd learn to deal with it.
Sorta my own way of musing. I do think Iroh's going to die and Zuko's gonna join the gang. I really hope that happens. It'd be badass. And the fact that they're all going to the same place...weeee!
This came out of nowhere. Blame it on 'the fury of Aang'. Good episodes. LOVED the last bit where Aang goes all Avatar-crazy and Katara has this tired, broken look and she's the only on who can stop him because he loves her and its just soooo sweet and GJdljlksafj. I don't know how anyone can hate Kataang. Its adorable.