Fanfiction - Avatar: the Last Airbender - Aftermath
Title: Aftermath
Fandom/Universe: Avatar
Character(s): Zuko, Earth Mother, Shana
Rating: Teen
“Only Iroh’s nephew would wait until the eleventh hour to make his decision.”
Zuko whirls back around. That woman is standing there, staring at him again. Her eyes are bright and her smile warms him and still he feels fear clenching at his heart.
“You.” He snarls as he steps back into a defensive stance. He is sick of this woman making a mockery of him. Now he will fight.
“Oh, give it a rest, you stupid boy. I’m not here for that.”
But Zuko doesn’t relax.
“Then leave, you hag! I don’t need to hear your stupid bullshit. I made my decision! I’m done with stupid predictions and being confused - just done. So leave me the fuck alone unless you want to die a painful death!”
She laughs then and the eeriness of it cuts through him and he tries so very hard to stop shaking, but he can’t.
“You will never stop being confused Zuko. It’s written all over your face. You are two halves, not a whole. But I wish you luck in trying to unify your pieces.” She moves towards him and he knows that he should blast her into a million billion pieces, but he’s pretty sure he couldn’t even if he tried. Something inside of her already seems too far gone.
“I hate you. I hate all of you people.” He says through gritted teeth as she wraps her arms around him and she’s still curvy and she still reeks of woman, but it’s muted now and wrapped in with the smell of cold dirt and that’s when he knows that she’s dead.
“I am truly sorry, my dear Prince. You did the right thing. I hope you know that. The spirits are eternally grateful. I can feel them, y’know. They sing your praises some days and they curse you others. Life is conflicting, but if it were any other way then it wouldn’t be worth living to the fullest. You’ve been given one more chance to make the world right again, to fix the sins of your fathers and I know, without a doubt, you will make it, my friend.”
“You loved my uncle.” It’s not a question.
“It is of little consequence now. I wish him happiness. And tea. Yes, I wish him tea.”
He pats her awkwardly on her back.
“I am sorry you’re dead, hag. You were an…ah…interesting sort.”
“Thank you, Zuko. She pulls away and her eyes pierce him once again.
“I must be going. I just wanted to let you know that you have done right and the spirit world is pleased. I’m just a messenger really. After this, I think that perhaps I shall rest, though I do worry sometimes….” He watches as she bites at her lip and looks away from him.
“What?”
“Nothing, just thinking about a friend of mine.”
“That girl. The one who broke that dish because I frightened her?” He could remember her. He had thought she was Mei for a second, but her eyes…her eyes had been as blue as that one friend of the Avatar’s.
“I worry about her.”
“I could check in on her. If you’d like. I don’t think she’s left the city yet.”
“That would be very kind. Thank-you.”
They are both silent for a few moments, not quite sure of themselves.
“Well,” She says first, turning from him. “It looks like it’s time to take my leave. I wish you the best, Prince Zuko.”
“Yes.”
She’s halfway out the door when he stops her, unable to contain it any longer.
“I’m sorry! Really. If I hadn’t waited so long than maybe…I…You….” He resolves to learn how many lost their lives that day. He can imagine the memorial in his mind and he regrets. Too many, he decides, too many dead.
“It’s all right.” She says with a smile, and he watches as she seems to fade before his eyes. And he tries to memorize her face, but knows it’s next to useless because she had never meant anything to him before and there isn’t enough time to get in the details. But he knows her eyes and her smile and wishes that he had been smarter before. “Life is very conflicting after all.”
“And I am very tired.”
He never sees her again.
(the blue-eyed girl says little when he goes to visit and he can’t help but still feel responsible for all the things he never did)
a/n: No clue where this came from. The only thing I knew when I started was that I wanted it to be about Earth Mother and Zuko and how he is Iroh's nephew and waiting 'til the eleventh hour.
I have another story that I want to write. It's original and about towers and the sky maybe. But I don't know if I'll ever actually write it.
Fandom/Universe: Avatar
Character(s): Zuko, Earth Mother, Shana
Rating: Teen
“Only Iroh’s nephew would wait until the eleventh hour to make his decision.”
Zuko whirls back around. That woman is standing there, staring at him again. Her eyes are bright and her smile warms him and still he feels fear clenching at his heart.
“You.” He snarls as he steps back into a defensive stance. He is sick of this woman making a mockery of him. Now he will fight.
“Oh, give it a rest, you stupid boy. I’m not here for that.”
But Zuko doesn’t relax.
“Then leave, you hag! I don’t need to hear your stupid bullshit. I made my decision! I’m done with stupid predictions and being confused - just done. So leave me the fuck alone unless you want to die a painful death!”
She laughs then and the eeriness of it cuts through him and he tries so very hard to stop shaking, but he can’t.
“You will never stop being confused Zuko. It’s written all over your face. You are two halves, not a whole. But I wish you luck in trying to unify your pieces.” She moves towards him and he knows that he should blast her into a million billion pieces, but he’s pretty sure he couldn’t even if he tried. Something inside of her already seems too far gone.
“I hate you. I hate all of you people.” He says through gritted teeth as she wraps her arms around him and she’s still curvy and she still reeks of woman, but it’s muted now and wrapped in with the smell of cold dirt and that’s when he knows that she’s dead.
“I am truly sorry, my dear Prince. You did the right thing. I hope you know that. The spirits are eternally grateful. I can feel them, y’know. They sing your praises some days and they curse you others. Life is conflicting, but if it were any other way then it wouldn’t be worth living to the fullest. You’ve been given one more chance to make the world right again, to fix the sins of your fathers and I know, without a doubt, you will make it, my friend.”
“You loved my uncle.” It’s not a question.
“It is of little consequence now. I wish him happiness. And tea. Yes, I wish him tea.”
He pats her awkwardly on her back.
“I am sorry you’re dead, hag. You were an…ah…interesting sort.”
“Thank you, Zuko. She pulls away and her eyes pierce him once again.
“I must be going. I just wanted to let you know that you have done right and the spirit world is pleased. I’m just a messenger really. After this, I think that perhaps I shall rest, though I do worry sometimes….” He watches as she bites at her lip and looks away from him.
“What?”
“Nothing, just thinking about a friend of mine.”
“That girl. The one who broke that dish because I frightened her?” He could remember her. He had thought she was Mei for a second, but her eyes…her eyes had been as blue as that one friend of the Avatar’s.
“I worry about her.”
“I could check in on her. If you’d like. I don’t think she’s left the city yet.”
“That would be very kind. Thank-you.”
They are both silent for a few moments, not quite sure of themselves.
“Well,” She says first, turning from him. “It looks like it’s time to take my leave. I wish you the best, Prince Zuko.”
“Yes.”
She’s halfway out the door when he stops her, unable to contain it any longer.
“I’m sorry! Really. If I hadn’t waited so long than maybe…I…You….” He resolves to learn how many lost their lives that day. He can imagine the memorial in his mind and he regrets. Too many, he decides, too many dead.
“It’s all right.” She says with a smile, and he watches as she seems to fade before his eyes. And he tries to memorize her face, but knows it’s next to useless because she had never meant anything to him before and there isn’t enough time to get in the details. But he knows her eyes and her smile and wishes that he had been smarter before. “Life is very conflicting after all.”
“And I am very tired.”
He never sees her again.
(the blue-eyed girl says little when he goes to visit and he can’t help but still feel responsible for all the things he never did)
a/n: No clue where this came from. The only thing I knew when I started was that I wanted it to be about Earth Mother and Zuko and how he is Iroh's nephew and waiting 'til the eleventh hour.
I have another story that I want to write. It's original and about towers and the sky maybe. But I don't know if I'll ever actually write it.