Disclaimer: I do not own any part of A:tla. They belong to Mike and Brian. I just write stuff for the heck of it.
Zuko bolted upright out of his sleep, breathing heavily as sweat poured down his body. It had been three years since Aang's fierce battle with fire lord Ozai and one distinct memory stayed fresh in his mind. It was a memory of his mother Ursa and what she told him the very day that Aang was to fight Ozai. The very day that his mother, Ursa, died.
"Zuko, I have something to tell you," Ursa said in a stern voice to her panicking son. Zuko frantically fumbled around to find anything that might help Ursa's wound, and unfortunately, he was being far from successful.
"Mother, please don't speak, it'll waste your energy," Zuko pleaded as he continued to search fruitlessly. "I won't let you die." Zuko quickly came to the realization, however, that this was a lie. The major wound Ursa had recieved was the result of a spear stabbing straight through her stomach before being pulled out horrifically.
"Zuko, I must tell you this. When I die... Azula... Azula will no longer be your sister... I should have told you this before but... You do not have any blood relation to her and likewise, Ozai is not your father... Azula's mother died while giving birth to her... and You're father died in the military... Ozai married me after I had already given birth to you and... and..."
There was a complete look of disbelief on Zuko's face. "It's not possible... It can't be possible!" Zuko roared before tears formed into his eyes and he couldn't stop himself from crying. "It's not fair."
"Zuko... I... love."
"...Mother? Mother!" Zuko cried out as he placed a shaky hand on her neck to feel for a pulse. She was dead. Then the memory ended as abruptly as it came.
Zuko wiped some of the sweat on his forhead off with his arm before pushing himself out from beneath his covers and continued out of his tent. "I suppose, today is as good as any day to carry on," Zuko said with a partial smile on his face, trying to forget the past as he walked over to his extinguished camp fire. He casually took a seat on a fat log and threw a few on hand pieces of wood into the pit and set it ablaze.
After Zuko had finished cooking his breakfast on his open fire and prepared himself for the day after several rigorous exercises, he began to pack his equiptment and before long, headed out a what seemed a turtle's pace. Afterall, he no longer had to worry about running from Azula. This was because Aang indirectly did Zuko a favor by killing Ozai in the same battle that took his mother's life and gave him the truth. Little did he know, Azula was watching him from the sidelines.
"There he goes," Azula murmered quietly to herself while she stalked Zuko like a Lioness preparing to attack a helpless prey. Azula hadn't quite come to figure out why she was still hunting Zuko like she continually was. Perhaps it was her fighting spirit or even more likely it was the result of a softspoken, revenge driven hatred generated from his betrayal several years back. Whatever the cause, she was here following him. Azula had ultimately decided that her best bet was to stay back and hunt him for several days until it was the perfect time to strike. She would've attacked several times throughout the previous nights but found it impossible because of the small traps he had set up that were seemingly insurpassable and would always result in alarming him. That, and Azula could never bring herself to do the task.
Over the years, Azula slowly matured and was no longer the heartless monster she once was. Part of the blame for the change was Iroh's neverending lectures. The rest of the change was forced onto her when her idol of ultimate power and father, Ozai, was killed by the peaceful Avatar. She was quickly exiled from the Fire Nation and had finally realized over a few short years that power wasn't everything.
After Azula had been exiled, she was treated like common trash even on the exodus of her own kingdom. She had finally made her way onto a boat and crossed the vastness of the ocean before landing upon the shores of the Earth Kingdom. Month's had passed and she was finally able to pass herself off as a refugee. Mai and Ty Lee had died during the battle... The only ones she ever cared to call friends were gone. It had left her an unforgettable scar that haunted her daily. She had even been unfortunate enough to witness the horrible deeds that other refugees commited upon each other such as theft, rape and even murder. Through two years time, she had become like a hollowed shell, until she caught wind of Zuko.
Azula continued following him until darkness filled the sky and Zuko quickly set up his furskin blankets and fell asleep. He had finally let his guard down. Azula slowly tread her way over to him in rhythm to his breathing patterns. Soon she had reached no more than a few feet a way and slowly pulled out a long, sharp dagger. It was the dagger Iroh had given Zuko when they both had been in their youth. Azula looked down upon Zuko's half hidden figure. His stomach and up were left uncovered and bare. Azula could see his abs and pecs easily through the moonlit area. She looked to his face and stared at it for a minute, her eyes constantly crossing the scar. She couldn't do it.
Azula dropped the blade carelessly to her side before it stabbed into the slightly grassy dirt with an odd slicing thud. She dropped to her knees before tears filled her eyes. Almost in the same instance that Zuko opened his eyes and looked up to her. 'Why can't I do it?' Azula thought to herself as she looked him in the eyes. Zuko hadn't made a move to get up but threw a curious glance towards her. Azula bowed her head and began to cry. The first cry she had in three years. The first cry she had since she watched Aang kill her father.
Zuko quickly sat up when he saw Azula crying and positioned himself onto his knees in front of her. He gently put both of his hands on her shoulders and held a firm grip. "Azula. It's okay. I'm here." Azula looked up at him through tears and through a hug around him.
"I'm so sorry, Zuko!" Azula bawled. She was acting like she was five again and oddly enough, it didn't bother Zuko one bit. Zuko was, however, surprised that Azula was crying. He hadn't seen her in such a condition for what seemed his entire life. "I- I- I only treat-ed you so bad-adly be-cause you weren't my re-al bro-th-ther," She continued this time looking him in the eyes. She was still crying pretty hard though her efforts to stop were worthily noted.
'She's known this entire time?' Zuko thought to himself with a bit of angered jealousy striking across him. This soon faded when Azula rested her head in his shoulder and continued to sob. "I forgive you, Azula," he said gently into her ear at almost a whisper's strength.
"Yo..You do?" She said quizically as she pulled her head back from his shoulder and stared him directly in the eyes from no more than a foot's distance.
"Yes, Azula... I love you"
Azula smiled weakly before throwing a hug around him again. "I love you too."
After several minutes, Azula had calmed down incredibly as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. In some strange odd way, it felt the same for Zuko. The two of them had both remained on their knees. They were still very close to each other but had resorted to sitting on their feet to stay upright.
"Azula," Zuko began shyly. "Seeing as your not my sister and all I uh... Er well ya see..." There was an immense shade of red that appeared on his face. It also appeared on Azula's as well. Azula leaned herself inward toward him, in natural responce he leaned back a little. Azula's golden eyes shimmered beautifully in the moonlight as they reflected into his own golden eyes. She looked like a goddess. Zuko fell backward before he realized that he was leaning backward at all and corrected his legs by lying them out as straight as he could while still avoiding her knees. "Er- I- Um-" Zuko tried again before failing miserably. Azula pushed forward until she lying across him supported by his body. Before Zuko could continue, she pressed her face into his and engaged him in a wonderful kiss. It was so refreshing that Zuko could not break the moment. The two instead carried on for what seemed a blissful eternity of gentle kissing. To Zuko's dismay, the kiss, however, eventually ended.
"I love you, Zuko," Azula said as she looked down upon Zuko with a smile on her face, vouching for the marks of dried tears that had strolled down her face.
"I love you too, Azula."