O.C. P.O.V.

It's funny what you can find when you're not looking for it. Like how I met the Avatar. I wasn't looking for them but nevertheless I found them. It was just another day in the North Pole when I found them. Katara was fighting the waterbending master Pakku. I sat and watched the fight. She was good, really good, so good in fact she ended up winning. When she turned her back though, Master Pakku tried to strike. He sent a wall of ice shards toward her. I quickly got to my feet and ran to her side. I made a wall of ice and stopped the shards, then while he was in shock, used the water in my pouch and froze his hands in their position. It wouldn't keep them there for forever but it would for a few seconds anyway. I turned to the girl I later learned to be named Katara, to make sure she was okay and that's how I met the avatar gang. When they left the North Pole, I followed. I didn't really have anything at the North Pole to keep me there. All I had was my pet polar bear dog, named Aiko but she came with us when we left. You see I'd never had a family, my mother died during childbirth, my dad died at sea, and I was an only child. I followed the avatar and his friends and taught them martial arts, it wasn't much but it was something to contribute to the team. I was there when Zuko joined the team and was the first one to trust him. I knew what it felt like to try to turn over a new leaf and how hard that really was. But I was lucky, I got my new leaf when I joined the team, I didn't really have that good of a track record before. I was a thief, stealing just to get by, in fact that's how I learned martial arts.

I thought this all over as I pulled my midnight black hair into its usual high pony tail. Just then there was a knock on my door. "Come in," I called. In the mirror I saw Zuko enter and close the door behind him. "Are you ready?" he asked. "I think I should be asking you that," I said with a grin,"but yes, I'm ready." He nodded curtly. His amber eyes were filled with a fierceness and determination that I haven't seen since he was trying to capture Aang. I stood up and straightened my dual katanas and water pouch. I was ready to fight Azula, because of her I had a burn mark reaching all the way around my back also she hurt Aang and no one hurts my friends. "Hey, promise me something," Zuko said with a heaviness in his voice," be careful, please, I don't want to see you get hurt again 'Baki." 'Baki was the nickname that everyone called me, my name is Tsubaki. "Only if you promise to be careful too, I don't want to see you get hurt either." I said. He was quiet for a minute, then after thinking it over he replied, "Alright, I promise." "Good," I said.

Before I knew it it was time to face Azula. We stood at the palace's front steps. I was nervous but I wasn't going to let that show but I could see she was slipping, and apparently Zuko saw it too. "Alright brother, I challenge you to Agni Kai" she said with an insanity in her amber eyes, the same ones that Zuko had. "Your on," Zuko said with fiery determination in his eyes and voice. "Zuko, what are you doing?" I asked scared for him.

Zuko P.O.V.

"Zuko, what are you doing?" Tsubaki asked worriedly. "Something's off about her, I can feel it, plus this way no one else gets hurt." I said. I don't want 'Baki to get hurt, I don't know what I'd do if she got burned again or worse. I'd miss her smile, her laugh, her captivating icy blue eyes, I'd miss everything about her. And that's the real reason I was accepting the agni kai fight, I knew it would keep Azula's focus on me and it keep 'Baki safe. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing." I said looking at her. She nodded curtly. I could tell she didn't like the idea but she went with it anyway. Azula smiled. I got ready for the agni kai, tsubaki stood on the side and watched, I could tell she was nervous, I was too but I refused to let Azula see it. "Sorry it has to end like this brother." She said taking off the fire lord robe. "No you're not." I said. Then the fighting began. I was dodging, countering, attacking, and watching Azula. "No lightning today, afraid I'll redirect it?" I asked taunting her. "You want lightning, I'll show you lightning." She laughed. She started charging her lightning and then shot, but she missed me. I looked to my left to see that she had aimed for 'Baki. "No!" I screamed and ran in front of Azula's lightning and tried to redirect it but ended up just getting hit straight in the chest.

Tsubaki P.O.V.

Zuko laid on the ground grunting in pain and twitching every now and again. I ran over to help him but was almost hit by lightning myself. Azula chased and shot at me until I was above this water drain. I looked up and saw this door with a chain wrapped around the handles. I got an idea, I ran and grabbed the chain and waited for Azula to stand over the grate. It didn't take long for that to happen, she caught me off guard though and I fell over when she pushed me. She tried to hit me with lightning but before she could, I bended the water up through the grate and froze it around us. Then I made just the ice around me turn back into water and swam to one of Azula's wrists and wrapped the chain around it, then did the same thing to the other wrist and pulled her onto her knees and tied her to the grate. I sent the water back through the grate, fell to my knees, and took in a big gulp of air. Azula was nearly choking next to me. I got off of my knees and tightened the chain. I ran over to Zuko bending the water out of my pouch and kneeling down next to him. I immediately started healing him, he grunted one final time before smiling his adorable smile. He opened his rich amber eyes were filled with an emotion that I'd never seen before. "I guess I didn't keep my promise did I 'Baki?" He chuckled. I smiled, "No, no you didn't." "Thank you." He said. "I think I should be the one thanking you." I said tears brimming in my eyes. "Anything for you." Zuko said getting up then helping me up. I blushed and hid my face. "With a face like that it's a shame to hide it." Zuko said grabbing my chin and forcing me to look at him. A tear had finally spilled over despite my best efforts. He took his thumb and brushed it away and I nuzzled into his hand. "Tsubaki, just incase something else happens today, I want you to know I love you, everything about you, your smile your laugh, your voice, your eyes, everything. I get if you don't feel the same way but I just wanted you to know." He said rushedly. I held his face and rubbed my thumb on his burn scar. "I love you too Zuko." I said looking at him with love in my eyes. Then he leaned in and kissed me, his arms flew to my waist while my arms flew to his neck and hair. He drew back from the kiss first and rested his forehead on mine. We both smiled. Even though I was the thief, the soon to be fire lord stole my heart.

It's funny what you can find when you're not looking for it, like how I found the love of my life.

The End