Inspired by that damn ear worm otherwise known as "I Am Bubble Man"
*
I am Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. I live in the shadows of exile, banished for my weakness. I haven't seen the sun in three years, but it's okay. Being alone in the darkness gives me time to reflect.
I dream of it, though. Every night I dream of a time when I could look up and see the sun anytime I wanted, so bright and beautiful. But now its harsh light only stings my injured eye, and I recoil in pain.
Go ahead and laugh if you must, you don't have to understand. I'm fine with my life just the way it is, and I have been for the last three years. I'm used to it.
...so then why does my heart hurt? Why do I awaken from my dreams feeling hollow inside, wanting to cry?
Am I a coward? Always alone in the shadows, never seeking light.
Then he came. The Avatar, a whirlwind of orange and saffron gliding through the air and coming to a graceful stop several feet away. One look at that dazzling smile was like being embraced by the sun, and I knew at that moment I needed him.
He fought me, of course, seeing my Fire Nation colors as an attack, but even as we fought I could see something in his wide gray eyes that I hadn't seen in three years.
Compassion. Admiration. Love.
He helped me stand, and told me his name was Aang. We shared a smile, and I began to feel all right.
Unfortunately, at that moment someone else arrived to fight the Avatar. Commander Zhao, my most hated rival, and he would do far worse than I ever could. No, I thought with defiance, I won't let him harm the one person who's shown me such kindness!
"Go," I whispered to the Avatar, "I'll fight him. You live..."
So we fought. Zhao was as merciless as I remembered him being, and his blows hurt. In the end, he fell to his death from the top of the cliff, but my victory came at a price. I collapsed to the ground, my injuries were too great and I could feel myself slowly dying. Aang rushed to my side, begging me to hold on, but his plea did nothing.
"A...Avatar...Aang..." It was getting dark. "Avatar, thank you...for the first time, I truly know how it feels...to be loved..."
The shadows pull me down, but I am grateful. Before I died, I was able to be embraced by the sun one last time.
*
"...oh my." Iroh chuckled. "I always wondered if you might have a little crush on the Avatar, Prince Zuko."
He knew it was wrong to read his nephew's personal writings, but could he help it if Zuko had left it on his desk with that very page displayed? Zuko certainly had a flair for the dramatic, that was for sure.
Iroh closed the journal and carefully placed it back under Zuko's pillow, lest someone else discover it and not be quite so willing to keep the secret.