Your comments made my head inflate and my ego go through the roof. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

Wrote a new fic for Dragon Age. Kinda confusing if you haven't played the game, and it's not a chronological story, I just needed to get some of this crap out of my head and onto paper. Hahaha.. So yeah.

BTW Del is sick because I'm sick and everything I cough, sneeze, sniffle, or struggle to clear my throat, I make Del do something similiar. Lol. I wanted someone to suffer with me. Lol. So I'm hoping for some more Del and Zuko loving. Bout time they get along. Stupid characters who don't do what they're told.

Chapter 54

Everyone gives Zuko and me smug looks, but I avoid their eyes. However, I'm forced to look up at the stage when I get the first glimpse of Mai, even if it is an actress playing her. Her hair is, like in my dream, black as black can be. She's handy with a knife apparently. She takes out several Earth Kingdom soldiers with another girl dressed in pink.

Watching Actress Aang get shot with lightning is painful, but I get to make another appearance. We watch Actress Katara catch Actress Aang, and then totally freak out as Actress Azula and Actor Zuko advance on her. Then I appear in a puff of smoke again and shout, "This way! With me!"

"The Avatar is no more!" Actress Azula announces, and the audience bursts into cheers. Sokka looks offended, Toph looks bored, Katara looks disturbed, and Zuko's hand is pressed against his face as he obviously remembers the day that he'd probably rather not remember. Aang hasn't returned yet.

Another intermission, I guess.

We wait for the play to resume in a hallway. We all lean against the wall, except for Zuko, who sits. "It seems like every time there's a big battle you guys barely make it out alive. I mean, you guys lose a lot," Suki murmurs. I snicker.

"You're one to talk, Suki. Didn't Azula take you captive? That's right, she did!" Sokka sticks his face very close to Suki. Suki pretends to act serious and glares at her boyfriend.

"Are you trying to get on my bad side?" she questions, trying and failing to suppress a little half-smile that forms on the corner of her mouth.

Sokka raises his arms placating. "I'm just saying."

"Does anyone know where Aang is?" Katara asks.

"He left to me fire gummies like, ten minutes ago! And I'm still waiting," Sokka growls, crossing his arms across his chest. I wonder if Sokka is really so dense to believe that Aang went to go get him food from the concession stand.

"I'm going to check outside," Katara says worriedly.

While we wait for the play to resume, we watch a little boy run by, his dark hair sticking out from under the tight hat with fake airbender tattoos on it.

"Suki, what are the chances you can get me backstage? I got some jokes I want to give to the actor me," Sokka says offhandedly. Suki's eyes narrow and Sokka looks at her, obviously wondering what he said to offend her.

"I'm an elite warrior who's trained for many years in the art of stealth," Suki reminds him. Then she beams at him and says happily, "I think I can get you backstage." I look around. I'm left with Toph and Zuko. Not exactly a trio I want to be a part of.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," I lie sullenly. Really, I just walk around the corner and slide down the wall. Hopefully in the crowd of people Toph won't be able to pick me out. I sigh,

"Jeez," I hear Toph say. "Everyone's getting so upset about their characters. Even you seem more down that usual… and that's saying something." I smile a little. Yes, Zuko is a bit… dark.

"You don't get it," Zuko sounds upset and my arms long to go back to him and hold him. In fact, my whole body wants to go back and hold him. But I resist. Somehow… I resist. "It's different for you. You get a muscley version of yourself taking down ten bad guys at once and making sassy remarks."

"Yeah…" I can picture the smug look on Toph's face. "That's pretty great."

But Zuko's voice is full of regret. "But for me, it takes all the mistakes I've made in my life and shoves them back in my face. Del… I hurt her so much, and I can never take it back, or make our… relationship right again. My Uncle… he's always been on my side even when things were bad. He was there for me. He taught me so much and how do I repay him? With a knife in his back. It's my greatest regret and I may never get to redeem myself."

My heart is beating so loud Toph must surely sense me, but if she does, she doesn't point me out. Instead she says quietly. "You have redeemed yourself to your Uncle. You don't realize it, but you already have."

"How do you know?" Zuko asks, too tired to even put much emotion into the question.

"Because I once had a long conversation with the guy and all he would talk about was you," Toph says. I believe her, because I have conversations with myself in my hand and all we ever talk about is Zuko. Okay, maybe not a fair comparison, maybe just proof that I'm going insane, but still.

"Really?" I can hear the smile in Zuko's voice.

"Yeah, and it was kind of annoying."

"Oh. Sorry."

"But it was also very sweet. All your Uncle wanted was for you to find your own path and see the light. Now you're here with us. He'd be proud… And I think that maybe your relationship with Del isn't quite as messed up as you think. I can feel her heart when she talks to you, after all," Toph says, and I flush.

I can hear the punch that Toph gives Zuko, and the slight exclamation of surprise that comes from Zuko. "Ow. What was that for?"

"That's how I show affection," Toph tells him. The little boy in the Aang costume from before runs by me and around the corner. I can hear him stop to talk to Toph and Zuko.

"Your Zuko costume is pretty good but your scar's on the wrong side," the little boy says. I stifle a chuckle, get up, and walk around the corner just in time to see the little boy running away and Zuko pointing at his face—his scarred, ridiculously handsome face.

"The scar is not on the wrong side!" Zuko shouts, flipping his hood up again. I roll my eyes, and by the look Toph's giving me… she knew I was there the whole time.