The next day Zuko is restless with the excess energy he has gotten since partially healing. His wounds are nearly all closed except for the one in his gut. It will be a few more days before he is back to normal and then he will have to be careful for a few weeks after. Not that he will. Yue notices that the storm has cleared outside, and the blue sky can be seen, the sun shining overhead, reflecting brilliantly on the snowy land beneath. It almost hurts her eyes, how bright it all is. It is one of those moments where she can feel how fusing with Tui has affected her, increasing her perception of things, including vision.
(You aren't even seeing everything just yet.)
(When will I get to see everything?)
(In time.)
Thinking of the day prior, of Zuko's near-outburst, Yue decides to drag him out. The fresh air and the chance to firebend freely will do him good. Zuko is staring at the ceiling when she opens the door to the cabin.
"Come outside."
"Why?"
"It's nice out."
"How can it be nice in a snowy wasteland like this?" Zuko sneers.
"It is not a "snowy wasteland."" Yue retorts, feeling offended.
"Do you have eyes, princess, because all there is to see is snow and then more snow. It's a ridiculous excuse for a nation."
"Tribe, and don't tell me the Fire Nation has no taste, prince?"
"We have more taste than you peasants."
"You can't call me princess and then peasant in the same breath, you're just contradicting yourself."
"I'll clarify. You are the Princess of Water Tribe peasants."
Yue scoffs. "Well, you're the Prince of fiery idiots, like that Zhao person."
Zuko springs to his feet. "I am not like Zhao."
"Then prove it." Yue stares at Zuko. Zuko returns the stare. The oil lamp's flame is dangerously high. Zuko growls and turns around, intending to stalk over to the kitchen. A snowball is hurled at his back. It hits him square on the back of his neck. Zuko freezes as the snowball drips down his shirt. "Come outside," Yue tells him. "You can firebend outside freely."
Yue backs away from the door, swinging it open, letting Zuko see outside as he turns to face her. He stalks outside, brushing past Yue and walking a ways from the cabin. Yue is almost worried he will just keep walking. He stops. He takes a deep breath and roars like an angry tiger-dillo. Arms outstretched, head raised, fire streaming from his hands and his mouth. Yue's eyes widen. Breathing hard, he moves into a firebending form. Red fire puffs out with every jab, hook, and kick.
A/N: Just reminding people that the red fire thing is because at this point in time, Zuko isn't a great firebender and has little breath control. Yue is still impressed because she's never really seen firebending before and Zuko is creating a lot of fire because he is really angry but it is not under control, as evidenced by the oil lamp flame growing just off of Zuko's emotions.
Zuko doesn't know why he doesn't direct his rage at the cause; Princess Yue of the Water Tribe. Iroh is most likely the cause of it. Trying to give him morals. It was useless. Zuko draws on his anger, watching it turn into flames that are extinguished too quickly by the cold arctic climate. Another thing he hates. He's too cold. Even under all the blankets, there's a chill. Some of it is his wounds drawing on his energy, part is because of the cold climate, and finally, he's cold because he's a sorry excuse for a firebender. A firebender, cold? It should be impossible. At least, that's what his firebending tutors ground into him.
Yue watches the prince. He pours everything he can into his firebending. Yue briefly wonders if it might be visible from the city, but then figures that they are far enough out and Zuko's flame isn't large enough. Something stirs in her at the display of firebending. Tui. The spirit stirs, wanting to balance the firebending with waterbending. Yue suppresses the urge. Not now.
Zuko quickly burns himself out. Lungs burn for air, muscles tremble, limbs heavy. He trudges back into the cabin without another word. He trudges past Yue. He has to bite his tongue to avoid saying thank you. He should be saying thank you. She saved him. She did, but Zuko's pride won't let him accept it or even see it.
/
Iroh floats on a piece of driftwood. Would that he were a waterbender. He manages to distill a few sips of water from the salty ocean water using his firebending every so often, but it is hard and his muscles ache. There is crusted salt on his legs from paddling in the water. A few fish have come close enough for him to spear and fewer still he is successful in hitting. Following the guidance of the stars, he manages to head in the right direction, he thinks. It is hard to tell during the day. When the cloud cover is thick and dense, it is nearly impossible to tell exactly where the sun is. Iroh can tell the water is getting warmer. Not tropical, for sure, but not freezing anymore.
/
Hours pass. Yue meditates. Zuko falls asleep. The moon rises. Yue rises with it. It is no longer full but is still bright nonetheless. The moonlight falls across the snow-filled landscape, illuminating it softly. It could be commented on as foreign seeming, but it wasn't to Yue. To Yue it was home. She walks to where Zuko had been angrily firebending hours prior. She inhales. Exhales. Arms raise, water follows. Yue dances, the water moving with her movements. She shifts through the stances. The knowledge is innate. Yue doesn't dare think about what she is doing, for fear that suddenly her limbs would realize that they had never done it before.
(Yet, haven't you?)
Tui says to her.
(Through all the ages… this is what you have done.)
The awareness of Tui and La swimming in the spirit pond flashes through her. That is what she is doing. Existing in harmony with the elements, realizing that she is the elements. Divides are illusions. Yue stills her corporeal body. Her consciousness expands. Herself. The water dancing around her. The moisture in the air. The snow on the ground. The clouds above. The city limits. The ocean. Yue gasps and opens her eyes.
(Too much?)
(Too much.)
Yue sighs. It was more awareness than she'd ever had before. The borderlines of her body were blurred with the outside world. Which exact atoms were hers? She couldn't tell.
Yue manages to sleep before the sun rises into the sky again. The storm is still gone. That was the way of the arctic. Weeks of storm, weeks of sun, weeks where it changed violently between the two. Zuko wakes as the sun is cresting the horizon. He gets food for himself. He has run out of water but he doesn't wish to wake the sleeping form. She was glowing again the night prior. It was odd, like the avatar's glow, except the princess wasn't the avatar. Zuko thinks it best not to interfere. Something told him that there was more to the young woman than he initially thought. In any case, he was still injured. Improving day by day and could finally firebend again, but it had wiped him out.
Zuko meditates until Yue wakes up. He hasn't since before the pirates blew up his ship. That was weeks ago. He settles into a cross-legged position against the wall of his bed, closing his eyes. Reaching inside, he finds his chi flowing in his gut. It is restless and unbalanced; normal for Zuko. Dropping into it, he tries to control it through his breathing. In, out, in, out. It doesn't listen. Zuko fights to remain calm as he tries to grab the chi, forcing it to flow properly. This doesn't work. Zuko returns to his breathing. Iroh always told him to not fight against his inner chi, that it was a part of him. Didn't he know how Zuko had to fight against his body constantly? Getting up everytime he got knocked down, refraining from blasting idiots off the side of his ship, not trying to fight Zhao. Zuko has to settle for managing to focus on his breathing. His chi settles. Still unsatisfied, Zuko gives up.
When Yue awakes, she gets Zuko some water. He accepts it without saying thank you to her. She doesn't expect him to. It's a comfortable silence.
A/N: Another short chapter because again…. Nanowrimo is kicking my butt so I don't have that many extra words in me. I'm planning the next chapter to be an extra long one as Yue will have to get some more food etc from the city and then we'll have some political entrigue happening and some more Hahn and Dorak and Yue's parents! Also, nano will be done so I'll more writing energy to focus on this fic. Less focus on Zuko as he's being kinda boring right now but perhaps another Iroh update. Maybe even an Azula update? Since she'll be entering the story in a few chapters. Ahhh can you believe that this story is well over 20,000 words?! I'm so happy:)
As always, if anyone has any ideas, comments, thoughts, opinions, whatever, please let me know! Especially if you have any idea what Yue's next hairstyle should be! Her current regal one is recognizable in the city, which when she is sneaking in and out of is not ideal, and when she eventually joins the gaang and is adventuring will be too impractical. I was thinking some sort of braided half up half down 'do. Perhaps Zuko should have thoughts on this?
And the little
(Tui's thoughts)
thing. Thoughts? I saw them used in some other fic and I thought that it might work for this good.