(This could be a Zutara songfic, but it doesn't have to be.)
Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation winced as he toweled of the water from his face, the fibers scratching his scar and causing pain. This happened every morning, leaving him in pain for most of the day. Zuko looked up at his mirror and blasted it with fire. He couldn't stand to see his own reflection, due to his scar. It twisted his face into something it was not. Depressed, he went up to the deck to practice some Firebending. As he warmed up, something came unbidden into his mind.
And in my twisted face
There's not the slightest trace
Of anything that even hints of kindness
And from my tortured shape
No comfort, no escape
I see, but deep within is utter blindness
Hopeless
As my dream dies
As the time flies
Love a lost illusion
Helpless
Unforgiven
Cold and driven
To this sad conclusion
No beauty could move me
No goodness improve me
No power on earth, if I can't love her
No passion could reach me
No lesson could teach me
How I could have love her and made her love me too
If I can't love her, then who?
Long ago, I should have seen
All the things I could have been
Careless and unthinking, I moved onward
No pain could be deeper
No life could be cheaper
No point anymore, if I can't love her
No spirit could win me
No hope left within me
Hope I could have loved her and that she'd set me free
But it's not to be
If I can't love her
Let the world be done with me.
What the heck was that? Zuko asked himself, not even slowing down his practice. He couldn't remember ever hearing that before in his life, yet it seemed to fit his emotions so perfectly. He had been careless in speaking out against his father; he remembered that everyday. And then there was one other thing, something he had never told anyone, not even his uncle. It had come to him when that bounty hunter, Jun, made several rude (and at the time, he thought untrue) comments. Stopping, he noticed a shadow overhead. Looking up, he clenched his fist.
It was the Avatar.