Part: One- The Lutdeo
Chapter: Twenty Five- Apologies
Author: Fritters-4-Psi
Disclaimer: I do not own the show Avatar: The Last Air Bender or the related characters. Nor do I profit from this fanfiction. The only things of my creation in this fanfiction are the Koertan, Kashi, Risha, the concept of the grith coin, Vioniza, Raven's Watch, and Kali. Other possible things to come in later chapters.
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The bison landed softly on the grass next to the barn. It was quiet as Risha and Sokka slid off of Appa's neck. Outside, no one was to be seen. The makeshift arena, where the Agni Kai had been held, was gone. All signs of the fight were removed from the ground. Sokka untied the reins from the flying bison's horns. Appa turned toward the forest and walked slowly into the trees. Together, Risha and Sokka entered the house.
Inside, Aang and Iroh were playing Pai Sho. Watching the game, Zuko and Katara were sitting close to each other on a couch. The Prince looked different. The scar that had been given to him by his father didn't look as bad. The wounds that he had received during the Agni Kai had been healed. He excused himself to Katara and walked over to Risha and Sokka. Sokka knew the Prince didn't mean to talk to him, so he took his leave. Zuko led his cousin outside.
Still angry from Zuko's hurtful words before the fight, Risha turned her back on him. She didn't want to listen to him. It was possible that she might apologize to him. She did feel guilty, after all, but she was too proud to say she was sorry. As she soon learned, Zuko wasn't. "Risha, my dear cousin, I wish to apologize," the Fire Nation Prince stated, "I hope you accept my regrets. I plan to leave very soon. By the end of today at the latest. I don't want there to be a rift between us. Neither of us know when we might see each other again. We don't know what the Great Spirits have planned for our lives."
He spoke as if he was foretelling his own death. As if it was nearer than most expected. Sometimes it was good to stay mad for a short while. This was one of those times for Risha. She just wanted to stay mad at her cousin. He was talking of his death, though. There wasn't a way that she could stay angry at someone who spoke of those things. She wasn't expecting Zuko to die. Then again, she hadn't expected her mother to die. Or her brother. Or her father. Risha wrapped her arms around her cousin in a hug. "You shouldn't be the one apologizing. I should," she said, "I acted horribly. I treated you so badly. We're cousins. We need to look out for each other. It's not like the rest of our family will. My parents and brother are dead. Your mother is dead. Your father and sister hate you. We should be supporting each other. Not attacking one another."
Zuko pulled his cousin back. He looked her in the eyes. "I agree. You're right. We should have called off that fight as soon as I challenged the peas . . . I mean, Sokka. We were both at fault," the Prince stated.
"Will you stay for a short while?" Risha asked, "I haven't finished telling my tale. I think you should be there to correct me on some of the finer points that I may miss."
In response, Zuko laughed and nodded his head. Now that they had come to terms, he didn't mind staying for while longer. Before, he had just wanted to leave, but knew he had to be polite. "Zuko? What happened to your scar? It doesn't seem, so, you know, bad as it was before," Risha questioned.
"Katara must have told you that she has healing powers," Zuko assumed, "She decided, while she was healing the wounds I received fighting, that she would see if she could do anything about my scar. There isn't much of a difference, but she did manage to make it slightly less noticeable."
Risha's face showed that she agreed. The scar was less noticeable by, at least, a small amount. The two were now done with their apologies. Together, they reentered the house. Soon, the rest of the story of Risha's life would be told.
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For some reason, it feels like I haven't updated in forever. I don't really get it. And, hahaha! About Katara sort of healing Zuko's scar! There has been like all sorts of theories that Katara is going to fix Zuko's scar on the show! I don't think she will, but it was fun adding that bit in there.
Sadly, I think there will only be a few more chapters. That's right. This fanfic is almost over. Not to worry, though! I've started writting the second story in this arc. I'm not going to start posting it until this story is over.
Reviews
24, SovereignxXxBrunette: The Zuko fan mob has CHAINSAWS! I never knew! Poor Sokka... Getting chased down with chainsaws... I hadn't realized how dramatic the last chapter was until you mentioned it.