Look Alike

Drabble (longer)

As he dodged another icicle that had come to close for comfort, Zuko wondered at this wiry girl's determination. By pure willpower she kept going, despite her inferiority to him in stature and strength. While he sent another blast of fire at her, he mused she probably wouldn't admit to herself that she was smaller and weaker than him. That was probably half of kept her going: not allowing herself to give up or give in just because the odds were against her. Her flying hair, free of its braid, looking like a pennant on a turret, and the grim set of her jaw were so familiar…what was it about this girl that made him feel like he knew her? When they broke apart momentarily to catch their breath, Zuko watched her straighten her back and clench her fists forcefully, looking so familiar…but she never let him discover her look alike. He was too preoccupied warding off her refreshed onslaught to think, let alone hear Iroh from behind him, voicing under the covering of trees and darkness, the thought that he had nearly caught prey when Katara had attacked.

" She looks much like Ursa…" his voice faded as he looked at her eyes and read her like a book. Her eyes…there was a strong will there…not the will to dominate, but the will to protect. It was the kind of resolve that when coupled with sacrificial love, could conquer even death. He had seen that kind of love in Ursa, and he watched as this young woman played the same role…protecting the young Avatar who was like a son to her.

" Yes…" he mused. " She is much like Ursa…the pride, the pain, the love…she looks just like Ursa…very beautiful and haunting…much like Ursa." He paused momentarily as if digesting his own words. He looked at her long, flowing chocolate colored hair and imagined it up in a classic Fire Nation topknot, and his opinion changed.

" She doesn't look like Ursa near as much as she resembles Zuko…" and he never saw any physical similarities between the two.

A/N: This was hard to write. I couldn't find a place to work in look alike. It took me four drafts. Ugh. Drafts…REVIEW!