Zuko couldn't understand why the object was so important to the girl. It was just a necklace; it could easily be replaced.
But, he found it, so he kept it. And he used it to bribe her. She seemed very upset when she saw he had it, angry even. Why should she be angry at him? It wasn't his fault she lost it.
"My mother's necklace! How did you get that?" She'd demanded, glaring at him as he dangled the blue jewelry in front of her.
So it was her mother's. A memory of an old woman standing beside the waterbender flashed through his mind. Maybe it was some sort of family heirloom… He didn't take time to ponder it, and instead continued trying to bribe her.
In Ba Sing Se, they'd been imprisoned together. He took the time to sit and think about his mistakes, what he'd done in his anger at Azula. She used the time to yell at him. He mostly ignored her, though some of the things she said caught his attention.
"But what do you care? Spreading hatred and violence is in your blood," She spat angrily.
"You don't know what you're talking about!" He immediately responded, angered and insulted by her accusation.
"I don't? How dare you!" She yelled, her voice sounding strange. "You have no idea what this war has put me through, me personally!" She turned her back to him, crouching. "The firenation took my mother away from me," She sobbed. Sobbed. His enemy was crying in front of him. And it made him feel sad.
Now he understood why the necklace was so important. He wished he had something to remember his own mother by. It was because of this sympathy that Zuko did something very unlike himself.
He apologized.
Author's Notes: I'm quite pleased with this drabble. I like the ending too, which doesn't happen often, because I suck at endings.
Reviews are still loved.
Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own Avatar. I haven't kidnapped the creators yet, either.
