A. N. : I just wrote three (3) chapter yesterday. Still going to post one a day, but I thought you'd like to know how motivating it is to write characters suffering. Also I am a mythology nerd and it shows on a few titles, such as this one (red thread of fate of Moirai's thread of life ? Both fit. Zuko's life is a wild ride). And the next one too.

Zuko is on his way to the market when he sees it.

Uncle is going to spend the day discussing the details of the whole tea shop deal, but that rich guy – was it Quon – already gave him an advance, and so Zuko was charged to buy enough food to make a real feast, as well as new clothes.

But none of this matters anymore.

There's a sky bison on the poster and the Avatar's smiling face in the corner of the paper and it's all over, everything Zuko was never supposed to have, to wish for, it's all over when he sees the arrow and he should have known he couldn't hide from his destiny and the world is laughing at his face with this poster and he almost wants to laugh back because at least now things are clear, there's just him and his duty and no confusion over father or the war or what he should do. He will find the bison and the Avatar will come to him and he will go home and father will finally love him.

Lin squirms against his chest and why is she here, if she wasn't here is would be so much easier –

Zuko breathes. He can't take her with him, can't let her get hurt, but he can't lose time either, can't let the Avatar get away again, can't fail again can't disappoint and betray father's wishes and why isn't Uncle here when he needs him –

He has completely forgotten about the food, doesn't care about eating, doesn't care about anything but the bison and the Avatar and home, so he walks – runs – to a miserable flat, and he's been there a few times already, like when Jet slipped and fell from a roof and Zuko had to help Longshot carry him while Smellerbee complained loudly but still checked to make sure none of Jet's injuries were too serious, and why is Zuko thinking about this, this shouldn't matter, doesn't matter, the world is screaming that he has a destiny to accomplish and he'd be a fool not to listen.

Jet looks tired when he opens the door and he was probably still sleeping when Zuko knocked – pounded – on the door and he complains about the ungodly hour while repressing a yawn but hey, his door is always open for friends –

And Zuko shouldn't feel touched, shouldn't remember yesterday when Jet stayed with him and made sure to stop all the things that threw him back to that day, because it doesn't matter, not when compared to everything he will have once he has the Avatar, because then the nightmares will stop, both the asleep and the awake ones, because then he will have plenty of memories of father being nice and proud of him and not putting a flaming hand to Zuko's face.

What he has in Ba Sing Se is a lie anyway. Once the Freedom Fighters learn who he truly is, they will hate him just like Li did. So he will capture the Avatar and get his honor – home – back.

So he tells Jet that something came up and he can't take care of Lin today and there's no one else he can ask and he's sorry – he really is, and he shouldn't be, Jet's nightmares aren't important, they don't matter, even if they do –

Jet grabs his arm – why does he, he knows Zuko doesn't like physical contact – and he doesn't look sleepy anymore and his eyes are burning and this is how he could lead an army of children, not through charisma alone – charisma get people around him, it doesn't make the willing to die for him – but with this, these eyes that are piercing through his skull, burning through his mind and reading his soul, and if Jet were to use his usual arrogant – seducing – voice to convince Zuko to give up, Zuko would obey, because these eyes know everything and it's easier to follow and keep what he has instead of chasing a dream – but Jet just looks sad and worried and please Li, don't –

And it hurts, and Jet isn't the type to beg, so he must think this is really important – and it is – but the broken tone of his voice means that he doesn't know anything, can't give Zuko anything, and Zuko won't follow if there's no hope, so he just hands him Lin and walks away, thinking up a plan to get to the bison.

He doesn't see how scared and lost Jet looks, and he doesn't care.