The Avatar left, leaving me alone with the Waterbender. He told her to go easy on me with a smirk on his face, and we got ready for battle. There is no denying that she has gotten better at bending; she has clearly been practicing, is more confident in her skill, and doesn't hesitate: a true master. I won't lie this. Waterbending girl has intrigued me. She is strong and determined, never giving up without a fight, something admired in the fire nation. It's a strange comparison, considering she is the opposite of everything I am, with water and fire constantly colliding. She rises with the moon, and I rise with the sun. And I will never say it out loud, but she is quite pretty. So what if it was one of the first things I noticed? I''ve spent the past three years on a warship with my uncle and crew, and she's the first girl I have interacted with in years. Soon, what I thought would be an even match had me cornered in some ice she created to entrap me. She truly is incredible. I'm quick to free myself with my Breath of Fire; Uncle was right. It would save my life, and she prepares to keep me away from Aang.
Suddenly, something changed; there was a shift in energy around us, and she appeared to be getting weaker; her bending suddenly stopped, and her breaths were shallow. She can barely stand on her own two feet, slowly falling to the ground, and I don't know what to do. I stand around her defensively; attacking an opponent while they are down would be dishonorable, but she is my enemy; this is the same weakness Father banished me for. She starts to grow pale and looks absolutely sickly-we make eye contact, and for a second, I'm paralyzed by their beauty. They are the deepest shade of blue I have ever seen, filled with so much emotion: her determination, anger, and hope, but under all of that, you can see the slightest bit of fear. Suddenly, I was taken back to when we were in Omashu. I was tracking her, hoping to find the Avatar, when I saw her wearing that pretty blue scarf that highlighted her eyes. She was a captivating image; she looked just as determined but so much more carefree. When she walked past me, our shoulders touching, I couldn't help but reach out and touch her scart, as if it was the delicate silks back home, and on her, it might as well have been. I continued to follow her, to find the Avatar, of course, when I saw her with a boy. Not her annoying brother who never strayed too far from her, but some random Earth kingdom citizen. She seemed happy to see him. Now, what I felt that day was not jealousy because why would I feel jealous of some water tribe girl and earth kingdom peasant? When I stomped away in anger, it was because she was clearly not going to lead me to the Avatar, so I had to look for him elsewhere.
I shack the memory out of my head, focusing on the present; seeing the water-bedding girl in such a vulnerable state, I lower my guard. Fighting her now would be a cowardly move. She seemed simultaneously relieved and surprised, but before we could process what had happened, a bang and a bright light came from outside. I look up to see a fireball coming at us from the window, with the benders screaming in the background. I have half a second to react before jumping toward her, pushing her out of the way and shielding her body as she lifts her arms to cover her head before blacking out.
I wake up under the rubble of the destroyed temple, the snow cushioning our fall. I look down at the girl I was protecting...I should definitely learn her name eventually and check her for any injuries. Gently, I grab her chin and move her face, examining her cuts and bruises. They'll sting, but she'll live. With me slightly cradling her in this position, I can get a better look at her. Agni, she truly is beautiful. Despite her state of distress mere moments ago, now she looks at peace as if she were only sleeping after a long day of work. Also, she seems young, only a child, fighting a war, which is crazy, only showing how backward the water tribes truly are. If I had to guess, I would say she is the same age as Azula, maybe slightly younger. I stay like that for a moment more, resting in this moment of peace I have found in the middle of all this chaos. I know I have to get up and find the Avatar, but for now, I can steal this moment.
When the sounds of war start to get louder, I know I have to get up. I feel like the waterbender would not appreciate waking up in the enemy's arms. So, I set her down, being careful with her head, and lifted off the rubble, climbing out. Once I am out, I can see what caused her such distress. The moon was gone, and with that, the source of her bending. To lose one being, such a crucial part of one's self, sounds like a faith worse than death. Something that no one deserves; whoever organized it is a true monster with no honor. I look back down at her, realizing how much of a vulnerable position she is in, with no way to defend herself. After a quick thought of what to do, I decided to cover her under the snow so no one dangerous would find her. Once she wakes up, she can get somewhere safer, but until then, this will have to do. After I made sure she was out of sight, I was about to go find my uncle when I heard a loud roar from behind me.
I turn around and am taken aback by the giant water-fish monster reigning terror on all the Fire Nation soldiers. I step back, not believing my eyes. Uncle runs up from behind me, saying that we have to go. I try to argue, saying that my priority is to capture the Avatar, but he won't take no for an awnser, dragging me away. With one last glance, I look at where I left the water girl, safe and sound, hopefully, before making our escape from the northern water tribe.
Notes: I really enjoyed the live-action series, it's not the OG, but It's still on Netflix, so I can still watch it. Also, as a long-time Zutara shipper, I have hope for this ship. There seems to be a lot of foreshadowing, and they cut back (Completely got rid of) Aang's obsessive crush on Katara, which I love. There is definitely a case to be made and I can't wait to see how this journey continues in season two. On the same note, how has there not been any fanfiction yet! Ik it just came out and people are still absorbing what happened but let's be real this fandom is unhinged. Well, you know what they say. If you want something done, do it your self and I hope you enjoy this one shot; I plan on making more.
Yes I was inspired by everytime Zuko jumped to save katara, and I firmly belive he had a crush on her but thats my headcanon its fine if you don't agree