since zhu could remember, she was always a mommy's girl. tummy ache? get her mommy. scraped knee? mommy. zuko being mean? mommy will handle it. if there was a problem, her mother would always be there to fix it.

until she wasn't.

she left. zhu was heartbroken. she never liked her father, he was too mean and he favored azula no matter what. she had always been a prodigy. with his favoritism, he ended up pushing zuko and zhu away.

in addition, that meant a strained relationship with azula, who was living up to her namesake. it drove zhu and zuko closer, to the point that she followed her brother even as he was burned and banished.

"if you leave, you'll be a disgrace." she remembers firelord ozai threatening her. "then i'll be a disgrace with zuko." she spat back before she followed her uncle iroh and zuko. maybe it was a mistake, because she was not made for boat life.

she leaned over the edge of the boat, her face a light shade of green as she gagged, "it's been three years, my girl. one would think you'd be used to the waves by now!" iroh rubbed her back softly.

"i was on land for a month, uncle." she reminds. zuko, standing next to them and leaning on the railing, scoffed, "yeah, and why is that? you wanna go back to the fire nation?" he glared sharply.

"speak to me that way again and i'll drag you by your rat tail," she snapped, leaning off of the railing. her face was pale and she felt like puking again, but she held her ground, "dad wants me to marry." she admitted.

"he said i'm old enough to find a noble husband, preferably... admiral zhao's son." the looked upset over it, but zuko was so stuck in his head. he didn't want his sister to abandon him.

"yeah, whatever," he scoffed, walking away from iroh and zhu. they stood in silence for a moment before iroh spoke, "he'll come around." the old man defended.

"you say that, but..." she trailed, "iroh, i can't live on a boat the rest of my life. when i first followed you guys i swore that they'd have to kill me to take me from zuko, but now i'd go willingly."

iroh frowned, placing a hand on his nieces face, "you do what you think is best, my dear. okay? do whatever is best for you."

"i want to stay with zuko," she frowned, leaning into his hand. "but you want to go home," iroh adds. she only sighed, leaning forward into his chest as iroh hugged her.

"for the longest time i always said you guys were my home, but i miss them. i miss father, even if he doesn't miss me. i miss azula, how she used to be. is she like azulon?" it was clear that zhu's thoughts were running fast.

"she is much like my father, yes. powerful, but in all the wrong places." his explanation didn't help her thoughts, it only confused her. she sighed, hugging her grandfather tightly before pulling away.

"i'm going to go talk to zuko. thank you, uncle," she leaned up to place a kiss to his cheek before turning on her heel and walking (or rushing) away.

zuko would hold a grudge for the next two weeks if she didn't talk to him right then, he'd let his feeling bubble up until they popped.

she walked through the hallways of the sleeping quarters below deck, her fist on zuko's door, "i'm coming in, zuko." she called. zhu wouldn't have given him a choice, anyways.

she would have kept her eyes covered if it meant he didn't hold a grudge against her. she opened the metal door, seeing him with his quill as he wrote in his journal.

"you writing in your diary again?" she teased, sitting on his bed. zuko scoffed, "what do you want?" he didn't bother looking at her. "i want to explain what you're misinterpreting," she stood, moving to lean against a part of his desk next to where he sat.

"i'm not abandoning you—" she stopped as he looked up to protest. she gave him a pointed look and kept quiet, "thank you. now, i'm not abandoning you. i would love to stay with you in exile, but we're always on this ship."

"it's hard, zuko. i don't speak to anyone but you and iroh and i have issues with some of our soldiers. i think it's what's best for me. to go home. we've been searching for three years and we haven't found the avatar."

zuko was angry, "so you're just leaving?! we're so close, i can feel it! you're just abandoning me and our mission?" he yelled.

"you mission!" zhu matched his tone before immediately calming down, "this is your mission. when dad hurt you and threw you out, i was angry and i couldn't leave you alone."

"i think it's what mom would have wanted me to do. to follow you and take care of you even if you think you don't need me." she reached a hand out to his face, "you're my brother, and i'm your sister. you'll always need me."

"i'm older than you," his eyes softened when he looked at her. she was right, he would always need his baby sister. "yeah, but i'm older by soul. thats what uncle says." she smiled confidently.

"sure you are." he rolled his eyes, "you're immature," he argued, turning back to his notebook. she scoffed, pushing his head, "rude." zhu wasn't upset, she smiled at him.

the two sat in quiet as she watched him, the quill dragging across the paper in neat strokes. but then she froze when she heard the rattling of the shelf next to his desk.

"zuko," she placed her hand on his shoulder, "is that... does that mean..." zhu couldn't finish her sentence, too shocked to speak as the eyes on the dolls glowed. zuko looked up, staring at the dolls.

both were in shock.

zuko dropped the quill and shot up from his seat, "come on!" he yelled at her and zhu immediately followed. she stumbled a bit as she ran after him, but she held her balance.

they ran out onto the deck, just as a beam shot into the sky. zhu was frozen. did this mean...

"finally," zuko's voice was quiet. "he's back?" she looked to her brother. he nodded, "the avatar is back." zuko confirmed.

"so... i guess i'm staying."

"that you are."

zhu turned around, looking at her uncle for guidance. he couldn't help her. it was either she left now, or she'd be stuck in the continuous hunt for the avatar.

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maybe it wasn't meant to be. going home, that is. zuko was do adamant that finding the avatar was more important than whatever she had going on. "the only settlement in that area is water tribe village in the south pole territory." zuko paced, "that's where we have to go."

"you're not going to hurt them... are you?" zhu looked worriedly up at her big brother. iroh put a hand up to zhu to signal for her silence, "that she where you think we'll find the avatar?" he inquired.

"yes."

"because of the light?"

"you think i'm imagining things?" zuko grew more annoyed by the second. "no one thinks you're imagining things." zhu quickly cut in, "it's just that, what if it's not him? zuko, what if we go and pillage this innocent village for no reason?"

"we're not pillaging anything! we're just going to take the avatar!" zuko yelled at his sister. iroh stood.

"sometimes, light beams are nothing more than celestial glimmers in the winter sky." iroh never liked zuko's obsession with finding the avatar. it was unhealthy. he was unhealthily obsessed with restoring his honor. it blinded him from everything else.

"for three years i've chased down every hint, every rumor, every whisper of the avatar." zuko reminded roughly, stepping close to iroh. "i'll keep doing it for another three years if i have to."

"i know you will. but don't you think that's what's best for your sister?" iroh questioned, "forget about yourself for a moment. is that what's best for your little sister who desperately misses her home?"

zuko stood quiet, his eyes shooting over to zhu who's dark eyes went wide.

"prince zuko," iroh captured his attention again, "i don't think your father would want you to—"

"my father has banished me until i find the avatar!" zuko yelled, "so that is exactly what i'll do!" zhu flinched from his tone of voice.

"all i'm saying is, it's hard to watch you get yours and your sisters hopes up every time you see a... sign." iroh remained calm.

"stop dragging me into this, uncle." zhu stood up from where she was sat, "i'm fine. i want to find him, too."

"see," zuko pointed, "she believes in me. and it'll all be worth it once i return home in glory to take my place as the rightful heir to the fire lord."

"just you returning in glory?" iroh challenged, "perhaps it's time to consider that the throne isn't everything." his eyes moving towards zhu.

the young girl was visibly upset. she knew how zuko got when their uncle iroh questioned him and his motives. she didn't want them to argue right now.

"listen, this isn't a big deal! okay?" she puts herself between them, zuko stepping back. "maybe not for you, but this is my honor! your honor is intact but to them, i'm a joke!" he yelled.

"you had everything, zhu. everything! i was banished, i was exiled, but you were just dumb enough to follow." the look on zuko's face made her shrink into herself. he was angry.

why does he always look at me this way? she wondered.

they had their moments, zuko and zhu, where he wasn't angry at her. but more often than not, they butted heads. it was upsetting. despite their closeness, and zhu viewing her brother as her other half, he was always angry at her.

the anger har only happened after he was banished, and after their father burned zuko's face in front of so many.

"i didn't want you to be alone," zhu spoke softly and quietly. "i'd rather be alone, than have you here with me." zuko didn't mean it. she knew he didn't, he was just letting his emotions get the best of him.

it hurt, still. zhu looked down, feeling embarrassed. she didn't say a word as she left the room. iroh would most likely scold zuko but she knew it would only end up in zuko being even angrier.

𓆟｡⋆༄

no matter what, zhu would always be on zuko's side. even if they were in a fight. iroh talked to her not much longer after she left zuko's quarters. iroh comforted her, reminding her that he didn't mean it.

she had to remember he had a lot going on, but she did too. she missed home to the point it made her more sick than the sea did. she missed her bed and training. sometimes she she missed her dad, even if she hated him.

zhu remembered the smell of charred flesh, the scream that zuko let out. it haunted her. whenever she closed her eyes, she heard him. she smell the charring. the smoke.

it was never as bad as zuko's memory, but the princess had always been extremely empathetic. ozai said it was a weakness, iroh said it was a strength. could be both.

but right now, it was a curse.

she frowned deeply looking at the wooden gates of the water tribe. they held no water benders, having been wiped out just a couple years back. they had no way of defending themselves.

while zuko introduced himself, she stared at the boy behind the gate. zhu could see in his dark eyes that he was afraid. "i am prince zuko! first born son of firelord ozai." his introduction is what garnered the boy's attention.

"we have no desire to take your homes. we merely seek someone who does not belong here," he explained, although zhu had a feeling this would end in some sort of fight.

it always did.

"someone who is not one of you. turn him over now, or i'll burn this place to the ground." his threats made zhu's head pop up, looking at him with widened eyes.

she seen the kids lined up behind the gate. this tribe had no way to protect themselves. it would've been their second massacre, if anyone but zuko was leading them. zhu knew he wouldn't kill anyone.

seriously injure or maim someone if it came down to it, but never kill. that she knew of, at least. zhu could never see her big brother killing someone.

she seen the tall boy walk away, as if he was going to grab something. he walked fast.

zhu took this as her time to grab zuko, "we are not burning this village down," she whispered. she was the only person, other than iroh, who had the guts to stand up to him.

"you will not question my authority or my judgment." zuko looked down at her, his voice harsh. today was not one of their good days it seemed. "they've seen so much death already, so much suffering and destruction." she reminded.

"do you really want to be that kind of person? that kind of leader?" zhu's voice was quiet, eyes glancing behind her to jee, "do you want to be like—"

"enough," zuko's voice wasn't loud, it wasn't angry, it was calm. too calm, "stand back, don't say another word. you follow my orders."

he was kicking her to the back of the group, no longer by his side. arguing any further would have made the situation worse, especially because the boy had come back and walked out of the gates.

"i am sokka." he introduced, "son of hakoda. lord of, uh, snow and ice." zhu cracked a grin at that. lord of snow and ice. he was clearly nervous, "on behalf of the water tribe village of wolf cove, i demand that you leave... immediately!"

demand? oh, lord of snow and ice, you've officially made yourself an enemy of the prince.