Zuko's Journey*

Zuko has always been a excellent swimmer, he can even bring some experience Water Tribe members to shame. There was once even a time he snuck into the Northern Water Tribe through the freezing waterways on a handful of breaths. Zuko was a survivor. But this challenge seems even impossible to him. 

Zuko breaks the surface of the water, gasping for air, the reality of the situation crashes down on him like a tidal wave as the Fire Nation Ship, his ride home, is now but a distant silhouette on the horizon as it fades into the darkness.

The only amount of luck he has received was that the light of the full moon allowed him to see his surroundings. He looks around as all he sees is ocean. He is literally in the center of the world in the middle of the sea. What do I do? Is a constant thought on his mind as he lets the water carry him.

* * * * *

 "The Fire Nation took my mother away from me"

Katara stopped her degrading and derogatory rant on Zuko as she lost her composure. She turns away to touch her mother's necklace, she doesn't want him to see her break down crying.

No don't cry .... how do I stop her from crying?

"I'm sorry" Zuko stopped sulking as he turned to face Katara. "I guess that's something we both have in common."

As he got Katara attention and stops her from crying, he reaches into his pocket to grab something. He doesn't move from his spot as he tossed it in Katara direction. Katara wipes her eyes as she notices and crawls toward the object that Zuko tossed.

As she lifted the object to get a better view she noticed that it was a decorative hilt to a pair of certain swords. Zuko never got a chance to add this hilt to the Dual Sword he got from traveling in the Earth Kingdom.

Katara just kept taking turns looking at Zuko and then at the hilt, she never took him as a swordsman like her brother.

"That was my mom's .... It was the only thing I could take with me without anyone noticing."

As she lifts it into the light of the gemstones, she took notice at how pretty it was. She begins to play around with them, occasionally separating them and bring them back together. It was clear as day that this didn't belong to Zuko originally, the design itself seem to be of female taste as she notice the design is similar to a yin-yang symbol.

Katara couldn't help but give Zuko a look, again she didn't take him as a swordsman.

"Well you see" Zuko awkwardly scratched the back of his head as he answered Katara internal question. "for a long time when I was young, my family thought for a good while that I wasn't a Firebender. My father was ... disappointed to say the least as he focused on my sister. My mom notice how much this bothered me so she took me in secret and taught me how to wield the swords she specializes in."

Katara looked from the guard to Zuko, wondering why he would share all this. And again as if reading her mind, Zuko answered her internal question.

"I just thought you should know .... since, you know, I took you mom's necklace."

The cave was full of awkward silence. Katara couldn't stop staring at him in confusion as Zuko awkwardly looking away.

The space wasn't full with the Fire Nation's Prince and the Waterbending teacher for the Avatar. For once they found common ground as they are both just children who has experience loss and forced to grow up because of this war.

* * * * *

"Uggghhhhh"

Zuko woke from his unconscious state, the taste of the salt water and the sharp pain brought him back from his dreamlike state and brought him up to speed.

As he awoken with his limbs heavy and sluggish from the cold and blood loss, he turned to his side as he catch something in the corner of his eye.

It appears that his slight fortune didn't last long, as the time passed. As if the world itself was against him, in the distance Zuko can see storm clouds as he heard some lightening in the distance.

Hehe .... Zuko can only let out a small chuckle. So now you decide to strike.

Zuko couldn't help but think back to the time when his Uncle trained him to Lighteningbend. His Uncle refuse to strike him so he venture out to find his own Lightening. He taunted a storm to strike him with all it's got, but it didn't strike at the time.

But know it seems it's come back with a vengeance, the storm was just buying it time for when Zuko was at his lowest, both mentality and physically.

It didn't take long for the storm to reach Zuko's location as he was fighting against the waves. As each wave stuck him and pushed him into the sea, he fought to get back to the surface.

But each time he resurfaced, another wave brought him down. Under the sea was much worse than the surface. Not only was it dark and he couldn't breath, but the current caused by the waves crashed over on Zuko as he was flung around inside the sea.

As Zuko body reached it's limit, especially since his stab wound has cut in half his breathing. After reaching the surface on last time, a particular strong wave hits him with the full force of the ocean as he begins to lose consciousness.

As he begins to sink into the ocean, he looked at the sky one last time as he swears he can see a constellation of stars that peeked through the storm clouds. He wasn't sure if he actually saw this or this was a figment of his imagination.

Zuko grunts as he tries to swim back up but was stop by the sharp pain in his back as the ocean's currents began to pull him deeper into the ocean. 

His only response his body can do was replay his life and his decisions as they flashed before his mind.

What good was he, without his destiny, his heritage? Especially since it seemed that the world itself was trying to kill him. 

What is the point, in all this .... fighting? Why bother if all I do is make a bigger mess of things?

He let out the last remaining air in his lungs as the bubbles flew out of his mouth as he fades into the darkness of the ocean.

His last coherent thoughts is a jumble of faces - His mother, Uncle Iroh, even the Avatar and his friends.

I'm sorry Uncle

Zuko gave in as he fully lost consciousness and accepted his fate. The sea current catches him sending him deeper and deeper into the sea.

He fought with the sea and like many of his battles he tried his best but in the end he failed and lost, just like all the other times.

I'm sorry .... Mom ..... I tried m- .....

But it seems fate was not done with Zuko yet. As the full moon above, the symbol of the water tribes, shines on. If Zuko was above the water he would have noticed the spirit like girl with white hair as she stared down where Zuko was sinking.