*。☆。
★。＼｜／。★
˚ ₊ ♡ ❰ MIRACULUM ❱
*✧ ─── ❝ ❪ THE PAST THAT SHAPED YOU /
THE LIFE THAT'LL CHANGE YOU ❫ ❞

⋆ 🌪. CHAPTER TWENTY SIX ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
˚ ₊ ♡ 112 a.a ─── book two: earth

UKI DIDN'T RECOGNISE HER REFLECTION IN THE STILL WATER. Her hair—once long, strong, and neatly bound in the style of her tribe—now hung in jagged, uneven tufts around her face. A single, stubborn, unharmed strand framed her collarbone, longer than the rest.

She wound it around her finger absently, the movement slow, thoughtful... sad. Then, with a flick of her wrist, the strand was sliced away, clean and swift.

She watched as the evening breeze carried it for a moment before the strands dispersed in the water.

She exhaled softly, watching the wisps of her breath curl into the cool night, the jagged stones of the small bridge she sat upon, digging into her cheap Earth Kingdom trousers .

She let her feet dangle above the narrow waterway. Her fingers moved over the creases of her tunic, deep in thought.

Her reflection stared back up at her—unkempt, unfamiliar. She could barely match the eyes in the water to the girl she used to be. She didn't just look different. She was different.

Hiding Fire nation citizens? Royalty no less?

It felt as if she was betraying her tribe, her people...even the world.

She could tell herself, at least Iroh had decided to leave his nation behind. He accepted his new place in the world, the teashop was his home now.

Uki's lips tightened.

But Zuko? Angry—broody, Avatar-chasing Zuko?

He was still very much the Fire Nation prince, even if he was banished. Even as she tried to make him see sense. He craved the approval of the very man who had destroyed balance in the world. He was still hell-bent on returning and reclaiming his throne.

A crown built on genocide.

A throne built on the devastation of two other nations, on the blood and bones of the Air nomads.

It made her feel sick.

And yet...for some reason, she still wanted to believe in him.

Uki hunched forward, burying her face in her hands. Her fingers pressed into her temples as if she could wring clarity from pressure.

The thought lingered as she heard familiar footsteps approaching from behind. She didn't need to turn to know who it was.

Zuko.

She didn't acknowledge him at first, expecting him to keep walking, but instead, he hesitated near the bridge. She sighed, tilting her head slightly. "You're following me now?" Uki muttered, glancing at him over her shoulder.

Zuko, standing just a few feet away, crossed his arms. "This is the way back to the apartment."

She snorted, shaking her head. "Of course it is."

Silence stretched between them, neither moving nor speaking. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but it wasn't easy either. They had spent weeks orbiting around each other, tied together and Uki did not know when she started to not hate him.

It was subtle at first—perhaps the first night they arrived, when he found her talking to Yue and actually kinda listened to her. Let her sleep against him even though they both vehemently denied such thing ever happing when they stumbled inside the next morning and found Iroh sitting at the table with a cup of steaming tea.

Or when they seamlessly managed to fight together whenever they needed to, how he had her back against Jet earlier, how in his own strange, bitter and stand-offish way he didn't trust Yuanyun intentions.

Somewhere along the way, as the days stretched on, and neither made an attempt to leave Ba Sing Se something else settled between them.

Uki sighed. "You can sit, you know."

Zuko didn't move right away, but after a beat, he lowered himself beside her, his movements stiff.

For a long moment, they sat in silence, the only sound the gentle ripple of water below. Uki wasn't used to his presence being so still, so quiet. Almost calm.

Then, to her surprise, Zuko spoke.

"I had everything." His voice was low, but there was no mistaking the weight in his words. "I was the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. I had a home, a family. Then I lost it all."

Uki turned slightly, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. He wasn't looking at her—his gaze was fixed ahead, as if he were staring at something long gone.

"My father banished me." His voice was flat, but she could hear the old wounds beneath it, raw and unhealed. "He told me the only way I could return was if I captured the Avatar. That was the only way I'd restore my honor." His fingers curled into fists, nails digging into his palms. "For three years, I chased a ghost across the world. I thought—" His breath hitched slightly before he forced it out. "I think if I can just bring him back to my father, everything will be the way it was."

Uki watched the way his jaw clenched, the fire that still burned in his golden eyes—not just anger, but something deeper.

He had spent years trying to regain something he hadn't really lost—not in her eyes, and she was sure not in Iroh's too. She hated that he wished he could go back and pretend nothing had ever happened. She hated the idea of him one day sitting on his father's throne and be exactly like Ozai.

She inhaled through her nose, watching the water ripple below them as she tried to gather her thoughts. Deep down she knew this wasn't just about Zuko thinking the Fire Nation was perfect, or maybe he did, but she also knew this was just a boy that wanted to be accepted by his family.

She knew how that felt better than most.

Uki breathed in, leaning backwards with a solemn look on her face. "In a way, I am banished too, maybe not officially by our Chief, but my parents did not want me to leave with the Avatar—they wanted me to marry the boy Yue was promised to."

Zuko's head turned slightly, his gaze sharp and questioning.

Her hands gripped the fabric of her tunic as she spoke. "The Northern Water Tribe is strong. Powerful. But it's frozen in its ways, just like its walls." Her fingers trailed along the stone beneath her. "I don't think tribe will truly change in my lifetime," she admitted, a bitter laugh escaping her. "They'll always believe that warriors should be men, and women should be their caretakers. They'll blame it on tradition."

She faltered, eyes downcast. "My father told me if I left, I should never come back. In a way, I guess it made me realize that the home I loved never really existed...or maybe the one I wished was real was just a dream. I couldn't pretend to be the daughter they wanted me to be. And I decided it was better for me to leave."

Zuko was silent, but she could feel him listening.

"I think, the home you envision, is a dream—a nice one, but I don't think it will ever be real."

She didn't know why she was telling him all this. Maybe because, despite everything, he was the only person here who might understand what it felt like to be caged by duty.

"I know you don't want to hear this Zuko—" the way she spoke his name so softly made something stir inside his chest. "but I don't think anything will ever be the same for you. Even if you did capture Aang."

Silence loomed over them like a heavy raincloud—Uki expected him to grow angry again—she waited for lightning to strike. But Zuko remained still and silent and even if there had been candles lit by her side, she didn't think they'd rise with his temper right now.

So instead of continuing on the subject she inquired: "If you could not return to the Fire Nation, what would you do? Who would you be?"

Zuko was silent for a long time. His fingers flexed slightly, like he wanted to hold fire in his palm but knew it would draw too much attention. He had spent so long with one singular purpose, one single goal—to return home. Without that, without the promise of his father's approval, what was left? Who was he?

"I..." He hesitated, frustration flickering across his face. "I don't know."

Uki nodded as if she had expected that answer. "Maybe it's time you start figuring it out. I think it is important for you to really think about who you are, not who your father wants you to be."

He didn't interrupt her.

Uki glanced at him. "Maybe you're looking for honor in the wrong place."

For once, Zuko didn't snap at her.

It felt like a small triumph and Uki pushed herself up from the bridge and back onto the stone path. She hesitated for a short moment before she held her hand out to the firebender.

He looked at her strangely and a small grin appeared on Uki's face. She flexed her fingers at him again and slowly he reached for her hand.

As she pulled him up, Uki did her best to ignore the flutter in her chest as the warmth of his skin traveled up her arm.

The breeze blew through her hair, and the short stubborn hairs flew in her face. She sighed as she tucked them away—unaware of Zuko's transfixed stare.

"You still look nice."

Uki froze, eyes snapping up to meet Zuko's own startled ones. It seemed he had not meant to say it out loud.

A blush spread across her tan skin and Uki noted the redness of Zuko's ears as he stammered out "For a Water Tribe peasant."

Her eyes narrowed but they twinkled with mirth. "Once again, I'm of high standings prince pouty." She shook her head as she turned away from him and started down the path toward their apartment, her boots scuffing lightly against the stone.

Zuko followed, a beat behind. His shoulders were slightly less tense now, his steps a little slower, like he didn't mind walking beside her anymore.

They walked like that for a while, weaving through the narrow side streets of Ba Sing Se, past shuttered windows and the low glow of lanterns swaying on old ropes. It was late, and the city was sleeping, the chaos of the day having settled into stillness.

She was the first to break the silence as her earlier doubts and thoughts returned. "You know, I didn't like Jet."

Zuko gave a sideways glance. "Could've fooled me. Thought you were going to walk off into the sunset with him and live happily ever after."

She let out a humorless huff. "You've got jokes now Lee?."

A beat, tension rising in her body again

"But..." she continued, slower this time, "...he wasn't wrong."

Zuko's jaw clenched slightly as he understood what she implied. He didn't look at her, but his voice was clipped. "He tried to expose us. Put us in danger. Iroh and I could've been arrested."

"I know," Uki said quickly. "I know that. But he was telling the truth."

She stopped walking. Zuko did too.

Uki turned toward the water, arms crossed tightly across her chest. "You are Fire Nation." She whispered the last part quietly. "It feels wrong."

Zuko was quiet for a moment. "You think we should've let him tell the city?"

"No," she said, instantly. Then, softer, "But I hated standing there and pretending like he was just some crazy guy. Like he was making everything up. When I knew he wasn't."

She looked down at her hands. "It's not about him. Spirits know he's a self-righteous jerk with a savior complex, but... I'm still Water Tribe. I grew up learning that the Fire Nation was everything we were fighting against. And now I'm helping two of them. Lying for them. For you."

Zuko finally turned to look at her. His expression was unreadable, but the moment their eyes met he became guarded again.

"You didn't have to," he said harshly. "We didn't ask you to."

She laughed—short, sharp. "Don't act like I had a choice. And maybe I do think you're worth protecting, even if you make it incredibly difficult most days."

Zuko looked like he wanted to say something, but she pushed on.

"I'm just tired of carrying the weight of what you are, Zuko. Of lying about it. Of pretending like it doesn't matter. Because it does. Whether or not I like you."

His brows twitched, like the "like you" part caught him off guard.

Uki turned to face him more directly. "I just wish, sometimes, you'd acknowledge what it means for people like me. What the war is doing to this world—spirits I wish you could just acknowledge how wrong the Fire Nation is."

She could see him flinch at her harsh words. She could see him mull over his answer. "I—"

Then, Uki's stomach let out a loud, rebellious growl.

Zuko blinked, and for the first time since she'd met him, really met him, he let out a quiet, genuine chuckle.

"Seriously?" he said, smirking and the tension and their heavy conversation fell away.

"I haven't eaten since before Jet cut my hair off, okay?" she snapped defensively, though her tone was playful.

Zuko shook his head, that rare smile still clinging to his face. "Come on. Iroh probably left some dumplings out. You can have the last ones. Maybe."

Uki raised a brow. "Maybe?"

Zuko was already turning away, smirking. "Depends how fast you walk."

"Hey!"

She shoved him lightly and jogged ahead, laughing under her breath. He caught up in a few strides, and for once, they didn't feel like enemies forced to share a path. They felt like two people who—despite everything—were starting to understand one another.

As they turned the corner toward their small apartment tucked above the tea shop, Uki glanced sideways at him.

"Zuko?"

"Yeah?"

"I hope we don't have to become enemies again...but if we are, I won't go easy on you."

He didn't respond right away. But then, softly: "So do I."

And somehow, in that moment—with their shadows stretched long in the lantern light, with the scent of jasmine tea drifting from a nearby window, and the quiet rhythm of their footsteps in sync—it felt like maybe, just maybe, the world wasn't entirely broken after all.

Maybe, just maybe, it could still be healed.

⋆⋅ ━━━━ ‧ ༻✩༺ ‧ ━━━━ ⋅⋆
wordcount: 2419

back from New Zealand, and back to writing ✍️