if you read this already, reread the second half :)

to the group of kids with the emotional burden of saving the world. Tears of frustration, pain, helplessness. They all had lost something, things they were slowly getting over.

When the group met together again, Sokka and Suki were too overjoyed to see Aang again to notice at first, but that was when Toph spoke up,

"Wait a second... there's a heartbeat missing. No, there's two." And that's when everyone had noticed Katara was the only one who had dismounted Appa.

"Um," Katara's voice cracked, "Zuko is getting Uzume down from Appa." Toph felt as Katara's heart began to race as if the brown girl was on the verge of a panic attack.

"Did she get injured?" Aang asked his love, worried.

"No." Toph interrupted Katara before she could speak, "No!" She shouted at the group and pointed towards Katara, "Tell us she's okay!"

When no one spoke, that's when Aang, Sokka and Suki began to realize.

However, it really set in when Zuko got down from Appa with a body in his arms, covered by a blanket.

-

Surrounded by a group of guards, Zuko walked down the halls of the royal prison. He avoided looking at any high risk prisoners as he made his way to a cell at the end of the corridor, even more protected than the other cells. Guards exchanged short nods before they opened the doors that lead him to the cell of the person he dreaded to see.

Azusa sat in a dark corner, glowering at the floor. The black haired girl looked up at her brother through her bangs, a sight that sent a chill down his spine.

He was suddenly painfully aware of all the cracks in the walls and the dust that filled the air, making it impossible for him to breathe. That, or it was his panic setting in.

It was hard to believe the girl in the corner was younger than him. She looked older, distressed. With the straight jacket holding her arms and metal covering her feet and mouth to prevent any use of her bending, she didn't look like a girl who could love anyone.

But that was their problem; she did love someone. And she killed her.

Zuko awkwardly cleared his throat before gesturing for the guards to remove her mouth covering. Azula had surprisingly let them as she continued to stare at Zuko.

The guards finally stepped back and Zuko hesitantly dismissed them from the room.

The boy stared at his fingers, and for a second he could swear he saw scars on them, much like the girl he loved.

"The service was nice." He spoke up after a few seconds of silence. Azula's glare softened a little, as if she was begging to hear about her best friend one last time.

"A lot of people from different nations showed up, she would have loved to see it," Zuko paused with a lump in his throat, "Iroh sang for her. He was heartbroken when he found out her destiny killed her."

Azula began to look bored with the details, almost as if she was expecting to hear that Uzume had come back from the dead.

"Mai has emotions," He dryly chuckled, "Mai had a lot of them at the ceremony... Ty Lee had to hug her while she sobbed."

It was Azula's turn to let out a dry chuckle, "We used to joke that Mai wouldn't show emotions, even if she was at a funeral," She paused, "We never thought about who's funeral."

Zuko nodded awkwardly before he began to speak again, "Suki left her Kyoshi fans on top of her casket. It was nice. Uzume loved the golden lining of them."

Azula finally looked up fully, "That one water tribe peasants girlfriend? I remember Uzume tried saving her from me."

"Speaking of that one water tribe guy, he hated you."

Azula let out a snort.

"Uzume was his best friend. He called her a cooler Katara. He even drew a portrait of all of us with Uzume watching over us. He's legally not allowed to know where we're keeping you, we don't want him breaking in and... killing you."

"Why, Zuzu? You want me to suffer for the rest of my life."

Zuko shook his head, "Uzume would have wanted you to get a change to be better. So, I convinced Katara to start working with you, slowly of course, and maybe heal the mental anguish inside."

"Oh, the girl who cried every time mothers were mentioned. How's she doing?"

"She also wants to kill you. All of us do. But we can't. Aang gave us a whole speech about sacred human life. Aang, he cried like a baby. I feel bad for him. He's the avatar and now he has to restart his whole nation by himself again."

Azula pretended to mull over her brother's words, "Enough about them. How's the angry toddler?"

"We have to make her wear shoes when she's near here, just so she doesn't find you. She's the real threat to you. You took someone who was a role model away from her."

Azula looked down at the ground and leaned her head against the wall.

"Sometimes, Katara has to wake her up from a night terror. Every night Toph has spent here, she wakes up screaming for Uzume," Zuko paused,

"I also wake up screaming for her. Every time I'm with them all, I can't feel fulfilled. All I see is you striking her down like she was nothing to you. I see her in the darkest corners of the palace. I hear music and all I can think about is how she would have danced to it."

Azula rolled her eyes as Zuko finished his wrap up, "Well, take all of your pain and multiply it by 10. I feel emotions you can't even imagine."

Zuko stood up abruptly at his sisters words, face angry.

"Can't even imagine? Azula this isn't about you. Your lightning killed her, sure, but you are not the only person who cared for her."

"Zuzu-"

"No! You always told her that you're the only one. Only you know her. Only you love her. You are not the only person who has ever loved her Azula. You're a liar."

The guards began to come in and wrap Azula's muzzle back on her.

Zuko kept eye contact with her as the two glared at each other and once she was fully restrained again, he began to make his way out.

He began to walk down those halls, scared to look back.

Scared to look at his lovers killer, scared to live without Uzume, scared that if he turned around, he would see Uzume's face amongst the chaos.

Tears gathered in his eyes. If a guard asked, he'd just say it was dust bothering him.

That night, a girl with shoulder length hair stood in front of him. She wore her usually long sleeves and she stood in a green meadow. The breeze brushed past the two of them as they gazed into each other's eyes, lovingly. The air carried her sweet caramel scent to his nostrils, along with the smell of flowers.

She gave him a sad smile. He knew she wasn't real, but all he had wanted since he was a kid was her attention, so he chose to just focus on the fact that she had smiled at him.

He knew it wasn't real when she began to approach him delicately.

He knew it was his dream as she began to hold his hand softly in hers.

He knew he'd wake up screaming her name when she spoke words to him, words he couldn't understand.

He knew, he knew okay, he knew that it was all in his head when she cupped his cheeks and brought him into a sweet kiss.

-

the end :)

the beginning of all of this ^

however, writing Uzume was amazing. I really tried to pour in how it felt to be manipualted and the indecision from it that happens, because it sucks guys. Being controlled by someone you love is so painful.

I really didn't want to kill off Uzume but it just made sense to have her die by the hands of Azula after she tried so hard to excuse her actions. Plus, I chose her name because it's pronounced like Izumi, Zuko's daughter in LoK.

However, in the mean time, I'll be continuing with Taiya and Sokka's story!