Moths to the Flame

Cast some light and you'll be all right
For now
-Crosses, José González

i. monster (under the bed)

Until he was about eleven, Zuko checked obsessively under his bed every night, and only Iroh noticed the mysterious absence of turtle-ducks in the pond and the wicked gleam in Azula's eyes.

ii. scar

His uncle called it cruel, once; Zuko thinks of his grandfather's burning body, and calls it mercy.

iii. a weather eye on the setting sun

In his dreams, the only sea he stands in is made of gold grasses and the only storms are those of laughter - the melody of a perfect day, where islands of sadness and confusion go uncharted.

iv. derailment

On the porch of the Jasmine Dragon he picks up a broom and tries to pretend that he belongs here, that this can be his dream, even as he measures the distance to home in miles - and steps, and dreams, and leagues - in his head.

v. hereditary

It's only a matter of time, he knows with increasing desperation, until the flame is stifled and he's swallowed by the darkness just like she was.

And that's why he tells his sister yes in Ba Sing Se.