Just a oneshot/songfic that hit me while I was listening to the radio. I wrote it kind of late on a school night, so, sorry if it sucks. And the quote at the very beginning might not be word-for-word, because I couldn't find it anywhere online ... so I had to quote it from memory.
Remember to review! Every time you review, an angel gets its wings ... either that, or you make an author really happy. I forget which one it is, but you better review just to be safe (you wouldn't want that angel sitting around without any wings now, would you?)
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender OR "How To Save A Life" by The Fray. But I do love both the series and the song.
"You must believe me when I tell you that there is some good inside of him…"
Iroh sighed deeply as he sat within the dank, murky cell that was his home for the time being. A small squirrel-rat darted across the floor, the depressed man following its quick actions without much interest. Thinking back on those words he had said to the young man of the Water Tribe, he began to ask how he had let himself be played as a fool by his own nephew.
Step one you say we need to talk
He walks, you say sit down; it's just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Azula. He'd chosen Azula. The words, though they had been echoing in his mind endlessly for the past several hours, had not hit him so hard as they did right now. Warm, salty tears threatened to fall from his eyes, and he did nothing to stop them.
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
And you begin to wonder why you came
He had done everything he could to try and save his nephew from a destiny that was not his own. Every day he had woken up, believing that with the new sun came a new chance; a fresh start. All the yesterdays in the world could not, would not matter anymore. No matter what you did in the past, as he tried to tell his nephew, you always had a new beginning waiting for you.
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
But it was not so. As hard as he had tried to get through to his nephew's heart, no matter what he said or what emotions he hit within the young prince, it all came down to nothing. Months of building up his self-esteem, hours spent trying to talk some sense into his young head, nights spent lying awake in bed, wishing he would realize his own destiny; all were wasted. The old man realized that, when it had come down to the final moment, his all had not been enough.
Let him know that you know best
Cause after all you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
You don't need his love, he had wanted to say so many times. You don't need your father's approval or acceptance. Your destiny lies in your own hands. Why hadn't the young prince listened to him? Why hadn't his words gotten through? If a father's love was truly all Prince Zuko had wanted, then why had he not acknowledged Iroh's love, the love he so desperately needed to give away after the loss of his own son?
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you've told him all along
And pray to God he hears you
And pray to God he hears you
There was no way the Fire Lord would truly ever take Zuko back, even if he did return with the Avatar. There lay an unspoken hatred within this man's heart, a hatred that was evident to everyone but the young prince. He is blinded, the old man thought to himself, blinded by what he wants, and it is preventing him from seeing the truth. And, the truth was that Zuko was stronger than either his sister or his father could ever hope to be … but his mind had been poisoned by the constant lies Azula whispered in his ear.
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
A fierce pain shot through Iroh's heart, a pain that told him it was his fault. Guilt fell upon him like water tumbles down the rock into the murky depths below, creating a waterfall of both fear and regret. The young prince whom he had taken charge of, the prince whom he swore he'd protect, had chosen the wrong path. And even though Iroh knew he could not make Zuko's decisions for him, he felt as though he should have tried harder…
As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
Drive until you lose the road
Or break with the ones you've followed
I should have done something more … The regret filled his body and overtook his mind, intensifying the guilt he already felt. Swirling around his mind, unanswered questions plagued his thoughts incessantly. Remembering the final look he gave his nephew before Azula ordered him away to the dungeons, he wondered if that last act reached his nephew in any way. For, if all those months encouragement and love did not reach him, then perhaps the only chance left was in a display of shame and disgrace.
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he'll say he's just not the same
And you'll begin to wonder why you came
There's always a second chance, he reminded himself. The young prince will come around. He just had to. There was always room for redemption.
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
"Zuko," he hoarsely whispered to himself, wondering if there was some way perhaps his nephew could hear him. He paused before continuing, knowing his pleas would fall on deaf ears.
And I would have stayed up with you all night
"I know there is still some good inside of you …"
Had I known how to save a life
"… but when will you realize this as well?"
How to save a life