It was only when he turned fifteen, and he got word that Risa was alive, that Zuko started to come back to himself. He had opened his mind, and at long last, felt the other half of his soul. Risa and Zuko were a very rare set of twins; they were soul twins. This meant they had the same soul but different, Risa was female, and Zuko was male. The head of the council, a demon by the name of Twilight, always said Risa was the female Zuko and Zuko the male Risa. They were the same person from different sides. It always confused the twins, but they got that they were linked. This bond let Zuko feel his sister. The pain hurt him, but it also made him saner as his need to help her grew. This way, he was able to get control of the dark magic running amuck inside him and make it his own. He wanted to go to Risa’s side, but no one would let him, not liking the idea of him out alone.
He pulled away from Risa and smiled. “My dear, Risa, from now on, you will not be alone. I will stay with you and make sure these men have earned you,” he said softly.
“What right do you have to say that?” Isaac asked, not trying to start a fight.
“Because she is more important than anything else, she has to be happy,” Zuko replied. “I am lost, broken, my mind is gone at the best of times. But, she is not touched by that darkness. So, where my future is in the dark, Risa’s is bright, and I want to make sure she gets it. Which means making sure her mates are good for her. So far, she has two, I have okayed,” he said, smiling.
Isaac frowned, thinking. “Me—seeing as you let me claim her and Forrester?” he asked, blinking when Zuko laughed.
“Oh, no, Forest still has not shown me he is good for her. No, another is waiting to come back to her side,” he said, grinning, knowing it was annoying Isaac to think there was someone he did not know.
“Who?” Isaac asked, getting mad at all the games.
“Why should I tell you?” Zuko asked, coming away from Risa and sitting in front of Isaac, who has been sitting all alone against the wall.
“Because as her mate, I have the right to know who is also after my woman,” he said teeth gritted now.
Zuko grinned, then taking pity on the guy smiled softly, the smile made Isaac blink because, for the first time, he saw Risa in Zuko. The smile was light, and even if the eyes were gold and not blue, they held the same spark. “Hellion is a hellcat shifter who we’ve known since we were kids. We had a lot of trouble with his clan before their Elder, Hellion’s dad, came to see ours, trying to make a truce to stop the fighting. The meeting had not been going well, and Hellion’s dad stormed out only to meet Risa,” Zuko said, grinning.
“Risa back then was a little bit more…” He closed his mouth, a wicked grin on his face.
Isaac laughed. “Oh, I met Risa at the age of five; I know what she was like,” he said, thinking back to the cheeky sweet girl he had known. “Well, she had her hands on her hips, staring down at this huge hellcat, pointed at him and in her most grown-up voice said, ‘It is time you stop being a child, fighting is bad. Now, I am taking your son to play with me. You and daddy better make a deal, or I will make one.’ She stomped her foot, then grabbed Hellion’s hand, who was hiding behind his dad and pulled him away to come and play with us,” Zuko said, giggling now. “Poor Asta, he was at a loss. He was proud of his daughter, but at the same time, did not know how the hellcat chief would take being told off by a small child. He was shocked when Elder Hellfire just started to laugh. After he was done, he turned to my dad and said, ‘well, we have our orders; let’s go back inside and stop being children.’ It was amazing. After that, he seemed nicer. It turned out somebody had been telling Hellfire that my dad was evil to kids and was just using The Dragons as cover. So, the fighting had been about trying to remove my dad from the area; however, the fact that Risa was okay with just stealing Hellfire’s kid and walking off with him, and telling them both off, made Hellfire think. If what he had heard was real, then Risa would not be the way she was. So, he started to really listen to my dad,” Zuko concluded, looking to where Risa lay, still in her dragon form.
“And Hellion?” Isaac asked, wanting to know more.
“Well,” Zuko said, smirking. “Like most males, he fell for Risa really hard. Hellion was always a puppy following her around, wanting her attention in any way she would give, and Risa was happy to,” he said, giggling lightly before his face fell. “When I was hurt and placed into a magic coma, Hellion freaked out from what Onyx told me,” he said, seeing Isaac frown. “Onyx, the black dragon,” Zuko pointed to where Onyx lay, watching Risa a little too closely for Isaac’s liking. “Don’t be like that,” Zuko said. “Onyx was our mum’s dragon. When mum stopped being a rider, her bond went to Risa and me. We are his partners and lord and lady. He has just missed my sister; he still sees her as a child, whom he has to watch over,” Zuko said, smiling softly. “Anyway, Hellion, from what councilman Twilight told me, was unable to follow Risa as his dad forbid him from leaving the area. They feared if he followed Risa, it would draw too much attention to them in hiding. Hellion came and stayed with me; however, he shifted into his cat form and hardly changes back anymore. When I woke and was told Risa was dead, I went mad, and he went even deeper inside himself. We fear he may be lost, but I know he is still there. Before I left, I told him I was going to Risa, and he was up, wanting to come. I told him no for now but would be sending Onyx back to get him once I was sure it was okay for him to come. I am sure once he sees her, he will shift back,” he said, sadly looking to Risa, hoping seeing her would make him turn human once again.
“What about Forrester? I am shocked you are not approving him if you are so ready to accept hellion like that. He has known her just as long?” Isaac said. Zuko grinned. “Because he is fun to play with. Hellion went into full-on mourning of his kind when we thought Risa was dead. Hellcats change into their cat forms when they lose their mates. It is as if the human side can not go on without their love, but dying is seen as insulting to the lost mate, so they remain as their cats until they die. This alone showed me he saw her as his mate, even at the young age of ten, so I cannot take her away from him again, now that he knows she is alive and well.”
Isaac nodded. He did not know how he would feel if he went years believing she was dead, only to find out she was alive but could not be with her. He looked at Zuko, who was once again looking at Risa. He could see the love but also something darker—a need he seemed to have for her, but yet Isaac could tell Zuko would do anything for his sister. It was as if he needed her to be happy, to make up for his own darkness.
Zuko got up, brushing himself off, and walked over to Risa. He frowned as he ran his finger down the blue lines of her dragon form. “Lightning and darkness—what an odd mix,” he murmured to himself. “It is as if two things tried to come out at the same time and mixed; maybe two dragons seeing as she had a dragon for a mate.” He shrugged; he would just have to make sure he kept an eye on her from now on. This form was darker than it should be. He felt that the darkness was because of the curse. It was formed of a hate rage misplaced, but it seemed she had control of it, at least for now.
Chapter Twelve
Hours later, when the sun was setting, Risa woke. She blinked and felt different. Not sure why, she got up and stretched, which also felt wrong somehow. As she moved, there was a smack behind her, so she spun to see what it was. “Weeeeeeee,” came a voice behind her, making her spin again “Weeeeeeee again, again,” came the voice again, making Risa spin around and around, trying to find it. She stopped just in time to see Zuko go flying from where he had been holding onto her tail. She blinked as he hit the wall and slid down as he laughed. She looked down at him, way down. She looked at herself. “What the fuck!?” she growled, her voice coming out deeper as she saw her new body.
“You shifted, Risa; after we claimed each other as mates,” Isaac said, moving so Risa could see him. He moved slowly, not wanting to make her jump. She blinked at him and lay down. Thinking, it all came rushing back. The blue marks down her side, changing to red for
a flash, make him smirk.
“Did you just blush in your dragon form by changing color?” he asked, grinning as he watched her eyes go cold.
“I could eat you right now, you know, right? You should be nicer to me,” Risa growled and huffed when he just fell over laughing.
Risa, sick of his games, got up and stomped out. “Weeeee,” she heard again and stopped; this time, she just turned her head. There, grinning at her like a loon, was her brother, holding on for dear life to her tail.
Moving her tail, so she could look at him, she sighed. “What are you doing Zuko?” she asked, trying not to laugh at the happy look on his face.
“Riding you,” he said with a straight face. Risa just let it go, no matter how bad it sounded.
Risa walked down the tunnel while letting Zuko hang out; he seemed happy swinging from side to side behind her. Now and then, he let out a happy ‘weee’ noise; it was kind of cute. She smiled to herself. She found herself in a cave she had not seen before. “How big is this damn place?” she asked as she looked around. Just then, she saw someone slide into the room. She blinked as Ben of all people looked up at her. He blinked in return, turned around and raced right back out with a yell, “Apollo, there is another dragon in this place!”
Risa waited. She lay down to rest and felt something run along her back, swinging her large head around to find the source of the movement. She saw Zuko sitting on her shoulder. “Hey, sissy,” he purred at her.
She rolled her eyes. “What?” she huffed, softly smiling inside; how she missed her brother, even if he was a little more nuts than she remembered.
“Risa, how I missed you. I am so glad you are alive,” he said, hugging her neck.
She sighed, wishing she could hug him back. He was still the needy child who hated being left alone, she thought. She knew he needed her; she could feel it, and it made her happy to know he had missed her and not just forgot about her.
She was about to reply when she heard footsteps approaching. She looked up as Apollo came into the room, being pushed by Ben. “Look, another one; how can we keep Risa safe when there are dragons everywhere?” Ben was pouting.
Risa could not help it; she started to laugh. “Guys, it is me. My power increased, and I gained a new form,” Risa said, watching the shocked looks on both their faces.
“Wait, but you shift into a kitten?” Ben said clearly at a loss. She felt so bad for him now; he was the only one here who did not know.
“Well, about that,” Apollo said, rubbing the back of his head. “You see, changelings can shift into more than one form. Risa is a Level 3—no wait, Level 4 now, which means she has four forms. Kitten, house cat, panther, which are her first three shifts, and now clearly a dragon, as well,” Apollo said. Ben blinked; he walked over to Risa; his eyes looked hurt. “Why did you not tell me?” he asked his voice low.
“Because I didn’t know whose side you were on,” she said as if it was that simple.
Ben moved to her side and leaned on her. “Yours, always yours.”
“Oh really?” came Zuko’s voice from above as he jumped down, his face taking on a cold hard look as he backed Ben away from Risa.
Apollo growled. “Who are you?” he snapped. He was frowning now, knowing how he had missed the other man in the room. “I am the most important person in Risa’s life, so you better be nice to me,” Zuko said, crossing his arms. Ben and Apollo both frowned.
“This is Zuko, my twin,” Risa said, watching them all. She closed her eyes then and tried to shift back to human. It took her some time. By the time she was human again, Apollo, Ben and Zuko were all facing off, Zuko clearly stopping them from getting close to her.
“You have no right to be near her, you have not earned that right,” Zuko was yelling, his voice was dark.
Risa walked up behind him and hugged him. “Calm down, Z.” At once, the darkness was gone, and Zuko was smiling and hugging her.
“But I want to make sure you have the best, Sissy. You are the most important thing,” he said purring, nuzzling his face into her neck. then he giggled. “You still smell like sex,” he said, sending the boys a wink.
“Sex? What!?” Apollo huffed, walking over trying to get a sniff, but Risa backed up, which meant Zuko backed up as well as he would not let her go.
“I am going to shower, talk to you guys later,” she said. Pushing Zuko away, she turned to leave, only to find Zuko’s arms back around her as she walked.
Oddly, it did not bother her, walking with him hugging her. He used to do this when they were young; it was his way of feeling safe being close to Risa. She did, however, push him off once she found the house and headed to her room. When he tried to come into the bathroom with her, she stopped him. “Oh no, we are far too old to shower together. Stay,” she said, shutting the door in his face. She snickered as she heard him whimpering behind the door. “Not happening,” she said softly as she moved to the shower. There was an odd silence, and then, there was a very small bang on the door. Frowning, Risa opened the door, and a small kitten jumped in. It meowed at her and then walked in. Risa sighed, looking down at her brother, who clearly had no plans to let her out of his sight any time soon. “Zuko, really?” she asked but shrugged it off. “Fine,” she said, picking him up, he purred happily. “You can stay; however, there are rules. You stay in this form, and you stay here.” She put him into the empty bath so he would be unable to see her in the shower. “Meowwwwww,” he cried out but stayed in the bath while Risa jumped in the shower.
Risa sighed as she let the water run over her. She was claimed, she thought, running a hand over the bite mark. But, she did not feel whole. It was as if having her twin here made Risa feel like something she had lost was back, and she was stronger than before. But another part felt like it was waiting to be filled. She opened her eyes, which she did not know she had closed, and smiled. She washed up and then jumped out, not wasting time. She dried off and wrapped a towel around her. She picked Zuko up, who started purring at once, rubbing his head on her. “Really, Z, you are going to have to get used to leaving my side more. I am so not having sex with you in the room,” she huffed as she walked into her room. Dropping him on the bed, she turned to find something to wear, humming. She felt a shift in the air and turned to find Zuko lying in human form across the bed.
Zuko smiled at her as she started to pull out clothes. “Risa, I know I am clingy. But for the first time, I feel like I am whole and sane,” he said, watching her. As she turned around, he saw the sad look on her face. He smiled. “Risa, I am fine now. We are together; over time, I think I will get better, but I just want to enjoy having you back before I lose you to your mates,” he said sadly. Risa put her underwear on and crossed the room to join him.
She hugged him from behind. “Never, you will never lose me. Even if I end up with a thousand mates, I will always have time for my other half, the male who makes sure I never forget how a smile can change the world,” she said, kissing his cheek softly. “Just remember I am here, okay?” Risa said softly, feeling like she needed to keep him safe. He needed her; she could feel it by how he grabbed her arm as if she would disappear if he let her go.
“I am sorry I am so weak,” Zuko said, looking down.
“Never weak, annoying yes, a pain very much so, but never weak. You are strong; you lived through a curse that would have killed many. You have tamed magic, darker than night, and made it your own and came back from the edge, just so you can be by my side once more,” she said, not sure how she knew so much. But, it was as if just being with him, she was learning things about him without him having to tell her.
Zuko smiled and kissed her cheek. “Get dressed, Sis, before you get cold,” he said, making her blush when she looked down.
“Damn,” she said and jumped up to pull on a short dress, which was the only item left. She sighed, really needing to get some better clothes. She looked back to her brother, who was humming softly. “Okay, let's go, Z,” she said, smiling as she walked out
. Within seconds, Zuko was wrapped around her. “Why do I get the feeling, part of you is doing this to annoy the guys?” she asked.
“You know it,” he said, without even thinking, making Risa laugh.
Walking into the living room, she found all the guys sitting there, and even Onyx was there well. He was outside the window, but still, she could see him. She walked over and opened the window, giving The Dragon a pet. “Hello, Onyx,” she said, smiling at The Dragon, who made a happy noise. She walked back, looking to see where Zuko had gone, as he had disappeared once they got into the room. He was pushing Isaac off the two-seater. She watched as The Dragon hit the floor, and Zuko sat down, grinning.
“Risa, I got us a seat,” he said, waving. Risa covered her mouth, looking to Forrester, who just shrugged.
“Hey, Leaf, I have a bone to pick with you,” she said, watching the elf go white. “Why did you not tell me Zuko was awake?” she asked, hands on her hips as she eyed him.
“Because I told him not to,” Zuko said. He just smiled when Risa gave him a cold look.
“Why?” she asked.
“Because I wanted to see how you reacted when you saw me,” he said, shrugging, making Risa rub her head. She looked to Isaac, who was still sitting on the floor, pouting at losing his seat.
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